The Gentlemen of The Jungle

Question 1.
What favour did the elephant ask the man on a rainy day?
Answer:
The elephant asked the man to leave his trunk inside the man’s hut to keep it out of the torrential rain.

Question 2.
According to the man his hut had room only for him. True / False.
Answer:
True

Question 3.
How did the elephant sneak into the man’s hut?
Answer:
The elephant sneaked into the man’s hut by pushing its head inside.

Question 4.
According to the elephant, the man can afford to remain in the rain because
(a) The man’s skin is harder than any other animal.
(b) The skin of the elephant is delicate.
(c) The skin of the elephant is harder than that of the man.
Answer:
(b) The skin of the elephant is delicate.

Question 5.
How did the lion decide to solve the problem?
Answer:
The lion decided to appoint a Commission of Enquiry to go thoroughly into the matter and report accordingly.

Question 6.
What kind of Judgement did the man expect?
Answer:
The man expected that the commission would investigate the matter with the greatest care and report impartially.

Question 7.
Why was the man unhappy with the members of the Commission Enquiry?
Answer:
On seeing the personnel, the man protested and asked if it was not necessary to include in this commission a member -from his side. But he was told that it was impossible since no one from his side was well enough educated to understand the intricacy of jungle law.

Question 8.
Why was the man told that only jungle animals would be on the Jungle Commission? –
Answer:
The man was told that only jungle animals would be on the Jungle Commission Since no one from the man’s side was well enough educated to understand the intricacy of jungle law.

Question 9.
According to the elephant, the man had invited him into the hut
(a) To save his skin.
(b) To give shelter to his trunk
(c) To save the hut from the hurricane.
(d) To fill the space in the hut.
Answer:
(c) To save the hut from the hurricane.

Question 10.
In whose favour was the judgement given?
Answer:
The judgement was given in favour of the elephant.

Question 11.
Why did the man accept the suggestion of building a new hut?
Answer:
The man had no alternative and feared that his refusal might expose him to the teeth and claws of members or the commission, the man accepted the suggestion of building a new hut.

Question 12.
How did the man buy peace finally?
Answer:
The man brought peace by setting the hut on fire and burnt it to the ground, jungle lords and all.

The Gentlemen of the Jungle Comprehension II

Question 1.
Why was the Commission of Enquiry appointed by the king of the jungle?
Answer:

As the elephant pushed the man out of his hut, the man started to grumble; the animals in the nearby forest heard the noise and came to see what the matter was. All stood around listening to the heated argument between the man and his friend, the elephant. In this turmoil, the lion, the king of the Jungle came along roaring, and it did not want to lose the peace of his kingdom. Therefore, the lion scolded him like anything.

On hearing this the elephant, who was one of the high ministers in the jungle kingdom, replied in a soothing voice that he had a little discussion with a friend there as to the possession of the little hut but a lion, who wanted to have peace and tranquillity in his kingdom, understood the fighting and commanded his ministers to appoint a Commission of Enquiry to go thoroughly into this matter and report accordingly.

Question 2.
Why did the animals decide not to have anyone from the man’s side on the Commission of Enquiry?
Answer:

The Commission of Enquiry was set with the help of the other ministers by the elephant. The man protested and asked if it was not necessary to include in this commission a member from his side. But he was told that it was impossible since no one from his side was well enough educated to understand the intricacy of jungle law. As one of the members in the dispute is an animal, the members of the commission. The other animals decided not to have anyone from the man’s side on the Commission of Enquiry.

Question 3.
How did the elephant justify its act of occupying the hut?
Answer:

The elephant justified its act of occupying the hut of the man. It said to the king of the jungle, the lion that it had only been having a little discussion with its friend there as to the possession of the little hut. It pretended’ that as if it had revealed all the truth to the king. The elephant was not supposed to be occupying the hut because it was one of the high ministers in. the jungle kingdom. As it was caught it had hidden its fault and be protective.

Question 4.
Do you think the verdict by the Commission of Enquiry was on the expected lines? Why?
Answer:

No, not so. The verdict by the Commission of Enquiry is in the favour of the elephant. The reason is that all the members of the Enquiry Commission are from the animal side. They did not appoint anybody to back him up.

The members of the commission were well treated by the elephant. It gave them a delicious meal to the members of the Enquiry Commission. After enjoying the meal, at the expense of the Rt. Hon. Mn Elephant, they reached their verdict.

The elephant shall continue his occupation of his hut, but we permit him to look for a site where he can build another hut more suited to your needs, and they promised to give him high protection. The verdict in favour of the elephant irritated the man. This is unjust to the man in the situation.

Question 5.
What fate awaited the man each time he built a new house?
Answer:

The man, having no alternative, and fearing that his refusal might expose him to the teeth and claws of members of the commission, did as they suggested. But no sooner had he built another hut than Mr. Rhinoceros charged in with his horn lowered and ordered the man to quit. A Royal Commission was again appointed to look into the matter, and the same finding was given. This procedure was repeated until Mr. Buffalo, Mr. Leopard, Mr. Hyena and the rest were all accommodated with new huts.

Early one morning, when the hut already occupied by the jungle lords was all beginning to decay and fall to pieces, he went out and built a bigger and better hut a little distance away. No sooner had Mr. Rhinoceros seen it than he came rushing in, only to find that Mr. Elephant was already inside, sound asleep.

Mr. Leopard next came in at the window, Mr. Lion, Mr. Fox, and Mr. Buffalo entered the doors, while Mr. Hyena howled for a place in the shade and Mr. Alligator based on the roof. Each time the man built he faced the fate that all his houses were occupied by the jungle animals.

The Gentlemen of the Jungle Comprehension III

Question 1.
Do you agree with the action of the man at the end? Why?
Answer:

The man had no peace because each time he built his house; it was occupied by the jungle animals. There are three times that the man was patient. He admitted whatever the commission asked him to do. Even though the commission was impartial, he continued to be doing what the commission asked him to do.

In the third time, when the huts already occupied by the jungle lords were all beginning to decay and fall to pieces, he went out and built a bigger and better hut a little distance away.

No sooner had Mr. Rhinoceros seen it than he came rushing in, only to find that Mr. Elephant was already inside, sound asleep. Mr. Leopard next came in at the window, Mr. Lion, Mr. Fox, and Mr. Buffalo entered the doors, while Mr. Hyena howled for a place in the shade and Mr. Alligator based on the roof.

Presently they all began disputing about their rights of penetration, and from disputing they came to fighting, and while they were all embroiled together the man set the hut on fire and burnt it to the ground, jungle lords and all. Then he went home saying. “Peace is costly, but it’s worth the expense”, and lived happily ever after. His action is absolutely correct and then after he led a peaceful life.
Question 2.
‘An act of kindness is misunderstood as weakness’.
Answer:

Discuss this concerning the story. The man is so kind and helpful therefore when the elephant asks for help, the man gives out the space where he is residing. Initially, the elephant put its trunk inside the man’s hut to keep it out of this torrential rain.

The man’s heart is melted and its trunk to put in. The elephant thanked the man, saying, one day it shall return his kindness.

As soon as the elephant put its trunk inside the hut, slowly it pushed his head inside, and finally flung the man out in the rain, and then lay down comfortably inside its friend’s hut, saying that the elephant’s skin is harder than mine, and as there in not enough room for both of us, it asked the man to afford to remain in the rain while it is protecting its delicate skin from the hailstorm.
The man showed kindness but the elephant took it as his weakness.

Question 3.
‘Peace is costly but it is worth the expense. ‘What is the ironical significance of this statement?
Answer:

A Royal Commission was again appointed to look into the matter. This procedure was repeated until Mr. Buffalo, Mr. Leopard, Mr. Hyena and the rest were all accommodated with new huts. Then the man realized that the commission of Enquiry did not seem to be of any use to him.

Early morning, when the huts already occupied by the jungle lords were all beginning to decay and fall to pieces, he went out and built a bigger and better hut a little distance away.

No sooner all the animals came in and started disputing about their rights of penetration, while they were all embroiled together the man set the hut on fire and burnt it to the ground, jungle lords and all. Then he finally said that peace is costly, but it’s worth the expense.

Question 4.
Every fable ends with a moral. What moral do you find in this story?
Answer:

The Gentlemen of the Jungle is a philosophical tale whose characters are animals. The Gentlemen of the Jungle tells us the story of a man living alone in the jungle with many animals. This man is fooled by an elephant that pretends to be his friend and a dispute begins therefore between them.

The lion, king of the jungle, offers the man the opportunity to state his case before a Commission entirely composed of animals, whose impartiality is consequently doubtful, to such an extent that the elephant is declared innocent and the man has to give up his hut and build another one somewhere else.

The same scene happens again and again the man builds other huts, which are successively confiscated by a rhinoceros, a buffalo, a leopard, a hyena and other animals. So, he decides to take extreme measures, manages to gather all the animals together in a big hut, then sets the hut on fire and burns it completely; so much so that he finds himself alone and tranquil, having got rid of the cruel animals and being -ready to enjoy a costly peace.

The story finishes with a moral, as in every parable: “Peace is costly, but it’s worth the expense”. The author has treated the themes of injustice, abuse of power and racism in a colourful, simple and sober style, but the moral is clear and brilliant.

Question 5.
Do you think the story can be read as a political satire on colonialism?
Answer:

Colonial inhabitants like the Elephant were big and powerful. Against their gunpowder and muskets, the sharpest African spear is blunt; they were more advanced in weaponry and larger in number since Africa was then divided into many little tribes.

There are several reasons why colonisers explored the world. Although their motive for Africa is made known after the colossal damage they caused in Africa, their facade was the premise of making the world a better place for all to live.

“The Gentlemen of the Jungle”