ANIMAL FARM

ANIMAL FARM (CHAPTER - 2)

SUMMARY

Three nights later, Old Major dies in his sleep, and for three months the animals make secret preparations to carry out the old pig’s dying wish of wresting control of the farm from Mr. Jones. The work of teaching and organizing falls to the pigs, the cleverest of the animals, and especially to two pigs named Napoleon and Snowball. Together with a silver-tongued pig named Squealer, they formulate the principles of a philosophy called Animalism, the fundamentals of which they spread among the other animals. The animals call one another “Comrade” and take their quandaries to the pigs, who answer their questions about the impending Rebellion. At first, many of the animals find the principles of Animalism difficult to understand; they have grown up believing that Mr. Jones is their proper master. Mollie, a vain carriage horse, expresses particular concern over whether she will be able to continue to enjoy the little luxuries like eating sugar and wearing ribbons in the new utopia. Snowball sternly reminds her that ribbons symbolize slavery and that, in the animals’ utopia, they would have to be abolished. Mollie halfheartedly agrees.The pigs’ most troublesome opponent proves to be Moses, the raven, who flies about spreading tales of a place called Sugarcandy Mountain, where animals go when they die—a place of great pleasure and plenty, where sugar grows on the hedges. Even though many of the animals despise the talkative and idle Moses, they nevertheless find great appeal in the idea of Sugarcandy Mountain. The pigs work very hard to convince the other animals of the falsehood of Moses’s teachings. Thanks to the help of the slow-witted but loyal cart-horses, Boxer and Clover, the pigs eventually manage to prime the animals for revolution.The Rebellion occurs much earlier than anyone expected and comes off with shocking ease. Mr. Jones has been driven to drink after losing money in a lawsuit, and he has let his men become lazy, dishonest, and neglectful. One day, Mr. Jones goes on a drinking binge and forgets to feed the animals. Unable to bear their hunger, the cows break into the store shed and the animals begin to eat. Mr. Jones and his men discover the transgression and begin to whip the cows. Spurred to anger, the animals turn on the men, attack them, and easily chase them from the farm. Astonished by their success, the animals hurry to destroy the last remaining evidence of their subservience: chains, bits, halters, whips, and other implements stored in the farm buildings. After obliterating all signs of Mr. Jones, the animals enjoy a double ration of corn and sing “Beasts of England” seven times through, until it is time to sleep. In the morning, they admire the farm from a high knoll before exploring the farmhouse, where they stare in stunned silence at the unbelievable luxuries within. Mollie tries to stay inside, where she can help herself to ribbons and gaze at herself in the mirror, but the rest of the animals reprimand her sharply for her foolishness. The group agrees to preserve the farmhouse as a museum, with the stipulation that no animal may ever live in it.

The pigs reveal to the other animals that they have taught themselves how to read, and Snowball replaces the inscription “Manor Farm” on the front gate with the words “Animal Farm.” Snowball and Napoleon, having reduced the principles of Animalism to seven key commandments, paint these commandments on the side of the big barn. The animals go to gather the harvest, but the cows, who haven’t been milked in some time, begin lowing loudly. The pigs milk them, and the animals eye the five pails of milk desirously. Napoleon tells them not to worry about the milk; he says that it will be “attended to.” Snowball leads the animals to the fields to begin harvesting. Napoleon lags behind, and when the animals return that evening, the milk has disappeared.

Analysis

By the end of the second chapter, the precise parallels between the Russian Revolution and the plot of Animal Farm have emerged more clearly. The Manor Farm represents Russia under the part-feudal, part-capitalist system of the tsars, with Mr. Jones standing in for the moping and negligent Tsar Nicholas II. Old Major serves both as Karl Marx, who first espoused the political philosophy behind communism, and as Vladimir Lenin, who effected this philosophy’s revolutionary expression. His speech to the other animals bears many similarities to Marx’s Communist Manifesto and to Lenin’s later writings in the same vein. The animals of the Manor Farm represent the workers and peasants of Russia, in whose name the Russian Revolution’s leaders first struggled. Boxer and Clover, in particular, embody the aspects of the working class that facilitate the participation of the working class in revolution: their capacity for hard work, loyalty to each other, and lack of clear philosophical direction opens them up to the more educated classes’ manipulation.The pigs play the role of the intelligentsia, who organized and controlled the Russian Revolution. Squealer creates propaganda similar to that spread by revolutionaries via official organs such as the Communist Party newspaper Pravda.Moses embodies the Russian Orthodox Church, weakening the peasants’ sense of revolutionary outrage by promising a utopia in the afterlife; the beer-soaked bread that Mr. Jones feeds him represents the bribes with which the Romanov dynasty (in which Nicholas II was the last tsar) manipulated the church elders. Mollie represents the self-centered bourgeoisie: she devotes herself to the most likely suppliers of luxuries and comfort.The animals’ original vision for their society stems from noble ideals. Orwell was a socialist himself and supported the creation of a government in which moral dignity and social equality would take precedence over selfish individual interests. The Russian revolutionaries began with such ideals as well; Marx certainly touted notions like these in his writings. On Animal Farm, however, as was the case in the Russian Revolution, power is quickly consolidated in the hands of those who devise, maintain, and participate in the running of society—the intelligentsia. This class of Russians and their allies quickly turned the Communist Party toward totalitarianism, an event mirrored in Animal Farm by the gradual assumption of power by the pigs. After Lenin’s seizure of power, Communist Party leaders began jockeying for position and power, each hoping to seize control after Lenin’s death. Snowball and Napoleon, whose power struggle develops fully in the next chapters, are based on two real Communist Party leaders: Snowball shares traits with the fiery, intelligent leader Leon Trotsky, while the lurking, subversive Napoleon has much in common with the later dictator Joseph Stalin.Orwell’s descriptions in this chapter of the pre-Rebellion misery of the farm animals serve his critique of social inequality and the mistreatment of workers. They also make a pointed statement about humans’ abuse of animals. Indeed, the same impulse that led Orwell to sympathize with poor and oppressed human beings made him lament the cruelty that many human beings show toward other species. He got the idea for Animal Farm while watching a young boy whipping a cart-horse. His pity for the exploitedhorse reminded him of his sympathy for the exploited working class.Orwell creates a particularly moving scene in portraying the animals’ efforts to obliterate the painful reminders of their maltreatment: this episode stands out from much of the rest of the novella in its richness of detail. In the attention to “the bits, the nose-rings, the dog-chains, the cruel knives,” and a whole host of other instruments of physical discipline, we see Orwell’s profound empathy with the lowest of the low, as well as his intense hatred for physical suffering and its destruction of dignity.

NOVEL ANIMAL FARM

ANIMAL FARM (CHAPTER -1)

SUMMARY

As the novella opens, Mr. Jones, the proprietor and overseer of the Manor Farm, has just stumbled drunkenly to bed after forgetting to secure his farm buildings properly. As soon as his bedroom light goes out, all of the farm animals except Moses, Mr. Jones’s tame raven, convene in the big barn to hear a speech by Old Major, a prize boar and pillar of the animal community. Sensing that his long life is about to come to an end, Major wishes to impart to the rest of the farm animals a distillation of the wisdom that he has acquired during his lifetime.As the animals listen raptly, Old Major delivers up the fruits of his years of quiet contemplation in his stall. The plain truth, he says, is that the lives of his fellow animals are “miserable, laborious, and short.” Animals are born into the world as slaves, worked incessantly from the time they can walk, fed only enough to keep breath in their bodies, and then slaughtered mercilessly when they are no longer useful. He notes that the land upon which the animals live possesses enough resources to support many times the present population in luxury; there is no natural reason for the animals’ poverty and misery. Major blames the animals’ suffering solely on their human oppressors. Mr. Jones and his ilk have been exploiting animals for ages, Major says, taking all of the products of their labor—eggs, milk, dung, foals—for themselves and producing nothing of value to offer the animals in return.Old Major relates a dream that he had the previous night, of a world in which animals live without the tyranny of men: they are free, happy, well fed, and treated with dignity. He urges the animals to do everything they can to make this dream a reality and exhorts them to overthrow the humans who purport to own them. The animals can succeed in their rebellion only if they first achieve a complete solidarity or “perfect comradeship” of all of the animals against the humans, and if they resist the false notion spread by humans that animals and humans share common interests. A brief conversation arises in which the animals debate the status of rats as comrades. Major then provides a precept that will allow the animals to determine who their comrades are: creatures that walk on two legs are enemies; those with four legs or with wings are allies. He reminds his audience that the ways of man are completely corrupt: once the humans have been defeated, the animals must never adopt any of their habits; they must not live in a house, sleep in a bed, wear clothes, drink alcohol, smoke tobacco, touch money, engage in trade, or tyrannize another animal. He teaches the animals a song called “Beasts of England,” which paints a dramatic picture of the utopian, or ideal, animal community of Major’s dream. The animals sing several inspired choruses of “Beasts of England” with one voice—until Mr. Jones, thinking that the commotion bespeaks the entry of a fox into the yard, fires a shot into the side of the barn. The animals go to sleep, and the Manor Farm again sinks into quietude.

Analysis

Although Orwell aims his satire at totalitarianism in all of its guises—communist, fascist, and capitalist—Animal Farm owes its structure largely to the events of the Russian Revolution as they unfolded between 1917 and 1944, when Orwell was writing the novella. Much of what happens in the novella symbolically parallels specific developments in the history of Russian communism, and several of the animal characters are based on either real participants in the Russian Revolution or amalgamations thereof. Due to the universal relevance of the novella’s themes, we don’t need to possess an encyclopedic knowledge of Marxist Leninism or Russian history in order to appreciate Orwell’s satire of them. An acquaintance with certain facts from Russia’s past, however, can help us recognize the particularly biting quality of Orwell’s criticism (see Historical Background).Because of Animal Farm’s parallels with the Russian Revolution, many readers have assumed that the novella’s central importance lies in its exposure and critique of a particular political philosophy and practice, Stalinism. In fact, however, Orwell intended to critique Stalinism as merely one instance of the broader social phenomenon of totalitarianism, which he saw at work throughout the world: in fascist Germany (under Adolf Hitler) and Spain (under Francisco Franco), in capitalist America, and in his native England, as well as in the Soviet Union. The broader applicability of the story manifests itself in details such as the plot’s setting—England. Other details refer to political movements in other countries as well. The animals’ song “Beasts of England,” for example, parodies the “Internationale,” the communist anthem written by the Paris Commune of 1871.In order to lift his story out of the particularities of its Russian model and give it the universality befitting the importance of its message, Orwell turned to the two ancient and overlapping traditions of political fable and animal fable. Writers including Aesop (Fables), Jonathan Swift (especially in the Houyhnhnm section ofGulliver’s Travels), Bernard Mandeville (The Fable of the Bees), and Jean de La Fontaine (Fables) have long cloaked their analyses of contemporary society in such parables in order to portray the ills of society in more effective ways. Because of their indirect approach, fables have a strong tradition in societies that censor openly critical works: the writers of fables could often claim that their works were mere fantasies and thus attract audiences that they might not have reached otherwise. Moreover, by setting human problems in the animal kingdom, a writer can achieve the distance necessary to see the absurdity in much of human behavior—he or she can abstract a human situation into a clearly interpretable tale. By treating the development of totalitarian communism as a story taking place on a small scale, reducing the vast and complex history of the Russian Revolution to a short work describing talking animals on a single farm, Orwell is able to portray his subject in extremely simple symbolic terms, presenting the moral lessons of the story with maximum clarity, objectivity, concision, and force.Old Major’s dream presents the animals with a vision of utopia, an ideal world. The “golden future time” that the song “Beasts of England” prophesies is one in which animals will no longer be subject to man’s cruel domination and will finally be able to enjoy the fruits of their labors. The optimism of such lyrics as “Tyrant Man shall be o’erthrown” and “Riches more than mind can picture” galvanizes the animals’ agitation, but unwavering belief in this lofty rhetoric, as soon becomes clear, prevents the common animals from realizing the gap between reality and their envisioned utopia.

PHOTOGRAPH

PHOTOGRAPH

 

 

SUMMARY

The poet is looking at her mother's photograph which is indeed an old one. With it she can see how her mother looked when she was a little girl of twelve. THe photo shows her on  a beach with her two girl cousins ho are younger than her, holding her hand. It might have een windy at that time that their hair was flying on their faces when the uncle took the photograph. All the three as smiling through their flying hair. Looking at the photograph, the poet says that her mother had a sweet face, but it was a time before the poet was born. The sea was washing their feet. The poet says that the sea has changed only a little but change has come about who's feet it was washing.
     After 30 or 40 years, the mother would take out the photograph and take a look at it. By that time, she was married and had a daughter. She would laugh a little and says "Look at Betty and Dolly, see how they have dressed for the beach". By now, she can only remember those days. A huge change has come about her and she is no longer that small innocent girl of twelve.
         After some years, the poet's mother dies. Now the poet remembers her mother's laughter, for her it is a thing of past. That's why she says "the sea holiday as her past and mine is her laughter". Because just like the mother remembers her old days, now the poet can rememer her in that way only. However in course of time, the two of them learnt to live ith their losses. The pay of the losses had made a permanent impression in their wry faces. The poet says that her mother had been dead and no she feels herself in a situation that there is nothing to be said about but only emptiness. The silence of this situation sileances her. In other words, she is left speechless. The fate has killed all the feelings in her.

SUMMARY THE PORTRAIT OF A LADY

SUMMARY

THE PORTRAIT OF A LADY

Khushwant Singh draws here an interesting portrait of his grandmother. He presents her as a tender, loving and deeply religious old lady. Singh says that his grandmother was an old woman. She was so old that her face was wrinkled that at the present it was difficult to believe she would ever had been young and pretty. Her hair was white as snow. She had a little stoop in her back. She could be seeing reciting her rosary all the time. The author says that "she was like the winter landscape in the mountains and exponce of pure white serenity breathing peace and contentment  A picture of author's grandfather was hung on the wall. He appeared too old and it was that he ever had a wife. He appeared to have only lots and lots of grandchildren. Singh was the only child at that time. His parents had gone to live in the city leaving him behind the village under the care of his grandmother. She would get him ready for school. And would also feed him with Chappathi. The School as attached with a temple. All the children sat in the verandah reciting alphabets while his grandmother is engaged reading holy scriptures. Finally in the evening, the author and the grandmother would walk back home feeding the dogs.   After a friendly relationship with his grandmother, he had to adopt a new life in the city. This itself was a turning point for the grandmother and the grandson. Both of them was sent for to settle down in the city with his parents. The author went to an English school but the grandmother never liked the way he was taught. Though Singh and his grandmother shared the same room, she was unable to help him. Apart from this, she was also disappointed that he was learning music that she considered not for gentlefolks. In due course, Singh went up to a University and because of that, he was given a separate room. This indeed made the common link of their relationship snapped down completely. The grandmother agreed the fact and she used to spin the wheel from sunrise to sunset to compensate that. Only during the afternoon she would relax by feeding the sparrows with little pieces of bread. They were her best friends and the sparrows also liked her company.  Later, Singh went up abroad for higher studies which was for 5 long years. He had a doubt in his mind that whether his grandmother may survive or not until he come back. His also taught that it might e the last physical contact between them when she came in the railway station to see him off. After 5 years he came back, incredibly he was welcomed y his grandmother who was not grown  a single day older. Singh notices that even at this time when everyone is joyful about his return, grandmother's happiest moments was with her sparrows.   Later in the evening there was a change in her attitude. She celebrated the return of her grandson y collecting some women of neighbourhood and beating drum for several hours. But in the morning, grandmother's health deteriorates and she reveals that she was nearing her end. So she decides that she is not going to waste a single moment by talking so she prayed. Quite suddenly, the rosary falls from her hand and she exhaled her last breath and it was clear that she was no more. After making the preparations for the funeral, the family members went to fetch her body for the last journey. The golden blaze of light of the setting sun glittered her room. And to pay the last homage to the grandmother, thousands of sparrows gathered in and around her room. The sparrows never did cheered nor did they do anything normal. They don't even bother to notice the read pieces thrown at them. Along with her funeral, the sparrows flew away.
                              

vocablary

Word Meaning Copyleft Opposite of copyright. Whereas copyright imposes restrictions on the distribution of a work or publication, copyleft eliminates restrictions and allows freedom of use for all. Cosmeceutical A pharmaceutical product with beneficial effects on the skin e.g. anti-ageing creams containing a product that changes the cell biology. Cot potato Very young child who spends a lot of time watching television. (cot = a baby's bed) Couch commerce Buying goods online from one's home. Couch potato A person who spends a lot of time sitting in front of the television. Cronut A ring-shaped pastry that is a cross between a croissant and a doughnut. Crowdfunding Raising money for a project by getting a large number of people to make a small financial contribution, particularly by using a website. Cyberbully A person who uses the Internet, electronic communication or social networks to harm, harass or intimidate another person. Cyber cafe A place which provides internet access to the public. Cyberchondriac A person who imagines that he/she is suffering from an illness after reading about the symptoms on the Internet! Cyberloaf Spend time on the Internet at work doing personal things. Cyberslacking Using one's employer's Internet and email facilities for personal purposes during working hours. Daycation A trip or short vacation which lasts only one day - daycationers do not stay away overnight. Decruitment Euphemism for laying-off staff or downsizing a company. Demitarian A person who reduces by half their consumption of meat and animal products in order to reduce the environmental impact of their diet. Dench Extremely attractive, fashionable, impressive, etc Docusoap Blend of 'documentary' and 'soap'. (soap opera: sentimental TV serial) A 'docusoap' is a reality television programme in the style of a documentary. Dramedy Combination of 'drama' and 'comedy'. A film, play or TV programme that mixes drama and comedy. Droolworthy Something so attractive or exciting that it makes you want to have it e.g. a droolworthy dress, a droolworthy cake, etc. Drug driving Driving a vehicle while under the influence of drugs. Dwell time The length of time spent on a website. Earworm A tune that keeps repeating itself over and over again in our heads. E-cruitment Online recruitment of employees, including online submission of resumes and cover letters Elancer A professional person who works from home and provides services on the internet. Emoji Icon used in electronic messages and webpages. Emoticon A blend of 'emotion' and 'icon'. A symbol, used in email messages, which is made out of punctuation marks and resembles a human face. E-piracy Electronic piracy Illegal downloading of material found on the internet (films, music, etc.) E-quaintance A person you know only through online networks. E-stalk To stalk (follow) someone using Internet searches and email. EV Electric vehicle, a vehicle which runs entirely on electricity stored in rechargeable batteries. E-waste Electronic material and devices that have been thrown away. Face Time Application which enables people to make video phone calls. They can speak and see each other at the same time. Fandom Blend of’ fan’ and the suffix ‘-dom’, (as in 'kingdom'). The fans of a particular person, team, etc. regarded collectively as a community. Fashionista Person who dresses according to the latest fashion trends. Favicon Favourite icon: a tiny little graphic that appears when you bookmark a site. Finlit / fin lit Financial literacy Knowledge and understanding of financial language and issues related to finance. Flame war A period during which angry or rude email messages are exchanged. Flash mob A crowd that gathers in a pre-determined place, performs an action then disperses very quickly. The mob is not told exactly what to do until just before the event. Flexitarian A vegetarian who sometimes eats meat or fish. Freemale A woman who is happy to stay single and independent so that she can do what she wants when she wants. Flightmare Blend of 'flight' and 'nightmare'. Unpleasant air travel experience (lost luggage, missed connections, etc.) Flog A fake blog.  A blog (online journal) which appears to have been written by an independent person but has in fact been created by a company or business in order to advertise a product or service. Floordrobe Blend of 'floor' and 'wardrobe'. A pile of clothes dropped on the floor. Foodoir A blend of 'food' and 'memoir'. An account of someone's life or personal experiences, with a strong emphasis on food, often including recipes and cookery advice. Fracking A method of extracting oil or natural gas from rock formations deep below the earth's surface, by drilling and creating cracks. Frape Blend of ‘Facebook’ and ‘rape’. Making changes to someone’s Facebook pages without their knowledge or permission. Frenemy An enemy who pretends to be your friend. Frostjack Frostjacking A blend of the words 'frost' and 'hijack'. Stealing a car on a cold day when the owner leaves the engine running to defrost the windows. Funemployed Funemployment A blend of 'fun' and 'unemployed'. Someone who enjoys not having a job because they have more time for leisure and fun activities. Funkinetics A form of energetic step aerobics that mixes exercise and soul music.

SOME QUESTION FROM ANNE FRANK

Q-How does Anne feel about the laws that restrict the Jews’ freedom?

The Franks left Germany to live in Holland because they felt they could escape persecution. After the Germans invaded Holland in 1940, however, the same laws imposed in Germany were extended to the Netherlands. Anne thinks the laws are unjust, but she does not completely understand why the Jewish people have been singled out for this discrimination. She wishes that next time the Jews will be chosen for something good rather than something bad. Anne feels it is unfair that Jews cannot use streetcars, that they must wear yellow stars, and that she must attend a particular school. Nonetheless, she is still optimistic about her family’s safety and feels relatively secure about her future. Anne accepts the restrictions as a fact of life in Amsterdam, and she is thankful to the Dutch people for their sympathy, especially the ferryman, who lets Jews ride the ferry because they are not allowed to ride streetcars.

Once the SS call up for Margot, Anne realizes that she is not safe from the Nazis. Her entire life and worldview is quickly transformed as she is forced into hiding. As Anne hears about more of her friends being taken to concentration camps, her fears grow and she questions why the Jews are being restricted. She also questions why she remains relatively safe while her friends outside have to suffer so much. Anne says that she does not blame the Dutch people for her family’s misfortune, and her sense of perspective allows her to realize that the non-Jewish Dutch also suffer greatly during the war. When she hears that the Dutch are becoming more anti-Semitic, she is disheartened but remains optimistic about humanity.

Q-What role does the diary play in Anne’s life?

When Anne first begins writing in her diary as a thirteen-year-old girl, she feels that her friends and family all misunderstand her. Thus, she first turns to the diary as a new friend and confidant, counting on the diary to be the sympathetic, nonjudgmental ear she has been unable to find elsewhere. Once she goes into hiding in the annex, Anne feels even more misunderstood. She thinks her mother is cold and callous, and feels that the other adults consider her a nuisance. The diary offers Anne much solace in the annex because she is in need of companionship. Until she befriends Peter, Anne has no one other than her diary with whom she can openly share her fear, anger, sadness, and hope. Anne calls the diary “Kitty,” indicating that she considers it a close friend. She occasionally even writes to Kitty as if the diary were a person who had asked her questions.

Writing diligently in the diary also helps Anne redirect her strong feelings instead of expressing them outright and causing damage to the fragile relationships within the annex. When everyone around her is feeling anxious and tense, Anne turns to her diary for comfort because she does not want to burden the already overtaxed adults with her own concerns. In this way, Anne becomes very independent at a young age.

Moreover, Anne’s constant diary-writing enables her to discover her inner voice and her voice as a writer. The diary gives her a private place to explore and develop her increasingly profound thoughts and ideas. After two years, Anne is able to look back at the invaluable record of her experiences and analyze how she has grown and changed. In this sense, the diary becomes a significant tool for Anne’s maturity.

Q-Does Anne consider her family lucky or unfortunate to be living in the annex?

Anne’s feelings about the annex constantly change. Most of the time, Anne realizes that she and her family are very fortunate to have the annex as a place to hide. She values the kindness and generosity of her father’s non-Jewish colleagues who are risking their lives to provide them with food and supplies. However, Anne often complains about the miserable physical and emotional conditions of the annex, and the confinement bothers her. She misses being able to see nature and the sky and laments that she cannot explore the world. Compared to her formerly comfortable, middle-class life, Anne must live with eight people under severe conditions—she eats rotten potatoes day after day, has no privacy, deals with clashing personalities, and lives in constant fear that the family will be discovered. Most of all, she feels lonely since she has no companions besides Peter in the annex in whom she can confide.

When Anne compares her deprived life to the freedom of non-Jewish Dutch children—a freedom she experienced so recently and took for granted—she feels indignant. However, when she thinks about her Jewish friends and family members who have probably been arrested and sent to concentration camps, such as her friend Hanneli, she feels extremely thankful to still be alive. Anne feels that the Jews as a group are not fortunate and have not been chosen for good things, only bad ones. However, she expresses her conflict over whether she feels fortunate or unlucky about her personal situation. She wonders whether it would have been better to die a quick death than live a confined, tedious, and fearful existence. Anne quickly realizes, however, that she loves life too much and decides she is fortunate that she had the opportunity to evade the Germans.

NCERT SOLUTION OF PATOL BABU

(a) What was the news that Nishikanto Ghosh gave Patol Babu?

Answer

Nishikanto Babu told Patol Babu that his brother-in law, who was in the film business, was looking for an actor for a film they were shooting. The character he described reminded Nishikanto Babu of Patol Babu so he gave him his address and asked him to get in touch with him.

(b) How did Patol Babu react? Why?

Answer

Patol Babu was taken aback by the acting offer. He was surprised as it seemed unbelievable to him that a 52-year old nobody like him was getting a chance to act in a film.

(c) Why had Patol Babu lost his first job in Calcutta?

Answer

The Second World War had resulted in Patol Babu being retrenched from his nine-year-old clerical job at Hudson and Kimberley.

(d) How does Patol Babu reconcile to the dialogue given to him?

Answer

Initially Patol Babu was very dejected to know that he was required to speak just one word ‘Oh!’, but later he accepted it because the director told him that he was the only one who had the speaking part that day. Even the lead actor had no dialogues to speak that day.

(e) Who was Mr. Pakrashi? How do his words help Patol Babu in enacting his role?

Answer

Mr. Pakrashi was Patol Babu's mentor. He was a wonderful actor, without a tract of vanity in him. He said, "Remember one thing, Patol; however small a part you're offered, never consider it beneath your dignity to accept it." These words influenced Patol Babu a lot and they helped him enact his role with confidence and determination. From these words, Patol Babu drew spirit, energy, inspiration and dignity to enact such a small role. He no more felt his role in the movie to be condescending.

(f) How do we know that Patol Babu was a meticulous man?

Answer

Patol Babu was indeed a meticulous man. When he got his dialogue, monosyllabic exclamation 'Oh!', he tried his best to give his best. First he tried to understand different inflections of 'Oh!' when spoken in different tones carryingdifferent meanings. He was a true actor. He enunciated the syllable in various ways. Alon with, he worked out how he would react physically when the collision take place, how his features would be twisted in pain, how he would express pain and surprise. he perfomed in various ways infron of a large glass window. When his turn came, he even suggested for a rehersal. He calculated his steps and timed it excellently well. All these things shows his hard-work and pain taking attitude.

(g) Why did Mr. Mullick turn down Patol Babu's request for a rehearsal?

Answer

Mr Mullick was a very busy and preoccupied director. He had no patience to grant rehearsal for an insignificant role. Moreover, the scene had to be shot in sunlight and as the clouds were seen approaching, he had to take the shot quickly. So he declined Patol Babu’s request for a rehearsal.

(h) What were the special touches that Patol Babu gave to his role to make it more authentic?

Answer

Patol Babu was given the role of an absent-minded pedastrian who collided with the hero Chanchal Kumar on his way from his car to office. First of all, he himselfrehearsed his own bit. He worked out his teps, his reactions and his face expressions. When the shot was ready, he suggested to Barren Mullick if he had a newspaper open in his hand then it would be more natural and realistic. then, he calculated his speed and distance of the spot where the collosion was to take place and expressed his feelings of anguish, surprise and irritation in proper ratio poportion. In this way, he timed it very well.

NCERT SOLUTION OF SHADY PLOT

(a) What genre of stories does Jenkins want the narrator to write? Why?

Answer

Jenkins wanted the narrator to write fictions about ghosts i.e. ghost stories. He wanted supernatural theme which gave horror to the public as ghosts were live propositions.

(b) Does the narrator like writing ghost stories? Support your answer with evidence from the story.

Answer

No, the writer was not fond of writing ghost stories at all. He himself says 'I didn't specialize in ghost stories.' Whenever he sat down to write a ghost story, he hadn't the shade of an idea. He had chased the inspiration in vain for months when he started writing ghost fiction for the first time. This all shows that the narrator was, though natural, an accidental ghost fiction writer.

(c) What makes Helen, the ghost, and her other co-ghosts organize The Writer's Inspiration Bureau?

Answer

Helen and other co-ghosts organised The Writer’s Insipiration Bureau because they felt there were many writers without ideas, however, with a vulnerable mind who were looking for an inspiration to write ghost stories. The bureau would assign a ghost to such a writer so that he/she could write good ghost stories.

(d) Why had Helen, the ghost been helping the narrator write ghost stories? Why was she going on strike? What condition did she place for providing continued help?

Answer

Helen had helped the narrator because he was keen to write ghost stories but had no ideas and his mind was impressionable. But now the ghosts were fed up of being called too often from their beds. They had given up haunting and had taken up answering questions on the Ouija board but people had started pestering them too of- ten. Helen promised to help the narrator if he would get his friends and acquaintances to stop using the Ouija board.

(e) How does the ghost undermine the narrator's faith in his ability to write ghost stories?

Answer

The narrator is sure that ghost stories specialize in him. He never refuses Jenkins whenever he demands a ghost story for his magazine. He had always been able to dig up one for him. So e has started feeling overconfident about his ability to write on the supernatural everytime. But the lady ghost tells him that he always call her to help him in writing a ghost story. Many a time she has leaned on his shoulder to give him ideas. Now, he will not get more ideas or plots of ghost stories for him. In this way, th lady ghost undermines the narrator's ability to write ghost stories.


(f) Why does John want the ghost to disappear before his wife appears on the scene? What impression of his wife's character do you form from his words?

Answer

Lavinia, John’s wife, is a jealous lady. John does not want Helen to be seen by his wife for fear of complications in his married life. His wife is over sensitive and the sight of a ghost in her house will affect her badly. Lavinia is basically a lady, who is a spendthrift and socialite, spending her time in parties and friends.

(g) Why does the narrator hesitate to be a partner to Laura Hinkle during the Ouija Board Party?

Answer

Helen, the ghost, had asked the narrator to influence his friends to stop using the Ouija board. It was only on this condition that Helen promised to help the narrator to write ghost stories. If Helen sees him now himself trying to communicate ghosts through Ouija board, he fears how and what she would do to him. That is why the narrator was reluctant to be a partner to Laura Hinkle during the Ouija Board party.

(h) What message does the ghost convey to the group that had assembled in the narrator's house? What is their reaction to the message?

Answer

Helen called John a traitor as he bluffs her. He had promised Helen that he would convince his friends to stop contacting ghosts; rather here he himself was doing the same. She is annoyed and filled with anguish and so goes to everyone’s Ouija board one by one and tells that Mr. Hallock is a traitor. After this revelation everybody suspected John of cheating upon his wife, later John clarified to his wife and she even understood.

(i) Do you agree with the narrator calling the assembly of women "manipulators?" Give reasons.

Answer

Assembly of Women were rightly called 'manipulators' by narrator as they very successfully and crftly manipulated the spirits to answer their questions. The way in which they brought report about Helen's statement about the narrator calling him traitor seemed like manipulation to him.

(j) Why is John's wife angry? What does she decide to do?

Answer

John’s wife is angry because she, like other women, believed what the spirit said through the Ouija board, about her husband. A woman even reported that Helen has called John a traitor. Lavinia thought that her husband was cheating on her. She decided to go to her grandmother’s house. She also decided to separate from her husband.

(k) Why does John wish he were dead?

Answer

John wished he was dead because a brief meeting with a ghost had created such situations that he was about to lose his wife, whom he loved dearly; it destroyed his happiness and home.

(l) When confronted by Lavinia about his flirtations over the Ouija Board, John insists that 'the affair was quite above-board, I assure you, my love'. Bring out the pun in John's statement.

Answer

John assures his wife that his flirtations with Helen the ghost are above board. He tries to tell her that whatever that has happened between him and Helen is over the board of Ouija and there was nothing that he wished to hide from his wife; in fact there was nothing to tell.

(m) John's apprehensions about his wife's reaction to her encounter with the ghost are unfounded. Justify.

Answers

John thought that his wife would become hysterical if she saw the ghost Helen; however, when the encounter happened, she confidently spoke to the ghost and was not at all scared of it.

NCERT SOLUTION OF VIRTUALLY TRUE

a) Why did the news of the miracle recovery shock Michael ?

Ans: It was beyond imagination to Michael to come across with the ‘miracle recovery’ story because he never imagined that the character in the game i.e. Sebastian whom he saved, really did exist. He was in utmost shock because according to the article, the boy, Sebastian was so long in the coma where as Michael saved him in the game in the same duration.

b)     Michael’s meeting with Sebastian had been a chance meeting. Where had it taken place and how?

Ans: Indeed, the meeting of Michael with Sebastian had occurred by chance and of course a positive one. After the accident of Sebastian, his games were stolen and coincidentally Michael bought those games. When Michael played one of the first games named, ‘wildwest’ he found Sebastian in the form of a sheriff and almost of his age.

c)      What kind of computers fascinated Michael and his dad? Why?

Ans: Michael and his dad had been fanatic about computers. They had updated computer with Pentium 150 Mh_z processor, 256 RAM, hard drive, printer scanner everything. They are even crazy about games, Michael has already played, tornado,  me babash, black belt etc. Michae’ls father is even crazy about gadgets and gizmos. Recently he bought visor glove for the latest psycho-drive games.

d)     Describe the first place where Michael was virtually transported.

Ans: Returning from the computer fair Michael launched himself off into the first game named ‘wildwest’. He found himself transported on a dusty track in the centre of the town. He had a sheriff’s badge pinned to his shirt. He went into a salon through the swing doors and ordered a drink named sarsaparilla and there started the game.

e)      What help did Sebastian Shultz ask Michael for? How did he convey this massage?

Ans: Sebastian’s memory was trapped in the game he was playing at the time of accident. He wanted to revive himself. So when he found Michael playing the game, he requested him to retrieve him.

            Sebastian used to communicate through the printer which was connected with game. He instructed Michael through this printer each and every step required to retrieve him.

f)       Why did Michael fail in rescuing Sebastian Shultz in the first game?                 

Ans. In the first game of ‘wildwest’ Michael was in confusion about what he ought to do in the game. He was even confused when he found the presence of another sheriff. They both made futile effort of escaping and got themselves on a horseback. But the foes had been in close pursuit and eventually shot Sebastian to death.

g)      The Second attempt to rescue Sebastian Shultz too was disastrous. Give reasons.

Ans. The second game too proved to be futile to Michael. After he received the message from Sebastian to try ‘JAILBREAK’ he attempted the game. Both were in a cell and Sebastian was his cell mate – 02478. Using a Skeleton swipe card they were soon out of the cell. Dodging the guards they reached the roof. There Sebastian meant the helicopter for their rescue. Before they could go, guards appeared with ferocious dogs. Sebastian, out of fear, tumbled backwards and failed the game.

h)     Narrate the incident that injured Sebastian Shultz.

Ans. Sebastian got badly injured in the game of ‘JAILBREAK’ Michacl and Sebastian got out of the prison cell using a skeleton swipe card . Then they dodged the guards climbed the stairs and came on the roof. Sebastian had already planned for a helicopter. But before their departure , guards appeared with vicious dogs which had dripping of jowls. Seeing the dogs   hurtling towards twin Sebastian got nervous and tried to move backwards. But he moved back and fell from roof in got himself badly injured.

i)        How had Sebastian Shultz entered the games?

Ans: When Sebastian had the accident, he was playing one of the psycho drive games in his laptop. His head was plugged to computer. When he had the accident, his memory got saved in the game he was playing. His memory got stored in the disk which Michael bought from the computer fair. When Michael started the game he found Sebastian in the weird versions of the games.