Chapter 9. BHOLI
Q1 “Dowry is a negation of a girl’s dignity” suggest some measures that can be adopted to eradicate this evil from our society?
Ans- Dowry is one of the many social evils that are still deep rooted in our society. It is the negation of a girl’s dignity. Bholi was rejected due to her looks by Bishamber. However, he was ready to marry her if he was given a considerable sum of money as dowry. We should remove this evil from our society.Dowry should be neither given nor taken. Education is one tool that can help us in eradicating this evil practice. Stringent laws should be formulated against the dowry system. Moreover, parents should stop treating their daughters as burdens. As Bholi got confidence by getting education, all other girls will also gain strength to fight this evil practice. Bholi not only rejects the marriage but also claims to work at the school. She became self dependent in the end.
Q2 “The teacher can change the life of any person through education” Justify this statement in the light of the story Bholi.
Ans- The statement is fully justified in the light of the story Bholi. Bholi was a slow child from the beginning. Due to her childhood physical challenges, she looked different from other children. Her speech was not clear and she used to stammer. That is why; she was slower than other children. Even her parents called her dumb and witless but when she was sent to school, her teacher changed her life completely. Her teacher played a significant role in her life. Her teacher gave her confidence and encouragement to learn. Bholi became an educated and a bold girl due to her teacher. She was able to take charge of her life and in the end she even denied to marry the greedy fellow Bishamber. So we can say that it was love, compassion and sympathy of her teacher that transformed the life of Bholi.
Q3. Bholi has multiple handicaps- she has pockmarks, she stammers. How can we change the social attitudes towards the differently abled?
Ans- Bholi is physically challenged. She is a slow girl .She has pock marks and also stammers. What difference does it make? She is a human being and she should also be treated and honoured like other human beings. Disability of any kind is not an obstacle in one's life. Helen Keller was blind but proved to be a successful writer at the end. Sudha Chandran is an example of indomitable will who despite losing one leg became a dancer of world Fame. The social attitude towards these people should not be one of pity. They should be appreciated that in spite of one's weakness, they are struggling hard to survive. The society will have to change its attitude towards differently abled people.
Q4. “Dowry is a negation of the girl’s dignity”. Discuss with reference to the story “Bholi”.
Ans. A girl is an individual in her own right. Equal opportunities in life can help her become independent and strong. She is not a burdensome object to be given away with money as compensation.
Thus, dowry negates the girl’s identity and self respect.
The story Bholi shows this in a dramatic manner. Bholi is thought to be ugly and dumb by her parents. So, they are willing to pay dowry to an old man with a limp. So that he marries her. Bholi, on the other hand refuses to marry that man. She is educated, assertive and capable of taking care of herself. She dedicates her life to service of her parents and teaching at school.
So, in the same manner, a girl should behave when the situation is not praiseworthy or causes trouble to the society and girls. Nowadays, girls are empowering their thoughts and freedom to speak because of education and equal rights in the society. A social evil like dowry is not acceptable at any cost as it affects the dignity of a girl. And girls have all the rights to say “No” to the person who demands it to prove his masculinity.
Q5. Bholi chose a dignified life of service rather than surrendering herself to a greedy old man for the rest of her life. Education provides the required stimulus to overcome one’s personal barriers. Explain the role of education in shaping the life of a child with respect to the lesson “Bholi”.
Ans. Gone are the days when girl’s education was considered as an unacceptable right as they were not allowed to come out of their houses. But education is the Ans. to all social ills. Illiteracy and ignorance bring nothing but poverty, suffering and misery. Bholi lacks confidence initially because of her disabilities. She is silent, timid and week in mind. Her ugliness and her stammer do not let her progress.She is afraid to speak as others make fun of her .School changes her life completely. It opens a new world of hope for her. Her teacher treats her with love and kindness. Her affection and support help Bholi to have faith in herself. She studies and grows into a young confident woman. She knows her
rights and she asserts them as well. She refuses to marry a man who demands dowry. Thus, being educated changes the life of Bholi. Here, Bholi represents all the girls of society who take stand for their rights and know what is right or what is wrong. This happens only due to the proper education of girls. If a girl is educated, she can change the society and nation. She is like the base of the family and imparts her knowledge and experience to her family and next generation. So education is the right and it is must for all girls.
Q6. Put the fear out of your heart and you will be able to speak like anyone else”. These words of encouragement from the teacher highlight the change in social attitude and encouragement can help a child like Bholi to become confident and face the world bravely. Taking help from the lesson “Bholi” write how the social attitude towards Bholi made her an introvert. What should be done to help such children to face the world bravely?
Ans. Bholi suffered a weak mind due to her accident (falling from her cot) during her infancy. She also started to stammer while speaking. Then she became ugly due to pock- marks on her face and body on contracting the smallpox disease. All these made her family and other children treat her badly, resulting her becoming an introvert person. To help such children face the world bravely, we must treat them with love and affection and encourage them to join the mainstream society. We must not mock their disabilities; instead we must give them hope that they can be as good as the other children by motivating and uplifting them. As we know that every child is special and proper guidance and support can boost up the morals and encourage them to do well in their lives. There are a lot of children like Bholi in our society who need utmost care and affection from us. And we can help them to improve their lives and to excel in future.
Q7.The chapter “Bholi” highlights the discrimination against the girl child. Analyse.
Ans. Nature does not discriminate, but society does. From time immemorial the world has discriminated against the girl child. The chapter, “Bholi” throws up many such instances. Ramlal’s son goes to school and college. His daughters are not educated but married off. Her mother does not think it necessary to take Bholi’s consent for her marriage. The groom is old and lame. Still he demands dowry.Her father is ready to pay him also. It is the girl herself who raises voice against this marriage. She is criticized and humiliated for standing up for her dignity. But she is firm and decides the course of her life.
Q8. Why did Bholi at first agree to an unequal match? Why did she later reject the marriage? What does this tells us about her?
Ans. Bholi agreed to an unequal match because she had heard her parents discussing the marriage proposal. They said that she was fortunate to get a bridegroom who was rich and was ready to marry her without taking dowry. He was unaware of Bholi’s pock-marks and dumbness. She had heard her mother say that if they did not accept the proposal, Bholi might remain unmarried all her life. Later, Bholi refused from the marriage because the bridegroom demanded five thousand rupees as dowry from her father. Moreover, it was unbearable for her to see her father pleading in front of him for the sake of his daughter and family’s honour. Her self-respect made her refuse from marrying a greedy coward.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE
SECTION A (WRITING)
1. You are Jacob of 101 Park Road, Hyderabad. You recently bought a laptop from Crown Electronics, Central Market Hyderabad. However, it has begun to malfunction within a week of buying it. Write a letter in 120-150 words to the manager, listing the problems you are facing and asking him to rectify the problems.
SECTION B (LITERATURE)
2. Read the extracts and answer the questions that follow.
But he is locked in a concrete cell,
His strength behind bars,
Stalking the length of his cage,
Ignoring visitors.
(a) In what kind of cell is he locked?
(b) Whose strength is behind bars?
(c) How does he react to the visitors?
(d) Who is being ignored?
OR
On that lovely autumn day, I was accompanied by my daughter Zenani. On the podium, Mr. de Klerk was first sworn in as Second Deputy President. Then Thabo Mbeki was sworn in as First Deputy President. When it was my turn, I pledged to obey and uphold the Constitution and to devote myself to the well-being of its people.
(a) Who is the speaker of these lines?
(b) What oath did the speaker take?
(c) What is Nelson Mandela Sworn in as?
(d) Where did the oath taking ceremony take place?
3. Answer any two of the following questions in 30-40 words.
a) Describe the movement of the tiger in the cage and the wild.
b) Why did Hari Singh feel bad after stealing the money?
c) What did Mandela think for oppressor and oppressed?
SECTION C (GRAMMAR)
4. Fill in the following blanks choosing the most appropriate option from the ones given in the brackets
In old Bombay, (a) ________ (a, the, that, this) Town Hall was called Tondal. (b) ________ (it, this, that, such) was not an atmospheric local name, but (c) ___________ (were, was, has, had) simply a corruption (d) ________ (of, in, into, on) the phrase Town Hall. It was designed in 1811 by Thomas Cowper one of Bombay’s best engineers.
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