CBSE Class 10 English Footprints Without Feet A Triumph of Surgery Notes and Important Questions Set 01

Answer: She lived in a large house with maids and a gardener, had a chauffeur-driven car, and sent costly eggs, wine and brandy to the surgery. This shows she was very rich.

Teacher's Note: Use the key term in your answer.

Answer: Tricki had lost interest in food and lay listlessly on the floor. She was worried about his health, so she called Mr Herriot to examine him.

Teacher's Note: Give an example if the question allows.

Answer: He keeps Tricki at the surgery on a strict diet, gives him only water for two days, and lets him play with the other dogs. No medicine or operation is given.

Teacher's Note: Write a short, clear answer.

Answer: Tricki was too fat and lazy and was used to a pampered life, so he did not mix with them or play. He just lay in his bed, and the other dogs ignored him.

Teacher's Note: Remember this for your exam.

Answer: He understood that Tricki was only overfed and bored. A simple diet, exercise and the company of other dogs would cure him in a short time.

Teacher's Note: Learn this point and write it in your own words.

Answer: Tricki's illness was caused by overfeeding, and she would not stop feeding him at home. Away from her, he could be put on a strict diet and cured.

Teacher's Note: Use the key term in your answer.

Answer: She had no children, loved Tricki like her own child, and was rich enough to spoil him. Her love made her refuse him nothing.

Teacher's Note: Give an example if the question allows.

Answer: The cure was to take him off the rich food and sweets, give him water, exercise and the company of the other dogs, so that he would live like a normal dog.

Teacher's Note: Write a short, clear answer.

Answer: On the third day he went into the garden, joined the other dogs, and licked the bowls clean. Soon he played and fought for his food like them.

Teacher's Note: Remember this for your exam.

Answer: For two days he lay quietly and ate nothing. On the third day he wanted to go out, joined the dogs and ate eagerly. Within a few days he was lively, and in two weeks he was healthy and slim.

Teacher's Note: Learn this point and write it in your own words.

Answer: The title is ironical. Mrs Pumphrey thinks Tricki was cured by the surgery, but no surgery was done. Mr Herriot only gave him a strict diet, exercise and the company of other dogs, and the pampered dog became healthy again. The real triumph is of common sense and the vet's tact over her foolish love. The title also gives humour to the story.

Teacher's Note: Use the key term in your answer.

Answer: (a) Tricki is a fat, lazy and pampered dog, who loves cream cakes and chocolates. Once treated like a normal dog he turns active and playful. (b) Mrs Pumphrey is a rich, loving but foolish woman who spoils her dog with food and then thanks the vet for a 'surgery' that never took place. (c) Mr Herriot is a clever, practical and honest vet, who cures the dog by diet and exercise and handles the lady with tact.

Teacher's Note: Give an example if the question allows.

Answer: Humour lies in the description of Tricki as a bloated sausage, his cakes, and the vet and his partners enjoying the eggs, wine and brandy meant for the dog. The irony is that a simple diet is called a 'triumph of surgery', and a rich woman worries more about a dog than about people. The social satire is aimed at the rich who spoil their pets, wasting food and money when many people are hungry.

Teacher's Note: Write a short, clear answer.