CBSE Class 9 English The Bishops Candlesticks Notes

CBSE Class 9 English-The Bishops Candlesticks. Learning the important concepts is very important for every student to get better marks in examinations. The concepts should be clear which will help in faster learning. The attached concepts made as per NCERT and CBSE pattern will help the student to understand the chapter and score better marks in the examinations. 

 The Bishop’s Candlesticks

Author: Norman Mckinnell

Read the extracts given below and answer the following questions:

(1) ‘Persome: Monseigneur the Bishop is a – ahem!’

Q. 1. Why does Persome not complete the sentence ?

Ans. Persome (the speaker) does not complete the sentence because it would have been derogatory. She does not want to utter rude words even when she is angry.

Q. 2. Why is she angry with the Bishop ?

Ans. She is angry as the Bishop has sold his salt-cellars to help an old lady pay her rent. She feels that everybody is taking advantage of her brother’s generosity.

(2) “She sent little Jean to Monseigneur to ask for help, and” ——-

Q. 1. Who sent little Jean to the Bishop ?

Ans. Mere Gringoire sent little Jean to the Bishop.

Q. 2. What did she want from him ? Why ?

Ans. She wanted some help because the bailiff threatened to turn her out if she did not pay the rent.

Q. 3. How did the Bishop arrange to fulfill her needs ?

Ans: The Bishop arranged to fulfill her needs by selling his silver salt-cellars.

(3) “I offered to take her in here for a day or two, but she seemed to think it might distress you.”

Q. 1. Who speaks these words ? Whom is he speaking to ?

Ans. The Bishop speaks these lines to his sister Persome.

Q. 2. Who is the person being spoken about ?

Ans. It is Mere Gringoire, an old lady. She is ill, bed-ridden and needs care and attention.

Q. 3. Why did he wish to take her in ?

Ans. He wished to take her in because she was ailing and needed care and attention.

Q. 4. Why did she think her being “taken in” might distress the person being spoken to ?

Ans. She thinks her presence will distress Persome as she knows that Persome is a stingy woman and does not like her.

(4) “You have your soul to lose, my son; it is of more value than my heart.”

Q. 1. Who says these words and to whom ?

Ans. The Bishop says these words to the convict.

Q. 2. What has the person being spoken to just threatened to do ?

Ans. The convict threatens to drive his knife through the Bishop’s heart. He says that he has nothing to lose.

Q. 3. How does the speaker save the listener’s soul ?

Ans. He saves the convict’s soul by making him believe by his action that there is still hope for him and that there is still good in the world.

Answer the following question in about 30-40 words:

Q. 1. Do you think the Bishop was right in selling the salt-cellars? Why/why not?

Answer: Yes, the Bishop was right in selling the salt-cellars because he was an ideal person. He could not bear the thought of an old and sick lady to be thrown out of the house due to non-payment of rent. He always helps people in times of need.

Q. 2. Do you think the punishment given to the convict was justified? Why/ why not?

Answer: The punishment given to the convict was not justified. It is too inhuman for someone who was caught stealing just to feed his sick wife. He was guilty of stealing only to feed his wife who was dying of starvation. But they showed him no mercy and treated him like a beast. They chained him like a wild animal, lashed him like a hound and fed him filth. He was covered with vermin and had to sleep on boards. This kind of treatment is inhuman and not justified. 

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