Class 12 Chapter 2.1 Solution
The Eyes Have It
1. MCQs Question Answer
1. During his train journey upto Rohana the narrator was
a) alone ✔
b) accompanied by his friend
c) talking with a girl
d) talking with another person
2. A girl got into the train when the narrator
a) started his journey
b) was alone in the compartment ✔
c) was on the platform
d) was talking
3. The girl who got in the train was bidden farewell by
a) her parents
b) a couple, probably her parents ✔
c) her friends
d) a servant
4. The woman instructed the girl as to
a) where to keep her things
b) when not to lean out of the windows
c) how to avoid speaking to strangers
d) all of the above ✔
5. The eyes of the narrator were sensitive to
a) light
b) darkness
c) only light and darkness ✔
d) neither light nor darkness
6. The narrator was unable to tell
a) how the girl looked ✔
b) where he was going
c) who was his companion
d) what slapped against her heels
7. The narrator liked
a) the voice of the couple
b) the voice of the girl ✔
c) the sound of the train
d) the sound of the whistle
8. The narrator in the train compartment was alone till
a) Saharanpur
b) the end of the journey
c) Rohana ✔
d) Dehra
9. The girl’s parents seemed very anxious about her
a) health
b) eyes
c) comfort ✔
d) journey
10. The narrator of ‘The Eyes Have It’ was travelling alone up to the station of
a) Saharanpur
b) Rohana ✔
c) Mussoorie
d) Dehra
11. The word ‘anxious’ means
a) antique
b) weary
c) worried ✔
d) Dexact
12. The word ‘comfort’ means
a) combat
b) relaxation ✔
c) comic
d) common
13. The word similar to ‘instructions’ is
a) advice ✔
b) institutions
c) instruments
d) books
14. The word/s similar to ‘avoid’ is
a) avid
b) stay away ✔
c) average
d) owed
15. The word/s similar to ‘discover’ is
a) discuss
b) discount
c) found
d) find out ✔
16. The word similar to ‘looks’ is
a) appearance ✔
b) loose
c) lose
d) lacks
17. The couple who saw the girl off were
a) probably her parents ✔
b) her cousins
c) her friends
d) her uncle and aunt
18. The persons who were very anxious about the girl’s comfort in ‘The Eyes Have It’ were
a) the girl’s friends
b) the girl’s uncle and aunt
c) the girl’s cousins
d) probably the girl’s parents ✔
19. The girl’s parents seemed very anxious about her comfort because
a) she was homesick
b) she was blind ✔
c) she boarded a train for the first time
d) she was young and charming
20. The narrator was unable to tell what the girl looked like because
a) he was blind ✔
b) there was no light in the compartment
c) the face of the girl was veiled
d) the girl did not look at him
21. The narrator came to know that the girl wore slippers
a) by using his spectacles
b) by listening to the slap of her slippers against her heels ✔
c) by looking downward
d) by noticing it carefully
22. The blind girl said that she would get off at
a) Nainital
b) Dehra
c) Mussoorie
d) Saharanpur ✔
23. From Dehra, Ruskin Bond was going
a) to Mussoorie ✔
b) to a hill station
c) to Rohana
d) to Saharanpur
24. The word similar to ‘startled’ is
a) stark
b) surprised ✔
c) started
a) stared
25. The word ‘registers’ means
a) reports
b) regulates
c) regards
d) impresses ✔
26. The word ‘tellingly’ means
a) significantly ✔
b) totally
c) tragically
d) timely
27. The word ‘prevent’ means
a) preserve
b) pretend
c) stop ✔
d) stand
28. The word ‘difficult’ means
a) easy
b) hard ✔
c) heavy
d) defective
29. The word similar to ‘familiar’ is
a) feminine
b) strange
c) known ✔
d) fabulous
30. The word ‘formidable’ means
a) fearsome ✔
b) fortunate
c) formal
d) fashionable
2. Very Short Question Answer
1. Who accompanied the narrator upto Rohana?
Ans. Nobody accompanied the narrator upto Rohana as he was alone in the compartment.
2. Where did the blind girl get into the train?
Ans. The blind girl got into the train at Rohana.
3. Who came to see the girl off?
Or, Who saw the girl off at Rohana?
Or, Who came to Rohana to see off the girl?
Ans. A couple, probably her parents, came to Rohana to see the girl off.
4. What made the narrator feel that the couple who had come to see her off were her parents?
Ans. The narrator felt so because the couple who had come to see the girl off were very anxious about her well being.
5. Who gave the girl detailed instructions at the moment of seeing her off?
Ans. At the moment of seeing the girl off, the woman, probably her mother, gave her detailed instructions.
6. Why were the narrator’s eyes sensitive only to light and darkness? Or, What were the eyes of the narrator in ‘The Eyes Have It’ sensitive to? ‘
Ans. The narrator’s eyes were sensitive only to light and darkness because he was completely blind.
7. The girl did not notice the narrator. What reason did the narrator give for this?
Ans. The narrator said that the girl did not notice him because he must have been sitting in a dark corner.
8. The girl did not notice the narrator. What reason would you give for this?
Ans. The girl did not notice the narrator because she was blind too.
9. Whose voice startled the girl in the short story, ‘The Eyes Have It’?
Ans, In the short story, ‘The Eyes Have It, the voice of the narrator startled the girl.
10. When do the hills look lovely, according to Ruskin Bond?
Ans. According to Ruskin Bond, the hills look lovely in October.
3. Short Question Answer
1.. What instructions did the woman give to the girl before the train started?
Or, What instructions were given to the girl when she was boarding the train?
Or, What did the woman instruct the girl? Or, What was the couple’s advice to the girl?
Ans. The woman gave the girl necessary instructions as to where to keep her things, when not to lean out of windows and how to avoid talking to unknown persons.
2. ow did the narrator feel that the girl wore slippers?
Ans. The narrator knew that the girl wore slippers from the sound of her slippers slapping against her heels.
3. What is Bond’s observation about people with good eyesight?
Ans. Through the eyes of the narrator, Bond observes that people with good eyesight often fail to see what is right in front of them as they have too much to take in.
4. What do blind people take in?
Ans. According to the narrator of the story, ‘The Eyes Have It, blind people take in only the essentials, whatever registers most significantly ) on all their Senses except vision.
5. What did the narrator want to conceal from the girl in the short story, ‘The Eyes Have It’?
Ans. In the short story, ‘The Eyes Have It, the narrator wanted to conceal from the girl the fact that he was blind. [‘The Eyes Have It’
6. Why did the girl consider the narrator lucky in the story, ‘The Eyes Have It’?
Ans. In the short story, ‘The Eyes Have It, the girl considered the narrator lucky because he was going to Mussoorie, a beautiful hilly region. [‘The Eyes Have It’
7. What, according to the narrator of Ruskin Bond’s story ‘The Eyes Have It’ is the best time to visit the hills?
Ans. According to the narrator of Ruskin Bond’s story ‘The Eyes Have It’ October is the best time to visit the hills.
8. Why is October the best time in the hills? [ Or, With which flowers are the hills in Mussoorie covered in October? Or, Which was the most pleasant time in Mussoorie?
Ans. According to the narrator, the hills present a lovely look in October because of the blooming wild dahlias, the refreshing sun and the quiet roads and so, October is the best time in the hills.
4. Long Question Answer
1. Why was the girl startled? Why did she give a little exclamation?
Ans. When the speaker in Ruskin Bond’s short story, ‘The Eyes Have It, asked the girl whether she was going to Dehra, the girl felt startled. Actually, the girl, like the speaker, was also blind. She was unaware of another’s presence in the compartment. So his voice startled her.
• The narrator’s voice startled the girl. She gave a little exclamation and said that she was unaware of anyone’s presence. Being a blind girl she could not realise the presence of anybody until she heard the voice. But her exclamation was not great as she, it seems, often faced such situations.
2. “Well, it often happens that people with good eyesight fail to see what is right in front of them.” This comment was made in a context. State the context. How can you connect it to everyday human living?
Or, Do you agree with the statement? Bring out the irony in the statement with reference to the story.
Ans. The narrator in Ruskin Bond’s ‘The Eyes Have It’ was travelling alone in a train compartment. At Rohana a girl got in. His question about her destination startled the girl because the girl had not noticed his presence. The narrator was completely blind. So he did not know about the girl’s blindness. He thought that the girl had not looked around carefully. He felt that people with good eyesight often overlooked what was in front of them. Though the statement is catchy as a general statement, it does not get support from the present context.
• The statement is ironical because the girl herself was blind. In our everyday living we find people with good eyesight are often indifferent about their surroundings. Probably, it is not possible for human beings to give enough attention to everything around or even in front of them. So they miss many experiences.
3. “Yes, this is the best time”-Who is the speaker? What is the best time? Why does he describe it as the best time?
Or, Briefly describe the natural beauty of Mussoorie.
Or, Describe the scene of Mussoorie in October.
Or, Comment on touring in hills especially in October as presented by the girl and the narrator in ‘The Eyes Have It’. ‘The Eyes Have It’
Ans. The narrator of Ruskin Bond’s short story, ‘The Eyes Have It, was asked by the girl about his destination. He said that he was going to Dehra and then to Mussoorie. The girl immediately expressed her deep love for Mussoorie. She loved the hills of Mussoorie. She thought that the hills ought to be seen especially in October. Then, calling on his memories the narrator also told her that October was the best time. In October, Mussoorie appears in quiet beauty. The tourists leave the hills and the roads remain quiet and almost deserted. The hills adorn themselves with wild dahlias. The sun is also delicious. At night one can sit in front of a log fire and enjoy a little brandy. Memories of this scenic beauty probably made both of them nostalgic and reflective As a result the girl remained silent for sometime.
4. “I wondered if I would be able to prevent her from discovering that I was blind.” Who thought so? Why did the person refuse to disclose his identity? What did she/he do to prevent the disclosure?
Ans. The narrator in Ruskin Bond’s short story ‘The Eyes Have It’ thought so.
• The speaker was blind. The visual world was only a play of light and darkness to him. He didn’t want to reveal his personal deficiency to the rest of the world. He probably wanted to avoid unwanted sympathy from sighted people.
• The narrator was not sure whether he would be able to hide his deficiency. He thought that he had been sitting in a dark corner. If he could continue to occupy the place, he thought, his blindness would probably not be discovered.
5. Describe how the author in ‘The Eyes Have It’ tried to conceal his blindness from the girl?
Ans. See second part and third part of Q. No. 4 (DAY-2) Analytical/Descriptive Type.
6. “I wondered if my words had touched her, or whether she thought me a romantic fool.”-Why did the speaker feel that he might be thought a ‘romantic fool’?
Ans. The narrator in Ruskin Bond’s ‘The Eyes Have It’ met a girl
in a train compartment. The narrator wanted to hide the fact that he was completely blind. He talked with the girl as if he was a man with good eyesight. When he told her that his destination was Mussoorie, the girl expressed her love for the hills. The narrator became very nostalgic about his happy days. He started describing the beauty of the hills in October. Particularly his passionate (প্যাশানেট) love for the wild dahlias and delicious sun seems to be very romantic. The girl remained silent probably imagining the beauty of the scenes. He felt that this romantic description might appear foolish to the girl and she might have thought him a ‘romantic fool. He also wondered if his words might have touched her heart.