NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English (Woven Words) Short Stories 2 A Pair of mustachios

Class : 11th
Subject : English
Chapter : 2
Chapter Name : A Pair of mustachios

Q1 What do you understand of the natures of Ramanand and Azam Khan from the episode
described?

Answer. Ramanand and Azam Khan are the key characters between whom the conversation is
taking place. Ramanand is the grocer and the moneylender who cleverly knows how to gain the
best benefit in a given situation. He increases the prices of the commodity in response to the
provoking. For his most important element is his job than his pride. Azam Khan is the poor
victim that lives his life in the false pride. He creates a whole issue out of the topic of keeping
the moustaches down. His short-tempered nature is something that will teach him the lesson.

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Q2 Identify instances in the story that show the business acumen of Ramanand.

Answer. Ramanand is a wise shopkeeper who has the wit to remark a line between what is right
and what is wrong. He knows how to tackle tricky situations and gets the best out of it. It is
shown in the story itself that he agrees to lower his moustaches when asked for by Azam Khan.
But this instance also had a hidden motive that he did so to increase the acquisition of property.
He makes a wise judgement of the factors pertaining to get the best out of a scenario. His
decision-making skills are remarkable to use to benefit himself.

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Q3 Both Ramanand and Azam Khan seem to have very fixed views. How does Ramanand
score over Azam Khan towards the end of the story?

Answer. It is true that both Ramanand and Azam Khan had very fixed views which were a result
of the social milieu that made the categorization in the society on the basis of the moustaches.
Both the parties have a fixed set of ideology that has been marked in their minds because of the
social customs. Ramanand belonged to a goat class however Azam Khan belonged to a tiger
class.

Ramanand scored over Azam Khan in the way that he manages to turn his moustache upwards,
which in turn increases the property price. Thus, he is the one who actually wins the situation.

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