प्रश्न बैंक - सह - उत्तर पुस्तक (Question Bank-Cum-Answer Book)
Class 11 English Elective (ESSAY)
Novel - 1. THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA - Ernest Hemingway
MAIN POINTS
☞ The Old Man and the Sea is a short
heroic novel by Ernest Heminway, published in 1952 and awarded the 1953
Pulitzer Prize for fiction.
☞ Santiago, an old fisherman, rows his
skiff out each day from a harbour in Cuba into the surrounding deep waters in
search of large fish.
☞ He is assisted by a boy, Manolin,
whom he has taught to catch marlin and shark.
☞ For weeks he has hooked nothing, and
the locals decide he is unlucky; after forty days of catching no fish,
Manolin's father reassigns the boy to another boat.
☞ Every evening, though, the boy visits
Santiago, helps him stow the boat's equipment, and shares with him a meal and
conversation.
☞ On the eighty fifth day of his
unsuccessful streak, Santiago rows especially far out, where he hopes for big
fish.
☞ Late in the morning, a very large
marlin takes the bait and swims away, dragging the boat northward many miles
from shore.
☞ Rather than tie the line directly to
the boat, Santiago hangs onto it for hours with his hands, greatly straining
his shoulders and back.
☞ As night falls, the fish keeps
pulling them north. The chase continues all night and past dawn.
☞ On the second day, the fish jumps
clear out of the water. Longer than Santiago's skiff, it is a magnificent
creature larger than any he has seen or heard of.
☞ The fishing line cuts Santiago's
hands when it slides past them.
☞ He manages to catch a couple of
smaller fish to eat; that night, he also grabs some sleep, his body braced
painfully against the line.
☞ As the hunt continues, Santiago's
respect and admiration for the fish grows, and he begins to wonder if an
opponent is so worthy then why it should simply be killed and eaten.
☞ He decides that it is his task to do
so, but that he will nevertheless respect the great creature.
☞ On the third day, the fish begins to
circle back underneath the boat.
☞ Each time it passes, Santiago pulls
in more of the line.
☞ Finally, the fish cannot swim
anymore; Santiago reels it close and kills it with a harpoon through the heart.
☞ He lashes the fish to his skiff,
raises his sail, and heads for home with a catch that will pay him handsomely
and get him through the winter.
☞ Sharks smelling the blood, swim from
miles away to feast on the marlin.
☞ Santiago defends his catch by
stabbing and clubbing the attackers, but they are persistent, and as the hours
pass they consume more and more of the great fish.
☞ Exhausted, and having lost most of
the catch, Santiago finally rests while the sharks clean off the last of the
meat.
☞ In the hours before dawn, the old man
arrives back at his home port, where he pulls the boat and its skeleton cargo
onto the beach.
☞ He collects the sail and trudges back
to his shack, falling once and resting several times.
☞ At home, he collapses into bed and
sleeps deeply, dreaming of his youth.
☞ Late in the morning, Manolin brings
him coffee, and they talk about fishing together again.
☞ On the beach, villagers measure the
marlin's skeleton: It is 18 feet long, the longest anyone has ever seen.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS
1. Who is the author of the novel 'The Old Man and the Sea'?
a. Ernest Hemingway
b.
R. K. Narayan
c.
Khushwant Singh
d.
EM Foster
2. The old fisherman who catches fish is:
a. Santiago
b.
David
c.
Paul
d.
Sam
3. Santiago fishes with the boy called ---
a. Manolin
b.
Samuel
c.
Thomas
d.
Jerry
4. Santiago belonged to a country called-----
a. Cuba
b.
Brazil
c.
France
d.
Italy
5. Santiago catches fish in the Gulf Stream of ---
a. Havana coast
b.
Ivory coast
c.
Indian coast
d.
French coast
6. When the novel opens, how long has it been since Santiago
last caught a fish?
a.
40 days
b. 84 days
c.
87 days
d.
120 days
7. What is the name of the fish that Santiago catches in the
sea?
a.
Shark
b.
Whale
c. Marlin
d.
Rayfish
8. Manolin was with the old man for:
a. 40 days
b.
50 days
c.
60 days
d.
20 days
9. Manolin's parents refuse to let the boy fish with the old man
because they believe Santiago is 'salao'. How does Hemingway translate this
word?
a.
Crazy
b.
Selfish
c. The worst form of unlucky
d.
Cunning
10. How does Hemingway describe Santiago's eyes?
a.
They are full of pain.
b.
They are blank with defeat.
c.
They betray the weariness of his soul
d. They are the colour of the sea
11. The old man had the habit of talking...........
a. aloud
b.
slowly
c.
gently
d.
forcefully
12. Who is Santiago's hero?
a.
Harry Truman
b. Joe DiMaggio
c.
Fidel Castro
d.
Dick Sister
13. What kind of reception does Santiago receive at the terrace
cafe?
a.
The fishermen regard him as a hero.
b. Most of the fishermen mock him.
c.
The successful fisherman offers him a portion of their day's catch.
d.
The younger fishermen pretend that the old man doesn't exist.
14. What hangs on the walls of the old man's shack?
a.
A photograph of his wife.
b.
The latest baseball scores.
c.
A mounted fish.
d. Pictures
15. What does Santiago dream of on the night before he promises
Manolin to go 'far out' to the sea?
a.
A great storm
b.
A beautiful women
c. Lions on the beach
d.
A wrestling match
16. How does the old man know immediately the size of the great
marlin has caught?
a.
Soon after taking the bait, the fish jumps into the air showing itself to the
old man.
b.
Santiago has encountered this fish before as a younger man.
c. He pulls and pulls on the line and nothing happens.
d.
He doesn't know the size of the fish until after the sharks have attacked it.
17. In which year was 'The Old Man and the Sea' published?
a.
1950
b.
1951
c. 1952
d.
1953
18. During his great struggle with the marlin, what does
Santiago wish repeatedly?
a.
He wishes he were younger.
b.
He wishes for better equipment.
c.
He wishes that the fishermen who mocked him earlier were present to witness his
victory.
d. He wishes that the boy, Manolin were with him.
19. What happens to make Santiago curse his treachery of his own
body?
a.
He is sea sick.
b.
He has diarrhoea
c. His hand cramps.
d.
He needs to sleep.
20. In order to help himself catch the fish, what does Santiago
do?
a.
He promises to pay more attention to Manolin upon his return.
b. He decides to recite ten Hail Marys and ten Our Fathers.
c.
He lightens the boat by throwing all unnecessary weight overboard.
d.
He ties the skiff to a buoy so that the fish cannot pull it farther out to sea.
21. What does the old man remove and eat from the belly of a
dolphin?
a.
Shrimp
b. Flying fish
c.
Seaweed
d.
Piranha
22. How does Santiago finally kill the marlin?
a. He harpoons it through the heart.
b.
He stabs it between the eyes.
c.
He lashes it to the inside of the boat.
d.
He bashes its head with his club.
23. Who attacked the dead marlin?
a.
Dolphins
b. Sharks
c.
Piranhas
d.
Octopus
24. How long does it take for the sharks to arrive and attack
the marlin?
a.
Ten minutes
b. One hour
c.
Six hours
d.
A full day
25. What happens upon the old man's return to his fishing
village?
a. Manolin promises to sail with him.
b.
The fishermen mock Santiago for the folly of sailing out so far.
c.
The villagers ask the old man to recount his adventures.
d.
A statue is erected in his honour.
26. Where is the old man from?
a.
Japan
b. Africa
c.
Iceland
d.
Puerto Rico
27. What does the old man's apprentice bring him?
a.
A broken oar
b.
A cake
c. Coffee and Newspaper
d.
The fish
28. How long was the fish the old man caught?
a.
5 feets
b.
22 feets
c.
12 feets
d. 18 feets
29. What does the old man leave on the shore when he returns to
his shack?
a.
The mast of the ship
b. The bones of the marlin
c.
The fish
d.
His harpoon
30. How does Santiago lose the fish?
a.
It becomes untied and sinks
b.
It swims away
c. It is eaten by sharks
d.
It is eaten by dolphin
31. For how many days is the old man pulled by the fish?
a. Two
b.
Seven
c.
One
d.
Three
32. Where does the old man go to end his unlucky streak?
a.
The Forbidden Cave
b.
The Northern Sink
c.
The Bermuda Triangle
d. The Gulf Stream
33. Why does Santiago not let his lines drift like the other
fishermen?
a.
He is a stubborn man who prefers the old- fashioned way of fishing.
b. He believes it is imprecise, and he strives always to be
exact.
c.
It is dangerous, as he might be tangled with another boat.
d.
He is no longer young or strong enough to control a drifting line.
34. What does the weary warbler that lands in Santiago's fishing
line make the old man think of?
a.
The probability that he, like the bird, will never make it back to land.
b. The predatory hawks that await the bird's arrival near land.
c.
The hidden strength of the weak.
d.
The beauty of the natural world
35. What kind of fish does Santiago catch first?
a. A tuna
b.
A marlin
c.
A shrimp
d.
A Portuguese man-of-war
36. The Old Man and the Sea can be interpreted as a double
allegory namely
a.
Man's struggle with hardships, and his ability to endure
b. Nature of man's struggle with life, and of artist's struggle
with art
c.
Man's struggle with his nemesis, and his victory
d.
The power of Strength and Victory
37. What affliction does the great Joe DiMaggio suffer from?
a. A bone spur
b.
Alcoholism
c.
A ruined knee
d.
Failing eyesight
38. To give himself confidence, Santiago remembers his contest
with "the great negro of Cienfuegos". At what sport did the old man
beat this challenger?
a.
Fencing
b.
Tennis
c. Arm wrestling
d.
Boxing
39. After the shark attack, Santiago reflects that destruction
is inevitable. How does he articulate this philosophy?
a.
The world is such an inhospitable place that no death should be mourned.
b.
Out, out, brief candle!
c.
Even the worthiest opponents must fall.
d. Everything in the world kills everything else in some way.
40. The old man remembers that once, when he killed a female
marlin, the male marlin
a.
Bit the tail off the female
b.
Returned with a pose of marlin seeking revenge
c.
Made a sound like there were nails being driven through his fins.
d. Swam alongside the boat as though in mourning
41. The Old Man and the Sea is set in:
a.
Marshall Island
b.
Canary Island
c.
Puerto Rico
d. Cuba
42. How many times in the novel does Santiago dream about lions
at play on the beaches of Africa?
a.
Seven
b. Three
c.
Five
d.
Ten
43. Hemingway says everything about Santiago is old except
a.
His hands
b.
His neck
c.
His mouth
d. His eyes
44. In which month does the story take place?
a.
October
b.
May
c.
July
d. September
45. Where is Santiago originally from?
a.
Cuba
b.
Mexico
c. Canary Islands
d.
Morocco
46. What does Santiago call the sea?
a.
EL MAR
b. LA MAR
c.
DORADO
d.
SALAO
47. What kind of ship did Santiago work in his youth?
a. Turtling
b.
Trading
c.
Sailing
d.
Fishing
48. How deep was the line on which the marlin bit?
a. 100 fathoms
b.
300 fathoms
c.
200 fathoms
d.
400 fathoms
49. According to Santiago, which city's light would guide him
home?
a. Havana
b.
Cardenas
c.
San Juan
d.
Bautista
50. What did Santiago see that made him realise "no man was
ever alone on the sea"?
a. A flock of ducks
b.
Porpoises
c.
The stars
d.
Another boat
VERY SHORT QUESTIONS
1. Why does Manolin no longer fish with Santiago?
Ans.
Manolin no longer fishes with Santiago because his parents told him to fish
with others.
2. What does the old man call the sea?
Ans.
The old man calls the sea "la mar" because he likes to think of it as
a woman that gives or withholds great favours.
3. At his first full day of fighting with the fish wears on,
what does Santiago begin to think about his adversary?
Ans.
Santiago begins to think about his adversary that he and the marlin are
brothers, joined by the fact that they both ventured far out beyond all people
and dangers in the water.
4. What type of sea creature does the old man catch for food
that has flying fish in its belly?
Ans.
Knowing he needs nutrition, the old man lowers another one of his lines and
manages to catch a dolphin. Inside the dolphin's belly, the old man finds two
flying fish.
5. Where had the old man gone in his youth that he dreamed about
every night?
Ans.
When he was young, the old man journeyed to the beaches of Africa and saw lions
playing on the beach. Every night, instead of great fish or his long gone wife,
he dreams of the lions on the beach.
6. What handicap does Joe DiMaggio, the old man's favourite
baseball player, suffer from?
Ans.
Joe DiMaggio suffers from bone spurs. They are short, painful bony growths from
normal bone. The old man doesn't know what they are, but he figures that if
"the Great DiMaggio" suffers through them then he can certainly
handle this fish.
7. How does Santiago feel when his hand cramps?
Ans.
The old man does not even mind being cut on the hand as much as he does his
hand cramping. He curses his left hand and feels humiliated when it curls into
a claw.
8. As the conflict between the old man and the fish drags on,
how does the old man view the fish?
Ans.
The old man has great respect for nature, and views the fish as an equal and a
brother, but that does not stop his determination to kill him.
9. The first time the old man makes a promise to God, how many
times does Santiago vow to say both the "Our Father" and "Hail
Mary" in order to kill the fish?
Ans.
To ease his suffering and perhaps gain divine help. the old man promises to say
ten "Our Fathers" and ten "Hail Marys". The old man remarks
that "Our Fathers is easier to say than "Hail Marys".
10. Why does the thought of selling the fish's meat disappoint
the old man?
Ans.
The thought of selling the fish's meat disappoints the old man because he knows
that the people who will eat the meat are unworthy.
SHORT QUESTIONS
1. How far was the old man familiar with the various kinds of
fish in the sea?
Ans.
The old man was very much conversant with all the creatures of the sea. He
could minutely differentiate in their movements and actions. Once during the
night two porpoise (small whales) came around the boat and he could hear them
rolling and blowing. He could tell the difference between the blowing noise the
male made and the sighing blow of the female. He said, "They play and make
jokes'.
2. How does Santiago embody a hero?
Ans.
Santiago demonstrates a remarkable resolve. Not only does he refuse to give up,
despite his lack of success for so many days, but he maintains a thoughtful
philosophy regarding his relationship with success, living, dying, and hunting.
His devotion to the marlin is not out of ego, as Santiago is aware of his own
pride, but rather respect and honour for the great fish. Even as the sharks
destroy everything he has fought and bled for, Santiago proceeds nobly,
thinking of the trials his own hero Joe DiMaggio endured and attempting to live
up to the standard set by the great ballplayer.
3. What does Manolin represent to Santiago?
Ans.
Though Santiago has no children of his own. The devoted Manolin serves as
someone like a son for the old man and a nod to the next generation, underlying
the story's message concerning the cyclical nature of life. Santiago's journey
to conquer the marlin is the grand culmination of his lifelong career as a
fisherman. Manolin, the dutiful apprentice, is primed to take the baton,
symbolising the act of shepherding in the next generation.
4. How does Santiago lose the marlin?
Ans.
On the fourth day, Santiago is still struggling, unable to reel in the marlin.
When the marlin begins to circle the boat, still hooked. Santiago stabs it with
a harpoon in a fit of near delirium, killing it. Because the marlin is too big
to fit in the boat, he fastens it to the side. The smell of its blood draws the
attention of a mako shark. The shark lashes at the marlin. and although
Santiago manages to kill the shark with his harpoon, fresh blood from the
attack brings more sharks. Several arrive to scavenge the remains; Santiago
fights them valiantly but is unable to prevent them from eating the remains of
the marlin, so that when he arrives home, only the skeleton remains.
5. In your opinion, is Santiago successful as a fisherman? Why
or why not?
Ans.
Hemingway draws a distinction between two different types of success: outer,
material success and inner, spiritual success. While Santiago clearly lacks the
former, the import of this lack is eclipsed by his possession of the later. One
way to describe Santiago's story is as a triumph of indefatigable spirit over
exhaustible material resources. As noted above, the characteristics of such a
spirit are those of heroism and manhood. That Santiago can end the novella
undefeated after steadily losing his hard-earned, most valuable possession is a
testament to the privilege of inner success over outer success.
LONG QUESTIONS
1. Describe Hemingway's portrayal of Santiago's relationship
with the sea.
Ans.
Hemingway focuses on the connections between Santiago and his natural
environment: the fish, birds, and stars are all his brothers or friends; he has
the heart of a turtle, eats turtle eggs for strength; and drinks shark liver
oil for health. This connection with the sea and its creatures helps Santiago
in the midst of his great tragedy. For Santiago, success and failure are two
equal facets of the same existence. They are transitory forms which
capriciously arrive and depart without affecting the underlying unity between
himself and nature. As long as he focuses on this unity and sees himself as
part of nature rather than as an external antagonist competing with it, he
cannot be defeated by whatever misfortunes befall him.
2. Man is not made of defeat. Justify in the context of the
novel.
Ans.
Santiago, the hero, is a man of invincible courage and unconquerable will. He
refuses to be called 'unlucky'. He decides to go far beyond the customary
fishing area. He is ready to expose himself to greater danger. He says that his
big fish must be somewhere in the sea. He fails to hunt any fish for the last
eighty four days, but he is not despaired or discouraged at it. He decides to
try his luck on the eighty-fifth day.
The
Old Man goes on his expedition. When the great trial comes, he is alone. The
Old Man succeeds in hooking a big marlin. It is very 'beautiful and strange'.
It is bigger than his skiff. This powerful fish tows the boat and drags the Old
Man with it. He struggles with the fish and finally kills it. The first to
attack his marlin and second is a very big Mako shark. He hits the shark and it
dies but it takes away the harpoon. Santiago says, 'But man is not made for
defeat, A man can be destroyed but cannot be defeated'. It is in his spirits
that he gets ready to fight against more sharks.
3. How does Santiago serve as a Christ figure?
Ans.
Throughout the novella, a number of allusions to Christ's crucifixion appear,
speaking to the suffering, rebirth, healing, and redemption of Santiago's
journey. When the sharks arrive to attack the Marlin, Santiago makes a noise
"such as a man might make, involuntarily, feeling the nail go through his
hands and into the wood." When he returns to shore, Santiago takes down
the mast and carries it up the hill to his shack, much like how Christ was
ordered to carry the cross to his own crucifixion. More broadly, however,
Santiago gladly accepts his own death as a likely outcome from his time at sea,
speaking to a peace of mind about his life and purpose. When he returns, the
presence of Manolin suggests there is something regenerative about passing the
baton from one generation to the next, and that Santiago lives on in his young
apprentice just as Christ had risen.
English Elective (CONTENTS)
WOVEN WORDS | ||
CH. NO. | NAME OF CHAPTERS | AUTHOR |
PROSE | ||
1. | ||
2. | ||
3. | ||
4. | ||
5. | ||
6. | ||
POETRY | ||
1. | ||
2. | ||
3. | ||
4. | ||
5. | ||
6. | ||
7. | ||
8. | ||
ESSAY | ||
1. | ||
2. | ||
3. | ||
5. | ||
6. | ||
7. | ||
DRAMA | ||
1. | ||
NOVEL | ||
1. | ||
