Chandni
Zakir Husain
Comprehension Check (Page No: 45)
1. Why did Abbu Khan’s goats want to run away? What happened to them in the hills?
Answer- Abbu Khan’s goats wanted to run away because goats in hilly regions hate being tied to trees or poles. They love their freedom and his goats were of the best hill breed. In the hills, they get killed by an old wolf who lived in the hills.
2. Abbu Khan said, “No more goats in my house ever again.” Then he changed his mind. Why?
Answer- Abbu Khan changed his mind because he was terribly lonely and simply couldn’t live without his pets. He needs company.
3. Why did he buy a young goat?
Answer-He thought that a young goat will stay with him much longer. She will soon begin to love him as well as the food served by him and will never want to go to the hills.
Page No: 49
Comprehension Check
1. Why did Chandni hate the rope around her neck?
Answer- Chandni hated the rope around her neck because whenever she ran towards the hills, the rope around her neck wouldn’t let her go any further and stops her with a jerk. She wanted to run across those green fields and the hills.
2.“Now Abbu Khan understood Chandni’s problem…” What was Chandni’s problem?
Answer- Chandni’s problem was that she was a mountain goat and loved her freedom. She wanted to go to the hills and hated to live with the rope around her neck.
3.Abbu Khan pushed Chandni into a small hut. This shows that he
(i) was cruel.
(ii) loved her and wanted to save her life.
(iii) was selfish.
Answer- (ii) loved her and wanted to save her life.
Page No: 51
Comprehension Check
1. Why did Chandni refuse to join the group of wild goats?
Answer- Chandni refused to join the group of wild goats because she wanted to enjoy her new freedom all by herself.
2. Chandni fought the wolf because she
(i) was stronger than the wolf.
(ii) hated the wolf.
(iii) had to retain her freedom at all costs.
Answer- (iii) had to retain her freedom at all costs.
Exercises
Discuss the following topics in groups.
1. Why did the wise old bird say, “Chandni is the winner”?
Answer- The wise old bird said that Chandni is the winner because even being weak and small in front of the wolf, she didn’t give up. She gathered all her courage and done a brave fight. She didn’t leave the battlefield like a coward and fought for her freedom. She said to herself that death in an open field is far better than life in a small hut. She stood firm on her legs, head slightly bent and horns jutting out. She was a picture of courage. She looked like a brave soldier ready to fight a treacherous enemy. She died bravely in the morning completely soaked in blood.
2.“Death in an open field is better than living in a small hut,” Chandni said to herself. Was it the right decision? Give reasons for your answer.
Answer- I think it was the right decision because no one can imagine life in someone’s captivity. Freedom is a more valuable thing than life. Chandni could have gone back to her small hut of Abbu and saved her life but she chooses to fight with the wolf instead to gain her freedom. She didn’t die the coward. She fought with courage show the picture of bravery to attain freedom of her life. She might have lived longer in the captivity but she died every day in the imprisonment. She fought with the wolf and told herself that success or failure is a matter of luck or chance. So, she took the right decision after all.
3. Freedom is life. Discuss this with reference to ‘Chandni’ and ‘I Want Something in a Cage’.
Answer- To be done by the students themselves.
