SHORT STORIES (B.

A English)

1. “THE KILLERS”

Q: Who is Ole Anderson and why do the killers want to kill him?
Or: Describe suspense and horror in the story.

Ans: Actually, this story is full of suspense, fear and horror. Ole Anderson is the central
character of this story. He eats his lunch at Henry’s Lunch Room daily. Two killers named Al
and Max want to kill him. Their aim is to oblige their friend. The readers get a very deep
impact from their behaviour. The killers leave suspense and horror by their manners. They eat
with their gloves on wearing masks on their faces.

After sometime, Al takes Sam and Nick into the kitchen. He forces them to be quiet at
the gun point. The situation is getting critical. Max orders George to serve the new customers
so that they may not suspect. The killers’ manners leave a gloomy shadow of death. Every
passing moment is growing fear and curiosity in the heart of the readers. They wait for their
prey till 7p.m. Luckily, Ole Anderson does not turn up.

There is evening. The darkness is increasing outside. All these elements make the story
horrible. When the killers leave the hotel, Nick goes to inform Anderson about his killers but
he does respond well. It seems as if he had got tired of running away from death. The hotel
keepers are terrified. They decide to leave this area as they do not feel secured here.

2. “BREAKFAST”

Q: Describe writer’s meeting with a poor and contented family.

Ans: The story reflects on purity of living. The writer happened to visit a poor family
who had no complaint against anyone. He saw a tent in the fields. There was a stove burning
beside it. A young woman was preparing breakfast. She was also carrying a baby. The writer
stretched his hands to warm himself because of the cold.

A young man with an old man came out of the tent. They greeted the writer. The
woman served all the baked things. Then they sat down to take their breakfast. They thanked
God and Christ first. They invited the writer too. He was told that they had a job of picking

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cotton for twelve days. The lady expressed her gratitude for having new blue coats. Even the
young man asked the writer if he needed some work.

They were happy and proud of their humble achievements. The old man went on
eating and thanking God. The writer was greatly impressed by their manners, hospitality and
gratitude. He learnt a lesson that real happiness lies in contentment and patience. The writer
felt the warmth of life there. This story proves that there is no poverty when a man has learnt
dignity of work.

3. “TAKE PITY”

Q: How did Eva try to prove her determined and self-respected women?
Or: In what different ways did Rosen try to help Eva? Or: What is the theme of the story?
Ans: Struggle of a woman is the theme of the story. Eva was a widow but she never lost
her self-respect, hope and confidence. Her husband had borrowed a lot of money before his
death. Now she was not in a position to return this debt. Rosen was her husband’s friend. He
advised her to run away from that place. She refused to do so. Then he advised her to marry
someone. She did not agree.

He himself proposed her. She rejected this offer too. In fact, Eva wanted to rely upon
her own struggle and labour. She did not wish to stretch her hands before others. One day,
Rosen gave a piece of beef to her hungry daughters. She minded it. He went to his lawyer and
made a will that after his death all his property would go to Eva and her daughters.

Actually, she was a lady of great will-power. She faced the hardships of life with
determination. She said that she needed no charity. She left no stone unturned to improve her
income. In spite of her best efforts, her store could not flourish. But she did not lose heart. It
was her moral victory over the adverse circumstances.

4. “THE NEW CONTITUTION”

Q: Who was Ustad Mangu and why did he hate the goras?

Ans: Mangu ran his Tonga in Lahore. He hated the goras because they were ruling India
against the will of the Indians. He called them goras and monkeys. He thought them lepers,
rotten eggs and dead. He was totally aware of the difficulties of the local people. One day, he
heard his fares of the New Constitution that was about to be introduced on 1st of April. Again,
he heard a few students and two advocates discussing the same Act. His joys knew no bounds.
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 Mangu was sure that on 1st of April, the Indians would enjoy themselves equal rights
to the British. The following incident shows his hatred against the British. At last, the day
came. Mangu decorated his Tonga and took it to the road very early in the morning. He
wanted to see some great change. When he reached cantonment, he saw a gora soldier who
wanted to go to dancing girl’s bazaar. Mangu recognized him as he bad insulted Mangu a year
ago.

Mangu demanded five rupees from him. It was unfair. The soldier got angry at his
rudeness. He hit Mangu with his stick. As a result, Mangu also beat him mercilessly. The
soldier started calling out for help. Two police men came there. They arrested him. He tried to
tell them about the new Constitution but they put him behind the bars. All his hopes to find
freedom were dashed to the ground.

5. “THE HAPPY PRINCE”

Q: Why was the prince happy when he was alive?

Or: What kind of misery and ugliness had made him weep? How did he help his poor people?

Ans: The prince was happy when he was alive because he lived in the palace. He
enjoyed himself every kind of luxury. He could not see the miserable condition of his subject.
After his death, he was given the shape of a statue. It was covered with gold and was placed
on a high place in the city. Now, he could see all the misery of his people. The white faces of
his people and their poverty had made him weep.

He saw a poor seamstress’s child. He was suffering from high fever. He wanted to eat
oranges but his mother could not afford it. A poor match girl was afraid of her father because
her matches had fallen into the gutter. A poor author could not write his play because of the
cold. The prince was much grieved to see such miseries but he was too helpless to do
anything. He started weeping.

Luckily, a swallow came to his feet for shelter owing to the cold. The prince convinced
him to help the poor. He asked him to pluck out the ruby from his sword-handle to give to the
poor Seamstress. Next night, the swallow took the sapphire from prince’s eyes for the poor
match girl. Then the bird took the other sapphire from the eyes and gave it to the author. The
swallow distributed all the gold among the poor and they became prosperous.

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 6. “THE NECKLACE”

Q: What price did Matilda and her husband pay for wearing the necklace?

Ans: Matilda was a beautiful but poor girl. She wanted to lead a life of luxuries. Her
husband named Mr. Loisel was a poor clerk. That was why she was dissatisfied with her life.
She borrowed a necklace to attend a party. Somehow, she lost it. They bought a new necklace
to replace it. It cost them 36 thousand francs.

They borrowed 18 thousand francs. They had to work day and night to pay off the
debt. Matilda had to do the domestic work. She had to wash the clothes and dishes of others.
Her husband had to work in the evening. At last, they paid the whole debt. Hard work told
upon their health. They grew old before age.

One day, Madam Forestier met them. She was the lady from whom Matilda had
borrowed the necklace. She could not recognize Matilda. Matilda told her the whole story. She
was told that necklace was fake one and it was not more than five hundred francs. It was a
great shock for her. The story teaches us that we should cut our coat according to our figure.
We must be contented with what we have.

7. “TELL TALE HEART”

Q: How did the narrator manage to kill the old man Owing to his evil eye?

Ans: The narrator of the story was a nervous case. He was the friend of an old man. But
he disliked one of his eyes. It resembled that of a vulture. This eye created a feeling of intense
hatred for the old man. Therefore, he decided to kill him. One night, he went to his bed room
but he was sleeping. For seven nights, he tried to kill him but in vain.

On the night, he found the old man awakening. The murderer waited in the darkness.
The old man could not sleep. It was the fear of death. The writer dragged him onto the floor.
He pulled a heavy cover over him and pressed it. The old man was dead because of
suffocation. Then the writer cut the dead body into pieces and deposited them under the
boards.

Three policemen entered the room. On asking, the writer told them that the old man
had gone to the country side. Suddenly, the murderer heard the sound of beating heart which
was coming from the place where the dead body was buried. Actually, it was the sound of his
own heart-beat. He thought the sound was audible to the officer too. He started talking more
fluently. In confusion, he began to foam from his mouth and confessed his crime.

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 8. “RAPPICCINI’S DAUGHTER”
Q: Describe love affair between Giovanni and Beatrice. Or: is this story a fantasy?
Or: Rappiccini cared science more than human being.

Ans: It is true that story is a fantasy. Dr. Rappiccini was a famous professor of Padua.
He was interested crazily in the poisonous plants. He cared science more than men. Even, he
did not spare his own daughter. A young man named Giovanni came from the South of Italy
to study in the University of Padua. Hc got a room on rent near the garden of Dr. Rappaccini.

One day, he saw the doctor and his beautiful daughter named Beatrice working in the
garden. This girl had a deep influence on him. Next morning, he visited professor Baglioni, the
friend of his father. The professor told him about the doubtful character of Dr. Rappaccini. He
warned him many times. But Giovanni was not convinced. AI last, he found a secret path to
enter this garden. Many meetings took place between Giovanni and Beatrice. Their visits
developed into sincere and pure love.

Unluckily, this garden was full of poisonous plants. Beatrice was also as poisonous as
these plants. So, Giovanni could not escape himself from this atmosphere. One day, professor
Baglioni came to see Giovanni. He gave him a bottle of liquid which was supposed to make
every kind of poison harmless. He advised Giovanni to make Beatrice take this liquid which
told upon her health and she died. She left Giovanni burning in the flames of love for ever.
This is what usually happens in true love.

9. “THE DUCHESS AND THE JEWELER”

Q: “The Duchess and the jeweler” is a story about the moral decadence of the English
elite class.

Ans: Virginia Wolf has very aptly reflected the love and lust for wealth and corruption of the
advanced Western society. The Western society has been greatly corrupted by social evils such
as gambling, cheating , dishonesty, hypocrisy and affectation etc. Oliver Bacon became a great
jeweler by using such methods. He was even not satisfied with his present flourished business.

Once, Duchess came to sell her false pearls to his shop. Oliver started examining the
pearls between his fingers. She said that she was hand to mouth those days. She also
mentioned her beautiful daughter before him. She, even, promised to introduce her to him in
the coming party. The thought of the beautiful girl and the party confused him. He, even,
looked at his mother’s picture to get out of the confusion but in vain.

The Duchess sold her fake pearls to Oliver who fell in love with the Duchess’s daughter
and gave her the cheque for twenty thousand pounds as a price for the false pearls in exchange
for her daughter. So, we see that most of the persons of the English elite classes are not only
victim of social evils but also falling down from their high positions in the society. Duchess
also symbolizes the decadence of the English aristocratic and elite classes.

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 10. “ARABY”

Q: Describe young man’s love with his friend’s sister and his visit to “Araby”.

Ans: The narrator of the story was a young boy. He loved his friend Mangan’s sister. He was
much impressed by her beauty. But he had no courage to speak face to face with her. He
employed strange tricks to show his love. Sometimes he followed the girl to her school.

He often lay on the floor and satisfied himself by looking at her door. Sometimes, he
stood on the railing of the house. Once she asked him if he had seen “Araby” the splendid
bazaar. Now it became his aim to go there to buy some gift for her. He arranged money after a
great difficulty and sought permission of his uncle to go to “Araby”.

“Araby” was the name of an old church. Near it, there was a bazaar. When the boy
reached there, nearly all the shops were closed. He went to a stall and exclaimed porcelain
vases and flowered tea sets. A young girl came and asked if he wanted to buy something. He
was again confused. He said, “No” and came out. All his hopes were dashed to ground.

Written by:
Prof. Rana Ahmad Khan Altumash
M. Maroof Hussain Ansari
0322-4449819

KNOWLEDGE WAY ACADEMY 215-Kausar Block, Awan Town, Lahore. 0322-4449819