CBSE Class 10 English A Triumph of Surgery VBQs

1. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
It was a temptation to keep Tricki on as a permanent guest, but I knew Mrs. Pumphrey was suffering and after a fortnight felt compelled to phone and tell her that the little dog had recovered and was awaiting collection.

Question. The above lines were spoken by:
(i) Mrs. Pumphrey
(ii) Mr. Herriot
(iii) Chauffeur
(iv) Tricki
Answer. C

Question. Choose the option that lists the set of statements that are NOT TRUE according to the given extract.
1. Tricki was an active dog.
2. The vet knew how to heal Tricki.
3. The vet enjoyed the treats sent for Tricki.
4. Tricki now needed the treats.
5. Tricki enjoy her stay at the vet’s for the ‘surgery’.
6. The vet felt guilty about enjoying the food.
7. The vet did the right thing.
(i) 1, 2, 4
(ii) 1, 2, 3
(iii) 1, 4, 6
(iv) 3, 5, 7
Answer. B

Question. Who was informed that the dog was all right now?
(i) the doctor
(ii) the nurse
(iii) Mrs. Pumphrey
(iv) the attendant
Answer. C

Question. Who cured Tricki without any medication?
(i) the narrator
(ii) Mrs. Pumphrey
(iii) the nurse
(iv) the junior doctor
Answer. A

2. During the excitement, I helped the chauffeur to bring out the beds, toys, cushions, coats and bowls, none of which had been used. As the car moved away, Mrs Pumphrey leaned out of the window. Tears shone in her eyes. Her lips trembled. “Oh, Mr Herriot,” she cried, “how can I ever thank you? This is a triumph of surgery!”

Question. What is Mr Herriot’s profession?
(i) Retired veteran
(ii) College professor
(iii) Veterinary surgeon
(iv) None of these
Answer. C

Question. How did Mrs Pumphrey call out Tricki’s unbelievable transformation?
(i) as a triumph of surgery
(ii) as a shock she could not get over
(iii) as a completely predictable outcome
(iv) as a successful therapy
Answer. A

Question. “None of which had been used.” Why had they not been used by Tricki?
(i) Because they were not fancy enough for him
(ii) Because he didn’t actually need expensive objects or clothes
(iii) Because they were used by other dogs
(iv) Because he didn’t like the toys, cushions or bowls
Answer. B

Question. Why did the narrator want to have Tricki as a permanent guest?
(i) because he was worried that Tricki will get sick again
(ii) because Mrs Pumphrey did not want Tricki anymore
(iii) because he and his staff wanted him to become extremely fit
(iv) because they wanted to enjoy the extravagant delicacies sent by Mrs Pumphrey
Answer. D

3. Mrs. Pumphrey hastened to explain, “He was so listless, Mr. Herriot. He seemed to have no energy. I thought he must be suffering from malnutrition, so I have been giving him some little extras between meals to build him up, some malt and cod-liver oil and a bowl of Horlicks at night to make him sleep — nothing much really.”

Question. Who is Mrs. Pumphrey talking about? Why do you think she “hastened” to explain?
Answer. Mrs. Pumphery is talking about Tricki, her pet dog. Because she was worried for him, she quickly explained the reason for Tricki’s obesity at which Mr Herriot seemed aghast.

Question. After looking at “him”, what was Mr. Herriot worried about?
Answer. My Herriot, a veterinarian surgeon, was worried about Tricki’s health. He rightfully felt that if Mrs Pumphrey did not look after Tricki well and controlled his diet, then Tricki may develop serious health complications.

4. The entire staff was roused and maids rushed in and out bringing his day bed, his night bed, favourite cushions, toys and rubber rings, breakfast bowl, lunch bowl, supper bowl. Realising that my car would never hold all the stuff, I started to drive away. As I moved off, Mrs Pumphrey, with a despairing cry, threw an armful of the little coats through the window. I looked in the mirror before I turned the corner of the drive; everybody was in tears.

Question. What do you infer from this passage regarding Tricki’s position in the house?
Answer. The passage shows that Tricki was a loved animal and an apple of everyone’s eyes. The entire staff including Mrs. Pumphrey doted on Tricki. But, sadly, they could not understand his true needs.

Question. Where was Tricki going and why?
Answer.  Tricki was going to live with Mr. Herriot for a while for his treatment as he had been abstaining from eating and vomiting due to his sedentary and excessive lifestyle.

5. From then on, his progress was rapid. He had no medicinal treatment of any kind but all day he ran about with the dogs, joining in their friendly scrimmages. He discovered the joys of being bowled over, tramped on, and squashed every few minutes. He became an accepted member of the gang, an unlikely, silky little object among the shaggy crew, fighting like a tiger for his share at mealtimes and hunting rats in the old henhouse at night. He had never had such a time in his life.

Question. How do you think Tricki improved despite the absence of medical treatment?
Answer. Tricki had no serious disease or illness. His problem was an overindulgent pet-parent. The moment his diet was trimmed and he was allowed to play with other dogs, his condition improved naturally.

Question. Compare Tricki’s time in Mr. Herriot’s place with his life in his mistress’ home.
Answer. In Mrs. Pumphrey’s home, Tricki was a miserable little dog, dressed in fineries and beautiful clothes and overfed on rich goodies. He had grown obese, was uncomfortable walking, and had almost no energy. However, in Mr. Herriot’s home, Tricki became the opposite. He was happier, healthier, and more energetic.

6. During the excitement, I helped the chauffeur to bring out the beds, toys, cushions, coats, and bowls, none of which had been used. As the car moved away, Mrs Pumphrey leaned out of the window. Tears shone in her eyes. Her lips trembled. “Oh, Mr Herriot,” she cried, “how can I ever thank you? This is a triumph of surgery!”

Question. Explain why Mrs Pumphrey said: This is a triumph of surgery!
Answer. (a) Mrs. Pumphrey could not grasp the fact that the transformation of her obese pet into a hardmuscled animal was the result of therapy. In such a short time, Tricki had transformed, and Mrs. Pumphrey thought that Mr. Herriot must have performed surgery on him.

Question. The narrator was once tempted to keep Tricki as his permanent guest. Why do you think he wanted that?
Answer. Mr . Herriot and his staff had become used to the extravagant delicacies like eggs, wine bottles, and brandy bottles that Mrs. Pumphrey had been sending to his place. Though they were intended for Tricki’s convalescence, yet Tricki did not need them at all.

Short Answer Questions :

Question. How did lunch become ‘a ceremonial occasion’ for Mr. Herriot and his partners?
Answer. Mrs. Pumphrey sends eggs, wine, brandy to the for the convalescing pet. However these are enjoyed by the doctor and his staff. Having an egg, two glasses of wine before and during lunch, made lunch a ceremonial occasion for Mr. Herriot and his partners.

Question. The household dogs at the surgery rejected Tricki as an uninteresting object. Why?
Answer. As soon as Tricki was introduced into the yard, all the household dogs swarmed around him and sniffed him. However, since he kept lying listless and did not play with them due to his health problem, the dogs thought of him as an uninteresting object and rejected him.

Question. What was the main cause of Tricki’s problems?
Answer. The main cause of Tricki’s problems was his greed.He was unable to refuse any food being offered to him by his indulgent mistress. He could not resist sweets like cream cakes and chocolates. All this made him fat, lethargic and ill.

Question. “I think I know a cure for you.” Who said this and to whom? What was the ‘cure’?
Answer. Mr. Herriot, veterinary surgeon, said this to Mrs. Pumphrey. The ‘cure’ was not a medical treatment, but regulating Tricki’s diet and maintenance. Mr. Herriot gave it the required diet at the fixed time as a cure. Secondly, Tricki got other dogs’ company which added to its treatment. These things made up a proper ‘cure’ for Tricki.

Question. How was Mrs. Pumphrey, the owner of Tricki,responsible for its present condition?
Answer. Mrs. Pumphrey was a very rich lady. She pampered Tricki a lot and gave it a lot of rich food. It included ice-cream, chocolates, malt, cod-liver oil and horlicks. But she did not take it outside for a walk nor did she make him do any physical exercise.

Question. How did Mrs. Pumphrey react to Tricki’s condition? What did she do?
Answer. Tricki showed no interest in anything. It looked dull and lethargic. Mrs. Pumphrey felt very sad and depressed looking at Tricki’s condition. She called up the doctor and told him that Tricki didn’t eat anything. It refused its favourite dishes and lay panting on the rug. It was terribly ill.

Question. What was Tricki’s ailment?
Answer. Tricki had become really fat like a bloating sausage with a leg at each corner. Its eyes were full of blood. Its tongue lolled from its jaws.

Question. What made the author delighted to keep Tricki at the surgery?
Answer. Mr. Herriot, the author, felt delighted to keep Tricki at the surgery because Mrs. Pumphrey sent many delicacies for Tricki to eat. But it would not need all of them. These were fresh eggs, wine, brandy, etc. Mr. Herriot and his staff would eat those things daily. This made them delighted.

Question. How did other dogs treat Tricki?
Answer. When Tricki arrived at the surgery, no dog showed any interest in it. But after the third day, Joe, and the greyhound and his friends befriended Tricki after sniffing.

Question. How did Mrs. Pumphrey and her servants behave when Tricki was being sent to the surgery? 
Answer. When Tricki was being taken to the surgery, the staff of Mrs. Pumphrey was roused from sleep. They brought the pet’s personal belongings like cushion, lunch bowl, breakfast bowl, etc. They were all in tears when it was being taken to the hospital. This showed that they were very closely attached to the pet and considered him to be a part of the family.

Long Answer Questions : 

Question. Do you think this is a real-life episode, or mere fiction? Or is it a mixture of both? (A Triumph of Surgery)
Answer. The story of “A triumph of Surgery” could be a mix of mere-fiction and based on real-life episode as well. In the current day and age, parents sometimes get overprotective of their kids or owners get overprotective of their pets. This eventually leads to destruction as too much of everything is bad. It is not to say that they are not attentive to what is wrong and what isn’t, but it is just a case of ignorance and wrong knowledge of things. For example, as depicted in the lesson, obesity is now a growing problem all around the world and parents are somewhat responsible for this problem. They feed their kids more than the actual requirement. These are some of the points that suggest that the lesson “A Triumph of Surgery” can very well be a mixture of real-life episodes and some fiction.

Question. Mrs. Pumphrey is a loving and caring mistress for Tricki. Do you agree with this statement? Give reasons.
Answer. I agree with the statement that Mrs. Pumphrey is a loving and caring mistress. She looks after Tricki with lot of love. She lavishes all her attention on him. she ensures that he has the best of everything to wear and eat. When he falls sick, she promptly takes him for treatment to the surgery where in two weeks time, Tricki is fit and healthy again. Though she may have been silly in her indulgence for Tricki, her heart is at the right place. She loves Tricki and cannot bear to deprive him of his favourite foods. The trouble that befell Tricki was also because of her infinite love for him. Though she knew the cakes and sweets may harm him, she couldn’t say no when he was greedy for them.

Question. Compare and contrast Tricki in the beginning and in the end of the story.
Answer. We see two sides of Tricki. In the beginning, Tricki was very fat. It was bloated like a sausage. Its tongue lolled from its jaws. It appeared very lethargic, greedy and ate food the whole day with no exercise at all. This worried Mrs. Pumphrey greatly. She telephoned Mr. Herriot, the author. He took it to the surgery. At the surgery, Mr. Herriot gave Tricki a lot of water and no food. On the third day, it started barking at other dogs. Other dogs befriended it. In two weeks, it got well and looked like a little golden figure again. Hence, a bloated sausage ball finally began to look like a dog.

Question. How do you know that Mrs. Pumphrey was a rich lady?
Answer. Mrs. Pumphrey was a rich lady. This is evident from how she kept Tricki. She had a chauffeur-driven long black car. She spent a lot of money on delicacies for Tricki. She gave Tricki a rich diet as. She gave it eggs, malt, cod-liver oil and a bowl of horlicks. She had many servants in her house. She had all kinds of luxuries for Tricki. These were day bed, night bed, favourite cushions, toys, rubber rings, etc. She would send many delicacies to the surgery as well. These were fresh eggs, wine, whisky, etc. These show that Mrs. Pumphrey was indeed a rich lady.