Lesson 5.
The Scarecrow (Satyajit Ray)
Q1.Who was Mriganko Babu? Why did he go to Duragpur?
Ans:- Mrigonko Babu was a famous and popular writer of Bengal. He went to Durgapur because he had been invited by a club to attend a cultural function and get felicitation.
Q2.What happened to him on his way back to Calcutta?
Ans. On his way back to Calcutta, his car ran out of petrol.
Q3.The write says about Migranko Babu, ‘He was not one to believe in superstitions, and certainly never consulted the almanac before travelling anywhere.’ What is his tone?(Tick the correct answer)
- Serious
- mocking
- approving
- critical.
Ans. His tone is both critical and serious. He did not believe in superstitions. But when his car ran out of petrol, he began to think if he had consulted the almanac that day he would have avoided undertaking the journey.
Q4.Mriganko tried doing different things to kill time while waiting for his driver. What did he finally decide to do?
Ans. After sitting in the sun for sometime, he returned to the car ,began to read a detective novel but could not concentrate on it. He then started thinking of a suitable plot for a story being asked by the Bharat Magazine and wrote down a few points which lured him into sound sleep in the car.
Q5.What attracted Mriganko Babu to the scarecrow?
Ans. The red and black printed shirt that had been placed over the structure attracted Mriganko Babu to the scarecrow. It was this very shirt that reminded him of someone.
Q6.What changes did Mriganko Babu notice in the scarecrow?
Ans. Mriganko Babu noticed many changes in the appearance of the scarecrow. The two arms of it lowered a little. It seemed a little stiff in its appearance and more like a real person. The bamboo poles seemed two legs and the black earthen pot seemed much smaller. He even saw it advancing towards him.
Q7.Who was Abhiram? Why had he lost his job in Mriganko Babu’s house?
Ans.Abhiram was a servant in the house of Mrigonko Babu. He had worked there for twenty years. Everybody trusted him. One day Mriganko Babu’s watch disappeared in the house and Abhiram was suspected to have stolen the watch but he denied the charge. A local witch doctor was called who rotated an ordinary wicker tray that pointed at Abhiram when it stopped. Then there was no doubt about his guilt and so he lost his job in Mrigonko Babu’s house.
Q8. ‘Now I have found peace.’ How did Abihiram find peace?
Ans. Abhiram found peace and relief by telling the truth to Mrigonko Baby about the disappeared watch.
Q9.Abhiram is nothing but the product of Mriganko Babu’s imagination.Do you agree with the statement? Why/why not?
Ans. Yes, we agree that Abhiram is nothing but the product of Mrigonko Babu’s imagination. A scarecrow doesnot come to life and speaks like a human being. But in the story , we see that the scarecrow comes to life and speaks in human voice in the person of Abhiram. The story doesnot seem convincing. Hence, imaginative touch is found not only in the character of Abhiram but also in other events of the story.
Reference to the context:
Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.
- He put his note book away ……………..he had never felt so completely desolate.
- Who is he in these lines ?
Ans. He stands for Mrigonko Babu in these lines.
- What was he writing on the note book?
Ans-He was writing some points for a story being asked by the Bharat Magazine on the notebook.
- Who caught his attention? Why?
Ans. The scarecrow caught his attention .It caught his attention because it wore a printed shirt that reminded him of some one.
2.Because I knew that one day ………what I learnt after death.
a)What did Abiram want to meet Mriganko Babu?
Ans. He wanted to meet Mriganko Babu because he wanted to tell him the truth about the stolen watch.
b)What did Abhiram learn after death?
Ans. He learnt after death that we should always tell the truth.
c)How did he been declared a thief?
Ans. When Abhiram denied the charge of stealing the watch ,a local witch doctor was called who by rotating a wicker tray declared him a thief.
d)What did he accused of stealing?
Ans.He was accused of stealing Mriganko Babu’s watch.
Explanation with the Reference to the context
- “On the western side ,things were not all that different …………..but it was quite sunny where Mriganko Babu standing .”
Context:-These lines have been taken from the lesson “ The Scarecrow” written by Satyajit Ray .Here ,the writer presents an encounter of Mriganko Babu with the scarecrow while waiting for his driver ,Sudheer.
Explanation:-The lines here under discussion presents the picture of the road on the western side .There was a pond about forty feet away from the road, there were thorny bushes ,two huts quite far away without any trace of habitation. There was a scarecrow in the middle of the field There were clouds in the northern sky but still it was quite warm around.