A Horse and Two Goats Story's Workbook solution- Part 2

A horse and two goat workbook question/answer solution

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VIII. Read the extract given below and answer the question that follows:


(i). Who was the foreigner? What was his background?


Ans. The foreigner was a tourist in India. He was a rich American businessman who dealt in coffee.

(ii). What is referred to as the courtesies of the seasons? Why did Muni answer ‘Yes, no”?
AnsAs the American tries to engage Muni in a lively conversation, he suddenly remembers the etiquette of a gentleman and offers him a cigarette. These polite codes of manners refer to as the courtesies of the season. Muni was totally baffled as he couldn’t speak or understand a word of English except for "yes" and “no”. So with a puzzled expression, he answered both “yes, no” to whatever he was being asked even though it was irrelevant and didn’t make any sense.

(iii) State Muni earlier experience of smoking a cigarette. When the foreigner flicked the light open and offered a cigarette to Muni, what were the latter’s feelings?
AnsMuni remembered the cigarette the shopman had given him on credit. He recalled how good it had tasted. When the foreigner flicked the light open Muni was confused about how to react, so he blew on the light and put it out.

(iv) What were the consequences of smoking an American cigarette on Muni?
Ans. Muni started coughing. It pained him yet he felt it was extremely pleasant. He started to remember the feelings of that time when he had a first smoked cigarette on credit.

(v) Describe Muni’s fears and anxieties when he was given the card by the visitor.
Ans. Muni feared that the business card was an arrest warrant to arrest him for the crime that had happened recently in his village area, so he moved back.
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IX. Read the extract given below and answer the question that follows:


(i) What did Muni speak in a fearful tone in the extract?
Ans. Muni speaks in a fearful tone in the extract because the language was a barrier between the foreigner and Muni and he misunderstood his visiting card as an arrest warrant. And he was explaining to the foreigner that he is an innocent man and he had not done that murder, which was done under a tamarind tree at the border between Kritam and Kuppam a few weeks ago.

(ii) Which case is Muni referring to in the extract? Why did he say that he did not know anything about the case and only God knew about it? Which characteristic trait of Muni is revealed from his talk?
Ans. A mutilated dead body had been found thrown under a tamarind tree at the border between Kritam and Kuppam a few weeks ago. Muni was referring to this murder case in the extract. He thought American was a policeman and came for inquiry so he told that he knows nothing about the case and only God knows the truth. From this, we can tell that he is a religious man.

(iii) Explain why Muni spoke of a murder with the foreigner. What does it reveal about Muni's behaviour?
Ans. Muni spoke of a murder with the foreigner because Muni misunderstood the khaki-clad foreigner to be a policeman who was investigating about a murder committed a few weeks ago at the border between the villages Kritam and Kuppam.
Initially, Muni spoke in a fearful tone but when the foreigner produced a card, Muni was greatly troubled and afraid and began to plead the foreigner that he knew nothing about the murder. It reveals the innocent and ignorant nature of Muni.


(iv) State how the title of the story, ‘A Horse and Two Goats’ is relevant.
Ans. A Horse and Two Goats is an apt title for the story. Though the hero of the story is Muni, who drives the story forward, the major part of the story is a dialogue between the American and Muni concerning the horse statue. From the beginning of the story, it is observed that Muni is left with two goats. It is only when the goats are being taken to graze near the highway, that Muni’s chance encounter with the American takes place. Muni who is sitting on the pedestal of the statue is assumed to be its owner by the American. Muni, on the other hand does not understand what the foreigner says. When the American gives Muni a hundred rupee note as the price for the statue, Muni gets confused. He assumes it to be the price of his two goats.


(v) How is the clash of cultures brought about in the story?
Ans. On one hand, Muni is the representative of typical Indian native; who is poor, rural and uneducated. He doesn’t know English and is striving to make a living. On the other hand, we have the American who knows no Tamil but expects Mini to understand English. He is wealthy, urban and educated and is only interested in a business deal with Muni.

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X. Read the extract given below and answer the question that follows:


(i) What has the foreigner just said about Tamil and Muni’s sales talk?
Ans. The foreigner said that Tamil to him ‘sounds wonderful’ and he got a kick out of every word Muni uttered. The foreigner assumed Muni to be engaging in sales talk and told him that he already appreciated the article and was ready for a better sales talk.

(ii) What is Pongal? What does Muni do on Pongal in his village?
Ans. Pongal is a four-day harvest festival celebrated in Tamil Nadu. During Pongal Muni and his father would cut the harvest. Muni would then allowed by his father to go out and play with others at the tank.

(iii) State what does Muni hint in the extract about the caste and class distinction between the rich and the poor in Kritam.
Ans. Muni had no formal education. He grew up as a member of a lower caste when only the Brahmins, the highest caste, could attend school. he has not travelled beyond his village and he likes to watch trucks and buses go by on highway a few miles away so that he can have "a sense of belonging to a larger world". He has some knowledge of the two major religious texts the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, which he has learned by acting in plays and by listening to preachers at the temple.

(iv) After the extract, how does Muni show himself as a gossip-monger?
Ans. Muni shows himself as a gossip-monger by asking the red-faced foreigner several questions about his family life and children and telling the American about his theatrical days, Vishnu avatars, cattle, etc. without even realising that the foreigner did not understand anything.

(v) Explain two characteristic features of Muni's wife. State briefly the position of women in villages as seen in the story, A Horse and Two Goats.
Ans.  Muni's wife was really very supportive as she never questioned or blamed Muni for his failures. Although she appeared to be a little rude from outside sometimes she was really a kind-hearted wife. She loved her husband a lot and cared for him too.
Child marriage was prevalent as in the case of Muni and his wife. Women were honoured as seen as nurturers but they needed a man to support them. Women in Kritam do jobs at the Big House to earn their livelihood. Women use clay pots and clay ovens to cook food.

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XI. Read the extract given below and answer the question that follows:

(i) Which dead body is referred to in the extract? Why was Muni afraid of the dead body earlier?

Ans. A mutilated dead body, that had been found thrown under a tamarind tree at the border between Kritam and Kuppam a few weeks ago, is referred to as dead body in the extract. Muni mistook the foreigner’s khaki dress and thought the foreigner was a policeman who was investigating the case of that mutilated body.

(ii)  What is Kali Yuga? What is said to happen in Kali Yuga?
Ans. Kali Yuga is the last of the four stages the world goes through as part of the cycle of the ages. At the end of kali yuga, this world and all other worlds will be destroyed, and the Redeemer will come in the shape of a horse called Kalki and save all good people while evil ones will perish.


(iii) How does the language barrier in the conversation between the American and Muni provides humour in the story?
Ans. Muni and the red-faced man(foreigner) both were speaking in different languages and neither of them was able to understand each other. They converse, though, in reality, they are both speaking on entirely unrelated subjects. The first time Muni saw the foreigner in Khaki clothes he thought that he was police came here to arrest him for the murder he hadn't committed. But when Muni started to prove himself innocent the foreigner thought that Muni was describing the beauty of the horse statue. After sometime when the foreigner offered him a cigarette he accepted it, then the foreigner blew on the lighter and offered it to Muni, but Muni was confused and he blew it off. When the foreigner showed him a card of where he lives in the USA, Muni thought that it was an arrest warrant card. These are some examples of humour between the communication in Muni and the red-faced man.


iv) Describe the living room of the foreigner in America as stated by him.
Ans. The living room of the foreigner has a large bookcase filled with volumes of books. There are books piled up too.

v) How does Muni describe the horse? How would the horse be accommodated in the foreigner’s house?
Ans. Muni describes the horse as a warrior. The horse symbolises salvation for the people of a village [Kritam] during a calamity. The foreigner assures Muni that he would keep the statue with the utmost care in his living room in his house in the USA.


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XII. Read the extract given below and answer the question that follows:


(i) Who speaks these words? In what context does he speak them?
Ans. The foreigner speaks these words. Muni was reflecting on the end of the world and asked the foreigner if he had any idea when Kali Yuga would end.

(ii) What does Muni say about the coffee hotel in the locality? Why does he say about the coffee hotel?
Ans. Muni had heard from passers-by that there were ‘Kapi-hotels’ opened at the Friday Markets in the next town along the highway. Muni only recognized the word ‘coffee’ in the foreigner’s conversation. He thought that the foreigner wanted to drink coffee, so, he says about the coffee hotel.


(iii) What has Muni said about the end of the world?
Ans.  Muni said about the end of the world that at this time the Redeemer would come on the horse statue which would grow bigger and be called Kalki. There would be floods in which Kalki would carry good people to safety and the evil would perish.

(iv) Explain what the kind of businessman was the foreigner.
Ans. The foreigner claimed that he was a modest businessman dealing in coffee. However, he bragged about having the best home. He was a shrewd businessman-he realised he had bragged too much about his house. He took out a hundred rupee note and started bargaining over the price of the statue.
(v)  How does the foreigner plan to transport the horse to America? What does he intend to do within America?
Ans. The foreigner planned to cancel his air ticket and travel by ship with the horse in his cabin. The foreigner assures Muni that he would keep the statue with the utmost care in his living room in his house in the USA.
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XIII. Read the extract given below and answer the question that follows:

(i)  Muni asked the red man, “ How many children do you have? The red man replied, “ I said a hundred. “ What was each one talking about? Explain the humour in this conversation.
Ans. The red man was talking about the cost of the horse which he was willing to buy in Rs. 100 but Muni thought that he is telling him that he has 100 children. The humour in the conversation arose about the number 100. The humour here also arises out of each one's inability to understand the other. They seemed to be conversing, but in reality, they are talking about entirely unrelated subjects.

(ii) Give two examples to show that Muni was curious about the red man.
Ans. Muni asked the red man that how many children does he has.
He even asks how many of them are boys and how many are girls. They were not able to understand each other.

(iii) Looking at the hundred rupees note, how did Muni react? What did he think was the purpose of giving him that money?
Ans.  Muni peered closely at the hundred rupees note. He was amazed as he had never seen it before. Muni thought that the red man wanted him to exchange the note for change. Muni laughed at this idea.

iv)  How did Muni describe the village headman?
Ans. The village headman was a moneylender who disguised himself in rags just to mislead the public. According to Muni, in reality, the headman had so much money that he could even have changed a lakh of rupees in gold sovereigns.

v)Why did the red man show some interest in Muni’s goats? Briefly describe the intentions of Muni for rearing the goats. Why couldn’t his plan be carried out?
Ans. The foreigner showed interest in Muni’s goats merely out of courtesy. Muni had reared the goats in the hope of selling them someday and, with the profit, opening a small shop on that very spot. His plan couldn't be carried out because the red man left his goat near the highway and took away the statue of horse when Muni reached his home after some times his goats also come back.


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XIV. Read the extract given below and answer the question that follows:

(i) What food did Muni normally take? Explain why he is expecting miracle food at his occasion.
Ans. Muni would eat salted millet cooked into a little ball along with the raw onion. He was expecting a miracle food because he has given enough time to prepare some food for him and today he has got Rs. 100 unexpectedly.


(ii) How did Muni’s wife react when she saw the cash?
Ans. Muni’s wife was a hard-working woman, whom poverty had not worn down. She was so honest that she was not delighted on seeing the hundred rupees note but accused Muni of stealing it.

(iii) As soon as Muni completed his speech what did Muni’s wife conclude from the scene? What does that reveal about Muni's wife?
Ans. Muni and his wife heard bleating outside. On opening the door, she saw the two goats and thus concluded Muni has stolen the money.

iv) How can you conclude that Muni was annoyed by seeing the goats?
Ans. Muni’s annoyance was revealed when he questioned the goats, “Where is that man? Don’t you know you are his? Why did you come back?

v) How does the story end? What has appealed to you in the story?
Ans.  The American at the end believed he had bought the horse statue, whereas Muni thought he had just got rid of his goats for money. Muni came home to present the money to his wife and told her that he had sold their goats to a foreigner. The American on the other hand with the help of a couple of men detached, " the horse from its pedestal and placed it in his station wagon." The goats followed Muni back home, his wife became suspicious and thus accused him of stealing the money.
The story ends with a misunderstanding between Muni and his wife. The latter accuses him of stealing since the goats follow Mini back home. R K Narayan is known for using ironic humour in his stories. It is in no way insulting but is enjoyable. It lets the readers laugh at the characters and their situation gently. There are various situations in the story which creates a comic effect.