Class 12 English Chapter 2.4 Solution
Three Questions
1. MCQs Question Answer
1. As the man looked at the Tsar, his eyes were
a) dim
b) shining✔
c) flashing
d) bright
2. When the Tsar woke up, the wounded man asked from him
a) his purse
b) his forgiveness ✔
c) his handkerchief
d) a glass of water
3. The bearded man told the Tsar
a) Excuse me!
b) Save me!
c) Forgive me! ✔
d) Help me!
4 . The Tsar was glad as his enemy
a) failed to kill him
b) did not want the Tsar to dig any more
c) did not want the Tsar to leave ✔
d) did not know how to answer the Tsar
5. In the story ‘Three Questions’ the Tsar enjoyed a sound sleep that night because-
a) he got his answers
b) he could save the wounded man’s life
c) he was tired ✔
d) he could help the hermit in his work
6. In the morning the Tsar saw the hermit
a) digging holes
b) nursing the wounded man
c) sleeping comfortably
d) sowing seeds ✔
7. The hermit did not answer the Tsar’s questions immediately becuase
a) he did not know the answers
b) he was busy digging seedbeds
c) he found the Tsar’s question stupid
d) he wanted the Tsar to learn from experience ✔
8. The hermit explained that the Tsar could know the answers to his questions from
a) dictionary of knowledge
b) book of knowledge
c) the wounded man
d) his own experiences ✔
9. According to the hermit, the Tsar was saved because
a) his enemy had been wounded
b) the Tsar had been busy in digging the ground ✔
c) the guards had been alert
d) his enemy had failed to follow him
10. In the course of the short story, the Tsar asked for answers to his questions from the hermit
a) once
b) twice
c) thrice
d) four times ✔
11. According to the hermit, the most important time is the
a) present ✔
b) past
c) future
d) past and future
12. According to the hermit, the most necessary man is
a) he who helps you
b) he who loves you
c) he with whom you are ✔
d) he who saves your life
13.To the hermit, the most important affair is-
a) to save one’s life
b) to help someone in his work
c) to make peace with one’s enemy
d) to do him good with whom you are ✔
14.The hermit in the text ‘Three Questions’ appears to be the embodiment of-
a) courage, good humour and wisdom
b) courage and honesty
c) grace, kindness and sympathy
d) diligence, honesty, kindness and wisdom ✔
15.The word ‘porch’ means
a) entry
b) window sill
c) space
d) covered entrance ✔
2. Very Short Question Answer
1. What was the hermit widely famous for?
Ans. The hermit was widely renowned for his wisdom
2. Who did the hermit meet for giving advice?
Ans. The hermit met only the common folk for giving advice.
3. Whom did the hermit see come running?
Ans. The hermit saw a bearded man come running.
4. “Let us see who it is.” Who is the man referred to here?
Ans. The man referred to here is a stranger with a beard, who came out of the woods, bleedingprofusely .
5. Describe the wound of the stranger.
Ans. The stranger had a large wound in his stomach, and blood was flowing profusely from this wound.
6. How did the Tsar tend the man?
Or, How did the Tsar nurse the wounded man?
Ans. The Tsar washed and bandaged the wound several times till the blood stopped flowing.
7. Who attacked the bearded man?
Ans. The Tsar’s bodyguard attacked the bearded man.
8. Where was the man’s wound?
Ans. The man’s wound was in his stomach.
9. Why did the Tsar fall asleep?
Ans. The Tsar fell asleep as he was very tired with the walk and the work he had done.
10. Where did the Tsar fall asleep?
Or, Where did the Tsar sleep after his labour?
Ans. The Tsar fell asleep on the threshold of the hermit’s hut after his labour.
3. Short Question Answer
1. Why did the Tsar decide to consult the hermit?
Ans. The Tsar decided to consult the hermit because his scholars failed and he knew the hermit was wise enough to give answers to his three questions.
2. Why did the Tsar come to the hermit?
Ans. The Tsar went to the hermit to know the answers of his three important questions because the hermit was widely renowned for his wisdom.
3 Why did the Tsar disguise his appearance before meeting the hermit?
Ans. The Tsar disguised his appearance before meeting the hermit because the hermit received none but common folk. [
4. What did the Tsar use to bandage the wound of the bearded man?
Ans. The Tsar used his handkerchief and the hermit’s towel to bandage the wound of the bearded man.
5. Why did the Tsar lie down on the threshold?
Ans. The Tsar lay down on the threshold because he was very tired with the walk and the work he had done.
6. What did the Tsar do with his enemy?
Ans. The Tsar forgave his enemy, promised to send his servants and his own physician, promised to restore his property, and made peace with his enemy.
7. Why did the Tsar forgive the wounded man?
Ans. The Tsar forgave the wounded man because he begged for his forgiveness and he wanted to make peace with hig enemy.
8. . What did the Tsar do to show his forgiveness to the bearded Wan?
Ans. The Tsar promised to send his servants and his own physician and also promised to restore his property to show his forgiveness to the bearded man.
4. Long Question Answer
1. What did the scholars of the state opine regarding the first question of the Tsar?
Ans. In his first question, the Tsar sought to know the best time to begin something. The scholars gave different solutions to this problem. Some advised to draw up in advance a table of days, months and years and to plan his actions accordingly. Other scholars advised to give close attention to the events taking place and decide which one was the most necessary to act upon. Some scholars advised the Tsar to keep a group of wise men while others advised the Tsar to consult magicians to meet a great urgency. The answers didn’t satisfy the Tsar at all.
2. Why did the Tsar go to the hermit? Why did he go there in disguise? What was the hermit doing when the Tsar met him?
Ans. The Tsar went to the hermit because none of the scholars could satisfy his queries Their diverse opinions, in fact, increased the Tsar’s confusion. So he went to the hermit who was believed to be a wise man.
• The hermit received only common folk. That is why the Tsar had to leave aside his own royal dress and put on simple clothes before meeting the hermit. • The hermit was digging the ground in front of his hut.
3. What did the Tsar do to tend the wounded man?
Or, How did the Tsar nurse the wounded man?
Ans. The man’s wound was bleeding profusely and he was moaning in pain. He fell fainting on the ground. So the Tsar, along with the hermit, started to tend the wounded man. The Tsar bandaged the wound with his own handkerchief and a towel provided by the hermit. But as blood kept flowing, the Tsar washed and rebandaged the wound several times. At last, the blood ceased flowing and the man gradually revived. The Tsar gave him some fresh water to drink. Thereafter, the Tsar and the hermit carried the wounded man into the hut and laid him on the bed.
4. How did the Tsar spend the night at the hermit’s place? What did he see after waking up?
Ans. The Tsar was involved in strenuous work at the hermit’s place. His labour at the hermit’s place and the strain that he undertook while nursing the wounded man made him extremely tired. He felt sleepy and crouched down on the threshold. The wounded man lay on the bed. Probably there was no spare bed in the room. So the Tsar
lay on the floor but enjoyed a sound sleep. • It was morning when the Tsar woke up. He found the wounded man staring at him with shining eyes. The Tsar took a long time to recollect the incidents of the previous day. He was surprised when the wounded man
earnestly asked for his forgiveness .
5. How did the enemy of the Tsar become friends with the Tsar in Leo Tolstoy’s ‘The Three Questions’?
Or, Why didn’t the Tsar’s enemy attack him while he was sleeping?
Or, How did the enemy of the Tsar become his friend?
Ans. The bearded man who received a fatal wound was well- nursed by the Tsar. The Tsar repeatedly washed the wounds and bandaged it till blood stopped flowing. He also gave the wounded man some fresh water to drink. With the hermit’s help, the Tsar carried the wounded man into the hut and laid him on the bed. Such nursing saved the life of the man. It brought about a psychological change in his mind and transformed the Tsar’s avowed enemy into a faithful servant. He no longer wanted to take revenge on the Tsar for his brother’s execution and the seizure of his property. The man asked for the Tsar’s forgiveness. Thus the Tsar won the friendship of his enemy by showing kindness to him.
6. What was the first question of the Tsar? Discuss the answer which he got to this question?
Ans. The first question of the Tsar was about knowing the right time to begin an action.
• The Tsar was explained by the hermit that the most important time is the present for it is the only time over which we have got any power and control. The present is the result of our past and our future is the result of our present. So what we do in our present has a hugeimpact on our future. The Tsar helped the hermit and the wounded man according to the need of the time. The man remained alive and befriended an enemy. The hermit thus explained the answer he gave.