12th English Unit 1 - 1.1 Prose (Two Gentle Man Of Verona) Text Book & Additional Solutions

Content Description
Class	Twelth Standard (12^th)
Subject	English
Unit	1
Section	1.1 Prose - Two Gentle Man Of Verona

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Textual Questions

1

Answer the following questions in one or two sentences each based on your understanding of the story.

(a) Who did the narrator meet at the outskirts of Verona ?
The Narrator met Nicola and Jacopo at the outskirts of Verona.
(b) Why did the driver not approve of the narrator buying fruits from the boys ?
The fruit vendors were shabby in their appearance. So, the driver did not approve of the narrator’s idea of buying fruits from them.
(c) The boys did not spend much on clothes and food. Why ?
The boys had to save every penny towards the weekly medical bill of their sister Lucia. So, they did not spend much on the clothes and food.
(d) Were the boys saving money to go the States ? How do you know ?
No, the boys did not save the money to go to States. The boys themselves admit that they have other plans.
(e) Why did the author avoid going to Lucia’s room ?
The author did not want to disturb the privacy of the family party and the sense of pride the boys had in supporting their elder sister.
(f) What was Lucia suffering from ?
Lucia was suffering from tuberculosis of the spine.
(g) What made the boys join the resistance movement against the Germans ?
The boys hated the Germans who had destroyed their town and killed their father. So, they joined the resistance movement against the Germans.
(h) What made the boys work so hard ?
They did not want charity from the hospital. The determination to save the life of their sister made the boys work hard.
(i) Why didn't the boys disclose their problem to the author ?
The little boys did not want sympathy but any work which would fetch them money. So, they did not disclose their problem to the author.

2

Answer the following questions in three or four sentences each.

(a) Describe the appearance of Nicola and Jacopo.
One boy had worn Jersey and cut-off khaki pants. The other had a shortened army tunic gathered in loose folds about his skinny frame. They had tangled hair and dark earnest eyes.
(b) What were the various jobs undertaken by the little boys ?
The little boys sold wild berries. They shined shoes. They showed visitors through the town to Juliet’s tomb and other places of interest. They even booked a seat for the narrator in a theatre and got American cigars too.
(c) How did the narrator help the boys on Sunday ?
The author took the boys in his car to a tiny village called Poleta,set high upon a hill. He drove the car up to a large red-roofed villa. The boys asked the author to come there after an hour and went inside.
(d) Who took the author to the cubicle ?
Attained nurse who was very familiar with Nicola and Jacopo took the narrator in. She led him through a cool, tiled vestibule into the hospital, the villa had become. She left him at the door of a little cubicle from where he can watch unseen Nicola and Jacopa chatting with their ailing sister.
(e) Describe the girl with whom the boys were talking to in the cubicle.
Lucia was a girl of about twenty. She was propped up on pillows wearing a pretty lace jacket. Her eyes were soft and tender.
(f) Recount the untold sufferings undergone by the siblings after they were rendered homeless.
The boys and their sister were thrown in the streets. Lucia had to give up her singing lessons. They had suffered horribly from near starvation and exposure to the cold winter. Lucia developed tuberculosis of the spine. The boys built a home from the rubbles. They had to admit Lucia in a nursing home. To pay the weekly medical bill, they worked from dawn to midnight doing odd jobs eating very little.
(g) The narrator did not utter a word and preferred to keep the secret to himself. Why ? Substantiate the statement with reference to the story.
After coming out of the hospital the boys sat beside the narrator. Throughout the 30 km ride, they did not say a word. The narrator did not say a word because he wanted the boys to feel that their sacrifice and sufferings remained a secret. However, the narrator was touched by the devotion of the little boys.

3

Answer the following in a paragraph of 100–150 words each.

3 (а)

What was the driving force that made the boys do various jobs ?

In the war-hit Verona everything was difficult. Food had become scarce and dear. The hospital which offered to treat Lucia was forced to charge a weekly fee. Work was scarce. But the boys were determined to save the life of their beloved sister. After the untimely death of the father

In the war, the two little boys Nicola and Jacopo took the responsibility of earning money by doing all odd jobs for defraying the medical expenses for their sister on their tender shoulders. They spent very little on their food and clothes. The driving force behind their selfless sacrifice and hard work from dawn to midnight was the love they had for their elder sister. They wanted her to get well soon and become an accomplished singer in life. Once you set a goal far above your capacity but work hard ceaselessly, you are bound to achieve it.

3 (b)

How was the family affected by the war ?

Before the war, Nicola and Jacopo’s widowed father was a well-known singer. He was killed in the early part of the war leaving Lucia, his daughter behind to take care of the little boys. Shortly after a bomb destroyed their home. The three children were thrown into the streets. They had always known a comfortable and cultured life. Lucia was training to become a singer. Suddenly they were uprooted from their cozy life. They had suffered from near starvation and exposure to cold winter. The home they rebuilt from the rubbles was not weather-proof. The boys joined the secret services of resistance moment as they hated Germans. When they returned home after the war, they found their sister affected by tuberculosis of the spine. They persuaded a private hospital to take Lucia in. Every week they worked hard to pay for their sister’s medical expenses. To achieve it they had to sacrifice a lot.

3 (c)

Write a character sketch of Nicola and Jacopo.

Nicola was 13 and Jacopo only 12. They were brothers. They were tanned, had tangled hair and dark earnest eyes. Though they were just kids, they were serious about their work. They did hundreds of errands for the tourists. They were found doing brisk business shining shoes or selling wild berries. They had the skill to find seats in theater for the tourists and also guide the tourists through many important sites of the city of Verona such as Juliet’s tomb. Jacopo was lively as a squirrel. Nicola’s smile was steady and engaging yet in their innocent faces one could find seriousness far beyond their years. What struck one was the extreme willingness of both the boys to work. Under the scorching Sun, they hawked newspapers. When the narrator enquired what they did with the money they earned as they were not spending it on clothes or food or saving it for emigrating to America, Nicola coloured but he did not reveal the secret family adversity. Both are gentlemen because they did not want any one’s sympathy.

3 (d)

What message is conveyed through the story ‘Two Gentlemen of Verona’ ?

Adversity is a touchstone of virtue. Both the little boys resemble tea leaves. Their best essence comes to limelight when they find themselves in hot waters. But they don’t complain. One does not give up on family relations when misfortune strikes. The bond becomes strong as the bond demands selfless sacrifice. The nobility of human life emerges from the precious lessons one learns from the supreme sacrifices of Nicola and Jacopo. One who shoulders the responsibility of taking care of the loved ones, irrespective of age, is an exemplary gentleman worthy of emulation. The primary motivational force of an individual is to find meaning in life. Both the little boys had a specific purpose for their life. They had made up their minds to do what ever work possible to earn money to save their sister and restore her singing career.

3 (e)

Justify the title of the story ‘Two Gentlemen of Verona’.

In the story ‘Two gentlemen of Verona’, the two orphan boys Jacopo and Nicola work immensely and exhaustively. They shine shoes, sell newspapers, run errands and show tourists round the city. They take only figs and black tea as food. They save every penny for the medical treatment of their sister Lucia who is suffering from Tuberculosis of the spine. The narrator himself admits that their willingness to work impressed him. They demonstrate an unusual devotion to their work. The objective of their hard work and purpose behind their half-starved daily routine is not known to many in Verona. Anyone may polish shoes or hawk newspapers but it is the magnanimity of heart and nobleness of purpose that actually determines whether one is a real gentleman or a hypocrite. Hence the title ‘‘Two gentlemen of Verona” is justified.

3 (f)

Adversity brings out the best as well as the worst in people. Elucidate this statement with reference to the story.

Whenever confronted by an adversity, there is a psychological reaction among most of us. Either fight or flee from it. Even adults run away from crisis and seek asylum or support of others. We find hordes of people, when living becomes difficult, migrate to other places to survive. In the face of adversity, even educated people turn to evil ways. They worked hard from dawn to midnight. They did any job that came their way. They shined shoes, hawked newspapers, sold wild fruits and took the people round the city. They spent very little on their food and clothes. Every week they cycled to Poleta and paid Lucia’s medical bill systematically. In this story, the nurse of the private hospital reveals the bitter truth about the economy of Verona. Jobs are scarce. There is inflation. It is difficult to buy food with limited money. When the hospital laid the condition that the little boys Nicola and Jacopo should pay the weekly medical bill for their sister Lucia’s treatment for tuberculosis, they did not back off or give up. Their best qualities came out during adversity. Like tea leaves, they gave their best while in hot waters.

3 (g)

Which character do you like the most in the story and why ?

Of all the characters, I like Nicola who is a 13 year old boy 3 (i.e.) one of the two gentlemen of Verona. Though he is small, he is mature beyond his years. Like John Keets, he hated sympathy and self-pity. He does not want any favour except the opportunity to work. He has an engaging smile. He and his brother Jacopo were hardworking and devoted to their sister Lucia. He has seriousness far beyond his years. Even when kindly enquired by the narrator as to why he was spending little on clothes and food, he doesn’t open up. He colours deeply and grows pale. He even avoided the eyes of the narrator. When his squirrel-like brother requested the narrator to send them in his car to Poleta on Sunday, Nicola doesn’t like it. He glares at his brother in vexation and says, “we couldn’t think of troubling you sir.” He wins the respect of all readers because of his maturity, willingness to work and devotion to his sister.

Additional Questions

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