S E Exglish 1.

IX&X
2 C o l eCoe e
STRUCTURED QUESTIONS
misertes were in
be, suveet madam, your
toould as
Nerissa abundance the some
your good Jortunes are : and yet, for aught I se
ee,
dre as sick that urfelt wtth too much as they that starve they
nothing. It is no mean happiniess therefore, to be seated tn the with
he mean
whlte hatrs, but competencu litee
superflulty comes soonier by longer
Madam? Where are the
91.Whom
Nerissa is addressing as character
made by the other person does the speaker give
comment
Towhat
reply?
as Madam, one of the main charact
Ans. Nerissa is addressing Portla, of
the play The characters are now in Belmont, in a room in Portia's house The
cOminent made by Portia that her little hodl
speakergave this reply to tne is
world.
tired with this great
the body of the other p e r s o n 'a
According to Nerissa, why is eary
Q.2. Nerissa's relationship with the other rson?
What is
ofthis great world ?
1s doubtul about her future because of
Ans. According to Nerissa, Portia
will. Nerissa
Neri
father's is Portia's maid but she is her
of her
strange provisions are tired of their
says some people eme
friend and confdante too. She
much of wealth.
others due to too
poverty while
Nerissa try to cheer Portia? What was
what way did
9. 3. Earlier, in
what Nerissa had said?
Portia's reaction to
she 1s weary, Nerissa comforts Portia by saying
Ans. When Portia saysthat miseries were in the same
weary, if her
that she would have been really emanat.
People who suffer from too much tiredness
abundance as her fortunes.
who suffer from starvation. better to be It is
ingout of boredom are just as those sooner, Those who have
placed in the middle. Those who have to00 much, age
the middle, so she should not
justenough, Iive longer. But Portia is placed in
Seel sad. Portia reacted by saying that they were good words. She compliments
Nerissa by saying that the speech was well-spoken
94. Where does happiness lie, according to the extract? What opinion
have you formed of Nerissa, from this extract?
Ans. Happlness is 'seated in the mean' It means, happiness is placed in the
niddie; between poverty and riches, Although Nerissa is a mald, she has a lot of
wisdom. She is a philosopher and this is the reason, Portia considers her as a
friend and close companion
9.5. Give the meaning of 'they are as sick as that surfeit with so
and 'superfuity comes sooner much
by white hairs, but competency lives
Ans. The expressions mean
longer
that the people with too much money and good
fortune are as
unhappy as thewho are
ones In
much of
everything age faster but who have just poor, fact people having too
enough live longer
 Act 1 (Scene 2) 2 9

of what happens later, why do you think, the 'Madam'

a. 6. In the light
is unhapPy?

her marriage
because her father had willed that
Ans. Portia is unhappy would like to
Portia, being independent personality
hould take place by lottery. feels restricted and
is attracted to Bassanio. She
ke her own choices. She on who chooses
the right casket.
her tate depends
anxious because
anx

were as easy as to knouw what were good to do, chapels had

Portia to do It is a good
churches, and poor men's cottages princes' palaces.
been
instructions: I can easier teach twenty
divine that follows his own
than be one of the to follow mine own
what were good to be done,
The brain may devise the blood, but a hot temper
laws for
teaching.
such a hare is madness (the youth), to skip
leaps o'er a cold decree:
counsel (the cripple).But this reasoning is
not
o'er the meshes ofgood the word 'choose'. I
to choose me a husband. O me,
inthe fashion dislike; so is the
may neither choose who I would
nor refuse who I
will of a living daughter curbed by the willof a dead father.

are Portia and Nerissa at

this moment? Why are they
Q. 1. Where
there?

of Portia's house at Belmont.

are in a room They are
Ans. Portia and Nerissa
suitors to make their choice of the caskets.
there waiting for the various

2. Give the of 'If to do were as easy as to knoW what were

9. meaning
good to do, chapels had been churches, and poor men's cottages princes
palaces'. Explain the allusion to the 'good divine'.
Ans. The lines mean that if doing good is as easy to know what is good. The
chapels would be churches and poor men's house will be like royal palaces. If
the priest is able to follow what he preaches, he is a good preacher. This alludes
to the difficulty in following instructions, even if it is good.
9. 3. Why does Portia say that she finds it difficult to follow than to
preach?

Ans. Portia wants to follow her heart. She doesn't

have any desire to marry
according to what her father has mentioned in the will. She says it is
easy to give
advice to twenty people as
compared to follow her own
teachings. The brain may
make laws for the blood but the heat of
the blood
such dry laws. overpowers the dictates of
9. 4. What does the impulse of youth makes one do? Explain the
comparison here.
Ans. The madness of
youth can leap across good advice without paying any
need to it.
They are like a hare avoiding the trap of good advice of experienced
People.
9. 5. Later the
speaker says. 'O me, the word choose'.
Such anguish? Why is it said in
 Ans rtia is a spirited woman brought up in sch a way that she fs used
make her own decistons When it comes to the most inmportant deciston of he
re of choosing her husband, she nds herself restricted by her father's will, s
has te depend on lottery to She
choose her husband and this makes her unhappy.
96 Immediately after this extract, what reasons does Nerlssa give to
Portia to Justity 'the will of a dead father? Do
you think that the justifica
tion proved correct? Give
reasons for your answer
Or
what answer does Nerissa give in reply to these words 7

Ans. Nerissa tells Portta that she should not despair of her father's will,
He
was a plous and wise man. Moreover dying people get divine inspiration which
makes them do what is right, so Portia will get the right person who
her. This actually truly loves
proved true as Bassanlo who is a true lover chooses the
caskets while others due to their self-love and right
vanity fail to win her.
97. State in your own words what Portia means by the will of a living
daughter curbed by the will of a dead father.
Ans. Portia means that her dead father's will is
choose a husband on her own. Her taking away her liberty to
wishes in lite are being controlled
wishes of a dead father by the
the will of a dead father'. What
does she say? From what she says, what
opinion do you form of her?
Ans. Portia feels that even if she
lives like Sybil who has
eternal life, she prefers to die a been granted
to abide virgin like Diana. There is no
by her father's will, if at all she has to option for her but
sultors are very reasonable
and are
marry. One hope is that, the
abide by the conditions of planning
the will. This shows
to go back as they don't want
to
who has a mind of her that Portia is an
their departure. She is
own. She has not
liked any of the intelligent lady
willing to wait for a man who'll be suitors and is glad at
3. Nerissa: How after her own heart.
say you by the French
Portia God made him, lord, Monsieur Le Bon ?
and
it is a stn to be therefore let htm pass for a man. In
mocker: but, hel why, he truth, I know
the hath
Neapoltan's, a better
Palatine; he is every man bad habit
a horse better than
in
of frowning than the Count
no
stralght a-capering: he will man: f
fence with his ownthrostle sing. he falls
a
marry him, I should
me, I would marry twenty husbands shadou. If I should
forglve him, for f he loves me if he would despise
requite him. to
madness, I shall never
9.1. Bring out the context of
Ans. At the passage.
come to
Belmont, Portia and
marry Portia Nerissa were
her father's by the lottery of discussing
caskets. Portia is the suitors who have
of the stipulation
suitors and
at all. In
order to weary as she doesn't like
Portia wittily entertain her, Nerissa asks
entertainment. Here, they are talking describes each one of
them about each
about the French Lord, much of our
Le Bor
 and therefore let him peee for
atain. God made himn
a men/
92 Explain

9 is making
n fun of Le Bon by saylng that since God made hii
they
er him a man. Otherwise, he combination of all men, and r i
Portia
is a
Ans
Ans.
h a v et oc o n s i d e r

mdtviduality t o b o a s t ast about

Portia described Neapolitan prince & Count
nd n
what way has
3.
Palatine2
Neapolitan prince is as immature and rash as'a
to Portia, the
but horses and considers It a great
According

horse.
w i l d y o u n g h o r s e . He
Ans. talks about nothing
own horse. She feels that
his mother
mothe must
he can shoe his
wild Beation that on the other han
blacksmith. Count Palatine,
l o v e affair
alove with a
a he cares little whether Portia accepts
had
frown as though to say
ha thing
have but
does nothing but
stories without a smile,
and will prove a philosopher
He hears good
doest He not. such a gloomy man, uld rather marry
Portia would marry aa
him or he is
hin heh e is
old.
is old. Since mouth.
before
bone in its
with a
skeleton him, I should marry twenty
'If I should marry
does she say,
Why
9. 4.
attached to the horse than
h u s b a n d s ?
the
that Le Bon is more
Ans. Portia feels Palatine. He has every
man's fault, but is not
than Count
frown more
twenty different
men.
him will be like marrying
N e a p o l i t a n i

man at
all. Marrying
a Falconbridge?
does Portia say about
Q. 5. What Baron does not
understand
the young
that Falconbridge, and his
Ans. Portia says doesn't know any language
understand him. He
doesn't hold a
her just like she He is a fine figure
of a man but who can
orasp of English is very poor. He dresses incongruously
in different styles,
of signs.
conversation by
means

manners from everywhere.

and borrows set a deep glass of
the worst, I pray thee,
Portia: Therefore. forfear of be within and
casket, for, f the devil
Rhenish wine on the contrary
it. I will do any-
with-out, I know he will choose
that temptation
ere I will be
marrled to a sponge
thing, Nerissa,
speak these words?
1. In what context does Portia
9. come to seek
Nerissa are talking about
the suitors who have
Ans. Portia and
whether she has any
When Portia is asked
the Portia's hand in marriage. o v e r n a m e them and
she'll
of these, she tells Nerissa to
preference for any one
description, Nerissa can make her own
From the
fnform her about her opinion. about a young German, the Duke of Saxony's
Judgment, They are now talking
nephew. talked about in the
Portia describe the character
9. 2. How does
extract? In
German does not
have a good disposttion.
that the young he
Ans.Portia says when he is drunk,
he is bad but in the noon
c morning when he is sober a miserable type
of man, and when
When he is
Worse. at his best he is
cOmes
e is at his worst he is like a beast.
32Complete Course in 1CSE English-11, IK &
3 . Why does she ask Nerissa to keep the wine on the wrong cae
asket?
Ans. Portia does not want to marry this young drunkard,
and tells Nert.

the top of the wrong casket. So that evern f 4

Meep he Rhenish wine on
reslst the temptation to drink a n d
not be able t0
inside the casket, he would and hei
choose that casket.
Just after this?
9.4. How does Nerissa comfort Portia
she has not 1iked a n y of
Nerissa that Portia nced not worrY he
a

Ans. says
informed thelr desire to go back wifhe
8xitors as all these sultors have out
cholce a s no o n e is ready to reme

choosing the caskets for fear of wrong n

1orward, They are ready to try thete
umarried according to the condition put
there is another way other than choosing the caskets.
ack
and Diana, s o o n after this. Why does she
9. 5. Portia talks about Sybilla
do so? Which young man is talked about at the end of the scene?

Ans. Portia half playfully and half serfously says that ultimately
none of the
bave to remain
sultors will agree to the lottery of the caskets and she'll old
an

or Diana, the moon

spinster 1ike Sybil who got cternal 1ife but not youth
Goddess, who chose to remain unmarried. Bassanio, who visited Belmont at the
time of Portia's father, 1s talked about at the end of the scene.