NIOS Class 12 English | Night of the Scorpion Important Questions with Answers
Q. I remember the night my mother.
He risked the rain again.
i) Who does "he" refer to?
ii) Why did he come inside the house? Where did he hide?
iii) Why does the poet refer to his tail as diabolic?
i) Who does "he" refer to?
ii) Why did he come inside the house? Where did he hide?
iii) Why does the poet refer to his tail as diabolic?
Answer: i) "He" refers to the scorpion.
ii) He came inside the house to seek protection and shelter from the rain. He hid himself beneath a sack of rice.
iii) The sting of the scorpion's tail caused much pain to the poet's mother. He is therefore calling its tail diabolic or devilish.
ii) He came inside the house to seek protection and shelter from the rain. He hid himself beneath a sack of rice.
iii) The sting of the scorpion's tail caused much pain to the poet's mother. He is therefore calling its tail diabolic or devilish.
Q. They clicked their tongues .....
be burned away tonight, they said
i) Who are "they" in the above passage?
ii) What did "they" attribute the mother's suffering to?
iii) Why did "they" want him to sit still?
i) Who are "they" in the above passage?
ii) What did "they" attribute the mother's suffering to?
iii) Why did "they" want him to sit still?
Answer: i) "They" in the above passage refers
to the villagers
ii) They attributed the mother's sufferings to her sins in some previous birth. They said that her present suffering would burn away her sins of her previous birth.
iii) They thought that the poison in the mother's blood moved swiftly as the scorpion moved. They, therefore wanted the scorpion to sit still.
ii) They attributed the mother's sufferings to her sins in some previous birth. They said that her present suffering would burn away her sins of her previous birth.
iii) They thought that the poison in the mother's blood moved swiftly as the scorpion moved. They, therefore wanted the scorpion to sit still.
Q. May the poison purify your
flesh.... the peace of understanding on each face.
i) How did the poison enter the mother's body?
ii) What good did the villages hope that the poison would do?
iii) Explain the phrase: "peace of understanding"
i) How did the poison enter the mother's body?
ii) What good did the villages hope that the poison would do?
iii) Explain the phrase: "peace of understanding"
Answer: i) The scorpion had stung the mother on her toe
and thus the poison entered the mother's body.
ii) The villagers hoped that the poison would purify the mother's body of desire and her spirit of ambition.
iii) Although the villagers were sad to see the mother suffering, the understanding that it was doing some good to both her body and her spirit - brought peace on their faces.
ii) The villagers hoped that the poison would purify the mother's body of desire and her spirit of ambition.
iii) Although the villagers were sad to see the mother suffering, the understanding that it was doing some good to both her body and her spirit - brought peace on their faces.
Q. My father, sceptic,
rationalist,.... upon the bitten toe and put a match to it.
i) Why did a "sceptic, rationalist" try every curse and blessing etc? What does it show?
ii) Why did the father pour a little paraffin and put a match to it?
i) Why did a "sceptic, rationalist" try every curse and blessing etc? What does it show?
ii) Why did the father pour a little paraffin and put a match to it?
Answer: i) Although the poet's father was a sceptic and
rationalist, he was too grieved with the mother's situation to think
practically. So, he tried whatever anyone around suggested to him which would
help to relieve the mother's pain and suffering. It shows that during a crisis,
human beings will do anything suggested to them, by others, to help them
overcome the crisis.
ii) The father put a little paraffin upon the bitten toe and put a match to it (lit it) because it was thought that it would burn the poison of the wound.
ii) The father put a little paraffin upon the bitten toe and put a match to it (lit it) because it was thought that it would burn the poison of the wound.
Q. I watched the flame feeding on my
mother... it lost its sting.
i) Who is 'I' here?
ii) What does "the flame" remind the poet of?
iii) When did the mother find relief?
i) Who is 'I' here?
ii) What does "the flame" remind the poet of?
iii) When did the mother find relief?
Answer: i) "I" here is the poet who is the
narrator.
ii) "The flame" probably reminds the poet of the funeral or burning or cremation of a dead body according to funeral rites. In it, the dead body is consigned to flames. So the burning of the mother's toe, probably reminds the poet of that.
iii) After twenty hours of suffering in pain, the poison finally subsided, and the mother got relief.
ii) "The flame" probably reminds the poet of the funeral or burning or cremation of a dead body according to funeral rites. In it, the dead body is consigned to flames. So the burning of the mother's toe, probably reminds the poet of that.
iii) After twenty hours of suffering in pain, the poison finally subsided, and the mother got relief.
Question: Show the different qualities in the poet's father and mother that are brought out in the poem.
Answer: The father is logical and scientific in his
thinking and does not believe in superstitions and blind beliefs. Yet when his
wife is bitten by the scorpion he is anything but logical. He tries out every
curse and blessing, every possible antidote. He summons the holy man to perform
his rites and even pours paraffin on the bitten to and ignites it. The mother
suffers the bite of the scorpion. She groans and moans on the mat twisting and
turning in pain. As soon as the poison loses its effect she thanks god for
sparing her children. She epitomizes motherhood and like a typical Indian
mother is selfless in her love for her children.
Question:
"After twenty hours
It lost its sting"
a) Explain 'It lost is sting'
Answer: The poison stopped spreading and the pain reduced in the mother's toe.
b) How did the villagers see something positive in the scorpion's attack?
It lost its sting"
a) Explain 'It lost is sting'
Answer: The poison stopped spreading and the pain reduced in the mother's toe.
b) How did the villagers see something positive in the scorpion's attack?
Answer: The peasants believed that the suffering would
cleanse some of her sins of the poet birth or of the next birth. With her
suffering the balance of evil in this world would be reduced. It would cleanse
her soul and kill the spirit of desire which is the root cause of suffering in the
world.
Q. Why does he call the tail ‘diabolic’?
Ans: Because it poisons the person it stings.
Ans: Because it poisons the person it stings.
Q. The word ‘flash’ means —
Ans: A quick and sudden action.
Ans: A quick and sudden action.
Q. Where did the scorpion crawl?
Ans: Under a sack of rice
Ans: Under a sack of rice
Q. How many times ‘they said’ has been repeated?
Ans: Six times.
Ans: Six times.
