The Enemy-Textual Questions

1. There are moments in life when we have to make hard choices between our roles as private individuals and as citizens with a sense of national loyalty. Discuss with reference to the story you have just read.

Answer

Dr. Sadao encounters with the dilemma-to live as private individual whose moral and ethical responsibility is to save the soldier & second is a Japanese to make the soldier arrest.
So as a doctor and as an individual his first job is to save man-takes ethical responsibility, he risks his life, fame and social status- takes him to his house and makes efforts to save him.
But his other side-sense of patriotism as well as nationalism also involves a report to police, takes the general in confidence and plans to make him killed but later on again helps the soldier in escaping off. Thus Dr. Sadao personality is displayed.

2. Dr Sadao was compelled by duty as a doctor to help the enemy soldier. What made Hana, his wife, sympathetic to him in the face of open defiance from the domestic staff?

Answer

Dr Sadao and Hana knew that their decision to save the enemy soldier would be questioned by everyone. However, they firmly followed their sense of duty. For Dr Sadao this sense of duty came from the profession he was in; but for Hana, the duty was purely humanitarian. From bearing the unrest in her domestic staff to being forced to do all the chores of house-hold herself, she does all with grace and dignity. Hana’s loving, considerate and sympathetic nature shines out. She washed and fed the soldier although it was not her job. Her care helped recuperate the soldier fast. It is also apparent from the story that she respected her husband, and as a sense of duty towards him, did the needful. This explains why she, even after feeling sick, comes back to the room and readily does whatever is told by her husband during the operation.

3. How would you explain the reluctance of the soldier to leave the shelter of the doctor’s home even when he knew he couldn’t stay there without risk to the doctor and himself ? 

Answer

When the American war prisoner came to consciousness and realized that he was saved by a Japanese family, he feared that he will be soon handed over to the army. However, as he noticed the amount of concern and care given to him by the family, he understood that he was in safe hands. He knew that although he was a threat to the doctor’s family, his own life might be saved there. Burdened with gratitude towards the family, he ultimately decides to comply with what the doctor planned for him - the escape.

4. What explains the attitude of the General in the matter of the enemy soldier? Was it human consideration, lack of national loyalty, dereliction of duty or simply self absorption?

Answer

The General was totally governed by self absorption. He was a patient of Dr Sadao and did not trust anyone except him when it came to his health. He could not take the risk of living unprotected if the doctor was executed for treachery. He had personal assassins whom he promised to use for killing the injured soldier. But ironically, he ‘forgot’ his promise to help the doctor. Human consideration was not his cup of tea.

5. While hatred against a member of the enemy race is justifiable, especially during war time, what makes a human being rise above narrow prejudices?

Answer

News of war is fast becoming a way of life. The moment one picks up a newspaper, one is bombarded with news of wars between different countries, directly or indirectly. It is obvious that the countries at war are enemies and hatred is a part of this enmity. However the success of humanity comes when we rise above this enmity and show our love towards the civilization as a whole. Dr Sadao did the same. He did whatever he could to save the life of a man whom he knew was a war prisoner. The instant he saw the injured man, he was filled with concern. Ignoring the fact that he was the enemy of his country and must have killed so many Japanese and may kill even more, if alive, he saved him.

6. Do you think the doctor’s final solution to the problem was the best possible one in the circumstances?

Answer

The doctor tried his best to save the injured soldier as a part of his duty. But the ultimate question was what to do next. It cannot be said that he betrayed his country as he told the truth to the General. However when he noticed that the soldier was to be killed not for the benefit of the country but only to save the doctor’s life, he decided to help him flee. In such a situation, the doctor's final solution to the problem was the best possible one.

Improve Your Memory Power for Study

One of the qualities of a brilliant student is having a good memory power. Students need to learn and understand things as well as to retain that learning in their mind for long time. Only learning things may not be enough. A student should also retain this learning in his mind so that he can reproduce this learning in his exam to get higher marks. Memorizing what you have learnt is a part of preparation for exam. Being a student you should have a sketch of what you learnt in your mind for long time. Many students complain that they can learn things but they cannot retain it in their mind for longer time.

Some very useful tips are given below to enhance your memory for your studies:

   1)One time study is not enough – Revising Helps To Improve your Memory

Studying a lesson once is not enough to retain it in mind for months. You should revises your topics as many times as possible. It is a common habit of most of the students – they study a topic once and never revise it; and complain about forgetting the content soon. It is natural for human brain that the more you revise, the longer is it retained in your mind. A student needs to revise his subject (topics and chapters) again and again so they can retain it in their minds for long time.

2)  Write the main points while your learn – You may read it loud to retain it in your mind.

These are very helpful tips for students. Whenever you read a book to learn it, try to have a pen and paper with you to write down it important points at the same time. It really helps in retaining these points in your mind. Another way is also to read a bit louder while you study a book. When you listen your own words, it helps your retain it in your mind for longer.

3)  Associating an idea with other idea to retain it in mind for long time

According to the Psychological theories, we learn and remember things by associating them with other relevant things. It is true. Whenever you study from a book, try to associate each idea, you learn, with other relevant idea you have learnt before. This association helps retaining the ideas in your mind for long time. You may find it a bit difficult in the start but you will get used to it with the passage of time and will help you a lot.

4)  Build A Sketch of Group of Ideas in Your Mind – Make a story form for long process

When you learn things while studying, the best way to retain it in mind is to make an overall sketch of all the learning in your mind. After studying a topic, think like this topic has these specific ideas and you have to remember all of them making its image in your mind.

If you have to learn some very lengthy processes in your book (i.e some chemical cycle in environment) you should give it a story form, i.e this thing happened first, the other thing happened the next and so on. Giving a shape of story to such lengthy topics, in your mind, enables you memorize it easily. 

5)  Devise short abbreviations (or short sentence) for retaining long complicated ideas in mind

The books contain many formulae, equations and long processes divided in parts. These formulae and equations need to be memorized by a student in its real form. Students have to memorize them to answer the questions in their exams. It becomes difficult to remember many equations and formulae in their real form because it confuse them to remember elements of each formula or equation.

There is a very useful tactic to memorize them. The tactic is to make a short abbreviation (or sentence) for such formula or equation, the each alphabet of the abbreviation stands for each element of the formula or equation which needs to be memorized.

For instance a student of 10th grade is studying his book of Biology. He is studying a biological process in which cells divides to make more cells, called “Mitosis”. Mitosis consist of four stages to complete. 1st stage: Phrophase, 2nd stage:Metaphase, 3rd stage:Anaphase 4th stage:Telophase. The student has to memorize the names of each stage involved in the “Mitosis”. He makes an abbreviation for it i.e. PMAT. See all the alphabet of this abbreviation PMAT stands for name of each stage of Mitosis in it correct sequence.

6)  Practice Exercise that are designed to Improve your Memory

There are many exercise which enhance the overall function of brain i.e. meditation exercises, Yoga exercises, playing a game like chess which need more consumption of your brain to play them. And some exercise are specifically designed for enhancing the memory power, practice them. For example if you see a scenery on a wall which have many things in it. Then go to another room and try to recall the names of thing which were in that scenery and write these names on a paper. Doing such an exercise on regular basis will enhance your memory.

7)  Diet Rich in Nutrients good For Memory

Your intake should those nutrients which are essential for brain health. Include sea foods (i.e fish) in your daily intake; they have omega-3 fatty acid which is the best nutrient for brain. You should prefer to eat a lot fruits and vegetable daily because they have antioxidants like carotene, vitamin B, E. These antioxidants protect the brain cell and junctions of cells from damage. Try to skip foods having very high amount of fat and sugar contents.

8)  Have Good and Proper Bed Rest in the night

Human brain is constantly working all the day and therefore it should be given rest after particular period of time to relax it for further working. You should have proper and sufficient night rest to enhance your memory power.

9)  Taking Physical Exercise Daily Are Good For Improving Memory Power

Getting physical exercise speed up the circulation of blood in your body; hence it also enhances the blood circulation to your brain. The blood serves as a food for your brain. Try to get physical exercise for at least half an hour a day, it will enhance power of your memory.

Keeping Quiet-Summary for CBSE Class 12

Summary of the poem:

In this poem, the poet has emphasized the need to introspect and bring in the spirit of brotherhood among the people of the world. He wants people to stop talking and stop all movements symbolizing agitation and restlessness till he counts twelve, that is, a short period of time. These moments of silence would be strange and exotic because in our mundane life we are working towards selfish goals, regardless of the other’ requirements and emotions. Hence, this sudden silence would give us an opportunity to introspect. Since we would not speak for a while, barriers between communities would break and a sense of brotherhood would prevail. Man would get an opportunity to realize how he is destroying nature and how he is harming himself. Futile wars against men and nature would be arrested and a new feeling of unity would be experienced. The poet does not want his desire for inactivity to be misunderstood as a state of uselessness. He wants men to learn a lesson from the Earth. The Earth appears to be inactive yet it is selflessly productive. Men too could be productive and progressive without any aggression, selfishness and the urge for destruction.

The voice of the rain- summary

Note the summary in your classwork copy

      The poet Walt Whitman writes of a conversation he once had with the rain as it dropped gently from the heavens. 'Who are you?' the poet asked. Strangely, the raindrops replied and the poet translates its answer for the readers.
'I am the poem of the earth,' said the rain. The rain adds that it is born in the form of invisible and intangible vapours that rise eternally from the earth's land and deep water bodies. It then reaches heaven (the sky) and changes its appearance complete to form clouds of abstract, changeable shapes. Yet, at its core, it remains the same as it was at birth.
It then returns to earth as little droplets which wash away the dust and rejuvenate the drought-ridden, dry land. New plants find life which would have otherwise remained hidden and unborn inside the land as mere seeds. Thus, this perpetual cyclic lifestyle ensures that the rain retunes to its origin, the earth, giving it life, and making it pure and beautiful.
The poet realises that the rain's life is similar to that of any song. A song's birth place is the poet's heart. Once complete, it is passed on (wanders) from one person to another. It may change (reck'd) or remain the same (unreck'd) as it travels, but one day, it returns to the poet with all due love of the listeners.

The poem is written from the point of view of someone who asked the rain who it was and was answered, it saying "I am the poem of the Earth", then proceeding to tell how it comes from the earth, only to return once again to wash it and nourish it...that if it were not for the rain, seeds would remain seeds and not flower into their full potential...giving back life to its origin. Then the poem's "turn" uses this story as a segway to show how "song, issuing from its birth-place, after fulfillment, wandering, Reck'd or unreck'd, duly with love returns." Meaning that songs come from the soul and after they've been heard, and thought good or bad, return with love. Just as rain rises and falls back again, so do poems, songs and other forms of beauty from the soul.(The ‘rain’ is like a song which originates from its birth-place i.e. the heart of the singer and travels everywhere round the globe and returns back to the singer in the form of adulation or acclaim. . It returns back in whatever condition it is, whether it is ruined or not, it returns back with a lot of love to its birth-place)

THE PORTRAIT OF A LADY FOR CLASS 11

*NOTE : NOTE CONTENT MATERIAL IN YOUR CLASS WORK COPIES

Question: The author’s grandmother was a religious person. What are the different ways in which we come to know this?

Answer: The author’s grandmother was a deeply religious lady. We come to know this through the different ways of her behaviour. She visited the temple every morning and read scriptures. At home she always mumbled inaudible prayer and kept telling the beads of rosary. She would repeat prayers in a sing-song manner while getting the writer ready for school. She hoped that he would learn it by heart. She didn’t like English school as there was no teaching of God and scriptures.

Even while spinning at her spinning-wheel she would recite prayers. Perhaps it was only once that she forgot to say her prayers. It was on the evening prior to her death when she felt over excited while celebrating the arrival of her grandson with songs and beatings of drum. She continued praying and telling beads of her rosary toll her last breath.

Question: Describe the changing relationship between the author and his grandmother. Did their feelings for each other change?

Answer: During his boyhood, the author was completely dependent on his grandmother. She was a part of his life. The turning point in their friendship came when they went to city. She could no longer accompany him to school as he went there by bus. They shared the same room but she could not help him in his studies. She would ask him what the teachers had taught. She did not believe in the things that were taught at school. She was distressed that there was no teaching about God and the scriptures. She felt offended that music was also being taught. She expressed her disapproval silently. After this she rarely talked to him. When he went to university, he was given a room of his own. The common link of friendship was snapped.

However their feelings for each other did not change. They still loved each other deeply. She went to see the author off a at the railway station but kissed his forehead silently. The author valued this as perhaps the last sign of physical contact between them. When the author returned after five years, she received him at the station. She clasped him in her arms. In the evening she celebrated his homecoming by singing songs and beating an old drum.

Question: Would you agree that the author’s grandmother was a person strong in character? If yes, give instances that show this.

Answer: Yes, I agree that the author’s grandmother was a person strong in character. She was a strong woman with strong beliefs. Although she was not formally educated, she was serious about the author’s education. She could not adjust herself to the western way of life, Science and English education. She hated music and disapproved of its teaching in school.

She was a deeply religious lady. Her lips were always moving in a silent prayer. She was always telling the beads of her rosary. She went to temple daily and read the scriptures. She was distressed to know that there was no teaching of god and holy books at Khushwant’s new English school. She was a kind lady. She used to feed dogs in the village. In the city she took to feeding sparrows. Although in old years and weak in body, she had strength of mind. Just before her death, she refused to talk to the members of the family as she did not want to waste her time. She wanted to make up for the time last evening when she had not prayed to God. She lay peacefully in bed saying prayers and telling the beads of her rosary till she breathed her last.