2.5 A PLAY
Two Truths, One Lie!
• Make groups of 10-15. In this game, each person writes three sentences about himself/herself, two of which are true and the third one is a lie. Read aloud your sentences, while others guess which two are true and which is a lie.
Examples: Hello, everyone ! I am Sonali. I have a brother and a sister. I live in Amalner. We have a pet dog at home.
Lost and Found
• Divide the students into groups of five. They sit in a circle. They choose one object of daily use such as a bag, wallet, box, etc. The group leader writes four sentences about it.
• I have found a tiffin box.
• It’s sky blue colour.
• It’s elliptical.
• It has a small latch.
• I found it in the classroom.
Others, too, write four sentences each.
• I’ve lost a compass.
• It’s is pink.
• It’s rectangular.
• It has a pencil and pen in it.
• I lost it on playground.
They all open read their lines, beginning with the group leader. The player whose description matches the group leaders the most gets the object.
🌼MARGIN QUESTIONS🌼
PART Ist & IInd
1) What is the name of the town?
Ans: The name of the town is Andher Nagari.
2) What is the name of the King?
Ans: The name of the King is Chaupat.
3) What is the specialty of the land?
Ans: Everything in the market is sold at the same price. No
complications.
4) What Indian proverb is reflected in the play?
Ans: “Taka ser bhaji, taka ser khaja.”
5) Do you think this is a good land to settle in? Why?
Ans: I think, this is a good land to settle in where everything in
the market is sold at the same price. You can buy the richest
and most delectable sweets for the same price as an equal
measure of vegetables. It makes life easy.
6) What are the titles of King Chaupat?
Ans: The great King Chaupat, the mighty king Chaupat, most
noble, most revered, most gracious, most learned king
Chaupat, Royal Monarch, O noble king, most kind lord and
king, o merciful king, Royal Lord, Your majesty, O just king,
Your most Esteemed Highness.
7) Can we call thieves ‘truly hard-working and honest’?
Ans: No, we cannot call thieves ‘truly hard-working and honest.’
8) If you had been the merchant, what would you have said?
Ans: I would have told the king that there is nothing professional
GK’s English Notes Std. 9th 83
about being a thief and the thief died due to his own
wrongful behavior.
9) What is the Mortar -maker’s excuse? Is it believable?
Ans: The Mortar-maker’s excuse was the water pot that he used
had an extra-ordinary large mouth. So excess water poured down into the mortar mixture. And he blamed the potter for making such a useless pot. His excuse was unbelievable because the mortar maker should have used another pot and poured less water in the mixture.
10) Do you think the Potter is telling the truth? Why?
Ans: I don’t think the potter is telling the truth, because it is not
possible to be distracted while at work just by the tinkling of anklets. It was just an excuse. But, the potter like everyone was pushing the blame on someone else.
11) Is the Daughter’s complaint about the Goldsmith true?
Ans: Yes, the Daughter’s complaint about the Goldsmith true. She
might have left the house to request the goldsmith to
prepare the ornaments faster, as she was to be married next
week.
12) Why is the Daughter so confident that the king will not hang her? Does her prediction come true?
Ans: The Daughter of the money lender was so confident that the king will not hang her because she knew that if she put blame on goldsmith the king would spare her life and would call the goldsmith in the court. Her prediction comes true.
13) What is the Goldsmith’s excuse?
Ans: The Goldsmith’s excuse is that the king order him to set aside all his work and get the Queen’s ornaments ready before her birthday.
14) Is the Goldsmith telling the truth? Give reasons for your answer.
Ans: Yes, the Goldsmith telling the truth. Because it was the king’s order to set aside all his work and get the queen’s ornaments ready before her birthday and Goldsmith would not have the courage to lie in front of the king about the king himself.
15) What is the Sage’s request?
Ans: The Sage’s request is that the hangman should hang him instead of his disciple.
16) What does the king want to know?
Ans: The king wants to know why a wise and holy man wishes to obstruct the course of justice.
17) Is the King willing to hang the Sage?
Ans: No, the king is not willing to hang the sage.
18) What is your opinion about the king – is he wicked, greedy, stupid or all of these? Which of his actions/words show that?
Ans: I think, he is both stupid and greedy. As he believes on everybody’s statement without proof, shows he is stupid. And at the end of the play he orders to hang him because the king wanted to be king again in his next birth- indicates his greediness.
ENGLISH WORKSHOP
1. List the characters that have appeared so far in the play.
Ans: The characters that have appeared so far in the play are:
First guard, Second guard, Disciple,
King Chaupat, Fourth guard, Messenger,
Thief , Merchant, Bricklayer,
Mortar maker, Potter, Money-lender,
Money-lender’s daughter.
2. List all the different titles they use to address the King.
Ans: The different titles which are used to address the king
include:
- The most noble
- the most revered
- The most gracious
- the most learned
- They royal Monarch
3. Copy the exclamations from the play. (At least 5)
Ans: i) Halt! v) O Noble King!
ii) How boaring! vi) Justice!
iii) O King! vii)The first complaint!
iv) Let the court begin!
4. Copy the orders (imperative sentences) from the play.
Ans: The orders issued in this play are:
i) Be alert.
ii) Let the court begin.
iii) Fetch the merchant at once.
iv) Bow to the Royal Monarch.
v) Make way for the king.
vi) Forgive me, o merciful king.
5. Use your imagination and the details from the play and draw a map of Andher Nagari.
6. Write what each of the following should have said after listening to the complaint against him/her :
(a) Daughter
Your most Esteemed Highness, I rarely step outside the threshold of my home.
(b) Potter
I agree that I made the pot. But I’m sorry, the pot may have been defective but I did not it on purpose. It was a mistake.
(c) Mortar-maker
I do accept my mistake that the mortar was not of the best quality. But the bricklayer should have been more careful while laying the bricks.
(d) Bricklayer
I laid the brick well.
(e) Merchant
My house has been recently built. It is the fault of the bricklayer, who carelessly built such a weak wall.
7. What should the King have said to the Thief?
Ans: The king should have questioned the thief on his claim that robbery is an honest and hardworking profession. He should have told the thief that his friend has suffered the consequences of his own actions. And as a lesson for everyone the king should have punished the thief for coming and requesting the King to do justice for a crime.
8. Will a thief appear in a court on his own? Why does this Thief dare to do so?
Ans: No, a thief would never appear in a court on his own. The thief in Andher Nagari dares to do so as knows that King Chaupat is foolish. He is sure that this is the only kingdom where he could demand justice for his complaint.
1. List the characters that appear for the first time in this part of the play. Write one or two lines about each of them.
Ans: Sage: The wise person from a neighbouring forest who saved his disciple from the punishment.
Goldsmith: The one who makes the ornaments of the money-lenders daughter and the queen.
Hangman: He is a faithful executioner who hangs the convicts.
2. Say whether the following sentences are true or false:
(a) The Goldsmith blamed the King for the delay in his work.
-True
(b) The King thought that the Goldsmith had a good reason to delay the Daughter’s work
.-False
(c) The Goldsmith was hanged.
-False
(d) The noose did not fit the Goldsmith’s neck.
-True
(e) The noose did not fit the disciple’s neck.
-False
(f) The Sage wanted to die on that day.
-True
(g) The Sage wanted to save his Disciple.
-True
(h) The King wanted to be King again in his next birth.
-True
3. Write any three instances of funny rules and twisted logic used in Andher Nagari.
Ans: First Instance:
In the first part of the play we see a thief approach a king demanding justice for the death of his fellow thief who lost his life while robbing a house.
Second Instance:
In the second instance we see that when the noose fails to fit the Goldsmith’s neck the king ordered the hangman to hang any commoner from the crowd who had a neck that fit the noose.
First Instance:
In the third instance we see the King ordering his guards to hang him at once when be believed that if he was hung on this auspicious day he would be king in his next life too.
4. List the proverbs and sayings used in the play.
Ans:
i) “Taka ser bhaji, taka ser khaja”
ii) “A life for a life”
iii) “Justice delayed is justice denied”
iv) “Action speak louder than words”
5. Read the entire play and complete the following blame game flow chart.
|
Who is blaming? |
Who does he blame |
For what does he blame that person |
|
Thief |
Owner of the house |
For not constructing a strong wall |
|
Owner of the house |
Bricklayer |
For building a weak wall |
|
Bricklayer |
Mortar-maker |
For making poor quality mortar |
|
Mortar-maker |
Potter |
For making a defective pot with a large mouth |
|
Potter |
Money-lender’s daughter |
For distracting him with tinkling of anklets |
|
Money-lender’s daughter |
Goldsmith |
For delaying the delivery of her ornaments |
|
Goldsmith |
King |
For ordering the goldsmith to set aside all work to make the Queen’s ornaments |