Indian School Al Wadi Al Kabir s4

INDIAN SCHOOL AL WADI AL KABIR Class 11 (CBSE) English Core Course SNAPSHOTS THE SUMMER OF THE BEAUTIFUL WHITE HORSE MAY, 2016 by- William Saroyan

Question Bank –IV

“The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse” is a story about two Armenian tribal boys, who belong to a tribe that despite poverty is known for its honesty. The boys do take a horse, which does not belong to them, for their love for horses but are conscience –stricken and hence return it to its owner.” THEME The theme of the narrative is the inevitability of change that challenges traditions and long established beliefs. The Garoghlanian tribe was always known for its honesty and still the older generations of the impoverished tribe uphold their trademark honesty but the new ones are no more ready to pretend. In fact there were already elements in the family, the black sheep like Mourad and Aram, who questioned and thwarted their traditional virtues to embark the pleasures of the world. Short Answer Questions: 1. What traits of Garoghlanian tribe are highlighted in this story? 2. Why was the narrator both delighted and frightened at the same time when he saw his cousin Mourad on a beautiful white horse? 3. What was Khosrove’s reaction when his house was on fire? 4. How did little Aram define stealing when he had to decide whether or not to ride the horse? 5. What were the peculiarities in uncle Khosrove's behaviour? 6. How can we say that both the boys were fond of riding? 7. Mourad said “I have a way with the horse’. Do you agree? Give an example to prove your point. 8. What did John Byro say to the boys when he saw them walking with the horse? 9. How can you say that boys were fond of horse riding? 10. How did John Byro recognize his horse? 11. Describe Mourad’s parting from the beautiful white horse. 12. What do you think induced the boys to return the horse to its owner? 13. Though Aram is younger than Mourad but considerate and understanding. Justify. 14. Briefly bring out the significance of the title “The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse.” Long Answer Questions: 1. Did the boys return the horse because they were conscious stricken or because they were afraid? Answer : The most beautiful essence of this story is the fact that the boys were very innocent and meant no harm to anyone. They were just dreamy and wished to ride a horse. It pricked their conscience when they saw the clean heart of the farmer, John Byro, who didn't suspect them even for once for stealing the horse. They were not afraid but were guilt-stricken when they met a pure-hearted soul like John, who couldn't even think of people of their clan stealing, even after he said it was confirmed that the horse resembled his, just like twins. The children might have also been afraid of ruining the prestige and honour of their families. 2. Compare & contrast the two cousins Aram & Mourad? Answer The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse is the story of two poor Armenian boys, Aram and Mourad. They are cousins. They belong to the same tribe and their Garoghlanian family is known for its integrity and honesty. Aram is a foil to Mourad. He is calm and quiet. He suffers from a feeling of nostalgia. He remembers the good old days which were delightful and joyous. On the other hand, Mourad is to be considered crazy by everybody except by him. Both the cousins shared a common heritage they belong to the family which was living in the most amazing poverty. But both of them did not have even enough money to buy their food. But they were honest. They would not take advantage of anybody in the world. Mourad had a crazy streak in him. Aram had a different opinion of Mourad. He was not dashing and dynamic like Mourad. Both of them had a passion for riding and the difference was that Mourad had a wonderful understanding with horses. Mourad was more daring but Aram was afraid to think if Mourad had really stolen the horse. In the end they became conscience- stricken and returned the stolen horse to its true owner. Q3. Mourad was the natural descendant of the crazy streak of uncle Khosrove. Explain the statement giving instances from the story, ‘The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse’. Uncle Khosrove was considered as one of the craziest persons in the Garoghlanian tribe. It was also believed that Mourad was the natural descendant of the crazy streak in their tribe. Uncle Khosrove’s craziness was out of the world. He had the largest moustache in the surrounding. His talk was not less than roaring, which was but natural for him. Once when his son came running to tell him about his house on fire, he simply said, ‘It is no harm; pay no attention to it’. The barber who reminded him that it was his own house also got rebukes. Khosrove also asked John Byro not to worry about the horse or the loss of money or even for his paining legs and answered in the same way. Mourad was considered the natural descendant of this man though not a biological descendant mainly because of the crazy acts he was involved in. The act of stealing a horse because he was crazy about it is an example to prove the same. Like the punch line of uncle Khosrove i.e. ‘It is no harm; pay no attention to it’ Mourad used to say that he had a way with the things, animals and even people. Thus Mourad said that he had a way with the horse, with the dogs and with the farmers too. 4. Describe the scene when the farmer, John Byro met the two boys. What impact did the meeting have on him?

5. Bring out the comic elements in the story.

6. Write a note on the Garoghlanian family as perceived by the narrator.

7. “One day back there in the good old days when I was nine and the world was full of every imaginable kind of magnificence, and life was still a delightful and mysterious dream...” The story begins in a mood of nostalgia. Can you narrate some incident from your childhood that might make an interesting story? Answer :

The story revolves around characters who belong to a tribe in Armenia. Mourad and Aram are members of the Garoghlanian family. Now locate Armenia and Assyria on the atlas and prepare a write-up on the Garoghlanian tribes. You may write about people, their names, traits, geographical and economic features as suggested in the story. Value-Based Question: “ Conscience is the voice of God.” Comment on this statement with reference to the lesson The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse.”