TEXTBOOK QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS (NCERT) OF A TRIUMPH OF SURGERY || CBSE CLASS 10 || ENGLISH || FOOTPRINT ||

TEXTBOOK QUESTIONS

          

 

        Page-1

 

READ AND
FIND OUT

        1.           
Why is Mrs. Pumphrey worried about Tricki?

Ans. Mrs. Pumphrey was
worried as Tricki had been listless. He even refused to eat his favourite
dishes. He suffered from bouts of vomiting and spent all his time lying on a
rug and panting.

 

        2.           
What does she do to help him? Is she wise in this?

Ans. She informed
Mr.Herriot, a veterinary surgeon, to check the condition of Tricki. Yes, she
was wise in this. She loved Tricki a lot and when she heard that he needs to be
hospitalised, she almost swooned.

 

        3.           
Who is ‘I’ in the story?

Ans. Here ‘I’ refers
to the narrator i.e., Mr. Herriot, the veterinary surgeon.

 



Page-3

 

    1.           
Is the narrator as rich as Trick’s mistress?

  Ans. No, the narrator is not rich as Trick’s
mistress.   There are various instances
which prove that. When Tricki was been taken to the hospital, he was sent with
day bed, night bed, favourite cushions, toys, rubber rings, breakfast bowl,
lunch bowl and supper bowl. Mrs. Pumphrey sent fresh eggs two dozen at a time,
bottles of wine and brandy. The ‘thirty feet of gleaming black metal’ shows
that Mrs. Pimphrey was rich enough.

 

    2.           
How does he treat the dog?

Ans. Mr. Herriot gave
no food to the dog for two days but provided plenty of water. On the second
day, the dog started to show some interest in the surroundings and on the third
day began to whimper when he heard the other dogs. When an extra bowl was kept,
Tricki started jostling and his progress was rapid. By this way, he treated the
dog.

 

    3.           
Why is he tempted to keep Tricki on as a permanent guest?

Ans. Mrs. Pumphrey
cared a lot for her dog. When Tricki was hospitalised, she used to send two
dozen eggs daily, bottles of brandy and wine. Mr. Herriot and his partners used
to enjoy those meals. When extra egg, wine and brandy began to arrive in the
morning, the narrator regarded those days to be of great content. So, he
tempted to keep Tricki on as a permanent guest.

 

    4.           
Why does Mrs. Pumphrey think the dog’s recovery is “a triumph of
surgery”?

Ans.  Mrs Pumphrey thinks the dog’s recovery to be
“a triumph of surgery” as Tricki was too ill. He had become extremely fat. He
had bloodshot and rheumy eyes and his condition was really serious. When Mr.
Herriot declared that he needs to be hospitalised, she was sure that Tricki
would pine and die if he would not see her every day. She didn’t expect such a
quick recovery.

 



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       1.           
What kind of a person do you think the narrator, a veterinary
surgeon, is? Would you say he is tactful as well as full of common sense?

          Ans. The narrator, Mr. Herriot, was a
kind and helpful doctor. He dealt with the dog wisely. I think a narrator is
truly a tactful person. He brought Tricki to the     hospital as he knew that if
Tricki would be at his mistress’s place, he would certainly fall more ill. In
the hospital, he allowed Tricki to stay with the other dogs and     provided no
food for two days but provided only water. He took care of the dog. Tricki
gradually began to show interest and finally transformed into a lithe and hard-muscled
animal. By this way, he was a tactful person.

 

        2.           
Do you think Tricki was happy to go home? What do you think will
happen now?

Ans. Yes, Tricki was
happy to go home as he loved his mistress. He licked at his mistress’s face and
barked.

I think Mrs. Pumphrey
will be much careful than earlier and become quite strict regarding Tricki’s
matters. She will make a balanced diet for him and make him exercise regularly.

        3.           
Do you think this is a real-life episode or a fiction? Or is it a mixture of both?

Ans. I think this is a
mixture of the real-life episode and a fiction. People like Mrs. Pumphrey exist and
they love their pets just as their own children. They pamper a lot for their
met and keep their pets in a luxurious and comfortable state. But it is not
possible that a meal which is arranged for a pet is consumed by a doctor.

 

 





  • Think about it

1.           
The episode describes the silly behaviour of a rich woman who is
foolishly indulgent, perhaps because she is lonely. Do you think such people
are merely silly, or can their actions cause harm to others?

Ans. The story “A triumph of surgery” by James Herriot describes the silly behaviour of a rich
woman who is foolishly indulgent. Mrs. Pumphrey is the mistress of Tricki. She
takes great care of her dog and loves him a lot as a result of which he is
unable to take strict actions against Tricki. She pampers him a lot and
provides him with a lot of food. She doesn’t make him exercise as a result of which
he felt ill. She wants to make her dog healthy but she is not aware of the fact
that this may harm Tricki. Her actions may harm others but her intentions are
not malice.

2.           
Do you think there are also parents like Mrs. Pumphrey?

Ans. Yes, I think that
parents like Mrs.Pumphrey exist. They pamper too much for their child and as a
result of which do harm them unwillingly. Later, they are not able to take any
strict actions regarding their child and end up spoiling their child. The child
may indulge themselves with wrong associations and the parents can do nothing.
So, excess in anything is never fruitful.

 

3.           
What would you have done if you were :(i) a member of the staff
in Mrs. Pumphrey’s household, (ii) a neighbour? What would your life have been
like, in general?

Ans.  If I were (i) a member of the staff in Mrs.
Pumphrey household, I would not have listened to Mrs. Pumphrey and let her
overfeed her dog. I would have warned Mrs. Pumphrey regarding the after-effects
and disobeyed her orders.

(ii) If I were a
neighbour, I would have warned her regarding the ill-impacts of overfeeding and
make her realise that it might harm Tricki. Moreover, I would have asked her to
maintain a balanced diet for Tricki and even take him for regular walks.



 

4.           
What would you have done if you were in the narrator’s place?

Ans. If I were in the narrator’s place, I would
have told Mr. Pumphrey to look after the diet of Tricki and to be strict on him
and to make him exercise regularly. I would have taken care of just like the
narrator. I would not have allowed Tricki to have those eggs, wine and brandy.
I would have restricted Mrs. Pumphrey and make sure that she doesn’t commit the
same mistake.