THE LAST BARGAIN
Working with the Poem
Ans. The speaker in the poem
is a man looking for a job.
2. “The king, sword in hand” suggests
(i) wealth
(ii) power
(iii) more power than wealth.
Mark the appropriate item in the context of stanza 1.
Ans. (ii) power
3. The old man offered the speaker a lot of
money. Why did he turn down the offer?
Ans. The man in search of the job was not really convinced by the old
man’s offer. Although he himself was not aware what he was looking for in a job
but the old man’s offer surely did not convince him enough. He considered
wealth, power and happiness as temporary things. Moreover, in the end he
realised that he desired freedom over being enslaved to power or wealth.
4. Find in the poem, lines that match the
following. Read both one after another.
(i) I have nothing to give you except goodwill
and cheer.
Ans. The line in the poem that
matches the above statement is “I hire you with nothing.”
(ii) Her happiness was no more than sorrow in
disguise.
Ans. The line in the poem that
matches the above statement is “Her smile paled and melted into tears, and she
went back alone into the dark.”
(iii) The king’s might was not worth much.
Ans. The line in the poem that
matches the above statement is “But his power counted for naught”
5. How did the speaker feel after talking to
the child on the beach?
Ans. After talking to the child on the beach, the man realised
why he was not attracted by the previous job offers. The child hired him with
nothing and the speaker felt as if he was a free man, not enslaved by the
virtues of power, wealth and fake happiness.
The Last Bargain Poem 3 Extract Based Questions
Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow-
A. “Come and hire me,” I cried, while in the morning
I was walking on the stone-paved road.
Sword in hand the King came in his chariot.
He held my hand and said, “I will hire you with my power,”
But his power counted for naught, and he went away in his chariot.
Q1. What does ‘naught’ mean?
Ans. Nothing.
Q2. What did the king say?
Ans. He said that he
would hire the man with his power.
Q3. What did the king do?
Ans. The king came in a chariot holding a sword and
held the man’s hand.
Q4. What did the man do?
Ans. He did not work
for the king.
Q5. Why did the man not work for the king?
Ans. He did not work
for the king because the king’s power counted to be nothing for him.
B. In the heat of the mid-day the houses stood with shut doors.
I wandered along the crooked lane.
An old man came out with his bag of gold.
He pondered and said, “I will hire you with my money.”
He weighed his coins one by one, but I turned away
Q1. How were the houses during mid-day?
Ans. The houses had
doors shut during mid-day.
Q2. How was the street?
Ans. It was crooked
Q3. What did the old man get?
Ans. A Bag of gold.
Q4. What did the old man do?
Ans. He weighed his
coins one by one.
Q5. Why did the old man turn away?
Ans. He turned away
because the speaker did not accompany him.
C. It was evening. The garden hedge was all aflower.
The fair maid came out and said, “I will hire you with
a smile.”
Her smile paled and melted into tears, and she went
back alone into the dark.
Q1. Why did the fair maid come?
Ans. She came to hire the speaker
Q2. What time of the day was it?
Ans. It was evening.
Q3. What did the garden hedge look like?
Ans. It was full of
flowers.
Q4. What did her smile turn into?
Ans. Her smile melted into tears
Q5. Why did her smile melt into tears?
Ans. She had to
return alone so her smile turned into tears.
D. The sun glistened on the sand, and the sea waves broke
waywardly.
A child sat playing with shells.
He raised his head and seemed to know me and said,
“I hire you with nothing.”
From henceforward that bargain struck in child’s play
made me a free man.
Q1. What was the child doing?
Ans. He was playing with shells.
Q2. What does ‘glistening’ mean?
Ans. It means shining.
Q3. What did the child hire the speaker for?
Ans. He hired him for
nothing.
Q4. How did the man become free?
Ans. When the child struck a bargain for nothing, it
made him free.
Q5. Did the child know the man?
Ans. Yes, it seemed that he knew the man.
Class
8 The Last Bargain Extra Question Answers
Answer the following questions-
Q1. How does the poem start and end?
Ans. The poem starts with the speaker walking down the stone-paved
road, asking to be hired. It ends with the man striking a bargain with the
child for nothing which sets him free.
Q2. What weather was there during mid-day?
Ans. It was hot and perhaps summer season.
Q3. Why did he turn away the king?
Ans. The king’s power
was not of any worth for him. So, he turned him away.
Q4. Why did he accept the child’s proposal in
return for nothing?
Ans. He accepted the child’s proposal because when he
would get nothing in return, it meant that the child wanted the man’s company
only. This was liberating for the man.
Q5. How did the fair maid respond to refusal?
Ans. The fair maid’s
smile melted into tears and she disappeared into the dark, on being refused by
the speaker.