The Artist by Shiga Naoya

Bihar Board Rainbow English Book Class 12 Solutions

Chapter 1 'The Artist by Shiga Naoya'

Text Book Questions and Answers

B. 1.1. Complete the following sentences on the basis of the story -

1. Seibei was passionately interested in collecting gourds.
2. Seibei laughed all the way home because he realized his mistake.
3. Seibei was twelve years old and at primary school.
4. Seibei did not appreciate Baken gourd because it was not symmetrical.
5. Seibei was now engrossed in his picture.

B. 1.2. Answer the following questions briefly -

1. Where did Seibei live?
Ans: Seibei lived in a harbor town.

2. Which type of gourd did Seibai like?
Ans: Seibei liked round and symmetrical gourd.

3. Why did the conversation of his father and his friends make Seibei laugh inwardly?
Ans: The conversation of his father and his friend made Seibei laugh inwardly because his father commented on a Baken Gourd that they had come across at the agricultural show last spring. The Baken gourd had made quite a stir at the time, but when Seibei had gone to see it, he had found it rather a stupid¬looking object and had walked out of the show.

4. Why did Seibei’s father shout at him?
Ans: Seibei’s father and his friend were talking about the Baken gourd they had seen in the agricultural show held last spring, which according to his father was most beautiful. But Seibei found it stupid-looking when he had gone in that show, as such he had walked out of the show. So he said that he didn’t think so much of it, because it was just an awkward thing. Seibei’s interruption made his father angry. So he shouted at him.

5. Why did Seibei wander about the town?
Ans: It was Seibei’s hobby to wander about the town almost daily looking for gourds. He was deeply interested in buying and collecting it from the market and arranging it on the walls of his house.

B. 2.1. Complete the following sentences of the basis of the story - 

1. The old woman asked ten sen for the gourd.
2. The teacher was particularly angry because it happened to take place in an ethics class.
3. Seibei’s father worked at a carpenter’s shop.
4. Seibei’s father fetched his hammer and smashed them to pieces.
5. The curio-dealer sold the confiscated gourd to a wealthy collector.

B. 2. 2. Answer the following questions briefly -

1. What made Seibei’s heart beat faster?
Ans: When Seibei was examining the gourds, suddenly he caught sight of one which was about five inches long. Something about it made Seibei’s heart beat faster.

2. Which is called effeminate pastime in the story?
Ans: Seibei's teacher came from another part of Japan and found it most offensive that children should indulge in such womanish pastimes as collecting gourds. As such it is called an effeminate pastime in the story.

3. How did Seibei’s father react to the teacher’s complaint?
Ans: When Seibei’s father learned about Seibei’s fault which was reported by his teacher, he became very angry at this matter. He grabbed his son by the collar and gave him a sound beating. He chided his son that he would never get anywhere in the world, the way he is carrying on. Then he took a hammer and smashed all of Seibei's gords.

4. How much did the curio-dealer pay for the confiscated gourd?
Ans: The curio-dealer paid fifty yen for the confiscated gourd.

5. What did Seibei do after he was forced to give up collecting gourds?
Ans: Being forced to give up collecting gourds brought a change in Seibei's hobby. He is now engrossed in his pictures.

C.1. Long Answer Questions -

1. Who was Seibei? What was his hobby?
Ans: Seibei was a twelve years old talented Japanese boy studying in primary school. His hobby was to wander about the town looking for gourds. Then in the evening, he would sit crosslegged in the living-room working on his newly acquired fruit. When he had finished treating it, he poured it in a little sake, inserted a cock stopped which he had fashioned himself wrapped it in a towel then he, put this in a tin especially kept for the purpose and finally placed the whole thing in the charcoal foot warmer.

2. Pick out instances from the story to show that Seibei was passionate towards gourd collection.
Ans: Seibei was a student of a primary school. After class, instead of playing with the other children, he usually wandered about the town looking for gourds. Then in the evening, he would sit cross¬legged in the comer of the living room working on his newly acquired fruit. When he had finished treating it, he poured it in a little sake, put this in a tin especially kept for the purpose, and finally placed the whole thing in the charcoal footwarmer. Then he would go to bed. As soon as he woke the next morning, he would open the tin and examine the gourd. The skin would be thoroughly damp from the overnight treatment Seibei would gaze adoringly at his treasure before tying a string around the middle and hanging it in the sun to dry. These instances from the story show us that Seibei was passionate about gourd collection.

3. Explain the views of Seibei’s father about him and his hobby.
Ans: Seibei’s father wanted to see his son become a learned person. He always wanted to see him studying well. He didn't care about his son's hobbies and talent. He only wanted Seibei to do good in his school. At last forcibly, he made Seibei give up his hobbies of collecting gourds.

4. Seibei’s teacher becomes angry with him? Was his anger justified?
Ans: Seibei’s passion for gourds was so strong that he took a gourd to school. It was a class of ethics. Seibei was expected to pay attention to what the teacher was telling them. But he, instead, kept polishing the gourd under his seat. The teacher caught him and was very angry. He believed the gourd collection was a girls’ hobby. He confiscated the gourd. To a great extent, the teacher’s reaction was justified. No teacher would tolerate any of his students not paying attention to what he is teaching. The teacher, it appears was zealous about his job. He even went to Seibei’s home to complain again about him. But the teacher had no appreciation for Seibei’s art. He could have returned the gourd to him and advised him never to bring it to class in the future. That would have served the purpose better.

5. Seibei’s teacher held his parents responsible for Seibei’s mistake. Do you agree with the teacher? Explain.
Ans: I agree with Seibei’s teacher. If children do not study and waste their time on worthless pursuits, parents must keep them away from such pursuits. But many parents have hardly any time to see what their child is doing. Though Seibei was a real artist, not all children are like him. So parents should see that their children do not spend too much time playing games, watching TV, on hobbies and chatting with others.

6. Describe in your own words the attitude and reaction of the teacher to Seibei’s passion.
Ans: The attitude of the teacher to Seibei’s passion for collecting ground was most rude and anguish. He was highly shocked to see Seibei spoiling his future prospects by his wrong hobby. He also held his parents responsible for his acts. It was unbearable for him to see Seibei polishing his gourd under his desk in the class and was not taking interest in his study. The teacher went to Seibei’s house, Seibei’s father had gone to his duty. So the teacher directed his attack on Seibei’s mother. He further added that it had be_n the responsibility of the parents to see that such things do not happen. The aggrieved teacher departed immediately after expressing his annoyance. The teacher’s attitude and reaction were quite justified. He felt his responsibility to be particular relating to the prospects of his students. It was natural.

7. Why and how did Seibei change his hobby? Describe in your own words.
Ans: Seibei had a strong passion for the collection of gourds. He did not play games with other children. He spent all his time after school preparing and polishing gourds. One day he bought a gourd that he liked most. He spent all his time polishing it. He even took it to school and kept polishing it there too. His teacher caught him and confiscated his gourd. He complained against Seibei to his mother. When Seibei’s father learned what had happened he too was angry. He smashed all the gourds Seibei had polished with great care. Now Seibei could not collect gourds. But he had his artistic urge in him. He diverted his talent to painting pictures.

8. Do you have similar experiences? Describe in your own words.
Ans: Such types of instances are not difficult to find out. We can easily find such types of children indulged in unhealthy hobbies. In my locality also there was such a boy, Prince who was not taking proper care of his studies. He was spending most of his time either going to the cinema hall or sitting before his T.V. set. Many times his school teacher saw him with a few of his friends near the Cinema Hall. One day he caught Prince personally in one cinema. Losing his temper he scolded Prince. He also visited his house and accused his parents of such wrong habits of the boy, Prince. It brought a great change in the boy and he stopped visiting the cinema. Now Prince has been taking all care in his studies.

9. Sketch the character of Seibei as an artist.
Ans: Collecting gourds was a craze with Seibei. He was always looking for a gourd of his liking. Once he got a gourd he liked, he would spend most of his time making it a perfect piece of art. In the evening, after school, he would sit cross-legged in a comer of the living room working on his newly- acquired gourd. He would take out its seeds, and our a little sake into it. He would put a cork-stopper to close it. He wrapped it in a towel and put it in a tin. Then he placed the whole thing in the charcoal footwarmer. Early in the morning, he examined the gourd. Then he put it in the sun to ie it dry. Then he polished it carefully with sake. It would take him many days to polish it smooth and shining. But when his father had broken all his gourds, Seibei could not restrain his talent. He diverted it to painting pictures. He had no ill-will against anybody. He did not collect gourds hoping to make money. He was a pure artist at heart and wanted to give expression to his urge.

C. 3. Composition -

a) Write a letter to your friend describing your favorite pastime.

A. G. Colony,
Patna
25 May 2021
Dear Ankit,
Hope you are in your best mood. I have come to know about our similarities in our likes and dislikes. Like you, even I am very fond of watching cricket. The game itself is very interesting. It is so enjoyable that I tend to forget my daily works. I often get scolding by my parents for watching cricket. My favorite cricketer is Virat Kohli. His batting is extraordinary. He is one of the best players we have today. Besides watching cricket. I also like listening to music. I particularly like the songs of Arijit Singh. It refreshes my mind and has a soothing effect. The rest is fine.
Yours loving.
Ritika

b) Write a short essay in about 150 words on the ‘Role of teachers in the life of the student’.

Ans: Teachers play a vital role in the life of the students. They are responsible for the overall development of students. A good teacher knows the strength and weaknesses of his students. He enhances the strength and helps in overcoming the weakness of his students A teacher should never beat or scare his students to learn. Corporal punishment again should be avoided. Students should keep in mind that teachers are not to be hated. They are there for them to learn and achieve something in life.
A teacher who commands respect among the students is not the one who is friends with them but one who teaches them sincerely is. A good teacher is one who never stops studying in life. They are forever learning new things to deliver to their students. The students are therefore benefitted from such teachers. A teacher with a firm mind and good health will always be motivated to do good work. They are fully concentrated on their goal to achieve. Therefore act as a pillar to those students who target their goal to achieve. Therefore we can say that teacher is responsible for the overall growth and development of his students. We salute all the great teachers of India.

D. Word Study -

D.1. Dictionary Use -

Ex. 1. Correct the spelling of the following words -

• embaras—embarrass
• glimpes—glimpses
• enterupt—interrupt
• symetrical—symmetrical
• emidatly—immediately
• persinoms—persimmons
• favrite—favourite
• intrest—interest
• confesner—confectioners

Ex. 2. Look up a dictionary and write two synonyms of each of the following words -

• passion - zeal; dedication
• absorbed - engrossed; captivated
• startled - scared; surprised
• mistake - fault; error
• precious - valuable; costly
• clumsy - awkward; inelegant

D. 2. Word-formation -

Read the following sentences carefully:
In an agony of embarrassment, Seibei’s mother muttered some apology. 
Mark how embarrassment, a noun, is formed by adding '-meant' to embarrass, a verb. Make nouns from the verbs given below by adding ‘-ment’ to them -

• amend - amendment
• amuse - amusement
• bewilder - bewilderment
• improve - improvement
• invest -investment
• judge - judgement
• rabble - rabblement
• punish - punishment
• astonish - astonishment
• govern - government

D. 3. Word-meaning -

Ex 1. Match the words given in Column ‘A’ with their meaning in Column ‘B’ -

• Japanese currency - Yen
• Well shaped - Symmetrical
• A yellow fruit - persimmon
• Study of morality - Ethics
• Not easily noticed - Inconspicuous
• Absorbed - Engrossed

D. 4. Phrases -

Ex. 1. Read the lesson carefully and find out the sentences in which the following phrases have been used. Then use the phrases in sentences of your own -

• get rid of - I am trying to get rid of my bad habits.
• at all - He doesn't care at all.
• instead of - You should study instead of playing games.
• look for - Look for the red dress in my closet.
• set out - They set out on a date.
• part with - They had to part with their family.
• a sigh of - I took a sigh of relief on seeing my son.

E. Grammar -

Ex. 1. Read the following sentences taken from the lesson, carefully -

a) Seibei’s parents knew.
b) He laughed all the way home.

These sentences can be made more emphatic by adding question tags to them :
a) Seibei’s parents knew, didn’t they?
b) He laughed all the way home, didn’t he?

Add question tags to the sentences given below - 

1. I am right, ain't I?
2. Mamta is not wrong, is she?
3. You are sure, aren't you?
4. They were not well, were they?
5. Rimjhim has broken the glass, hasn't she?
6. They have played well, haven't they?
7. Please do me a favour, will you?
8. Don’t go there, will you?
9. Don’t make a noise, will you?
10. Please shut the door, won't you?