THE THIRD LEVEL- Notes

 

THE THIRD LEVEL

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

1. What does the third level refer to? What is the significance of the third level? (2001; 2004, Delhi)

Answer: The third level refers to the subway of the Grand Central Station that takes passengers to Galesburg, Illinois. The third level on the station was a medium of escape for Charley, the narrator, from the harsh realities of modern life. It provided him a base where he could interweave fantasy and reality.

2. How did Charley make sure that he was not in the present time? (2002 Delhi)

Answer: When Charley reached Third Level of the Grand Central Station, he found everything delved deep in the old style. In order to confirm, he went to the shop at a newspaper seller. He glanced at the stack of the papers and saw a newspaper named 'The World' of June 11, 1894. This confirmed that he was in the year 1894.

3. How did Charley often get lost on the Grand Central Station? (2010 Delhi)

Answer: The Grand Central Station was growing like a tree pushing out endless corridors, doorways and stairs like roots. It had intricate and tangled pathways. The network of passages was so complicated that instead of reaching his destination, one did tend to move up and down to look for entries and exits. So, Charley often got lost on this station.

4. Why did Charley suspect that Sam had gone to Galesburg? (2011 Outside Delhi)

Answer: Charley suspected that Sam had gone to Galesburg because one night he found a first day cover from Sam informing him that he had found the third level. Through the third level he had reached Galesburg, Illinois in 1894. He further told him the life at Galesburg was quite idyllic. He invited him and Louisa, his wife to join him in Galesburg, Illinois.

5. What did Charley learn about Sam from the stamp and coin store? (2012 Outside Delhi)

Answer: From the stamp and coin store, Charley came to know that Sam had bought old style currency worth eight hundred dollars. This money was sufficient to set him up in a little hay, feed and grain business in Galesburg.

6. How did Charley reach the third level of Grand Central? How was it different from the other levels? (2009 Delhi; 2012, Comptt. Delhi) (2010 Comptt. Delhi)

Answer: One night Charley worked till late at the office. Then he was in a hurry to get back to his apartment. So he decided to take the subway from Grand Central. He went down the steps and came to the first level. Then he walked down to the second level from where the suburban trains left. He ducked into an arched doorway that headed to the subway. Then he got lost. Knowing that he was going wrong he continued to walk downward. The tunnel turned a sharp left and then taking a short flight of stairs he came out on the third level at the Grand Central Station. The general layout of the third level was different from that of the second level. It had comparatively smaller rooms, fewer ticket windows and lesser train gates. The information booth in the centre was made of wood and looked old. The place with its brass spittoons did not look very bright. Dim gaslights flickered and men wore derby hats and four-button suits. It was a rather strange world of sideburns, beards and fancy moustaches. Then he caught a glimpse of an old locomotive and also saw an 1894 issue of ‘The World’ newspaper.

7. Do you think that the third level was a medium of escape for Charley? Why? (2005; 2008 Delhi)

Answer: The fears, anxieties and insecurities of the modem world are taking a toll on man’s mind. He feels helpless and frustrated and seeks temporary respite from life’s harsh realities. Charley too was unable to cope up with his fast paced and stressful life so his flight to the third level was undoubtedly a medium of escape for him. It is nothing but a creation of Charley’s own mind. He wants to escape from the modern world’s insecurity, fear, worries and stress and so seeks an exit, a medium to get away into the world of dreams and fancies.

8. What is being inferred from Sam’s letter to Charley? (2003 Delhi)

Answer: The way Charley came across Sam’s letter was surrounded in mystery. Among his oldest first-day covers, he found an envelope. The envelope containing the letter bore the address of his grandfather. It was written on July 18, 1894. The postmark showed the Picture of President Garfield. Generally the first day covers have blank papers in them, but this one contained a letter. The letter was addressed to Charley. The introductory part of the letter confirms Charley’s belief in the existence of the third level. It also suggests that those who find the third level can travel across to Galesburg and enjoy the festivities, songs, music and peaceful world of the 1890s. So the author uses Sam’s letter as a unique combination of the real and fantasy world.  Clearly, the letter was a product of Charley’s imagination.

Competency-based Long Answer Questions:

1. The story reveals refuge from reality to illusion. Jack Finney portrays Charley’s transition from reality to imaginary world through the story.

As Charley you decided to write a letter to Sam for advice as you have fantasies about the third level at Grand Central station. You may begin this way:

Dear friend Sam,

I worked late night at the office and was in hurry to reach my apartment to be with my wife Louisa.....

Ans. Dear friend Sam,

I worked late night at the office and was in hurry to reach my apartment to be with my wife Louisa. I thought of taking the subway since it seemed faster than bus. Grand Central Station was mysterious and mushrooming with subways, staircases and corridors that led to many ways and places. Moving through the tunnel I recounted my past experience that appeared safe and quite normal. I had been to the Grand Central Station hundreds of times. However, at times, I was almost lost in new doorways and corridors. Once, I entered a tunnel and came out in the lobby of a hotel. Another lime, I reached in an office building. I thought it was the second level. But I had reached the third level. I realised this as there were fewer ticket windows; the information booth was of wood and old-looking. The lights were flickering as they were open-flame gaslights. There were brass spittoons on the floor. The locomotive had a funnel-shaped stack.

Modern world is full of insecurity, fear, war, worry and tension. I want to escape from the harsh realities of modem world. I hope you would also agree with the escape theory. Please suggest some remedies.

Charley

My Mother at Sixty Six- Notes

 

My Mother at Sixty Six

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

STYLE OF THE POEM - The poem is confessional and a first-person monologue. It is in the form of a narrative of fourteen lines written as a single sentence punctuated by commas. This is called enjambment. This highlights the stream-of-consciousness effect where one thought leads to another.

1. What do the poet’s parting words to her mother signify? (All India 2009)
Answer: The poet’s parting words of assurance and her smile provide a stark contrast to the old familiar fear of childhood. Her words and smiles are a deliberate attempt to hide her real feelings. She is trying to hide her fear about her mother’s frail and deteriorating health which might separate her from her mother.

2. Why are the young trees described as ‘sprinting’? (Delhi 2010)
Answer: The young trees are ‘sprinting’ that is rushing past the poet as she is travelling in a very fast-moving car. While travelling in a speeding vehicle, the objects outside appear to be rushing past us in the opposite direction. These sprinting trees are in stark contrast to the passive old lady sitting inside the car.

3. How did Kamala Das put away the thought of her mother’s old age? (Comptt. Delhi 2010)
Answer: The poet started looking out of the window because she wanted to drive away the pain and agony she was experiencing by looking at her aged mother. She looked outside at the world which was full of life and activity. She saw young trees running past her and merry children sprinting out of their homes to play.

4. Why did Kamala Das add the image of merry children to her poem? (Comptt. Delhi 2010)
Answer: The merry children symbolise the spring of life, its energy, vigor and happiness. Their image presents a sharp contrast to the poet’s limp and ageing mother. This image is also imperative for the understanding of the process of old age which is associated with decay. The spontaneous outpouring of life symbolised by these children is in contrast to the poet’s mother’s passive and inactive life.

5. What were Kamala Das’ fears as a child? Why do they surface when she is going to the airport? (All India 2011)
Answer: Since her childhood perhaps Kamala Das always feared that she would lose her mother or in some way be separated from her. Now that her mother is old and her health has deteriorated, the poet’s fear surfaces again when she is going to the airport.

6. Why has the mother been compared to the ‘late winter’s moon’? (Comptt. Delhi 2011)
Answer: The mother looked pale and ashen faced like a corpse. During late winter, the moon is under the threat of being hidden by cloud, fog and mist. Moreover, it loses its brightness and looks rather pale and colourless like an ill and haggard old person who has become worn-out and tired due to the ravages of time.

7. What were the poet’s feelings at the airport? How did she hide them? (All India 2012)
Answer: At the airport the poet, Kamala Das, feels fearful of leaving her pale, ageing mother alone and unattended. She has an ache and fear inside her heart and is not sure if she will be able to see her mother again. She hides her feelings of anxiety by giving a long and cheerful smile to her mother.

COMPETENCY BASED LONG ANSWER QUESTION

1. The poet brings out the irony of human relationships in the poem 'My mother at sixty-six'. Give a pen-picture.

Ans. The poem 'My Mother at Sixty-Six' portrays that death is inevitable. The poet in the poem is deeply melancholic about her mother and experiences the pain of losing her mother. She is under the dread that she may not be able to meet her mother the next time she comes. She constantly gazes at her mother but tries to conceal the pain by smiling. She tries to be optimistic.

Irony of human relationships lies in the fact that intimate relationships can at times become a burden, but we still have the need to carry such relationships.

THE LAST LESSON (NOTES)

THE LAST LESSON

 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

1. What tempted Franz to stay away from school? (Delhi 2014)

Answer. Franz feared a scolding at school as he had not prepared the lesson on participles, on which his French teacher M Hamel was to question the class that day. Besides the warm and bright weather, the chirping of birds and the watching of the drill of Prussian soldiers also tempted Franz to stay away from school.

2. Why is the order from Berlin called a thunderclap by Franz? (Compartment 2014) OR “What a thunderclap these words were to me!” What were the words that shocked and surprised the narrator? : (Delhi 2013)

Answer. M Hamel told his students that it was their last French lesson, as an order had come from Berlin that henceforth only German was to be taught in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine. This announcement seemed to be a thunderclap to Franz. He was left in surprise and shock to learn that a new master was going to arrive the next day and they would learn German instead of their mother tongue.

3. What changes came over little Franz after he heard M.Hamel’s announcement? (AI 2010)

Answer: When M.Hamel announced that this was to be their last French class a grim realisation dawned on Franz that he could hardly write his language and now he was being deprived of the opportunity to learn it. He felt very guilty about neglecting his classes and escaping school. The thought of losing his teacher, M. Hamel, also pained him.

4. Who did M.Hamel blame for the neglect of learning on the part of boys like Franz? (D 2011)

Answer: Mr. Hamel blamed various people for different reasons for the neglect of learning on the part of boys like Franz. First, he blamed the parents for not being anxious to have their children learn and rather engaging them in household work. He blamed the boys themselves for preferring to work on mills and farms. He also blamed himself for sending boys on errands for his convenience.

5. What shows M Hamel’s love for the French language? (Foreign 2014)

OR

What did M Hamel tell them about the French language? What did he ask them to do and why? (Delhi 2013)

Answer. In his last lesson, M Hamel told the students that the French language was the most beautiful language in the world—the clearest and the most logical. He asked them to guard it amongst themselves and never forget it because when a people were enslaved, as long as they held fast to their language, it was as if they had the key to their prison.

6. What made M Hamel cry towards the end of his last lesson? (Compartment 2014)

Answer. M Hamel had taught French at the school for the last forty years. He was emotionally attached to the school and everything in and about it. He was really heartbroken to leave it all. Besides, his own predicament reminded him that his country would soon lose its independence. All this made him cry towards the end of his last lesson.

7. How did M Hamel say farewell to his students and the people of the town? (AI 2012)

Answer. At the end of his ‘Last Lesson’, M Hamel stood up to say farewell to his students and the people of the town. He tried to speak, but overwhelming emotion choked his voice. He then wrote as large as he could on the blackboard ‘Vive La France’; then he dismissed the class with a gesture with his hand.

8. Franz thinks, “Will they make them sing in German, even the pigeons?” What does this tell us about the attitude of the Frenchmen? (All India 2011)

Answer: This shows that the Frenchmen were full of hatred and desperation against the Germans. Besides, they feared German atrocities. They thought that they would be forced to read German and no one will be spared.

Long Answer Type Question (5 Marks, 120-150 words)

Q.9. what changes did the narrator find in the school when the order from Berlin came? (AI 2008)

Answer. The order from Berlin prohibited the teaching of French in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine. Instead, German was to be taught in the schools. Franz was late for school that day. He noticed that the hustle and bustle were missing. There was no opening and closing of desks, no repetition of lessons and rapping of the teacher’s ruler on the table could be heard. It was all very quiet and still.

Franz was further surprised because, instead of meeting an angry teacher, he was welcomed by a kind and polite teacher, who was dressed in his best clothes, a beautiful green coat, frilled shirt and an embroidered silk cap, which he wore only on inspection and prize days. The back benches were occupied by the village people who never came to school, as they were more concerned about their livelihood. He was further astounded to know that, M Hamel was going to teach his last lesson that day.

Q10. Franz's attitude towards school as well as towards M Hamel changes when he comes to know about the order from Berlin. Do you agree? Discuss with reference to the last lesson.

Ans. Yes, I do agree that Franz's attitude towards school as well as towards M Hamel changed.

At the beginning of the story, Franz was reluctant to go to school. He had not done his homework. He was afraid of scolding. M. Hamel was a strict teacher. Moreover, the warm and bright day was more tempting. When he reached school he learnt that only the German language would be taught in his school. When he heard this, his attitude towards his teacher, his books and school changed completely. He started liking his teacher and was sorry for not learning his lessons. He was sorry that M. Hamel was going away. He forgot everything about his ruler and his cranky nature. His books appeared to him like his best friends. Surprisingly everything that his teacher taught him appeared so easy to him that day. He developed a great respect for M Hamel.

COMPETENCY BASED LONG ANSWER QUESTION

1.      As M Hamel deliver a speech on the last day of school urging the village elders and students never to leave their Native language.

You can begin the speech this way:

People are passionate about their country and language. Excessive pride in one's own language may lead to Language Chauvinism where they feel superior to others and try to impose their language on others

Ans. People are passionate about their country and language. Excessive pride in one's own language may lead to Language Chauvinism where they feel superior to others and try to impose their language on others. The Germans have taken over the districts of Alsace and Lorraine and an order has come from Berlin that French will no longer be taught in this school. From tomorrow the German teacher will come. This is my Last lesson. French is the most beautiful and logical language, we must owe respect to our language and know how to read and write it. No one can enslave us if we have a strong hold of our language. I emphasise on the fact that it is one's language that gives us our freedom. We must not leave our mother tongue.

I find that you all are regretting for not learning your mother tongue seriously and now realise the importance of the mother tongue in your lives.

Thank you.

 

ON THE FACE OF IT - NOTES

 

1. How does Mr. Lamb keep himself busy when it is a bit cool? (Delhi 2012)
Answer. Mr. Lamb was a person who could survive and enjoy in all circumstances and seasons. When it got cooler, Mr. Lamb kept himself busy by breaking the crab apples from the trees in his garden and making jelly from them.

2. What qualities of Mr. Lamb attracted Derry to him? (All India 2009)
Answer. Mr. Lamb was a person full of life. Sadness or negativity found no place in his world. His physical impairment and people’s humiliating remarks had failed to dampen his spirit. His undying optimism and ever friendly attitude drew Derry towards him. For Derry, Mr. Lamb was his source of inspiration.

3. What did Derry’s mother think of Mr. Lamb? (All India 2009)
Answer. When Derry informed his mother of Mr. Lamb and that he wanted to sit with him, she resented it. She thought that he was not a good man and she did not want her son to remain in touch with him for any purpose.

4.  How does Mr. Lamb try to remove the baseless fears of Derry? (All India 2008)
Answer. Mr. Lamb tries to remove the baseless fears of Derry by telling him that nothing in this world is so worthless that it deserves to be considered as trash. Even weeds have their own value. He advises Derry to ignore people’s comments and think of beautiful objects. He tells him to hear only those things that are worth hearing. It is attitude that matters.

5.What is the bond that unites the two—the old Mr. Lamb and Derry, the small boy?
How does the old man inspire the small boy? (Delhi 2013)

How did Mr. Lamb’s meeting with Derry become a turning point in Derry’s life? (Delhi 2008, Foreign 2009)
Answer. Derry, a small boy, had a side of his face burnt as acid had fallen over it. Thus he grew up to be withdrawn arid defiant. The old Mr. Lamb got one of his legs blown off in a war and had a tin leg in place of it. He lived alone, but unlike Derry, he did not let his handicap rule his life. Derry’s brief association with Mr. Lamb changed him from a bitter, pessimistic and complex-ridden boy to a mature and confident person. His attitude towards life underwent a transformation. He got encouraged by Mr. Lamb’s unending enthusiasm and unceasing zeal to live life. Thus Mr. Lamb’s unfailing optimism helped transform Derek completely. Mr. Lamb’s conversation with him about everything and everybody being essentially the same, his notion of beauty being relative, his talk about pretty girls and love, his concept of the world and friendship and the incident of the timid man, all fascinated and inspired Derek. Gradually, Derek was able to shed his old self and rediscover life. He was able to experience the joy of little things of life like rain drops falling pitter-patter on the roof. He even told his mother, “You shouldn’t believe all you hear.” Thus, Derek’s brief association with Mr. Lamb became a turning point in his life.

6. The lesson, ‘On the Face of It’ is an apt depiction of the loneliness and sense of alienation experienced by people on account of a disability. Explain.
Answer. Mr. Lamb and Derek both were victims of physical impairment. Mr. Lamb had an artificial leg made of tin and Derek had a scared face. Undoubtedly, both had suffered humiliations in life on account of their handicaps. Derek, however, suffered not only from his handicap but also from low self-esteem, lack of confidence, desolation and withdrawal. He felt that nobody wanted him or loved him. They feared looking at his ugly face. Looking at Derek’s example, we feel that people with physical impairment need genuine concern. They can perform better than average individuals who do not suffer from any disability, provided they get the right opportunities to prove themselves.

7. Derry and Mr. Lamb both are victims of physical impairment but their attitudes towards life are completely different. Explain. (Delhi 2009)
Answer. Derry, a fourteen year old boy, did not expect anything out of life. Being a pessimist, he had lost all self-regard and led an isolated existence. He felt unwanted because he had a scared face. Mr. Lamb, on the other hand, was full of life. Although he lived alone and had a tin leg, he kept himself busy by tending to his garden, his bees and making toffee and jelly. He welcomed everybody to his house and garden. He enjoyed sitting in the sun, reading books and gardening. Although kids mocked him by calling him ‘Lamey Lamb’, he did not bother about it. He was an apostle of optimism, enthusiasm and hope. Thus we see that there is a striking contrast between Mr. Lamb and Derry.

JOURNEY TO THE END OF THE EARTH - NOTES

 

JOURNEY TO THE END OF THE EARTH - NOTES

 

1. How do geological phenomena help us to  know about the history of mankind? (2000; 2009 Delhi)

Answer: It is geological phenomena that help us to know about the history of mankind. Geologists say about 650 million years ago a giant ‘amalgamated’ super continent, Gondwana existed in the South. At that time India and Antarctica were parts of the same landmass. Gondwana had a warm climate and a huge variety of flora and fauna. This supercontinent survived for 500 years till the age of mammals got underway.

2. What kind of indications do we get while visiting Antarctica to save Earth? (2004 Delhi)

Answer: Tishani Doshi’s entire experience of visiting Antarctica was nothing short of a revelation. It made her wonder about the “beauty of balance in play on our planet”. It is here that one can see the effect of melting glaciers and collapsing ice-shelves and how this is likely to raise the water levels in the sea and the ocean, as a result of which many low lying regions will be submerged under water.  Scientists warn that a further depletion in the ozone layer will affect the activities of the phytoplankton. The lives of the marine animals and birds of the region will be affected. By visiting the Antarctica we can understand the earth’s past, present and future.

3. How is Antarctica a crucial element in the debate on climate change? (2008 Outside Delhi; 2013 Comptt. Outside Delhi)

Answer: Antarctica is a crucial element in the debate on climate change because it is the only place in the world which has never sustained a human population and thus remains relatively pristine. Moreover, it holds in its ice-caves half-million- year old carbon records trapped in its layers of ice. The world’s climate is changing fast and is at present one of the most hotly debated issues. Antarctica is the ideal place to study the effect of these environmental changes as it has a very simple ecosystem and lacks biodiversity. If global warming makes Antarctica warmer, it will have disastrous consequences elsewhere.

4. What was the objective of the ‘Students on Ice Programme’? (2009 Delhi; 2011 Comptt. Outside Delhi)

Answer: The objective of the ‘Students on Ice’ programme was to take High School students to the limits of the world and provide them not only with inspiring opportunities in education but also enable them to understand and respect our planet. The idea was to provide them a life-changing experience at an age when they are ready to absorb, learn and most importantly act. According to Geoff Green, the High School students are the future policy makers and through this programme they would save this planet from ecological hazards and the harmful effects of global warming.

 

5. How did the Antarctica amaze the writer when he first saw it? (2010 Delhi)

Answer: When the writer first saw Antarctica he was amazed by its vastness and immense white landscape. It was an endless blue horizon and the fact that it was isolated from the rest of the world created an added sense of wonder and mystery about the continent.

 

 

6. Why is Antarctica the place to go to if we want to study the earth’s past, present and future? (2010 Comptt. Outside Delhi)

Answer: The Antarctica landmass, that was an amalgamated southern supercontinent called Gondwana dates back to 650 million years. It can help us understand better the formation of continents and mountains like the Himalayas as they are in the modem world. Its ice-cores hold over half-million-year old carbon records that are vital to study the Earth’s past, present and future.

7. What sort of brightness and silence prevailed in Antarctica dining summer? (2011 Delhi)

Answer: The brightness that prevailed in Antarctica was surreal as the austral summer light remained for 24 hours in the continent. The silence there was ubiquitous interrupted only by the occasional avalanche or calving ice sheet.

8. How was Antarctica a chilling prospect for a South Indian, Tishani Doshi? (2013 Comptt. Delhi)

Answer: Tishani Doshi is a sun-worshipping South Indian and for her to spend two weeks in a place where 90 per cent of the Earth’s total ice volumes are stored is a chilling prospect, not just for circulatory and metabolic functions, but also for the imagination.

9. What are phytoplanktons? How are they important to our ecosystem? (2010 Outside Delhi; 2012 Delhi)

Answer: The microscopic phytoplankton are tiny forms of plant life on the sea. They nourish and sustain the entire southern ocean’s food chain. They are single-celled plants and use the energy of the sun to assimilate carbon supplying oxygen and synthesise compounds. Depletion of the ozone layer that protects us from the harmful rays of the sun adversely affects the activities of the phytoplankton. Any further depletion in the ozone layer will hamper their activity which, in turn, is bound to affect the growth of marine animals and birds and even the global carbon cycle. Thus to save the big organisms the small organisms need to be cared for because even minor changes have huge repercussions.

INDIGO Notes

 

INDIGO Notes

1. How did Rajkumar Shukla establish that he was resolute? (Delhi 2015)

Answer : Rajkumar Shukla established himself as a resolute man by going along with Gandhiji wherever he went until Gandhiji agreed to go to Champaran with him to solve the problems of the peasants there.

 

2. How was Gandhiji treated at Rajendra Prasad’s house? (Delhi 2010, Delhi 2012, All India 2015)

Answer : The servants at Rajendra Prasad’s house took Gandhiji to be another untouchable person. So, he was not allowed to draw water from the well lest some drops from his bucket pollute the entire source of water.

 

3. What did the peasants pay to the British landlords as rent?  What did the British now want instead and why? What would be the impact of synthetic indigo on the prices of natural indigo? (Foreign 2011, (All India 2015))
Answer. The British landlords had entered into a long-term contract with the farmers according to which they compelled all tenants to plant 15% of their holdings with indigo. The sharecroppers had to surrender the entire indigo harvest as rent. Now Germany had developed synthetic indigo. So, the British landlords wanted money as compensation for being released from the 15 per cent arrangement. The prices of natural indigo would go down due to the synthetic Indigo.

4. Why did Gandhiji feel that taking the Champaran case to court was useless?

(Delhi 2014)
Answer. When Gandhiji got to know about the plight of the peasant groups in Champaran from his discussion with the lawyers, he came to the conclusion that the poor peasants were so crushed and fear-stricken that law courts were useless in their case. Going to courts overburdened the sharecroppers with heavy litigation expenses. What really needed to be done was to make them free from fear.

 

5. How did the Champaran peasants react when they heard that a Mahatma had come
to help them? (Compartment 2014)
Answer. When the Champaran peasants heard that a Mahatma had come to help them, they assembled in Motihari in large number. Thousands of peasants held a demonstration around the courthouse where Gandhiji was supposed to appear. The crowd was so uncontrollable that the officials felt powerless, and Gandhiji himself helped the authorities to regulate the crowd.

6. What made the Lieutenant Governor drop the case against Gandhiji? (Compartment 2014)
Answer. When Gandhiji was asked to appear in the court in Motihari, thousands of peasants held a demonstration around the courthouse. The officials felt helpless and the government was baffled. The trial was postponed, as the judge didn’t want to aggravate the situation. He held up the sentence for several days, after which Gandhiji was released without bail. All these events made the Lieutenant Governor drop the case against Gandhiji.

7. What was the conflict described by Gandhiji in the court?

Gandhiji’s conflict was of discharging the duties. On one hand ,he did not want to set a bad example by breaking the law. On the other hand he was to listen to the voice of his conscience and serve the human beings.

8. Why did Gandhiji say: “The battle of Champaran is won”?

The lawyers had decided to  go home, if Gandhiji went to prison. But Gandhiji asked them what would become of the injustice to the sharecroppers. The lawyers thought over it and decided that they too would follow Gandhiji. This was the time that Gandhiji said that the battle of Champaran was won.

9. How did Gandhi and the lawyers try to secure justice for the sharecroppers?

Ans: Gandhiji and the lawyers  started conducting a detailed enquiry into the grievances of the peasants. Depositions by about ten thousand peasants were written down. Notes were made on other evidence. Documents were collected. The whole area came alive with the activities of the investigators. The landlords raised loud protests. Later, an official commission was appointed to enquire into the matter which presented a crushing mountain of evidences against the landlords. Thus, landlords were ready for a settlement which gave justice to the sharecroppers.

10. Why did Gandhi agree to a settlement of 25 per cent refund to the farmers? (2009, All India 2011, All India 2012, All India 2015, 2016)

Ans: For Gandhi the amount of the refund was less important than the fact that the landlords had been forced to return part of the money, and with it, part of their prestige too. So, he agreed to settlement of 25 per cent refund to the farmers.

11. How did the episode change the plight of the peasants?

Ans: The peasants were saved from spending time and money on court cases. After some years the British planters gave up control of their estates. These now reverted to the peasants. Indigo sharecropping disappeared.

12.Why do you think Gandhi considered the Champaran episode to be a turning- point in his life? (All India 2009)

Ans: The Champaran episode is considered to be Gandhi’s entry into Indian politics which lacked a good leadership until Gandhi’s arrival. It began as an attempt to ease the sufferings of large number of poor peasants. He got spontaneous support of thousands of people. Gandhi admits that what he had done was a very ordinary thing. He declared that the British could not order him about in his own country. It established the effectiveness of non-cooperation as a means of fighting for justice. The Champaran episode revealed Gandhiji’s principles in the political field. Hence, he considered the Champaran episode as a turning- point in his life.

13. How was Gandhi able to influence lawyers? Give instances. (All India 2009)

Ans: Gandhi asked the lawyers what they would do if he was sentenced to prison. They said that they had come to advise him. If he went to jail, they would go home. Then Gandhi asked them about the injustice to the sharecroppers. The lawyers held consultations. They came to the conclusion that it would be shameful desertion if they went home. So, they told Gandhi that they were ready to follow him into jail.

14. While at Champaran how did Gandhiji keep a long distance watch on his ashram? (Comptt. All India 2012)

Answer: During his long stay in Champaran, Gandhiji kept a long distance watch on his Ashram. He sent regular instructions by mail and asked for financial accounts. He even wrote to the residents that it was time to fill in the old latrine trenches and dig new ones.

15. Why was Gandhiji opposed to C.F. Andrews helping him in Champaran? (Delhi 2016)

Answer: Though Gandhiji’s lawyer friends thought it would be a good idea for C.F.Andrews to stay in Champaran and help them, Gandhiji vehemently opposed it. He said that if they had an Englishman on their side it would show the weakness of their heart. They should not attempt to seek a prop in Andrews just because he happened to be an Englishman. Gandhiji wanted Indians to be self-reliant.

16. How do we know that ordinary people too contributed to the freedom movement?

Ans: Professor J.B. Kriplani received Gandhi at Muzaffarpur railway station at midnight. He had a large body of students with him. Sharecroppers from Champaran came on foot and by conveyance to see Gandhi. Muzaffarpur lawyers too called on him. A vast multitude greeted Gandhi when he reached Motihari railway station. Thousands of people demonstrated around the court room when they came to know that their champion was in trouble. This shows that ordinary people too contributed to the freedom movement in India.

17. How did Gandhi work for rural uplift during his stay in Champaran?

Gandhi wanted to remove the cultural and social backwardness in Champaran villages. He appealed for teachers. Two young disciples of Gandhi, Mahadev Desai and Narhari Parikh and their wives volunteered themselves for work. Several others responded from distant parts of the country. Mrs. Kasturba Gandhi and Devdas, Gandhi’s youngest son, arrived from the Ashram. Primary schools were opened in six villages. Kasturba taught the ashram rules on personal cleanliness and community cleanliness.

Health conditions were miserable. Gandhi got a doctor to volunteer his services for six months. They managed all the possible diseases with three available medicines, Castor oil, quinine and sulphur ointment. Thus, Gandhi never contented himself with large political or economic solutions  worked for total uplift of villages and the poor sections of the society.