B.A. ENGLISH - SEMESTER - I, INDIAN WRITING IN ENGLISH (26BENC2)- UNIT III - SHORT STORIES

 

B.A. ENGLISH

Semester I

Core Course II: Indian Writing in English

UNIT III — SHORT STORIES

Summary • Analysis • MCQs • Short & Long Answers • Essays

 

  About This Unit

Unit III covers the three prescribed short stories: Rabindranath Tagore’s "Kabuliwala," Munshi Premchand’s "The Resignation" (Istifa), and Ruskin Bond’s "The Cherry Tree." For each story you get a detailed summary and analysis, multiple-choice questions with an answer key, ten two-mark questions, three paragraph questions and one essay question with a full model answer. Original texts are not reproduced here—Ruskin Bond’s story is under copyright, and the Tagore and Premchand stories are read in English translations that also carry copyright and vary from one anthology to another; they are available in your prescribed edition.

  Kabuliwala  —  Rabindranath Tagore

Bengali short story (1892), read in English translation | Themes: universal paternal love, human bonds across barriers, the passage of time. (Translated text — not reproduced here.)

Summary and Detailed Analysis

"Kabuliwala" ("The Fruit-seller from Kabul") is one of the most loved short stories of Rabindranath Tagore, the first Indian and first Asian to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. Simple and deeply human, it tells of the tender friendship between a little Bengali girl and a rough Afghan pedlar, and through it Tagore reveals the universal power of a father’s love, which crosses all barriers of nation, religion, language and class.

The story is narrated by the girl’s father, a writer living in Calcutta. His five-year-old daughter, Mini, is a lively, talkative child who chatters endlessly. One day a Kabuliwala—a tall Afghan fruit-seller named Rahmun, dressed in loose clothes and carrying a bag of dry fruits and nuts—passes down their street. Mini calls out to him but then, frightened, runs away when he approaches. Rahmun, however, is gentle and gives her some nuts and raisins, and so begins an unlikely and touching friendship between the huge, grim-looking pedlar and the tiny girl.

Day after day Rahmun visits Mini, and the two share their jokes and chatter. He never takes money for the treats he brings her, and they laugh together over their little standing jokes, such as the teasing about the "father-in-law’s house." The narrator is amused and touched by the friendship, but Mini’s mother is fearful and suspicious of the strange foreigner, half believing the common rumour that Kabuliwalas kidnap children. The father, however, understands that Rahmun is drawn to Mini because she reminds him of his own little daughter, whom he has left behind in far-off Afghanistan.

One day a sudden calamity breaks the friendship. Rahmun is arrested for stabbing a neighbour who had cheated him—a customer who refused to pay for a shawl he had bought on credit. In his anger Rahmun wounds the man and is sentenced to several years in prison. Before he is taken away, little Mini runs out and asks him, in their old joking way, whether he is going to the "father-in-law’s house," and Rahmun, laughing, replies that that is just where he is going. Then he is led off to jail, and the years pass.

Many years later, on the very day of Mini’s wedding, Rahmun is released from prison and comes once more to the house, bringing, as before, a few nuts and raisins for his little friend. The narrator, busy with the wedding and troubled by the arrival of an ex-convict on such an auspicious day, at first tries to send him away and tells him he cannot see Mini. Rahmun is about to leave when he takes out a small piece of paper on which is the impression of a tiny hand, made long ago with lampblack—the handprint of his own daughter in Kabul, which he has carried next to his heart through all his years in prison. This sight moves the father profoundly, for he realises that Rahmun is a father like himself, longing for his own child.

The father then calls Mini, who comes out shyly in her bridal dress. Rahmun is startled and saddened, for he had expected the same little chattering child and finds instead a grown young bride. In that moment he understands that his own daughter, too, must have grown up in the long years he has been away, and that he will return to a young woman rather than the little girl he remembers. Deeply moved, the narrator gives Rahmun money and shortens some of the wedding festivities so that the Kabuliwala may go back to his homeland and to his own daughter, united with them by the common bond of a parent’s love.

The greatness of the story lies in its warm humanity and its central theme of universal paternal love. The bond between Rahmun and Mini, and finally between Rahmun and the narrator, shows that the love of a parent for a child is the same in a poor Afghan pedlar and a well-to-do Bengali writer, and that it can bridge every difference of race, religion, language and class. Tagore also explores the passage of time, which turns the little girl into a bride and must have changed Rahmun’s daughter too, and the theme of human sympathy overcoming prejudice, as the mother’s early suspicion gives way to the father’s compassion. Told in simple, tender prose, with gentle humour and a deeply moving climax in the handprint, "Kabuliwala" remains one of the finest and most universal of Indian short stories.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. "Kabuliwala" was written by:

(a) Munshi Premchand

(b) Rabindranath Tagore

(c) R. K. Narayan

(d) Ruskin Bond

2. Tagore was the first Indian to win the:

(a) Booker Prize

(b) Nobel Prize for Literature

(c) Pulitzer Prize

(d) Sahitya Akademi Award

3. The word "Kabuliwala" means a man from:

(a) Kashmir

(b) Kabul (Afghanistan)

(c) Calcutta

(d) Kolhapur

4. The little girl in the story is named:

(a) Mini

(b) Nini

(c) Rani

(d) Bela

5. What is the Kabuliwala’s name?

(a) Rahim

(b) Rahmun

(c) Karim

(d) Aziz

6. The Kabuliwala sells:

(a) Cloth

(b) Dry fruits and nuts

(c) Books

(d) Vegetables

7. The narrator of the story is Mini’s:

(a) Mother

(b) Father

(c) Uncle

(d) Teacher

8. Mini’s mother regards the Kabuliwala with:

(a) Great affection

(b) Fear and suspicion

(c) Indifference

(d) Envy

9. The Kabuliwala is fond of Mini because she reminds him of his:

(a) Sister

(b) Own daughter in Kabul

(c) Dead wife

(d) Niece

10. Why is Rahmun arrested and imprisoned?

(a) For theft

(b) For stabbing a customer who cheated him

(c) For smuggling

(d) For begging

11. On what day does Rahmun return after his release?

(a) Mini’s birthday

(b) Mini’s wedding day

(c) A festival

(d) A market day

12. What does Rahmun carry near his heart all through prison?

(a) A photograph

(b) An impression of his daughter’s hand

(c) A letter

(d) A coin

13. When Mini appears as a bride, Rahmun is:

(a) Angry

(b) Startled and saddened

(c) Overjoyed

(d) Indifferent

14. At the end, the narrator gives Rahmun money so that he can:

(a) Buy more fruit

(b) Return home to his own daughter

(c) Start a shop

(d) Pay a fine

15. The central theme of the story is:

(a) Greed

(b) Universal paternal love across barriers

(c) Revenge

(d) War

Answer Key: 1-b  2-b  3-b  4-a  5-b  6-b  7-b  8-b  9-b  10-b  11-b  12-b  13-b  14-b  15-b

Two-Mark Questions (One-sentence answers)

Q1. Who wrote "Kabuliwala"?

Ans. The story was written by Rabindranath Tagore.

Q2. Who is Mini?

Ans. Mini is the little five-year-old daughter of the narrator, a lively and talkative child.

Q3. Who is the Kabuliwala, and what is his name?

Ans. He is an Afghan fruit-seller named Rahmun who befriends Mini.

Q4. What does the Kabuliwala sell?

Ans. He sells dry fruits, nuts and raisins from his bag.

Q5. How does Mini’s mother feel about the Kabuliwala?

Ans. She is fearful and suspicious of him, half believing he may harm children.

Q6. Why is the Kabuliwala so fond of Mini?

Ans. Because she reminds him of his own little daughter whom he has left behind in Kabul.

Q7. Why is Rahmun sent to prison?

Ans. He is imprisoned for stabbing a customer who cheated him over payment for a shawl.

Q8. On what occasion does Rahmun return years later?

Ans. He returns on the day of Mini’s wedding, after his release from prison.

Q9. What keepsake does Rahmun carry through his years in jail?

Ans. He carries a paper bearing the hand-impression of his own daughter in Kabul.

Q10. What is the main theme of the story?

Ans. The main theme is the universal love of a parent for a child, which crosses all barriers.

Paragraph Questions

Q1. Describe the friendship between Mini and the Kabuliwala.

The heart of the story is the tender, unlikely friendship between little Mini and the huge Afghan pedlar Rahmun. Though Mini is at first frightened of the strange, grim-looking man, his gentleness and gifts of nuts and raisins soon win her over, and the two become close friends. Day after day Rahmun visits her, sharing their chatter and their standing jokes, such as the teasing about the "father-in-law’s house," and he never takes money for the treats he brings. The friendship crosses every barrier of age, language and background, and it is precious to Rahmun because Mini reminds him of his own little daughter far away in Kabul.

Q2. Explain the significance of the hand-impression in the story.

The impression of a small hand that Rahmun carries is the most moving detail in the story. It is the handprint of his own little daughter in Afghanistan, made long ago with lampblack, which he has kept next to his heart through all his years in prison. When, on Mini’s wedding day, he shows this precious keepsake to the narrator, the father suddenly realises that this rough ex-convict is a loving parent exactly like himself, aching for his distant child. The handprint thus reveals the universal nature of paternal love and transforms the narrator’s wariness into deep sympathy, leading him to help Rahmun return home.

Q3. How does the theme of the passage of time appear in the story?

The passage of time gives the story much of its emotional power. Rahmun is imprisoned for several years, and when he is released and returns, he still expects to meet the same little chattering Mini he had known. Instead he finds a grown young woman on her wedding day, and this shock makes him realise that his own daughter in Kabul, too, must have grown up in the long years of his absence. Time has quietly changed both children, and Rahmun understands that he will return not to a little girl but to a young woman. This awareness of time’s passing deepens the pathos of the story and its meditation on love and separation.

Essay Question

Q. Discuss "Kabuliwala" as a story of universal paternal love that crosses all barriers.

Introduction

Rabindranath Tagore’s "Kabuliwala" is a simple yet deeply moving short story about the friendship between a little Bengali girl and a rough Afghan fruit-seller. Beneath this tender friendship lies the story’s great theme: the universal love of a parent for a child, a love so powerful that it crosses every barrier of nation, religion, language and class. Through warm humanity and a moving climax, Tagore reveals the common heart that unites all human beings.

1. The Unlikely Friendship

The story centres on the touching friendship between five-year-old Mini and the towering Afghan pedlar Rahmun. Though the child is at first afraid of the strange foreigner, his kindness and his gifts of nuts soon make them fast friends who share jokes and endless chatter. This friendship between two so different in age, size and background is the warm human core of the story.

2. The Hidden Source of Love

Behind Rahmun’s devotion to Mini lies a deeper truth: she reminds him of his own little daughter left behind in far-off Kabul. His love for Mini is really the overflow of his longing for his own child, and this hidden source gives the friendship its tenderness and prepares for the story’s revelation of universal fatherly love.

3. Suspicion and Sympathy

Tagore also shows how prejudice can cloud human sympathy. Mini’s mother fears and distrusts the Kabuliwala, half believing the rumour that such men steal children, while the father views him with amused affection. This contrast between suspicion and sympathy runs through the story and is finally resolved when the father’s compassion triumphs over all mistrust.

4. Imprisonment and the Passage of Time

When Rahmun is imprisoned for wounding a cheating customer, the friendship is broken and long years pass. On his release he returns expecting the same little Mini, only to find a grown bride. This passage of time, which has changed Mini and must also have changed his own daughter, deepens the story’s pathos and its sense of love enduring across separation.

5. The Revelation of Universal Love

The climax comes with the hand-impression of Rahmun’s daughter, which he has treasured through his years in jail. When the narrator sees it, he recognises that this poor Afghan is a father exactly like himself. Moved to the heart, he helps Rahmun return home to his own child. In this moment the story reveals that paternal love is one and the same in all men, whatever their race or condition.

Conclusion

Thus "Kabuliwala" transforms a simple friendship into a profound statement about the oneness of human love. Through Rahmun’s devotion to Mini and his longing for his own daughter, Tagore shows that a parent’s love knows no barriers of country, creed or class. Warm, tender and universal in its appeal, the story remains one of the most beloved in all of Indian literature.

  The Resignation (Istifa)  —  Munshi Premchand

Hindi/Urdu short story, read in English translation | Themes: dignity in the workplace, self-respect versus servility, the humiliation of the powerless. (Translated text — not reproduced here.)

Summary and Detailed Analysis

"The Resignation," a translation of Munshi Premchand’s story "Istifa," is a sharp and entertaining tale about the humiliation of a helpless office clerk and his final rebellion in defence of his self-respect. Premchand, often called the "Emperor among Novelists," was a master of social realism who used fiction to expose injustice, and here he turns his eye on the oppressive relationship between a tyrannical employer and a powerless employee.

The story opens with a memorable and ironic reflection on the plight of the office clerk. An office clerk, the narrator says, is a "dumb creature." Insult a porter and he will throw down his load and walk away; scold a beggar and he will simply leave; even a beaten donkey will kick back—but an office clerk will swallow any abuse from his master and still smile. This bitter, humorous opening sets the theme of the story: the servility forced upon the poor clerk by his fear of losing his livelihood.

The clerk of the story is Lala Fatechand, a timid, unlucky man of about thirty-two whose health is already ruined and who has two daughters to support. Bound to his job by poverty and fear, he goes meekly to the office each day and never dares to protest. One night a messenger comes from his employer, the "Saheb," summoning him urgently on some matter. His wife begs him not to go, complaining that the office demands too much of him, but the frightened clerk, afraid for his job, quarrels with her and goes.

At the employer’s house Fatechand meets only humiliation. The boss, who appears to be drunk, angrily demands why he has taken so long. When the clerk tries to explain, he is called a liar and threatened with a beating; when he ventures to argue, the boss threatens to flog him and orders him to fetch a file—without even naming which file. Confused and insulted, and thinking his master drunk, Fatechand turns homeward instead of going to the office. He returns home crushed and pours out to his wife the story of how he has been abused.

It is the wife who gives the story its turning point. She tells him plainly to give up such a job, declaring that honour is a man’s greatest possession. Her words strike home, and Fatechand suddenly realises that it is foolish to feed his family at the cost of his self-respect. His long-suppressed dignity awakens. He fetches a cane from a friend’s house and walks back to the employer’s home, no longer a cringing servant but a man determined to reclaim his honour.

In the story’s satisfying climax, Fatechand confronts the tyrant. He raises the stick over the astonished boss and forces him to hold his ears and apologise, making him promise never to abuse anyone again. The worm has turned; the humble clerk, pushed beyond the limits of endurance, has resigned not only his job but his servility, and has won back his dignity. The story thus dramatises the truth that there is a limit to every human being’s patience.

The power of the story lies in its realism, its irony and its strong social message. Premchand exposes the harsh and unequal relationship between employer and employee, and the way poverty and fear can reduce a man to servility. Yet he also affirms the value of self-respect and the right of even the humblest worker to be treated as a human being. The ironic, half-humorous opening about the "dumb" clerk, the vivid picture of Fatechand’s misery, the decisive role of the wife, and the triumphant reversal at the end all combine to make the story both entertaining and morally powerful. In its sympathy for the oppressed and its plea for human dignity, "The Resignation" is a fine example of Premchand’s socially committed art.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. "The Resignation" (Istifa) was written by:

(a) Rabindranath Tagore

(b) Munshi Premchand

(c) Ruskin Bond

(d) Mulk Raj Anand

2. Premchand is often called the:

(a) "Bard of Avon"

(b) "Emperor among Novelists" (Upanyas Samrat)

(c) "Grand Old Man"

(d) "Nightingale of India"

3. The story begins by comparing the office clerk to a:

(a) King

(b) Dumb creature

(c) Soldier

(d) Poet

4. According to the opening, an abused donkey will at least:

(a) Smile

(b) Kick back

(c) Run away

(d) Lie down

5. The clerk in the story is named:

(a) Rahmun

(b) Lala Fatechand

(c) Rakesh

(d) Guruswami

6. Fatechand has how many children (daughters)?

(a) One

(b) Two

(c) Three

(d) None

7. One night Fatechand is summoned urgently by his:

(a) Wife

(b) Employer (the Saheb)

(c) Friend

(d) Father

8. Fatechand’s wife at first begs him:

(a) To go quickly

(b) Not to go to the office

(c) To take her along

(d) To resign at once

9. At the boss’s house, the employer appears to be:

(a) Ill

(b) Drunk

(c) Asleep

(d) Kind

10. The boss orders Fatechand to fetch a __ without naming it.

(a) book

(b) file

(c) chair

(d) letter

11. What does the wife say is man’s greatest possession?

(a) Money

(b) Honour

(c) Health

(d) Land

12. After being humiliated, Fatechand fetches a __ from a friend’s house.

(a) gun

(b) cane/stick

(c) letter

(d) lamp

13. At the climax, Fatechand forces the boss to:

(a) Pay him money

(b) Hold his ears and apologise

(c) Sign a paper

(d) Leave the town

14. The central theme of the story is:

(a) Romantic love

(b) Dignity and self-respect in the workplace

(c) War

(d) Superstition

15. The story teaches that there is a limit to every human being’s:

(a) Wealth

(b) Patience

(c) Ambition

(d) Memory

Answer Key: 1-b  2-b  3-b  4-b  5-b  6-b  7-b  8-b  9-b  10-b  11-b  12-b  13-b  14-b  15-b

Two-Mark Questions (One-sentence answers)

Q1. Who wrote "The Resignation"?

Ans. It was written by Munshi Premchand (its original title is "Istifa").

Q2. How does the story describe the office clerk at the start?

Ans. It calls the office clerk a "dumb creature" who silently endures any abuse from his master.

Q3. Who is the protagonist of the story?

Ans. The protagonist is Lala Fatechand, a timid, poor office clerk.

Q4. Why is Fatechand so afraid to protest?

Ans. He is bound to his job by poverty and the fear of losing his livelihood.

Q5. Why is Fatechand summoned one night?

Ans. His employer, the Saheb, sends a messenger calling him urgently on some matter.

Q6. How does the employer treat Fatechand?

Ans. The drunken employer abuses him, calls him a liar and threatens to beat and flog him.

Q7. What advice does Fatechand’s wife give him?

Ans. She tells him to give up such a job, saying that honour is a man’s greatest possession.

Q8. What does Fatechand fetch before returning to the boss?

Ans. He fetches a cane or stick from a friend’s house.

Q9. What does Fatechand make the boss do at the end?

Ans. He forces the boss to hold his ears, apologise and promise never to abuse anyone again.

Q10. What is the central theme of the story?

Ans. The central theme is the dignity of the worker and the value of self-respect over servility.

Paragraph Questions

Q1. How does the opening of the story present the plight of the office clerk?

The story opens with a memorable and ironic reflection on the helplessness of the office clerk. The narrator declares that an office clerk is a "dumb creature," and drives the point home with sharp comparisons: insult a porter and he will throw off his load and walk away; scold a beggar and he will simply go; even a beaten donkey will kick back—but the office clerk will swallow every abuse from his master and still smile. This bitter, half-humorous opening at once establishes the theme of the story, the servility forced upon the poor clerk by his fear of losing his livelihood, and prepares us to sympathise with Fatechand’s humiliation.

Q2. What role does Fatechand’s wife play in the story?

Fatechand’s wife plays a decisive role in the story’s turning point. When her husband is first summoned at night she begs him not to go, sensing that his employer demands too much of him. Later, when he returns home crushed and tells her how he has been abused, it is she who gives him the courage to act. She tells him plainly to give up such a degrading job, declaring that honour is a man’s greatest possession. Her words awaken his self-respect and lead directly to his rebellion. Thus the wife is the voice of dignity in the story, the one who reminds the timid clerk that no livelihood is worth the loss of one’s honour.

Q3. How does Fatechand finally reclaim his dignity?

For most of the story Fatechand is a meek, frightened man who endures every insult in silence. But after his humiliation at the drunken employer’s house, and moved by his wife’s words that honour matters more than money, he undergoes a change. Realising that it is foolish to support his family at the cost of his self-respect, he fetches a cane from a friend’s house and returns to the employer’s home. There, in the story’s triumphant climax, he raises the stick over the astonished boss and forces him to hold his ears, apologise and promise never to abuse anyone again. In this bold act the humble clerk resigns both his job and his servility and wins back his dignity, showing that there is a limit to every human being’s patience.

Essay Question

Q. Discuss "The Resignation" as a story about the dignity of the worker and the limits of human patience.

Introduction

Munshi Premchand’s "The Resignation" (Istifa) is a powerful and entertaining short story about the humiliation of a helpless office clerk and his final rebellion in defence of his self-respect. A master of social realism, Premchand uses the tale to expose the cruel inequality between employer and employee and to affirm the dignity of even the humblest worker. The story shows that there is a limit to every human being’s patience.

1. The Plight of the Clerk

The story opens with an ironic picture of the office clerk as a "dumb creature" who, unlike a porter, a beggar or even a beaten donkey, silently swallows every abuse from his master. This bitter, humorous beginning establishes the theme of the servility forced upon the poor clerk by his fear of losing his job, and wins the reader’s sympathy for such men.

2. Fatechand and His Circumstances

The clerk of the story, Lala Fatechand, is a timid, unlucky man of thirty-two, his health already ruined and two daughters to support. Bound to his post by poverty and fear, he goes meekly to work and never dares to protest. His weakness is not cowardice of spirit but the helplessness of a poor man trapped by his circumstances.

3. The Humiliation

The crisis comes when Fatechand is summoned one night to his employer’s house. The drunken boss abuses him, calls him a liar, threatens to beat and flog him, and orders him to fetch a file without even naming it. This scene vividly exposes the arrogance and cruelty of the powerful employer and the utter helplessness of the dependent clerk.

4. The Awakening of Self-Respect

The turning point comes at home, where Fatechand’s wife tells him to give up such a job, declaring that honour is a man’s greatest possession. Her words awaken his long-suppressed dignity. He realises that it is foolish to feed his family at the cost of his self-respect, and he resolves to act. The wife thus becomes the voice of conscience and courage in the story.

5. The Rebellion and Its Meaning

In the triumphant climax Fatechand fetches a cane, returns to the employer, and forces the astonished tyrant to hold his ears, apologise and promise never to abuse anyone again. The humble clerk has resigned both his job and his servility. Through this reversal Premchand affirms the worth of every human being and warns that there is a limit beyond which even the meekest will not be pushed.

Conclusion

Thus "The Resignation" is both an entertaining tale and a serious social statement. With realism, irony and deep sympathy for the oppressed, Premchand exposes the humiliation of the powerless clerk and celebrates his final assertion of dignity. The story’s enduring message—that self-respect is more precious than security, and that human patience has its limits—gives it a force that remains relevant in every age.

  The Cherry Tree  —  Ruskin Bond

Short story set in the Himalayan hills (Mussoorie) | Themes: patience and perseverance, the wonder of growth and nature, the grandfather-grandson bond. (Original text under copyright — not reproduced here.)

Summary and Detailed Analysis

"The Cherry Tree" is a gentle and much-loved short story by Ruskin Bond, the well-known writer of the Indian hills. Simple in its events, it tells how a small boy plants a cherry seed and, over three years, watches it grow through many dangers into a beautiful, blossoming tree. Through this quiet story Bond celebrates the wonder and mystery of growth, the value of patience and perseverance, and the loving bond between a grandfather and his grandson.

The central character is Rakesh, a small boy who lives with his grandfather in Mussoorie, a hill-station in the Himalayan foothills, while his parents remain in their village. One day, on his way home from school, Rakesh buys a handful of cherries in the bazaar. He eats them as he walks, but saves the last seed, and on a sudden impulse he plants it in the garden on the hillside and then more or less forgets about it.

With the coming of the monsoon rains, the seed quietly sprouts, sending up a tiny shoot with two small leaves. Rakesh is delighted to discover it and begins to watch over it with care. But the little plant must survive many dangers. A goat wanders in and eats the leaves down to the stem; later a woman cutting grass with her scythe accidentally slices off the top of the plant. Each time the young tree seems to have been destroyed, yet each time it puts out new shoots and struggles back to life, showing a remarkable resilience.

Through all this the grandfather encourages Rakesh, teaching him that living things need time, patience and care in order to grow. Season follows season, and over three years the cherry tree survives the biting frost and snow of winter and the heavy rains of the monsoon, growing a little taller and stronger each year. Rakesh, too, grows along with his tree, and the two seem to share in the slow miracle of life.

At last, in the third year, the tree rewards their patience. It puts out delicate pink blossoms, and bees and birds come to visit it, filling the little garden with life and colour. The cherry tree has become a thing of beauty, and in time it will bear its own fruit. Rakesh looks upon it with wonder and quiet pride, hardly able to believe that this lovely tree has grown from the single seed he once planted.

The story ends on a note of gentle wonder. Sitting beneath his tree, Rakesh marvels at the mystery of its growth and half-asks himself whether he has really brought all this beauty into being. The grandfather’s loving guidance and the boy’s patient care have together produced something living and beautiful, and Rakesh feels the deep satisfaction of having nurtured a life. The tree stands as a symbol of the wonder of creation and of the rewards of patience.

The charm of the story lies in its simplicity and its quiet celebration of nature. Its central theme is the wonder and mystery of growth—the way a tiny seed becomes, through time and care, a blossoming tree. It also teaches the value of patience and perseverance, seen in the way the cherry tree survives goat, scythe, frost and rain and refuses to die. The warm relationship between Rakesh and his grandfather adds tenderness to the tale and shows how one generation passes on to another a love of living things. And in the parallel growth of the boy and his tree, Bond gently suggests that nurturing nature is also a way of growing oneself. Written in Bond’s clear, simple and evocative style, rich in the atmosphere of the hills, "The Cherry Tree" turns a small everyday event into a quiet meditation on life, patience and the beauty of the natural world.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. "The Cherry Tree" was written by:

(a) R. K. Narayan

(b) Ruskin Bond

(c) Rabindranath Tagore

(d) Premchand

2. The story is set in:

(a) Delhi

(b) Mussoorie (the Himalayan hills)

(c) Chennai

(d) Kolkata

3. The small boy in the story is named:

(a) Rakesh

(b) Ramesh

(c) Rahul

(d) Rohan

4. Rakesh lives with his:

(a) Parents

(b) Grandfather

(c) Uncle

(d) Teacher

5. Where does Rakesh buy the cherries?

(a) A garden

(b) The bazaar

(c) A friend’s house

(d) The school

6. What does Rakesh do with the last cherry seed?

(a) Throws it away

(b) Plants it in the garden

(c) Gives it to a bird

(d) Keeps it in a box

7. The seed sprouts with the coming of the:

(a) Winter

(b) Monsoon rains

(c) Spring festival

(d) New year

8. Which animal eats the young plant’s leaves?

(a) A cow

(b) A goat

(c) A dog

(d) A monkey

9. The plant is later cut by a woman using a:

(a) Knife

(b) Scythe

(c) Spade

(d) Pair of scissors

10. Each time it is damaged, the little tree:

(a) Dies at once

(b) Puts out new shoots and survives

(c) Is dug up

(d) Is replanted

11. Over how many years does the tree grow into a blossoming tree?

(a) One year

(b) Two years

(c) Three years

(d) Ten years

12. Who encourages Rakesh to be patient with the tree?

(a) His father

(b) His grandfather

(c) His teacher

(d) A gardener

13. In the third year the tree produces:

(a) Thorns

(b) Pink blossoms

(c) Nothing

(d) Only leaves

14. At the end, Rakesh feels a sense of:

(a) Boredom

(b) Wonder and quiet pride

(c) Fear

(d) Regret

15. The central theme of the story is:

(a) Revenge

(b) The wonder of growth, patience and nature

(c) War

(d) Superstition

Answer Key: 1-b  2-b  3-a  4-b  5-b  6-b  7-b  8-b  9-b  10-b  11-c  12-b  13-b  14-b  15-b

Two-Mark Questions (One-sentence answers)

Q1. Who wrote "The Cherry Tree"?

Ans. The story was written by Ruskin Bond.

Q2. Where is the story set?

Ans. It is set in Mussoorie, a hill-station in the Himalayan foothills.

Q3. Who is the main character, and with whom does he live?

Ans. The main character is a boy named Rakesh, who lives with his grandfather.

Q4. Where does Rakesh get the cherry seed?

Ans. He buys cherries in the bazaar, eats them and saves the last seed.

Q5. What does Rakesh do with the seed?

Ans. He plants the cherry seed in the garden on the hillside.

Q6. When does the seed sprout?

Ans. The seed sprouts with the coming of the monsoon rains.

Q7. What dangers does the young tree survive?

Ans. It survives being eaten by a goat, cut by a woman’s scythe, and the frost and rain.

Q8. Who encourages Rakesh to care for the tree patiently?

Ans. His grandfather encourages him and teaches him patience.

Q9. What happens to the tree in the third year?

Ans. In the third year it puts out pink blossoms and attracts bees and birds.

Q10. What is the central theme of the story?

Ans. The central theme is the wonder of growth and the value of patience, nature and nurture.

Paragraph Questions

Q1. Describe how the cherry tree survives the many dangers it faces.

The little cherry tree shows remarkable resilience against a series of dangers. After the seed Rakesh plants sprouts in the monsoon, its tender leaves are eaten down to the stem by a wandering goat, and later its top is sliced off by a woman cutting grass with her scythe. Each time the young plant seems to have been destroyed, yet each time it puts out new shoots and struggles back to life. It also survives the biting frost and snow of winter and the heavy monsoon rains. Through these repeated escapes the tree reveals the toughness and will to live that lie hidden in even the smallest growing thing, and it rewards Rakesh’s patient care by growing a little stronger each year.

Q2. Discuss the relationship between Rakesh and his grandfather.

The warm bond between Rakesh and his grandfather gives the story much of its tenderness. Living together in the hills while Rakesh’s parents remain in their village, the two share a close and affectionate companionship. It is the grandfather who encourages Rakesh in his care of the cherry tree, teaching him that living things need time, patience and love in order to grow. Through this gentle guidance the grandfather passes on to the boy not only the practical care of a plant but a deeper love and wonder for nature and life. Their relationship shows how one generation nurtures the next, just as together they nurture the growing tree.

Q3. What is the significance of the cherry tree in the story?

The cherry tree is far more than a plant in a garden; it becomes the living symbol at the heart of the story. Grown from a single seed through years of patience and care, and surviving many dangers, it embodies the wonder and mystery of growth and the rewards of perseverance. Its blossoming in the third year, when bees and birds come to visit it, is a small miracle that fills Rakesh with wonder and pride. The tree also grows in parallel with the boy himself, suggesting that in nurturing nature Rakesh is also growing and maturing. In the end the cherry tree stands for the beauty of creation and for the quiet joy of having helped a living thing to flourish.

Essay Question

Q. Discuss "The Cherry Tree" as a story about patience, nature and the wonder of growth.

Introduction

Ruskin Bond’s "The Cherry Tree" is a gentle and charming short story in which a small boy plants a cherry seed and watches it grow, over three years and through many dangers, into a beautiful blossoming tree. Simple in its events but rich in feeling, the story celebrates the wonder and mystery of growth, the value of patience and perseverance, and the loving bond between a boy and his grandfather.

1. The Setting and the Seed

The story is set in Mussoorie, a hill-station in the Himalayan foothills, where the boy Rakesh lives with his grandfather. The action begins with the smallest of events: Rakesh buys cherries in the bazaar, eats them, and on an impulse plants the last seed in the garden. From this tiny beginning the whole story of growth unfolds.

2. The Struggle for Life

The heart of the story is the young tree’s struggle to survive. After it sprouts in the monsoon, its leaves are eaten by a goat and its top is cut off by a woman’s scythe, and it must also endure frost and heavy rain. Yet each time the plant seems destroyed, it puts out new shoots and lives on, revealing the toughness and will to live hidden in the smallest of growing things.

3. Patience and Perseverance

The story quietly teaches the value of patience and perseverance. The tree does not grow in a day but over three long years, and its progress is slow and often threatened. The grandfather teaches Rakesh that living things need time and care, and the boy’s patient nurturing is finally rewarded. The tree’s survival becomes a lesson in never giving up.

4. The Grandfather and the Boy

The warm relationship between Rakesh and his grandfather runs through the story. It is the grandfather who encourages the boy and guides his care of the tree, passing on to him a love and wonder for nature. Through this bond, Bond shows how one generation nurtures the next, even as boy and grandfather together nurture the growing tree.

5. The Wonder of Growth

The story reaches its climax when, in the third year, the tree blossoms with delicate pink flowers and draws bees and birds. Sitting beneath it, Rakesh marvels at the mystery of its growth, hardly believing that all this beauty has sprung from a single seed he planted. The tree becomes a symbol of the wonder of creation and of the joy of having helped a life to flourish.

Conclusion

Thus "The Cherry Tree" turns a small everyday event into a quiet meditation on life and growth. Through the patient nurturing of the cherry tree and the loving bond between Rakesh and his grandfather, Ruskin Bond celebrates the beauty of nature, the reward of perseverance and the wonder of watching a living thing grow. Simple, tender and thoughtful, the story leaves the reader with a deep sense of the mystery and value of life.