Class 10 English Chapter 1 A Wrong Man in Workers’ Paradise

A Wrong Man In Worker’s Paradise Comprehension I:

Question 1.
“The man indulged in mad whims”. Who considers the man’s work as “mad whims?”
a) The man himself
b) the writer
c) the people in workers’ paradise
Answer:
(c) the people in workers’ paradise.

Question 2.
Explain the comparison in Para 3
a) ‘some boys’ compared to ……………
b) They are not studying’ compared to …………….
c) Yet passing in the test’ compared to ……………..
Answers:
(a) the artist.
(b) he is wasting all his time on a painting.
(c) going to heaven.

Question 3.
When the men say “We haven’t a moment to spare” (para 6) it means that
a) they are over-burdened with their work
b) they are happy and proud to be so busy
c) they are indifferent
Answer:
(b) they are happy and proud to be busy.

Question 4.
Why is the torrent in the workers’ paradise silent?
Answer:
It doesn’t waste its energy in making a sound.

Question 5.
“the girl’s hair was carelessly done”, (para 9) This indicates that
a) she was interested only in her work
b) she did not like to dress her hair properly
c) she was unaware of any sense of dressing
Answer:
(a) she was interested only in her work.

Question 6.
Why did the “girl of the silent torrent” feel sorry for the man?
Answer:
She noticed that he had no work to do and was sitting idle.

Question 7.
“The girl scanned the painted pot at home secretly”. (Para 27) This line indicates that
a) the girl was impressed by art and beauty
b) the girl did not want the artist to know that she was impressed by his work.
c) the girl was afraid of the elders’ rebuke for wasting her time.
Answer:
(c) the girl was afraid of the elder’s rebuke for wasting her time.

Question 8.
“The hurrying feet” of the girl became “less hurried” because
a) she became lazy like the man
b) she was attracted by art
c) she was trying to re-arrange priorities
d) the meaningless was slowly becoming meaningful.
Answer:
(d) the meaningless was slowly becoming meaningful.

Question 9.
Why did the elders of the workers’ paradise become anxious?
Answer:
More and more people in the worker’s paradise were becoming idle, wasting their time on painting and sculpture.

Question 10.
The girl follows the man out of the workers’ paradise. This suggests that the girl.
a) was bored with workers’ paradise
b) was fascinated with the man’s skill in painting
c) saw new possibilities open up before her.
Answer:
(c) saw new possibilities open up before her.

Question 11.
What does the line “the man never believed in mere utility” mean?
Answer:
The man appreciated the beauty in everything and liked those which pleased the senses even though they were not useful for any activity.

Question 12.
What changes occur in the girl’s behaviour/attitude at the following stages in the story?
a) Before she agreed to give her pitcher to the wrong man
Answer:
When the wrong man offered to draw pictures on her pitcher, the girl was slightly angry because she thought pictures did not help in making a pitcher more useful.

b) After she gave her pitcher to the wrong man
Answer:
After the artist drew lines and colours on her pitcher, the girl was puzzled at their meaning. She was very much attracted by the drawing and looked at it again and again.
She was so impressed by it that she walked slowly to her work the next day, engrossed in thinking about the colours and lines.

c) When the wrong man offered to make ribbons for her
Answer:
The girl offered her ribbons more readily than before and used the ribbons immediately too. She had to spend more time trying them, and this resulted in a lot of time getting wasted.

d) When she followed the wrong man out of the worker’s paradise
Answer:
The girl no longer hesitated to go with the wrong man. She went running after him, asking him to stop for her. Her love for art was total.

Question 13.
At the end of the story, there is a complete 9hange in the girl’s attitude to life. Who should the credit go to? (is it to the idler – artist’s ability to impact others? or is it the girl’s readiness and open-mindedness to change?)
Answer:
Firstly, the artist can draw very well and attract the attention of others towards his art. Secondly, though the girl is not immediately ready to give attention to his art, she is open-minded enough to consider it when he draws on her pitcher. After paying more attention to his art, she becomes so impressed with it that she is ready to go with him when he leaves the workers’ paradise.

II. B. Close Study.

Read the following extracts carefully. Discuss in pairs and then write the answers to the questions below.

Question 1.
“But the Moving Finger writes even in heaven.”
a) What does ‘Moving Finger’ mean here?
Answer:
It can mean God or Fate that keeps an account or record of everything that a man does.

b) What figure of speech is used in “Moving Finger’?
Answer:
Metonymy. (Apart is used to refer to a whole: a moving finger is used to refer to a person who keeps an account of man’s activities)..

c) What does the sentence mean in the context?
Answer:
Even in heaven, records are kept. Further, though everything is expected to be perfect in heaven, mistakes are made.

Question 2.
“As a princess sees a lonely beggar and is filled with pity, so the busy girl of heaven was filled with pity.”
a) Who is compared to a lonely beggar?
Answer:
The artist.

b) Why was the girl filled with pity?
Answer:
The girl was filled with pity to see that the artist had no work.

c) How did the girl offer to help him?
Answer:
She offered him work.

Question 3.
“When she set out for the torrent the next day, her hurrying feet were a little less hurried than before.”
a) What had happened the previous night?
Answer:
She had examined the lines and colours drawn by the artist on the pitcher for a long time and was now engrossed in thinking about them.

b) What does “hurrying feet” suggest?
Answer:
Since there were no thoughts worrying about her mind, her feet were moving fast.

c) Why did they become less hurried?
Answer:
She was lost in her thoughts about art.

III. Paragraph Writing.

Discuss in pairs or groups of four each the answers to the following questions. Individually note down the important points for each question and then develop the points into one paragraph answer.

Question 1.
Men in Workers’ Paradise say “God! We haven’t a moment to spare”(para 6). The man says, “I haven’t a moment to spare for work” (para 11). Keeping in mind the above statements, contrast the attitude of the men in the paradise with that of the man (artist).

Answer:

• The men in workers’ paradise had a lot of work to do; happy to do that work; no pleasure in just standing and chatting for a long time with one other.
• The artist was involved in visualizing and imagining beautiful pictures which he wanted to transfer onto some surface.
• The artist found pleasure in art whereas the people in workers’ paradise found pleasure in working.

Paragraph: The men in Workers’Paradise had a lot of work to do and they were happy to do that work. They were glad to mention the huge amount of work they had. Hence they found no pleasure in just standing and chatting for a long time with one other. They found happiness in no activity other than work. The artist was involved in visualizing and imagining beautiful pictures which he wanted to transfer onto some surface. Hence he felt working would distract his mind which was full of colorful images. The artist found pleasure in indulgence in‘art whereas the people in workers’ paradise found pleasure in working. They have contrasting lifestyles.

Question 2.
There are two worlds in the story: the world of the idler–artist and the world of the inhabitants of the Workers’ Paradise. Which world is better? Why?

Answer:

• The world of an artist is filled with colours and designs.
• The world in the Workers’ Paradise – filled with only work.
• Extreme worlds. Neither is good.
• The two worlds should come together.

Paragraph: The world of the idler- an artist is a world where the man has no time to spare for any work. He spends his time standing by a stream or painting some object which has no meaning or purpose. On the other hand, in the world of Workers’ Paradise, men are bust at work. They have no time to spare for recreation or painting. To them time is precious and they have too much to do. Neither world is good. A life of idleness does not do any good. Working all the time with no breaks or entertainment is not good either. We should opt for a world where work and recreation are balanced.

Question 3.
Have a debate in the classroom on the following topic.
Aesthetics V/s Utility
You can make use of the following points:

• Art for the sake of art × Art for making money
• Knowledge for the sake of × Knowledge for the sake of a job knowledge
• Man is not satisfied with bread alone.

Answers:

• Art for the sake of art × Art for making money
• Knowledge for the sake of × Knowledge for the sake of a job knowledge
• Man is not satisfied with bread alone.

Paragraph: When the individual creates art for the sake of art, his mind and soul are satisfied. He has done justice to his imagination and ability to create art. But even an artist has to survive, for which he needs food, clothing and shelter. Hence he should be ready to part with his products of art in exchange for money however he cannot create art only for the sake of earning money.

When Knowledge is accumulated for the sake of knowledge, it is not very relevant. When it is applied to real-life problems, it becomes meaningful. For this purpose, the individual has to be engaged in a job which makes use of his knowledge.
Man cannot live by bread alone because he is not an animal like cow, deer or birds. He has a soul which needs to be satisfied through art and literature. It is these finer aspects of life that lift man’s life above that of an animal and make life beautiful and divine.

A Wrong Man In Worker’s Paradise Summary