GSEB Class 12 English Vistas Chapter 5 Should Wizard Hit Mommy Solutions

Read and Find Out (Textbook Page No. 48)

Question 1. Who is Jo? How does she respond to her father's story-telling?
Answer: Jo is the shortened version of Joanne. She is the four-year-old daughter of Jack and Clare. For the past two years, her father, Jack, has been telling her bedtime stories. These stories are usually based on the same basic tale and include the same characters and sequence of events. She was an intelligent and curious child. Her mind was full of questions about everything she heard or saw. Her reactions to the stories were a mix of feelings, recognizing what she knew and wanting to explore the new parts woven into the basic story by her father. An impatient Jo wanted the story to move quickly, but she couldn't continue with conflicting thoughts or unanswered questions in her mind. She was also a very careful listener and corrected her father whenever she felt he made a mistake. The strength of her involvement with the story was clear from her body language and facial expressions. She felt empathy for the main character and rejected anything that didn't fit into her own small world. Her desire to understand and her eagerness to express her viewpoint kept her awake. She was even ready to argue with her father and persuade him to finish the story as she saw fit. Her responses show that she had started to form her own personality.
In simple words: Jo is Jack's four-year-old daughter. She often had questions and conflicting ideas about his bedtime stories, showing she was a smart and observant listener.

Exam Tip: When describing a character's personality, provide specific examples from the text to support your points about their traits and actions.

Read and Find Out (Textbook Page No. 53)

Question 1. What possible plotline could the story continue with?
Answer: From Jo's perspective, the story should have ended happily, with Roger Skunk getting rid of his terrible smell forever and being able to play with all the other children. However, from Jack's viewpoint, the story might not have such a simple fairy-tale ending. During the story-telling process, it was clear that Jack felt nostalgic about his own childhood and his mother. So, he included his own perspective. His feeling of connection to his mother and his real-life experiences led to a mature and realistic conclusion where reality limited the scope of fantasy. By connecting himself with Roger Skunk in his story, he avoided facing the difficult situation of identity issues and blaming his mother.
In simple words: Jo wanted a happy ending where Roger Skunk smelled good and played with friends. Jack, however, wanted a more realistic ending, reflecting his own childhood memories and the complexities of life.

Exam Tip: When asked about different plotlines, consider the viewpoints of various characters and how their personal experiences or desires would shape the story's direction.

Read and Find Out (Textbook Page No. 54)

Question 1. What do you think was Jo's problem?
Answer: Little Jo was used to the happy endings of Roger's stories, where the wizard helped him achieve his wish. When Roger Skunk asked, the wizard had changed his terrible smell to that of roses. Other small animals liked it and played happily with Roger Skunk. She could not accept the ending of the longer story where Roger Skunk's mother hit the wizard on the head and made him change Skunk's smell back to the original bad one. Jo could not accept the mother's stubbornness-hitting her son's well-wisher, Roger Skunk. Jo insisted that her father should tell her the same story again the next day with a different ending. The wizard should hit that unreasonable mother on the head and leave Roger Skunk smelling pleasantly of roses. In a child's beautiful world of imagination, fairies and wizards are more real than reality itself. She could not accept the harsh realities of life. She did not like the cold mother who hit the person who helped her son.
In simple words: Jo's problem was that she couldn't accept the story's ending where Roger Skunk's mother forced the wizard to restore his bad smell, which ruined the happy outcome.

Exam Tip: Analyze a child's perspective in stories by focusing on their core desires for fairness, happiness, and clear solutions, often contrasting with adult complexities.

Reading with Insight

Answer the following questions in about six to seven sentences each:

Question 1. What is the moral issue that the story raises?
Answer: The story explores moral issues that depend on different levels of maturity. There is a clear difference between an adult's view of life and a small child's perspective. Children represent innocence; hatred and unfairness have no place in their world. In the story, baby Skunk could only make friends after he smelled of roses. From Jo's point of view, the joy of having friends was more important than anything else. As a result, she cannot understand why Skunk's mother pressured her child to get his original bad body odor back. On the other hand, Jack tried to defend Skunk's mother and wanted Roger to obey his mother, even if it meant smelling bad again. Jack, acting as a typical father, wanted his daughter to believe that parents are always right and know what is best for their children. Thus, the story asks whether parents should always be followed without question.
In simple words: The story brings up the moral question of whether children should always obey their parents, even when parental decisions seem unfair or harmful from a child's innocent perspective.

Exam Tip: When discussing moral issues in a story, identify the conflicting values or viewpoints, explain each side, and analyze how characters' actions reflect these differences.

Question 2. How does Jo want the story to end and why?
Answer: Jo was not happy with the story's ending and urged her father to tell the story again the next day, following a specific path she had imagined. According to her, neither Roger Skunk nor the wizard had done anything wrong in the story. Jo refused to accept the ending where Roger Skunk's mother hit the wizard, especially without the wizard hitting her back. She wanted the story to conclude with the wizard striking Skunk's mother back with his magic wand and forcefully cutting off her arms.
In simple words: Jo wanted the story to end with the wizard hitting Roger Skunk's mother, as she felt it was unfair for the wizard to be hit without retaliation and for Roger Skunk to lose his rose smell.

Exam Tip: When explaining a character's desired outcome, clearly state what they want to happen and provide the key reasons behind their wishes, drawing from their emotional or moral framework.

Question 3. Why does Jack insist that it was the wizard that was hit and not the mother?
Answer: Jack has a typical parental attitude. He believes that parents know what is best for their children. He repeatedly emphasizes parental authority to calm Jo and suppress her objections and changes to the story about the foul-smelling Skunk he tells. He defends Roger Skunk's mother's actions. She does not approve of Roger's unnatural, un-skunk-like smell. She calls the sweet scent of roses a terrible smell. Earlier, the little Skunk smelled as a little Skunk should. She desires the natural characteristic-the foul smell-to be restored. He claims that she knew what was right. Secondly, the little Skunk loved his mommy more than he loved all the other animals. That is why he took his mommy to the wizard and made him change the smell of roses back to his original bad odor. He insisted on this ending to highlight the concern of parents for their children and their role in raising them correctly.
In simple words: Jack insisted the wizard was hit to uphold parental authority and teach Jo that mothers know best for their children, emphasizing that Roger Skunk's mother was right to restore his natural smell.

Exam Tip: Focus on identifying the character's motivation (e.g., parental authority, moral lesson) and explain how their actions or statements support that motivation within the story's context.

Question 4. What makes Jack feel caught in an ugly middle position?
Answer: Jack feels that he has been stuck in a difficult middle situation, both physically and emotionally. The woodwork around them-a frame of moldings, rails, and skirting boards-was partly old tan and partly new ivory. He was aware of his responsibilities as a father and as a husband. Little Bobby was already sleeping. His attempts to make Jo fall asleep proved quite exhausting. She kept interrupting him, asking for explanations, pointing out mistakes, and suggesting different ideas. Jack did not like women to take anything for granted. He preferred them to be careful. So he lengthened the story, even though he was in a hurry to go downstairs and help his pregnant wife with her hard work of painting the woodwork. The extended story's outcome was unsuccessful and unpleasant for Jo, Jack, and Clare. Jo wanted him to change the story's ending. Clare complained that he had told a long story. Jack felt utter exhaustion and did not want to talk to his wife, work with her, or touch her. He was truly caught in an unpleasant middle situation.
In simple words: Jack felt caught between his duty to tell Jo a bedtime story, her constant interruptions and demands for a different ending, and his need to help his pregnant wife downstairs. This made him feel exhausted and conflicted.

Exam Tip: When analyzing a character's "middle position," consider the various conflicting pressures and responsibilities they face, both internal (emotions) and external (duties, relationships).

Question 5. What is your stance regarding the two endings to the Roger Skunk story?
Answer: Considering Jo's young age, both endings seem a little unreasonable. It is certain that she will learn from whatever she hears and sees at this age. If the story ends according to Jack, Jo will never be able to question anything she believes is wrong in life, since this ending stresses that older people are always right in whatever they do. In addition, the story shows Skunk's mother hitting the wizard for no fault of his. The wizard had only done what he was asked to do. This might frighten four-year-old Jo, as it teaches that mothers, being older, have the right to hit anyone, even if they are not at fault. On the contrary, if the story ends as Jo wanted, it will stop her from believing in and respecting her elders. She might even begin to think that hitting elders is not wrong. A balanced view could be given with a suitable ending, where the mommy either does not hit the wizard at all or realizes her mistake quickly.
In simple words: Both endings have flaws for a young child. Jack's ending teaches blind obedience and justifies violence, while Jo's ending might encourage disrespect towards elders. A more balanced conclusion would be ideal.

Exam Tip: To articulate a stance on narrative elements, evaluate the potential psychological and moral impacts of each option, especially on a child's understanding and development.

Question 6. Why is the adult's perspective on life different from that of a child?
Answer: A child's speech and way of thinking, their actions and reactions, are natural and not guided by any outside influence. They speak from their heart in line with what they ethically believe is right. On the other hand, an adult has many things to think about before speaking or reacting. Thus, societal influence guides and shapes their thoughts. In this chapter, Jo says what she believes is correct. But Jack, an adult caught in a difficult situation, kept thinking about the results of accepting his daughter's ending to the story and what society has taught him over time.
In simple words: A child's perspective is innocent and based on immediate feelings of right and wrong, while an adult's perspective is influenced by societal norms, complex experiences, and the long-term consequences of actions.

Exam Tip: When comparing perspectives, highlight the core values or driving forces for each group (e.g., innocence and immediate justice for children, social responsibility and long-term implications for adults).

Should Wizard hit Mommy Summary in English

Should Wizard hit Mommy Summary:

Jack was the father of two small children-Jo and Bobby. His wife Clare was expecting their third child. Jack used to tell a story to his daughter Jo from his imagination in the evenings and during Saturday naps. This practice of story-telling started when Jo was two years old and had been going on for the last two years. Each new story only varied a little from the main tale. There was always a small creature, usually named Roger, for example, Roger Fish, Roger Squirrel, Roger Chipmunk, etc. He always had some problem and would go to the wise old owl. The owl would tell him to go to the wizard, who would perform a magic spell that solved the problem. The wizard, in turn, would ask for a payment of pennies, more than Roger had. But at the same time, he would show the animal a place where the extra pennies could be found. Then Roger would become so happy that he played many games with other creatures. Roger would then go home to his mother just in time to hear the train whistle that brought his daddy home from Boston. Jack would then describe their supper, and the story would end. Jack found this story-telling session especially tiring on Saturday because Jo never fell asleep during naps anymore. One Saturday, Jack asked Jo about who the story should be about today. Roger Skunk, she firmly said. A new animal; they must talk about Skunk at nursery school. Jack began the story of the tiny creature Skunk, who lived in the dark, deep woods. His name was Roger Skunk, and he smelled very bad. He smelled so awful that other jungle animals would not play with him. They would run away, and Roger Skunk would stand all alone. Roger Skunk went to the wise old owl and explained his problem. The owl asked Skunk why he had not seen the wizard. Then he went to the wizard and told him that he smelled very bad, and all the little animals used to run away from him. The wise owl had told the wizard that he could help with that matter. The wizard took his magic wand and asked Roger Skunk what he wanted to smell like. Roger Skunk told him that he would like to smell like roses. The wizard chanted, and Roger Skunk started smelling like roses. The wizard asked Roger Skunk to pay seven pennies. Roger Skunk said that he had only four pennies, and he began to cry. The wizard directed Roger to go to the nearby magic well, and he would find three pennies there. Roger Skunk took out three pennies from the well and gave them to the wizard. Now all the other animals gathered around him because he smelled so good. They played various games and laughed. It began to get dark, so they all ran home to their mummies. Jo thought that the story was finished. When Roger Skunk went home, his mummy said that the smell was terrible. She asked who made him smell like that. Roger Skunk said that the wizard did so. She said that they were going right back to that wizard. He said that all the other animals would run away with his bad smell. But his mummy said she did not care. He should smell the way a little Skunk should have smelled. So she took Roger with her and went to the wizard. When the wizard opened the door, she hit him with her umbrella and explained how the wizard's magic made her angry. The wizard performed another magic, and Roger smelled as bad as he did earlier. But she was unhappy with this new ending and wanted her father to make the wizard hit Roger's mommy. But Jack was not willing to make any changes, as he thought Jo should accept him without question. Jo protested, but Jack said that it was daddy's story. He said then Roger Skunk and her mummy went home. They had supper, and when Roger Skunk was in bed, Mommy Skunk came up and hugged him and said she loved him very much. He told her that the story ends there. Jo asked her daddy if the other animals ran away from Roger Skunk. Jack said no, they finally got used to the way Roger Skunk was and did not mind it at all. Jo commented that she was a stupid mummy. He asked her to take a long nap, as his brother Bobby was also sleeping. Jo told him that she wanted him to tell the story the next day that the wizard took that magic wand and hit that mummy, right over the head. Jack said that was not the story. The point is that the little Skunk loved his mummy more than he loved all the other small animals. Moreover, she knew what was right. But Jo insisted that tomorrow he should say that the wizard hit that mummy. Jack said that he would see and asked her to sleep. He closed the door and went downstairs. Clare was painting the chair rail with a dipped brush. Above him, footsteps echoed. These were Jo's footsteps. He threatened to spank her, and then the footsteps slowed down. Clare noticed that it was a long story. He simply said "the poor kid." He watched his wife working hard on the woodwork. She was doing painting work. Thus, the writer shows adult authority on one hand and the child's curiosity on the other.