Bihar Board Class 11 English The Leader of Men Questions and Answers
Class 11 English The Leader of Men
A. Work in small groups and discuss the following questions :
Question 1.
What is an apartment building ?
Answer:
An apartment building is a residential complex. There are several flats in which several families can live separately on each floor. Generally, an apartment building has several floors.
Question 2.
What amenities should be there in an apartment building ?
Answer:
Since an apartment building has several floors, lilts are essential. Besides lifts there should be regular staris which people may use in an emergency Intercom is also essential for communication with all rooms. There should be a common hall where die residents may have meetings and celebrate functions.
Question 3.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of living in an apartment building ?
Answer:
Advantages : Since there are guards, no unwanted person can enter the building. It is ideal for working couples.
Beggars and salesmen do not pester the residents.
Apartment buildings are free from noise and disturbance.
Disadvantages :
You feel lonely and aloof.
Generally, there is hardly any sun. There is no place to hang your wash.
Are you aware of the lives of the guards in an apartment complex ?
Answer:
Guards come to duty and then go away. I don’t know how they live.
Class 11 English The Leader of Men
B. 1. Answer the following questions briefly :
Question 1.
How many guards were working in the apartment building ?
Answer:
Four guards were working in the apartment building.
Question 2.
Where did they stay ?
Answer:
They lived in small servant quarters near the parking lot.
Class 11 English The Leader of Men
Question 3.
Did they live with their families ? Why ?
Answer:
No. They did not live with their families. They were not allowed to keep their families there.
Question 4.
What makes their poverty stand out in glaring contrast ?
Answer:
They live among shining cars. Their poverty is clearly seen there by contrast.
Question 5.
Who is ‘he’ in the first paragraph ? Was he like other guards ?
Ans.
‘Roop Singh’ is he in the first paragraph. He was not like other guards.
Question 6.
Who was Kedia ? Where did he live?
Answer:
Kedia was a rich businessman. He lived in flat F-9.
Question 7.
Describe Kedia’s appearance. How did Kedia’s friend look ?
Answer:
Kedia was short and stocky and going bald. His face had started to bloat. His friend looked just like him.
Question 8.
Why was Kedia shouting at Roop Singh ?
Answer:
Kedia was shouting at Roop Singh because Roop Singh had not allowed his friend to go up to see him.
Question 9.
Did Roop Singh do any wrong ?
Answer:
No, he did no wrong. He did his duty.
Question 10.
When Roop Singh replied in English what was Kedia’s reaction ? Why did he react so ?
Answer:
Kedia was shocked. He was shocked because he did not expect that Roop Singh could speak English.
Question 11.
Who did the writer support to. Why ?
Class 11 English The Leader of Men
Answer:
The writter supported Roop Singh. He believed that Roop Singh was not at fault. He had done his duty.
Question 12.
What was Kedia so sure about ?
Answer:
Kedia was sure that the writer would support him against the ‘class enemy’.
Class 11 English The Leader of Men
B. 2. Answer the following questions briefly :
Question 1.
From whom did the writer learn more about Roop Singh ?
Answer:
The writer learned more about Roop Singh from his servant, Munna.
Class 11 English The Leader of Men
Question 2.
How did Roop Singh discharge his duties ?
Answer:
Roop Singh discharged his duties quietly efficiently.
Question 3.
What did he do after his duties hour ?
Answer:
After his duties were over, he read books in the guard room.
Question 4.
How would you take it when a guard speaks English ?
Answer:
I wouldn’t be surprised because many young men who have been to school are working s guards and drivers, etc.
Class 11 English The Leader of Men
Question 5.
What does the author mean by ‘stupid arrogance’ ?
Answer:
The writer means that it was unwise of Kedia to unnecessarily feel hurt and be insolent to a poor guard.
Question 6.
Where had Roop Singh studied ? Why did Ritwik not tell him that he had studied in the same college ?
Answer:
Roop Singh had studied in College of commerce, Patna, Ritwik did not teil him that he too had studied in the same college because he thought Roop Singh might feel embarrassed.
Question 7.
At what age did Roop get married ? Was it a proper age to marry ? Why or why not ?
Answer:
Roop Singh get married at the age of 15. It was not a proper age to get married. He was not fully grown up and he was incapable of taking up the responsibilities of married life.
Question 8.
Why did Roop leave the job of a teacher ?
Answer:
He left the job of a teacher because he had not been paid for six months.
Question 9.
What did Ritwik think about iv: op’s perception as a reader ?
Answer:
Ritwik believed that Roop’s perception was acute.
Class 11 English The Leader of Men
B. 3.1. Answer the following questions briefly :
Question 1.
Why did Roop send a letter to Ritwik’s father ? What kind of letter was this ?
Answer:
Roop sent a letter to Ritwik’s father because he was in dire need of money. It was a short, formal, very official letter.
Question 2.
What did Kedia laugh at ? Why ?
Answer:
Kedia laughed at Ritwik’s innocence. He thought Roop and other guards spent money on drinking alcohol.
Question 3.
Why did Ritwik not join the 31st December party ?
Answer:
Ritwik did not join the 31st December party because he was not a social type. Instead, he watched a movie on cable TV.
Question 4.
What did Kedia say to Roop when he was serving himself ? How did Roop react to this ?
Answer:
When Roop was serving himself, Kedia said to him, ‘ ‘I hope you are not hungry now. You probably haven’t eaten such fabulous food eVer in your life, so eat carefully, don’t over do it’ ’
Question 5.
What made Roop lose his balance ?
Answer:
He lost his balance bacause he was hurt and melancholy and there was no one to comfort him.
Question 6.
What did Roop think about before he lost his balance ?
Answer:
Before Roop lost his balance he probably thought about his family, his younger brother, his loyal wife and his land which had been taken away from them.
Question 7.
What did he do when lost his balance ?
Answer:
With his bare hands he ripped the lobby apart.
Class 11 English The Leader of Men
C. 1. Long Answer Questions :
Question 1.
Describe the culture and attitude reflected in the party on 31st of . December. Give your own comments on this.
Answer:
Wealthy people just need an excuse to celebrate. They organise . birthdays, wedding days, silver and golden jubilees etc. They invite rich friends. There drinks and food are served in plenty. All the people do no turn up. Anyway, much of the food goes waste.Similar thing happened in the apartments building on 31st December. Some of the families did not turn up. They must have celebrated the new year in some ‘ hotel where there are drinks and dances. Much of the food was left unconsumed.They had no thought to share the food with the poor. On the one hand, people starve, on the other hand food is wasted.
Question 2.
Roop has married at the age of 15. Do you think it would have been better if he had not married so early ?
Answer:
Decidedly it would have been better if Roop had not married so early. At fifteen he was a boy, not a men. Besides, he was not prepared to shoulder the reponsibilities of married life. If he bad not married so early he wouldn’t have to support a wife and a son. Early marriage is full of risks and unnecessary burden. Marriage is a necessity but there is a right time for it. One should be mature, physically as well mentally. He should also be able to support a family.
Question 3.
Roop had to sell his land for his sister’s wedding. Is dowry a good practice ?
Answer:
Dowry is an age-old custom. It is practised almost in all parts of the world. In India it has a social sanction. All parents are expected to give dowry to their daughters at their weddings.The spirit behind the custom is to help the newly-weds to settle in life. A girl generally gets a lot of clothers jewellery, beds,utensils and other necessaries of life. But dowry should not be a compulsion. Parents should not be under pressure to sell their land or other means of livelihood to meet the dowry demands of their daughter’sin-laws. It should be a voluntary affair. Otherwise it becomes a bad custom.
Question 4.
What does the story tell you about the apartment culture ?
Answer:
In an apartment building a number of families live. There are guards at the gate. No visitor is allowed to go in before the person he/she wants to meet permits him/her to come in.The families have an association. The members contribute to the common expensess and maintenance of the building. They pay for the guards, lifts, telephones, etc. They hold some functions and festivals together. But they do not seem to be well united.
Question 5.
Sketch the character of Mr Kedia.
Answer:
Kedia was an enterprising man. Mr Kedia is stocky and going bald. He is given to drinking. His face has began to bloat. Kedia has a sense of pride and self¬importance. He behaves arrogantly. He is unreasonable. Being rich he thinks he is always right. He shouts at Roop because Roop did not allow his friend to go in without proper procedure. But Kedia feels that the petty guards has insulted him. When RoOp tells him in English that it was not his fault. He was doing his duty. Kedia feels all the more humiliated for no fault of Roop. It is his inferiority complex. On 31st December his meanness reaches its lowest point. His remarks to Roop are very insulting. He is responsible for the death of a poor man. Though he appears to be a religious man, he had no love, sympathy, and consideration for his poor fellow men.
Question 6.
Write you experiences with a person who resembles Kedia in behaviour or character.
Answer:
My neighbour Mr Kishore is a wealthy man. He is an industrialist. I He has a love for brand new cars. ises. He is almost uneducated, but he is the president of a college. He advises the Principal and the teachers how to improve their teaching. Generally, he reads out his speeches written by his secretary.He deducted the price of the cup from her salary which was equal to her 15 days, pay. Class 11 English The Leader of Men
Question 7.
When hungry and humiliated Roop Singh left the party quietly, nobody, not even guards, came to stop him. They rather ignored him though t Roop Singh was their leader. What in your opinion made them indifferend ?
Answer:
Roop Singh was a sensitive young man. He was poor and that is why he worked as a guard for only six hundred rupees a month. He was educated and he wanted his fellow guards to know something about the world. But they were hardly interested in what he told them.That night when the guards were invited to dinner, Kedia’s comments were too intolerable for a sensitive person like Roop. He decided to leave. But the other guards were more interested in sumptuous food than in Roop Singh. They had no sympathy for him. Besides, they were afriad that if they sided with Roop they would displease Kedia. So they though it best to eat and drink, and let Roop go away as he pleased.
Question 8.
Is the title of the story justified ? Who is the leader of men in the story ?
Answer:
I don’t think the title is justified. There is nothing in they story that has relevance to the title.According to the writer Roop Singh is the leader of men. But he has no followers. They elect him their leader unofficially. Roop is a Rajput and his ancestords had fought wars. Some of them might have been princes and generals. But this does not make Roop Singh a leader.The poor fellow suffers without any comfort from any quarter. Only the writer is kind to him and has some consideration for him.
Question 9.
What formed the base of the bond between Ritwik and Roop Singh ? How did this bond grow stronger ?
Answer:
Ritwik was impresed by Roop Singh from the very beginning. Roop was handsome and tall. He was unlike other guards. He wore clean and ironed clothes. When i’edia was shouting at Roop Singh, Ritwik realised that Roop was not at fault. He had a critical sense. Ritwik and Roop would sit together when there was no one else in the lobby. Roop Singh would tell Ritwik about the books he had read. Ritwik lent him a few books he had. Their intimacy went on increasing. Roop used to salute him. But later he stopped saluting him. This means there was no longer any formality between them. They were close friends.
Class 11 English The Leader of Men
Question 10.
Narrate the story in your own words.
Ans. Roop Singh was a tall and handsome youngman. He had been married when he was 15 years old. He had lost much of his land. His father was dead. He was poor. He took up a job as a guard in an apartment building. There were three other guards but Roop Singh was different. One day a friend of his came to see him. Roop Singh stopped him and told him that he could go after he had asked for Mr Kedia’s permission. The friend was displeased. Mr Kedia was angry and shouted at Roop Singh.Roop Singh was educated. He also told Mr Kedia that Roop Singh had observed the rules made by them. Kedia left but his fury had not subsided. He wanted to get Roop Singh dismissed but the other members did not agree with him.Ritwik and Roop Singh came closer.On 31st December the residents of the apartment building decided to celebrate the new year eve. They ordered lot of food and drinks. But several families did not turn up. There were heaps of food. Someone suggested that the guards could be asked to eat.The guards came. Roop also picked up a plate. When he was serving himself. Mr Kedia went up to him. He said, “Roop, you would have never eaten such sumptuous food. So eat with care lest you should ruin your stomach.” Roop felt humiliated. He put down the plate and walked away.The other guards ren ained indifferent to him. They enjoyed themselves.Roop went into the lobby. He was depressed, angry and humiliated. In a fit he tore the lobby apart with his bare hands. He injured himself, and was bleeding profusely. The other guards overpowered him with much difficulty. Then he was takento hospital.
Class 11 English The Leader of Men
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