Chapter 4 – The Last Bargain

Content Structure

1. About the author – (Rabindranath Tagore)
2. Theme of the poem
3. Summary of the poem
4. Word meanings
5. Exercise questions & answers
- Working with the poem
6. Additional questions & answers
- Multiple choice questions & answers (MCQs)
- Fill in the blanks
- True or false
- Match the following
- Short-type questions & answers
- Long-type questions & answers

1. About the author – (Rabindranath Tagore)

Rabindranath Tagore was born on 7th May 1861 in Kolkata. He was a famous Indian writer, poet, and artist. He also loved painting and music. He believed in freedom in education so he started a school in Santiniketan. He wrote the national anthems of both India and Bangladesh. He wrote many books, including Choker Bali, Stray Birds, Gitanjali, Dak Ghor, and others. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913. He died on 7th August 1941.

2. Theme of the poem

Firstly, happiness does not come from money, beauty, or power.
Secondly, happiness comes from simpler things, like a child’s innocent smile.

3. Summary of the poem

Rabindranath Tagore, in his poem “The Last Bargain,” tells the story of a person searching for work. He learns that true happiness comes not from power, money, or beauty but from being free and enjoying life’s simple moments.

First, a powerful king came to the person with his great power wanting to hire him but the person refused because he knew that power was not everything.
Second, in the afternoon, an old man came with a bag of gold offering money to hire him but the person refused.
Third, in the evening a beautiful young woman came with a smile to hire him but the person did not accept her offer.
Lastly, the person saw a small child playing with a shell by the seaside. The child looked at him and said he would hire him with nothing. The person happily accepted the child’s offer because it made him feel free and happy.

The author teaches us in this poem that true happiness is found in freedom and simple joys not in power, wealth, or beauty.

4. Word meanings

Word	Meaning
Stone-paved	A road made of stones
Chariot	A kind of old cart pulled by horses
Pondered	Thought for a long time
Hedge	small trees
Glistened	Shined
Waywardly	Moving in a wild way

5. Exercise questions & answers

Working with the poem

1. Who is the speaker in the poem?
Ans: The author Rabindranath Tagore was the speaker in the poem.

2. “The king, sword in hand,” suggests
(i) Power
(ii) Wealth
(iii) more power than wealth.
Mark the appropriate item in the context of stanza 1.
Ans:
(i) Power

3. The old man offered the speaker a lot of money. Why did he turn down the offer?
Ans: The person did not accept the old man’s money because he knew that power and money are not everything for living happily.

4. Find in the poem, lines that match the following. Read both one after another.
(i) I have nothing to give you except goodwill and cheer.
(ii) Her happiness was no more than sorrow in disguise.
(iii) The king’s might was not worth much.
Ans:
(iii) The king’s might was not worth much.
(ii) Her happiness was no more than sorrow in disguise.
(i) I have nothing to give you except goodwill and cheer.

5. How did the speaker feel after talking to the child on the beach?
Ans: The speaker felt happy and free after talking to the child on the beach. He understood that true happiness did not come from power, money, or beauty.

6. Additional questions & answers

Multiple choice questions & answers (MCQs)

1. Who came first to hire the man?
(a) An old man
(b) A king
(c) A child
(d) A fair maid

Ans: (b) A king

2. Where was the man walking in the morning?
(a) A muddy road
(b) A slippery field
(c) A sandy beach
(d) A stone-paved road

Ans: (d) A stone-paved road

3. Why did the man refuse the old man’s offer?
(a) He did not want money
(b) He wanted power
(c) He was already hired
(d) He was tired

Ans: (a) He did not want money

4. What did the old man carry with him?
(a) A sword
(b) A bag of gold
(c) A book
(d) A flower

Ans: (b) A bag of gold

5. What did the fair maid offer to hire the man?
(a) A flower
(b) A gift
(c) A smile
(d) A song

Ans: (c) A smile

6. How did the sea waves move?
(a) Slowly and calmly
(b) High and strong
(c) Soft and gentle
(d) Waywardly

Ans: (d) Waywardly

7. What time of day did the man meet the fair maid?
(a) Evening
(b) Morning
(c) Afternoon
(d) Night

Ans: (a) Evening

8. What was the child doing when the man met him?
(a) Playing with sand
(b) Playing with shells
(c) Playing with toys
(d) Running

Ans: (b) Playing with shells

9. Where did the speaker wander?
(a) In a garden
(b) On a bridge
(c) Along the crooked lane
(d) Inside a house

Ans: (c) Along the crooked lane

10. Where did the speaker meet the fair maid?
(a) Near the river
(b) In the market
(c) Inside a palace
(d) By the garden hedge

Ans: (d) By the garden hedge

Fill in the blanks

1. The old man weighed his ___________ one by one. (Coins)
2. The sea waves broke _____________. (Waywardly)
3. The houses stood with _______________ doors in the heat of midday. (Shut)
4. The sun ____________ on the sand. (Glistened)
5. The king came in his ___________ with a sword in hand. (Chariot)
6. The old man wanted to hire the speaker with his __________. (Money)
7. The fair maid’s smile melted into _____________. (Tears)
8. The child said, “I hire you with __________.” (Nothing)

True or false

1. The speaker walked on a stone-paved road. (True)

2. The fair maid wanted to hire the speaker with a flower. (False)

3. An old woman comes from the speaker with a silver bag. (False)

4. The speaker felt free after the child’s offer. (True)

5. The sun was shining on the sand in the night. (False)

Match the following

Column A	Column B
(i) Power	a) Small trees
(ii) Child play	b) A king hires
(iii) Smile	c) A fair-maid hire
(iv) Afternoon	d) Playing with shells
(v) Hedge	e) An old man comes

Ans:

Column A	Column B
(i) Power	b) A king hires
(ii) Child play	d) Playing with shells
(iii) Smile	c) A fair-maid hires
(iv) Afternoon	e) An old man comes
(v) Hedge	a) Small trees

Short-type questions & answers

1. How did the king arrive? Why?
Ans: The king arrived at the speaker in the morning with a chariot and a sword in hand. He told the speaker that he would hire her using his power.

2. Where had the old man arrived?
Ans: The old man arrived at a house near the crooked lane.

3. Why did the old man come to the speaker?
Ans: In the afternoon, the old man came to the speaker with a bag of gold, offering to hire the speaker with his money.

4. Why did the fair maid’s smile turn into a tear?
Ans: The fair maid smiled and offered to hire the speaker, but the speaker did not accept her offer, so the maid’s smile turned into a tear.

5. Where did the speaker meet with the child?
Ans: The speaker met the child on the sand in the evening.

Long-type questions & answers

1. How was the speaker to understand the real meaning of happiness?
Ans: Rabindranath Tagore presents the poem through a person’s experience. In the poem, the author shows a person who searches for work everywhere and meets different people but cannot find happiness because he knows that power, money, and beauty are not important for a happy life. However, when the speaker meets the child at the end of the day, who says, “I will hire you with nothing,” the speaker understands the true meaning of happiness. The speaker finds that true happiness comes in the innocent smile and free play of the young child.