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Question
How did the presence of Richard Parker influence the attitude of Pi?
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Solution
It was Richard Parker who calmed down Pi. The irony of life is that the animal that scared him witless to start with was the same who brought him peace, purpose, and even wholeness. They were literally and figuratively in the same boat. They had to live together. A part of Pi’s personality was glad about Parker’s presence, who gave him the will to hang on to life under the toughest conditions.
He realized danger and peace can co-exist when one is aware of one’s innate strength. He realizes the fact that staying with a tiger is less tormenting than living alone with despair. Loneliness and despair can easily kill a person. He decided to focus on the chances of survival and shut off the tragic circumstances he was placed in a lonely boat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. In short, he became optimistic, balanced, and stoical in his attitude to life thanks to the presence of Richard Parker.
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RELATED QUESTIONS
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Rearrange the following sentences in a meaningful sequence and write the summary of the play.
| a) Baldwin who returned home after meeting Gresham, informed his family that Gresham had offered a hundred thousand, if he would utter the words ‘I don’t remember’ in court, during the trial. |
| b) The family members tried to justify Gresham’s act and enticed Baldwin into accepting the money. |
| c) Thus ‘The Hour of Truth’ had dawned relieving Baldwin of the heavy burden and guilt. |
| d) Baldwin was an honest and upright man, working under John Gresham, in a bank. |
| e) To save Baldwin, Mr. Marshall, President of the Third National, visited him and informed him that Gresham had confessed his crime, in order to free him from betraying his trusted friend and testifying painfully against him. |
| f) Gresham and Baldwin had been thick friends for over 30 years and Baldwin had even named his son after Gresham. |
| g) Baldwin felt disgusted with himself and the attitude of his family members. |
| h) Gresham had been arrested for misappropriation of money at the bank and Baldwin was to testify against him. |
| i) Mr. Marshall also offered Baldwin a job in his Bank, to reward him for his honesty and integrity. |
| j) The family members who were initially against Gresham, changed their mind on hearing the huge sum offered by him. |
How was Baldwin’s honesty rewarded?
Now match the idioms under column A with their meanings in column B:
| A. IDIOMS | B. MEANINGS |
| save one’s skin | a sudden unexpected event or news |
| make both ends meet | to be the most powerful |
| a bolt out of a clear sky | viewed with suspicion and distrust |
| go to grave | to protect oneself from difficulty |
| have the whip hand | manage one’s expenses within one’s income |
| under a cloud | to exit the world |
How did the three men react to the knocking at the door?
How did Ausable outwit Max?
What does Margot like the most - the sun or the rain?
Margot could recall what the sun looked like while the other children could not. Why?
How long did the Sun shine on Venus?
How did Margot describe the sun to others?
Now read the sentence below. Complete them appropriately with the word you identified from the grid.
The children are getting ready for the ______event.
Now read the sentence below. Complete them appropriately with the word you identified from the grid.
The children ______Margot as she ______the Sun.
Now read the sentence below. Complete them appropriately with the word you identified from the grid.
The children are _______ of Margot and ______the door and let her out.
Study the title of the play “Remember Caesar”. Who is Caesar? What is he remembered for? Let us go through the pages of history succinctly to answer the above questions.
- Julius Caesar was a brilliant military general and great Roman monarch.
- He was born on the 13th of July in 100 BC (BCE).
- He created the Julian calendar which is the basis for today’s calendar.
- He was assassinated by a group of Roman senators in 44 BC(BCE).
- The day that Julius Caesar was murdered, 15th March was called the Ides of March in ancient Rome.
Complete the summary of the play, choosing the appropriate words from the list given below the passage.
Lord Weston was a (1)______ judge in England. Being pompous and vain, he told his secretary Roger that he had attained glory by hard work and (2)______. He expressed his displeasure over Roger’s request for a half-holiday. Suddenly, he discovered a piece of paper with the words (3)______ in his pocket, and he feared that the message was a warning conveyed by his enemies who had received legal punishments from him. As the message was sent on the 15th of March, (the day Julius Caesar was assassinated), he was (4)______ that someone affected by his fair judgement was plotting his murder. Sensing the definite attack, Lord Weston ordered his secretary to (5)______ all the doors and windows. But his wife remained (6)______ by the threat. So, Lord Weston was angered by her (7)______ reaction. He ordered Roger to send the cook and the (8)______ away. Both Weston and Roger took elaborate precautionary measures to thwart the (9)______ attempt. Finally, Weston was able to recollect that he had written the message “Remember Caesar” himself as a (10)______. Caesar was actually a gardener who had an appointment to visit Weston’s garden. The play revolves around Weston’s absent-mindedness which is the crux of the play.
| callous | unperturbed |
| well-known | gardener |
| reminder | zealous service |
| Remember Caesar | assassination |
| shut | convinced |
How did Lord Weston describe himself?
Why was the speaker keen to know what day it was?
How did Lord Weston ‘defuse’ the ‘infernal machine’?
Why did the speaker consider his lifeless important?
Group Work
The play revolves around a ‘perceived threat’ and how Lord Weston and Lady Weston react to it. Let’s reverse their roles. Imagine a panic-stricken Lady Weston and a frivolous Lord Weston. Read the following piece of dialogue from the play and rewrite it to suit the changed roles.
| WESTON | My dear, your husband’s life is in grave danger. |
| LADY WESTON | The last time it was in danger you had been eating game pie. What is it this time? |
| WESTON (annihilating her flippancy with one broadside) | Assassination! |
| LADY WESTON | Well, well! You always wanted to be a great man and now you have got your wish! |
| WESTON | What do you mean? |
| LADY WESTON | They don’t assassinate anybody. |
