GSEB Class 9 English Moments Chapter 5 The Happy Prince Solutions

The Happy Prince Class 9 Questions and Answers GSEB

Think about It

Question 1. Why do the courtiers call the prince 'the Happy Prince'? Is he really happy? What does he see all around him?
Answer: The royal courtiers used to call the prince 'the Happy Prince' because he was always joyful. When he was alive, he didn't know what tears were. He lived in a grand palace where sadness was never allowed. However, things changed after he passed away. He was turned into a statue and was no longer happy. He could now witness all the suffering and unpleasantness of the surrounding city. This sight caused tears to stream from his eyes. He felt sad seeing the miserable state of his city.
In simple words: Courtiers called him 'Happy Prince' because he was always cheerful in life. As a statue, he became sad seeing the city's misery and cried.

Exam Tip: When asked about a character's state, describe both their initial perception and their true feelings, explaining the reasons for any change.

Question 2. Why does the Happy Prince send a ruby for the seamstress? What does the swallow do in the seamstress' house?
Answer: The Happy Prince sent a ruby to the seamstress because she was very poor and couldn't feed her son, who was ill with fever. The swallow, convinced by the prince, went to the seamstress' home. The seamstress had already fallen asleep because she was tired. The swallow gently placed the ruby on the table where the woman worked. It then flew around the boy's bed, softly fanning his forehead with its wings. This action helped the boy relax, allowing him to sleep.
In simple words: The Happy Prince sent a ruby to the poor seamstress whose son was sick. The swallow placed the ruby on her table and fanned the boy to help him sleep.

Exam Tip: Clearly state the reason for the prince's action and then detail the swallow's specific actions to show a complete understanding.

Question 3. For whom does the prince send the sapphires and why?
Answer: The Happy Prince sent the sapphires to two individuals: the young writer living across the city and the match-girl. The young writer was working hard to finish a play for the Theatre Director. Since there was no fire in his grate and hunger had made him feel weak, he was too cold to continue writing. The young playwright could sell the sapphire to a jeweller, buy firewood, and complete his play. When he saw the sapphire, the young man felt delighted and believed he could finish his work. The Happy Prince then noticed a small match-girl standing in the square just below him. All her matches had fallen into the gutter and were ruined. The prince realized that the match-girl's father would hit her if she didn't bring home any money. When the swallow carefully slipped the jewel into the palm of the little girl's hand, she happily ran home laughing.
In simple words: The prince sent sapphires to a struggling writer, who needed money for firewood to finish his play, and to a match-girl, whose ruined matches meant her father would beat her if she didn't bring home money.

Exam Tip: When listing multiple recipients, ensure you clearly state who each gift was for and the specific reason behind it.

Question 4. What does the swallow see when it flies over the city?
Answer: As the swallow flew above the city, it noticed a sharp difference between wealth and poverty. It observed rich men enjoying themselves, completely unaware of the suffering of the poor just down the street. It also witnessed the sad situation of the poor, who were even denied peaceful sleep due to police patrols on the street.
In simple words: The swallow saw a big difference between rich people living in luxury and poor people suffering. It saw the poor couldn't even sleep peacefully because of patrolling police.

Exam Tip: Focus on describing the stark contrasts and the social injustices the swallow observed to score well on such descriptive questions.

Question 5. Why did the swallow not leave the prince and go to Egypt?
Answer: The prince had given away the two sapphires from his eyes, becoming blind. As a result, the swallow decided to stay with the prince always. It's likely that the swallow was so deeply moved by the prince's kindness that instead of flying to Egypt to be with its friends, it chose to remain. This clearly shows that compassionate individuals always attract loyal friends who will stay with them indefinitely.
In simple words: The swallow didn't leave because the prince became blind after giving away his eye sapphires. The swallow was touched by his kindness and chose to stay with him forever.

Exam Tip: When discussing a character's decision, explain the emotional motivation behind their choice, linking it to themes like kindness or loyalty.

Question 6. What are the precious things mentioned in the story? Why are they precious?
Answer: The valuable things mentioned in the story are the leaden heart of the Happy Prince and the dead bird. They are considered precious because both the Happy Prince and the swallow showed great kindness, generosity, and selflessness. The prince couldn't bear to see the ugliness, suffering, and misery in his city, so he gave away all his precious stones and gold to make his people happy. This act inspired the swallow to give up its journey to Egypt. It stayed behind and served as the prince's messenger, delivering the precious stones and gold to the needy, thereby spreading happiness. As the kind prince became blind after donating the sapphires from his eyes, the swallow, out of pure affection, decided not to abandon him. By this time, it was getting colder as winter was fast approaching. Finally, the swallow could no longer endure the cold and died at the feet of the same statue that loved him so deeply. This broke the statue's leaden heart into two pieces. When God asked one of the angels to bring him two valuable things for the garden of paradise, the angel brought the leaden heart of the prince and the dead bird. God declared that in his paradise, the little bird would sing forever, and in the golden city, the Happy Prince would praise God.
In simple words: The precious things are the Happy Prince's leaden heart and the dead swallow. They are precious because both showed immense kindness, selflessness, and love, sacrificing themselves for others' happiness.

Exam Tip: To answer effectively, identify each precious item and then thoroughly explain *why* it holds value in the context of the story's themes of compassion and sacrifice.

The Happy Prince Summary in English

The Happy Prince Summary:

This is a tale about the statue of a Happy Prince and a small swallow. The Happy Prince was a lovely statue that stood on a tall column high above the city. The statue was covered with thin sheets of gold. It had sapphires for its eyes and a ruby in its sword. One night, a small swallow flew over the city. It was tired and wanted to spend the night between the feet of the Happy Prince.

As it prepared to sleep, a large drop of water fell on it. It was strange because there were no clouds in the sky. Then another drop of water fell. The swallow decided to search for another place, but then a third drop fell on him. It looked up and realized these were tears from the eyes of the Happy Prince, and the swallow felt pity. The swallow asked, "Who are you?" and "Why are you crying?" The Happy Prince explained that he had lived in a palace while he was alive and had a kind, human heart. There was no sadness, and his courtiers called him the happy prince. After his death, he was placed on a high pillar. His heart is made of lead, and it always weeps when he sees the ugliness and misery of his city. He told the swallow that far away in a small street, a seamstress's little boy was sick. He was crying, and his mother couldn't give him oranges to eat. He asked the swallow to give his ruby to the poor woman before he went to Egypt.

But the swallow obeyed the Happy Prince. It flew and placed the ruby on the table of the poor woman. Then the Happy Prince saw a writer who was suffering from cold and hunger. The Happy Prince asked the swallow to give one of the sapphires to the writer. The swallow did not want to take the sapphire from his eyes, but it unwillingly obeyed him. After that, the Happy Prince saw a match girl whose matches had fallen into the gutter.

At his command, the swallow very reluctantly plucked out the sapphire from the Happy Prince's other eye, and now the Prince was completely blind. The swallow slipped the sapphire into the match girl's palm. Then the Happy Prince allowed the swallow to fly to Egypt, but the swallow decided to stay with the blind Prince forever. The swallow then told the prince about the suffering of the hungry people. At the Happy Prince's command, the swallow took the golden leaves from the statue and shared them among the poor people.

Now the statue looked dull and grey. The frost made the swallow colder and colder, and it was about to die. It flew to the Happy Prince, who asked it to kiss him on the lips. The swallow fell down and died at the statue's feet. The lead heart of the Prince broke into two pieces. The Mayor ordered that the statue should be pulled down because it was neither beautiful nor helpful in the city. God praised the angel's choice in bringing him the leaden heart of the Happy Prince and the dead swallow.

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