Important Questions for A Triumph of Surgery Class 10 Footprints Without Feet English
Important Questions1
When I opened the door, Tricki trotted out and was immediately
engulfed by Joe, the greyhound, and his friends. After rolling him over and
thoroughly inspecting him, the dogs moved off down the garden. Tricky followed
them, rolling slightly with his surplus fat.
(a) What happened when the door was opened?
(b) What did they do?
(c) Who is ‘I‘ in these lines?
(d) Where did the dogs go after inspecting Tricki?
Answer
(a) When the door was opened, Tricki went out of it.
(b) They rolled him over, inspected him and then moved off.
(c) Mrs Humphrey.
(d) The dogs moved off down the garden.
2
I tried to sound severe: ―”Now I really mean this. If you
don‘t cut his food right down and give him more exercise he is going to be
really ill. You must harden your heart and keep him on a very strict diet.”
(a) Who is ‘I‘ referred to; and how does he sound?
(b) What was his advice?
(c) Who is talking to whom? Why?
(d) How can he be healthy? What are the suggestions?
Answer
(a) ‘I‘ is Dr Herriot. He was very angry with Mrs Humphrey
for not following his advice.
(b) He had asked Mrs Humphrey to reduce Tricki‘s diet.
(c) Dr Herriot is talking to Mrs Humphrey. He says this because
of Tricki‘s ill-health and bloated look.
(d) Tricki‘s food had to be cut down, and he needed a lot of
exercises.
3
I had made my plans in advance. The only way was to get
Tricki out of the house for a period. I suggested that he be hospitalized for
about a fortnight to be kept under observation.
(a) Identify ‘I‘ in the above extract.
(b) What was his concern?
(c) Who did the speaker suggest to?
(d) What kind of a person do you think the narrator is?
Answer
(a) ‘I‘ is Dr Herriot.
(b) He was concerned about Tricki‘s health.
(c) Mrs Humphrey.
(d) The narrator. Mr Herriot, a veterinary surgeon is an understanding,
wise and tactful person. He is full of common sense.
4
They were days of deep content, starting well with the extra
egg in the morning, improved and sustained by the midday wine and finishing
luxuriously around the fire with the brandy.
(a) Who is referred to in the above lines?
(b) What is the tone of the lines?
(c) What do you think this episode describes the silly behaviour
of a rich woman who is foolishly indulgent?
(d) Why does Mr Herriot feel deep contentment?
Answer
(a) Mrs Humphrey and her dog Tricki.
(b) She was contented and happy in those days and now remembering,
feels sad.
(c) Yes, it ridicules the pompous nature of the rich. In
fact, for emotional satisfaction, Mrs Humphrey bestows all her love and care on
Tricki.
(d) After hearing the news of Tricki‘s recovery, Mrs Humphrey
started sending eggs, wine and brandy to give him extra strength. Mr Herriot
and his friends started feasting, on them. They enjoyed and felt contentment.
1
What makes you know that Mrs Humphrey was a rich lady?
Answer
Mrs Humphrey was a wealthy lady as she had many servants and
maids also had a pet. She used to feed her pet with a lot of dishes, sweets and
snacks. Moreover, she had a separate room and wardrobe for her pet. All these things
show that she was a rich lady.
2
Why did Mrs Humphrey call the doctor?
Answer
Tricki was not eating anything for the past few days. He had
refused even dishes and had bouts of vomiting. Moreover, he was spending his
time lying on a rug; panting-He was not going for walks. All these symptoms forced
Mrs Humphrey to visit the doctor.
3
Why were the household dogs not interested in Tricki
initially?
Answer
Tricki was a newcomer in the house. Moreover, Tricki was
very lethargic to play with them He was not comfortable there. But after a few
days, Tricki started enjoying with them. He discovered the joys of being bowled
over, tramped on and squashed every few minutes. He became an accepted member
of the gang.
4
What was the main cause of `Tricki‘s ill-health‘?
Answer
Tricki was overfed by Mrs Humphrey. He became hugely fat and
inactive. He was pampered with a lot of cream cakes, chocolates and Hotlinks.
This was the main cause of his illness.
5
Why did Mrs Humphrey treat Tricki in a special way?
Answer
Mrs Humphrey was an extremely rich lady but was foolishly
indulgent in pampering her dog, Tricki. She served him with cream cakes,
chocolates and cod-liver oil. She did so because she treated Tricki like her
son.
6
What did she do to bring him back to normal health? Was
she successful?
Answer
To bring Tricki to normal health she started giving him a beer
and cod-liver oil. She also gave him a bowl of Horlicks at night to make him
sleep. But she was not successful because all these things put an adverse
effect on the little dog.
7
Describe the `parting scene‘ between Tricki and Mrs
Pumphrey‘s household.
Answer
Mrs Pumphrey was wailing. The entire staff was roused. The
maids rushed in and out bringing his beds and bowls to the doctor‘s car. When
the doctor drove the car away everybody in the house was in tears.
8
The household dogs at the surgery rejected Tricki as ―”uninteresting
objects.” Why?
Answer
At the surgery the household dogs surrounded Tricki. He looked
at them with dull eyes. The other dogs sniffed him but he did not give any
response. So they found him as an uninteresting object and rejected him.
9
Describe the small dog Tricki.
Answer
Tricki was a small dog of a rich lady Mrs Pumphrey. She loved
him too much. Because of overfeeding, he looked like a bloated sausage. He had
become hugely fat. He had bloodshot and rheumy eyes.
1
Tricki was more a member of Mrs Pumphrey‘s family than a
mere dog. Explain, giving example from the text.
Answer
Mrs Pumphrey was a rich lady. She pampered her dog Tricki.
She overfed him. She gave him much nutritious diet. This made him hugely fat.
He looked like a bloated sausage. He became dull, flabby. lazy and listless.
She thought that he had been suffering from malnutrition. So she gave him malt
and cod-liver oil between meals. She gave him Horlicks at night. In spite of
the doctor‘s advice, she gave him cream cakes and chocolate. All these things made
his condition worse. He had bouts of vomiting. He kept lying all the time on
the carpet. He did not want to go out of the house even for a little time.
2
Mrs Pumphrey says, ―”This is a triumph of surgery.” Why
did she say so? Did she know what Tricki‘s ailment was?
Answer
Tricki was seriously ill. He refused food. He had bouts of vomiting.
Mrs Pumphrey was very much worried about him. She called Mr Herriot who was a
vet surgeon. Mr Herriot knew about Tricki‘s disease. He took the dog to his surgery.
He gave Tricki no food for two days. He gave him a lot of exercises. When Mrs
Pumphrey went to Mr Herriot‘s surgery to take Tricki back she found him totally transformed.
He had been very lazy and flabby. But now he had been transformed into a lithe
and hard-muscled animal. All this made him say, This is a triumph of surgery.
No, Mrs Pumphrey did not know about Tricki‘s ailment. She also did not know how
he was cured.