CBSE Class 10 English The Proposal Assignment Set 03

Short Answer Type Questions

Question. How does Natalya react when she comes to know that Lomov had come to propose for her hand?
Answer: After Lomov’s departure, when Natalya comes to know that Lomov had come to Chubukov to seek her hand, she started weeping and asked her father to call him back. She was very excited because she was desperate to marry him. Her father blessed them to be happy.

Question. What makes Chubukov misunderstand the purpose of Lomov’s visit?
Answer: Lomov came to Chubukov’s house in a formal dress. So, Chubukov thought that Lomov must have come to borrow money as he had been doing the same earlier. But the actual purpose of his visit was to propose to his daughter. Thus, Chubukov misunderstood the purpose of Lomov’s visit.

Question. Why does Natalya quarrel with Lomov? What is the result?
Answer: Natalya quarrels with Lomov because Lomov fights with her on the issue of ownership of Oxen Meadows and superiority of their dogs Squeezer and Guess. Lomov says that his dog Guess is better than her Squeezer.
At last, When Natalya came to know about Lomov’s marriage proposal, they forgot quarrel, and she was desperate to marry him.

Question. What makes you laugh when Lomov and Chubukov first meet together?
Answer: When Lomov and Chubukov first met, it created a funny scene. Lomov entered Chubukov’s house, wearing a jacket and white gloves, a formal evening dress. Chubukov suspected him and was surprised because Lomov had come without an invitation. But later on, Chubukov was glad to hear that he had come to propose to his daughter. So, this makes us laugh.

Question. What do you think would have been Chubukov’s reaction on hearing the reason for which Lomov had come to his house?
Answer: When Chubukov came to know that the reason of Lomov’s coming to their house is to marry Natalya, he was overwhelmed with joy. He embraced and kissed Lomov and told him that he was hoping for it for a long time. He told Lomov that he had always loved him as if he were his own son.

Question. What justification did Lomov give to Natalya and Chubukov to prove that he is the rightful owner of Meadows?
Answer: Lomov told Natalya and Chubukov that his aunt’s grandmother gave the Meadows for the temporary and free use of Chubukov’s grandfather’s peasants. So he is the rightful owner of the open meadows.

Question. Lomov was a quarrelsome person. Do you agree? Justify.
Answer: Lomov was a quarrelsome person. He came to Chubukov’s house to propose Natalya. But he started arguing about the meadows and insisted that those meadows belonged to him. Later he kept on proving that his dog Squeezer was better than ‘Guess’ -the dog of Chubukov’s. He did not care for his health or his proposal but kept on fighting for one or the other reason. It proves that he was a quarrelsome person.

Question. Describe, in brief, the character of Natalya as sketched in ‘The Proposal’.
Answer: Natalya was twenty five years old, daughter of Chubukov. She was a good housekeeper, not bad looking and well educated. She secretly loved Lomov. She was greedy and short-sighted. She was short tempered as well.

Question. Lomov went to Chubukov’s house and was seeking permission so that he could trouble him with a request. What is the trouble that he is talking about?
Answer: Lomov went to Chubukov’s house to ask him to marry his daughter, Natalya. He asked Chubukov for Natalya’s hand. This is the trouble he was talking about.

Question. Natalya was not Lomov’s real love. But still, he wanted to marry her. Give two reasons for his decision.
Answer: Though Lomov was not in love with Natalya, he wanted to marry her because he was suffering due to a weak heart and sleep-sickness. He wanted a companion who could look after him.

Question. Lomov calls himself a ‘land grabber’. Justify the statement in about 20-25 words.
Answer: Lomov and Natalya argue over the ownership of Oxen Meadows. Natalya calls him a ‘land grabber’ as he claims his ownership over it. Lomov says that he is not a ‘land grabber’ as he has never done so and would never let anyone do so.

Question. How and why did Lomov come to meet the Chubukov family?
Answer: Lomov came in a formal evening dress - wearing a jacket and white gloves. He had come to meet the Chubukov family to put his proposal for Natalya. He wanted to marry her.

Question. How can you say that Natalya was not convinced that Oxen Meadows were owned by Lomov?
Answer: Natalya was not convinced as she said that they owned Oxen Meadows for nearly 300 years. It was surprising and ridiculous if someone else claimed it to be his own. Chubukov also joined the quarrel.

Question. What did Natalya say about Guess?
Answer: Natalya said that Squeezer was superior to Guess - Lomov’s dog. Lomov said that his dog Guess was better than Squeezer. Natalya believed that Guess had become old and ought to be shot. She also claimed that Squeezer was a hundred times better than Guess.

Question. What is the ailment that Lomov is suffering from?
Answer: Lomov is thirty five years old. It is high time that he should settle for a quiet and regular life. He is suffering due to a weak heart and sleep-sickness. In need of a companion who may look after him, he wants to get married.

Question. What request did Lomov make to Chubukov?
Answer: Lomov went to Chubukov in a formal dress in order to propose marriage to his daughter, Natalya. Hesitatingly, he told Chubukov that he needed his help and had come to trouble him with a request. He told him that he wanted to marry Natalya.

Question. Is Natalya really a love-sick cat as called by her father? If it is so, why does she quarrel with Lomov?
Answer: Natalya is really a love-sick cat as called by her father Chubukov emotionally. Chubukov has been hoping for a long time to get Natalya married to Lomov. He knows that she is very keen to get married.
Both Natalya and Lomov quarrel on petty issues like land and dogs, for argument’s sake. ‘A true merchant knows his goods’, as her father says. So, behind the quarrel or hate lies a hidden love, the call of two to unite forever.

Long Answer Type Questions

Question. What type of person is Natalya? Give two examples to show her quarrelsome nature.
Answer: Natalya is the daughter of Chubukov. She is talkative, short-tempered and quarrelsome. She is very much concerned about her family’s honour and ownership of Oxen Meadows, her father’s property. She is also extremely argumentative. We can refer here two examples that will show her quarrelsome nature. First, Natalya quarrels with Lomov about the ownership of Oxen Meadows. She claims that Oxen Meadows have been theirs for long. Lomov argues that his aunt’s grandmother had given the free use of the Meadows to the peasants of Natalya’s grandfather. So, the Oxen Meadows is theirs. Thus, they start quarrelling each other. Secondly, they start quarrelling on the point of dispute about the superiority of their dogs. When Lomov praises his dog, Guess, Natalya tries to prove her dog, Squeezer, better than his. Thus, there was a heated argument between themselves.

Question. The proposal was forgotten amidst argumentation. Which right approach should have been followed by both parties?
Answer: Lomov came to Chubukovs to propose Natalya. Both were neighbours and lomov was at the right age to marry. But instead of forwarding the proposal both Lomov and Natalya started fighting over trifles. Firstly, they fought over a small piece of land called Oxen meadows. Both of them claimed that the land belonged to them and not to the other one. Somehow, the argument came to an end and they started fighting over dogs and claimed each of their dog to be better than the other one. The proposal was forgotten amidst all these arguments. The situation might have been different if both the parties had followed the right approach. Oxen meadows would belong to both of them if they got married. Similarly, dogs were too petty a thing to argue about while a marriage is going to take place. There should not have been any ego in between them. They should have been polite and patient to each other. They should not have been rigid and stubborn. Their priority should have been their marriage and not meadows or dogs. Only then the proposal could have been carried on.

Question. ‘The way Chubukov, Natalya and Lomov fought over petty issues is against the behaviour and mannerisms of good neighbours.” Comment. What would you have done to resolve the issue? (if you were in the place of Chubukov)
Answer: Lomov and Chubukovs were neighbours. Lomov came to Chubukovs to propose Natalya. But instead of proposing they started fighting over petty issues like the ownership of Oxen meadows and quality of dogs. This is not characteristic of good neighbours. Neighbours should live like friends. There should be a positive relationship between the two neighbours. There should be understanding and patience among neighbours. The fight between Lomovs and Chubukovs could have been avoided if handled carefully. The issue of meadows could have been resolved calmly and quietly through a good conversation. There must have been some documents showing the ownership of the meadows or both the parties could have convinced each other by making each other understand that if they got married, the meadows would belong to both of them. Similarly, the issue of dogs could have been solved peacefully instead of counting the negative points of each other’s dogs. They could have discussed the positive features of the dogs. Thus the issues could have been resolved.

Question. Why does Lomov think of marrying Natalya Stepanovna and settle into a quiet and regular marriage?
Answer: Lomov was thirty five years old. It was high time that life settled for him. Moreover, he was suffering from some mental and emotional disorders. He found it difficult to put his proposal to Natalya, due to a weak heart and sleeplessness. He wanted company and someone to look after him, so he wanted to get married. He visited Chubukov. However, Lomov was not in love with Natalya. Besides his ill health, he understood quite well that she was an excellent housekeeper, not bad looking, and well-educated. Thus, he thought of marrying her because of all these practical reasons.

Question. Delineate the character sketch of Lomov.
Answer: Lomov is a man who is of marriageable age. He also suffers from a weak heart and sleeplessness. So, he is desperate to settle down in life and lead a quiet and regular life. Despite his ailments, Lomov was a rich and prosperous farmer. This makes Chubukov secretly wish him to marry his daughter Natalya. As for Lomov, he did not love her, though he was desperate to have a life partner, and so wanted to marry Natalya. Lomov was however hesitant to ask for her hand from Chubukov. That made him beat around the bush, argue with Natalya and leave without proposing. Thus we can find that Lomov’s conditions overpower the other traits he has. He is an eligible, assertive, rich, bachelor, who could be liked by any girl. However, we also know that he is nervous, lacks confidence and is prone to talk in a long-winded manner.

Question. Describe what circumstances made Chubukov to marry Natalya with Lomov.
Answer: Chubukov was thinking that Lomov had come to borrow money from him but when he told him that he had come to propose to his daughter he was overjoyed and even shed a tear. He kissed and embraced Lomov. He told Lomov that he was hoping it for a long time. He also told Lomov that he loved him as his own son. In fact, Chubukov, secretly wished Lomov to marry his daughter as he knew that Lomov was a rich and prosperous farmer and his only daughter could lead a comfortable life with him. No wonder, he was overjoyed to know that Lomov was there to propose to his daughter.

Question. Relate some incidents of humour in the play, ‘The Proposal’?
Answer: ‘The Proposal’ is certainly a humorous play. The very entry of Lomov in a formal dress and the way Chubukov greets calling him ‘darling’, ‘my treasure’ or ‘my beauty’ makes one laugh. Marriage proposal, which was supposed to be romantic turns to be humorous as the way Natalya and Lomov indulge in arguments over petty issues like ownership of Oxen Meadows and superiority of dogs . This makes the play even more humorous. The critical terms that the characters use for each other like a scarecrow, turnip ghost, blind hen, stuffed sausage, etc., force one to laugh. The hysterical fit of Natalya when she comes to know about the proposal and the wailing of the father and daughter when they think Lomov is dead create immense humour. Finally, the way Natalya puts her hand on Lomov under continuous arguments indicating acceptance of the proposal is really humorous. Thus we see that the whole play is replete with fun making it a humorous play.

Question. Give a brief description of Natalya as a person who is firm and resolute.
Answer: Natalya was twenty five years old and the daughter of Chubukov. She was a good housekeeper, not bad to look at and educated; that was why Lomov wanted to marry her. She could be a good wife to him. She secretly loved Lomov. She became hysterical when she came to know that Lomov had come to propose to her. She asked her father to call him back. To please Lomov she asked him to forgive her and agreed to his ownership of the Oxen Meadows. She was greedy and short-sighted. She got the whole field of hay cut. She was also very inquisitive and wanted to know why Lomov was dressed up formally. She was touchy and short-tempered and fell into contradiction and argument on two occasions-once over the ownership of Oxen Meadows and second time over the superiority of her dog Squeezer. She is as rigid as Lomov. She is not ready to give up the ownership of her land even after getting ready to marry him.

Question. There is a certain way in which the characters speak in the play ‘The Proposal’. What does it tell us about the Russian men?
Answer: As the story belongs to the Russian character. So, through the dialogues of the characters, we come to know a lot about Russian men. According to the story, the Russians are very particular about their dress and have particular dresses for the special occasion. Secondly, they are hypocrites. They show off to be sweet but the very next moment, they start fighting. They pretend to be good neighbours but within their heart, they have so many grudges. They love to have dogs as pets and consider their pets better than that of the others one. All of them are stubborn, short-tempered, quarrelsome and rigid.

Extract Based Questions

1. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follows :
Natalya I can make you a present of them myself, because they’re mine! Your behaviour, Ivan Vassilevitch, is strange, to say the least! Up to this we have always thought of you as a good neighbour, a friend; last year we lent you our threshing-machine, although on that account we had to put off our own threshing till November, but you behave to us as if we were gypsies.

Question. Where do Lomov and Natalya get on the wrong foot?
(a) While talking about the weather.
(b) While talking about their land.
(c) While talking about their family relations.
(d) While talking about their hobbies.
Answer: (b) While talking about their land.

Question. Fill in the blank appropriately. ‘Them’ here refers to __________.
Answer: Oxen Meadows

Question. What does the given lines tell us about Natalya?
Answer: The given lines tell us that Natalya is a short tempered girl ready to fight for the smallest of things.

Question. Which phrase would correctly substitute ‘postpone’, in the given sentence from the passage?
I had to postpone my plane due to shortage of money.
Answer: put off

2. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follows :
Natalya Papa gave 85 roubles for his Squeezer, and Squeezer is heaps better than Guess! Lomov Squeezer better than Guess? What an idea! (laughs) Squeezer better than Guess!
Natalya Of course he’s better! Of course, Squeezer is young, he may develop a bit, but on points and pedigree he’s better than anything that even Volchanetsky has got.

Question. Natalya’s father bought Squeezer for _____.
(a) 105 roubles
(b) 85 roubles
(c) he was adopted
(d) 150 roubles
Answer: (b) 85 roubles

Question. Why is Squeezer better than Guess, according to Natalya?
Answer: Squeezer is better according to Natalya because he has a better pedigree.

Question. How does Natalya defend Squeezer?
Answer: To defend Squeezer, her father’s dog, Natalya states that Squeezer is young but in points/features and pedigree he is better than many other dogs.

Question. Read the following descriptions (a)-(c) and identify which one correctly corresponds to the extract.
(a) An argument wherein two or more people with contrasting thoughts or ideas are fighting for their cause.
(b) A soliloquy is a speech given by a character alone on stage, which reveals their innermost thoughts and feelings to the audience.
(c) A narrative from the point of view of an omniscient narrator, who knows everything about the story and the character.
Answer: (a) An argument wherein two or more people with contrasting thoughts or ideas are fighting for their cause.

3. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follows :
“Natalya Stephenova is an excellent housekeeper, not bad looking, well-educated. What more do I want? But I,m getting noise in my ears from excitement. [Drinksl And it,s impossible for me not to marry In the first place, I’m already 35-a critical age, so to speak. In the second place, I ought to lead a quiet and regular life.”

Question. When the speaker says, 'What more do I want?', he means that
(a) he wants to get married soon.
(b) Natalya is a good match for him.
(c) he and Natalya are both quarrelsome.
(d) Natalya would add to his glory.
Answer: (b) Natalya is a good match for him.

Question. What do the given lines tell us about the speaker?
Answer: The given lines tell us that the speaker wanted to live a regular life

Question. The statement that is true about the speaker according to the passage is
(a) he is an old man.
(b) he suffers from attacks of excitements.
(c) he wants to make Natalya his business partner.
(d) he wants to travel to the world.
Answer: (b) he suffers from attacks of excitements

Question. What happens to Lomov when he is in excited state? Elaborate in about 40 words.
Answer: when Lamov is in an excited state his heartbeat increases, lips start to tremble and there is a twitch in his right eyebrow. When he goes to sleep in such’a stale, something pulls him from the left side and he jumps like a lunatic.