The Happy Prince by Oscar Wilde (Moments)
1. Why do the courtiers call the prince ‘the Happy Prince’? Is he really happy? What does he see all around him?
Ans:- The courtiers call the prince ‘the Happy Prince’ because he was very happy during his lifetime. He lived in a palace which was beyond the reach of sorrow and suffering.
No, he is not really happy. He has lost his happiness and peace of mind after his death when his statue is raised on a tall column, allowing him a full view of his city. All around him he sees the ugliness and misery of his city.
2. Why does the Happy Prince send a ruby for the seamstress? What does the swallow do in the seamstress’ house?
Ans:- The Happy Prince sends a ruby for the seamstress because she is so poor that she cannot feed and take care of her child who is suffering from fever. He was asking for oranges but his mother had nothing to give him except river water. The Happy Prince asks the swallow to pick out the ruby from the sword and give it to the seamstress. The swallow reaches the seamstress’s house with the ruby in his beak, keeps the ruby on the table where the seamstress worked. He then flies round the bed fanning the boy’s forehead with his wings. This makes the boy feel relaxed and he falls asleep.
3. For whom does the prince send the sapphires and why?
Ans:- The Happy Prince sends the sapphires for two people. First he sends a sapphire for a young playwright who was trying to finish a play for the Director of the Theatre. But he was unable to write due to severe cold.He could not afford to buy firewood and hunger has made him faint. The Happy Prince sends him a sapphire to fulfill his needs.Thereafter,the prince sends his second sapphire to a poor match girl whose matches had fallen into the gutter. The prince gets to know that her father will beat her if she does not bring home some money.When the jewel is slipped into her palm,her happiness knew no bounds and she ran home laughing.
4. What does the swallow see when it flies over the city?
Ans:- When the swallow flies over the city he sees the rich making merry in their beautiful houses, while the beggars were sitting at the gates. When he flew into the dark lanes he saw the white faces of starving children looking out listlessly at the black streets. Under the archway of a bridge, he saw two little boys lying in each other's arms trying to keep themselves warm in the rain. They were extremely hungry and shelterless but the watchman compelled them to vacate the archway.
5. Why did the swallow not leave the prince and go to Egypt?
Ans:- The Happy Prince became blind after having donated the two sapphires of his eyes to the people in need. The swallow was moved by his kindness and so he decided to stay with the prince forever. He sacrificed his personal ambition for the sake of serving the kind-hearted Prince.
6. What are the precious things mentioned in the story? Why are they precious?
Ans:- The precious things mentioned in the story are the leaden heart of the happy prince and the dead bird. They are both precious because they were an epitome of kindness and selflessness. The ugliness and misery of his city did not allow the Prince to live in peace and he gave away all his precious stones and gold to make his people happy.
The little swallow was precious because without his cooperation, it would not have been possible for the Prince to help the people in need. The swallow sacrificed his ambition of going to Egypt so that he could be of use in fulfilling the grand ambition of the prince. Finally when he could no longer bear the cold he died and fell down at the Prince’s feet. The prince loved him so much that his leaden heart broke into two.
When God asked one of the angels to bring him the two most precious things in the city, the angel brought him the leaden heart and the dead bird. God appreciates the angel’s decision and says that the little bird will forever sing in his garden of Paradise and the Happy Prince will praise him in his city of gold.
MCQ Questions & Answers
1. What were two little boys doing under the archway of a bridge?
(a) They were lying in each other’s arms to keep themselves warm.
(b) They were waiting for the swallow to bring them some gold.
(c) They were hungry and were begging for food.
(d) They were trying to hide from the watchman
Ans:- (a) They were lying in each other's arm to keep themselves warm.
2. What did the Happy Prince say was more marvellous than anything?
(a) The sapphires in his eyes.
(b) The suffering of men and women.
(c) The beauties of nature.
(d) The beautiful things in his palace.
Ans:- (b) The suffering of men and women.
3. Who did the Happy Prince send his second sapphire for?
(a) For the poor match-girl.
(b) For the poor seamstress.
(c) For the poor playwright.
(d) For the mayor of the city.
Ans:- (a) For the poor match-girl.
4. What did the Happy Prince say about the Sapphires in his eyes?
(a) He said they were rare sapphires.
(b) He said they were brought out of India a thousand years ago.
(c) Both a and b above.
(d) Neither a nor b.
Ans:- (c) Both a and b above.
5. What was the trouble to the playwright?
(a) he was sick
(b) he was cold and hungry
(C) he was dull and boring
(d) he had no work to do
Ans:- (b) he was cold and hungry.
6. Why was the boy tossing on the bed?
(a) because of fever
(b) because of hunger
(C) because of cold
(d) because of thirst
Ans:- (a) because of fever
7. Where did the little swallow take the ruby to?
(a) to the palace
(b) to the seamstress’ house
(C) to Egypt
(d) nowhere
Ans:- (b) to the seamstress’ house
8. What does the Happy Prince ask the little swallow to take to the poor lady?
(a) an orange
(b) a sapphire
(C) a ruby
(d) a bag of coins
Ans:- (c) a ruby
9. What was the profession of the woman who was sitting in her cottage with prickled hands?
(a) seamstress
(b) cake-making
(c) charwoman
(d) none of these
Ans:- (a) seamstress
10. What happened as the little swallow was going to sleep?
(a) a cool breeze blew
(b) the clouds thundered
(c) a large drop of water fell on him
(d) the statue began to shake
Ans:- (c) a large drop of water fell on him.
11. What was the body of the Happy Prince gilded with?
(a) flowers
(b) silver leaves
(c) thin leaves of brass
(d) thin leaves of gold
Ans:- (d) thin leaves of gold.
Syllabus of Class IX English
1. The Fun They Had by Isaac Asimov
2. The Road not Taken by Robert Frost
3. The Sound of Music (Part-I & II) by Deborah Cowley
4. The Lake Isle of Innisfree by W. B. Yeats
5. A Legend of the Northland by Phoebe Cary
6. My Childhood by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
7. No Men are foreign by James Kirkup
8. The Bond of Love by Kenneth Anderson
9. A Slumber did my spirit seal by William Wordsworth
10. A visist to Kaziranga and Sivasagar by Dr. Srutimala Duara
Momemts Supplimentary Reader in Class IX English
11. The Adventures of Toto by Ruskin Bond
12. The Happy Prince by Oscar Wilde
13. Weathering the storm in Ersama by Harsh Mander
14. A House is not a Home by Zan Gaudioso
Mr. Rupjyoti Goswami
Post Graduate Teacher (English)
Bhogeswar Hazarika Girls' Higher Secondary School, Bebejia, Nagaon, Assam.
Email: rupjyotigoswami983@gmail.com
Mobile: 9864425896.
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