Class 10 English Chapter 3: Gentleman of Rio en Medio

Comprehension I:

Question 1.
The old man was ________ (Fill in the blank with the most appropriate word)
a) understanding
b) Quick
c) unhurried
d) witty
Answer:
c. unhurried.

Question 2.
Do you think the ancestors of the old man lived in Rio en Medio?
Answer:
Yes, the line, ‘where his people had been for hundreds of years’, tells us this.

Question 3.
A word in line 4 of paragraph 1 suggests that the old man was a farmer. Pick that word.
Answer:
tilled.

Question 4.
Study the picture and describe the old man’s orchard by using the words given below.

Answer:
(a small stream, unpleasant, fruit-bearing trees, old-fashioned house, attractive)

The old man’s orchard was beside a small stream. The orchard had many fruit-bearing trees. The old man’s house was situated in the orchard. Although the house was old-fashioned and quaint, nothing was unpleasant.

Question 5.
In paragraph 2 the words ‘who’ and ‘these’ refer to _______ and _______ respectively.
Answer:
Senator Catron and the people of the mountain.

Question 6.
Look at the picture and draw your inference about the old man’s appearance and his social / living condition.

Answer:
The old man’s appearance has the semblance of grandeur although a closer look reveals signs of poverty. He wears a hat and is in a coat, but the coat is faded; he has worn gloves, but there are holes in them; the stick that he carries is more like a spoilt umbrella turned into a walking stick. However, no one can deny that he has his dignity.

Question 7.
The word ‘innumerable kin’ means that the old man had several
a) children
b) trees in his orchard
c) relatives
d) followers
e) canes.
Answer:
c. relatives.

Question 8.
In the Indian context, the eyes of women are compared to fishes (Meenakshi) and lotus (Kamalakshi) based on their shape and size. Why do you think the eyes of the boy are likened to a gazelle? Can you write it in Kannada? Note: Gazelle in Kannada is slots.
Answer:
The boy had large beautiful eyes like those of a gazelle. It is called Harinakshi (So Orals) in Kannada.

Question 9.
How did the old man greet the people who had been waiting for him?
Answer:
The old man bowed to all in the room.

Question10.
The old man removed his hat and gloves carefully.
a) Was he afraid that they would get spoiled?
b) Whose style did it remind the writer of?

Answer:
a) The old man removed his hat and gloves, slowly and carefully. We can’t be sure of the reason behind this gesture. Maybe he was afraid of losing them as old people are quite often worried about their things and grow to be possessive of them however old and ragged they might be.
However, it’s possible that he wasn’t afraid that they would get spoiled, but was careful and dignified by nature.

b) The writer says that the action of the old man reminded him of the way Charlie Chaplin once bowed in a picture.

Comprehension II:

Question 1.
In the meeting of the old man and the Americans, they talked about rain and the old man’s large family. It was
a) to mock his large family
b) to break the ice
c) a custom of the Americans
d) to make themselves comfortable
e) to prepare everyone for the main talk
f) to make everyone know that it had not rained in that area.
(You may think more than one among the above is appropriate. If so, tick them.)

Answer:
b. to break the ice.
d. to make themselves comfortable
e. to prepare everyone for the main talk.

Question 2.
Why do you think the storyteller spoke Spanish?
Answer:
The storyteller spoke Spanish as the old man with whom he had to discuss the deal was a Spaniard.

Question 3.
The storyteller offered the old man almost double what he had quoted earlier. Why?
Answer:
According to the land Surveyor, the land was doubled so the storyteller offered the old man almost the double amount because it was fair and just as usual.

Question 4.
What was the reaction of the old man to the storyteller’s offer?

Answer:
The old man thought a while and he felt insulted and refused the offer. He was a man of principles, so according to him, it was not fair to accept more money than agreed before.

Question 5.
We respect elders in many ways; For example
a) We shake hands
b) We touch their feet.
c) _______________
d) _______________
e) _______________
f) _______________
Think of some more ways in which we respect elders.

Answer:
c. We pay them courtesy visits.
d. We try to help them with their daily chores.
e. We offer them seats in vehicles.
f. We have more patience while interacting with them.

Question 6.
The storyteller respected the old man by __________ (Fill in the blank with appropriate words)
Answer:
letting him have his say.

Question 7.
After the findings of the engineer, the offer was doubled for the old man’s land.
a) Did the old man raise the rate?
b) Did the storyteller offer more?
Answer:
a. No, the old man wouldn’t raise the rate,
b. Yes, the storyteller offers more.

Question 8.
Match the following:

Answer:

Question 9.
Don Anselmo took only twelve hundred dollars for the land finally because
a) the storyteller failed to convince Don Anselmo to make more money than what had been agreed upon.
b) Don Anselmo was a man of principles. (Choose the correct answer)

Answer:
Both the answers are correct. The two answers can be combined to give the right answer. The storyteller failed to convince Don Anselmo to take more money than what had been agreed upon as Don Anselmo was a man of principles.

Question 10.
What did Don Anselmo do as he left the place with the money?

Answer:
As he left the place with the money, Don Anselmo shook hands with all, put on his ragged gloves, took his stick, and walked out with the boy behind him.

Comprehension III:

Question 1.
From the list given below, tick the activities with which the children after the Rio en Medio were involved, Americans occupied the house and the land sold by Don Anselmo.
i) pruning the trees
ii) renovating the house
iii) playing in the orchard
iv) speaking harsh words to the Americans in Spanish
v) plucking flowers from the trees
vi) putting fences around their play area
vii) laughing whenever they were spoken to
viii) running around the land. iii. playing in the orchard

Answer:
iii. playing in the orchard
v. plucking flowers from the trees
vi. putting fences around their play area
vii. laughing whenever they were spoken to.

Question 3.
The possibilities for a week-long delay for another meeting are given. Which of them do you agree with? Discuss with your partner.

Answer:
The Old Man