NCERT Solutions For Class 12 English Vistas On the Face of It

The Author Susan Hill was an English author of fiction and non-fiction works. She was born on February 5, 1942 in Scarborough, North Yorkshire. She attended Scarborough Convent School, where she became interested in theatre and literature. Her family left Scarborough in 1958 and moved to Coventry where her father worked in car and aircraft factories. Hill states that she attended a girls’ grammar school, Barr’s Hill. At Barrs Hill, she took A levels in English, French, History, and Latin, proceeding to an English degree at King’s College London. By this time, she had already written her first novel, The Enclosure, which was published by Hutchinson in her first year at the university. The novel was criticized by The Daily Mail for its sexual content, with the suggestion that writing in this style was unsuitable for a “schoolgirl”.

In 1975, she married Shakespeare scholar Stanley Wells, and they moved to Stratford upon Avon. Their first daughter, author Jessica Ruston, was born in 1977, and their second daughter, Clemency, was born in 1985. A middle daughter, Imogen, was born prematurely, and died at the age of four weeks. In 2013 it was reported that she had left her husband and moved in with Barbara Machin, creator of Waking the Dead, who is adapting Hill’s crime fiction series Serrailler for ITV. Hill has recently founded her own publishing company, Long Barn Books, which has published one work of fiction.

Characters

1. Derry: a boy of 14 with a burnt face, looks ugly, loner, pessimistic, suffered from severe negative complexes, anger and frustration, withdrawn and introverted, low confidence, indulged in self-pity, suspicious of the intent of others

2. Mr. Lamb: an Old man with a tin leg, lonely, craved for company and acceptance, jovial, optimistic, lover of nature, social, outgoing, tolerant, helpful, sensitive, independent, didn’t mind children calling him Lamey Lamb or picking the Crab apples.

3. Derry’s mother

Introduction

The play depicts a unique bond between a fourteen-year-old boy Derry and an old man Mr. Lamb. Both of them are physically impaired. Derry’s one side of the face is burnt with acid whereas Mr. Lamb has got a tin leg because his real leg was blown off in war. Derry is withdrawn and he does not like being near people. He feels odd when they stare and when he sees them being afraid of him. Mr. Lamb tells him that being secluded is not a solution to his problem. Mr. Lamb makes Derry aware of the reality of life and encourages him in every way how he can cope with his impairment in the best possible manner. Thus Mr. Lamb strikes up a friendship with Derry. Derry is keen to help him though his mother persuades him not to go back to his garden. Derry goes there but finds the old man fallen on the ground dead.

Title of the story

On the Face of it is an informal expression used to say that something seems to be good but this opinion may need to be changed when you know more about it. An individual may be quite different from what we think of him or what he or she may apparently appear to be at first glance. There is the imperative need for us to view others by removing our glasses of prejudice, hatred, hearsay and dislike.

On the face of it, Mr. Lamb appears to be mysterious, lonely, lame old fellow who lives in a big garden, but in reality he is very kind, generous, loving and altruistic. Similarly, although Derry has an ugly looking scary face, he is fine lad of fourteen with a deep longing for love. There is nothing wrong with Mr. Lamb and Derek. What is wrong is the way people in their lives and around them view and treat them.

Theme

People who suffer from disabilities must always look at the bright side of things and adapt reality of life bravely. At the same time the actual pain or inconvenience caused by a physical impairment is often much less than the sense of alienation felt by the person. The disabled need support and acceptance and not our pity. The title ‘On the Face of it’ is used to mean that something seems to be good and true but that needs to be changed when you know more about it.

Appearances are deceptive and most often, we go on dealing with impressions and prejudices about other without caring to know about them actually. People know Mr. Lamb as a lonely eccentric lame old man but in reality he is a very kind and generous man who longs for company and he loves his fellow human beings along with all the other creations of God. Similarly Derek appears to be an abominable ugly boy with a huge scar on his face whom no one loves or likes or befriends. He is the object of other people’s hateful stares ridicules and neglect. Even his mother does not dare to kiss him on the cheek with the scar. Yet this boy who is suffering from an acute inferiority complex has a tender and sensitive heart. He wants to love and be loved. Fortunately he meets Mr. Lamb who transforms him with his healing touch.

Summary

This play deals with the problem of the disabled people and depicts that merely the encouraging words may change our tensed feelings. It is for us to see and understand life in every organism. It does not matter what we look like but it matters how we can uplift a disabled man. It is not the actual pain or inconvenience caused by a physical impairment that troubles a disabled man but the behaviour of the people around him. People discard him as a useless limb and refuse to accept him in the mainstream of life. So he feels alienated from the society and wants to live in seclusion. In a way Derry suffers from inferiority complex. Mr. Lamb motivates him to think positively about life, people and things.

It is a fine day and Mr. Lamb is in his garden. He is an old man with a tin leg. He leads a lonely life and is always ready to accept any visitor who comes in his garden. One day Derry, a young boy of fourteen sneaks into Mr. Lamb’s garden. He has a burnt face with acid so he looks very ugly. He has become defiant and withdrawn due to his disfigured face. He does not want to face the world with his ugly and disfigured face. Derry climbs over the wall and cautiously walks through the long grass. He is quite close to Lamb. He is sacred when Lamb speaks to him. Lamb asks him to tread carefully because the long grass is littered with wild apples dropped by wind. Derry is utterly confused as he has come there considering the place empty. Having been detected by Lamb, Derry panicks and wants to go. Lamb asks him not to leave as he does not mind anybody’s coming into his garden. He keeps the gate always open. He advises to enter through the gate rather than by climbing over the garden wall. Lamb tells that all who come to his garden, are welcome. But Derry says that he has not come to steal but he wants only to come into garden. He rather tells Derry not to afraid of anything but Derry points out that the people are afraid of him because of his ugly and disfigured face. Derry adds that he is afraid of himself when he sees his face in the mirror.

Lamb tries to console him. He asks him to face the harsh realities of life bravely. He tries to divert the views of Derry from his burnt face to the fruits in the garden, but Derry keeps on talking about his ugly face. Lamb tries to make him understand that it is the inner beauty of a person that matters, not his outer beauty. Derry does not agree with it. He tells lamb that it is important to be handsome from outside also. He says that even his mot
her kisses him on the other side of his face. He says that he has to spend whole of his life with his half face. Mr. Lamb points out that there is no difference between a flower plant and a weed since both are living and growing plants. Derry remarks that Mr. Lamb can put on trousers and cover up his tin-leg. Then Mr. Lamb reminds Derry of a fairy tale of Beauty and The Beast in which the princess kisses the Beast who in turn changes into a handsome prince. This makes Derry understand that ugliness is only skin deep. A man is not what he looks like but what he really is. Handsome is that handsome does. This story is to inspire Derry and he should not care for his burnt face. But Derry tells that people stare at his face and they are afraid of him.

Derry tells Lamb that women talk of his ugly face. They say that none will kiss except his mother. Mr. Lamb tells him that he must have heard so many other things also. The best thing is to keep his ears shut and need not pay attention to such talks. Mr. Lamb talks about the bees in his garden. Some people like their buzzing while others hate. But Lamb calls it a sweet music. It is only the difference of attitude.

Derry tells that people stare at his face so he avoids them. But Mr. Lamb tells that keeping alone is not a fine thing. He tells a story about a man who was always afraid of being run over or getting infected or meeting with some accident. So he locked himself in a room. There a picture fell on his head and killed him.

Derry says that his family often talks about him downstairs when he is not there. They are worried to think what is going to happen to him when they are gone and how he will get on in this world. Mr. Lamb does not agree with him. Lamb encourages him that he has got two arms, legs, eyes, ears, a tongue and a brain. He can achieve whatever he likes. He can be better than others. He tells Derry that he has got a full body. He can do anything like other people or may do better than others.

He asks Lamb several questions to know more about him. Mr. Lamb says that he sits in the sun and reads the books. He likes the windows open to hear the wind. Lambs tells that he has a lot of friends everywhere. Everybody who comes in his garden is his friend. Derry wonders how a person can be his friend about whom he knows nothing. Derry says that there are some people he hates. But Lamb remarks that hatred would do him more harm than any bottle of acid. Acid only burns our face or so but hatred can burn us away inside.

Lamb asks him to be a friend. Derry asks how they can be friends only in one meeting. But Lamb tells him that he can come there at any time even if he is out. Derry thinks to help him. He tells Lamb that with one leg he can fall off a ladder and die. Derry offers to help him but he wants to inform his mother where he is since she will be worried. Lamb doubts if he would come back. Derry assures him to return but Lamb says to himself that people never come back though they say that they will come back.

Derry goes back to his house and tells everything to his mother. Derry says that he wants to go there, sit and listen to things and look. Nobody else has ever said the things the old man has said. His mother stops him from going to the old man’s house. She tells that she has heard strange stories about the old man. She urges him not to go there again. Derry insists that he must go there otherwise he will never go anywhere in this world. In spite of his mother’s strong resistance, Derry slams the door and runs away to help Lamb in collecting crab apples.

In the meantime Mr. Lamb climbs on the ladder for the apples. The ladder falls back and Mr. Lamb is killed. Derry opens the gate and says excitedly that he has come back. Suddenly he catches sight of Mr. Lamb. He runs through the long grass and says, “I came back Lamey-Lamb. I did come back.” But there is no response. Derry kneels by him and weeps and realizes that he has lost his only friend in this world.

Main Points

1. Derry was a teenager, highly pessimistic and withdrawn from the mainstream society.

2. He developed this attitude after one side of his face was disfigured by acid. He avoided company of others and remained lonely lest he be noticed by other people.

3. He believed that no one loved him and his mother loved him because she was supposed to.

4. Once he heard two women commenting about his monstrous appearance. They said only a mother could love a face like his.

5. On another day Derry heard his parents conversing that he would not survive after their death because he was deformed.

6. The shock he received from these words was big.

7. On another occasion Derry heard his relatives saying that in their opinion a deformed boy like Derry could accommodate himself with other deformed boys and girls. Derry had his ears always open for such comments and used to respond to them in his silent way.

8. He concluded that the world altogether didn’t need a boy like him.

9. One day Derry accidently met a man called Mr. Lamb.

10. Mr. Lamb was an old man with a lame leg. After he became lame, Mr. Lamb began to develop a positive attitude with his deformity.

11. He worked hard to defeat this impairment and learnt to walk and climb ladders. He was happy to be alive and ignored his lameness.

12. He made everyone his friend and had a house with no curtains and open doors. He welcomed anyone who came to him.

13. While Mr. Lamb took his impairment as a challenge and tried to overcome it, Derry believed that he was unwanted and lost. His pain was physical and mental. Being a child he was not as strong as Mr. Lamb about suffering.

14. He couldn’t take the sneering and sympathizing world as taken by Mr. Lamb. Mr. Lamb was able to sit smart and unaffected as long as he wore trousers and sat but Derry had no way to hide his face.

15. After meeting Mr. Lamb Derry realized how foolish he had been to believe his parents.

16. For him Lamb was a man who opened the doors of his closed world in an hour’s time the same of which were shut on him by his parents and therefore believed that his company with Lamb would make him a perfect person.

17. At the end Derry goes back to his house where his mother cross questioned him. She had instructed him not to step out of the house.

18. Derry tried to convince his mother that Mr. Lamb was an extremely good man but she was not ready to listen.

19. Ignoring his mother’s thoughtless restrictions, Derry left his home and ran to Mr. Lamb’s garden.

20. On reaching, Derry found a motionless Mr. Lamb fallen from the ladder. He had fallen while pulling the crab apples down from the tree.

Short Answer Type Questions

Q1. Who is Mr. Lamb? How does Derry get into his garden?

Ans. Mr. Lamb is an old man who has lost his leg in the war. He lives by himself in a big house, tending to his apples and enjoying his garden. Derry does not know that the gate of the house is wide open, and climbs over the wall into Mr. Lamb’s garden hoping for some solitude.

Q2. What is the attitude of Mr. Lamb to the small boy who comes to his garden?

Ans. Mr. Lamb’s attitude to the small boy is quite gentle, protective and accommodating. Like an elder in the family, Mr. Lamb advises the young boy to mind the apples lest he should trip and not to feel afraid.

Q3. What is it that draws Derry towards Mr. Lamb in spite of himself?

Ans. Mr. Lamb is a good inspirer, a motivator and a patient listener. He holds a positive attitude to life. On seeing Derry he neither asks anything about his face nor does he look disgusted rather he makes Derry feel comfortable with his burnt face. He instills confidence in Derry. He wants him to understand the world and see the difference by watching and listening. Due to these qualities, Derry is drawn towards Lamb.

Q4. “I’m, not afraid. People are afraid of me,” says Derry. What do people think on seeing his face? How do they react then?

Ans. People think that it is the ugliest thing they have ever seen. They call him a poor boy as one side of his face has been burnt by acid. Some of them are afraid of his ugly and horrible face.

Q5. How does Mr. Lamb change the subject from ugly face to ripe apples?

Ans. There is a momentary pause in the conversation. Then Mr. Lamb changes the subject. He says that when it is a bit cooler, he will get the ladder and a stick. Then he will pull down those ripe crab apples. He makes jelly. He calls these orange coloured and golden apples magic fruit. September is a good time to make jelly. He tells the boy that he could help him.

Q6. What does Mr. Lamb tell about himself?

Ans. Lamb tells that he is old and has a tin leg. Children tease him calling Lamey-Lamb but still they come to his garden. They are not afraid of him because he is not afraid of them. He is never bothered about his old age or tin leg as life has many more things to offer.

Q7. It’s all relative, beauty and beast. Justify the statement.

Ans. Mr. Lamb means to say that different people have different view points to look at the same thing. Some find one thing beautiful, others find it ugly. It all depends on outlook and attitude. It is, therefore, important to adopt a positive attitude towards everything just like the Princess Beauty who loved the monstrous Beast in the fairy tale. Mr. Lamb tells Derry there are plenty of things to stare at and if people look at their handicap they should not mind, as they will be tired of soon. Beauty or ugly depends upon individual’s perceptions.

Q8. How does Derry’s attitude change?

Ans. Due to his burnt face Derry had withdrawing attitude. He curses his handicap and is afraid of people’s stare at him. But Lamb changed his attitude. Lamb instilled courage in him to live life as it is. He cited his own example. Children call him Lamey Lamb but he does not mind. He has a tin leg but that does not stop him from making friends.

Q9. Why do these arguments fail to console Derry?

Ans. Derry says all these consolations will not make his face change. He feels more hurt and pained by the comments of persons or what he overhears. Once he heard a woman in the street whispering to another, “Look at that, that’s a terrible things. That’s a face only a mother could love.” Derry calls it cruel of them.

Q10. What peculiar things does Derry notice about the old man?

Ans. Derry thinks that the old man is peculiar. He says peculiar things. He asks questions which Derry does not understand. There are no curtains at the windows in his house. He likes the light and darkness and hears the wind with the windows open.

Q11. How should people be judged?

Ans. People should not be judged by what they look like. They must be judged by their actions. Appearances may be deceptive. On the other hand, people with physical impairments overcome their disabilities and perform wonderful feats in different spheres.

Q12. “There’s plenty of other things to stare at.” Which ‘things’ are worth staring at and why?

Ans. According to the old man there are plenty of things to stare at. These include crab apples or the weeds or a spider climbing up a silken ladder, or his tall sun-flowers. All of them are beautiful and growing. Derry is surprised at the mention of ‘things’. Mr. Lamb tries to convince him that it is all relative. Then he mentions ‘Beauty and the Beast’.

Q13. How does Derry convince his mother for going to the old man’s garden?

Ans. Derry says that the old man has a tin leg. He lives in a huge house without curtains. He has a garden. Derry wants to be there and listen to things that matter. Things nobody else has ever said. Things he wants to think about. They are not about his face and how he looks.

Q14. What makes Derry resolve to go to the old man?

Ans. He no longer cares about his face and looks. He is more concerned with what he thinks and feels, what he wants to see and find out and hear. He knows that if he does not go back there, he will never go anywhere in that world again.

Q15. Comment on the moral value of the play.

Ans. The moral of the play is very loud and clear. The physically disabled should focus on the brighter side of life and not to brood over the shortcomings. The society should accept them as they are and expand their social interactions .In this way they can fight out the loneliness, depression and disappointment

Long Answer Type Questions

Q1. What is the bond that unites the two—Mr. Lamb and Derry? How does the old man inspire the small boy?

Ans. It is the bond of physical impairment that unites old Mr. Lamb and the small boy, Derry. He got his leg blown off during the war and since then he has a tin leg. Derry got one side of his face burnt by acid. Their respective disabilities have not only caused pain and suffering to the body but to their mind and soul as well. They have to live with their physical impairment. Mr. Lamb has adjusted himself to the ways of the world and stopped bothering about what people call him. He keeps himself busy in meaningful activities like picking apples, making jelly, bee-keeping and preparing toffee from honey. He loves reading books, hearing music, observing beautiful things and thinking about them. He inspires the small boy by saying that he has all the God-given organs intact. He has to decide what to do. He must work for it and then he can outshine even the others. Derry admits that ‘Handsome is he as handsome does.’ For him his face or how he looks does not matter now.

Q2. Compare and contrast the characters of Mr. Lamb and Derry.

Ans. Both Mr. Lamb and the young boy Derry have one thing in common—their physical impairment. Both are victims of these disabilities after birth. The leg of Mr. Lamb was blown off during the war. Derry’s face was burnt by acid. One side of his face looked very ugly and frightful.

Apart from this, they have nothing in common. Mr. Lamb is old, Derry is a young boy of fourteen. Mr. Lamb enjoys company and wants to talk. Derry is very withdrawn and defiant. He does not want to come in contact with people.

Mr. Lamb does not bother about his lameness. He has developed love for reading books, hearing music, seeing beautiful things and thinking about them. He is calm and patient. He asks peculiar questions. He forces Derry to see that actions are more important than mere looks. In spite of his lameness he picks apples, makes jelly, maintains a beehive and makes toffees from honey. The gate of his garden is always open. Derry develops a new vision of life under his guidance.

Q3. What impression do you form of Derry?

Ans. Derry is a fourteen year old boy who is very withdrawn and defiant. One side of his face has been burnt by acid and it looks very ugly and frightful. This incident has made him a victim of inferiority complex. He is highly sensitive to what others say about him. Their anxiety, concern, fear and revulsion pains him most.

Derry is quite intelligent. When Mr. Lamb mentions the story ‘Beauty and the Beast’, Derry at once comes out with its moral: ‘Handsome is as handsome does.’ He, however, evokes self-pity by saying, “I won’t change… and no one’ll kiss me ever.”

Derry is sensitive to the sufferings of others. He arouses sympathy for himself by making enquiries about the old man’s leg, pain and how he passes his life alone. Derry has the capacity to learn. He is impressed by the old man’s way of life in spite of physical handicap. In the end, he does not bother about his face or looks and wants to see, hear, learn and think and do what no one else has done.

Q4. What impression do you form about Mr. Lamb?

Ans. Mr. Lamb is the protagonist in the play. He dominates the play from beginning to end. He impresses us as a sensitive, watchful, kind, considerate and sympathetic person. He is quite gentle, accommodating and protective. He is more concerned about the boy’s well-being than the apples.

He is a victim of alienation due to his physical impairment. Though he keeps his gates open and says he has many friends, actually he lives alone and is quite miserable. He loves company and wants to talk. He shares his thoughts even with the young boy.

Mr. Lamb is like a modern communicator and a psychologist who believes in drawing out the best of an individual. His tactful handling and peculiar questions make Derry shed some of his firmly fixed notions and respond to the things of the world around him. Thus he is a source of inspiration to Derry.

Q5. How far do you find the ending of the play quite effective and meaningful?

Ans. The ending is quite dramatic and stage worthy. Mr. Lamb, who has been picking apples, falls down along with the ladder. As Derry reaches the garden, he finds Mr. Lamb lying on the ground. He kneels by Lamb and cries that he has come back. He implores the old man to get up and talk. As the old man does not respond, he begins to weep. Mr. Lamb is dead.

It is a pathetic ending, no doubt, but it does not spread gloom. It is like a soldier making an exit with the satisfaction of mission accomplished. The old man has handed over his philosophy of life to Derry and inspired him to find out what he wants to be. Thus, though the old man expires physically, his ideas inspire Derry to pursue higher goals and achieve them. In this sense, the ending is quite effective and meaningful.

Q6. Mr. Lamb displays signs of loneliness and disappointment. What are the ways in which Mr. Lamb tries to overcome these feelings?

Ans. Mr. Lamb displays signs of loneliness and disappointment and tries to overcome these feelings by doing different things. He says that when it is a bit cooler, he will get the ladder and a stick, and pull down those crab apples. He makes jelly. Derry could help him. Then he says he is interested in anybody or anything that God made. It may be a person, flower, fruit, grass, weeds or rubbish. There are plenty of things to look at. Some of them are his crab apples or the weeds or a spider climbing up a silken ladder or his tall sun-flowers. He also likes to talk and have a company. He has a hive of bees. He hears them singing. He sits in the sun and reads books. He likes the light and the darkness. He hears the wind coming through open windows. There aren’t any curtains at the windows as they either shut things out or shut things in.

QUESTIONS FROM TEXTBOOK SOLVED

READ AND FIND OUT
Q1. Who is Mr Lamb? How does Derry get into his garden?
Ans. Mr Lamb is an old man with a tin leg. His real leg was blown off years ago during the war. He lives all alone in his house. There is a garden near the house. It has ripe crab apples looking orange and golden in colour.
Mr Lamb is sitting in his garden when Derry climbs over the garden wall to get into his garden. Though the gate is open, the boy does not use it.

Q2. Do you think all this will change Derry’s attitude towards Mr Lamb?
Ans. Mr Lamb learns from Derry that the latter does not like being near people. They stare at his face and feel afraid of him as half of it has been burnt by acid and looks very ugly. Mr Lamb offers him a new way bf thinking. He tells him about a person who was afraid of everything and locked himself in a room. A picture fell off the wall on his head and killed him. Derry finds that the old man says peculiar things. He is further surprised to learn about the old man’s habits. He loves to read book. His house has many books. There aren’t any curtains at the windows. He likes the light and the darkness. He keeps the windows open to hear the wind.
Derry says that he too likes to hear the sound of rain on the roof. But he also hears people talking about him and his future. The old man tells him that he has all the God-given organs. He will get on the way he wants, like the rest. He could even get on better than them, if he made a firm decision. He tells Derry that hatred is worse than acid because it can bum man from inside. He should not worry about his burned face or what people say about it. All this brings a positive change in Derry’s attitude towards Mr Lamb. He promises to come back after informing his mother. He asks Mr Lamb about his life and friends and recognises his loneliness and disappointment. He keeps his promise and returns only to find Mr Lamb lying on the ground.

READING WITH INSIGHT
Q1. What is it that draws Derry towards Mr Lamb in spite of himself?
Ans. Both Derry and Mr Lamb suffer from physical impairment. Derry has one side of his face disfigured and burnt by acid. The old man has a tin leg because his real leg got blown off during the war. Apart from these physical disabilities, Derry finds signs of loneliness and disappointment in Mr Lamb’s life. The old man tries to overcome these feelings but the sense of alienation felt by him is more painful than the pain caused by physical disability.
Derry tries to avoid meeting people because they consider his face frightful and ugly. They avoid him as they are afraid of him. His parents seem worried about him and talk about him and his future.
Mr Lamb provides him a new approach to things. He tells him to see, hear, feel and think about things around him. He should not hate others. Hatred is worse than acid because it bums the inside. He has all the God-given limbs. He must take a firm decision and work towards it. He will succeed. He should not be afraid of people and they will not be afraid of him. All these factors draw Derry towards Mr Lamb.

Q2. In which section of the play does Mr Lamb display signs of loneliness and disappointment? What are the ways in which Mr Lamb tries to overcome these feelings?
Ans. It is in the middle section of the first scene of the play that Mr Lamb displays signs of loneliness and disappointment. He says that when it is a bit cooler, he will get the ladder and a stick, and pull down those crab apples. He makes jelly. Derry could help him. Then he says he is interested in anybody or anything that God made. It may be a person, flower, fruit, grass, weeds or rubbish. There are plenty of things to look at. Some of them are his crab apples or the weeds or a spider climbing up a silken ladder or his tall sun-flowers. He also likes to talk and have a company. He has a hive of bees. He hears them singing. He sits in the sun and reads books. He likes the light and the darkness. He hears the wind coming through open windows. There aren’t any curtains at the windows as they either shut things out or shut things in. These are the ways in which Mr Lamb tries to overcome his loneliness.

Q3. The actual pain or inconvenience caused by a physical impairment is often much less than the sense of alienation felt by the person with disabilities. What is the kind of behaviour that the person expects from others?
Ans. The play ‘On The Face Of It’ focuses our attention on the physical pain and mental anguish of the persons suffering from some physical impairment. The playwright, Susan Hill, presents the two leading‘characters—an old man and a small boy—having different sorts of physical disabilities.
The old man has a tin leg. It did hurt him when it came off. Then he got used to it. He feels pain now and then in wet weather. He finds it inconvenient to run, to climb a tree or a ladder. He lives all alone in a big house with a garden.
The boy has one side of his face badly burnt by acid. He felt the physical pain then. After discharge from hospital, he feels hurt at the attitude of the people. They regard his face as horrible and ugly, show signs of being scared and avoid his presence. In short, he is disliked, if not hated. He is not accepted as an ordinary member of society. So, he does not like people to look at him.
It is clear that the sense of alienation that these disabled persons feel causes them constant pain. Such persons expect kind and considerate behaviour from others. They do not want tears, sympathy or pity. They dislike being pointed at, nicknamed, mocked at or made a fun •: of. They only demand a reasonable bahaviour from others, full of appreciation of their difficulties.

Q4. Will Derry get back to his old seclusion or will Mr Lamb’s brief association effect a change in the kind of life he will lead in the future?
Ans. (Two different answers are possible. One is being given below)
Derry will not get back to his old seclusion. He has been associated with Mr Lamb for a short time only, but even this brief association will effect a change in the kind of life he will lead in future. Instead of being conscious of what people comment about the ugliness of his face, he will use his head and heart to achieve what he decides to do in life. It is also possible that with his firm determination and zeal to achieve his aim, he might do better than the rest, even those who do not suffer from any physical impairment.
By his persuasive manner and skilful use of anecdotes, Mr Lamb convinces Derry that a life of seclusion and withdrawal from the world is dull as well as risky. The world has many beautiful objects to see and admire, sounds to hear and ideas to think. One should have an open mind and positive attitude. Hatred is worse than acid.
Derry’s mother tries her best to keep Derry with her. But Derry resolves to go back to Mr Lamb to look at things and listen to him. He no longer cares about his face. What he thinks and feels, and what he wants to see and find out and hear is more important. He does not want to remain at his home. He has got clear perception of things. If he does not go back there, he will never go anywhere in that world again. In short, Derry’s coming back to Mr Lamb is indicative of the change in the kind of fife he is likely to lead in future.

MORE QUESTIONS SOLVED

SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS
Q1.“Mind the apples!”, says Mr Lamb. Why do you think, does he issue this instruction, to whom and how many times?
Ans. Mr Lamb issues this instruction to Derry, a boy of fourteen, who climbs over the garden wall and enters the garden. He asks Derry twice to mind the apples which have been blown down by the wind from the trees and strewn in the grass. He (Derry) could put his foot on some apple, fall down and hint himself.

Q2. What is the attitude of Mr Lamb to the small boy who comes to his garden ?
Ans. Mr Lamb’s attitude to the small boy is quite gentle, protective and accommodating. Like an elder in the family offering advice and instructions to the younger members, Mr Lamb advises the young boy to mind the apples lest he should trip. He also advises the boy not to feel afraid.

Q3. What explanation does the small boy offer for coming into the garden? How does Mr Lamb react to it?
Ans. The boy thought that this was an empty place. He did not know there was anybody there. Mr Lamb assures him that it is all right. He asks the boy what he is afraid of. He tells the boy that the house is empty as he is in the garden and is likely to stay there. Such a beautiful day should not be wasted indoors.

Q4. “T ‘m not afraid. People are afraid of me,” says Derry. What do people think on seeing his face? How do they react then?
Ans. On looking at Derry’s face they find it bad and frightful. They think that it is the ugliest thing they have ever seen. They call him a poor boy as one side of his face has been burnt by acid. Some of them are afraid of his ugly and horrible face.

Q5. How does Mr Lamb change the subject from ugly face to ripe apples?
OR
How does Mr Lamb keep himself busy when it is a bit cooler ?
Ans. There is a momentary pause in the conversation. Then Mr Lamb changes the subject. He says that when it is a bit cooler, he will get the ladder and a stick. Then he will pull down those ripe crab apples. He makes jelly. He calls these orange coloured and golden apples magic fruit. September is a good time to make jelly. He tells the boy that he could help him.

Q6. Why, according to Derry, has the old man changed the subject?
Ans. Derry says that people always change the subject. They don’t ask him about his physical impairment. They simply pretend that it is not true and isn’t there. They don’t want the boy to mind and get upset. He thinks that the old man has changed the subject because he is afraid to ask him about his burnt face.

Q7. “You got burned in a fire,” says Mr Lamb. What do you think, had happened to Derry’s face?
Ans. Derry’s face did not get burned in a fire. He got acid all down that side of his face and it burned it all away. Derry says that this acid not only ate his face up, it also ate him up. One side of his face is ugly and it won’t ever be any different.

Q8. How does Mr Lamb react to Derry’s query: ‘Aren’t you interested’?
Ans. Mr Lamb tells Derry that he is interested in anybody and anything. There’s nothing God made that does not interest him. Fruit and flowers, trees and herbs, grass and weeds all interest him. Even stuff or rubbish is interesting. He finds no essential difference between a “weed’ and another ‘flower’ as both represent life—developing or growing.

Q9. “We’re not the same”, says Derry. How does Mr Lamb try to convince him that there is no essential difference between them?
Ans. Derry and Mr Lamb are both of the same species. They represent various stages of growth. Derry is young, Mr Lamb is old. Both suffer from the same physical impairment. Derry has a burnt face. The old man has got a tin leg. But this physical disability is not important. What is important is that both are alive. Derry is standing there whereas Mr Lamb is sitting.

Q10. How, according to Derry, does the tin leg not trouble Mr Lamb? What explanation does the old man offer?
Ans. Derry thinks that the old man can put on trousers and cover up his tin leg. Then no one sees it. So, people don’t have to notice and stare at, as they do at his face. Mr Lamb replies that some people do notice and stare at his disability. Some don’t. In the end, they get tired of it. Moreover, there are plenty of things to stare at.

Q11.“There’s plenty of other things to stare at.” Which ‘things’ are worth staring at and why?
Ans. According to the old man there are plenty of things to stare at. These include crab apples or the weeds or a spider climbing up a silken ladder, or his tall sun-flowers. All of them are beautiful and ‘growing’. Derry is surprised at the mention of ‘things’. Mr Lamb tries to convince him that it is all relative. Then he mentions ‘Beauty and the Beast’.

Q12. How does Derry interpret the fairy stoiy ‘Beauty and the Beast’? What does he feel about himself?
Ans. Derry says that he has been told that story before. It teaches us that outward appearance does not matter. It is what one is inside that is important. Handsome is that handsome does. Beauty loved the monstrous beast for himself. When she kissed him, he changed into a handsome prince. No one except Derry’s mother kisses him. She too kisses him on the other side of the face. He has developed a negative attitude and says he does not care ’ “if nobody ever kissed” him.

Q13. How, according to Derry, do people try to console those suffering from some physical impairment?
Ans. They ask the person to look at all those people who are in pain and brave. They never cry or complain. They don’t feel sorry for themselves. Then the person is asked to think of all
those persons worse off than him. One might have been blinded or bom deaf, or confined to a wheelchair, or be crazy and dribble. Since Derry has none of these disabilities he is far better placed.

Q14. Why do these arguments fail to console Derry ?
Ans. Derry has developed negative attitude. He says that the arguments to console him will not make his face change. He feels more hurt and pained by the comments of persons or what he overhears. Once he heard a woman in the street whispering to another, “Look at that, that’s a terrible thing. That’s a face only a mother could love.” Derry calls it cruel of them.

Q15. How does Mr Lamb try to remove the baseless fears of Derry’?
Ans. Derry has developed withdrawal symptoms. He doesn’t like being near people. Mr Lamb tells him the story of a person who was afraid of everything in the world. So he went into his room and locked the door. He got into his bed and stayed there for a while. Then a picture fell off the wall on to his head and killed him.

Q16. Which fears did the man suffer from? What is the common factor in all of them?
Ans. The man feared that a bus might run him over, or a man might breathe deadly germs onto him, or a donkey might kick him to death or lightning might strike him down, or he might love a girl and the girl would leave him, and he might slip on a banana skin and fall and people who saw him would laugh their heads off. Most of these fears are imaginary.

Q17. What peculiar things does Derry notice about the old man?
Ans. Derry thinks that the old man is peculiar. He says peculiar things. He asks questions which Derry does not understand. There are no curtains at the windows in his house. He likes the light and darkness and hears the wind with the windows open.

Q18. What does Derry listen about himself? How does he react to it?
Ans. Derry listens to what his parents talk about him downstairs when he is not there. They seem to be anxious about him and his future. What he will ever do and how will he ever get on in that world. What is going to happen to him with that bum mark on his face. They say what is going to happen to him when they have died.

Q19. In what ways does Mr Lamb inspire Derry to overcome his physical disability?
Ans. Mr Lamb tells Derry that he ‘has got two arms, two legs and eyes and ears. He has got a tongue and a brain. He will get on the way he wants, like all the rest. And if he chooses and sets his mind to it, he could get on even better than all the rest.

Q20. “People are never just nothing. Never.” Why does Mr Lamb say so? Why does he advise Derry not to hate anyone?
Ans. Mr Lamb says that he has friends every where. Derry says that the people passing us in the street are not our friends. Mr Lamb tells him that they are not enemies either. When Derry says they are “Just nothing”, Mr Lamb makes this remark. He tells Derrry that hatred does more harm than any bottle of acid. Acid only bums the face, but hatred may bum a person away inside.

Q21. How should people be judged?
Ans. People should not be judged by what they look like. They must be judged by their actions. Appearances may be deceptive. On the other hand, people with physical impairments overcome their disabilities and perform wonderful feats in different spheres.

Q22. How, according to Mr Lamb, can one overcome of sense of hurt or humiliation caused by remarks at one’s physical disability?
Ans. Mr Lamb does not provide a straight forward solution. He says that in the street kids shout “Lamey-Lamb” at him. Still they come to his garden. They are not afraid of him because he is not afraid of them. He simply ignores their comments. He concentrates on other things which are encouraging and positive.

Q23. What possibility does Derry indicate in the old man’s act of getting the crab apples down? What is its dramatic importance?
Ans. Derry says that if the old man fell down the ladder and broke his neck, he might lie on the grass and die, in case he was alone in the garden. This observation proves prophetic. The last scene shows the ladder falling back with Mr Lamb. The playwright uses the device of foreshadowing to prepare us for the eventual end.

Q24. What does Deny want to know? How, according to the old man, can he know that?
Ans. Derry wants to know what he could do. The old man tells him that he does not know everything. He can’t tell the boy what to do. He has to find it out himself by waiting, watching, listening sitting here or going there. Derry says that he wants something no one else has got or ever will be. Something just his own.

Q25. What makes Derry think that the old man is always alone and miserable? What does he tell the old man? 
Ans. Derry asks Mr Lamb whether the persons who come there talk to him and ask him things. As usual, Mr Lamb says that some do, some don’t. He asks them as he likes to learn. This makes Derry think that nobody ever comes there.
He tells the old man that he is there all alone by himself and miserable. He says no one would know if he were alive or dead and nobody cares.

Q26. Why does Derry’s mother oppose his going back to the old man’s garden?
Ans. Derry’s mother tells him that she has heard things about the old man. In fact, she has been warned. Though they have lived there for three months, she knows what is worth knowing and Derry is not to go back there.

Q27. What argument does Derry give to convince his mother why he wants to go to the old man’s garden?
Ans. Derry says that the old m^n has a tin leg. He lives in a huge house without curtains. He has a garden. Derry wants to be there and listen to things that matter. Things nobody else has ever said. Things he wants to think about. They are not about his face and how he looks.

Q28.What makes Derry resolve to go to the old man?
Ans.He no longer cares about his face and looks. He is more concerned with what he thinks and feels, what he wants to see and find out and hear. He knows that if he does not go back there, he will never go anywhere in that world again. He wants the world. He no longer shuns it or avoids the people.

Q29. Comment on the ending of the play ‘On The Face Of If.
Ans.The play has a pathetic but dramatic ending. Mr Lamb who works actively in spite of his physical disability loses balance and falls down along with the ladder. Derry enters and tries to converse with Mr Lamb, who does not respond. Mr Lamb’s “exit” is exactly the same as envisaged by Derry earlier in the play.

Q30.What other ending would you suggest to the above story ?
Ans.I would like the play to end on a happy note. Derry’s efforts will revive the old man. After regaining his consciousness, Mr Lamb will grant permission to Derry to live with him and see, hear and learn things.

LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS
Q1. How does Derry behave on entering Mr Lamb’s garden?
Ans. Derry does not use the gate to enter the garden. He climbs over the garden wall. His footsteps are heard as he walks slowly and hesitantly through the long grass. He is startled when Mr Lamb asks him to mind the apples and warns that he might trip. Deny shows signs of fear and nervousness. He explains that he took it for an empty place. Mr Lamb, the old man, tells him that the house is empty till he goes inside. That beautiful day is not to be spent inside. Derry panics and says he has got to go. He becomes angry to learn that the old man was watching him. He explains his intentions. He has not come there to steal anything. When Mr Lamb again asks him not to be afraid, Derry remarks that people are afraid of him because his face is ugly and frightful.

Q2. What efforts does Mr Lamb make to strike up a friendship with Derry, the small boy, who enters his garden ?
Ans. Mr Lamb is quite gentle, accommodating and protective. He asks Derry to mind the apples as he might trip. Instead of feeling angry over the way of his entry, he points out that the gate is always open and he is welcome. His cordial manner and conciliatory tone touch the inner most chords of a defiant boy like Derry who does not want to mix up with others. On learning about his burnt face, he does not react like others. Instead of exhibit¬ing fear and revulsion, he shows understanding and affection. He admits that he is the same as the boy. If the boy has a burnt face, he has got a tin leg. Gradually, he tries to win over the confidence of Derry by reminding him of ‘Beauty and the Beast’. He then tells him the story of a man who feared everything and shut himself in a room. His positive attitude towards life inspires the boy to talk to him like a friend.

Q3. What is the bond that unites the two—old Mr Lamb and Derry, the small boy ? How does the old man inspire the small boy?
Ans. It is the bond of physical impairment that unites old Mr Lamb and the small boy, Derry. He got his leg blown off during the war and since then he has a tin leg. Derry got one side of his face burnt by acid. Their respective disabilities have not only caused pain and suffer¬ing to the body but to their mind and soul as well. They have to live with their physical impairment. Mr Lamb has adjusted himself to the ways of the world and stopped bother¬ing about what people call him. He keeps himself busy in meaningful activities like pick¬ing apples, making jelly, bee-keeping and preparing toffee from honey. He loves reading books, hearing music, observing beautiful things and thinking about them. He inspires the small boy by saying that he has all the God-given organs intact. He has to decide what to do. He must work for it and then he can outshine even the others. Derry admits that ‘Handsome is he who handsome does.’ For him his face or how he looks does not matter now. He has become positive and has started thinking differently.

Q4. What is the theme of the play ‘On The Face Of It’? How has it been worked out?
Ans. The theme of the play is the consequences of physical impairment on the affected person’s body, mind and soul. The actual pain and inconvenience caused by the disabilities is often much less than the sense of alienation felt by the disabled person. People think that a person who has lost an organ or suffered some deformity such as a disfigured face should either be confined to the hospital or allowed to move in the company of people having the same disability. The playwright does not approve of this idea as it will create a strange sort of world. The attitude of persons towards the victims of accidents or disasters needs com¬plete change. They must be considerate and thoughtful. They must appreciate the efforts of the physically challenged persons to overcome their disability and compete with others. The theme has been worked out through the interaction of two characters—old Mr Lamb and a young boy, Derry. Through his peculiar way of looking at things and asking ques¬tions, Mr Lamb persuades Derry to have a positive approach to fife. Only positive attitude towards life will give one true happiness.

Q5. Compare and contrast the characters of Mr. Lamb and Derry.
Ans. Both Mr. Lamb and the young boy Derry have one thing in common—their physical im¬pairment. Both are victims of these disabilities after birth. The leg of Mr. Lamb was blown off during the war. Derry’s face was burnt by acid. One side of his face looked very ugly and frightful.
Apart from this, they have nothing in common. Mr. Lamb is old, Derry is a young boy of fourteen. Mr. Lamb enjoys company and wants to talk. Derry is very withdrawn and defiant. He does not want to come in contact with people.
Mr Lamb does not bother about his lameness. He has developed love for reading books, hearing music, seeing beautiful things and thinking about them. He is calm and patient. He asks peculiar questions. He forces Derry to see that actions are more important than mere looks. In spite of his lameness he picks apples, makes jelly, maintains a beehive and makes toffees from honey. The gate of his garden is always open. Derry develops a new vision of life under his guidance. He becomes positive and looks happy.

Q6. What impression do you form of Derry, the small boy, in the play ‘On The Face Of It’ ?
Ans. Derry is a fourteen year old boy who is very withdrawn and defiant. One side of his face has been burnt by acid and it looks very ugly and frightful. This incident has made him a victim of inferiority complex.
Derry is highly sensitive to what others—his parents, family friends, well-wishers or even total strangerssay about him. Their anxiety, concern, fear and revulsion pains him more than the bum did.
Derry is quite intelligent. When Mr Lamb mentions the story ‘Beauty and the Beast’, Derry at once comes out with its moral: ‘Handsome is as handsome does.’ He, however, evokes self-pity by saying, “I won’t change… and no one’ll kiss me ever.”
Derry is sensitive to the sufferings of others. He arouses sympathy for himself by making enquiries about the old man’s leg, pain and how he passes his life alone. Derry has the capacity to learn. He is impressed by the old man’s way of life in spite of physical handicap. In the end, he does not bother about his face or looks and wants to see, hear, learn and think and do what no one else has done. In short, Derry is a developing character.

Q7. Which qualities of Mr Lamb have impressed you most?
OR
Draw a character sketch of old Mr Lamb.
Ans. Mr Lamb is the protagonist in the play. He dominates the play from beginning to end. He impresses us as a sensitive, watchful, kind, considerate and sympathetic person. He is quite gentle, accommodating and protective. He is more concerned about the boy’s well-being than the apples.
He is a victim of alienation due to his physical impairment. Though he keeps his gates open and says he has many friends, actually he lives alone and is quite miserable. He loves company and wants to talk. He shares his thoughts even with the young boy.
Mr Lamb is like a modem communicator and a psychologist who believes in drawing out the best of an individual. His tactful handling and peculiar questions make Derry shed some of his firmly fixed notions and respond to the things of the world around him. Thus he is a source of inspiration to the depressed and gloomy.
Mr Lamb is pragmatic. His way of life is an object lesson for all who suffer some physical handicap or the other. One can always undertake some meaningful activities which give life some purpose and aim and save it from boredom. Even in his fall with the ladder, he exhibits Christ-like grace.

Q8. Comment on the ending of the play ‘On The Face Of It’. How far do you find it effective ?
Ans. The ending of the play is quite suggestive. Mr Lamb, who has been picking apples, falls down along with the ladder. As Derry enters the garden, he finds total silence pervading there. He is surprised and shocked to see Mr Lamb on the ground. He hopes it is all right. He kneels near Mr Lamb and announces that he has come back and he is there. He implores the old man to get up and talk. As the old man does not respond to Derry’s repeated requests, he begins to weep.
The ending is quite dramatic and stageworthy. The old man with the ladder under him is a Christ-like figure. It is a pathetic ending, no doubt, but it does not spread gloom. Rather, it acts like a beacon light. The old generation has handed over the charge to the younger one. It is like a soldier making an exit with the satisfaction of mission accomplished. The old man has handed over his philosophy of life to Derry and inspired him to find out what he wants to be. Thus, though the old man expires physically, his ideas inspire Derry to pursue higher goals and Achieve them. In this sense, the ending is quite effective and meaningful.

Q9. What do you understand by ‘On The Face Of If ? Do you think the title ‘On the Face of If is appropriate? Give reasons in support of your answer.
Ans. ‘On The Face Of It’ is used to say that something seems to be good, true, etc. but that this opinion may need to be changed when you know more about it.
Apparently, the play seems to be an interaction between two persons suffering from physi¬cal impairment. Being a drama of ideas, it has minimum physical action. The old man’s efforts to strike up a friendship with a young boy of fourteen, who is very withdrawn and defiant, seems to be the main issue. The old man’s effort is worth appreciation.
However, as we go on reading further, more is in store for us. We learn the mental anguish, emotional starvation and physical distress of the physically challenged who are unable to lead normal life among normal persons. The play is not didactic but it inspires people like Derry, who have some physical blemish, to ignore it as well as comments of people about it. They should set goals for themselves and strive to outshine even the other normal persons. Thus, the title is quite appropriate and highly suggestive.

Q10. Both Derry and Lamb are physically impaired and lonely. It is the responsibility of society to understand and support people with infirmities so that they do not suffer from a sense of alienation. As a responsible citizen, write, in about 100 words what you would do to bring about a change in the lives of such people. [All India 2014]
Ans. Both Mr. Lamb and the young boy Derry have one thing in common—they are physically impaired. Both are victims of these disabilities after birth. Such type of people should not be reprimanded but they must be honoured with. They must be given respect and honour in the society. If somebody looks upon them with pessimistic approach, they may never be able to come out of their sorrow. But they will go into the world of alienation. As a responsible citizen, it must be our duty to provide them a respectable place in the society. Then only they can come into the mainstream of the society and live like a normal people. They must not be reminded of their disabilities. Only then we can play the role of a responsible citizen.

MCQ Questions for Class 12 English Vistas Chapter 6 On the Face of it with Answers

Question 1.
If Derry didn’t go back, he was scared ___
(a) Mr Lamb would not let him in
(b) Mr Lamb would make other friends
(c) he wouldn’t be able to pick crabapples
(d) he’d never go anywhere in the world again

Answer

Answer: (d) he’d never go anywhere in the world again


Question 2.
How far is Derry’s house from Mr Lamb’s?
(a) A mile
(b) 2 miles
(c) 3 miles
(d) 4 miles

Answer

Answer: (c) 3 miles


Question 3.
The boy’s name is __ but he prefers
(a) Dennis
(b) Derek
(c) Derham
(d) Derrain

Answer

Answer: (b) Derek


Question 4.
Mr. Lamb claimed he had ______ friends
(a) hundreds of
(b) no
(c) two or three
(d) a couple of

Answer

Answer: (a) hundreds of


Question 5.
Derry felt Mr Lamb said ___ things
(a) peculiar
(b) sad
(c) funny
(d) profound

Answer

Answer: (a) peculiar


Question 6.
Derry didn’t like people
(a) being friendly
(b) being afraid of him
(c) being affectionate
(d) being sympathetic

Answer

Answer: (b) being afraid of him


Question 7.
The gate to Mr Lamb’s house is
(a) always shut
(b) heavily guarded
(c) barricaded
(d) always open

Answer

Answer: (d) always open


Question 8.
The terrible woman said about Derry that it was a face———-
(a) no one could love
(b) everyone could love
(c) only a mother could love
(d) kids would be scared of

Answer

Answer: (c) only a mother could love


Question 9.
What ate Derry’s face away?
(a) Mites
(b) Disease
(c) An accident
(d) Acid

Answer

Answer: (d) Acid


Question 10.
How old is Derry?
(a) 13
(b) 14
(c) 15
(d) 16

Answer

Answer: (b) 14


Question 11.
Mr Lamb says. it’s all __ , Beauty and the Beast.
(a) relative
(b) unimportant
(c) God’s Grace
(d) destiny

Answer

Answer: (a) relative


Question 12.
‘Why is one green growing plant called a ___ and another a flower?’ asks Mr Lamb
(a) thorn
(b) grass
(c) weed
(d) fruit

Answer

Answer: (c) weed


Question 13.
Mr Lamb felt the name children called him by——
(a) suited him
(b) did not suit him
(c) was outrageous
(d) was disgusting

Answer

Answer: (a) suited him


Question 14.
Mr. Lambfeels one must——-
(a) survive
(b) struggle with disability
(c) live fully
(d) look for sympathy

Answer

Answer: (c) live fully


Question 15.
Derry is ___ when Mr Lamb welcomes him to his garden repulsed
(a) surprised
(b) angry
(c) happy
(d) curious

Answer

Answer: (a) surprised


Question 16.
Mr Lamb changed the subject and started talking about ___
(a) apple picking
(b) bees singing
(c) beauty and the beast
(d) his tin leg

Answer

Answer: (a) apple picking


Question 17.
One side of Derry’s face was ___
(a) marred by scars
(b) had spots
(c) was darker
(d) burnt by acid

Answer

Answer: (b) had spots


Question 18.
Mr Lamb believed that Derry wanted to turn back because of he ___
(a) he had been caught
(b) he was ugly
(c) he was afraid of Mr Lamb
(d) he had something to hide

Answer

Answer: (c) he was afraid of Mr Lamb


Question 19.
Why did Derry enter Mr Lamb’s garden?
(a) He wanted to see the flowers
(b) He wanted to see the bees
(c) He wanted to steal crabapples
(d) Out of curiosity

Answer

Answer: (d) Out of curiosity


Question 20.
Derry entered Mr Lamb’s garden by __
(a) climbing over the wall
(b) climbing through the window
(c) walked in through the open gate
(d) walking in stealthily

Answer

Answer: (a) climbing over the wall


Question 21.
In what sense was friendship between Lamb and Derry was fruitful?
(a) he gave him fruit to eat
(b) his maturity
(c) both were good companions and Lamb’s mature experiences and words helped Derry to have a positive view of life
(d) none

Answer

Answer: (c) both were good companions and Lamb’s mature experiences and words helped Derry to have a positive view of life


Question 22.
What did Mr. Lamb tell about himself?
(a) he had a tin leg
(b) still he was happy
(c) he never mind even if children teased him
(d) All these

Answer

Answer: (d) All these


Question 23.
What complex does Derry suffer from?
(a) Superiority
(b) oedipus
(c) inferiority
(d) All these

Answer

Answer: (c) inferiority


Question 24.
Why did Derry always find a vacant place to live?
(a) he liked to be alone
(b) was scared of people
(c) because of inferiority complex as he had a burnt face
(d) All these

Answer

Answer: (d) All these


Question 25.
What did Derry learn from the fairy tale?
(a) how to look beautiful
(b) how to make friends
(c) learnt to love and appreciate himself
(d) All these

Answer

Answer: (d) All these


Question 26.
Why did Derry like to be alone?
(a) because of burnt face
(b) because he couldn’t bear with people’s comments
(c) because of inferiority complex
(d) All these

Answer

Answer: (d) All these


Question 27.
Why did Mr. Lamb keep the door of his garden open?
(a) to let the people come in
(b) to get fresh air
(c) to avoid opening the door again and again
(d) to have fine contact with the outer world and enjoy

Answer

Answer: (d) to have fine contact with the outer world and enjoy


Question 28.
How did Derry burn his face?
(a) in a fire
(b) with a gas stove
(c) hot water
(d) acid burnt his face

Answer

Answer: (d) acid burnt his face


Question 29.
What kind of a garden did Mr. Lamb have ?
(a) cherry
(b) plum
(c) peach
(d) Apple garden

Answer

Answer: (d) Apple garden


Question 30.
Why did Mr. Lamb call Derry blessed?
(a) because he was young
(b) because he had a mother
(c) because he had friends
(d) because except a burnt face he had a perfectly healthy body

Answer

Answer: (d) because except a burnt face he had a perfectly healthy body


Question 31.
Why did Derry share his fear with Mr. Lamb?
(a) because he had a garden
(b) because he was old
(c) because he understood him and was friendly
(d) none

Answer

Answer: (c) because he understood him and was friendly


Question 32.
Why did Derry go to Mr. Lamb at the end?
(a) because of his wish to live a free life
(b) he wanted apples
(c) he wanted to play in the garden
(d) none

Answer

Answer: (a) because of his wish to live a free life


Question 33.
How did Mr. Lamb pick apples?
(a) bending down
(b) with the help of his servant
(c) with the help of children
(d) using a ladder and a stick

Answer

Answer: (d) using a ladder and a stick


Question 34.
Why didn’t Mr. Lamb feel hurt by children’s comments?
(a) because he thought that it suits him
(b) he loves children
(c) he likes them
(d) he want them to play in his garden

Answer

Answer: (a) because he thought that it suits him


Question 35.
Why did Mr. Lamb keep the door of his garden open?
(a) to keep an eye over his garden
(b) to be safe
(c) to chat with the people and the children who come there to take fruit
(d) none

Answer

Answer: (c) to chat with the people and the children who come there to take fruit


Question 36.
Why did Derry go to Mr. Lamb’s garden?
(a) to steal apples
(b) to speak to Mr. Lamb
(c) to help the old man
(d) to feel that place

Answer

Answer: (d) to feel that place


Question 37.
What unites Mr. Lamb and Derry?
(a) their age
(b) their woes
(c) their life stories
(d) their physical impairment

Answer

Answer: (d) their physical impairment


Question 38.
Why did Mr. Lamb help Derry?
(a) because both were victims of war
(b) both were sad
(c) both were victims of physical impairment
(d) because he wanted Derry to change his view of life.

Answer

Answer: (d) because he wanted Derry to change his view of life.


Question 39.
Who is Mr. Lamb?
(a) a young man
(b) a middleaged man
(c) an old man
(d) none

Answer

Answer: (c) an old man


Question 40.
Who has written On The Face Of It?
(a) Susan Hill
(b) William Sydne
(c) Salman Rushdie
(d) Chetan Bhagat

Answer

Answer: (a) Susan Hill


Question 41.
What draws Derry towards Lamb?
(a) his appearance
(b) his grief
(c) his positive outlook
(d) All these

Answer

Answer: (c) his positive outlook


Question 42.
What specific things about Mr. Lamb does Derry notice?
(a) A man of firm resolution
(b) always remains happy inspite of his deformity
(c) had a positive outlook
(d) All these

Answer

Answer: (d) All these


Question 43.
Why did Mr. Lamb not have curtains in his house?
(a) it’s difficult to wash
(b) too expensive
(c) because he wanted visitors in his house
(d) none

Answer

Answer: (c) because he wanted visitors in his house


Question 44.
Why was Derry startled entering the garden?
(a) because of trees
(b) because of apples
(c) because he expected no one else but seeing Mr.Lamb
(d) none

Answer

Answer: (c) because he expected no one else but seeing Mr.Lamb


Question 45.
How was Mr. Lamb happy inspite of his disability?
(a) because of his acceptance of it
(b) because he was wise
(c) because he had grown old
(d) All these

Answer

Answer: (d) All these


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