प्रश्न बैंक - सह - उत्तर पुस्तक (Question Bank-Cum-Answer Book)
Class - 12
English Elective
4. Tomorrow - Joseph Conrad
Q1 What is the consistency one finds in the old man's madness?
Ans-
Captain Hagberd's madness is consistent in nature. Perhaps, his long wait for
the son who has run away to sea and has not come back even after sixteen years,
made him mad. Death of his wife shocked him. Hagberd comes to Colebrook from
his native place, Colechester, to wait for his son to come back. He went around
in search of his son. He has been advertising in newspapers to get a clue about
his whereabouts. His search for his son turns to a long wait.
In
his obsession for his son, he becomes careless about his food and dress, that
makes his appearance awful and awkward. He makes all possible efforts for the
preparation of Harry's homecoming and make his home comfortable for his son. He
hangs his hopes on 'tomorrow', then 'next week' which turns to 'next spring'.
He makes a self packed world for himself and any disturbance in it arouses rage
in him and goes out of his mind. Thus, it can be said that one finds him
consistently mad.
Q2 How does Captain Hagberd prepare for Harry's homecoming?
Ans-
Hagbard continuously prepares for Harry's homecoming. He buys all the things
that his son would love. He buys seeds, utensils, goods for interior
decoration, paint, varnish and brushes of different kind, carpets of latest
design, new brand furniture, show-cases, show pieces etc. He keeps on buying
one or the other thing from the market and keeps them packed and stores safely
to be opened and used only when his son comes. He has a vacant plot of land in
front of his cottage which he digs time to time but never plants, he would sow
the flower seeds when he arrives. He starves himself for the sake of his son
who may never return.
Q3 How did Bessie begin to share Hagberd's insanity regard his
son?
Ans-
Bessie being a woman notices everything but generally doesn't share her
feelings. Captain Hagberd is obsessed with Harry, his lost son, who left home
in his teens to see the sea, about 16 years ago. Bessie's father was tyrant and
she was living life of a caged bird who was frequently treated cruelly and
abused by her father. Her father is dependent on her. Contrary to her father
she found Captain Hagberd as a friend, civilised, and compassionate to her. She
also knew that Captain could not live in solitude without her. Thereafter, she
began to share Hagberd's insanity regarding his son. Whatever Mr Hagberd shared
with her, she listened to him silently and sympathetically. She also explained
the insanity of Hagberd with the stranger, saying that he had lost his son in
the sea and the dreams of his son's homecoming.
Q4 What were Harry's reasons for coming to meet old Hagberd?
Ans-
Harry was now thirty-one years old and he came to meet old Hagberd as he wanted
to see and know the whereabouts of the old Hagberd who claims to be his father.
He also wants to know where he lives right now. He also wanted to confirm the
information he heard about himself from the barber was true or not.
Q5 Why does Harry's return prove to be a disappointment for
Bessie?
Ans-
Bessie had developed an attachment with Harry. She dreamt of living a settled
life with Harry and Captain Hagberd. But she could not persuade him to remain
at home, he was a vagabond sort of person who would trick anybody in order to
get money. His return was impossible. So, her tender and innocent heart was
broken. She was drowned into the sea of grief and disappointment.
Q6 What brought Captain Hagberd to Colebrook?
Ans-
Captain Hagberd was a retired sailor. His wife was dead and his son, Harry had
left his home 16 years ago when he was fourteen. Someone in a letter had
informed captain Hagberd that Harry was seen in Colebrook. Captain Hagberd sold
all his property at Colchester and came to Colebrook to look for his lost son.
Q7 Why did people of Colebrook not have a favourable opinion of
Captain Hagberd?
Ans-
The people of Colebrook did not have a favourable opinion of captain Hagberd
because he used to ask everyone in the street, on the road and market if they
had seen his son. This enquiry ran for months and it created an impression
among the people that he was suffering from insanity. They began to laugh at
him. His long beard had made his appearance awful and awkward.
Q8 What sort of a seaman had Captain Hagberd been?
Ans-
Captain Hagberd was a sailor but he loved land instead of sea. He was a
rational man and hated imagination friction and emotion. He wanted to be at sea
shore and watch people gathered round the fire side. Thus, he was a homesick
voyager.
Q9 What was the point of similarity between Captain Hagberd and
old Carvil?
Ans-
Captain Hagberd and old Carvil had many things in common. Both of them were old
men, retired from shipping corporation. Captain Hagberd was a navigator while
Mr. Carvil was a ship builder. Both of them were widower and were attached to
Bessie.
Q10 Why did Bessie sometimes show signs of irritation and
disgust?
Ans-
Josaiah Cravil, Bessie's father was a tyrant and used to abuse and cry at her
frequently. Captain Hagberd in those moments had empathy with her sufferings
and used to console her by expressing his desire to make her his
daughter-in-law as soon as has son would come back. This made Bessie feel as if
captain Hagberd laughed at her misfortune. This is the reason why Bessie
sometimes showed signs of irritation and discussed.
Q 11 What kind of life Harry lived after he left home?
Ans-
After Harry left home, he led a Nomadic life. He was a restless man kept on
moving from one place to another, referred as Gambusinos. He did not have a
fixed income. He told Bessie that he had been everything she can think of
almost but a tailor or soldier. He had been a boundary rider. He had sheared
sheep, and humped his swag, and harpooned a whale. He had rigged ships, and
prospected for gold, and skinned dead bullocks, and turned his back on more
money than the older man would have scraped in his whole life. Nothing could
hold him not even a woman.
Q 12 What does Bessie tell Harry about his father's plans for
him?
Ans-
Bessie tells Harry that whatever his father has is his only. Captain Hagberd
would give everything to his son. She assures him that she would bring his
father round in a week and he would forgive him for the mistakes he had
committed so far. She also tells that his father would solemnise his marriage
with her very soon. However, he had expressed his hatred for his father.
Q 13 Who was the stranger who met Captain Hagberd? What was the
Captain's reaction to the meeting?
Ans-
The stranger who met Captain Hagberd was his son, Harry Hagberd. Initially,
Captain was nervous and did not like to meet the stranger as he was afraid of
being laughed at. The stranger was talking about his son. The captain suddenly
lost his control and outraged when the stranger said, 'The devil he is!'
Hearing ill about his son Captain started yelling, he began to pace wildly to
and fro, he shouldered his spade and gesticulated with his other hand and asked
the stranger to go his way.
Q 14 What did young Hagberd think it meant when old Hagberd said
that his son would be coming home 'tomorrow?
Ans-
When old Hagberd said that his son would be coming 'tomorrow', young Hagberd
understood that captain Hagberd had not recognised him though he himself was
Harry, his son. He, therefore, laughed at him saying that he had grown a beard
like Father Christmas himself.
Q 15 What reasons did Bessie give for encouraging old Hagberd in
his insane hopes?
Ans-
She explained Harry that his father loved him the most. He had turned insane
since his departure from the home. She never contradicted old Hagberd's insane
hopes. It would only have made him miserable. He would have gone out of his
mind. She thus, tried her best to receive an agreement from Harry to settle at
his home as she knew that Harry was the only hope of that old man.
Q 16 What makes Bessie convinced that the young man is indeed
Harry?
Ans-
Bessie is convinced that the young man is indeed Harry as the past events that
he narrates, matches with the stories told by old Hagberd. His annoyance and
disgust for his father shows that he was hurt and disheartened in the past
which still persists in him.
Q17 What did Captain Hagberd call out to Bessie from the window?
Ans-
Captain Hagberd called out to Bessie from the window to warn her and prevents
from talking to a stranger. He advised her to send him away as he was only a
vagabond who had no home. He also said that the stranger was not like Harry so
he couldn't be Harry and was going to come next day. Captain Hagberd called out
to Bessie from the window.
Q 18. What sort of a person was Mr. Carvil?
Ans-
Mr. Carvil was a widowed boat-builder who had gone blind. He lived with Bessie,
his young daughter, as a tenant in one of Captain Hagberd's cottages. He was a
domestic tyrant who ill-treated his daughter. He was heavy in body, selfish,
lazy, cruel and abusive. He was one of the few blind people who smoked. His
behaviour towards his daughter was rude and he considered her responsible for
his incurable blindness. He treated her as his slave, abused her and shouted at
her. He was so lazy and self-centered that he sought Bessie's services even in
the smallest matters. He made Bessie's life a hell.
Q 19. Discuss the appropriateness of the title of the story
'Tomorrow'.
Ans-
The story is about Captain Hagberd, a coast-skipper. His son, Harry Hagberd had
run away to sea some sixteen years ago. Old Hagberd madly believed that he
would return one day. He gave advertisements in newspapers to get any
information. Gradually, he weaved a myth that he would return 'tomorrow'. He
leaves his native town, Colechester and settles down in another town,
Colebrook, to wait for his son. But his son, Harry, hated him from the core of
his heart. He does return one day but is not recognized by the old man because
his son would return 'tomorrow' only. The title of the story is thus
appropriate
Q 20. The story 'Tomorrow' is full of dramatic irony. Explain.
Ans-
The story 'Tomorrow' is full of dramatic irony. Captain Hagberd waits eagerly
for his long lost son, Harry Hagberd. He advertises for him in newspapers, but everything
is in vain. He starves himself for his sake and buys things to make his life
comfortable on his return. The son hates him and has nothing to do with him. He
doesn't want to be oppressed and enslaved by his tyrannical father. Hagberd is
obsessed with his son's return and believes that he will come back 'tomorrow', which
never comes. Bessie's dreams of a comfortable homely life with Harry are also
shattered. Thus the story is full of ironic events. What happens in the story
is just opposite of what the characters expect.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS
1. Who wrote the story 'Tomorrow'?
a.
James Joyce
b.
Issac Bashevis Singer
c. Joseph Conrad
d.
Bi Shu-min
2. What were Joseph Conrad's parents?
a. Polish
b.
Chinese
c.
Americans
d.
Canadians
3. Where was Joseph Conrad born?
a. Ukraine
b.
China
c.
America
d.
Canada
4. When was Joseph Conrad born?
a.
1856
b. 1857
c.
1858
d.
1859
5. When did Joseph Conrad die?
a. 1924
b.
1925
c.
1926
d.
1927
6. When did Joseph Conrad begin seafaring?
a. 1874
b.
1875
c.
1876
d.
1877
7. How old was Joseph Conrad when he learnt English?
a. 21 years old
b.
22 years old
c.
23 years old
d.
24 years old
8. When did Joseph Conrad become a British citizen?
a. 1886
b.
1887
c.
1888
d.
1889
9. Which is/are the work/works of Joseph Conrad?
a.
The Nigger of the Narcissus
b.
Lord Jim
c.
Nostromo
d. All of the above
10. Which author's characters suffer from a sense of isolation?
a.
James Joyce
b.
Issac Bashevis Singer
c. Joseph Conrad
d.
Bi Shu-min
11. Who was the central character in the story?
a. Captain Hagberd
b.
Josiah Carvil
c.
Miss Bessie Carvil
d.
Harry Hagberd
12. Who was blind in the story?
a.
Captain Hagberd
b. Josiah Carvil
c.
Miss Bessie Carvil
d.
Harry Hagberd
13. What was Josiah Carvil?
a. Boat-builder
b.
Captain
c.
Pot-maker
d.
Teacher
14. Who was Miss Bessie Carvil?
a.
Josiah Carvil's mother
b.
Josiah Carvil's wife
c.
Josiah Carvil's sister
d. Josiah Carvil's daughter
15. Who is/are the tenant(s) of Captain Hagberd?
a.
Josiah Carvil
b.
Miss Bessie Carvil
c. Both A and B
d.
None of the above
16. "It rots the wood." Who said this?
a. Captain Hagberd
b.
Josiah Carvil
c.
Miss Bessie Carvil
d.
Harry Hagberd
17. How was Miss Bessie Carvil?
a. Tall
b.
Short
c.
Fat
d.
None of the above
18. Who wore No. 1 sailcloth from head to foot?
a. Captain Hagberd
b.
Josiah Carvil
c.
Miss Bessie Carvil
d.
Harry Hagberd
19. What was Captain Hagberd?
a. Casting-skipper
b.
Teacher
c.
Doctor
d.
Advocate
20. When did Captain Hagberd come to Colebrook?
a. Three years ago
b.
Four years ago
c.
Five years ago
d.
Six years ago
21. Why did Captain Hagberd come to Colebrook?
a. In search of his son
b.
In search of his father
c.
In search of his brother
d.
In search of his uncle
22. Who had been advertising in the London papers for Harry
Hagberd?
a. Captain Hagberd
b.
Josiah Carvil
c.
Miss Bessie Carvil
d.
Harry Hagberd
23. "A clever-looking, high-spirited boy." For whom
were these phrases used in the story?
a.
Captain Hagberd
b.
Josiah Carvil
c.
Miss Bessie Carvil
d. Harry Hagberd
24. How was the relationship between Captain Hagberd and Miss
Bessie Carvil?
a. Like father and daughter
b.
Like husband and wife
c.
Like brother and sister
d.
None of the above
25. "With his maritime rig, his weather-beaten face, his
beard of Father Neptune, he resembled a deposed sea-god who had exchanged the
trident for the spade."Which figure of speech is used in the
sentence?"
a. Allusion
b.
Metaphor
c.
Personification
d. Pun
JCERT/JAC English Elective प्रश्न बैंक - सह - उत्तर पुस्तक (Question Bank-Cum-Answer Book)
English Elective Contents
Short Stories | |
1. | |
2. | |
3. | |
4. | |
5. | |
Poetry | |
1. | |
2. | |
3. | |
4. | |
5. | |
6. | |
7. | |
8. | |
Non-Fiction | |
1. | |
2. | |
3. | |
4. | |
5. | |
6. | |
Drama | |
1. | |
2. | |
Novel | |
1. | |
2. | |
