“Too Dear! : Question and Answers pdf” is a short story by Guy de Maupassant that tells the story of a king who is faced with a difficult decision. A murderer has been sentenced to death, but the king is hesitant to execute him because it would be too expensive. The king eventually decides to commute the murderer’s sentence to life in prison, but he soon realizes that this is even more expensive. In the end, the king is forced to release the murderer, who then goes on to commit more crimes. Read More 2nd PUC English Question and Answers.
Too Dear! Question and Answers
Question 1.
Why was the murderer finally sentenced to imprisonment for life?
OR
Why was the death sentence of the murderer altered to imprisonment for life?
Answer:
The king of Monaco sent two letters of inquiry to France and Italy so as to borrow a guillotine machine and the services of an executioner to execute the criminal. The French Government wrote to Monaco that it would cost them 16000 francs. The King of Italy offered to do the work for 12000 francs which included the travelling expenses also.
If the king had accepted the offer, he would have been forced to levy 2 francs per head on the whole population to collect 12000 francs. The people would not have accepted such a financial burden and that would have caused a riot. When the General of the Army also pleaded his inability to get the criminal executed by the soldiers, the ministers met again. They assembled a Commission, and a committee and a sub-committee to explore other ways of punishing the criminal at a cheaper price. They all came to the conclusion that altering the death sentence to one of imprisonment for life was the best thing to do. They also felt that such a step would enable the prince to show his mercy. The king too felt that it was not worth spending so much money to execute a criminal. Therefore, the king changed the death sentence to one of imprisonment for life.
Question 2.
Why did the criminal refuse to run away/escape from the prison?
OR
What were the arguments put forth by the prisoner for not running away from the prison?
OR
Why did the criminal refuse to escape from the prison in ‘Too Dear!’?
Answer:
When the king realized that it was a serious matter to keep a criminal imprisoned for life and it would cause his people a huge financial burden, he summoned his ministers and asked them to find a cheaper way of punishing the criminal. The ministers met and after several deliberations suggested that they must dismiss the guard and 6ave some money. The king agreed to their suggestion. Soon, the guard was dismissed and they waited curiously to see what the criminal would do. The criminal came out of his prison at dinner time, collected his food from the palace kitchen, and returned to the prison, shut the door on himself, and stayed inside.
Later, the Minister of Justice asked him why he had not run away, as there was no guard to watch over him. They even told him that the prince would not mind if he ran away. But the prisoner told them that he had nowhere to go as his character had been ruined and people would turn their backs on him. Moreover, he had forgotten the habit of working and so if he ran away he would be forced to work for earning his living. That is why the criminal refused to run away from prison.
Question 3.
Why did the Council decide to offer the criminal a pension?
OR
Why was the criminal finally offered a pension? How did this offer benefit him?
Answer:
The Minister of Justice asked the prisoner why he did not run away as there was no guard to watch over him. He also told him that the king would not mind if he escaped. But the prisoner told him that he had nowhere to go as his character had been ruined and the people would turn their backs on him. Furthermore, as he had been given food in the prison itself and by doing so he had been prevented from doing any work to earn his living, he had become lazy. Therefore, he refused to go away. He was also feeling bad that he had been treated badly. The ministers met once more and discussed the matter seriously. It struck them that the only way to get rid of him was to offer him a pension.
Not only would the criminal get some money to feed himself as long as he was alive, but there would not also be any need to worry about him anymore. That is why the council decided to offer the criminal a pension. The criminal received one-third of his annuity in advance and emigrated to another country just across the frontier. There he bought a bit of land and started market-gardening. He visited the gaming tables and staked two or three francs, sometimes winning and sometimes losing. He lived comfortably and peaceably like the others.
Question 4.
Why did the authorities in Monaco fail to carry out the death sentence?
Answer:
The authorities in Monaco failed to carry out the death sentence because there was neither a guillotine for cutting heads off nor an executioner. Though they tried to borrow a machine and an expert from their neighbouring countries France and Italy, they realized that it would cost the kingdom a huge sum of money and the king would be forced to collect nearly two francs more per head on the taxes. Even if they were to get the machine, none of the soldiers in the army was ready to cut off the criminal’s head because they had not been taught how to behead a criminal. Therefore, the authorities gave up the idea of carrying out the death sentence.
Question 5.
How does the narrator describe the toy kingdom’?
OR
Describe the kingdom of Monaco with reference to ‘Too Dear!’.
Answer:
The tiny little kingdom called Monaco lies near the borders of France and Italy. There are only about seven thousand inhabitants in it The kingdom is so small that if all the land in the kingdom were divided among its inhabitants, there would not be even an acre of land for each inhabitant. But this toy kingdom has a real kinglet and like any other real king, the kinglet lives in a palace with courtiers, ministers, a bishop, generals, and a small army of only sixty men in all. The king lives by collecting taxes from the people, on tobacco, wine, and spirits and a poll tax. Besides, the king also received a large sum of money from a gaming housekeeper.
Question 6.
Why was the criminal offered a pension finally? How did this offer benefit him?
OR
The criminal led a comfortable life after his release. Explain.
OR
How did the criminal benefit from the pension he was offered?
Answer:
The king’s authorities could not get the criminal executed as per the king’s orders because there was neither a guillotine for cutting heads off nor an executioner in their kingdom. Then, they tried hiring a guillotine and an executioner from their neighbouring countries. When they realized that it would cost them a large sum of money which had to be recovered from the people through additional taxation, they decided to ask a soldier to cut off the criminal’s head. But, when they failed to find a soldier who would be ready to cut off the criminal’s head, they altered the death sentence to one of imprisonment for life.
However, when they found that the cost of maintaining a prisoner in prison with a guard on duty cost the king dearly, they dismissed the guard and asked the criminal to run away. But, when the criminal told them that he had nowhere to go and no work to do, they offered him a pension of 600 francs and sent him away. The criminal received one-third of his annuity in advance and emigrated to another country just across the frontier. There he bought a bit of land and started market-gardening. He visited the gaming tables and staked two or three francs, sometimes winning and sometimes losing. He lived comfortably and peaceably like the others.
Question 7.
Describe the efforts of the ministers in carrying out the death sentence in ‘Too Dear!’.
Answer:
Soon after receiving the judgment given by the court, the prince read out the sentence, confirmed it, and ordered the execution of the criminal. However, there was a problem in executing the king’s orders. Monaco did not have either a guillotine or an executioner. The ministers discussed the matter and sent a letter of inquiry to the French Government asking whether they could lend them a machine and an expert to execute the criminal and also inform the cost involved. The French Government informed them that it would lend them a machine and an expert as well and it would cost 16000 francs.
When the ministers informed the king about it, he thought over it and felt that it would be too burdensome for his people to bear. Then a similar inquiry was sent to the King of Italy. The Italian government offered to lend a machine and an expert at a cost of 12000 francs which included travelling expenses also. Though the price quoted by the Italian government was lesser than that of the French government, the king felt that the price was too much for a toy kingdom like theirs.
Therefore, the council met discussed the issue and asked the General of the Army whether a soldier in the Army would be ready to cut off the man’s head in a rough and homely fashion. When the General discussed this issue with his soldiers, no soldier agreed to do it because they had not been taught how to behead a criminal.
Question 8.
How did the criminal spend his life after he was given a pension in ‘Too Dear!’?
Answer:
When the criminal told the ministers that he had nowhere to go and no work to do, they offered him a pension of 600 francs and sent him away. The criminal received one-third of his annuity in advance and emigrated to another country just across the frontier. There he bought a bit of land and started market-gardening. He visited the gaming tables and staked two or three francs, sometimes winning and sometimes losing. He lived comfortably and peaceably like the others.
Question 9.
Where was the criminal in ‘Too Dear!’ kept and what were the arrangements made for him?
Answer:
In ‘Too Dear!’, as soon as the prince had agreed to alter the death sentence to one of imprisonment for life, the ministers began making arrangements for imprisoning the criminal. But, they did not find a prison suitable for a criminal sentenced to life imprisonment. Finally, they managed to find a place strong enough to keep the criminal in it. They put the young criminal there and placed a guard over him. They asked the guard to watch over the criminal and also to fetch his food from the palace kitchen.
Question 10.
Why were a series of meetings held in Monaco in ‘Too Dear!’?
Answer:
In Monaco, a series of meetings were held to figure out the most prudent or the least expensive way of executing the criminal. As there was no guillotine or an executioner in Monaco, the council of ministers discussed the issue and decided to request the French government to lend them a machine and an expert to execute the criminal. The next meeting was held between the king and the council of ministers to inform the king that the French government had asked 16000 francs as a rental for the machine and the expert and to seek the king’s consent When the king asked them whether the job could not be done at a lesser price, the ministers held another meeting and decided to send a similar inquiry to the king of Italy.
When they learnt that the Italian government wanted 12000 francs for the job, they held another meeting to explore other ways of doing the job with less expense. Later, they consulted the Army General and requested him to find a soldier who would do the execution. When they came to know that none of the soldiers would do it, the authorities assembled a commission, a committee, and a sub-committee and finally came to the conclusion that the best way would be to alter the death sentence to one of imprisonment for life.
Question 11.
How does the kinglet in ‘Too Dear!’ feed his courtiers and officials and keep himself?
Answer:
Though it was a tiny little kingdom, Monaco had seven thousand inhabitants. Its kinglet lived like a real king in a palace with courtiers, ministers, a bishop, generals, and an army of sixty men. The king managed his kingdom by collecting taxes from the people on tobacco, wine, and spirits, and a poll tax. As the revenue so collected was inadequate, he permitted a gaming house to function in his kingdom. Its keeper paid a large sum to the kinglet. Since it was the only gaming house in the continent, it fetched the King of Monaco enough revenue to manage his kingdom. Thus he was able to feed himself and his people with this revenue.
Too Dear! is a thought-provoking story that continues to be relevant today. It is a story that can help us to think about the role of government, the importance of social justice, and the personal cost of crime.