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Small Pain in My Chest
If Thou Must Love Me
My Lost Dollar
Hunger
The Merchant of Venice
100
Which war is spoken about in the poem? How do we know this?
Vietnam War; the poet mentions "Asian dirt".
100
Who is the poem addressed to?
The poet's lover, Robert Browning.
100
Why did Todd borrow a dollar from the narrator?
Needed change to pay for his cab
100
Who are the main characters in the story? Give a brief description of each of them.
Rizwan and Kasim Rizwan - educated but trying to get a job, bad family situation Kasim - uneducated, struggling to survive, family to feed, mistrustful of the government
100
When the play begins, in what frame of mind are both Antonio and Portia?
Depressed - for different reasons
200
Give the meaning of ‘the night exploded’. What was the result of that?
The meaning is that an explosion took place at night. It seems that the soldier was injured in the explosion and he felt the pain because of the injury he suffered.
200
What things does the poet say might change?
Her smile, her look, her way of speaking gently
200
Why did the writer go to the railway station?
He felt it would be nice for Todd to see someone waiting for him on the platform after being away for three weeks.
200
Explain any two themes of the story.
hunger, poverty, socio-economic inequality, survival, role of the media
200
What does Antonio have to do in order for Bassanio to receive money? (Mention 2 points)
He has to take the loan in his name (which he normally does not do) and must agree to Shylock's terms - pound of flesh
300
Why does the soldier consider it ‘silly’ to be defeated by a small pain?
The soldier regrets that though he was a man of huge size and full of energy and enthusiasm, he was defeated by a small pain in his chest.
300
Why has the poet used the word ‘creature’? Describe the effect she wants to bring about in the poem by using this particular word.
She compares herself to a creature and in doing so, she is alluding (referring) to something similar to an animal (references could be to that of a whimpering dog or a flopping baby bird) which instantly invokes human pity for the ‘creature’. By using this word, the poet emphasizes that she doesn’t want to be treated as a lesser human being. She wants to say that she is a thinking woman who deserves the same love and respect as any other human being.
300
As far as memory is concerned, how do borrowers differ from lenders?
Borrowers tend to be careless and forgetful, but lenders remember the debt and cannot easily forget what they have lent.
300
Why is Kasim mistrustful of the government? What kind of future does he see for himself?
300
Shylock delivers his famous monologue, "Hath not a Jew eyes?", to which characters?
What is his main reasoning in that speech?
Is he right in his reasoning?
Salerio and Solanio.
Says that Christians and Jews are fundamentally the same in every aspect - they feel the same emotions and are driven by the same passions. So therefore, his desire for revenge is justified.
Yes or No - with suitable justification.
400
Why does the narrator say that he has a large wound in his heart compared to the small one in the soldier’s chest?
The narrator has a larger wound than the soldier’s because it symbolises the greater guilt on the part of humanity at not being able to give up wars. It also refers to the mental anguish felt by the narrator and the fact that survivors of war and family members are more greatly affected than the soldiers who die in battle.
400
What could be the cause of the poet not shedding any more tears?
She might forget the pain she is experiencing (due to her illness) and thus not shed any tears after enjoying the comfort of her lover’s company for a long time. She can see herself losing her melancholy after enjoying his company.
400
Why was the narrator reluctant to ask Todd to return the dollar? How does he try indirectly to remind Todd about it?
Didn't want to jeopardize their friendship. Wanted to take a cab from the station, to remind him of the cab fare. Asked about the American dollar in comparison with the currency in Bermuda (emphasised 'dollar').
400
Why couldn't Kasim provide an address? What does Rizwan do instead? How is the title of the story relevant?
400
Who said, "Mislike me not for my complexion"?
Why does he say this?
What is Portia's response to this?
How does she actually feel about him?
The Prince of Morocco.
He is dark-skinned and does not want that fact to go against him.
Portia says that she does not choose people based solely on their looks.
She actually dislikes him before she even meets him, because of the colour of his skin. She says she would rather have him "shrive" her than "wive" her.
500
How can we say that Small Pain In My Chest is a symbolic poem?
A small pain in the soldier’s chest is a big pain in the conscience of humanity. In his physical agony, the soldier asks for a sip of water. In fact he is asking for some understanding and concern for the human being, who suffers for no fault of his. The soldier looks around to get some aid but the only thing he finds are deep craters in the earth, the relics of destruction. He has been fighting day and night without rest. He is fatigued and needs some rest before he gets eternal rest.
500
What may be the result of her not weeping anymore?
Elizabeth Browning is worried that he may love her out of pity. Since she might forget to weep due to the effect he has on her, she is afraid that he would stop loving her as he may not have a genuine reason to love her anymore. Hence if he loved out of pity, she would ‘lose (his) love thereby’.
500
What sort of person was the narrator? Give a brief character sketch of him.
The author was a man of principle. He was sensitive, courteous, and had a sense of self-respect. Despite his nagging indignation at Todd’s failure to return the dollar, the author didn’t allow the loss to affect their friendship. While pointing finger at others, he was ready to look within to search for his own follies. This is why he thought that he might have failed to return small loans taken from others.
500
Describe poverty from Rizwan and Kasim’s perspective.
Poverty depicted for the two characters are different in nature. Kasim’s poverty is for his lack of knowledge, fear of being cheated and willingness to stick to the old ways of life. He doesn’t want to educate his son, take the government’s help in getting land for farming or even a loan from the bank to start a business. He just wants to carry on with his old job of rag-selling. But for Rizwan, it’s a bit different. He is an educated young man seeking a job. Poverty has engulfed the family as his father had died two years ago, and his mother is ill. His brothers have dropped out of school because of their poverty. But it’s the difficulty of securing a job which is making his life miserable. Rizwan has spent the whole day trying to conduct an interview on an empty stomach. But finally he gets one and submits it to the office. In spite of their differences, Kasim and Rizwan’s conditions are actually similar and that is why Rizwan thought it fitting to put his own name and address on Kasim’s interview.
500
In the trial scene (Act 4 Scene 1), what does Portia accuse Shylock of trying to do? What is the penalty for this? How is this penalty modified by the people concerned?
Attempting to kill a Venetian citizen - Antonio.
Half his land and money should go to the state and half to the person he attempted to kill.
The Duke waives the state's half of the penalty and Antonio modifies his half saying that the money should go to Lorenzo and Jessica, when Shylock dies, and that Shylock must convert to Christianity.