NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English (Footprints without Feet) Chapter 1 A Triumph of Surgery

NCERT
SOLUTIONS
CLASS - 10th

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Class : 10th
Subject : English-2
Chapter : 1
Chapter Name : A Triumph of Surgery

Q1 Why is Mrs Pumphrey worried about Tricki?

Answer. Mrs Pumphrey was worried and distraught because Tricki would not eat anything. It
even refused its favourite dishes. It had bouts of vomiting. It spent all its time lying on the rug
and panting. It did not want to go for walks or do anything.

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Q2 What does she do to help him? Is she wise in this?

Answer. She called the doctor to help Tricki. Yes, her decision was wise. The doctor suggested
that Tricki should be hospitalised. She swooned and wailed, but let the dog go with the doctor.
Ultimately, the doctor was successful in curing Tricki.

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Q3 Who does ‘I’ refer to in this story?

Answer. In this story, ‘I’ refers to the veterinary surgeon, Mr Herriot.

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Q4 Is the narrator as rich as Tricki’s mistress?

Answer. Though not clearly stated, there are instances in the story which suggest that the
narrator is not as rich as Tricki’s mistress, Mrs Pumphrey.

While the narrator is able to provide Tricki with a warm loose box as a bed, at Mrs Pumphrey’s
house, Tricki has a day bed, a night bed, cushions, toys, rubber rings, a breakfast bowl, a lunch
bowl, a supper bowl, a whole wardrobe of tweed coats and perhaps many more things.

When he arrives to take the dog with him, Mrs Pumphrey has her entire staff at her disposal to
transfer all of Tricki’s belongings to the doctor’s car.

On hearing from the doctor about Tricki’s gradual recovery, Mrs Pumphrey sends along two

dozen eggs at a time, along with bottles of wine and brandy—all in order to help in Tricki’s
speedy recovery.

Finally, when she calls upon the narrator to take her recovered dog back home, she comes in a
chauffer-driven “thirty feet of gleaming black metal” (an obvious reference to a limousine).

All these instances point to the fact that Mrs Pumphrey lived a luxurious life.

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Q5 How does he treat the dog?

Answer. The doctor gave Tricki no food, but plenty of water for two days. Slowly, the dog started
showing interest in his surroundings and began mixing with the other dogs at the surgery. On
the third day, the doctor saw Tricki licking the empty supper bowls of the other dogs. Next day, a
separate bowl was kept for it and the doctor was pleased to note that Tricki had run to eat its
food with enthusiasm. From that day onwards, its progress was rapid. It did not require
medicinal treatment of any kind and recovered quite well at the end.

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Q6 Why is he tempted to keep Tricki on as a permanent guest?

Answer. Mrs Pumphrey had started bringing around eggs to build Tricki’s strength. Later, even
bottles of wine and brandy began to arrive. The narrator and his partners started enjoying the
eggs, wine and brandy meant for Tricki. According to the narrator, they were days of deep
content for them—starting with the extra egg in the morning, then the midday wine, and nally
nishing the day with brandy. This was the reason why the narrator was tempted to keep Tricki
on as a permanent guest.

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Q7 Why does Mrs Pumphrey think the dog’s recovery is “a triumph of surgery”?

Answer. Mrs Pumphrey thought that the dog’s recovery was “a triumph of surgery” because in
two weeks, Tricki had recovered completely and had been transformed into a hard-muscled
animal. When Tricki saw her, it leaped into her lap and licked her face. She was so excited that
tears started rolling out of her eyes. She declared Tricki’s recovery as a triumph of surgery to
express her happiness and gratitude towards the doctor.

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Q1 What kind of a person do you think the narrator, a veterinary surgeon, is? Would you say he
is tactful as well as full of common Sense?

Answer. The narrator is full of common sense. He was very concerned for Tricki when he saw its
appearance. He immediately told Mrs Pumphrey to stop giving it food and sweets, and to take it
out for daily walks. When she called him to describe Tricki’s deteriorating condition, he
immediately took the dog with him to the surgery. He took good care of it all the while and
helped it recover completely.

He could be called tactful as he enjoyed the eggs, wine and brandy that Mrs Pumphrey had
brought for the dog. He was even tempted to keep Tricki as a permanent guest in order to
continue enjoying these luxuries. However, he was a good man. Thus, he called Mrs Pumphrey
and told her to take the dog home when it had fully recovered.

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Q2 Do you think Tricki was happy to go home? What do you think will happen now?

Answer. Yes, Tricki was very happy to go home. It jumped out of the narrator’s arms and leaped
into Mrs Pumphrey’s lap as soon as it saw her. It licked her and barked. After this, if Mrs
Pumphrey takes good care of the dog and does not feed it a lot, it will be as healthy as it is at the
end of the story.

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Q3 Do you think this is a real-life episode, or mere ction? Or is it a mixture of both?

Answer. This story could be a mixture of both: real life episode and a mere ction. The spoiling
of the dog’s health by a rich mistress is believable and could also be a real life incident. The
doctor’s advises also depict real life situation. However, the extremely speedy recovery of the dog
could be ctitious. Also, the enjoyment of the luxuries (eggs, wine and brandy) by the narrator
could be termed as a real life episode as there are people who would do so. The giving up of
these luxuries because the owner of the dog would be getting worried is another episode that
could be both real life and ction. At the end, the happiness of Mrs. Pumphrey on seeing her dog
healthy seems to be a real life happening. Therefore, the story is a mixture of both real life and
ction.

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Q1 This episode describes the silly behaviour of a rich woman who is foolishly indulgent,
perhaps because she is lonely. Do you think such people are merely silly, or can their actions
cause harm to others?

Answer. This episode &scribes the silly behaviour of a rich woman who is foolishly. this may be
because of her loneliness. They are ignorant about results of their actions. They show their
excessive and affection for someone without knowing the consequences. There is no doubt that
their intentions are good, and don't have any sort of ill-will, but they are not aware their action
can cause harm to others.

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Q2 Do you think there are also parents like Mrs Pumphrey?

Answer. Yes there are parents who are much possessive about their kids. The sense of
overindulgence can go in either way. There are examples Of parents spoiling their child by
meeting each and every demand Of the child. There are also examples Of strict parents Who put
unnecessary pressure on their child for study and particular behaviour pattern.

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Q3 What would you have done if you were:
(i) a member of the staff in Mrs Pumphrey’s household,
(ii) a neighbour? What would your life have been like, in general?

Answer. DIY

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Q4 What would you have done if you were in the narrator’s place?

Answer. DIY

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