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THE LAST LEAF - Q&A

THINK ABOUT IT

1. What is Johnsy's illness? What can cure her, the medicine or the willingness to live?
Answer:
Illness: Johnsy is suffering from pneumonia. She is lying in bed, hardly moving, and gazing out of the window.

Cure: According to the doctor, medicines will not help her if she has made up her mind not to get well. Her condition depends on her mental state. Therefore, it is her willingness to live that can cure her, not just the medicine.

2. Do you think the feeling of depression Johnsy has is common among teenagers?
Answer:
Yes, the feeling of depression or gloom that Johnsy experiences is quite common among teenagers. Adolescence is a time of rapid physical and emotional changes. Teenagers often face academic pressure, peer expectations, and uncertainty about the future, which can lead to feelings of anxiety and hopelessness similar to what Johnsy felt.

3. Behrman has a dream. What is it? Does it come true?
Answer:
The Dream: Behrman is a sixty-year-old painter whose lifelong dream is to paint a masterpiece.

Does it come true? Yes, his dream comes true. He paints a leaf on the wall that is so realistic it fools everyone. This painting becomes his masterpiece because it saves Johnsy's life, though he sacrifices his own life to create it.

4. What is Behrman's masterpiece? What makes Sue say so?
Answer:
The Masterpiece: Behrman's masterpiece is the single ivy leaf he painted on the brick wall opposite Johnsy's window.

Why Sue says so: Sue calls it a masterpiece because:
1. Realism: It looked exactly like a real leaf; Johnsy could not tell the difference.
2. Durability: It withstood the fierce wind and rain of a stormy night.
3. Impact: Unlike ordinary art, this painting saved a life. It gave Johnsy the hope and will to live, which is the highest purpose of any art.

TALK ABOUT IT

Have you ever felt depressed and rejected? How did you overcome such feelings? Share your experience with your classmates.
Answer:
(This is a self-experience question. Here is a sample answer you can use):
Yes, I have felt depressed and rejected before. Once, I was not selected for the school football team despite practicing very hard. I felt useless and rejected by my friends.

How I overcame it:
1. Communication: I talked to my elder brother, who explained that failure is a part of success.
2. Diversion: I focused on my other hobbies like reading and cycling to keep my mind positive.
3. Persistence: Instead of giving up, I asked the coach for feedback and practiced even harder for the next selection. Eventually, I realized that my self-worth doesn't depend on a single event.

Quick Navigation:

Quick Review Flashcards - Click to flip and test your knowledge!

Question

What common profession do the characters Sue and Johnsy share?

Answer

They are both young artists.

Question

On which floor of the old house was Sue and Johnsy's flat located?

Answer

The third storey.

Question

In which month did Johnsy fall seriously ill with pneumonia?

Answer

November.

Question

While bedridden, Johnsy spent most of her time doing what activity?

Answer

Gazing out of the window.

Question

According to the doctor, what was the primary obstacle to Johnsy's recovery?

Answer

Her lack of desire to live.

Question

What did the doctor claim would be the effect of medicines if a patient did not want to live?

Answer

Medicines would not help the patient.

Question

Which two topics did Sue discuss to try and pique Johnsy's interest in the world?

Answer

Clothes and fashions.

Question

What did Sue bring into Johnsy's room to keep her company while she worked?

Answer

A drawing-board.

Question

What sound did Sue make while painting to distract Johnsy from her illness?

Answer

She whistled.

Question

What specific plant was climbing the brick wall opposite Johnsy's window?

Answer

An old ivy creeper.

Question

What action was Johnsy performing while whispering numbers like "twelve" and "eleven"?

Answer

Counting the falling leaves of the ivy creeper backwards.

Question

How many ivy leaves were left when Sue first noticed Johnsy's counting?

Answer

Five.

Question

Johnsy believed her own death would occur when _____ happened.

Answer

The last leaf of the ivy creeper fell.

Question

What season is explicitly mentioned as the cause for the leaves falling?

Answer

Autumn.

Question

Why did Sue refuse to draw the curtain when Johnsy wanted to see the last leaf fall?

Answer

She needed natural light to finish her painting.

Question

Sue's motivation for finishing her painting quickly was to _____.

Answer

Earn money for herself and Johnsy.

Question

What character did Sue intend to paint using Behrman as a model?

Answer

An old miner.

Question

Who lived on the ground floor of the house where Sue and Johnsy resided?

Answer

Behrman.

Question

Describe Behrman's primary lifelong professional ambition.

Answer

To paint a masterpiece.

Question

How old was the painter Behrman?

Answer

Sixty years old.

Question

Behrman reacted to Johnsy's belief about the ivy leaves by calling it _____.

Answer

Foolish or stupid.

Question

What physical symptoms did Sue report to Behrman regarding Johnsy's condition?

Answer

A high temperature and a refusal to eat or drink.

Question

What were the weather conditions on the night the last leaf was expected to fall?

Answer

Heavy rain and an icy-cold wind.

Question

What was Johnsy's physical state when Sue and Behrman tiptoed into her room?

Answer

She was sleeping.

Question

In what manner did Sue draw back the curtains the morning after the storm?

Answer

Very reluctantly.

Question

Despite the fierce winds, how did the single remaining ivy leaf appear to Sue and Johnsy?

Answer

It looked green and healthy.

Question

What did Johnsy assume would happen to the last leaf during the second night of the storm?

Answer

She thought it would surely fall.

Question

Seeing the leaf survive the storm led Johnsy to realise that wanting to die is a _____.

Answer

Sin.

Question

After regaining her will to live, what did Johnsy ask Sue for to tidy herself?

Answer

A mirror and a comb.

Question

What change in Johnsy's condition did the doctor observe in the afternoon following the storm?

Answer

She had regained the will to live.

Question

What news did the doctor deliver regarding Behrman's health?

Answer

He was suffering from pneumonia and there was no hope for him.

Question

How long was Behrman ill before he passed away?

Answer

Two days.

Question

Who discovered Behrman in his room on the first morning of his illness?

Answer

The janitor.

Question

In what state were Behrman's clothes and shoes when he was found ill?

Answer

They were wet.

Question

What three items were found near Behrman's bed indicating his recent activity?

Answer

A ladder, a lighted lantern, and brushes.

Question

Which two colours of paint were found on the floor near Behrman's ladder?

Answer

Green and yellow.

Question

According to Sue, what was Behrman's masterpiece?

Answer

The last ivy leaf painted on the wall.

Question

Why did the painted ivy leaf never flutter when the wind blew?

Answer

Because it was painted directly onto the brick wall.

Question

When did Behrman paint the last leaf?

Answer

The night the actual last leaf fell.

Question

Term: Janitor

Answer

Definition: A person whose job is to look after a building.

Question

What did Johnsy mean by her finality when saying "I will die"?

Answer

She was completely certain and resigned to her fate.

Question

What was the original number of leaves on the ivy creeper three days before Johnsy's countdown reached five?

Answer

Almost a hundred.

Question

How did Sue characterize Johnsy's belief about the leaves to cheer her up?

Answer

She called it "nonsense."

Question

What was the physical reason the real ivy leaves were falling?

Answer

The strong autumn wind.

Question

Behrman's shoes and clothes were wet because he had been _____.

Answer

Out in the stormy night.

Question

What was Sue doing while Johnsy slept when she and Behrman first checked the ivy?

Answer

She peeped out through the window from the next room.

Question

Sue told Johnsy that she had to live for the sake of her _____.

Answer

Friends.

Question

What did the doctor do before telling Sue that Johnsy would recover soon?

Answer

He examined his patient.

Question

The painting Behrman created on the wall serves as a symbol of _____.

Answer

Hope and self-sacrifice.

Question

In the story "The Last Leaf", what is the literal cause of Behrman's death?

Answer

Pneumonia.

Question

Why did Sue beg Johnsy to promise not to look out the window while she painted?

Answer

She wanted to finish her work without Johnsy obsessing over the falling leaves.

Question

What was the reaction of Johnsy when she saw the leaf still there after the second storm?

Answer

She lay for a long time looking at it before calling Sue.

Question

How did Sue describe the leaf's appearance to encourage Johnsy on the morning after the first storm?

Answer

She said it looked green and healthy.

Question

What specific detail about the painted leaf's movement (or lack thereof) revealed its true nature to Sue?

Answer

It did not flutter when the wind blew.