ICSE Class 10 English Solutions Journey by Night
Passage 1
Question 1.
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow.
Sher Singh himself was only twelve years old, brown and cheerful, a child of the jungle, and his brother was several years younger. There had been other children of course, but they were dead, carried off by cholera and influenza and such, and by jungle accidents. Now there was only this Sher Singh, and the little brother Kunwar.
‘I will wring out rags in boiling water and lay them on his stomach,’ said their mother. She did not smile. She did not weep. She had lived through everything over and over again.
‘What shall I do? Asked Sher Singh, who was feeling ill inside him because of his brother. ‘I will get the sticks for the fire. And the dung. I will get the water. Let me tear up the rag’.
Why did the mother not smile or weep?
Answer:
Mother was worried about Kunwar’s failing health and thought that she’d lose him too like her other children. She was tired and alone and had lived through the deaths of many of her children before hence, she neither smiled nor wept.
Question 2.
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow.
Sher Singh himself was only twelve years old, brown and cheerful, a child of the jungle, and his brother was several years younger. There had been other children of course, but they were dead, carried off by cholera and influenza and such, and by jungle accidents. Now there was only this Sher Singh, and the little brother Kunwar.
‘I will wring out rags in boiling water and lay them on his stomach,’ said their mother. She did not smile. She did not weep. She had lived through everything over and over again.
‘What shall I do? Asked Sher Singh, who was feeling ill inside him because of his brother. ‘I will get the sticks for the fire. And the dung. I will get the water. Let me tear up the rag’.
What happened to the other children?
Answer:
Sher Singh and Kunwar had many siblings but unfortunately they had died due to serious illnesses such as cholera and influenza and by jungle accidents.
Question 3.
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow.
Sher Singh himself was only twelve years old, brown and cheerful, a child of the jungle, and his brother was several years younger. There had been other children of course, but they were dead, carried off by cholera and influenza and such, and by jungle accidents. Now there was only this Sher Singh, and the little brother Kunwar.
‘I will wring out rags in boiling water and lay them on his stomach,’ said their mother. She did not smile. She did not weep. She had lived through everything over and over again.
‘What shall I do? Asked Sher Singh, who was feeling ill inside him because of his brother. ‘I will get the sticks for the fire. And the dung. I will get the water. Let me tear up the rag’.
What was wrong with Kunwar?
Answer:
Sher Singh’s younger brother Kunwar was seriously ill. It was not clear what was wrong with him, but the child was constantly crying due to the pain in his stomach and fever.
Question 4.
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow.
Sher Singh himself was only twelve years old, brown and cheerful, a child of the jungle, and his brother was several years younger. There had been other children of course, but they were dead, carried off by cholera and influenza and such, and by jungle accidents. Now there was only this Sher Singh, and the little brother Kunwar.
‘I will wring out rags in boiling water and lay them on his stomach,’ said their mother. She did not smile. She did not weep. She had lived through everything over and over again.
‘What shall I do? Asked Sher Singh, who was feeling ill inside him because of his brother. ‘I will get the sticks for the fire. And the dung. I will get the water. Let me tear up the rag’.
What does the sentence ‘She had lived through everything over and over again.’ mean?
Answer:
Sher Singh’s mother had other children apart from Kunwar and Sher Singh. However, they had all died due to illnesses such as influenza and cholera or forest mishaps.
Question 5.
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow.
Sher Singh himself was only twelve years old, brown and cheerful, a child of the jungle, and his brother was several years younger. There had been other children of course, but they were dead, carried off by cholera and influenza and such, and by jungle accidents. Now there was only this Sher Singh, and the little brother Kunwar.
‘I will wring out rags in boiling water and lay them on his stomach,’ said their mother. She did not smile. She did not weep. She had lived through everything over and over again.
‘What shall I do? Asked Sher Singh, who was feeling ill inside him because of his brother. ‘I will get the sticks for the fire. And the dung. I will get the water. Let me tear up the rag’.
What does the phrase ‘carried off by’ mean?
Answer:
The phrase ‘carried off’ in the given context means ’caused the death of someone’.
Passage 2
Question 1.
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow.
They used fuel recklessly to get the water hot soon. They laid steaming cloths on the child’s little belly. But after a bit Sher Singh’s mother said,’ He must be carried into hospital at Kalaghat.’
Then Sher Singh knew that his brother was dying. When she said the word ‘Hospital’ He knew it, For all jungle people are well aware that hospital is but the resort of the doomed. Something took him by her throat.
‘I will run for my father,’ he cried.
‘It may be days before you find him.’
Why was fuel being burned recklessly?
Answer:
Mother thought that if she wrung out rags in boiling water and laid them on Kunwar’s stomach, he would feel better. They used fuel recklessly so as to boil the water sooner.
Question 2.
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow.
They used fuel recklessly to get the water hot soon. They laid steaming cloths on the child’s little belly. But after a bit Sher Singh’s mother said,’ He must be carried into hospital at Kalaghat.’
Then Sher Singh knew that his brother was dying. When she said the word ‘Hospital’ He knew it, For all jungle people are well aware that hospital is but the resort of the doomed. Something took him by her throat.
‘I will run for my father,’ he cried.
‘It may be days before you find him.’
What does the line ‘something took him by the throat’ mean?
Answer:
Mother said that Kunwar had to be taken to the hospital. Sher Singh knew that people from the village went to the hospital only to never return. In addition, the absence of his father, scared Sher Singh all the more and he felt choked under emotional stress which is expressed in the words ‘something took him by the throat’.
Question 3.
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow.
They used fuel recklessly to get the water hot soon. They laid steaming cloths on the child’s little belly. But after a bit Sher Singh’s mother said,’ He must be carried into hospital at Kalaghat.’
Then Sher Singh knew that his brother was dying. When she said the word ‘Hospital’ He knew it, For all jungle people are well aware that hospital is but the resort of the doomed. Something took him by her throat.
‘I will run for my father,’ he cried.
‘It may be days before you find him.’
Would it be possible for Sher Singh to find his father so that he could take Kunwar to the hospital?
Answer:
Sher Singh’s father was out on a hunting expedition and it would not be possible for him to find his father in time to take his little brother to the hospital.
Question 4.
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow.
They used fuel recklessly to get the water hot soon. They laid steaming cloths on the child’s little belly. But after a bit Sher Singh’s mother said,’ He must be carried into hospital at Kalaghat.’
Then Sher Singh knew that his brother was dying. When she said the word ‘Hospital’ He knew it, For all jungle people are well aware that hospital is but the resort of the doomed. Something took him by her throat.
‘I will run for my father,’ he cried.
‘It may be days before you find him.’
How did Sher Singh help his mother in making Kunwar feel better?
Answer:
Sher Singh ran around to collect the sticks and dung to set up the fire and the water to boil the rags in. He also tore up the rag so that Mother could wring out the rags in and lay them on Kunwar’s stomach.
Passage 3
Question 1.
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow.
Kalaghat was at least fifty miles away, but Sher Singh hoped that if he could get through the jungle and cross the two rivers that lay between him and his goal, he might get a lift in a bullock cart or perhaps even a broken – down truck for the last part of his journey. Motors were now beginning to appear even on jungle roads where for immemorial centuries there had been nothing but ox and pony.
But not yet.
Here, where the path was rutted with cart wheels, and his bare toes disappeared into silk-soft dust, he was alone on the track that wound into forest, into night.
What all would Sher Singh have to cross before reaching the hospital in Kalaghat?
Answer:
Sher Singh would have to get through the jungle and cross two rivers to reach the hospital in Kalaghat.
Question 2.
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow.
Kalaghat was at least fifty miles away, but Sher Singh hoped that if he could get through the jungle and cross the two rivers that lay between him and his goal, he might get a lift in a bullock cart or perhaps even a broken – down truck for the last part of his journey. Motors were now beginning to appear even on jungle roads where for immemorial centuries there had been nothing but ox and pony.
But not yet.
Here, where the path was rutted with cart wheels, and his bare toes disappeared into silk-soft dust, he was alone on the track that wound into forest, into night.
Why did Sher Singh have to go alone with Kunwar?
Answer:
Sher Singh’s father was not at home and it would be days before he returned from his hunting expedition. Therefore, Sher Singh had to take his sick brother Kunwar alone to the hospital.
Question 3.
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow.
Kalaghat was at least fifty miles away, but Sher Singh hoped that if he could get through the jungle and cross the two rivers that lay between him and his goal, he might get a lift in a bullock cart or perhaps even a broken – down truck for the last part of his journey. Motors were now beginning to appear even on jungle roads where for immemorial centuries there had been nothing but ox and pony.
But not yet.
Here, where the path was rutted with cart wheels, and his bare toes disappeared into silk-soft dust, he was alone on the track that wound into forest, into night.
What mode of transport was Sher Singh hoping to get a lift in to reach the hospital?
Answer:
Sher Singh was hoping to get a lift in a bullock cart or perhaps even a broken-down truck for the last part of his journey to the hospital in Kalaghat.
Question 4.
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow.
Kalaghat was at least fifty miles away, but Sher Singh hoped that if he could get through the jungle and cross the two rivers that lay between him and his goal, he might get a lift in a bullock cart or perhaps even a broken – down truck for the last part of his journey. Motors were now beginning to appear even on jungle roads where for immemorial centuries there had been nothing but ox and pony.
But not yet.
Here, where the path was rutted with cart wheels, and his bare toes disappeared into silk-soft dust, he was alone on the track that wound into forest, into night.
What can be said about Sher Singh’s determination to get his brother to the hospital?
Answer:
Sher Singh was not big enough to carry Kunwar on his back. However, this did not deter him from setting off from his village to Kalaghat nonetheless. He had mentally the ways he would take to get to the road that could get him a lift till the hospital. This shows that he was strongly determined to save his brother’s life.
Passage 4
Question 1.
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow.
Kunwar, was twitching and groaning on his back, was already getting heavier. Oh, for a rest to let aching muscles draw up from the painful stretching and strain. But it was too soon to rest yet, and presently he got his second wind.
Around him lay primeval forest in which the struggle of vegetation and the struggle of life continued as they had done since the beginning of the world. Luxuriant bamboo sprang fast from its nodules; impenetrable thorn thickets fought for air; trees and undergrowth and scrub and grass, And in his jungle lived the animals of the forest, the monkeys and raucous peacocks, tiger and panther and bear and elephant. Since the deer were now so poached and decimated, the beasts of prey were obliged to kill domestic animals for food. Sometimes even man.
Why did Sher Singh feel that Kunwar was getting heavier?
Answer:
Sher Singh was only twelve years old, too young to carry another boy on his back. He was finding it difficult to carry Kunwar, who was burning with fever. His muscles got tired after carrying his brother and hence, he felt that the boy was getting heavier.
Question 2.
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow.
Kunwar, was twitching and groaning on his back, was already getting heavier. Oh, for a rest to let aching muscles draw up from the painful stretching and strain. But it was too soon to rest yet, and presently he got his second wind.
Around him lay primeval forest in which the struggle of vegetation and the struggle of life continued as they had done since the beginning of the world. Luxuriant bamboo sprang fast from its nodules; impenetrable thorn thickets fought for air; trees and undergrowth and scrub and grass, And in his jungle lived the animals of the forest, the monkeys and raucous peacocks, tiger and panther and bear and elephant. Since the deer were now so poached and decimated, the beasts of prey were obliged to kill domestic animals for food. Sometimes even man.
Why has the author called the jungle primeval?
Answer:
The jungle was dense and full of flora and fauna. It had been there since the beginning of the world. This is the reason why the author calls the forest primeval or ‘ancient’.
Question 3.
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow.
Kunwar, was twitching and groaning on his back, was already getting heavier. Oh, for a rest to let aching muscles draw up from the painful stretching and strain. But it was too soon to rest yet, and presently he got his second wind.
Around him lay primeval forest in which the struggle of vegetation and the struggle of life continued as they had done since the beginning of the world. Luxuriant bamboo sprang fast from its nodules; impenetrable thorn thickets fought for air; trees and undergrowth and scrub and grass, And in his jungle lived the animals of the forest, the monkeys and raucous peacocks, tiger and panther and bear and elephant. Since the deer were now so poached and decimated, the beasts of prey were obliged to kill domestic animals for food. Sometimes even man.
Describe the jungle as mentioned in the passage.
Answer:
The jungle was luxuriant with bamboo and thorn thickets. There was undergrowth and grass all around. There animals such as monkeys, raucous peacocks, tigers, panthers, bears and elephants too. The beasts of prey would not only kill domestic animals but also humans for food as the most of the deer in the forest were poached.
Question 4.
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow.
Kunwar, was twitching and groaning on his back, was already getting heavier. Oh, for a rest to let aching muscles draw up from the painful stretching and strain. But it was too soon to rest yet, and presently he got his second wind.
Around him lay primeval forest in which the struggle of vegetation and the struggle of life continued as they had done since the beginning of the world. Luxuriant bamboo sprang fast from its nodules; impenetrable thorn thickets fought for air; trees and undergrowth and scrub and grass, And in his jungle lived the animals of the forest, the monkeys and raucous peacocks, tiger and panther and bear and elephant. Since the deer were now so poached and decimated, the beasts of prey were obliged to kill domestic animals for food. Sometimes even man.
Describe Kunwar’s discomfort.
Answer:
Kunwar was so ill that he was disoriented. He kept twitching and groaning on Sher Singh’s back. He had high fever and a severe pain in his stomach. It was not clear what was wrong with him, but his mother thought that he must have contracted cholera or influenza, diseases that had taken away lives of other villagers in the past.
Passage 5
Question 1.
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow.
Their ears flapped, their tails swung, their shadows were brilliant on the white sand, much brighter than any shadow by day. They were so near he could smell elephant, hear the squeak of sand crushed under their feet, and the brush of rough hide, one against the other. He could see the toss and hustle of great heads and black backbones.
The tusker was playing his trunk to find fro to learn whatever the breeze could tell him; and suddenly he hesitated. The trunk came round towards the boys.
Sher Singh chilled with fright. With Kunwar to carry, he could neither climb nor run. If he shouted, it could not but bring the catastrophe upon them.
Prayer after prayer fled up like birds from is frightened spirit.
Where was Sher Singh and what was he doing when he heard the elephants approaching?
Answer:
Sher Singh had reached a cliff which was above a river-bed when he realised that he could not go any further without some rest. He slowly laid down his brother, supporting him against a tree when he heard the elephants approaching.
Question 2.
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow.
Their ears flapped, their tails swung, their shadows were brilliant on the white sand, much brighter than any shadow by day. They were so near he could smell elephant, hear the squeak of sand crushed under their feet, and the brush of rough hide, one against the other. He could see the toss and hustle of great heads and black backbones.
The tusker was playing his trunk to find fro to learn whatever the breeze could tell him; and suddenly he hesitated. The trunk came round towards the boys.
Sher Singh chilled with fright. With Kunwar to carry, he could neither climb nor run. If he shouted, it could not but bring the catastrophe upon them.
Prayer after prayer fled up like birds from is frightened spirit.
Described the elephants mentioned in the passage as seen by Sher Singh?
Answer:
Sher Singh while on his way to the hospital Sher Singh came across a herd of elephants moving along a water body in the jungle. He saw their ears flapping, and their tails swinging as they moved. He also heard the crushing of sand under their feet and the brushing of their rough hide against each other.
Question 3.
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow.
Their ears flapped, their tails swung, their shadows were brilliant on the white sand, much brighter than any shadow by day. They were so near he could smell elephant, hear the squeak of sand crushed under their feet, and the brush of rough hide, one against the other. He could see the toss and hustle of great heads and black backbones.
The tusker was playing his trunk to find fro to learn whatever the breeze could tell him; and suddenly he hesitated. The trunk came round towards the boys.
Sher Singh chilled with fright. With Kunwar to carry, he could neither climb nor run. If he shouted, it could not but bring the catastrophe upon them.
Prayer after prayer fled up like birds from is frightened spirit.
Why was Sher Singh frightened?
Answer:
Sher Singh saw a herd of elephants walking past the river bed below the cliff he was sitting on with Kunwar. Among the cows and the babies, there was a tusker whose cheeks were smeared with dark, oily musth. In that condition, if the elephant spotted him and Kunwar, they both could have been killed by him. This thought frightened Sher Singh.
Question 4.
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow.
Their ears flapped, their tails swung, their shadows were brilliant on the white sand, much brighter than any shadow by day. They were so near he could smell elephant, hear the squeak of sand crushed under their feet, and the brush of rough hide, one against the other. He could see the toss and hustle of great heads and black backbones.
The tusker was playing his trunk to find fro to learn whatever the breeze could tell him; and suddenly he hesitated. The trunk came round towards the boys.
Sher Singh chilled with fright. With Kunwar to carry, he could neither climb nor run. If he shouted, it could not but bring the catastrophe upon them.
Prayer after prayer fled up like birds from is frightened spirit.
What does the expression ‘prayer after prayer fled up’ mean?
Answer:
Sher Singh knew the danger which the herd of elephants posed to him and his little brother. With Kunwar on his back, he could neither run nor climb if the tusker in the herd attacked them. Therefore, with cold fear in his heart, Sher Singh prayed fervently for some aid. The author uses the expression ‘prayers after prayers fled up’ to stress on his nervousness.
Passage 6
Question 1.
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow.
Far away, in another world, there came the yap of pi-dogs heralding village.
Suddenly, somehow…….. people.
After that, the next he knew they were in a bullock cart, then a truck.
‘Where have you come from, boy?’
“Laldwani.’
‘You carried him alone? Across the river in flood?
They were at the hospital.
What was Sher Singh’s condition by the time he reached the road?
Answer:
Sher Singh was exhausted by the time he reached the road. The gushing river seemed to have sucked up all his strength. He neither knew what happened nor was in the condition to wring his dhoti dry. He stumbled as he walked, and his knees bent and trembled under the weight of his brother
Question 2.
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow.
Far away, in another world, there came the yap of pi-dogs heralding village.
Suddenly, somehow…….. people.
After that, the next he knew they were in a bullock cart, then a truck.
‘Where have you come from, boy?’
“Laldwani.’
‘You carried him alone? Across the river in flood?
They were at the hospital.
Why did the doctor call out Sher Singh ‘Bahadur’?
Answer:
Sher Singh Sher Singh travelled the entire way from Laldwani to the hospital in Kalaghat all alone on foot by night carrying his ailing little brother on his back. On his way he braved the dense forests and gushing ice-cold waters of the stormy river. When the doctor realised all that this twelve-year-old boy had gone through for his brother’s life, he added the title ‘Bahadur’ to his name.
Question 3.
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow.
Far away, in another world, there came the yap of pi-dogs heralding village.
Suddenly, somehow…….. people.
After that, the next he knew they were in a bullock cart, then a truck.
‘Where have you come from, boy?’
“Laldwani.’
‘You carried him alone? Across the river in flood?
They were at the hospital.
How did the boys finally reach the hospital?
Answer:
After carrying Kunwar on his back through the primeval forest and struggling through the cold river, Sher Singh reached a road from where he got a lift in a bullock cart and then a truck which finally took him to hospital at Kalaghat.
Question 4.
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow.
Far away, in another world, there came the yap of pi-dogs heralding village.
Suddenly, somehow…….. people.
After that, the next he knew they were in a bullock cart, then a truck.
‘Where have you come from, boy?’
“Laldwani.’
‘You carried him alone? Across the river in flood?
They were at the hospital.
What did Sher Singh eat while his brother was being treated in the hospital?
Answer:
Sher Singh had no money when he reached the hospital so he worked at the rail yard loading coal. He used the money that he got for his work to buy some coarse flour, mustard oil, and chillies. This he then used to prepare his own meal.