Chapter 5 – The Parrot’s Tale Solutions

Have you read The Parrot’s Tale but still feel confused about the important points? This chapter is simple but very important for your exam. Here, you will get important questions and answers in easy English. These questions are based on key ideas and common exam patterns. This will help you understand the story clearly, revise quickly, and write better answers in your exam.

Content Structure

1. About the author – Rabindranath Tagore
2. Theme of the story The Parrot’s Tale
3. Summary of the story The Parrot’s Tale
4. Significance of the title The Parrot’s Tale
5. Critical Analysis
6. Word meanings
7. Long Questions and Answers

1. About the author – Rabindranath Tagore

Rabindranath Tagore was born on Jorasanko Kolkata on 7^th May 1861. His mother name was Sarada Devi and mother name was Maharshi Debendranath Tagore. He was a writer, poet, critic, essayist, playwright, painter an important figure in Modern Begali Literature. His most celebrated work Gitanjali (1910) earned him the nobel prize in literature in 1913 making him the first non-European nobel laureate. His famos short stories are Kabuliwala, Postmaster, The parrot’s tale, Hoimanti, Monihara. He was composed 2,000 songs including India’s national anthem. He was died on 7^th August, 1941.

2. Themes of the parrot’s tale

In The Parrot’s Tale, the bird loved to sing and move around freely. But the king did not understand the bird’s natural talent. He wanted it to read holy books and behave politely like humans. So the bird was locked in a cage, and pages of books were forced into its mouth. The burden was too much, and the bird eventually died.
The king’s nephew continued this wrong idea of “education.” He made a beautiful golden cage and everyone admired it, but no one thought about what the bird actually needed. Pundits and scribes were called, many books were copied, and everyone was rewarded. But nobody cared whether the bird could learn anything. When the bird died, no one questioned it because each person felt they had “done their job.”
In the story, the bird represents a child. Sometimes adults do not understand a child’s natural interests. When a child is forced into a rigid education system that ignores their creativity, the child suffers. Tagore does not reject education but shows that real education must respect a child’s unique nature.

3. Summary of the story The Parrot’s Tale

“The Parrot’s Tale” is a story that makes fun of a wrong type of education. In the story, the king had a parrot that loved to sing and jump around happily. But the king was not pleased because the bird did not know manners or holy prayers. He wanted the bird to be “educated” like a human. The king gave the responsibility to his nephew. The nephew called many scholars and scribes to teach the bird. The scholars planned how to “educate” it, and the scribes wrote and copied many book pages. Then they even made a beautiful golden cage for the bird, and everyone praised it. One day, when the king came to see how the bird was doing, someone asked him if he had actually seen the bird. When he looked, the king found the poor bird half-dead because its mouth was stuffed with book pages. But the nephew insisted that the bird’s education was going very well. Later, the bird tried to escape from the golden cage. When the king heard this, he called the blacksmith to make an even stronger cage. The bird was chained and could not move or fly anymore. At last, the bird died—and everyone said that its “education” was finally complete. The story shows how a strict and foolish education system can destroy a child’s natural talents and joy.

4. Significance of the title The Parrot’s Tale

The title “The Parrot’s Tale” may look simple, but it is actually quite ironic. Parrots copy whatever they hear without understanding the meaning. This makes them the perfect symbol for rote learning, which Tagore criticises in the story. Through the parrot, Tagore shows how some education systems focus only on memorising and following rules, instead of helping a child grow, think, and understand. The story is not really about a bird—it is about the way knowledge is forced on it. The bird’s “education” becomes a kind of punishment, where its natural behaviour and freedom are slowly taken away. This is the exact opposite of what true education should be. The word “Tale” in the title makes the story feel universal. It suggests that this is not just the story of one parrot—it could be the story of any child, or even a whole society, that is trapped in a strict and unkind education system. The title is simple and easy to understand, yet it also hints at the deeper message of the story. It prepares the reader for a story that is outwardly about a parrot, but actually about the problems in rigid systems of learning.

5. Critical Analysis

Rabindranath Tagore’s story “The Parrot’s Tale” is a strong criticism of the British-style education system introduced in India. The original Bengali story, Totakahini, and its English version both show how a creative mind can be destroyed by rigid and meaningless learning methods. In the story, the parrot represents a child with a free, imaginative, and sensitive mind. A mind like this needs freedom to grow—just like the bird that loves to sing and jump around. But adults often fail to understand such natural creativity. Instead, they force children into a strict system that focuses only on memorising and following rules. This is exactly what happens to the king’s bird. The king wants the bird to read scriptures and behave politely, so he orders that the bird must be “educated.” His nephew takes charge of this task, but instead of thinking about what the bird truly needs, he focuses on showy arrangements. The scholar plans a learning method, the scribes copy pages of manuscripts, and the goldsmith builds an expensive golden cage. Everyone gets paid and praised—but no one cares about the bird itself. When the king finally checks on the bird, he finds it half-dead with pages stuffed into its mouth. Yet he still doesn’t understand what went wrong. The nephew is rewarded, even though the bird is suffering. When the bird tries to escape the cage, the authorities quickly stop it and make the cage even stronger. In the end, the bird dies, and ironically everyone says its “education” is complete. Through this story, Tagore shows how real creativity and freedom are often crushed by a rigid education system. Instead of helping children grow, such systems force them into fixed patterns and kill their natural joy.

6. Word meaning

	Word	Meaning
1.	Etiquette	Good manners or polite behavior
2.	Deficit	Not having enough of something
3.	Amply	plenty
4.	Goldsmith	A person who makes things from gold
5.	Enormous	very big
6.	Scribes	People who write or copy things
7.	Exquisite	Very beautiful and perfect
8.	Orchards	Places where fruit trees grow
9.	Harpsichords	Old-style piano-like musical instruments
10.	Rushed	Moved very fast
11.	Poverty	Being very poor
12.	Surveillance	Watching someone or something carefully
13.	Entourage	A group of people who travel with an important person
14.	Chorus	A group of people singing together
15.	Lutes	Old string musical instruments like guitars
16.	Faultless	perfect
17.	Terribly	Very badly
18.	Forbid	To say someone must not do something
19.	Ruffling	Making something uneven or messy
20.	Heralding	Announcing or showing that something is coming
21.	Predictable	Easy to guess what will happen next
22.	Audacity	doing something without fear or shame
23.	Bellows	A tool that blows air into a fire
24.	Chisels	Tools used for cutting wood or stone
25.	Gravely	Seriously or sadly
26.	Gained	Got or received something

7. Long Questions and Answers

1. Briefly explain the use of irony in the story ‘The Parrot’s Tale’. (5)
Ans: The story is full of irony because the king thinks he is “educating” the parrot, but everything he does harms it. Instead of giving the bird freedom, they lock it in a golden cage, cut its wings, and stuff its mouth with book pages. They believe they are helping it learn, but in the end, the bird dies. Ironically, everyone feels proud, thinking that the bird is finally “educated,” even though the education killed it.

2. Analyse the satire in Rabindranath Tagore’s “Parrot’s Tale.”
Ans: The story uses satire to make fun of a harsh, boring education system. The parrot is taken from nature and forced to “learn” by memorising pages it cannot understand. Its wings are cut, and it loses its freedom. This shows how strict, rote learning destroys a child’s natural curiosity and joy. The story encourages readers to think about what real education should be like.

3. What does the king’s reaction to the parrot’s inability to speak reveal about his understanding of knowledge?
Ans: The king thinks the parrot is useless because it cannot read holy books or behave formally. He does not understand that the bird is meant to sing and fly freely. Instead, he worries about how the bird looks to others. This shows that the king cares more about showing off than understanding real knowledge.

4. Do you think the method used to teach the bird was appropriate?
Ans: No, the method was completely wrong. The bird was force-fed pages of books instead of food and water. It became weak and lost its natural abilities to sing and fly. The king thought this was “good education,” but it was destroying the bird’s life.

5. “Such birds are of no use at all.” — Why did the king say this? Why did he want the bird educated?
Ans: The king said this because the bird could not chant scriptures or behave formally. It only sang, flew, and ate fruits, which the king did not value. He felt the bird needed strict training to become “useful,” so he ordered his minister to begin the bird’s education.

6. “Then the pundits came with a pen in one hand and a spear in another…” — In what context was this said? Why?
Ans: This is said when the pundits and blacksmiths come to “train” the bird. They use pens to write and spears to control and punish the bird. The author uses this line to show how harsh and cruel the education system was. It is meant to make readers realise how absurd the situation is.

7. “Such birds! They are of no use at all.” — Who said this, and why?
Ans: The king said this to his minister. He was annoyed because the bird could not learn scriptures or behave the way he wanted. Instead of valuing the bird’s natural singing and flying, he thought it was useless.

8. “Education or no education, at least the bird has got the cage! What a lucky bird!”
Ans: This refers to the king’s bird. People called the bird “lucky” because it got a beautiful golden cage. But this is actually sarcasm. The cage looks fancy but takes away the bird’s freedom. The line makes fun of people who think luxury is more important than freedom or learning.

9. Why did the bird become half-dead? How did its guardians react? What did the bird do?
Ans: The bird became half-dead because book pages were stuffed into its mouth instead of food and water. It could hardly breathe or move. The guardians were pleased because they thought the bird was becoming obedient. Even in its weak state, the bird tried to look at the sun and flap its wings, but it was punished for this.

10. How does the story reflect the theme of education?
Ans: The story shows that real education should help children grow and think freely. Forcing them to memorise things they do not understand is harmful. The parrot represents students who lose their creativity when education becomes too strict.

11. “In this land, the birds are not only stupid but ungrateful as well.” — Who said this and why?
Ans: The king’s relatives said this when the bird tried to escape by flapping its wings. They felt the bird was ungrateful because the king spent so much money on its “education,” but the bird still wanted freedom. They misunderstood the bird’s natural instincts.

12. What did the scholars discuss? What conclusion did they reach? How were they rewarded?
Ans: The scholars discussed why the bird seemed stupid. They decided the bird needed a strong, beautiful cage to hold all the “learning.” The king loved this idea and rewarded them generously.

13. How did the bird die in the story?
Ans: The bird died because it was stuffed with book pages instead of being given real food and freedom. Its wings were cut, and it was chained. Slowly, it became weak and died from the harsh treatment. This shows how harmful strict, mindless education can be.

14. What does the parrot symbolize in the story?
Ans: The parrot represents students in a rigid education system. It shows how forcing children to memorise things without understanding destroys their natural creativity. Like the parrot, students lose their freedom, curiosity, and joy under harsh teaching methods.

15. Is “The Parrot’s Tale” an allegory about the flaws of the education system? Justify.
Ans: Yes. The parrot represents children with natural talents and curiosity. The king’s strict training forces the bird to memorise things it cannot understand. Its wings are cut, it is locked in a cage, and it is stuffed with pages until it dies. This shows how a rigid education system kills creativity and joy. Tagore uses the story to warn against an education that values memorising over understanding.