Class 10 English Chapter 11 The Proposal Questions and answers
Page No 157:
Question 1:
1.
This play has been translated into English from the Russian original.
Are there any expressions or ways of speaking that strike you as more
Russian than English? For example, would an adult man be addressed by
an older man as my darling or my
treasure in an English play?
Read
through the play carefully, and find expressions that you think are
not used in contemporary English, and contrast these with idiomatic
modern English expressions that also occur in the play.
3. Look up
the following phrases in a dictionary to find out their meaning, and
then use each in a sentence of your own.
(i) You
may take it that
(ii)
He seems to be coming round
(iii) My
foot’s gone to sleep
Answer:
1.
Expressions not used in contemporary
English
1.
“my darling”, “my beauty”, “my
precious”, “my angel”, “my beloved”
(here, an older man is addressing an adult
man)
2. “…and
so on…” (here, it is used after a sentence in order to
complete it)
3.
“…and all that sort of thing.” (not explaining
what it is, just leaving it as it is)
4.
“…and all that.” (again leaving the sentence as it is)
5.
“the scarecrow”, “the stuffed sausage”, “the
wizen-faced frump” (In this way, they hurled insults at each
other)
6.
“And how may you be getting on?” (Here,
Lomov is asking Chubukov about his well-being)
Modern
English expressions
1.
“Madam”, “my heart”, “honoured Natalya
Stepanovna” (used by Lomov for Natalya)
2.
“Honoured Stepan Stepanovitch” (used by Lomov for
Chubukov)
3. “I
beg your pardon…”
4. “My
dear fellow” (Chubukov addressing Lomov)
5.
“malicious, double-faced intriguer”, “fool”
(Chubukov insulting Lomov)
3.
(i)You
may take it that I am lying, but in fact it will help you in the long
run.
(ii) He seems to be coming round after the trauma of his father’s
death.
(iii) After the three hour long yoga session, my foot’s gone to
sleep.
Page No 157:
Question 1:
What
does Chubukov at first suspect that Lomov
has come for? Is he sincere when he later says “And I’ve
always loved you, my angel, as if you were my own son”? Find
reasons for your answer from the play.
Answer:
At
first, Chubukov suspected that Lomov had
come to borrow money. He was not sincere when he told Lomov that he
had always loved him and that he was like his own son. He had decided
that he would not give Lomov any money if he tried borrowing from
him. If he truly meant what he had said, then he would not have
thought of not giving him money. He said so only because Lomov had
come with the proposal to marry his daughter.
Page No 157:
Question 2:
Chubukov
says of Natalya: “… as if she won’t consent! She’s
in love; egad, she’s like a lovesick cat…” Would
you agree? Find reasons for your answer.
Answer:
Chubukov
thought that Lomov was a good marriage
prospect for his daughter. He had been waiting for this proposal.
When Lomov expressed his doubt regarding Natalya’s consent to
the proposal, Chubukov immediately told him that she was in love with
him. However, this was not true. Natalya did not seem to be in love
with Lomov at any point in the play. It seemed like she was more
attached to her land, meadows and dogs than to Lomov. In fact, the
way they kept getting into arguments about trivial matters suggests
that neither Lomov nor Natalya was in love with the other.
Page No 157:
Question 3:
(i)
Find all the words and expressions in the play that the characters
use to speak about each other, and the accusations and insults they
hurl at each other. (For example, Lomov in the end calls Chubukov an
intriguer; but earlier, Chubukov has himself called Lomov a
“malicious, double faced intriguer.” Again, Lomov begins
by describing Nayalya as “ an excellent housekeeper, not
bad-looking, well-educated.”)
Answer:
(i)
Several words and expressions have been used by the characters to
describe each other. Some of them are as follows:
Chubukov:
grabber; intriguer; old rat; Jesuit
Natalya:
a lovesick cat; an excellent housekeeper; not bad-looking,
well-educated
Lomov:
a good neighbour; a friend; impudent; pettifogger; a malicious,
double-faced intriguer; rascal; blind hen; turnip-ghost; a villain; a
scarecrow; monster; the stuffed sausage; the wizen-faced frump; boy;
pup; milksop; fool
Page No 158:
Question 2:
You
mush have noticed that when we report someone’s exact words, we
have to make some changes in the sentence structure. In the following
sentences fill in the blanks to list the changes that have occurred
in the above pairs of sentences. One has been done for you.
1.
To report a question, we use the reporting
verb asked
(as in Sentence Set 1).
2.
To report a declaration, we use the reporting verb __________.
3.
The adverb of place here
changes to ___________.
4.
When the verb in direct speech is in the present tense,
the verb in reported speech is in the ______________ tense (as in
Sentence Set 3).
5.
If the verb in direct speech is in the present continuous tense, the
verb in reported speech changes to ______________tense. For example,
____________ changes to was
getting.
6.
When the sentence in direct speech contains
a word denoting respect, we add the adverb _______________in the
reporting clause (as in Sentence Set 1).
7.
The pronouns I,
me, our
and mine,
which are used in the first person in direct speech, change to third
person pronouns such as____________, ___________, ___________ or
__________in reported speech.
Answer:
1.
To report a question, we use the reporting verb asked.
2.
To report a declaration, we use the reporting verb declared.
3.
The adverb of place here
changes to there.
4.
When the verb in direct speech is in the present tense, the verb in
reported speech is in the past
tense.
5.
If the verb in direct speech is in the present continuous
tense, the verb in reported speech changes to past
continuous tense. For example, am
getting changes to was
getting.
6.
When the sentence in direct speech contains a word denoting respect,
we add the adverb respectfully
in the reporting clause.
7.
The pronouns I, me, our and mine, which are used in the first person
in direct speech, change to second person pronouns such as he/she,
him/her,
their or
his/hers
in reported speech.
Page No 159:
Question 3:
Here
is an excerpt from an article from the Times
of India dated 27 August 2006. Rewrite
it, changing the sentences in direct speech into reported speech.
Leave the other sentences unchanged.
“Why
do you want to know my age? If people know I am so old,
I won’t get work!” laughs 90-year-old A. K. Hangal, one
of Hindi cinema’s most famous character actors. For his age, he
is rather energetic. “What’s the secret?” we ask.
“My intake of everything is in small quantities. And I walk a
lot,” he replies. “I joined the industry when people
retire. I was in my 40s. So I don’t miss being called a star. I
am still respected and given work, when actors of my age are living
in poverty and without work. I don’t have any complaints,”
he says, adding, “but yes, I have always been underpaid.”
Recipient of the Padma Bhushan, Hangal never hankered after money or
materialistic gains. “No doubt I am content today, but money is
important. I was a fool not to understand the value of money
earlier,” he regrets.
Answer:
90-year-old
A.K. Hangal, one of Hindi cinema’s most famous character
actors, laughingly asked why we wanted to know his age. If people
knew he was that old, he would not get work. For his age, he is
rather energetic. We asked him what the secret was. He replied that
his intake of everything was in small quantities and he walked a lot.
He said that he had joined the industry when people retired. He had
been in his 40s. So he did not miss being called a star. He was still
respected and given work, when actors of his age were living in
poverty and without work. He said he did not have any complaints,
adding that he had always been underpaid. Recipient of the Padma
Bhushan, Hangal never hankered after money or materialistic gains. He
said that no doubt he was content at present, but money was
important. He said regretfully that he was a fool not to understand
the value of money before.
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