Sparrows
by
K. A. Abbas
(Question
and Answer)
1.
Who is the writer of the story, 'Sparrows?
-
K. A. Abbas.
2.
What had the peasants gathered at the
chaupal for?
-
For their evening smoke.
3.
Who called Rahim Khan the hard-hearted
devil'?
-
Kallu.
4.
Who was Nanhe?
-
The fat sweet-seller."
5.
Who was Ramnath?
-
The village zaildar.
6.
Whose mare had gone into Rahim Khan's
field?
-
The zaildar's.
7.
Who told Rahim Khan that his wife had
gone to Nurpur?
-
An old woman in the neighbourhood.
8.
How long had Rahim Khan been married?
-
Thirty years.
9.
Who was Bundu?
-
Rahim Khan's elder son.
10.
Who was Nuru?
-
Rahim Khan's younger son.
11.
What profession did Rahim Khan want to
take up in his youth?
-
He wanted to join a touring circus.
12.
Who did Rahim Khan fall in love with in
his youth?
-
Radha
13.
Who was Radha?
-
The village banya's daughter.
14.
What was Rahim Khan's occupation?
-
Rahim Khan was a peasant. He was a fine athlete
and wanted to join circus. But his father didn’t allow him to do so. He thought
it immoral and below the dignity of a respectable peasant.
15.
“He walked with a haughty and unfriendly
air....”. What does this suggest about Rahim Khan reputation in the village?
-
Rahim Khan had a very bad reputation in his
village. Nobody liked him. He was hated and feared. He was thought to be a
cruel person. The children looked on him with fear and would run away at his
sight. People called him a hard-hearted devil.
16.
What does the phrase ‘cautious whispers’
suggest about the attitude of the villagers, towards Rahim Khan: respect / fear/a
mixture of both?
-
It suggests, that the villagers were afraid
of him. They considered him a cruel person The children looked on him with fear
and would run away at his sight. He was called a hard- hearted devil.
17.
“The other day he very nearly killed my
mare..." said the zaildar. Was Rahim khan entirely to blame?
-
One day Rahim Khan beat the Zaildar's mare
cruelly. But he was not entirely to blame. In fact, the Zaildar's sons had
acted mischievously. They had, knowingly, driven their mare into Rahim Khan's
fields. And the Zaildaar knew this fact.
18.
What news did Rahim Khan get on
returning to his hut?
-
Rahim Khan got the news, that his wife had
gone away to her brother. She had not gone simply to visit him. She had gone to
live with him.
19.
What were Rahim Khan's ambitions as a
young man ? Were they fulfilled?
-
Rahim Khan had two ambitions in his life. His
first ambition was to join a touring circus. The other was to marry a Hindu
girl named Radha. But neither of these ambitions was fulfilled. His parents
killed both his ambitions.
20.
Why was Rahim Khan not able to join the
circus?
-
Rahim Khan was a fine athlete and he wanted
to join circus. But Rahim Khan’s father was against it. He did not let him join
the circus. He thought it immoral and below the dignity of a respectable
peasant.
21.
How did Rahim Khan's romance with Radha
end?
-
Rahim Khan fell in love with Radha, who was a
Hindu girl. Rahim Khans father was furious when he came to know of it. He
suggested Radha's father to marry off Radha. Radha’s father found a middle aged
banya for Radha. Rahim Khan, was married to a Muslim girl. Thus, Rahim Khan's
romance with Radha came to end.
22.
Iron entered his hitherto kindly soul.
Explain.
-
Rahim Khan's parents and society were
responsible for turning him into a beast They had killed all his ambitions very
cruelly. Poor Rahim Khan's heart was filed with bitterness. And iron entered into
his kindly soul. Now Rahim Khan wanted to destroy everything.
23.
Who did Rahim Khan hold responsible for
the frustration of his dreams? How did he avenge himself?
-
Rahim Khan held society and his parents
responsible for the frustration of his dreams. He avenged himself by being cruel to his wife.
He beat her almost every day. He ill-treated his children and his bullocks
also.
24.
Something made Rahim Khan desist from
wrecking the sparrows' nest. What do you think it was? What influence did the
nest have on him?
-
The mother-sparrow's love for its young ones
moved Rahim Khan's heart. It kindled his hidden goodness of his heart. The nest
of the sparrows completely transformed Rahim Khan. And his behaviour towards
the sparrows shows, that he was at heart a kind person. It was only his
circumstances that had made him cruel.
25.
Can you say how Rahim Khan felt when a
group of children ran away from him?
-
Rahim Khan was hated and feared in his
village. The children looked on him with fear and would run away at his sight.
But Rahim Khan was no longer cruel. He wanted the children to come to him. He
felt very miserable when the children ran away from him.
26.
How did Rahim Khan get drenched? What
was his only worry during the last moments of his life?
-
It was raining heavily. The roof just above
the sparrows' nest was leaking. Rahim went up to the roof to repair it. Thus,
he got drenched. During the last moments of his life, Rahim Khan's only worry
was about the sparrows. He was worried about who would feed them after his
death.
27.
What does Rahim Khan's behaviour towards
the sparrows show about his own nature?
-
The nest of the sparrows completely
transformed Rahim Khan. It kindled the hidden goodness of his heart. His
behaviour towards the sparrows shows, that he was at heart a very kind person.
It was only his circumstances that had made him cruel.
28.
Friends keep vigil over the body of a
dear one. Who kept vigil over the body of Rahim Khan?
-
The sparrows kept vigil over Rahim Khan's
body. When a person dies, his near and dear ones, his relatives and friends
keep a vigil over his body. When Rahim Khan died, there was no one to keep
vigil over his body. The sparrows performed this duty. This is the reason that
they are referred to as 'friends'.
29.
Write a character-sketch of Rahim Khan.
-
We see two sides of Rahim Khan's character in
this story. He was loving as well as beastly. He used to be a very cheerful boy
in his youth. He had an intense desire to join a touring circus. He wanted to
marry a Hindu girl. But both these ambitions of Rahim Khan were most cruelly
trampled by his family and society. As a result, his heart was filled with
bitterness. And from a cheerful young man, he became a heartless devil. But
when the sparrows came into his life, they rekindled the hidden goodness of his
heart. They brought out the true self of Rahim Khan. He was very kind at heart.
He gave his life for the sake of those little creatures. Thus, we see, that
Rahim Khan was a nice human being. It was only his circumstances that had made
him cruel.
30.
Rahim Khan was known to be cruel and
heartless. Briefly trace the incidents which changed his nature.
-
Rahim Khan ill-treated his wife and his sons.
Due to his cruel behaviour, his wife and his sons left him one by one. Now in
their absence, Rahim Khan started feeling lonely. He realized, how much this
woman, whom he hated, had become a part of his life. One day, Rahim Khan saw a
sparrows’ nest near the roof of his hut. There were two baby sparrows in the
nest. He had a mind to destroy the nest and finish off the sparrows. But the
mother- sparrow attacked him, when he tried to touch the baby sparrows. The
mother-sparrow's love for its young ones moved Rahim Khans heart. A strange feeling
of pity arose in him. He would feed them and play with them. He would call the
baby sparrows by the names of his sons, Nuru and Bundu. He developed deep love
for them. The sparrows transformed Rahim Khan completely. They rekindled the
goodness of his heart.
31.
What is the message conveyed in the
story? Explain.
-
The message conveyed in the story is that
nobody is bad by birth. If one is bad there are bound to be some social or
domestic reasons behind it. This is what happens with Rahim Khan, the main
character of this story. Rahim Khan had two ambitions in his life, first, he
wanted to join a touring circus. Secondly, he wanted to marry a Hindu girl,
Radha, but his parents killed both these ambitions. They did not let him join
the circus. They got him married to a Muslim girl against his wishes. All this
brought about a big change in Rahim Khan's nature. He used to be very cheerful.
But now he became very bitter and cruel. He began to ill-treat his wife, children
and even his bullocks, He came to be hated and feared. But when the sparrows
came in his life, they rekindled the hidden goodness of his heart. He came out
as a kind person. This was his true self.
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