Q2.

(a)
i. Norma told Arthur that Steward's offer was a research project. Nobody was actually
going to die. She argued that even if some Chinese peasant died, it would not be a
murder. She rather looked at the offer as an opportunity to fulfill their needs and dreams.
ii. The old man was about seventy years of age. He had a red wrinkled face and pale blue
eyes. He was active and determined. He had a weak heart. The doctors told him to take
rest but he kept on working as usual.
iii. The woman simply turned around and kicked him. She caught him by his shirt front and
gave him some jerks until his teeth rattled. Then she dragged him behind her.
iv. Hubert was a poor villager. People did not bother whether he was innocent or not. They
rather made fun of him to amuse themselves. They thought that he was protecting himself
by inventing lame excuses.
v. The girl behaved very rudely with the doctor. When he tried to examine her, she
attempted to claw the eyes of him. Therefore, the parents rebuked her for her non-
compliance.
vi. The king felt ashamed of his mention of killing the innocent boy for his health.
Therefore, he wept because of his selfishness.
vii. The quack observed the treatment of the camel. He took his luggage and went to the
nearby village. He pretended there to cure goiter.
viii. Nushirvan advised the people to give justice to others. He told them not to be cruel. He
advised them to pay even for very small things.
ix. The farmers wanted to save their crops from the locusts. Those locusts could be driven
away by smoke. Therefore, the farmers were throwing wet leaves on fire to make the
smoke bitter and black.

(b)
i. The girl was very upset and terribly frightened. It was a stormy night. There were
flashes of lightning and bursts of thunder. She could not see the killer closely and clearly
because of the dim light of the stormy night. That is why she could not describe the killer.
ii. The girl was lonely in the room at the bus stop. She was upset and terrified. She was in
danger of the killer and needed protection. That is why she asked the first man for help
because she feared that the killer was chasing her.
iii. It was the dark stormy night with flashes of lightning and bursts of thunder. After the
party, the girl was returning home. Her car ran out of gas on the road. She saw someone
pulling the dead body of a woman out of car. She was terrified to see all this. Thus, under
these circumstances, she was forced to leave her car.
iv. She did not accompany the second man because she thought that he was the man who
was chasing her. She thought that he might be the killer. She was not feeling safe in his
presence. Therefore, she found him very suspicious.
v. The purpose of Kreton's visit is to take charge of the whole world. He has keen interest
in the earth and its people. He has much information about them. Their study is Kreton's
hobby. Now he has come to the earth to rule the world.
vi. Kreton impresses General Powers by his extraordinary powers of mind reading and
defending himself. He tells Powers exactly what Powers is thinking. He creates an
invisible wall around himself and his ship. In spite of Powers' hard interrogation, Kreton
easily eludes him. His logical and evasive replies defeat General Powers.

1
vii. General Powers represents the violent and authoritative side of human civilization. In
American context, he shows the hold of military in a democratic country. He tries to
safeguard the security of his country. By putting Spelding's house under martial law, he
tramples down the democratic rights of his people. In the play he is merely a powerless
person before Kreton.
viii. Kreton had high morals. He spoke no ill thing to anybody. Even when he criticized the
earth people, he was polite and cautious. He didn't harm others even though Powers and
AIDE tried to harm him and his ship. He talked to others with respect and sometimes
with amusement.

(c)
i. The theme of the poem is that the rain is pleasant and enjoyable. It brings joys and
pleasures to us. But it brings sadness to those who are poor and do not find any shelter in
the rain. They can do nothing else but hope for the sunshine.
ii. The post war poetry is full of imagery that is related to weapons. The poet is preoccupied
with the miseries of war and poverty. That is why he considers the fruit as cannon balls.
iii. The poet was much impressed by the beauty and strength of a Sindhi woman. She was
walking erect despite the heavy burden upon her head. The poet also compared his
personal stoop with the erect movement of the woman.
iv. The fact that "the shattered visage was half sunk in sand" is very suggestive. This was
the face of a man who was very proud in his life. He was the king of the kings. And now
he was lying in sand, lonely and forlorn. It means that pride hath (has) a fall. Everything
comes to dust eventually. All human achievements and failures are insignificant because
death levels everything.
v. This line means that everything in this world happens at specified time. Nothing happens
on this earth out of place. This makes life go on in an orderly manner.
vi. The title of the poem suggests that the modern men are the hollow men. They lack zeal
and strength. They are completely passive and inactive. Their deeds are worthless. They
are not brave and violent.