CLASS V LESSON 8 BUILDINGS TO REMEMBER QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

CLASS V

LESSON 8

BUILDINGS TO REMEMBER

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS:

ACTIVITY 1

Complete the table with information from the text. Work with your partners. One is done for you.

👉name of the monument visited: the Bandel Church

👉location of the monument : Bandel

👉number of team members: twenty five

👉means of transport : bus

👉the Mughal Emperor mentioned here : Akbar

👉the year the church was built : 1599.                 

ACTIVITY2

Find out words with similar meanings from the text.

1. answered ➡ explained

2. staring ➡ looking

3. told ➡ said

4. started ➡ began

5. establish ➡ build

6. carried on ➡ continued

ACTIVITY 3

Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the given verbs in the brackets:

1. Last Sunday, Reba (visit / ✅visited) the zoo .

2. They (✅drink / drank) coffee everyday.

3. Farmers (✅grow / grew) crops in the field.

4. The boys (enjoy / ✅enjoyed the football match yesterday. enjoyed.

5. Subir (sings / ✅sang) a patriotic song yesterday.

6. We (✅go / went) to school everyday by bus.

ACTIVITY 4

Answer the following questions:

1. Where did the bus stop?

Ans. The bus stopped in front of the church.

2. What were the names of the two friends of Mita?

Ans. Arnina and Sunita were the two friends of Mita.

3. How many Christians were taken to Agra fort?

Ans. A few thousand Christians were taken to Agra fort.

4. Who were made to stand before the ferocious elephants?

Ans. The prisoners were made to stand before the ferocious elephants.

5. What did the elephant do with Father Joan da Cruz?

Abs. One elephant carried Father Joan da Cruz right up to the emperor and knelt before him as if asking for mercy.

6. Where was the fort of Shah Jahan located?

Ans. The fort of Shah Jahan was located at Agra.

ACTIVITY 5

Make a list of what Mita and her friends saw at the Bandel Church. One is done for you:

1. A huge clock with four faces.

2. The Prayer Hall.

3. The Mast.

4. The Cemetery.                              

5. The Statue of Mother Mary.

6. Wall paintings of Christ.

ACTIVITY 6

Fill in the blanks with proper words from the help box.

1. We have many ( historical) places in our country.

2. Kaberi was very (excited) When she saw the museum in Kolkata.

3. There are many ( huge) buildings in our town.

4. They were ( happy) when they returned to their home town.

5. Keep away from the (ferocious) animals

6. There was a (loud) noise in the classroom just before the teacher entered. (Help: huge, happy, loud, historical, excited, ferocious)

ACTIVITY 7

Suppose you went to a zoo with Your parents and saw many interesting things there. Write five sentences to describe your experience:

Hints: name of the zoo - time of visit - animals and birds seen - eating habits - your experience.

It was on 25th December last year. It was early in the morning. I went to the Alipore Zoo with my parents. There we saw many tigers, lions, elephants monkeys, giraffe, rhionos, hippos and crocodiles. We also saw many birds like - mayna, parrota, love birds, cuckoos, larks etc. Tigers and lions are fed on flesh. Monkeys feed on fruits, leaves, etc. Birds feed on grains and corns. It was an exciting and unforgettable experience for me.

🔸🔹🔸🔹🔸🔹🔸🔹🔸🔹🔸🔹🔸🔹🔸

On Killing a Tree – Summary in English by Gieve Patel

We have decided to create the most comprehensive English Summary that will help students with learning and understanding.

On Killing a Tree by Gieve Patel

About the Poet

Gieve Patel is a famous Indian poet and playwright. Patel belongs to a group of writers who have subscribed themselves to the ‘Green Movement’ which is involved in an effort to protect the environment. His poems speak of deep concerns for nature and expose man’s cruelty to it. Patel’s works include Poems which was launched by Nisim Ezekiel in 1966, How Do You Withstand, Body (1976) and Mirrored Mirroring (1991). He has also written three plays titled Princes, Savaska, and Mr Behram. He currently resides in Mumbai and practices medicine. He is also a painter. As one of the contemporary Indian artists, he has been part of exhibitions around the world.

Poet Name – Gieve Patel
Born – 1940 (age 80 years), Mumbai
Education – Grant Medical College
Profession – Poet, Playwright, Painter, Physician, Artist
Books – Mirrored, Mirroring, Mister Behram and Other Plays, Gieve Patel: Sculptures and Drawings
Nationality – Indian, British Raj

On Killing a Tree Introduction to the Chapter

The poem On Killing a Tree has been taken from Gieve Patel’s anthology named Poems. The poem is a graphic picture of man’s cruelty towards the tree, which symbolises Nature. The poet gives us step-by-step instructions on how to kill a tree and makes us realize that killing a tree is akin to murdering a human being. It also refers to the destructive nature of humans and the indestructibility of Nature.

On Killing a Tree Summary in English

On Killing a Tree paints a vivid and brutal picture of what is involved in killing a tree. The poet tells us that killing a tree is a difficult and time-consuming process. Simply stabbing it with a knife is not enough to kill it. A tree grows straight out the earth, getting its nourishment from the nutrients found in the earth, along with years of sunlight, water, and air. The leaves and branches of the tree sprout from its bark which looks diseased because it is irregular and scaly.

Hacking a tree with a knife or an axe or chopping off a bough may inflict pain on the tree but it is not enough to bring a tree down. The ‘bleeding bark’ – the wound in the bark from where the sap flows out or where a bough has been chopped off – will heal with time. New green twigs will grow again; boughs that were chopped off will be replaced by new boughs, which will grow to their former size.

The poet then goes on to give instructions how a tree could be killed. He says to kill a tree its root has to be pulled out of the earth. The term ‘anchoring earth’ implies that the trees are held secure with the help of the roots in the earth. So long as the roots are firmly held by the earth, the tree is safe and cannot be killed by a simple jab of a knife. To kill the tree, it is essential that the root, which is the source of a tree’s life, must be pulled out of its deep hole in the earth. By ‘earth-cave’ the poet suggests the space created in the earth by uprooting a tree. Once the centre, the life source – the root – is exposed, the tree becomes vulnerable. The source is described as white and wet, probably alluding to tree sap which is a white liquid.

If it is exposed to the sun and air, this life source will be scorched. Slowly, it will start to become brown, with all the softness fading out. With time, it will wither, become dry and bent out of shape, leaving a corpse where a tree used to be. In short, the exposure will leave the root vulnerable to all vagaries of weather, which will ultimately weaken the tree and kill it.

On Killing a Tree Theme

In On Killing a Tree, Gieve Patel gives us a a graphic picture of man’s killing of the tree. He says that hacking a tree with a knife or an axe will not harm it. The bleeding bark will heal and the tree will grow again to its former size. To be killed a tree must be uprooted completely. The poet hints at rampant deforestation and through the very visual representation of the murder of a tree wishes to communicate to the readers the dangers of deforestation. The poet considers the tree as a living organism which has the right to live like any other creatures on earth. But man is killing trees with utmost cruelty and callousness. The tree represents Nature and the poem also suggests that nature is indestructible. The tree could also be a symbol of mankind. Despite wars and other destructive activities, human kind will not easily come to end.

On Killing a Tree Tone

In On Killing a Tree, the poet, Gieve Patel adopts a sarcastic tone to make us aware of the vulnerability of human lives, and how proper care of environment can keep one safe from harm. Man is presented as a killer who thinks of all possible ways to get rid of the tree, which represents Nature. The poet, ironically, suggests how to completely kill a tree. For years, the tree, like a parasite, has consumed the earth’s crust and absorbed sunlight, air and water to grow up like a giant. So, the tree must be killed. But it is not an easy task. A simple jab of the knife will not do it. From close to the ground it will rise up again and grow to its former size. It will again become a threat to man. So, the tree should be tied with a rope and pulled out entirely. Its white, bleeding root should be exposed. Then it should be browned and hardened and twisted and withered and it is done.

On Killing a Tree Message

Gieve Patel gives a very important message in his poem On Killing a Tree. Trees feel pain, grief, suffering, sorrows and joys as sensitively as human beings do. So we should never hurt them. The poet reminds us that we have not inherited these green trees for our use; they are held by us in trust for our future generations. It is, therefore, our sacred duty to conserve trees as a legacy for future.

On Killing a Tree Title

In the poem On Killing a Tree Gieve Patel, from its beginning to the end, describes in detail the process and consequences of killing a tree. In the first two stanzas the poet talks about Nature’s resilience. He feels one cannot kill a tree with just a stab of a knife. The tree has grown slowly consuming the earth and absorbing years of sunlight, air and water. So the tree cannot be tree cannot be killed easily. The bleeding bark will quickly heal and the tree will produce curled green twigs, which will soon expand to their former size. In the following two stanzas he gives a detailed process of killing a tree. The root of the tree must be entirely pulled out of the earth into which it had been anchored and then left exposed to wither and die. Then only will the killing process be over. In this way the poet highlights man’s systematic destruction of the environment. Hence the title is appropriate and it drives the poet’s point home in a superb way.

On Killing a Tree Setting

The setting of the poem is the modem world. The world is facing rapid deforestation for urbanisation and industrialisation. This world where trees are being killed is the setting of the poem.

On Killing a Tree Literary Devices
Imagery

Imagery is a poetic device wherein the author uses words or phrases that appeal to any of the senses or any combination of senses to create “mental images” for the reader. Imagery helps the reader to visualize more realistically the author’s writings.

Examples: Slowly consuming the earth,/Rising out of it, feeding
Upon its crust, absorbing/Years of sunlight, air, water,
And out of its leperous hide/Spouting leaves ’ –

The imagery used here is strong and it depicts the growth of the tree by consuming nutrients from the earth and absorbing sunlight, air and water from nature.

The language through the poem is simple, remarkable and vivid. Every word in the poem has a remarkable evocative power and is accurate and suggestive. Expression such as “bleeding bark” “leprous hide” and “anchoring earth” present memorable visual images. The poem powerfully portrays man’s callousness in killing a tree. It is a telling commentary on one of the major environmental issues that encounters modem man.

Irony

The term irony refers to a discrepancy, or disagreement, of some sort. The discrepancy can be between what someone says and what he or she really means or verbal irony. The discrepancy can be between a situation that one would logically anticipate or that would seem appropriate and the situation that actually develops or situational irony.

The poet describes the cruelty of man in annihilating the tree with irony and detachment. He tells the man how hacking the tree with an axe will only injure it, and not kill it. To kill the tree, it must be uprooted and its roots exposed to the sun. Only then will the tree wither and die. But, the poet’s own sympathy is with the tree.

Personification

A figure of speech which endows animals, ideas, or inanimate objects with human traits or abilities. Personification is the poetic practice of attributing human qualities, a character or personality to inanimate or non¬human beings such that they appear to be living human beings.

In the poem the tree has been personified. The poet speaks of trees as human beings, when he says that one cannot kill a tree with a jab of a knife or by hacking it, like they would kill any human being, ‘bleeding bark’— this is an example of personification. The tree is portrayed as a human being throughout the poem, and thus, the part of the bark where it is wounded is represented as bleeding.

Rhyme Scheme

There is no particular rhyme scheme followed in this poem. The poem is divided into 4 stanzas. Each stanza comprises varying lines. The poem is then written in free verse.

On Killing a Tree Summary Questions and Answers

Question 1.
How does a tree become strong?
Answer:
A tree feeds on the earth’s crust, consuming nutrients from the earth. The tree also absorbs years of sunlight, air and water. This makes it strong.

Question 2.
“So hack and chop/ But this alone won’t do it.” What won’t this do? Why won’t it do it?
Answer:
Hacking and chopping is not enough to kill a tree. The tree endures the pain but continues to live on as it heals over time. The bark which has been chopped will heal itself. Green twigs and small branches will soon emerge from the bleeding bark and in time the tree will regrow to its original size.

Question 3.
What is the meaning of “bleeding bark”? What makes it bleed?
Answer:
Bleeding bark suggests the wound on the tree that is caused by hacking or chopping the tree. When the branches of a tree are chopped off, the tree bleeds as the sap can be seen to flow. It expresses the pain of a tree.

Question 4.
What are miniature boughs? What happens if they are left unchecked?
Answer:
Miniature boughs are new branches which sprout where the tree was hacked or chopped. If they are left unchecked, they expand and become a huge tree. The chopped tree grows back to its former size.

Question 5.
How does the tree heal itself?
Answer:
The tree is equipped with a power to heal itself. When a tree is hacked or chopped, leaves sprout from the wopnded bark. From close to the ground curled green twigs rise. Miniature boughs expand again to their former size. The tree, in time, grows back to its former size.

Question 6.
How does the poet describe the growth of the tree in the first stanza of the poem?
Answer:
The poet says that the tree grows slowly getting its nutrients from the earth. Then it absorbs sunlight, water and air for many years. The bark of the tree looks ugly because it is rough and has crooked lines on it. It is very ironical that soft and green leaves come out of the leprous hide. Gradually, it grows into a big tree.

Question 7.
Why does it take so much time to kill a tree?
Answer:
It is not easy to kill a tree simply by hacking or chopping it. The tree has deep roots which give birth to tiny twigs and branches which help the tree attain its old stature. For a tree to be killed, the root has to be uprooted, and it has to be scorched and choked in sun and air. This process takes much time and it requires a lot of effort.

Question 8.
How does the tree grow to its full size? List the words suggestive of its life and activity.
Answer:
The tree grows to its full size by consuming nutrients from the earth, feeding upon its crust absorbing years of light, air and water. Consuming, rising, feeding and absorbing are the words suggestive of its life and activity.

Question 9.
The poet uses several images of death and violence in the poem. Can you list them?
Answer:
The images of death are “hack, chop, scorching, choking, browning, hardening, twisting and withering”. The words that show violence are “roped, tied, pulled out and snapped out entirely from the earth’s crust”.

Question 10.
Why does the poet use the word ‘kill’ rather than ‘cut’?
Answer:
The poet makes a distinction between cutting a tree and killing it. Cutting a tree, or hacking and chopping, does not destroy the tree completely, and the tree regrows by sending out new shoots and miniature boughs. The poet then gives step-by-step instructions on the total annihilation of a tree. Once the roots of the tree are pulled out, and are exposed to sun and air, the killing of the tree is complete. The tree will have no second life.

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Leela’s Friend – Data Bank for MCQ and SAQ

Writer: R K Narayan (1906-2001).

Source: Lawley Road (Originally), but Malgudi Days (Later).

Setting: Probably in the town of Malgudi .

Main Characters: Leela, Sidda, Mr Sivasanker and Mrs Sivasanker.

Leela: Only child (five-year-old daughter) of Mr and Mrs Sivasanker.

Sidda: A servant in Mr Sanker’s household.

Mr Sivasanker: A rich man.

Mrs Sivasanker: An ordinary housewife.

Sidda worked before: in a doctor’s house.

Sidda was given by Mr Sanker: Two meals a day and four rupees a month.

Sidda had to: Wash clothes, tend the garden, run errands, chop wood and look after Leela.

Sidda and Leela played: With a red ball.

Leela held a class: For Sidda at dusk.

Leela’s box contained: Catalogues, illustrated books and stumps of pencils.

At bed time Sidda used to tell Leela: Incomparable stories of animals in the jungle, of gods in heaven, of magicians who could conjure up golden castles and fill them with little princesses and their pets.

Sidda slept: Outside the house.

Leela accompanied: Sidda when he went out to buy sugar one evening.

Leela’s mother noticed: That a gold chain Leela had been wearing was missing when she came home with Sidda.

Sidda was accused of: Stealing the gold chain.

A complaint was lodged: By Mr Sivasanker to the police.

Sidda was arrested: Four days later.

Ultimately the chain was found inside: A tamarind pot by Mrs Sivasanker.

Textual Grammar Class XI WBCHSE | Leela's Friend - English Studies 2020

Textual Grammar Class XI WBCHSE | Leela’s Friend Textual Grammar :

A. Change the Voice:

1. Don’t send him away.
Ans: Let him not be sent away.

2. Sidda was given two meals a day and four rupees a month.
They gave Sidda two meals a day and four rupees a month.

3. His company made her supremely happy
Ans: She was made supremely happy by his company.

4. Now throw the ball into the sky.
Ans: Now let the ball be thrown into the sky.

5. Now this has touched the moon.
Ans: Now the moon has been touched by this.

6. Leela keenly examined the ball for traces of the moon.
Ans: The ball was keenly examined by Leela for traces of the moon.

7. He covered the ball tightly with his fingers.
Ans: The ball was covered tightly by him with his fingers.

8. He allowed her to peep through a little gap.
Ans: She was allowed by her to peep through a little gap.

9. Can we touch the sky ?
Ans: Can the sky be touched by us ?

10. I will show you something nice.
Ans: You will be shown something nice by me.

11. He took her to the backyard.
Ans: She was taken by him to the backyard.

12. I have asked it to follow us about.
Ans: It has been asked by me to follow us about.

13. She knew two of three letters of the alphabet.
Ans: Two or three letters of the alphabet were known to her.

14. She could draw a kind of cat or crow.
Ans : A kind of cat or crow could be drawn by her.

15. You are always abusing and worrying Sidda.
Ans : Sidda is always being abused and worried by you.

16. The thought of Sidda made her panicky.
Ans: She was made panicky by the thought of Sidda.

17. Leela made a noise of deprecation.
Ans A noise of deprecation was made by Leela.

18. They will pick him up very soon.
Ans: He will be picked up by them very soon.

19. A police inspector and a constable brought in Sidda.
Ans: Sidda was brought in by a police inspector and a constable.

20. Leave him alone.
Ans: Let him be left alone.

21. He hasn’t taken the chain.
Ans: The chain hasn’t been taken by him.

22. Mr. Sivasanker carried Leela back into the house.
Ans Leela was carried back into the house by Mr. Sivasanker.

23. She washed off coating of tamarind on it.
Ans: The coating of tamarind on it was washed off by her.

24. Did you put it in ?
Ans: Was it put in by you ?

25. She must have dropped it into the pot sometime.
Ans: It must have been dropped into the pot sometime by her.

26. We couldn’t have kept a criminal like him in the house.
Ans: A criminal like him couldn’t have been kept in the house by us.

B. Change the Mode of Narration:

1. “Sir, do you want a servant ?” Sida asked.
Ans: Addressing Mr. Sivasanker as Sir, Sidda asked him if he wanted a servant.

2. “Where were you before ? he asked.
Ans: He asked where he (Sidda) had been before.

3. “They left the town, master,” Sidda said.
Ans: Addressing Mr. Sivasanker as ‘master’ Sidda said that they had left the town.

4. And then she said, “Now throw the ball into the sky.”
Ans: And then she said (to Sidda) to throw the ball into the sky then.

5. “Have you done it ?” asked Leela.
Ans: Leela asked if he (Sidda) had done it.

6. She said, examining his effort, “Is this how I have drawn the cow?
Ans: Examining his effort, she asked (Sidda) if that was how she had drawn the cow.

7. “Tell me a story, Mother,” Leela said.
Ans: Leela entreated her mother to tell her a story.

8. “Can’t you tell the story of the elephant ?” Leela asked.
Ans: Leela asked (her mother) if she could not tell her the story of the elephant.

9. Leela said, “Sidda is gone because he wouldn’t be allowed to sleep inside the house just as we do.”
Ans: Leela said that Sidda was gone because he would not be allowed to sleep inside the house just as they did.

10. “Don’t go near him”, the inspector said, stopping her.
Ans: Stopping her, the inspector told not to go near him.

11. “Why did you run away without telling us ?” asked Leela’s mother.
Ans: Leela’s mother asked why he had run away without telling them.

12. The inspector said to the constable, “Take him to the station.”
Ans: The inspector told the constable to take him to the station.

13. Leela ran behind them crying, “Don’t take him. Leave him here, leave him here.”
Ans: Running behind them crying Leela requested not to take him. She repeatedly told them to leave him there.

14. Mr. Sivasanker’s wife asked, “Any news of the jewel ?”
Ans: Mr. Sivasanker ‘s wife asked if there was any news of the jewel.

15. “What a rough fellow he must be !” said his wife with a shiver.
Ans: His wife exclaimed with a shiver that he must be a very rough fellow.

16. “How did it get into the tamarind pot ?” Mother asked.
Ans: Mother asked (Leela) how it had got into the tamarind pot.

17. “Did you put it in ?” asked Mother
Ans: Mother asked (Leela) if she had put it in.

18.Why should not Sidda sit in our chair, Mother ?” Leela asked.
Ans: Leela asked her mother why Sidda should not sit in their chair.

19. “Why didn’t you say so before ?” Leela’s mother said to Leela.
Ans: Leela’s mother asked Leela why she had not said so before.

20. Mr. Sivasanker said, “Didn’t I tell you that I saw her carrying it in her hand once or twice ?”
Ans. Mr. Sivasanker asked if he had not told her that he had seen her carrying it in her hand Once or twice.

C. Split into Simple Sentences:

1.Sidda was hanging about the gate at a moment when Mr. Sivasanker was standing in the front veranda of his house, brooding over the servant problem.
Ans: (a) Sidda was hanging about the gete. (b) Mr. Sivasanker was standing in the front veranda ot his house at that moment. (c) He was brooding over the servant problem.

2. Leela, their five-year-old daughter, come out, looked at Sidda and gave a cry or Joy.
Ans: (a) Leela was their five-year-old daughter. (b) She came out. (c) She looked at Sidda. (d) She gave a cry of joy.

3. Sidda clutched the ball, closed his eyes for a second and threw the ball up.
Ans: (a) Sidda clutched the ball. (b) He closed his eyes for a second. (c) He threw the ball up.

4. He covered the ball tightly with his fingers and allowed her to peep through a little gap.
Ans: (a) He covered the ball tightly with his fingers. (b) Affer that he allowed her to peep through a little gap.

5. She had a box filled with catalogues, illustrated books and stumps of pencils.
Ans: (a) She had a box. (b) It was filled with catalogues, illustrated books and stumps of pencils.

6. But that good fellow, through an adept at controlling the moon, was utterly incapable of plying the penal.
Ans: (a) That good fellow was an adept at controlling the moon. (b) But he was utterly incapable of plying the pencil.

7. Leela would drop the pencil and run out of the room, and the school hour would end.
Ans: (a) Leela would drop the pencil. (b) She would run out of the room. (c) The school hour would end in that way.

8. She had to go back into the kitchen for a moment because she had left something in the oven.
Ans. (a) She had left something in the oven. (b) So, she nad to go back into the kitchen for a moment.


9. She shuddered to think what a villain she had been harbouring all these days.Ans: (a) She had been harbouring a villain al these days. (b) That thought made her shudder.

10. A days later, putting her hand into the tamarind pot in the kitchen, Leela’s mother picked up the chain.Ans: a) A few days later Leela’s mother put her hand into the tamarind pot. b) The tamarind pot was in the kitchen. c) She picked up the chain from that.

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Meeting at Night – Important Short Questions

Meeting at Night – Important Short Questions (SAQ) for Class XI Students, WBCHSE, West Bengal.

Meeting at Night – Important Short Questions:


Short Answer Type Questions (SAQ)

1. Why is the poet’s persona out on a journey at night?

Ans: The poet persona is out on a journey at night because he wants to meet his beloved secretly.

2. How does Browning describe the moon in the poem?

Ans: In the poem Browning describes the yellow half moon as large and low.

3. What is the colour of the sea?

Ans:  The colour of the sea is grey.

4. How long is the sea-scented beach?

Ans: The sea-scented beach is one mile long.

5. Why does the lover tap at the pane?

Ans: The lover taps at the pane to announce his arrival to his beloved.

6. Where does the boat slow down?

Ans: The boat slows down as it reaches the cove and touches the slushy sand.

7. What does the poem “Meeting at Night” record?

Ans: The poem “Meeting at Night” records the lover’s journey and his secret meeting with his beloved.


8. What does the word ‘prow’ mean?

Ans: The word ‘prow’ means the pointed face of a boat or ship.

9. What does the ‘fiery ringlets’ stand for?

Ans: The ‘fiery ringlets’ stand for the secret passion and anticipation of the lover before meeting his beloved.

10. In the poem what does the word ‘cove’ mean?

Ans: Here the word ‘cove’ means bay.

11. Where do the lovers meet?

Ans: The lovers meet secretly at a farmhouse quite at a distance from the sea.

12. Why does the waves startle?

Ans: The waves startle because of the approaching boat which, according to the poet, wakes them up from their sleep.

13. How is the land described in the poem?

Ans: In the poem the land is black which indicates that the time of the journey was night.

14. What did the beloved do to announce her presence?

Ans: The beloved scratches a matchstick which gives out a blue spurt of light to announce her presence.

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Leela's Friend -broad / long / descriptive important questions and answers for Class - 11th

Leela's Friend broad / long / descriptive important questions and answers for Class - 11th ( WBCHSE and other board )

Leela’s Friend – Important Questions and Answers. Descriptive or Broad Questions for XI Students of West Bengal, WBCHSE.


Q.Why Sidda’s company made Leela ‘supremely happy’ ?

                                 OR

Why was Leela so fond of Sidda’s company ?


Ans:-In Leela's Friend Leela, five years old daughter of Mr. and Mrs.Sivasanker makes friendship with their newly appointed servant, Sidda.Sidda’s stay at Sivasanker’s house turned out to be much enjoyable and invigorating to little Leela.In him Leela found a reliable companion who would be willing to carry out her orders and demands beyond his routine jobs, thereby, Sidda’s company made her supremely happy. On the other hand, Sidda was an imaginative storyteller who could easily touch the imaginative mind of Leela. Sidda showed Leela the tricks regarding the ball and the moon. He motivated her to believe that it touched the moon before coming down and a little bit of the moon stuck to it. Even in the bed time, Sidda had to be ready with a story. He sat down on the floor near the bed and told incomparable stories: of animals in the jungle, of gods in heaven, of magicians who could conjure up golden castles and fill them with little princesses and their pets. In this way Sidda come closer of Leela who perhaps had never received such company and close friendship from her parents.These are the things that made Leela supremely happy.

Q. What were Sidda's duties at Mr. Sivasanker's house? What was he given in return of his work ?

                                  OR

What duties did Sidda perform at Sivasanker’s house? What was given to Sidda in exchange of his duties? Was he merely a servant ?


Ans:-In the short story Leela’s Friend by R.K Narayan, Sidda worked as a servant at Mr. Sivasanker’s house. His duty was to wash clothes, tend the garden, run errands, chop the wood and look after Leela.
                  In exchange of his work, Sidda was given two meals a day and four rupees a month. He had to sleep outside the house as he was the servant of the house.
                   There is no denying of the fact that Sidda joined the house as a servant but gradually he became Leela’s favourite friend. Though he was ill treated by Leela’s parents, but Leela always wanted to be in his company.


Q.Describe Leela as a teacher of Sidda.                                        OR
How Leela attempts to ‘educate’ Sidda ?


Ans:-The small girl Leela had an opportunity to overrule Sidda when she was a teacher. At dusk, she held a class for him. She had a box filled with catalogues, illustrated books and stumps of pencils. It gave her great joy to Sidda. She made him squat on the floor with a pencil between his fingers and a catalogue in front of him. She had another pencil and a catalogue and commanded, ‘Now write.’ And he had to try and copy whatever she wrote in the pages of her catalogue. She knew two or three letters of the alphabet and could draw a kind of cat and crow. But none of these could Sidda even remotely copy said, ‘Is this how I have drawn the crow? Is this how I have drawn the B?’ She pitied him and redoubled her efforts to teach him. But that good fellow, though an adept at controlling the moon, was utterly incapable of plying the pencil. Consequently, it looked as though Leela would keep him there pinned to his seat till his stiff, inflexible wrist cracked. To get relief from this pain Sidda would say that her mother was calling her for dinner.’ Leela would drop the pencil and run out of the room, and the school hour would end.

Q. Why did Sidda tell Leela that he knows the moon ?

Answer: In Leela's Friend we see that Sidda’s company made Leela supremely happy. She flung a red ball at him and he flung it back. And then she asked him to throw the ball into the sky. He clutched the ball, closed his eyes for a second and threw the ball up. When the ball came down again, he said that the ball touched the moon and came back. Then he asked to see a little bit of the moon sticking. She keenly examined the ball for traces of the moon and said that she did not see the mark. He told her that he knew the moon because he wanted to make her happy. And Leela also blindly believed that.

Q.Describe Leela’s character.

Answer: Leela is the only child of Mr. and Mrs. Sivasankar. She is five years old cute and sweet girl. She likes to listening stories at bed time. Leela is a very good girl. She is interested to play and listening stories. Leela approved Sidda's appointment and told her parents that he was ok. This shows the intelligence and confidence of Leela. She always liked to play with her servant Sidda. Her parents loved Leela very much.  But Leela believes Sidda more than her parents and spent more time with Sidda. One day Sidda tells Leela that he knows the  moon but she believed the words of Sidda blindly. The innocent girl believes every word of Sidda. Immediately he expressed her desire to touch the moon. This shows the interest and excitement to learn about new things . One day she lost her gold chain her mother doubted Sidda as a thief. Leela asked her mother why Sidda was not  allowed to sleep inside the house because she does have respect for a servant. She blames her mother for Sidda's disappearance . She has not get maturity of mind to know about the people and the society but she had the ability of judging man. Basing on these we understand that Leela is innocent and good girl . Only she had the belief that Sidda was not a thief which was seen at the end the story.

Q.How did Leela try to teach Sidda ?

Ans:- Leela was a little girl who got the oppertunity of teaching Sidda, the servant of their family. Leela used to make Sidda squat on the floor with a pencil between his fingers and a catalogue in front of him. She then used to command him to write and Siidda had to try to copy whatever Leela wrote in the pages. When Sidda would fail to copy Leela’s writings and drawings, Leela would rebuke Sidda and redouble her efforts to teach him. But Sidda, though he had an excellent rapport with the Moon, was incapable of studying and Leela used to keep him there, pinned to his seat, till his still, inflexible wrist cracked. Sidda then used to say that he thought Leela’s mother was calling her to dinner and that would end the school hour. Thus she tried her best to teach Sidda.

Q.Describe the character of Sidda.

Ans:- In Leela's Friend Sidda has been described as a very responsible servant of the Sivasanker family and a reliable and constant companion of Leela. He performed all his duties faithfully and took good care of Leela. He had a great imaginative faculty and from his imagination sprung stories that enthralled Leela. He had great power of convincing little Leela and he made her believe that he had the power to control the moon. He had no interest in studies and never learnt anything that Leela tried to teach him. He also had no idea how to prove his innocence when he was accused of stealing the chain. He remained speechless throughout and fell victim because he belonged to the lower class whose voice is never heard. He was misunderstood but was not allowed to work again in their family.

Q.What message is conveyed by Mr. Sivasanker’s final words in the story: ” In any case, we couldn’t have kept a criminal like him in the house” ?

Ans:- The above quoted line is the last words of Mr Sivasanker which exposes the class division of the society and the utter indifference of the higher class towards the feelings and sufferings of the poor people. Though it was proved that Sidda did not steal Leela’s gold chain, Mr Sivasanker did not repent Sidda’s police custody and whatever information the inspector provided him about Sidda’s past became the basis of the understanding of Mr. sivasanker. He was eloquent in saying that a criminal like Sidda could not be kept in the house. The poor, thus, are not given a chance to live properly and honourably by the rich who always tend to pronounce judgement on them. Truly this pathetic system of class division should be abolished from society.

Q.How did a sweet relationship of love and trust grow between Sidda and Leela? Why was there a breach in the relationship ?

Ans:-An extremely sweet relationship grew up between Leela and Sidda. Sidda loved Leela and took very good care of her. In the absence of proper love and care from her parents Leela became entirely dependent on Sidda for almost all her needs ranging from roaming, playing, eating and going to sleep.There was actually no breach of trust between Leela and Sidda. They continued to love and trust each other but their relationship ended as Leela’s parents wrongly framed Sidda on charges of stealing and refused to give him entry in the house for a second time even though his innocence was proved.

Q.What did Leela’s parents think of Sidda after his escape from the house ? How did Leela make her mother responsible for the disappearance of Sidda ?

Ans:-Leela’s parents thought that Sidda had stolen the chain which Leela wore when Sidda escaped from the house that night. They felt that Sidda stole the chain and thinking about police he runs away.
             Leela knew that Sidda had not taken the chain. When her mother scolded Sidda and threatened police action against him and Sidda ran away as a consequence, Leela made her mother responsible for this. She told her mother that she was unnecessarily rude towards Sidda and that Sidda was angry because he was not allowed to dine with them and was made to sleep outside. Leela made her mother responsible for creating a division between them and Sidda. Thus Sidda was misjudged and was not allowed to work again.

Q.”Leela’s Friend” is actually the tragedy of Sidda. Discuss.

Ans:- The story is the story of friendship between Leela and Sidda. But at the end of the story “Leela’s Friend” we feel that it is really tragic.  Sidda has been described as a constant companion on whom the little Leela depended for all her needs. In the course of the story Sidda makes no mistake and does not steal the gold chain. He makes an error of judgement by running away from the household and is thus branded a thief by Mr and Mrs Sivasanker. This brings about his downfall and he again becomes a “nobody” with no one to love and nowhere to find shelter. He, in this way, becomes a real tragic character , though not a super hero like Macbeth or Hamlet. He was the victim of the system of society.

Q.How did Sidda’s company make Leela supremely happy ?

Ans:- In the story Leela's Friend Leela's family servant Sidda was always ready at the beck and call of Leela and used to give her company whenever Leela desired it. Sidda used to play with Leela, tell her about the moon which had an excellent rapport with him, take her wherever he went, acted as her student so that she could play as a teacher, make her eat her food and sing her to sleep. In this way he kept Leela with him throughout the day and took care of her as her friend, guide and guardian Whatever need an imaginative little girl had, Sidda used to fulfil that with his expertise in dealing with children. For all these reasons, Sidda’s company made Leela supremely happy.




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Leela’s Friend – Important Questions and Answers. Descriptive or Broad Questions for XI Students of West Bengal, WBCHSE.

Leela’s Friend – Important Questions and Answers. Descriptive or Broad Questions for class XI Students of West Bengal, WBCHSE.



1. Who was Sidda? How was he treated in the house of Sivasankers?

Ans: In the story “Leela’s Friend” by R.K. Narayan, Sidda was the servant in Mr. Sivasanker’s house.

In spite of being responsible, good-natured and a man of immaculate character, Sidda was badly treated by Mr. and Mrs. Sivasanker. Mrs. Sivasanker abused him without any reliable reason. Ahough he was innocent and good, he had to tolerate insult. Though he did not steal the chain, the inspector called him a devil. Mrs. Sivasanker also called him a thief. He was sacked from his job without any valid reason. In this way Sidda got injustice. The rich may do injustice to him, the law may treat him unjustly, but he would live for ever being an embodiment of humanity in the minds of the grief-stricken readers.





2. “Day by day she clung closer to Sidda” -How did Leela cling closer to Sidda day by day?

Ans: Leela’s attachment for Sidda increased day by day because she got everything she desired from Sidda. Leela liked to play the teacher to Sidda and Sidda agreed to be her obedient student. She insisted on his learning a few letters and Sidda underwent the drudgery of learning. When he felt such pressure unbearable, he diverted her attention. He would say to her that her mother was  calling her. Leela failed to understand his trick. She was, however, very happy to be with Sidda. Even she was lulled to sleep by the fantastic and surprising stories of Sidda. Thus, she clung closer to Sidda day by day. She accompanied him whern he was chopping wood or tending the garden. She was also with him when he was sent on errands. She was so happy with him that she always wanted his company for all her waking hours.

Keep visiting https://englishstudies2020.blogspot.com for more educational updates. We regularly give educational information, study materials for Madhyamik and HS students of West Bengal.

Give your suggestions and comments in the comment box below.