The Proposal NCERT Solutions Class 10 English

This post ‘The Proposal NCERT Solutions Class 10 English’ provides NCERT solutions for Class 10th English First Flight Chapter 9 The Proposal. I recommend read the summary of The Proposal first to understand the questions of this chapter better.

BEFORE YOU READ

Q.1. What sort of proposal is the play about?
Ans. The play is about the third meaning: the act of asking someone’s hand in marriage. Lomov comes to Chubukov’s house to propose marriage to his daughter Natalya.

Q.2. Customs common to Indian and Russian weddings:

The Proposal Thinking About the Play Question Answer

Q.1. What does Chubukov at first suspect that Lomov has come for? Is he sincere when he later says “And I’ve always loved you, my angel, as if you were my own son”?
Ans. Chubukov at first suspects that Lomov has come to borrow money, and he decides in an aside that he will not give him any. He is not sincere when he calls Lomov his own son. He speaks affectionately only after learning that Lomov wants to marry Natalya, because the marriage suits him economically. His insincerity is proved later, when he abuses Lomov as a “villain”, “scarecrow” and “stuffed sausage” and drives him out of the house.

Q.2. Chubukov says of Natalya: “… as if she won’t consent! She’s in love; egad, she’s like a lovesick cat…” Would you agree?
Ans. No, this does not seem true. Natalya shows no sign of being in love with Lomov. She quarrels fiercely with him over Oxen Meadows and over the dogs. However, when she learns that he had come to propose, she becomes hysterical, weeps and orders her father to fetch him back at once. This shows that she was eager to get married, but not that she was a “lovesick cat”.

Q.3(i). Words, expressions and insults used by the characters about each other:

(ii) Five adjectives for each character:

(iii) What will they quarrel about next?
Ans. They will surely quarrel again over small, silly matters; perhaps about the wedding arrangements, the dowry, the boundary of their fields, their servants, or once again about Guess and Squeezer. The play ends with the very same quarrel about the dogs, which shows that the quarrelling will never end.

The Proposal Thinking About Language

I.1. Expressions that sound more Russian than English

In English no older man would address a grown-up man as my darling or my treasure; these are literal translations of Russian ways of speaking.

I.2. Pronunciation, syllables and stress

I.3. Meanings and sentences

II. Reported Speech — Fill in the blanks

1. To report a question, we use the reporting verb asked.
2. To report a statement, we use the reporting verb said (or told, declared).
3. The adverb of place here changes to there.
4. When the verb in direct speech is in the present tense, the verb in reported speech is in the past tense.
5. If the verb in direct speech is in the present continuous tense, the verb in reported speech changes to past continuous tense. For example, am getting changes to was getting.
6. When the sentence in direct speech contains a word denoting respect, we add the adverb respectfully in the reporting clause.
7. The pronouns I, me, our and mine change according to the subject or object of the reporting verb, such as he, she, him or her (also his, their) in reported speech.

III. The excerpt in Reported Speech

Ninety-year-old A. K. Hangal, one of Hindi cinema’s most famous character actors, laughed and asked why we wanted to know his age, adding that if people knew he was so old, he wouldn’t get work. For his age, he is rather energetic. We asked what the secret was. He replied that his intake of everything was in small quantities and that he walked a lot. He said that he had joined the industry when people retire and that he had been in his 40s, so he didn’t miss being called a star. He said that he was still respected and given work, when actors of his age were living in poverty and without work, and that he didn’t have any complaints, adding that he had always been underpaid. Recipient of the Padma Bhushan, Hangal never hankered after money or materialistic gains. He regretted that no doubt he was content then, but money was important, and that he had been a fool not to understand the value of money earlier.

SPEAKING AND WRITING

1. Anger Management — three ill effects of anger and ways to avoid it

Ill effects:

• It harms health, causing high blood pressure, headaches and palpitations.
• It spoils relationships with family, friends and neighbours, as in the play.
• It clouds our judgement, so we say and do things we regret later.

Ways to avoid losing one’s temper:

• Take deep breaths and count to ten before replying.
• Walk away from the situation for a few minutes.
• Try to see the matter from the other person’s point of view.
• Discuss the problem calmly instead of shouting.

Benefits of anger: Controlled anger can sometimes be useful. It gives us the energy to oppose injustice and to stand firm for what is right, provided it is expressed calmly and briefly.

2. Stage Script: The Home and the World

Characters:

• Nikhil: Calm, practical, and burdened with responsibilities. He speaks in a measured, rational tone.
• Bimala (Chota Rani): Restless, intense, and deeply influenced by the nationalist fervor. She is dressed up and visibly tense.
• Messenger: A brief, respectful servant delivering the initial news.

Setting:

Nikhil’s office room, transitioning into his and Bimala’s private inner apartment which has been recently tidied up.

Exchange 1:

(Scene opens in Nikhil’s office room. He is seated at his desk, buried under a pile of files, looking stressed. A messenger stands nervously near the door.)

• Messenger:(Bowing slightly) Sir, the Rani Mother has sent for you.
• Nikhil:(Looking up, startled and pausing his work) Who did you say had sent for me?
• Messenger: The Rani Mother, sir.
• Nikhil:(Frowning in confusion) The Bara Rani?
• Messenger: No, sir, the Chota Rani Mother.
• (Stage Direction: Nikhil freezes. A look of distant memory washes over his face, as though it has been a century since she last summoned him. He abruptly stands up, leaves his work unattended, and walks quickly toward the inner apartments.)

Exchange 2:

(Nikhil steps into the inner room. He stops short in absolute surprise. Bimala is standing near the center, dressed in fine, festive clothes. The room, usually neglected, is neat and orderly.)

• Nikhil:(Stands silently by the doorway, looking enquiringly and cautiously at Bimala)
• Bimala:(Flushing a little, her face warming with tension as the fingers of her right hand nervously toy with the bangles on her left arm) Look here! Is it right that ours should be the only market in all Bengal which allows foreign goods?
• Nikhil:(Taking a calm step forward, folding his hands slightly behind his back) What, then, would be the right thing to do?
• Bimala:(Stepping closer, her eyes flashing with intense conviction) Order them to be cleared out!

Exchange 3:

(Nikhil shakes his head gently, maintaining a steady and reasonable composure.)

• Nikhil: But the goods are not mine.
• Bimala:(Indignant, raising her voice slightly) Is not the market yours?
• Nikhil:(Gesturing outward with an open hand) It is much more theirs who use it for trade.
• Bimala:(Dismissive) Let them trade in Indian goods, then!

Exchange 4:

(Nikhil lets out a soft, tired sigh, watching her passion with a mix of affection and concern.)

• Nikhil: Nothing would please me better. But suppose they do not?
• Bimala:(Exasperated, tossing her head) Nonsense! How dare they be so insolent? Are you not—
• Nikhil:(Interrupting firmly, checking the time) I am very busy this afternoon and cannot stop to argue it out. But I must refuse to tyrannise.

Exchange 5:

(Bimala steps forward desperately, pleading for her cause, while Nikhil turns toward the exit.)

• Bimala: It would not be tyranny for selfish gain, but for the sake of the country!
• Nikhil:(Pausing at the threshold, looking back with a solemn expression) To tyrannise for the country is to tyrannise over the country. But that I am afraid you will never understand.
• (Stage Direction: Without waiting for a reply, Nikhil turns away and walks out of the room, leaving Bimala standing alone in silence.)

3. Qualities one should look for in a marriage partner One should look for honesty, kindness, patience and a good sense of humour rather than only appearance or wealth. Similar attitudes, mutual respect, tolerance and a sensible attitude towards money matter far more in the long run. Education and a stable profession are also important, since they help the couple to lead a secure life. Physical looks fade with time, but a good character lasts a lifetime.

4. Parts of the play that remind us of romantic comedies Yes, many parts are like scenes from a romantic comedy: the nervous suitor in evening dress, the couple quarrelling instead of proposing, the false fainting, the father joining the quarrel, and finally the hands being joined amid the noise. The ending, where the couple is united and yet still arguing over the dogs, is typical of comic films.

Word Meanings (Quick Revision)