Maharashtra Board Class 12 English Yuvakbharati Solutions Chapter 1.3 The Cop and the Anthem

Balbharti Yuvakbharati English 12th Digest Chapter 1.3 The Cop and the Anthem Notes, Textbook Exercise Important Questions and Answers.

Chapter 1.3 The Cop and the Anthem

Chapter 1.3 The Cop and the Anthem

Question 1.
Suppose you have gone to a place where the winter season is very severe. Discuss with your partner the ways in which you would protect yourself in the cold climate. (The answer is given and underlined.)

Answer:

Question 2.
When you see a cop approaching, you feel either ‘relieved’ or ‘scared’. Discuss with your partner and write down the situations when you feel ‘relieved’ or ‘scared’.
Answer:
Relieved:
(a) You are walking alone in a dark street.
(b) There is a fight taking place near you.
(c) A group of rough-looking people are coming towards you on a lonely road.
Scared:
(a) You are riding a bike without a valid driving licence.
(b) You have broken a traffic signal.
(c) You have been involved in a fight.

Question 3.
Discuss some of the motivating things that can change a person’s life :
Answer:
(a) Listening to an inspiring speech
(b) Reading motivating books and biographies of great people
(c) Reading epics and religious books
(d) Observing successful/happy people or watching biopics of their lives.

(A1)

Question (i)
Discuss with your partner and find out the different ways in which Soapy tried ; to get arrested. The first one is given.
Answer:
(a) Tried to enter a luxurious cafe.
(b) Threw a stone and broke a shop window.
(c) Ate heartily at a restaurant and then said he had no money.
(d) Shouted and howled and raved and danced on the sidewalk.
(e) Stole an umbrella.

Question (ii)
Describe the atmosphere when Soapy reached near the Church.
Answer:
(a) A soft light glowed through the violet-stained window.
(b) Sweet music drifted out of the quaint, old church.
(c) There was a full, radiant moon, and few vehicles and pedestrians.
(d) Sparrows twittered sleepily in the eaves.

(A2)

Question (i)
Read the story and match the incidents given in Column A with the consequences given in Column B.

Answer:

1. Soapy tried to enter a cafe – Strong and ready hands of the head waiter turned him around.
2. Soapy broke a glass window – The cop ran after another man.
3. Two waiters pitched Soapy on the callous pavement – He stood up slowly beating the i dust from his clothes.
4. Soapy heard the anthem being played in the Church – Suddenly a wonderful change came in his heart.
5. Cop arrests Soapy for hanging around. – Dream of turning around in life was shattered.

Question (ii)
Give reasons and complete the following: (The answers are given directly and underlined.)
Answer:
(a) Soapy had confidence in himself because he was shaven, his coat was trim and he had a neat, black bow. The portion of him that showed above the table looked respectable and would raise no doubt in the waiter’s mind.
(b) The head waiter of the luxurious cafe did not allow Soapy to enter because he saw Soapy’s tattered trousers and old, worn out shoes, and knew that Soapy would not have money to pay for a meal.
(c) The cop did not arrest Soapy for breaking the glass window because Soapy was standing calmly and talking to him. The policeman felt that men who smash glass windows do not remain to chat with the police.
(d) The cop did not arrest Soapy for shouting and dancing because it was the time of celebrations for the local college boys. They were generally noisy but harmless, and he had been told by his superiors to let them be.

(iii) Pick out the lines from the text which show that:

Question (a)
Soapy wants to enter the cafe for two reasons.
Answer:
1. A roasted mallard duck, thought Soapy, would be about the thing with a bottle of wine and then some cheese, a cup of coffee and a cigar.
2. The meat would leave him filled and happy for the journey to his winter island.

Question (b)
Soapy was afraid that he won’t be able to enter the prison.
Answer:
It seemed that his route to the coveted island was not to be an easy one. Some other way of entering the limbo must be devised.

Question (c)
Soapy was not caught by the cop for throwing stones at the glass.
Answer:
1. The policeman refused to accept Soapy even as a clue.
2. The policeman saw a man half-way down the block running to catch a car. With drawn club he joined in the pursuit.

Question (d)
Soapy actually did not want the umbrella.
Answer:
He hurled the umbrella angrily into the excavation.

Question (e)
Listening to the anthem, Soapy remembered his good old days.
Answer:
He had known it well in the days when his life contained such things as mothers and roses and ambitions and friends and immaculate thoughts and collars.

Question (iv)
‘He would make a man of himself again’ – The word ‘man’ in the sentence means ……………….. .
Answer:
‘He would make a man of himself again’ – The word ‘man’ in the sentence means a responsible and worthy human being.

Question (v)
Soapy’s earlier life was much different from his present life. Complete the table to show this contrast. One is done for you.

Answer:

Question (vi)
After listening to the sweet and solemn organ notes, Soapy decides to:
Answer:
1. pull himself out of the mire, conquer the evil that had enslaved him and make a man of himself again
2. resurrect his old eager ambitions and pursue them without faltering
3. go into the roaring downtown district and find work

Question (vii)
Write an incident in which you did something wrong and repented for it later. Give reasons.
Answer:
A lady who stayed in my building used to shout at me for playing noisily under her window. One day, she shouted at me as usual from her window and went inside. I suddenly got angry and threw a stone at her window. The stone hit the glass which broke. I heard a loud shout of pain and ran away. I later came to know that she had been badly injured by the shattered glass. I repented for what I had done. Though I did not tell her that I was the culprit, I was very good to her after that.

(A3)

Question (i)
O’Henry has used different words to indicate prison where Soapy wants to reach. Make a list of those words from the extract.
Answer:
the island

Question (ii)
Find out the words used for the ‘degraded state of Soapy’.
Answer:

1. the pit into which he had tumbled
2. the degraded days
3. unworthy desires
4. dead hopes
5. wrecked faculties
6. base motives
7. mire
8. evil that had enslaved him.

Question (iii)
The specific meaning of word ‘anthem’ in the content of the story is:
Answer:
Anthem – a rousing or uplifting song.

(A4)

Question (i)
Convert the following sentences into the negative without changing their meanings:
(a) The policeman refused to accept Soapy even as a clue.
(b) Soapy drifted along, twice unsuccessful.
(c) Soapy stopped his unavailing racket.
(d) The island seemed very far away.
(e) The island seemed an unattainable Arcadia.
Answer:
(a) The policeman did not accept Soapy even as a clue.
(b) Soapy drifted along, twice not successful.
(c) Soapy stopped his racket which was not successful.
(d) The island seemed not at all near.
(e) The island seemed an Arcadia which was not attainable.

Question (ii)
Convert the following sentences into the affirmative without changing their meanings :
(a) Men who smash windows do not remain to chat with the police.
(b) On the opposite side of the street was a restaurant of no great pretensions.
(c) Why don’t you call a cop?
(d) Noisy; but no harm.
(e) They seemed to regard him as a King who could do no wrong.
Answer:
(a) Men who smash windows refrain from remaining to chat with the police.
(b) On the opposite side of the street was a very ordinary restaurant.
(c) Please call a cop.
(d) Noisy; but harmless.
(e) They seemed to regard him as a King who was always right.

(A5)

Question (i)
‘Forgiveness is often better than punishment’. Write two paragraphs – one for and another against this notion.
Answer:
1. To err is human, to forgive is divine.

We all make mistakes. Nobody is perfect. That is why we are human. However, mistakes should be forgiven if there is sufficient repentance. Forgiveness will make the guilty person feel ashamed of his conduct and he will not repeat it. It is easy to punish but very difficult to forgive someone. It needs a big heart and a lot of kindness. If we punish the guilty person we will only make him more defiant. If punishing someone could have solved the problem, criminals who have been jailed would never have repeated the crime. But this is not found to be so. Just as God forgives us our mistakes, we should forgive others their mistakes too.

2. Punishment is the only answer

Forgiveness may work in certain cases, but there are hardened criminals who will not respond to forgiveness. They will only be stopped by punishment. If a person has murdered another in cold blood, will he improve by forgiveness? Never. He has to be punished severely so that he does not repeat it and society feels safe.

People only fear punishment. It can be easily seen at traffic signals – if there is no policeman to punish you, most people will break the signal. Then there will be chaos. If there is no punishment and no prisons, people will do whatever they want – rob, kill, etc. – and go off freely. No, in a society where it is not possible to expect everyone to have high values, punishment for misdeeds is the only solution.

Question (ii)
You are the class representative and you have been asked by the Principal to conduct an interview of a cop. Frame 8-10 questions with the help of the following points, give introduction and conclusion.

• reasons for joining the department
• special trainings
• developing the skill to identify and locate criminals
• dealing with criminals
• achievements and awards

Answer:
Good morning, Mr. Pawar. Congratulations on your excellent work in finding the bank robbers. May I ask you a few questions about your life? Thank you.

1. When did you join the police department?
2. Which examinations did you have to clear for the post?
3. What were your reasons for joining the department?
4. Did you have to go through any special training sessions?
5. What type of criminals do you come across most in this area-thieves, killers, molesters,
   etc?
6. How do you identify or locate criminals?
7. Once you catch the culprit-say a thief-how do you deal with him?
8. Can you tell me something about your achievements and awards?
9. How can you motivate others to join the force?
10. Any message to college students?

Thank you, Sir, for sparing the time for this interview. It will be published in our school magazine. Good day.

(A6)

Question (i)
Make a list of jobs which would give you an opportunity to help the society or serve the country. Also mention the different ways in which they can be beneficial to the people and also the country,

Question (ii)
Go to your school/college library and read some other stories by O’Henry like, ‘The Gift of the Magi’, ‘The Last Leaf and ‘After Twenty years’. Write the stories in short in your notebook.

Read the extract and complete the activities given below:

Global Understanding:

Question 1.
Name the following:
Answer:

1. This is where Soapy stopped at a luxurious cafe
2. This had been a gift to Soapy: a neat, black bow
3. This is what Soapy wanted to eat: a roasted mallard duck, some cheese a bottle of wine, a cup of coffee
4. This is what Soapy wanted to drink: Soapy’s tattered
5. This is what the head waiter noticed:trousers and old shoes
6. This is where Soapy was left by the head: on the sidewalk

Question 1.
Write if the following sentences are True or False. Correct the False sentences:
1. Soapy broke the glass of the shop window.
2. Nobody heard the breaking of the window.
3. The policeman chased Soapy.
4. Soapy did not run away from the place.
5. The restaurant Soapy entered was an ordinary one.
6. The policeman ate beefsteak, flapjacks, doughnuts and pie.
Answer:
True sentences:
1. Soapy broke the glass of the shop window.
4. Soapy did not run away from the place.
5. The restaurant Soapy entered was an ordinary one.

False sentences:
2. Nobody heard the breaking of the window.
3. The policeman chased Soapy.
6. The policeman ate beefsteak, flapjacks, doughnuts and pie.

Corrected sentences:
1. A policeman as well as some people heard the breaking of the window.
2. The policeman chased a man running to catch a car.
3. Soapy ate beefsteak, flapjacks, doughnuts and pie.

Question 2.
Complete the table:
(The answers is given directly and underlined.)
Answer:

Question 3.
Rearrange the following sentences according to their occurrence in the extract:

1. Soapy decided to go into the downtown district and find work.
2. A policeman caught Soapy’s arm.
3. Soapy saw a quaint old church.
4. Soapy’s ears caught sweet music.

Answer:

1. Soapy saw a quaint old church.
2. Soapy’s ears caught sweet music.
3. Soapy decided to go into the downtown district and find work.
4. A policeman caught Soapy’s arm.

Question 4.
Complete the following:
(The answers are given directly and underlined.)
Answer:

1. A soft light glowed through one violet-stained window.
2. Soapy came to a standstill on an unusually quiet corner.
3. Soapy stood without moving near the iron fence listening to the anthem that the organist played.
4. Soapy planned to resurrect his old eager ambitions.

Answer the following in a few words each:

Question 1.
Who was lighting a cigar?
Answer:
A well-dressed man

Question 2.
Who twirled his club?
Answer:
A policeman

Question 3.
Who grabbed the umbrella?
Answer:
Soapy

Question 4.
Whom did the policeman help?
Answer:
A tall blonde

Complex Factual:

Question 1.
Give reasons and complete the following:
(The answers are given directly and underlined.)
Answer:
Soapy was disgusted with the policeman because he refused to accept that Soapy had broken the window, and he rushed off to chase another man.

Question 2.
Complete the web:
(The answers are given directly and underlined.)
Answer:

Question 3.
Describe Soapy’s behaviour on the sidewalk.
Answer:
On the sidewalk Soapy began to yell drunken meaningless things at the top of his harsh voice. He danced, howled, spoke wildly and made a big disturbance.

Question 4.
Describe the wonderful change in Soapy’s soul.
Answer:
After listening to the anthem, Soapy remembers his earlier life, and is horrified to realize that he has indeed become a degraded person. He decides to pull himself out of the pit into which he has fallen and make a man of himself again. He determines to bring back to his life his old eager ambitions and pursue them. He makes up his mind to take up a job.

Question 5.
Describe the end of the story in your own words.
Answer:
Initially Soapy had felt that he would like to pass the winter months in prison, and he makes several efforts to get himself arrested. The notes of anthem transform him from within and he decides to give up his evil ways and become a man again. He resolves to work hard. At that very moment, ironically, a policeman arrests him for loitering and he is sent to prison for three months. Soapy faces the irony of fate as the moment he realizes that real freedom lies in a virtuous life, he is taken into confinement.

Question 6.
Complete the following:
Soapy was angry because ………..
Answer:
Soapy was angry because when he wanted to fall into the clutches of the policemen. In order to be arrested, they seemed to regard him as a king who could do nothing wrong.

Inference/Interpretation/Analysis:

Question 1.
Complete the following:
(The answers are given directly and underlined.)
Answer:
Soapy took a stone because he wanted to break the glass of the shop window. This would result in a policeman arresting him for this act, and he would be imprisoned for the winter, which was exactly what he wanted.

Discuss the hidden meaning in the expressions/sentences.

Question 1.
It catered to large appetites and modest purses.
Answer:
The restaurant prepared food for ordinary workers who had large appetites but very little money.

Question 2.
He told the waiter the fact that the minutest coin and himself were total strangers.
Answer:
He told the waiter that he did not have any money.

Question 3.
A voice like butter cakes and an eye like the cherry in the Manhattan cocktail.
Answer:
A very smooth voice and a hard, stony eye (a tough person).

Question 4.
Discuss the meaning in the context:
He caught at the immediate straw of ‘disorderly conduct’.
Answer:
Soapy wanted to be arrested by a policeman and imprisoned. However, his efforts towards this end had been unsuccessful, and he was worried that he would continue to be unsuccessful. When he suddenly came upon a policeman lounging in front of a theatre, an idea struck him. He felt that if he shouted and screamed and made a lot of noise, he would be arrested for behaving in a dangerous and disturbing way in public, and would be imprisoned, which was what he wanted.

Question 5.
Complete the following:
(The answer is given directly and underlined.)
Answer:
Soapy was angry because even after he had stolen a man’s umbrella, the man did not report him to the police, but instead apologized and said that perhaps he (the umbrella man) had made a mistake.

Question 6.
The umbrella man did not call a policeman. Give reasons for this.
Answer:
The umbrella man had himself probably stolen the umbrella from somewhere. When Soapy picked up the umbrella, the man first thought that he could get it back. But when Soapy spoke about calling a policeman, the man thought that the umbrella was actually Soapy’s, and Soapy would hand him over to the police. Hence, he apologized quickly and walked away without calling a policeman.

Personal Response:

Question 1.
Give your opinion about Soapy’s desire to enter prison.
Answer:
I find it very strange that a person can actually want to enter prison, whatever be the reason. At least, from what I know of prisons, they are terrible places, and one has a very difficult time there. However, Soapy has obviously been to prison before, and probably enjoys the free food and protection from the winter that he gets there.

Question 2.
Have you ever bought/eaten something and then found that you did not have enough money to pay for it? Describe your feeling at that time.
Answer:
Yes, it happened to me once. I went to a mall and bought a jacket for myself. I had been looking at a lot of jackets and I got confused with the prices. Finally, when the cashier was making the bill, I found that the jacket I had chosen was very expensive and I did not have enough money to pay for it. I was very embarrassed to tell the cashier this, but I had to. He gave me an angry look.

Question 3.
Have you ever stolen/wanted to steal anything? Narrate in brief.
Answer:
Yes, when I was about 12 years old, I stole my friend’s remote-controlled toy car, which his uncle had sent him from abroad. It was a beautiful car. However, when I was playing with it at home my mother saw me, and she made me return the car. I later felt very ashamed of myself, but fortunately my friend forgave me.

Language Study.

Question 1.
If only he could reach a table in the restaurant unsuspected, success would be his.
(Rewrite using ‘unless’.)
Answer:
Unless he could reach a table in the restaurant unsuspected, success would not be his.

Question 2.
One dollar for the cigar would be enough.
(Add a question tag.)
Answer:
One dollar for the cigar would be enough, wouldn’t it?

Question 3.
Some other way of entering the limbo must be devised.
(Use an infinitive in place of a gerund.)
Answer:
Some other way to enter the limbo must be devised.

Question 4.
He had set his silk umbrella by the door on entering. (Rewrite using the verb form of the underlined word.)
Answer:
He had set his silk umbrella by the door when he entered.

Question 5.
At length Soapy reached one of the avenues to the east. (Rewrite using another adverb phrase with the same meaning as the underlined phrase.)
Answer:
After a long time Soapy reached one of the avenues to the east.

Question 6.
On an unusually quiet corner, Soapy came to a standstill. (Rewrite using ‘that’.)
Answer:
Soapy came to a standstill on a corner that was unusually quiet.

Vocabulary:

Question 1.
Guess the meaning of the following in the context:
1. winter island
2. eye fell upon
Answer:
1. winter island – prison.
2. eye fell upon – saw or noticed.

Question 2.
O’Henry has used different words to indicate prison, where Soapy wants to reach. Make a list of those words from the extract.
Answer:

1. winter island
2. coveted island
3. limbo

Question 3.
Make sentences using the following words/expressions :
1. eye fell upon
2. strolled
Answer:
1. My eye fell upon the clock, and I sat up with shock.
2. Seema strolled along the beach, enjoying the breeze.

Question 4.
Guess the meaning of:

1. napery
2. betook
3. brass buttons

Answer:

1. napery – table linen.
2. betook – to cause oneself to go.
3. brass buttons – the police.

Question 5.
O’Henry has used different words to indicate prison where Soapy wants to reach. Make a list of those words from the extract:
Answer:
the island

Question 6.
Fill in the blanks with the correct nouns from the extract:

1. friendly
2. electric
3. large
4. callous

Answer:

1. friendly voice
2. electric lights
3. large appetites
4. callous pavement

Question 7.
O’Henry has used different words to indicate prison where Soapy wants to reach. Make a list of those words from the extract.
Answer:
the island, Arcadia

Question 8.
Pick out four verbs in the simple past tense from the extract.
Answer:
danced, howled, raved, disturbed

Question 9.
Match the words in Column A with the meanings in Column B :
Answer:

1. disconsolate – very unhappy
2. sauntered – walked in a relaxed manner
3. raved – spoke wildly
4. rendered – made

Non-Textual Grammar

Do as directed:

Question 1.
Shivani found a small box and dropped her bangles inside.
(Rewrite the sentence, beginning ‘Finding …)
Answer:
Finding a small box, Shivani dropped her bangles inside.

Question 2.
Sunlight from the window made her black hair appear brown. (Rewrite using ‘that’.)
Answer:
Sunlight that came from the window made her black hair appear brown.

Question 3.
On the day the school closed for the summer, no student was more delighted than Rithik.
(Change the degree.)
Answer:
1. On the day the school closed for the summer, Rithik was the most delighted student. – Superlative degree
2. On the day the school closed for the summer, Rithik was more delighted than any other student. – Comparative degree

Spot the error in the following sentences and rewrite them correctly:

Question 1.
There is room for much boxes in this cupboard.
Answer:
There is room for many boxes in this cupboard.

Question 2.
If I requires help for him in public places, I was not embarrassed to seek it from people around.
Answer:
If I required help for him in public places, I was not embarrassed to seek it from people around.