Class 10 English Chapter 9 Bholi Questions and answers
Page No 54:
Question 1:
Why is
Bholi’s father worried about her?
Answer:
Bholi’s
father was worried about her as she had neither good looks nor
intelligence. He did not know how he would
find a suitable groom for her.
Page No 54:
Question 2:
For
what unusual reasons
is Bholi sent to school?
Answer:
The
tehsildar had performed the opening
ceremony of the primary school for girls that had just opened in
Ramlal’s village. He told Ramlal that as he was a
representative of the government in the village, he should set an
example for the villagers by sending his daughters to the school.
When Ramlal discussed this matter with his wife, she said that if
girls were sent to school, no one would marry them. Since Ramlal did
not have the courage to disobey the tehsildar, his wife suggested
that they should send Bholi to the school. She felt that as there
were little chances of her getting married with her ugly face and
lack of sense, she might as well go to the school.
Page No 55:
Question 1:
Does Bholi
enjoy her first day at school?
Answer:
Bholi
found everything new at the school. She felt glad to see many girls
of her age present there. She was fascinated by the bright colours of
the pictures on the walls. She cried when
she kept stammering on being asked her name. However, she saw how
kind the teacher was and finally, managed to speak her name. She was
given a book by the teacher. The teacher behaved with her like no one
had ever done, thereby filling her with confidence At the end of her
first day at school, her heart was throbbing with a new hope and a
new life.
Page No 55:
Question 2:
Does
she find her teacher different from the
people at home?
Answer:
Yes,
she found her teacher different from the people at home. Her teacher
was very kind and spoke to her affectionately. She did not scold or
command her, but encouraged her in a soothing voice. She told her
that in time, she would be more learned than anyone else in the
village, and no one would ever be able to
laugh at her. People would listen to her and respect her. This filled
Bholi with a new hope.
Page No 58:
Question 1:
Why do
Bholi’s parents accept Bishamber’s marriage proposal?
Answer:
Bholi’s
parents felt that if they did not accept
Bishamber’s proposal, she might remain unmarried all her life.
Her mother said they were lucky that Bishamber was from another
village and hence, did not know about Bholi’s pock-marks and
her lack of sense. Moreover, he had not even asked for any dowry.
Hence, Bholi’s parents accepted the marriage proposal.
Page No 58:
Question 2:
Why
does the marriage not take place?
Answer:
The
marriage did not take place because Bholi
refused to marry Bishamber. When the groom saw that her face was
covered with pock-marks, he declared that he would marry her only if
her father paid him a dowry of five thousand rupees. Bishamber did
not budge from his stand in spite of repeated pleadings by Ramlal.
Finally, Ramlal placed the dowry amount at the groom’s feet.
Consequently, when Bishamber was about to place the garland around
Bholi’s neck, she struck out her hand and the garland was flung
into the fire. She said that she was willing to marry that man only
because of her father’s honour. However, on seeing that the man
was mean, greedy and contemptible, she had decided not to go ahead
with the marriage.
Page No 62:
Question 1:
Bholi
had many apprehensions about going to school. What
made her feel that she was going to a better place than her home?
Answer:
Bholi felt that she was going to a better place than her home when she got the treatment that she had never got before. New clothes had never been made for Bholi. The old dresses of her sisters were passed on to her. No one cared to mend or wash her clothes. However, before being sent off to the school, she received a clean dress. She was even bathed, and oil was rubbed into her dry and matted hair. It was then that she began to believe that she was being taken to a place better than her home.
Page No 62:
Question 2:
How
did Bholi’s teacher play an important role in changing the
course of her life?
Answer:
Bholi’s
teacher played a very important role in changing her life. She
was the first one to have spoken to her affectionately. She
encouraged her to speak out her name without any fear. She gave her a
book, thereby aiming to inculcate in her the desire to learn. She
told her that in time, she would be more learned than anyone else in
the village, and no one would ever be able to laugh at her. People
would listen to her and respect her. This filled Bholi with a new
hope.
Page No 62:
Question 3:
Why did
Bholi at first agree to an unequal match? Why did she later reject
the marriage? What does this tell us about her?
Answer:
At
first, Bholi had agreed to marry an old man
because of her father’s honour, thereby placing her family’s
interest over her own. However, she later refused to marry him
because she saw how mean, greedy and contemptible he was. By
demanding a hefty dowry, he took advantage of her bad looks and the
desperateness of her father to get her married. This is why she
rejected the marriage and silenced everybody else who called her
shameless. This tells us that Bholi had grown in confidence and could
very well speak for herself.
Page No 62:
Question 4:
Bholi’s
real name is Sulekha. We are told this right at the beginning. But
only in the last but one paragraph of the story is Bholi called
Sulekha again. Why do you think she is called Sulekha at that point
in the story?
Answer:
Sulekha
was called Bholi because everyone considered
her to be a backward child and a simpleton. The name Bholi thus
symbolises her under confidence and ignorance. After mentioning her
real name at the beginning of the story, the author mentions it again
only in the second-last paragraph. This is a deliberate attempt on
the part of the author to show that Sulekha has finally attained her
true identity by literally throwing aside the veil that hid her
personality.
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