English Father's help Extra Question

DAV Public School, Dwarka

Class-VIII (2016-17)                             Subject-English                         L-Father’s Help

                                                            by R.K.Narayan

Extra Questions

Q1. What light does the father’s decision to write a letter of complaint against Samuel reflect on his character?

Ans. Swami’s exaggerated account of Samuel’s violence led father to write a letter of complaint against him immediately. He neither tried to confirm the facts nor probe into them. This shows that he was very impulsive by nature.

Q2. Write a brief character sketch of Swami.

Ans. Swami is a school going boy who dislikes going to school particularly after the weekend. Being childish, casual and irresponsible in his approach, he doesn’t mind cooking up lame excuses to avoid attending the school. As such, he is not a liar, but he is capable of cooking up stories, exaggerating and distorting the facts. He is not bad at heart and doesn’t mean to malign anyone. The false allegations that he levels against Samuel prick his conscience and fill him with remorse.

Q3. Throw some light on the character of Swami’s father.

A3. A strict disciplinarian, Swami’s father exercises his parental authority inconsiderately without viewing anything from the child’s angle. He is short-tempered and very impulsive. Swami rightly thinks him to be stubborn. Without giving a hearing to the child, he right away calls him a liar and a coward. Yet it would be wrong to say that he is a mean and heartless fellow. In fact he is concerned about his son. He forces him to attend his schools or tauntingly calls him a coward for the child’s own good, so that he may be able to face life better when he grows up.

Questions for Practice

Q1. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:

And mother generously suggested that Swami might stay at home.

At 9:30, when he ought to have been shouting in the school prayer hall, Swami was lying on the bench in mother’s room. Father asked him

a.    Why did mother suggest that Swami might stay at home?

What was ‘generous’ about mother’s suggestion?

b.    Why and where was Swami lying at 9:30 am and where was he supposed to be at that time?

c.    What did the father ask Swami? What light does it reflect on his approach?

d.    What was Swami’s reply to his father’s question? How did his father react to his reply?

e.    How was Swami received in the class by Samuel when he reached the school half an hour late?

Q2. Answer the following questions:

A. How was Swami received in the class by Samuel when he reached the school half an hour late?

B. Why did Swami have a light heart though his hands were smarting after the beating?

C.Explain:’ but that good building-Albert Mission School-had withstood similar prayers for over a hundred years now.