2 Mark Questions
:-
Q.1. How does the narrator
reflect the ‘ good old days ‘ and how does he introduce his cousin Mourad?
~ The narrator describes the ‘
good old days ‘ bringing the context of his childhood where he is not there
now. He tells life to be delightful and as that of a mysterious dream then. His
world was full of every kind of magnificence he could imagine. In the meantime, the narrator also gives a glimpse of his cousin Mourad, who was considered
to be a lunatic by everybody. He also narrates an incident where Mourad had
come to his house at four in the morning which justifies the craziness of
cousin to the readers.
Q.2. How did the narrator realise
that he wasn’t dreaming? Out of the window what did he see and what did Mourad
speak in Armenian?
~ It was hard for him to believe
what he was seeing through his eyes though it was enough for the narrator to
believe that he wasn’t dreaming. He could see that it wasn’t morning yet. The
daybreak had just begun and it had begun with a surprise to Aram who was taken
aback to see his cousin Mourad sitting on a beautiful white horse out of the
window. Seeing the narrator sticking his head out of the window and rubbing his
eyes, Mourad had said it to him that it was a horse and confirmed that he
wasn’t dreaming. He had also asked Aram in Armenian to make it quick if he
wanted to ride the horse.
Q.3. Why did Aram have a
disbelief about Mourad with this horse?
~ His cousin Mourad is said to be
a boy who is from a different planet and enjoys being alive more than anyone
else though it was more than even what he could believe as Mourad was sitting
on a horse which they could never dream of. Their extreme poverty had always
restricted their longings to ride horses. Moreover, their whole tribe is poverty-stricken. They belonged to the famous Garoghlanian family, every branch of which
was experiencing severe economical backwardness. These reasons made Aram scared
of what the other men of their family would think of when they see them with
the horse and had eventually led Aram to have disbelief.
Q.4. What is the speciality of
the Garoghlanian family?
~ Apart from being a poor tribe,
Garoghlanians were famous for their honesty which was most important of all.
For the last eleven centuries or so, they maintained their reputation for
honesty intact. Even when they were the wealthiest family in the world, they
were as a set of honest people. Aram says that they were proud first, honest
second. They had a clear perception of what is wrong and right. They would
never steal or take advantage of anybody in the world. but the only thing that
never goes in their way is the fact that they were so poor that they could not
have enough food for young and old alike.
Q.5. Explain “ comical poverty ”.
~ The given phrase explains about the
living standards of the Garoghlanian Tribe of which the protagonists- Aram and
Mourad belonged. The Garoghlanians were honest but very poor and poverty-stricken, still, they never resorted to any unfair means to earn money or food.
Their neighbours were amazed at how they managed with their living without
anybody caring for resources. The phase is an ironical description about their
struggle to cope up with poverty.
Q.6. How do the Garoghlanian tribe
people give priority to honesty?
~ The story acquaints us an Armenian tribe, Garoghlanians who set a bright
example for the world through their honesty. The family had been famed for its
honesty for close to eleven centuries due to which they were considered to be
wealthiest by virtue. The people of this
family are proud, honest and strict believers in differentiating between right
and wrong. They never took advantage of anybody nor did they steal from
anyone. They were so perfect in giving priority to their honesty that no member
of the family could falsely be taken as a thief.
Q.7. How did Aram relate the word
pious to the horse and Mourad? How did Aram analyse the possibility or the
vice-versa of the horse belonging to Mourad or any other member of their tribe?
~ Aram had a conscious look at
his cousin and then had stared at the horse though he could only see a sacred
stillness whenever he was thinking of the fact if his brother had stolen the
horse. He was frightened on one hand and on the other, he was delighted too. He
asked Mourad whether he had stolen it from somewhere to which Mourad called him
out instead of answering it. This made it sure to Aram that the horse was
stolen as his cousin was crazy about riding horses. To console himself in a
childish manner, Aram thought that stealing a horse for riding was not the same
as stealing something for money.
Q.8. How did Aram feel about the horse from the beginning?
~ Aram remembers an experience
when he was 9 years old, his cousin Mourad was on a beautiful white horse and asked him to be
quick if he wanted to ride the horse. With a lot of thoughts tempting Aram to
think whether his cousin had stolen the horse, he also had thought of his
longings to ride horses. Moreover, it took a few minutes for him to get out of
the thought process as they both belonged to the Garoghlanian tribe. Though Aram was astonished to see Mourad
sitting on the horse in the beginning, he rather thought of consoling himself
by thinking that the horse was never stolen until they decide to sell it and
went on to ride the horse.
Q.9. What is their concept of
stealing and how according to them they had not stolen the horse?
~ For the first time when Aram
had seen his crazy cousin Mourad sitting on a beautiful white horse, he had
been taken aback and was quite astonished. The constant thought of whether
Mourad had stolen the horse was hitting him hard until his brain made a way out
of it. He asked Mourad whether he had stolen it from somewhere to which Mourad
called him out instead of answering it. This made it sure to Aram that the
horse was stolen as his cousin was crazy about riding horses. To console himself
in a childish manner, Aram thought that stealing a horse for riding was not the
same as stealing something for money. The horse was never stolen until it was
sold for money.
Q.10. Narrate the riding
experience of Aram and Mourad.
~ Aram was shocked to see the
horse, however, he put his shock aside and jumped out of the window to enjoy the
riding. Mourad rode the horse while Aram sat pillion, they took the horse to
the countryside behind their house. Mourad began singing that resembled roaring. After manoeuvring the horse from Walnut Avenue to Olive Avenue, Mourad
expresses his wish to ride alone. Mourad races the horse across the irrigation
ditch and after successful leaps over the ditch, he circles back to Aram. Aram forgets to signal the horse as it stands
still and eventually Aram kicks the muscles of the horse, the animal begins to
run. The horse takes off to the vineyard of Dikran Halabian instead of turning
back to Mourad and there it takes seven leaps and Aram falls eventually. It
takes half an hour for Mourad to get home as the horse races away. It certainly
doesn’t go as he initially wishes but it was an eventful one for Aram.
Q.11. How is uncle Khosrove a
crazy man?
~ Uncle Khosrove was a crazy
streak of the tribe as he was ill-tempered and easily used to get irritated.
Once his son came running to him informing him that their house was on fire to
which he said ‘ its no harm, pay no attention to it ‘ clarifies his craziness. It
was only uncle Khosrove who had said John Byro to pay no attention to the
carriage which was useless without his horse which made John extremely angry.
Apart from Mourad, we get to see another lunatic in the story who justifies
himself through several instances.
Q.12. How people in the Garoghlanian
tribe have flesh and spirit differently distributed?
~ The Garoghlanian family had a
crazy streak. Mourad was considered the natural descendant of uncle Khosrove
as far as the crazy streak was concerned. Mourad’s father, Zorab was practical
and nothing else. But Mourad was his son only in flesh, in the spirit he was
similar to uncle Khosrove. Their tribe was composed of fickle and inconsistent
people who were unpredictable and brought a capricious climate in their family.
Q.13. How did Aram, Mourad and
other members of the Garoghlanian family belong to the country still?
~
As we go through the entire story, we find the boys having an intense
belonging to the old country. As we get acquainted with the two kids namely
Aram and Mourad, we find them having a strong connection with the countryside. The
family lived at the edge of the town that year, but the boys apparently spent a
lot of time in the countryside which was just behind their house. That’s why
when they were out riding the horse, everyone thought they were in the old
country where they belonged.
Q.14.
How was the ride of Mourad?
~ Mourad kicked his hills into the
horse and shouted, “ Vazire, run! “ The
horse stood on its hind legs, snorted and ran forward at full speed. Mourad
raced the horse across a field of dry grass to an irrigation ditch. He crossed
the ditch on the horse. He returned dripping wet five minutes later before he
handed the horse over to his brother, Aram who was an inexperienced player.
Q.15.
Evaluate Aram as a horse rider.
~ Aram was
not that experienced horse rider as that of his cousin, Mourad. During his term
of horse riding, he was instructed by Mourad about how to give instructions to
the horse. His inability gets cleared when we get to see that he forgets to
signal the horse at the beginning. Moreover, the readers find that Aram could
not have a sophisticated balance with the horse due to which he had fallen
after seven leaps. The horse ran away eventually. Aram was unskilled in horse
riding through it was eventful for him.
Q.16. What was Mourad’s reaction over horse’s running
away dropping Aram?
~ Since Aram was not that familiar with horse
riding, he could not ride it for long as the horse ran away dropping him off
its back. Mourad came running across the road and to Aram’s surprise he was
more worried about the horse than his nine years old brother. Mourad went in
search of the horse instructing Aram to go the other way and telling him to be
kind to the horse if he finds it. It took half an hour for them to find the
horse.
Q.17. How did Aram understand that Mourad had been
riding for over a month? On asking Mourad what did Mourad reply?
~ A search of around thirty minutes got them the
horse which had run away dropping Aram. The whole world was awake then, they to hide the horse away from the eyes of people around. Though Mourad didn’t
seem worried which was quite shocking for Aram. Moreover, when Mourad was asked
about where to hide the horse, he confirmed that he knew the place which made
it sure that Mourad was hiding the horse for some time. Aram asked Mourad
whether he had been hiding the horse to which Mourad said no which was a sure
lie.
Q.18. Where did Mourad keep the
horse? How did Mourad tame the horse?
~ Since Mourad had been enjoying
early morning ridings, he had to find a safe place to keep the horse. He
silently used to walk the horse every day in the barn of a deserted vineyard
which at one time had been the pride of a farmer named Fetvajian. The vineyard
contained some oats and dry alfalfa. According to Mourad, it wasn’t so easy for
him to get the horse to behave so well. To every question of Aram, he had only one
reply as he had away with it, which was a simple and honest one. Mourad shows
his childishness as he continues to tell how he had tamed the horse so well.
Q.19. Why did John Byro come to
Aram’s house? What did he say there about his horse? How did uncle Khosrove
react to that?
~ John Byro had been an Assyrian
who had come one afternoon out of loneliness. Moreover, they had another guest
that afternoon in the form of uncle Khosrove who was already sitting with
cigarettes and coffee. John Byro joined there and out of nowhere he sighing
sadly, he mentioned about his horse which was stolen last month and was still
gone. Uncle Khosrove in his own unique way said to pay no attention to it. It
was irrelevant for Byro to cry over a hose when they are having no homeland.
Q.20. What did Aram say to Mourad
after John Byro visited their house? What was Mourad doing then?
~ Aram had run over to his cousin
Mourad who was sitting under a peach tree to inform him about the missing horse John
Byro was searching. while Mourad was trying to repair the hurt wing of a robin,
Aram said to him that the farmer John Byro wanted his horseback which he was
hiding it for a month.
Q.21. What did Mourad and Aram
agree upon keeping the horse (duration) and why?
~ Mourad was informed by his
cousin that John Byro was questing for his horse when he was trying to repair a
wounded young bird. In order to return the horse, they had to agree upon how
much time they would have to keep then the horse. Aram wanted to keep it and learn
horse riding which would take around one around to which Mourad disagreed and
wanted to return it in six months. Mourad wanted the horse to be returned to
its true owner and never wanted to put a scar on their reputation.
Q.22. After the visit of John
Byro, for how long did they ride and how had their rides?
~ They both agreed to keep the
horse for about six months though they had ridden it for two weeks. every morning
for two weeks, both of them took the horse out of the barn of the deserted
vineyard where the horse used to be hidden. Mourad was used to horse riding and
didn’t have any issues with it. But as we go through the lines, we find that
the horse used to leap over grapevines and small trees throwing Aram and used
to run away.
Q.23. How did Mourad manage to
face off with John Byro with the horse?
~ One morning the boys ran into
the farmer John Byro who was on his way to the town. Greeting themselves, John Byro took a close look on the horse and
asked its name. He replied the horse’s name to be lovely but it was difficult
for him to believe that the boys could have stolen his horse because their
family was well known for honesty. Moreover, he assured that the horse matches
his stolen one tooth by tooth though he could not help the situation much and
went away saying the horse must be the twin of his horse. Mourad had a way out
of every problem as he addresses that in his own childish manner.
Q.24. Why didn’t John Byro
believe the horse to be his?
~ One morning on the way to the
deserted vineyard where they used to hide the horse, the boys ran into the
farmer John Byro who was on his way to the town. He recognised his horse. It
was difficult for him to believe that the boys could have stolen the horse
because their family was well known for honesty. So, he went away saying that
the horse must be the twin of his horse. The boys knew that he had become
suspicious. Though the horse matched tooth by tooth, he could not believe the
horse to be his.
Q.25. What do you think made
Mourad and Aram return the horse?
~ The cousins found it risky for
them to keep the horse for a longer period of time as they had already been
suspected by John Byro. It didn’t take the farmer much time to recognise his
horse the morning they had met. Moreover, he would have declared them as thieves
if they would not have been sons of his friends. Even he could not believe the
horse to be his own looking at the horse which matched his stolen one toot by
tooth. So the time had come to return the horse to its true owner.
Q.26. How did both Aram and
Mourad return the horse?
~ Since the farmer John Byro had
been suspecting them as the thieves, the two cousins decided to return the
horse to its actual owner. One early morning they took the horse to John Byro’s
vineyard and put in in the barn. Now since Mourad had a way with the dogs, the
dogs, fortunately, didn’t bark at them. Mourad had put his arms around the horse
and pressed his nose to that of horse’s nose and had patted it. This is how the
cousins returned the horse.
Q.27. How had John Byro and uncle
Khosrove reacted when the horse was returned?
~ There would not have been more
elated than John Byro on the earth who had got his horse which was stolen a
month earlier. He runs his surrey that afternoon to Aram’s house where he showed
his mother the stolen horse. He also confirmed that the horse was better
tempered and stronger than ever. But uncle Khosrove didn’t seem much interested
and got irritated and shouted to be quiet. In his own way told to pay no
attention to it.
6 Mark
Questions:-
Q.1. How does the story deal with
moral duty and temptation?
~ Even though Mourad and Aram were attracted towards the horse and hid
it for a month, they were very much conscious of their family status as some
honest people are known for their honesty alone. In the case of Mourad, we come to know
it when Aram asked him since when he was keeping the horse. He lied first and
then said that he didn’t want both of them to be called liars. Moreover, he
leapt upon Aram when Aram said to keep it till he learns to ride the horse as Mourad didn’t want to be called as
stealers. This shows his conscience. In the case of Aram, he was
conscience-stricken science the beginning as when for the first time he saw the
horse. There was a continuous conflict going on in his mind between his
temptation and conscience. So, he tried to justify the act of stealing at times.
He said sealing a horse is different from stealing money. By the end of the
story, the boys returned the horse to its true owner the farmer John Byro. This
shows their honesty. As a whole, the story revolves around the temptations of
childhood more particularly temptation to ride the horse.
Q.2. How did the story reflect
different types of characters?
~ As we go through the story, we find a lot of characters who make it
interesting for the readers and make us realise some human values along with
some issues with which we dwell and need to be addressed. Aram is the narrator
and serves as the moral centre. He is very mindful of doing the right thing while understanding the financial challenges of the family. We find a lot of people similar to Aram who get very conscious about their dreams thinking of
their economical situation. Though Mourad is a bit different and his family
believes he is crazy. Nevertheless, Aram admires him for his way with animals. It
is not very long until we get another crazy streak of their family, uncle
Khosrove. He pays no attention and advises anyone around to pay no attention to
anything he gets irritated about. It is very hard to recognise anything to which
he does not get angry, impatient and angry about. The readers get to discover
another person in the story whose horse was stolen by the two boys. We get
acquainted with the farmer, John Byro who relied on horse transportation;
without it, he had to walk with a sore leg to Aram’s house. He shows some human
spirit as his faith in the boys prompts them to return the horse.
Q.3. How is the theme of honesty
winning over predominance in the story?
~ Honesty
is the best policy in the world. Even though Mourad and Aram were attracted
towards the horse and hide it for a month. In the case of Mourad, we come to know
it when Aram asked him since when he is keeping the horse. He lies “not until
this morning” and then he gives the reason for his lie. He says, “I don’t want
both of us to be liars”. At another
instance when Aram urged him to keep the horse for a year he says, “Are you
inviting a member of the Garoghlanian family to steal?” This shows his
conscience. In case of Aram, he is conscience-stricken since the beginning as
when for the first time he was invited to ride the horse. He stared first at
his cousin and then the horse. There were a pious stillness and humour in each
of them which in one hand delighted him and on the other frightened. He was a
bit confused. And there was a continuous conflict going on in his mind between
his temptation and conscience. So, at times he tries to justify the act of
stealing. He says stealing a horse for riding is different from stealing money.
By the end of the story, the boys returned the horse to its true owner. This
shows their honesty. Some other minor themes are- the temptation of childhood as the whole story revolves around their temptation to ride the horse. It’s out of
this desire to ride the horse they go against their family laws and ethics.
They break the age-old tradition of being honest. Although they didn’t think to
keep that horse forever Garoghlanian family was poverty-stricken. They didn’t
have any earning source. Aram himself calls their poverty comical as none of
their family members to know from where they get the money to fill their belly, not
even head of the family. But their family is honest. More than their honesty
they are proud, to be honest.
Q.4. ‘ Crazy streak ` makes the story an
interesting one-Discuss.
~ The thirteen-year-old along with the old uncle
make the story an interesting one with their freaking activities. The incidents
related to Aram’s cousin are amusing indeed. The repetition of the cat phrase,
“ I have a way with …..” surprises the readers as to how come a thirteen-year-old the boy has a way with every sort of trouble. Moreover, the way Mourad addresses
the lies make the readers really interested apart from his brother Aram. He not
only saves the reputation of his family but also keeps themselves out of
danger. Aram says, “Every family has a crazy streak in it somewhere, and
my cousin Mourad was considered the natural descendant of the crazy streak in
our tribe. Before he was our uncle Khosrove.” Aram also begins the story
by describing how everyone thought his cousin Mourad was crazy except for him. Mourad has a deep affinity for animals. He spends his time
riding the horse or nursing a sick robin, and he describes himself as having a
“way with dogs.” Though we see Mourad playing a freaky role in
the story, we find a sense of humanity that is constantly cultivating inside
him.
Q.5. How did Mourad’s “ I have a way …..” turn out to be real in
many cases?
~ There is no doubt in accepting
the fact that Mourad had away with everything. He was way too good with every
sort of creature dwelling on this planet than any other person on the planet.
Mourad
was really good with animals. He always had away with them. He used to
carefully learn about their behaviour and thus, was able to bring about an
understanding with them which was clear and honest. This is why the horse
remained calm when with him however, it was quite contrary to that when with
the author who was unable to manage the horse. In a short span of time, he was
easily capable of establishing a genuine attachment to the animal. He used to take
the wish of the animal into account and not simply force them to do whatever he
desired. This is apparent when he tells the narrator that the horse will let
him ride only if it wants to. Also, he let the horse run as long as it desired
to run and didn’t coax him to run more. Even at the end of the story, when they
put the horseback in the barn, he lovingly pats the horse and hugs it.
Moreover, it is revealed that the horse had now become much healthy, lively and
stronger. Thus, Mourad in no way had harmed the horse or over-worked him. He had
caringly tended to it. He always used to make animals feel comfortable around
him which is why neither the dogs barked nor the bird struggled against Mourad.
He talked to the bird to assure her in some way and carefully tried to help the
robin with its broken wing. This shows that he had great compassion for the
animals and always tried to help them. Apart from the animals, he had good
ways to farmers even. The way he handled John Byro shows his capability and
eventually his childish statement “ I have a way ….” turns out to be real in
many cases.
Q.6. Do you think characters like
Mourad and uncle Khosrove are among us in society and they are special in a
different way? Take references from the story to reflect it.
~ In William Saroyan’s “The Summer
of the Beautiful White Horse,” one could interpret the moral of the story.
Even though Aram and Mourad steal Johnny Byro’s horse, no harm comes to either
Johnny Byro or the animal. In fact, Johnny Byro finds that his horse is
well-trained and in good condition upon its return, so by forgiving its
disappearance, he, Aram, and Mourad have all gained something. In other words, there is something important about believing
in the goodness of the human spirit and seeing the best in others. Moreover
Mourad teaches us how to be honest. Mourad was
really good with animals. He always had away with them. He used to carefully
learn about their behaviour and thus, was able to bring about an understanding
with them which was clear and honest. This is why the horse remained calm when
with him however, it was quite contrary to that when with the author who was
unable to manage the horse. In a short span of time, he was easily capable of
establishing a genuine attachment to the animal. Whereas uncle Khosrove is highly
impatient and set aside any problem without even listening to the details. When
his son reported that their house is on fire, he shouted the same ‘It’s no
harm, pay no attention to it’. Now it is a matter of debate whether this is
because he is slightly mad or he is just bad-tempered and impatient. When
Mourad, Aram’s cousin ‘borrowed’ Mr Byro’s horse, so that they could ride it
for a while, he was rather thoughtless and risked the reputation of their tribe
for honesty. It made Aram wonder if he has inherited Uncle Khosrov’s impulsive
nature. At the end of the story when John Byro came to their house to complain
about his horse being stolen, Uncle Khosrove shouted at him asking him not to
pay attention to it. Therefore we do understand the need for these kinds of
characters in our society as we go through the story. We need someone like
Mourad who is on his way in establishing honesty in his own childish manner and
someone like uncle Khosrove who lightens every extreme situation with his
humorous manner speaking.