Quick Review Flashcards - Click to flip and test your knowledge!
Question
Who is the protagonist of Rabindranath Tagore's story 'The Home-coming'?
Answer
Phatik Chakravorti.
Question
What was Phatik's social role among the boys in his village?
Answer
He was the ringleader.
Question
What object did the boys find on the mud-flat of the river at the start of the story?
Answer
A heavy log.
Question
What was the intended purpose of the log found by the river?
Answer
It was waiting to be shaped into a mast for a boat.
Question
What 'mischief' did Phatik propose regarding the log?
Answer
To shift the log by main force and roll it away together.
Question
How did Makhan disrupt the boys' plan to move the log?
Answer
He sauntered up and sat down on the log in front of them all.
Question
The narrator compares Makhan's calm demeanour on the log to that of a _____.
Answer
Young philosopher.
Question
What command did Phatik give when Makhan refused to move off the log?
Answer
To roll the log and Makhan over together.
Question
What was Makhan's reaction immediately after being rolled off the log?
Answer
He rushed at Phatik, scratched his face, beat him, and went home crying.
Question
How did Phatik respond to the stranger's inquiry about where the Chakravortis lived?
Answer
He was rude and indifferent, telling the man to 'Go and find out'.
Question
How did Phatik arrive at his house when his mother sent for him?
Answer
The servant took him up roughly and carried him back while he struggled.
Question
What lie did Makhan tell their mother regarding the fight by the river?
Answer
He claimed that Phatik had hit him.
Question
How did Phatik react when Makhan lied to their mother?
Answer
He rushed at Makhan and hammered him with blows for telling lies.
Question
Who was the 'grey-haired stranger' that arrived at the house during the conflict?
Answer
Bishamber, the mother's brother.
Question
Where had Bishamber been living before returning to see his sister?
Answer
Bombay.
Question
How did Phatik's mother describe him to her brother, Bishamber?
Answer
As a perpetual nuisance who was lazy, disobedient, and wild.
Question
Contrast: How did the mother describe Makhan compared to Phatik?
Answer
She said Makhan was as good as gold, quiet as a lamb, and fond of reading.
Question
What solution did Bishamber offer to help with Phatik's education?
Answer
He offered to take Phatik to Calcutta to educate him with his own children.
Question
Why was the mother relieved to send Phatik away to Calcutta?
Answer
She feared he would harm Makhan or lead him into danger.
Question
What gesture of generosity did Phatik show Makhan before leaving for Calcutta?
Answer
He gave him his fishing-rod, his big kite, and his marbles.
Question
How did Bishamber's wife (the aunt) feel about Phatik's arrival in her home?
Answer
She was not pleased and viewed him as an unnecessary addition to her family.
Question
According to the narrator, why is a fourteen-year-old boy considered a 'nuisance'?
Answer
He is neither ornamental nor useful and is often in the way.
Question
At the age of fourteen, what does a young lad crave most in his 'heart of hearts'?
Answer
Recognition and love.
Question
How did Phatik respond to his aunt's requests for chores?
Answer
He would overdo them in hopes of pleasing her, only to be told he was stupid.
Question
What physical environment in Calcutta made Phatik feel oppressed?
Answer
The cramped atmosphere of houses and walls that prevented him from seeing open country.
Question
What metaphorical comparison is used for Phatik's love for his mother while he was away?
Answer
The lowing of a calf in the twilight.
Question
How was Phatik's academic performance at school in Calcutta described?
Answer
He was the most backward boy in the whole school.
Question
How did Phatik's cousins treat him at school?
Answer
They were ashamed to own him and joined others in jeering at him.
Question
What did Phatik ask his uncle after months of feeling homesick?
Answer
He asked, 'Uncle, when can I go home?'
Question
When did Bishamber tell Phatik he could return home to his mother?
Answer
When the holidays arrived in November.
Question
What specific event made Phatik's school life 'impossible' and lead to a beating?
Answer
He lost his lesson-book.
Question
How did the aunt react when Phatik told her he had lost his lesson-book?
Answer
She called him a 'country lout' and complained about the cost of replacing it.
Question
What physical illness did Phatik develop after losing his book?
Answer
Malarial fever.
Question
Why did Phatik disappear from his uncle's house the morning after his fever began?
Answer
He feared being a nuisance to his aunt during his illness.
Question
What were the weather conditions during the search for Phatik?
Answer
It was raining in torrents and the streets were flooded.
Question
Who eventually brought Phatik back to Bishamber's house?
Answer
Two police constables.
Question
What was Phatik's first remark to his uncle when the police brought him back?
Answer
He said he was trying to go home, but they dragged him back.
Question
In his delirium, what question did Phatik repeatedly ask regarding the time of year?
Answer
"Uncle, have the holidays come yet?"
Question
In his feverish state, Phatik cried out to his mother asking her not to _____.
Answer
Beat him.
Question
What imagery from his village life did Phatik recall in his delirium?
Answer
A sailor on a river-steamer calling out plumb-line marks.
Question
What were the specific plumb-line marks Phatik cried out in his delirium?
Answer
"By the mark! --three fathoms. By the mark-- four fathoms."
Question
How did Phatik's mother react when she finally arrived at his bedside?
Answer
She was overcome with grief, calling him her 'darling'.
Question
What were Phatik's final words in the story?
Answer
"Mother, the holidays have come."
Question
What is the metaphorical meaning of 'the holidays' in the context of the story's ending?
Answer
Death, which provides Phatik a final release and return home.
Question
According to the 'About the Author' section, what are the universal themes of 'The Home-coming'?
Answer
Adolescence, neglect, responsibility, love, and isolation.
Question
Who is the narrator of the story?
Answer
An unnamed third-person narrator.
Question
Concept: Homesickness in 'The Home-coming'
Answer
Definition: Phatik's intense longing for his village meadows, the river-banks, and the freedom of his childhood home.
Question
How does the aunt's treatment of Phatik contribute to his feeling of isolation?
Answer
She views him as a 'shabby' burden and slights him on every occasion.
Question
Which two parts of the text are said to echo Phatik's longing?
Answer
The title and the last line.
Question
What did the mother fear would happen to Makhan if Phatik stayed in the village?
Answer
That Phatik would drown him in the river or break his head in a fight.
Question
What was the occupation of the 'grey-haired stranger' (Bishamber) in the city?
Answer
He had started a business in Bombay.
Question
How did Phatik feel about his physical appearance at age fourteen?
Answer
He was painfully self-conscious of being unattractive and growing out of his clothes.
Question
What was the 'height of bliss' for a boy of fourteen, according to the text?
Answer
To receive kind looks from women and never be slighted by them.
Question
Why did Phatik find the move to Calcutta initially exciting?
Answer
He was eager to leave a home where he felt unloved and start a new life.
Question
How did the aunt describe Phatik when she refused to buy him a new book?
Answer
A 'great clumsy, country lout'.
Question
How did the teacher treat Phatik when he couldn't prepare his lessons?
Answer
He caned him unmercifully.
Question
What was the reaction of Phatik's mother to Bishamber's arrival?
Answer
She was surprised, recognised him as 'Dada', and bowed to touch his feet.
Question
What specific fear plagued Phatik's mind during his time in Calcutta?
Answer
The fear of being an unwelcome guest and a nuisance to his family.
Question
Describe Phatik's mental state when he watched other boys playing from his window in Calcutta.
Answer
His heart would ache with longing for the open spaces of his home.
Question
What does the plural word 'furies' describe in the context of Makhan's anger?
Answer
The intense, screaming rage Makhan felt after being rolled off the log.