THE ARTIST QUESTION ANSWER

 

Comprehension Based Questions

  A. Seibei was passionately interested in gourds. One day as he was strolling along the beach, absorbed in his favourite subject, he was startled by an unusual sight: he caught a glimpse of the bald, elongated head of an old man hurrying out of one of the huts by the beach. ‘What a splendid gourd!’ thought Seibei. The old man disappeared from sight, wagging his bald pine pate. Only then did Seibei realize his mistake and he stood there laughing loudly to himself. He laughed all the way home.

Whenever he passed a grocery, a curio-shop, a confectioner’s or in fact any place that sold gourds, he stood for minutes on end, his eyes glued to the window appraising the precious fruit.

 

1.  What unusual sight startled Seibei while strolling along the beach?

Ans: He saw the bald, elongated head of an old man hurrying out of a hut and mistook it for a splendid gourd.

 

2.  How did Seibei react after realizing his mistake?

Ans: Seibei laughed loudly to himself and continued laughing all the way home.

 

3.  What does this incident reveal about Seibei’s character?

Ans: It shows his deep passion for gourds and his tendency to view the world through his interest in them, even to the point of amusing mistakes.

 

4.  What did Seibei do whenever he passed a place selling gourds?

Ans: He stood for minutes on end, with his eyes glued to the window, appraising the precious fruit.

 

5.  How does the text describe Seibei’s fascination with gourds?

Ans: Seibei was so absorbed in his passion that he constantly sought out and admired gourds wherever they were sold.

 

B. As soon as he woke the next morning, he would open the tin and examine the gourd. The skin would be thoroughly damp from the overnight treatment. Seibei would gaze adoringly at his treasure before tying a string round the middle and hanging it in the sun to dry. Then he set out for school.

Seibei lived in a harbour town. Although it was officially a city, one could walk from one end to the other in a matter of twenty minutes. Seibei was always wandering about the streets and had soon come to know every place that sold gourds and to recognise almost every gourd on the market.

He did not care much about the old, gnarled, peculiarly-formed gourds usually favoured by collectors. The type that appealed to Seibei was even and symmetrical.

 

1. What did Seibei do with the gourd after its overnight treatment?

Ans: He tied a string around the middle of the gourd and hung it in the sun to dry.

 

2. Where did Seibei live, and how big was the place?

Ans: Seibei lived in a harbor town that was officially a city, but one could walk from one end to the other in about twenty minutes.

 

3. How familiar was Seibei with the gourd market in his town?

Ans: Seibei knew every place that sold gourds and could recognize almost every gourd available on the market.

 

4. What type of gourds did Seibei prefer?

Ans: Seibei preferred gourds that were even and symmetrical.

 

5. How did Seibei’s taste in gourds differ from that of other collectors?

Ans: Unlike other collectors who favored old, gnarled, and peculiarly-formed gourds, Seibei liked simple, symmetrical ones.

 

C. One day when he was walking along an unfamiliar back-street, he came upon an old woman with a fruit-stall. She was selling dried persimmons and oranges; on the shutters of the house behind the stall, she had hung a large cluster of gourds.

‘Can I have a look?’ said Seibei and immediately ran behind the stall and began examining the gourds. Suddenly he caught sight of one which was about five inches long and at first sight looked quite commonplace. Something about it made Seibei’s heart beat faster.

‘How much is this one?’ he asked, panting out the words.

‘Well,’ said the old woman, ‘since you’re just a lad, I’ll let you have it for ten sen.’

‘In that case,’ said Seibei urgently, ‘please hold it for me, won’t you?’ I’ll be right back with the money.’ 

He dashed home and in no time at all was back at the stall. He bought the gourd and took it home.

 

1. What did the old woman at the fruit stall sell besides gourds?

Ans: She sold dried persimmons and oranges.

 

2. What made Seibei’s heart beat faster when he examined the gourds?

Ans: He saw a gourd about five inches long that looked commonplace but felt special to him.

 

3. How much did the old woman charge Seibei for the gourd?

Ans: She charged him ten sen, giving him a discount because he was a young boy.

 

4. What did Seibei do when he didn’t have the money for the gourd?

Ans: He asked the old woman to hold the gourd for him and dashed home to get the money.

 

5. How quickly did Seibei return to buy the gourd?

Ans: He returned in no time and bought the gourd.

 

D. After a while, the teacher arrived. As Seibei’s father was not yet home from the carpenter’s shop where he worked, the teacher directed his attack on Seibei’s mother.

‘This sort of thing is the responsibility of the family,’ he said in a stern voice. ‘It is the duty of you parents to see that such things don’t happen’. In an agony of embarrassment, Seibei’s mother muttered some apology.

Meanwhile, Seibei was trying to make himself as inconspicuous as possible in the corner. Terrified, he glanced up at his vindictive teacher and at the wall directly behind, where a whole row of fully prepared gourds was hanging. What, would happen if the teacher caught sight of them?

Trembling inside, he waited for the worst, but at length the man exhausted his rhetoric and stamped angrily out of the house. Seibei heaved a sigh of relief.

 

 

 

1. Why did the teacher visit Seibei’s house?

Ans: The teacher came to scold Seibei’s parents, particularly his mother, for allowing Seibei to indulge in his hobby during school hours.

 

2. What did the teacher say to Seibei’s mother?

Ans: He said it was the family’s responsibility to ensure that such behavior did not happen.

 

3. How did Seibei react while the teacher was scolding his mother?

Ans: Seibei tried to make himself as inconspicuous as possible in the corner, feeling terrified.

 

4. What worried Seibei during the teacher’s visit?

Ans: He was afraid the teacher might notice the row of fully prepared gourds hanging on the wall behind him.

 

5. How did Seibei feel after the teacher left?

Ans: Seibei heaved a sigh of relief once the teacher angrily stamped out of the house.

 

E. The next day the teacher gave Seibei’s confiscated gourd to an old porter who worked in the school. ‘Here, take this,’ he said, as if handing over some unclean object. The porter took the gourd home with him and hung it on the wall of his small, sooty room.

About two months later, the porter, finding himself even more hard-pressed for money than usual, decided to take the gourd to a local curio-shop to see if he could get a few coppers for it. The curio-dealer examined the gourd carefully, then assuming an uninterested tone handed it back to the porter, saying, ‘I might give you five yen for it.’

The porter was astounded, but being quite an astute old man, replied coolly, ‘I certainly wouldn’t part with it for that.’ The dealer immediately raised his offer to ten yen, but the porter was still adamant.

 

1. What did the teacher do with Seibei’s confiscated gourd?

Ans: The teacher gave the confiscated gourd to an old porter who worked at the school.

 

2. Where did the porter hang the gourd after taking it home?

Ans: He hung it on the wall of his small, sooty room.

 

3. Why did the porter decide to sell the gourd after two months?

Ans: The porter was even more hard-pressed for money than usual and decided to take the gourd to a local curio-shop hoping to get a few coppers for it.

 

4. What was the curio-dealer’s initial offer for the gourd?

Ans: The curio-dealer initially offered five yen for the gourd.

 

5. How did the porter respond to the curio-dealer’s initial offer?

Ans: The porter, being astute, coolly refused the offer and insisted on a higher price.

 

From text book

The Artist | Shiga Naoya – Bihar Board 12th | 100 Marks English |Sunil Sir 

B. 1 Complete the following sentences on the basis of the study:

i) Seibei was passionately interested in Gourds.

 ii) Seibei laughed all the way home because he had misunderstood the bald head of an old man as a gourd

 iii) Seibei was twelve years old and at primary school.

iv) Seibei did not appreciate Baken gourd because it was not attractive.

 v) Seibei was now engrossed in his pictures.

B.1.2. Answer the following question briefly:

Q. 1  Where did Seibei live?

Ans. - Seibei lived in a small harbour town of Japan.

Q.2  Which type of gourd did Seibei like?

Ans. - Seibei liked even and symmetrical type of gourds.

Q.3 Why did conversation of his father and his friend make Seibei laugh inwardly?

Ans. Seibei's father and his friend were talking about a big sized gourd exhibited in the agricultural show last year. They found it amazing but it seemed like a stupid object to Seibei. That’s why he was laughing inwardly at their interest.

 Q.4 Why did Seibei's father shout at him?

Ans. - Seibei's father shouted at him because he did not like him interrupting them.

Q.5 Why did Seibei wandered about the town?

 Ans. Seibei always wandered in the market to find some gourds of his choice, even and symmetrical.

The Artist | Shiga Naoya – Bihar Board 12th | 100 Marks English |Sunil Sir 

 B.2.1 Complete the following sentences on the basis of the story.

 i) The old woman asked ten yen for the gourd.

 ii) Teacher was-particulariy angry because he caught Seibei playing with his gourd while the class was going on

. (iii) Seibei's father worked at a carpenter's shop.

v) Seibel's father fetched his hammer and smashed all gourds into pieces.

v) The curio-dealer sold the confiscated gourd to a wealthy collector.

 B.2.2. Answer the following question briefly:

Q.1 What made Seibei's heart beat faster?

 Ans. - One day when Seibei was walking along an unfamiliar back-street, he came upon an old woman with a fruit-stall. On the shutters of the house behind the stall, she had hung a large cluster of gourds. Asking the woman he immediately ran behind the stall and began examining the gourds. Suddenly he caught sight of one which was about five inches long. Something about it made Seibei's heart beat faster.

Q.2 Which is called effeminate pastime in the story?

Ans. - In the story, the activity or hobby of collecting gourds is called effeminate pastime.

Q.3 How did Seibei's father react to the teacher's complaint?

Ans. - Seibei's father became very angry, He grabbed Seibei by his collar and gave him a sound beating.

Q.4 How much did the curio dealer pay for the confiscated gourd?

 Ans. - The curio dealer paid the porter fifty yen for the confiscated gourd.

Q.5 What did Seibei do after he was forced to give up collecting gourds?

 Ans. - Seibei started doing painting when he was forced to give up collecting gourds. The Artist Shiga Naoya.

The Artist | Shiga Naoya – Bihar Board 12th | 100 Marks English |Sunil Sir 

Q.1 Who was Seibei? What was his hobby?

 Ans. - Seibei was a twelve years old small boy. He lived with his parents in a small harbour town. His hobby was to  collect even and symmetrical gourds and then polish and decorate them.

 Q.2 Pick out instances from the story to show that Seibei was passionate towards gourd collection.

 Ans. There are many instances that show that Seibei was passionate towards gourd collection. He used to wander in the streets to watch out every gourd on sells, Instead of playing with his friends he used to spend time polishing and treating his gourds. He followed his passion even when his father was against him. Only he can do all these things who is passionate about his hobby.

 Q.3 Explain the views of Seibei's father about him and his hobby.

 Ans. Seibei's father didn’t like Seibei’s hobby of collecting gourds. He wanted Seibei to be a good student. Seibei's father didn’t want him to interrupt when he talked to his friend it means that Seibei couldn’t express his views openly. Seibei's father gave him a sound beating and when the school teacher made a fabricated serious complain against him. His father destroyed all his gourds. After this event when Seibei got engaged in painting he started scolding him for that hobby also.

 Q.4 - Why did Seibei's teacher become angry with him? Was his anger justified?

Ans. - Seibei's teacher became very angry when he found Seibei polishing his gourd in his school bag. No. His anger was not justified. Actually Such teachers do not understand the tender psychology of the children. Even if Seibei had done wrong he might have acknowledged him about the classroom norms. The teacher belonged to the faculty of ethics or moral science. Teachers in moral science and language-literature are expected to change the aberrated psychology of children. Not only he complained against Seibei to his parents but he seized his gourd also.

 Q.5 Ans. Seibei's teacher held his parents responsible for Seibei's mistake. Do you agree with the teacher? Explain.

 Ans. - No. I think Seibei had committed a childish mistake. He had not committed any heinous crime to make complain to parents or declare them to be responsible. He 

should have tried to bring a change in him instead of creating such scene.

Q.6 Describe in your own words the attitude and reaction of the teacher to Seibei's passion.

Ans. - Seibei was very passionate to collect gourds. Once he was caught by the teacher. Seibei had kept a small gourd in his school bag. When the teacher saw it he scolded him very bitterly. He was so angry that his voice trembled like anything. After the school hour the teacher reached to Seibel's house and in absence of his father, he scolded his mother and said that only parents are responsible for such acts. And It was the duty of parents to check him.

Q.7 Why and how did Seibei change his hobby?

 Ans. Seibei changed his hobby because of hard punishment by the teacher and his parents. He was very scared and afraid to continue his hobby and passion for gourds again. Seibei was an Artist so he found another way of expression and engaged himself in painting and drawing pictures.

Q.8 Do you have similar experiences? Describe in your own words.

 Ans. – I think everyone of us has some type of experience similar to Seibei. In my early childhood days I had the hobby of dancing. But my parents didn’t allow me to continue it when I grew up. They told me to focus on my studies and do something valuable in life. In their perspective dancing was not a reputed profession.

 Q.9 Sketch the character of Seibei as an artist.

Ans. – I think, Seibei had everything that it takes to become an artist. He was only twelve years old but the level of his determination and sincerity was amazing. He dedicated almost his every minute and hours to gourds. He worked on it before sleeping and gourds were the first thing which he would check in the morning then he would get ready for school. Even after being punished for his art of gourd collection, though he left this art but he turned towards painting. It reflects the tender heart of an Artist that resided in Seibei.

The Artist | Shiga Naoya – Bihar Board 12th | 100 Marks English |Sunil Sir 

Ex.1 Correct the spelling of the following – Incorrect Correct Incorrect Correct embaras glimpes enterupt symetrical emidiatly Embarrass Glimpse Interrupt Symmetrical Immediately persinoms favrite intrest confesner Persimmons Favorite Interest Confectioner Ex.2 Look up a dictionary and write two synonyms of each of the following: Word Meaning Word Meaning Passion Absorbed Startled Desire, love Immersed, lost Surprised, amazed Mistake Precious Clumsy Error, fault Valuable, costly Awkward, rough

 D.4 Use these phrases in sentences of your own – 

1. Get rid of– छुटकारा पाना – Try to get rid of bad people of your acquaintances.

 2. At all – – Students like to wake up early at all.

 3.Instead of – की जगह – Instead of wasting time develop any hobby in your life.

 4.Look for –ढूढना – we are always looking for peace. 

5. Set out – शरू करना – Set out for a goal right from this day. 

6. Part with – अलग होना – we should not part with our well-wishers.

7. A sigh of – सांस लेना – they got a sigh of relief to cross the river safely.