Comprehension I: Sohrab and Rustum

Question 1.
Who was Rustum? Where did he live?
Answer:
Rustum was a great warrior and hero of Persia. He lived in Persia and was the chief of the army.

Question 2.
Who chanced to see Rustum when he went out for a hunt?
Answer:
A chieftain of Turan chanced to see Rustum when he went out for a hunt.

Question 3.
Who was Tahminah? Who did she marry?
Answer:
Tahminah was the beautiful daughter of the chieftain of Turan. She married Rustum.

Question 4.
What made Rustum ride away to his army in Persia?
Answer:
Rustum, being a warrior, got tired of an idle life at home and decided to return to his army in Persia.

Question 5.
Why did the king of Persia send for Rustum?
Answer:
The king of Persia sent for Rustum because Sohrab had become a terror to the Persian army, and they needed Rustum to fight him to save the honor of the country. 

Question 6.
What reply did Sohrab get when he was questioned?
Answer:
When Sohrab asked if Rustum was his opponent, Rustum denied it and coldly told him to fight or accept defeat.

Question 7.
Why did Sohrab not avail of the chance to kill Rustum?
Answer:
Sohrab did not kill Rustum when he had the chance because his heart did not permit him to do so.

Question 8.
What truth did Sohrab reveal when he was in a pool of blood?
Answer:
Sohrab revealed that he was Rustum’s son and that his mother had told Rustum that he had a daughter to prevent him from taking Sohrab away.

Question 9.
How did Rustum react when he came to know that he had killed his own son?
Answer:
Rustum was struck with horror and deep sorrow. He uttered a sharp cry and choked on his words upon realizing that he had unknowingly killed his own son.

B. Answer the following questions in four or five sentences. Sohrab and Rustum

Sit in groups, discuss the answer before writing.

Question 1.
What did Rustum say to his wife before going back to his army?

Answer:
Before leaving for his army, Rustum told his wife, Tahminah, that he did not know when he would return. He gave her a seal and instructed her to bind it to their child’s arm if it was a son and send him to him. If the baby was a daughter, she was to wear the seal on a chain around her neck and inform Rustum. After saying this, Rustum rode back to his army in Persia.

Question 2.
What did Tahminah say to herself when a son was born of her?

Answer:
When Tahminah gave birth to a son, she feared that if Rustum knew, he would take the child away to train him as a warrior. She could not bear the thought of being separated from her son. To prevent this, she decided to send Rustum false information that she had given birth to a daughter. She chose to raise Sohrab on her own without letting Rustum know the truth.

Question 3.
What did Sohrab think of doing in order to meet his father Rustum?

Answer:
Sohrab had heard of his father’s fame but did not know where he was. When Turan went to war with Persia, he saw it as an opportunity to meet Rustum. He planned to challenge the Persian heroes to a single combat, hoping that Rustum would be sent to fight him. Once he met Rustum, he intended to reveal his identity and take his father home.

Question 4.
What made Sohrab drop the covering shield?

Answer:
The fight between Rustum and Sohrab lasted for three days. When Rustum, in his rage, shouted his name, Sohrab was shocked. The moment he heard that his opponent was Rustum, his father, he lost his strength. He dropped his shield, felt weak, and collapsed to the ground, bleeding from his wounds.

Question 5.
How did Rustum come to know that Sohrab was his son?

Answer:
After wounding Sohrab fatally, Rustum spoke harshly to him. Sohrab then revealed that his mother had told Rustum he had a daughter to prevent him from taking Sohrab away. He pointed to the seal on his right arm, which Rustum recognized as the one he had given to Tahminah. Realizing his mistake, Rustum was horrified to learn that he had unknowingly killed his own son.

C. Read the following statements and answer the questions that follow: Sohrab and Rustum

1. “If you beget a son, bind this seal to his arm and send him to me”

a. Who said these words?Answer:
These words were said by Rustum.

b. Who were these spoken to?
Answer:
They were spoken to his wife, Tahminah.

c. Why did he say so?
Answer:
He said this because he wanted to recognize and accept his son as a warrior and take him to Persia.

2. “Are you not Rustum?”

a. Who said this?
Answer:
These words were said by Sohrab.

b. Who was it said to?
Answer:
They were spoken to Rustum.

c. Who was Rustum?
Answer:
Rustum was a great Persian warrior and the father of Sohrab.

3.“That is what my mother said for fear of losing me to my father. Look at the seal on my right arm”

a. Who said these lines?
Answer:
These lines were said by Sohrab.

b. Who were the words spoken to?
Answer:
They were spoken to Rustum.

c. Where did Sohrab say these words?
Answer:
Sohrab said these words on the battlefield, after being fatally wounded by Rustum.

Vocabulary II: Sohrab and Rustum

A. We can make opposites by adding prefixes such as dis, un, ir, in, im, mis, il, etc., Study the examples:

Examples : Happy – unhappy
                    Honour – dishonour

Write the opposites of the following words using the above prefixes:

advantage, believable, do, pleasant, trust, regular, continue, responsible, legal, decent, proper, direct, pure, order, literate, order.

Here are the opposites of the given words using appropriate prefixes:

1. Advantage – Disadvantage
2. Believable – Unbelievable
3. Do – Undo
4. Pleasant – Unpleasant
5. Trust – Distrust
6. Regular – Irregular
7. Continue – Discontinue
8. Responsible – Irresponsible
9. Legal – Illegal
10. Decent – Indecent
11. Proper – Improper
12. Direct – Indirect
13. Pure – Impure
14. Order – Disorder
15. Literate – Illiterate
16. Order – Misorder (or Disorder, depending on context)

B. Use the following phrases in sentences of your own. Sohrab and Rustum

As long as, to fall in love with, to give birth to, to get tired, to wean away, to give up.

1. As long as – As long as you work hard, you will achieve success.
2. To fall in love with – He fell in love with the beautiful scenery of the mountains.
3. To give birth to – The queen gave birth to a healthy baby boy.
4. To get tired – After walking for hours, she got tired and decided to rest.
5. To wean away – Parents try to wean away their children from bad habits.
6. To give up – Despite many failures, he refused to give up on his dreams.

C. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verbal phrases given in brackets. Make necessary changes, if, necessary

(Consist of, fond of, look after, send for, die of)

1. Parents look after their children.
2. The school consists of 15 rooms.
3. The mother sent for a doctor to attend to her sick son.
4. Jawaharlal Nehru was fond of
5. He died of

III. Languages Exercises: Sohrab and Rustum

A. Sit in groups. Discuss and match the following ‘wh’ words in ‘A’ with their functions.