WBBSE 10 - English - Father's Help R.K. Narayan

Fathers Help

Table of Contents

R.K. Narayan Introduction

Rasipuram Krishnaswami Iyer Narayanaswami (10 October 1906 – 13 May 2001) commonly known as R. K. Narayan, was an Indian writer known for his work set in the fictional South Indian town of Malgudi. He was a leading author of early Indian literature in English along with Mulk Raj Anand and Raja Rao.

Theme of the story

The main theme of the story is a how a boy uses a pretext for not going to school. The story depicts the child psychology and shows how a child’s mind works to device out a trick for shirking his duty. This story also highlights the need of understanding between parents and children and the significance of ideal teacher pupil relationship.

Explanation

The story revolves around a school boy named Swaminathan. He is a student of Albert mission School. Like some boys he despises going to school and find a pretext for not going to school. One Monday morning he decides not to go to school and makes an excuse that he has a headache. His mother allows him to stay home. When is father comes to know about this then he becomes stubborn and tells him that he must go to school? Swaminathan replies that he is unwilling to go to school late as a teacher Samuel would beat him. Then Swami gives a brief but vivid imaginary account of Samuel’s violent character and says that he is rude to the boys who go to school late. He canes the boys very vehemently and does not stop till he sees blood on the boys’ hand which he makes the boy wear on his forehead. He also reports at once the teacher had skinned the Knuckle of a boy. Hearing this Swamy’s father gets exasperated with the teacher and writes a rude letter to the headmaster complaining against Samuel and gives it to Swami to deliver to him. On the way while going to school Swami’s conscience bothers him for making a false statement about Samuel. However, he devises a fault with the teacher’s treatment of his students. Going to school he finds the teacher more genial and kinder than ever before. The teacher neither abuses him nor canes him. The boy, however, shows rudeness with the teacher and misbehaves with him in the class to instigate him to get violent with him. When the school breaks then he rushes to the Headmaster’s Chamber. Seeing the room locked he asks the peon and comes to know that he is on leave for a week. He does not deliver the letter and returns home straight. His father asks him about the letter and then after Swami’s response, he snatches the letter from him and tears it off and throws it into the waste paper box, and mutters that he deserves the punishment of Samuel.

Story Summary

On Monday morning, Swami –is unwilling to go to school.
Makes an excuse of having a headache.
Convinces his mother-but father was stubborn-tells him to go to school.
Gives a vivid imaginary account of his teacher Samuel’s violent character.
Father becomes exasperated with the teacher and writes a rude letter to the Headmaster complaining against the teacher.
Swami’s conscience bothers him for making a false statement about Samuel.
Reaches late to school-teacher shows concern-does, not scolding plans to disobey to make him angry.
Troubles the teacher-gets three wholesome cuts on each palm and rushes to the Headmaster’s room with the letter.
Peon informs that the headmaster is on leave-can gives the letter to Samuel the assistant headmaster.
Swami does not deliver the letter-goes back home-receives scolding from the father for not delivering the letter.

Word Meaning

Word	English Meaning	Hindi Meaning
Unit – 1
Lying	not telling the truth,	झूठ बोलना
Shudder	an act of shuddering.	कंपकंपी
Hope	to want something to happen	आशा
Wailed	high-pitched cry of pain, grief	विलाप
Headache	a continuous pain in the head.	सर दर्द
Generously	in a way that shows kindness or warmth towards others.	उदारता से
Ought	used to indicate duty
Loaf	a quantity of bread that is in one piece and usually sliced.	पाव रोटी
Tactics	an action or strategy carefully planned to achieve a specific end.	रणनीति, चालबाजी
Scold	to find fault noisily	डांटना
Especially	for a particular purpose	विशेष रूप से, ख़ासकर
Angry		गुस्सा
Afraid	filled with fear	डरा हुआ
Unit – 2
behaviour	the manner of conducting	व्यवहार
Unexpected	not expected	अनपेक्षित
Avoid	to keep away from	टालना
Proposed	put forward a plan	प्रस्तावित किया गया
Protest	the act of disapproval	विरोध
Envelope	a flat usually paper container	लिफाफा
Sealed	close securely	मुहर लगी हुई
Apprehensive	uneasy or fearful about something that might happen	आशंकित
Plenty	a large or sufficient quantity	बहुत सारे
Worst	the most unpleasant	सबसे खराब
Conscience	an inner feeling or voice	विवेक
Bothered	concerned about something.	परेशान
Description	a statement, picture in words,	विवरण
Accurate	free from error or defect	सही, ठीक-ठीक
Imagined	to form a mental image of something	कल्पना की हुई
Regard	to have or show respect	सम्मान
Dizzy	having a sensation of whirling and a tendency to fall	चक्कर आना
Confusion	lack of clearness	भ्रम की स्थिति
Deserved	to merit, be qualified	लायक होना
Allegation	an assertion made with no proof	आरोप
Grieved	suffer grief.	शोक हुआ
Recall	to bring back from memory, to call back	वापस बुलवा, स्मरण क्षमता
Moustache	a strip of hair grows above the upper lip	मूंछ
Unshaven	not having recently shaved	मुंडा नहीं
Sorrow	the expression of grief, sadness,	शोक
Unit – 3
Justify	show or prove to be right or reasonable.	उचित सिद्ध करना
Entrance	a point or place of entering	प्रवेश
Severely	unnecessarily extreme	गंभीर रूप से
Impressed	to affect deeply or strongly in mind or feelings	प्रभावित किया
Inspection	formal or official viewing or examination:	निरीक्षण करना
Appeared	to come into sight;	दिखाई देना
Snatch	to seize sudden	छीन लेना

Questions and Answers

A. Choose the correct alternative to complete the following sentence.

1. Swami realized with a shudder that it was Moring of

(a) Tuesday

(b) Friday

(d) Monday

Ans: (a) Monday

2. It looked as though only a moment ago, it was

(a) Tuesday

(b) Friday

(d) Monday

Ans: Friday

3. Swami hoped that he did not have to go to

(a) hospital

(b) College

(d) School

Ans: (d) School

4. Swaminathan wailed at- O’clock

(a) 7

(b) 9

(d) 5

Ans: (b) 9

5. Swaminathan had a

(a) Fever

(b) Headache

(d) Sunstroke

Ans: (b) Headache

6. Mother generously suggested that Swaminathan might stay at

(a) room

(b) house

(d) factory

Ans: (c) home

7. Swaminathan have been in the school prayer hall at

(a) 10:30

(b) 11:00

(d) 7:30 A n s.

Ans: (c) 9:30

8. In mother ‘s room, Swaminathan was lying on

(a) table

(b) desk

(d) bench

Ans: (d) bench

9. Father asked Swaminathan, ‘”Has he no school”?

(a) yesterday

(b) tomorrow

Ans: (c) today

B. Complete the following sentences with words given a bracket.

1. With a shudder Swami realized that it was Monday – (afternoon/evening/morning)

Ans: Morning

2. It looked as though only a moment ago, it was – (Saturday/Friday/Sunday)

Ans: Friday

3. He (Hold/helped/hoped/) his didn’t have to go to – (college/church/school)

Ans: Hoped; School

4. Swaminathan wailed – at (8/9/10) O’clock

Ans: 9 O’clock

5. No other generously suggested that swami might stay at – (house/home/club)

Ans: home

6. At (9:30/10:30/11:30) Swami ought to have been in the school prayer (hall/room/house)

Ans: 9:30; hall

7. Swami was lying on the – (table/chair/bench) in (father’s/sister’s/mother’s)

Ans: bench; Mother’s

8. Father asked Swaminathan, Has he no school – (today/tomorrow/yesterday)

Ans: today

9. Nonsense! – (dry/dress/do) upend – (Play/go/see)

Ans: dress; go

C. Answer the following questions

1. Who is the author of the story ‘Father’s help’?

Ans. R.K. Narayan is the author of the story ‘Father’s help’.

2. Who is R.K. Narayan?

Ans: R.K. Narayan is one of the leading figures of early Indian literature in English.

3. Name some notable works of R.K. Narayan.

Malgudi Days, the guide’ are some notable works of R.K. Narayan.

4. When and for what was. R.K. Narayan awarded the sahitya academy award?

Ans: R.K. Narayan was awarded the Sahitya academy award in 1958 for ‘the guide’?

5. where from the story ‘Father’s help’ taken from?

Ans: The story ‘Fathers help’ is taken from `Malgudi Days.’

6. What is the story about?

Ans. The story is about a young boy called Swaminathan.

7. Who is Swaminathan?

Ans. Swaminathan’ is a young boy who is unwilling to go to school.

8. By whom is Swaminathan forced to go to school?

Ans. Swaminathan is forced to go to school by is fathers.

9. How does the story explore?

Ans. The story ‘Fathers Help’ explores how through the events that Swami’s original

reservations about his teacher get transformed considerably.

10. Who is Samuel?

Ans. Samuel is the teacher of Swaminathan.

11. How did Swaminathan realized that it was Monday Morning?

Ans. With a shudder, Swaminathan realized that it was Monday morning?

12. What did Swaminathan hope on Monday Morning.

Ans. Swaminathan hoped that he did not have to go to school on Monday morning.

13. When did Swaminathan wail?

Ans. Swaminathan wailed at nine O’clock is the morning>

14. Why did Swaminathan wail?

Ans. Swaminathan wailed because he had a headache.

15. What and how did Swami’s mother suggest?

Ans. Swami’s mother generously suggested that he might stay at home.

16. Where ought to have been Swami at 9.30 a.m.?

Ans. Swami ought to have been in school prayer hall at 9.30 a.m.

17. Where was Swami lying?

Ans. Swami was lying on the bench in the mother’s room.

18. What did Swami’s Father ask swami?

Ans. Swami’s Father asked Swami if he had no school on the following days.

19. What did Swami reply?

Ans. Swami replied that he had a headache.

20. Why did swami change his tactics?

Ans: Swami changed his tactics because he knew well that his father was very strict.

21. Who put the letter in an envelope?

Ans: Swami’s father put the letter in an envelope.

22. What was Swaminathan teaching?

Ans: Swaminathan was teaching Arithmetic.

23. What did peon tell Swaminathan?

Ans: The peon told Swaminathan that the headmaster had gone on a week’s leave.

Class 10 Fathers Help by RK Narayan Summary, Grammar, Questions and Answers