Bihar Board Class 11 English Book Notes: Chapter 11 The Three Vows

Chapter 11 The Three Vows

Bihar Board Class 11 English Chapter 11 The Three Vows Questions and Answers

Bihar Board Class 11 English Chapter 11 The Three VowsTextual Questions and Answers

Work is small groups and discuss the following questions :

Question 1.
What kind of dress do people around you usually wear ?
Answer:
Students do yourself.

Question 2.
Is the dress of a man important ? How ?
Answer:
Students do yourself.

Question 3.
Which dress do you feel more comfortable in ?
Answer:
Students do yourself.

1. Answer the fallowing questions briefly :

Question 1.
Who is the ‘sage’ referred to here ? What is he doing when the scene opens ? (Answer is 2 to 3 sentences)
Answer:
The sage is Mahatma Gandhi. He is resting back on a wooden piece of sawed timber (plank) rest chair.

Question 2.
Who is Kasturba Gandhi ? What is she doing when K,C. Azad arrives ? (answer is 2 to 3 sentences)
Answer:
Kasturba Gandhi is the wife of Mahatma Gandhi. She is making smooth, Mahatma Gandhi’s stomach with a wet towel, pats the stomach with light slaps, assembles the mud pack material, heaves his body up and withdraws.

Question 3.
Name the objects on the table ? (Answer in 3 to 5 sentences)
Answer:
The table kept on the left of Mahatma Gandhi has books and papers. The papers are piled on it. Table on the right side has pencils, pens, inkpots and a white vessel covered with a wet cloth. Three brass cups are arranged beside it.

Question 4.
Who is Mahadeo Desai ? What sort of a man is he ? (Answer in one sentences)
Answer:
Mahadeo Desai is the secretary of Mahatma Gandhi. Who is a physically sound person, with a strongly built appearance.

Question 5.
What does Kasturba Gandhi do at the arrival of K.C. Azad ? (Answer in 2 to 3 sentences)
Answer:
Kasturba Gandhi is moving a lever of the bed chair, when K. C. Azad arrives there. She has even lifted the back of the chair. She then leaves the place.

Question 6.
What comment does Gandhi make on Azad’s suit ? (Answer in 3 to 5 sentences)
Answer:
When Gandhiji has seen Azad putting on a suit, he immediately passes on comment over it. He has asked whether Azad doesn’t feel hot in the suit. He has further added that the English people have preferred cotton clothes, why not he ? In course of their convention Gandhi. Passes a pinching remark on him, saying that he (Azad) has been looking like a monkey. It is Gandhi’s satirical comment on Azad.

Question 7.
What is Azad’s reply to this comment ? (Answer in 3 to 5 sentences)
Answer:
Gandhiji passed on a comment over K.C. Azad’s suit (dress). In course of his remarks on Azad, he uses some satirical words, by saying that he has been looking like a monkey. Azad becomes irritated on it. Being reacted he replies, “Mahatma ! you also looked like a monkey when you put on a frock coat, pin stripe trousers and top hat ! ………….. In London ! …………..” It shows his annoyance over Gandhiji’s pinching comment on him.

Question 8.
What does Gandhi realise about foreign clothes ? When did he realise this ? (Answer in 3 to 5 sentences)
Answer:
Gandhi has a very bitter idea about foreign clothes. He had disliked the use of foreign dress. According to him, a man looks like a monkey in a foreign dress.

He has realised it when he came back home from South Africa.

Question 9.
Who sang, “I shall wear my trousers rolled ?” (Answer in one sentence)
Answer:
T.S. Eliot had composed the poem in which Prufrock had sung it.

Question 10.
Why do we in India have to wear scanty clothes ? (Answer in one sentence)
Answer:
We in India have to wear very little (scanty) clothes because the weather of our country is hot.

Question 11.
Why has Azad come to Gandhi ? (Answer in one sentence)
Answer:
K. C. Azad had come to Gandhi to show his novel.

Answer the following questions briefly :

Question 1.
How many novels has Gandhi read ?(Answer in 2 to 3 sentences)
Answer:
Gandhi has read three novels of Tolstoy. These three novels are “Death of Ivan Ilych”. “Confession” and his autobiography- “Childhood Boyhood, Youth”.

Question 2.
What did Gandhi learn from Tolstoy ? (Answer in one sentence)
Answer:
Gandhi had learnt much from Tolstoy to believe in non-violence.

Question 3.
What does Anand want to learn from Gandhi ? (Answer in one sentences)
Answer:
Azad wants to learn writing the story as Gandhiji wrote about the sweeper boy Uka.

Question 4.
What does Gandhi say about Uka ? (Answer in 3 to 5 sentences)
Answer:
Gandhi says that Uka is a real person. He lives in the Ashram. He further says that he has learnt weaving in the Ashram. He is quite young. He had trained them how to clean latrines. He is also expert in cooking food in the kitchen.

Question 5.
What is the condition for staying in the Ashram ?(Answer in 3 to 5 sentences)
Answer:
The condition to remain in the Ashram in to make three promises. The first oath (promise) is not to look at a woman with desire. The second promise is not to drink wine or any other intoxicating drugs and the third promise to clean latrines one in a week as other do in turns.

Question 6.
Which book does Gandhi give to Azad ? (Answer in one sentence)
Answer:
Gandhi has given to Azad the book “Confession” written by Tolstoy.

Question 7.
What does Gandhi say about the fate of passion. (Answer in 3 to 5 sentences)
Answer:
Gandhiji says that all passion ends in tragedy. It means that passions are followed by tragedy. If we run after passion, we are bound to suffer a lot. Our existence even may be Jeopardized. Gandhi has warned to get rid of passion.

Question 8.
What does Gandhi say about Krishan ? (Answer in 3 to 5 sentences)
Answer:
Gandhi expresses his view about God “Krishna”. He says that Krishna had guided Ajiona through Gita. He further explains that Lord Krishna had advised to have control of the senses as well as to be just and upright.

Question 9.
Why has Azad used big words ? (Answer in 3 to 5 sentences)
Answer:
Azad has followed the method of ‘James Joyce’, who has in his work, (writing) stressed on the need of stream of consciousness of characters. He (James Joyce) has coined a new language, with “a play of words (puns) satirical words ! joined words ! along with poetic phrases. ” Azad has liked his language and he thought to use big words and make puns. He also thought that English people will think, he has mastered the English language.

Question 10.
Why does Azad write in English ? (Answer in 3 to 5 sentences)
Answer:
Azad’s mother tongue is Punjabi, But the government has mad English and Urdu as court languages. There are no publishers in Punjabi or Urdu. In his opinion no one can earn his living as a writer in Punjabi. In English his novel may get published in London and fetch sufficient income. So he prefers to write in English.

Question 11.
What is Gandhi’s punishment to Acharya Gorkha ? Why does he punish him ? (Answer in 3 to 5 sentences)
Answer:
Gandhi’s punishment to Acharya Gorkha is to remain on fast for whole day and night. He awarded punishment to Acharya Gorkha for his haughtiness and pride. Gandhiji became annoyed to hear his ill-treatment with Azad. He has directed him to observe fast for the whole day and night for rectifying himself of his such evils.

1. Long Answer Questions :

Question 1.
Describe the scene at the beginning.
Answer:
The scene of Gandhi’s Ashram begins with the description as follows; There is a comer of the veranda of Mahatma Gandhi’s cottage in Sabarmati Ashram, Ahmedabad. At both ends of the veranda are small rooms, whose doors are open.

In a big room behind the veranda a white woman has been typing, while an inmate is writing on a ledger. Further, at a short distance a female is seen spinning by the door of the cottage in the room on the right. In the veranda on the right side two secretaries are busy in correcting proof. Mahatmaji (Gandhi) is in a resting mood in the rest chair. Kasturba Gandhi, his wife, is busy in plastering his belly with thin mud. On the right side healthy unfair complexioned secretary of Mahatma Gandhi, standing with pen and paper, to note down his dictation. The table on the left of Gandhi has books and papers kept on it. Everything present in the Ashram appears to be moving round the Mahatma.

Question 2.
Describe Azad’s girlfriend. What sort of a person is she ?
Answer:
Azad has a girlfriend. He is in great love with her. She is in jail in Ireland. He always dreams of her at night, as he does not meet her in the daytime. His beloved seems to be a promising lady, believes in struggle to survive. She was working with Madam Maude Gonne in the Irish freedom struggle. The British police accused her of holding gun with her because she came with two Irish men from Liverpool. Each of them had a pistol. It shows that she is a revolutionary woman too.

Question 3.
Is love associated only with beauty ?
Answer:
Love is a strong feeling of a person which is more related with the heart than mind. When anybody starts loving to someone, he expresses his feelings in words and actions. It can be seen in scarifies for each other. Love is never a sellable commodity. It is the pious, innocent and sincere feeling of one another. It cannot be bargained. Love is not associated with beauty only. Though it is one of the factors, but there are other considerations and factors also. The qualities, the sincerity, feelings, sacrifices and such other conditions which make them to come together and counted. So, love is not associated with beauty only.

Question 4.
What are the three vows ? Why are they important ?
Answer:
When Azad expresses his desire to remain in the Ashram and to become the assistant of Uka, a harijan young boy living in the Ashram, to know cooking and cleaning of latrine, etc. Gandhi directs him to take three oaths. He has placed the condition to make three promises. Then only he may live in the Ashram. These are; First, he must not take at any woman with desire. Second, he must not drink wine or any other intoxicating drugs. Third, he will have to dean latrines once in a week. All the three promises must be strictly followed.

All these promises laid down in the condition to live in the Ashram bears much importance. It is necessary to maintain sanctity and discipline of the Ashram. Gandhi stresses the need of leading a pious and honest life.

Question 5.
Who was James Joyce ? What does Azad say about James Joyce ?
Answer:
James Joyce was a prominent writer, who had a new vision in the English Literature. He was a most successful -author of books with poetic phrases. He had coined a new language. Stream of consciousness of characters and themes are very well found in his books. His language has satirical words, play of words (puns) and joined words, very well fabricated there in.

Azad likes James Joyce very much. He says that he thought of copying his (James Joyce) style of expression in his books. He thought to use big words and make puns (play of words). It was his idea that if he does so, English people will think, he has mastered the English Language.

Question 6.
What is Gandhi’s advice to Azad about the use of language ? Describe in your own words.
Answer:
Gandhiji has advised Azad to use simple words for his writing in English Literature. After going through the written article of Azad he feels that his language is not easily understandable to common readers. They do not derive the real meaning of his extracts. For instance,-in one place Azad writes, “Mocking bird with a vengeance” which itself is difficult to find out the meaning of the same.

So Gandhi’s advice to Azad is the use of simple language that reader could easily understand. He further adds that Harijans do not talk in such big words. Gandhi has cited his own example. He was also writing such tough language in the past. One of his English friends advised him to write simple language and Gandhi followed his advice. He began to write in the language of common people. So, it is his sincere advice to Azad to use the language of the common people.

Question 7.
Summarise the essay “The Three Vows” [B.M.2009A]
Answer:
“The Three Vows” is highly worth-appreciating extract. It has been written by M. R. Anand. He is a literary shining star of the both centuries. He has authored more than 40 books. The Untouchable’ is his marvellous novel of protest.

“The Three Vows” is the opening scene of little plays of Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation. It paints and presents the importance of the ¥ certain time-table and the requisite plans and programmes in life. Sabarmati is a place where peace and harmony overflow to the maximum. It is a vital point for struggle and freedom. Mahatma Gandhi is taking rest and his wife Kasturba is nursing him. Gandhiji advises K. C. Azad to follow the rules and regulations of the Bhagwat Gita. The massage of life has been recorded in this holy book.

He suggests him to avoid English dress and put on Kurta and Pajama. He should not look at women with foul desire. He suggests him morning walk, prayer, honesty, chastity, and pure devotion. He should keep himself neat and clean. All activities of life should be performed at the particular time. K.C. Azad wants to know three vows. M.K. Gandhi presents an obvious picture of Three Vows. They are worth-emulating. Since it deals with three memorable vows, the title of this prose piece is The Three Vows. It reminds us of Leo Tolstoy’s story “Three Questions” As such, it is of universal significance.

Question 8.
Describe the routine of the Ashram in your own words. What is the significance of routine in life ? Do you follow any routine of your own ? [B.M.2009A]
Answer:
There are a very systematic routine in the Sabarmati Ashram. Gandhiji had directed to those who were living in the ashram to maintain a routine life. According to Gandhiji it was necessary for the punctuality and prosperity in life. The inhabitant of the ashram were hound to strictly follow the routine. Gandhiji expected everyone to walk with him at 5 a.m.

The details of the routine of the mention ashram-

1. Morning walk at 5 a.m.
2. Prayer at 6.16 a.m.
3. Milk or tea at 7.30 а. m.
4. Work upto 12 noon
5. Midday meal at 12.30 p.m.
6. Siesta-from 1.30 to 3.30 p.m. (work in the kitchen or in garden)
7. Evening prayers at б. 30 p.m.
8. Meal at 7.30 p.m.
9. Light off and go to bed at 10 p.m.

This was the routine there.

There is a great significance of routine in life. Routine provides as punctuality, discipline, prosperity and sound foundation for building our career.

Of course, I perform my daily works properly following strictly a routine. It helps me to do every work in time.

3. Composition :

(a) Write a letter to your father telling him how you have devised a routine for you and how it has helped you.
Answer:
Patna
March 9, 2013

My Dear father,

I received your letter and became very glad to read it content. In our letter you have desired to know about my progress in the school. I would like to inform you that I have devised a routine for myself and it has helped me to a great extent to make progress.

I get up from my bed at 4 a.m. and get ready to go for a walk at 5 a.m. for an hour. I take tea at 6 a.m. and start my study for two hours. I take breakfast at 8 a.m. and get ready for school. I take my lunch at 12.30 p.m. I come back from school at 3 p.m. and take rest for an hour. Taking tea and breakfast 4 p.m. I do my school-task from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. I go for an evening walk at 6 p.m. and continue to 7 p.m. and in between I attend library also. From 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. again I continue my study. I take meal at 9 p.m. and go to bed at 9.30 p.m.

Convey my best compliments to mother.

Your loving son,
Anmol,

(b) Write an essay in about 150 words on the ‘art of good writing’.
Answer:
‘Art of Good Writing’

Writing reflects our character. To write good is an art. It can be developed by and by. It gives us a notable position. We get extra weightage for our good writing. It is said that one cannot be a good person if one’s writing is not good. Good writing is like a mirror. One’s whole personality can be judged through one’s writing.

Successive psychological studies as well as analysis has proved that writing plays a significant role in our life. An expert at writing-clues can narrate the whole character sketch of the writer.

To write good is a matter of practice. Good writing can be attained through regular practice. This is why, from very beginning a student is advised to write something from the lesson every day. Legible writing has its own benefit.

Illegible writing is not valued and cuts benefit. Even in examination a good writing has some extra marks. Therefore, everyone should try to develop the art of good writing if he wants to get extra benefit.

Word-study :

1. Dictionary Use :

Ex-1. Look up a dictionary and write two meanings of each of the following words—the one is which it in used in the lesson and the other which is more common.

Wizened          vow     penetrate         satirical            sage
Answer:
wizened: (i) aged
(ii) withered

vow: (i) a sol Am pledge
(ii) oath

penetrate: (i) to understand
(ii) to pierce, to pass through

satirical: (i) censorious
(ii) criticising

sage: (i) saint
(ii) a kind of aromatic herm

Ex-2. Fill in the blanks with suitable Adjectives given below: intoxicated foreign Christian scanty bad

(i) Our clothes …………………… remove us from the common people.
(ii) In this hot country we have to wear …………………… clothes.
(iii) You will find yourself writing without liquor if you become …………………… with truth!
(iv) Sin is not only a …………………… manners!
Answer:
(i) foreign
(ii) scanty
(iii) intoxicated
(iv) Christian
(v) bad

2. Phrases :

Ex-1. Read the lesson carefully and find out the sentences in which the following phrases have been used. Then use them in sentences of your own:
believe in
according to
dream of
get up
live up to
Answer:
……………… He believed in non-violence.
You can dream of her at night, but not think of her during day-time ! (Gandhiji gets up goes into the room on the left side).
……………… and I want to live up to that name.
According to your advice—‘earning while learning’ ………………

Sentences from the Phrases:
I believe in non-violence.
Everybody dreams o/his love.
He got up and went to take his lunch.
I want to live up to my ideal.
According to rule the earth moves round the sun.

Grammar :

Ex-1. Study the following questions from the lessons:
(i) Don’t you feel hot in the Corduroy Suit ?
(ii) What do you want from me ?
(iii) They had pistols ?
(iv) How can I help you with your novel ?
(v) What is the other vow ?
Change these Interrogative Sentences into Assertive ones. You may need words to substitute question- words. Supply such words from the lesson or from your own experiences.
Answer:
(i) You don’t feel hot in the Corduroy Suit.
(ii) I think, you want something from me.
(iii) They had/had not pistols.
(iv) I think, I may not be able to help you with your novel.
(v) Let me know the other vow. Tell the other vow.

Next Chapter:- Chapter 12 Exceptional Role of Newspapers in Development