Textbook: Three Questions | English Kumarbharati Class 10 (Maharashtra SSC Board) PDF Download

 Page 1


2.2  The Three Questions
Once a certain king had an idea. If he always 
knew the right time to begin everything, if he knew 
who were the right people to listen to and who to avoid  
the most important thing to do, he would never fail in 
anything that he would undertake and above all, if he 
always knew what was the most undertake. Since he 
was convinced that he was right in thinking this way, 
he had a proclamation made in his kingdom. He would 
give a great reward to anyone who would teach him 
what the right time was for every action, who the most 
necessary people were, and how he might know the 
most important thing to do. 
Many learned people came to the court but they all 
gave different answers. In reply to the first question, 
some said that to know the right time for every action, 
one must draw up in advance a table of days, months 
and years, and must live strictly according to it. Others 
declared that it was impossible to decide beforehand the 
right time for every action; but that, not letting oneself 
be absorbed in idle pastimes, one should always attend 
to all that was going on, and then do that which was 
most essential. Yet others said that it was impossible 
for one man to decide correctly the right time for every 
action and that the king should, instead, have a council 
of wise people, who would help him to fix the proper 
time for everything.
Equally varied were the answers to the second 
question. Some said, the people, the king most needed, 
were his councillors; others the priests; others the doctors 
while some said the warriors were the most necessary.
Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) was a Russian writer who is 
regarded as one of the greatest authors of all time. He 
first achieved literary acclaim in his twenties with his semi-
autobiographical trilogy Childhood, Boyhood and Youth.
A parable is a short story with a moral lesson. A 
parable usually has human characters. This parable concerns 
a king who wants to find the answers to what he considers 
to be the three most important questions in life. 
u What is the right
time according to
you ?
u proclamation : an
official announcement 
in public
u What final suggestion
did the last group of
learned men offer,
regarding the best
time ?
52
Page 2


2.2  The Three Questions
Once a certain king had an idea. If he always 
knew the right time to begin everything, if he knew 
who were the right people to listen to and who to avoid  
the most important thing to do, he would never fail in 
anything that he would undertake and above all, if he 
always knew what was the most undertake. Since he 
was convinced that he was right in thinking this way, 
he had a proclamation made in his kingdom. He would 
give a great reward to anyone who would teach him 
what the right time was for every action, who the most 
necessary people were, and how he might know the 
most important thing to do. 
Many learned people came to the court but they all 
gave different answers. In reply to the first question, 
some said that to know the right time for every action, 
one must draw up in advance a table of days, months 
and years, and must live strictly according to it. Others 
declared that it was impossible to decide beforehand the 
right time for every action; but that, not letting oneself 
be absorbed in idle pastimes, one should always attend 
to all that was going on, and then do that which was 
most essential. Yet others said that it was impossible 
for one man to decide correctly the right time for every 
action and that the king should, instead, have a council 
of wise people, who would help him to fix the proper 
time for everything.
Equally varied were the answers to the second 
question. Some said, the people, the king most needed, 
were his councillors; others the priests; others the doctors 
while some said the warriors were the most necessary.
Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) was a Russian writer who is 
regarded as one of the greatest authors of all time. He 
first achieved literary acclaim in his twenties with his semi-
autobiographical trilogy Childhood, Boyhood and Youth.
A parable is a short story with a moral lesson. A 
parable usually has human characters. This parable concerns 
a king who wants to find the answers to what he considers 
to be the three most important questions in life. 
u What is the right
time according to
you ?
u proclamation : an
official announcement 
in public
u What final suggestion
did the last group of
learned men offer,
regarding the best
time ?
52
To the third question about what was the most 
important occupation, some replied that the most 
important thing in the world was science. Others said 
it was skill in warfare; and others, again, that it was 
religious worship. The king was convinced by none of 
these answers and gave the reward to none.
He decided, instead to go to a hermit who was 
widely renowned for his wisdom. The hermit lived in 
a small hut in a forest which he never left. He spoke 
only to common folk. So the king put on simple clothes 
and approaching the hermit’s cell, dismounted his horse 
and left his bodyguard behind.
When the king arrived, the hermit was digging the 
ground in front of his hut. He greeted the king but went 
on digging. The hermit was frail and weak, and each 
time he struck the ground with the spade and turned 
over a little earth, he breathed heavily. The king went 
up to him and said, “I have come to you, wise hermit, 
to ask you to answer three questions-How can I learn 
to do the right thing at the right time ? Who are the 
people I most need, and to whom should I, therefore, 
pay most attention ? And what affairs are the most 
important and need my first attention ?”
The hermit listened to the king but said nothing. 
He just spat on his hand and resumed digging. The 
king watched in silence for a while. Then, feeling 
sorry for the hermit, he said, “You are tired, let me 
take the spade and work a while for you.” The hermit 
silently handed over the spade and sat down on the 
ground. When he had dug two beds, the king stopped 
and repeated his questions. The hermit again gave no 
answer, but rose, stretched out his hand for the spade, 
and said, “Now rest a while and let me work a bit”. 
But the king did not give him the spade and continued 
to dig.
One hour passed and another. The sun began to 
sink behind the trees and the king at last stuck the 
spade into the ground and said, “I came to you, wise 
one, for an answer to my questions. If you can give 
me none, please say so, and I will go home”. “Here 
comes someone running,” said the hermit, “let us see 
who it is.”
The king turned round and saw a bearded man 
come running out of the forest. The man held his hands 
u Why did the king
go to the hermit  in
disguise?
u frail : delicate
u resumed : continued
after a pause
u How did the hermit
respond to the king’s
questions ?
53
Page 3


2.2  The Three Questions
Once a certain king had an idea. If he always 
knew the right time to begin everything, if he knew 
who were the right people to listen to and who to avoid  
the most important thing to do, he would never fail in 
anything that he would undertake and above all, if he 
always knew what was the most undertake. Since he 
was convinced that he was right in thinking this way, 
he had a proclamation made in his kingdom. He would 
give a great reward to anyone who would teach him 
what the right time was for every action, who the most 
necessary people were, and how he might know the 
most important thing to do. 
Many learned people came to the court but they all 
gave different answers. In reply to the first question, 
some said that to know the right time for every action, 
one must draw up in advance a table of days, months 
and years, and must live strictly according to it. Others 
declared that it was impossible to decide beforehand the 
right time for every action; but that, not letting oneself 
be absorbed in idle pastimes, one should always attend 
to all that was going on, and then do that which was 
most essential. Yet others said that it was impossible 
for one man to decide correctly the right time for every 
action and that the king should, instead, have a council 
of wise people, who would help him to fix the proper 
time for everything.
Equally varied were the answers to the second 
question. Some said, the people, the king most needed, 
were his councillors; others the priests; others the doctors 
while some said the warriors were the most necessary.
Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) was a Russian writer who is 
regarded as one of the greatest authors of all time. He 
first achieved literary acclaim in his twenties with his semi-
autobiographical trilogy Childhood, Boyhood and Youth.
A parable is a short story with a moral lesson. A 
parable usually has human characters. This parable concerns 
a king who wants to find the answers to what he considers 
to be the three most important questions in life. 
u What is the right
time according to
you ?
u proclamation : an
official announcement 
in public
u What final suggestion
did the last group of
learned men offer,
regarding the best
time ?
52
To the third question about what was the most 
important occupation, some replied that the most 
important thing in the world was science. Others said 
it was skill in warfare; and others, again, that it was 
religious worship. The king was convinced by none of 
these answers and gave the reward to none.
He decided, instead to go to a hermit who was 
widely renowned for his wisdom. The hermit lived in 
a small hut in a forest which he never left. He spoke 
only to common folk. So the king put on simple clothes 
and approaching the hermit’s cell, dismounted his horse 
and left his bodyguard behind.
When the king arrived, the hermit was digging the 
ground in front of his hut. He greeted the king but went 
on digging. The hermit was frail and weak, and each 
time he struck the ground with the spade and turned 
over a little earth, he breathed heavily. The king went 
up to him and said, “I have come to you, wise hermit, 
to ask you to answer three questions-How can I learn 
to do the right thing at the right time ? Who are the 
people I most need, and to whom should I, therefore, 
pay most attention ? And what affairs are the most 
important and need my first attention ?”
The hermit listened to the king but said nothing. 
He just spat on his hand and resumed digging. The 
king watched in silence for a while. Then, feeling 
sorry for the hermit, he said, “You are tired, let me 
take the spade and work a while for you.” The hermit 
silently handed over the spade and sat down on the 
ground. When he had dug two beds, the king stopped 
and repeated his questions. The hermit again gave no 
answer, but rose, stretched out his hand for the spade, 
and said, “Now rest a while and let me work a bit”. 
But the king did not give him the spade and continued 
to dig.
One hour passed and another. The sun began to 
sink behind the trees and the king at last stuck the 
spade into the ground and said, “I came to you, wise 
one, for an answer to my questions. If you can give 
me none, please say so, and I will go home”. “Here 
comes someone running,” said the hermit, “let us see 
who it is.”
The king turned round and saw a bearded man 
come running out of the forest. The man held his hands 
u Why did the king
go to the hermit  in
disguise?
u frail : delicate
u resumed : continued
after a pause
u How did the hermit
respond to the king’s
questions ?
53
pressed against his stomach, and blood was flowing 
from under them. When he reached the king, he fainted 
and fell to the ground, moaning feebly. The king and 
the hermit unfastened the man’s clothing. There was 
a large wound in his stomach. The king washed it as 
well as he could, and bandaged it with his handkerchief 
and a towel the hermit had. But the blood would not 
stop flowing, and the king again and again removed 
the bandage soaked with warm blood and washed and 
rebandaged the wound. When at last the blood stopped 
flowing, the man revived and asked for something to 
drink. The king brought some fresh water and gave it 
to him.
Meanwhile the sun had set and it had become 
cool. So the king, with the hermit’s help, carried the 
wounded man into the hut. The man lay there quietly 
with his eyes closed. By now, the king was so tired 
after his walk and the work he had done, that he lay 
down himself and also fell asleep. When he awoke 
in the morning, it took him some time to remember 
where he was and who was the strange bearded man 
lying by his side and gazing intently at him. “Forgive 
me !” said the bearded man in a weak voice, when he 
saw that the king was awake and was looking at him.  
‘‘I do not know you, and I’ve nothing to forgive you 
for,” said the king.
“You do not know me, but I know you. I am 
that enemy of yours who swore to revenge himself on 
you because you executed his brother and seized his 
property. I knew you had gone alone to see the hermit, 
and I resolved to kill you on your way back. But the 
day passed and you did not return. So I came out of 
my ambush to find you. Your bodyguards recognised 
me and wounded me. I escaped from them but would 
have bled to death had you not dressed my wound.  
I wished to kill you but you have saved my life. Now 
if I live, and if you wish it, I’ll serve you all my life.”
The king was very glad to have made peace with 
an enemy so easily and to have gained him for a 
friend. He not only forgave him but said he would send 
his men and his own physician to attend to him. The 
king then took leave of him and went out of the hut 
to look for the hermit. Before going away he wished 
once more to beg for an answer to the questions he had
l ambush : place of
hiding before attack
l intently : very
attentively, eagerly.
u In what state was
the bearded man,
when he arrived ?
u Why had the wounded
man asked for the
king’s pardon ?
u What qualities of the
king stand out as he
forgave his enemy ?
54
Page 4


2.2  The Three Questions
Once a certain king had an idea. If he always 
knew the right time to begin everything, if he knew 
who were the right people to listen to and who to avoid  
the most important thing to do, he would never fail in 
anything that he would undertake and above all, if he 
always knew what was the most undertake. Since he 
was convinced that he was right in thinking this way, 
he had a proclamation made in his kingdom. He would 
give a great reward to anyone who would teach him 
what the right time was for every action, who the most 
necessary people were, and how he might know the 
most important thing to do. 
Many learned people came to the court but they all 
gave different answers. In reply to the first question, 
some said that to know the right time for every action, 
one must draw up in advance a table of days, months 
and years, and must live strictly according to it. Others 
declared that it was impossible to decide beforehand the 
right time for every action; but that, not letting oneself 
be absorbed in idle pastimes, one should always attend 
to all that was going on, and then do that which was 
most essential. Yet others said that it was impossible 
for one man to decide correctly the right time for every 
action and that the king should, instead, have a council 
of wise people, who would help him to fix the proper 
time for everything.
Equally varied were the answers to the second 
question. Some said, the people, the king most needed, 
were his councillors; others the priests; others the doctors 
while some said the warriors were the most necessary.
Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) was a Russian writer who is 
regarded as one of the greatest authors of all time. He 
first achieved literary acclaim in his twenties with his semi-
autobiographical trilogy Childhood, Boyhood and Youth.
A parable is a short story with a moral lesson. A 
parable usually has human characters. This parable concerns 
a king who wants to find the answers to what he considers 
to be the three most important questions in life. 
u What is the right
time according to
you ?
u proclamation : an
official announcement 
in public
u What final suggestion
did the last group of
learned men offer,
regarding the best
time ?
52
To the third question about what was the most 
important occupation, some replied that the most 
important thing in the world was science. Others said 
it was skill in warfare; and others, again, that it was 
religious worship. The king was convinced by none of 
these answers and gave the reward to none.
He decided, instead to go to a hermit who was 
widely renowned for his wisdom. The hermit lived in 
a small hut in a forest which he never left. He spoke 
only to common folk. So the king put on simple clothes 
and approaching the hermit’s cell, dismounted his horse 
and left his bodyguard behind.
When the king arrived, the hermit was digging the 
ground in front of his hut. He greeted the king but went 
on digging. The hermit was frail and weak, and each 
time he struck the ground with the spade and turned 
over a little earth, he breathed heavily. The king went 
up to him and said, “I have come to you, wise hermit, 
to ask you to answer three questions-How can I learn 
to do the right thing at the right time ? Who are the 
people I most need, and to whom should I, therefore, 
pay most attention ? And what affairs are the most 
important and need my first attention ?”
The hermit listened to the king but said nothing. 
He just spat on his hand and resumed digging. The 
king watched in silence for a while. Then, feeling 
sorry for the hermit, he said, “You are tired, let me 
take the spade and work a while for you.” The hermit 
silently handed over the spade and sat down on the 
ground. When he had dug two beds, the king stopped 
and repeated his questions. The hermit again gave no 
answer, but rose, stretched out his hand for the spade, 
and said, “Now rest a while and let me work a bit”. 
But the king did not give him the spade and continued 
to dig.
One hour passed and another. The sun began to 
sink behind the trees and the king at last stuck the 
spade into the ground and said, “I came to you, wise 
one, for an answer to my questions. If you can give 
me none, please say so, and I will go home”. “Here 
comes someone running,” said the hermit, “let us see 
who it is.”
The king turned round and saw a bearded man 
come running out of the forest. The man held his hands 
u Why did the king
go to the hermit  in
disguise?
u frail : delicate
u resumed : continued
after a pause
u How did the hermit
respond to the king’s
questions ?
53
pressed against his stomach, and blood was flowing 
from under them. When he reached the king, he fainted 
and fell to the ground, moaning feebly. The king and 
the hermit unfastened the man’s clothing. There was 
a large wound in his stomach. The king washed it as 
well as he could, and bandaged it with his handkerchief 
and a towel the hermit had. But the blood would not 
stop flowing, and the king again and again removed 
the bandage soaked with warm blood and washed and 
rebandaged the wound. When at last the blood stopped 
flowing, the man revived and asked for something to 
drink. The king brought some fresh water and gave it 
to him.
Meanwhile the sun had set and it had become 
cool. So the king, with the hermit’s help, carried the 
wounded man into the hut. The man lay there quietly 
with his eyes closed. By now, the king was so tired 
after his walk and the work he had done, that he lay 
down himself and also fell asleep. When he awoke 
in the morning, it took him some time to remember 
where he was and who was the strange bearded man 
lying by his side and gazing intently at him. “Forgive 
me !” said the bearded man in a weak voice, when he 
saw that the king was awake and was looking at him.  
‘‘I do not know you, and I’ve nothing to forgive you 
for,” said the king.
“You do not know me, but I know you. I am 
that enemy of yours who swore to revenge himself on 
you because you executed his brother and seized his 
property. I knew you had gone alone to see the hermit, 
and I resolved to kill you on your way back. But the 
day passed and you did not return. So I came out of 
my ambush to find you. Your bodyguards recognised 
me and wounded me. I escaped from them but would 
have bled to death had you not dressed my wound.  
I wished to kill you but you have saved my life. Now 
if I live, and if you wish it, I’ll serve you all my life.”
The king was very glad to have made peace with 
an enemy so easily and to have gained him for a 
friend. He not only forgave him but said he would send 
his men and his own physician to attend to him. The 
king then took leave of him and went out of the hut 
to look for the hermit. Before going away he wished 
once more to beg for an answer to the questions he had
l ambush : place of
hiding before attack
l intently : very
attentively, eagerly.
u In what state was
the bearded man,
when he arrived ?
u Why had the wounded
man asked for the
king’s pardon ?
u What qualities of the
king stand out as he
forgave his enemy ?
54
55
asked. The hermit was outside, on his knees, sowing 
seeds in the beds that had been dug the day before.
The king approached him and said, “For the last 
time, I pray you to answer my questions, wise man.”
“You have already been answered !” said the hermit 
still crouching on his thin legs and looking up at the 
king who stood before him. 
“What do you mean?” asked the king. 
“Do you not see ?” replied the hermit. “If you’d 
not pitied my weakness yesterday and stayed to dig 
these beds for me, you would have gone back and 
been killed by that man. So the most important time 
was when you were digging the beds, and I was the 
most important man and to do me good was your most 
important business. Afterwards, the most important 
time was when you were attending to that man, for 
if you’d not bound his wounds, he would have died 
without having made peace with you. So he was the 
most important man and what you did for him was 
your most important business. Remember then, there is 
only one time that is important-now ! It is the most 
important time because it’s the only time when we 
have any power. The most necessary person is the one 
with whom you are, for you do not know whether you 
will ever have dealings with anyone else; and the most 
important thing is to do this person good, because for 
that purpose alone were you sent into this life !”
- Leo Tolstoy
l crouching : bending
u??? How did the hermit
finally point out the
answers to the king’s
questions ?
1. Read the story and answer whether the following statements are true or false.
(a) The people convinced the King to make a proclamation.
(b) The hermit spoke usually to everyone.
(c) The King received all answers from the hermit.
(d) The person the King saved and helped was his enemy.
(e) To do good to people is the purpose of our life.
ENGLISH WORKSHOP 
Page 5


2.2  The Three Questions
Once a certain king had an idea. If he always 
knew the right time to begin everything, if he knew 
who were the right people to listen to and who to avoid  
the most important thing to do, he would never fail in 
anything that he would undertake and above all, if he 
always knew what was the most undertake. Since he 
was convinced that he was right in thinking this way, 
he had a proclamation made in his kingdom. He would 
give a great reward to anyone who would teach him 
what the right time was for every action, who the most 
necessary people were, and how he might know the 
most important thing to do. 
Many learned people came to the court but they all 
gave different answers. In reply to the first question, 
some said that to know the right time for every action, 
one must draw up in advance a table of days, months 
and years, and must live strictly according to it. Others 
declared that it was impossible to decide beforehand the 
right time for every action; but that, not letting oneself 
be absorbed in idle pastimes, one should always attend 
to all that was going on, and then do that which was 
most essential. Yet others said that it was impossible 
for one man to decide correctly the right time for every 
action and that the king should, instead, have a council 
of wise people, who would help him to fix the proper 
time for everything.
Equally varied were the answers to the second 
question. Some said, the people, the king most needed, 
were his councillors; others the priests; others the doctors 
while some said the warriors were the most necessary.
Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) was a Russian writer who is 
regarded as one of the greatest authors of all time. He 
first achieved literary acclaim in his twenties with his semi-
autobiographical trilogy Childhood, Boyhood and Youth.
A parable is a short story with a moral lesson. A 
parable usually has human characters. This parable concerns 
a king who wants to find the answers to what he considers 
to be the three most important questions in life. 
u What is the right
time according to
you ?
u proclamation : an
official announcement 
in public
u What final suggestion
did the last group of
learned men offer,
regarding the best
time ?
52
To the third question about what was the most 
important occupation, some replied that the most 
important thing in the world was science. Others said 
it was skill in warfare; and others, again, that it was 
religious worship. The king was convinced by none of 
these answers and gave the reward to none.
He decided, instead to go to a hermit who was 
widely renowned for his wisdom. The hermit lived in 
a small hut in a forest which he never left. He spoke 
only to common folk. So the king put on simple clothes 
and approaching the hermit’s cell, dismounted his horse 
and left his bodyguard behind.
When the king arrived, the hermit was digging the 
ground in front of his hut. He greeted the king but went 
on digging. The hermit was frail and weak, and each 
time he struck the ground with the spade and turned 
over a little earth, he breathed heavily. The king went 
up to him and said, “I have come to you, wise hermit, 
to ask you to answer three questions-How can I learn 
to do the right thing at the right time ? Who are the 
people I most need, and to whom should I, therefore, 
pay most attention ? And what affairs are the most 
important and need my first attention ?”
The hermit listened to the king but said nothing. 
He just spat on his hand and resumed digging. The 
king watched in silence for a while. Then, feeling 
sorry for the hermit, he said, “You are tired, let me 
take the spade and work a while for you.” The hermit 
silently handed over the spade and sat down on the 
ground. When he had dug two beds, the king stopped 
and repeated his questions. The hermit again gave no 
answer, but rose, stretched out his hand for the spade, 
and said, “Now rest a while and let me work a bit”. 
But the king did not give him the spade and continued 
to dig.
One hour passed and another. The sun began to 
sink behind the trees and the king at last stuck the 
spade into the ground and said, “I came to you, wise 
one, for an answer to my questions. If you can give 
me none, please say so, and I will go home”. “Here 
comes someone running,” said the hermit, “let us see 
who it is.”
The king turned round and saw a bearded man 
come running out of the forest. The man held his hands 
u Why did the king
go to the hermit  in
disguise?
u frail : delicate
u resumed : continued
after a pause
u How did the hermit
respond to the king’s
questions ?
53
pressed against his stomach, and blood was flowing 
from under them. When he reached the king, he fainted 
and fell to the ground, moaning feebly. The king and 
the hermit unfastened the man’s clothing. There was 
a large wound in his stomach. The king washed it as 
well as he could, and bandaged it with his handkerchief 
and a towel the hermit had. But the blood would not 
stop flowing, and the king again and again removed 
the bandage soaked with warm blood and washed and 
rebandaged the wound. When at last the blood stopped 
flowing, the man revived and asked for something to 
drink. The king brought some fresh water and gave it 
to him.
Meanwhile the sun had set and it had become 
cool. So the king, with the hermit’s help, carried the 
wounded man into the hut. The man lay there quietly 
with his eyes closed. By now, the king was so tired 
after his walk and the work he had done, that he lay 
down himself and also fell asleep. When he awoke 
in the morning, it took him some time to remember 
where he was and who was the strange bearded man 
lying by his side and gazing intently at him. “Forgive 
me !” said the bearded man in a weak voice, when he 
saw that the king was awake and was looking at him.  
‘‘I do not know you, and I’ve nothing to forgive you 
for,” said the king.
“You do not know me, but I know you. I am 
that enemy of yours who swore to revenge himself on 
you because you executed his brother and seized his 
property. I knew you had gone alone to see the hermit, 
and I resolved to kill you on your way back. But the 
day passed and you did not return. So I came out of 
my ambush to find you. Your bodyguards recognised 
me and wounded me. I escaped from them but would 
have bled to death had you not dressed my wound.  
I wished to kill you but you have saved my life. Now 
if I live, and if you wish it, I’ll serve you all my life.”
The king was very glad to have made peace with 
an enemy so easily and to have gained him for a 
friend. He not only forgave him but said he would send 
his men and his own physician to attend to him. The 
king then took leave of him and went out of the hut 
to look for the hermit. Before going away he wished 
once more to beg for an answer to the questions he had
l ambush : place of
hiding before attack
l intently : very
attentively, eagerly.
u In what state was
the bearded man,
when he arrived ?
u Why had the wounded
man asked for the
king’s pardon ?
u What qualities of the
king stand out as he
forgave his enemy ?
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asked. The hermit was outside, on his knees, sowing 
seeds in the beds that had been dug the day before.
The king approached him and said, “For the last 
time, I pray you to answer my questions, wise man.”
“You have already been answered !” said the hermit 
still crouching on his thin legs and looking up at the 
king who stood before him. 
“What do you mean?” asked the king. 
“Do you not see ?” replied the hermit. “If you’d 
not pitied my weakness yesterday and stayed to dig 
these beds for me, you would have gone back and 
been killed by that man. So the most important time 
was when you were digging the beds, and I was the 
most important man and to do me good was your most 
important business. Afterwards, the most important 
time was when you were attending to that man, for 
if you’d not bound his wounds, he would have died 
without having made peace with you. So he was the 
most important man and what you did for him was 
your most important business. Remember then, there is 
only one time that is important-now ! It is the most 
important time because it’s the only time when we 
have any power. The most necessary person is the one 
with whom you are, for you do not know whether you 
will ever have dealings with anyone else; and the most 
important thing is to do this person good, because for 
that purpose alone were you sent into this life !”
- Leo Tolstoy
l crouching : bending
u??? How did the hermit
finally point out the
answers to the king’s
questions ?
1. Read the story and answer whether the following statements are true or false.
(a) The people convinced the King to make a proclamation.
(b) The hermit spoke usually to everyone.
(c) The King received all answers from the hermit.
(d) The person the King saved and helped was his enemy.
(e) To do good to people is the purpose of our life.
ENGLISH WORKSHOP 
56
2. Match the titles with the contents of the proper paragraph. 
1 Once a certain king . . .  
important to do. 
a King gains a friend.
2 Many learned people . . . 
time for everything. 
b The wounded stranger
3 Equally varied . . . gave the 
reward to none. 
c King helps the hermit. 
4 When the King arrived, . . . 
my first attention.
d The stranger begs for pardon. 
5 The hermit listened . . . 
continued to dig. 
e The hermit points out answers. 
6 The King turned round . . . 
gave it to him. 
f Stranger’s vicious intention
7 Meanwhile the sun  . . . said 
the King. 
g Questions remain unanswered.
8 “You do not know . . . all 
my life. 
h The king receives various answers.
9 The King was very glad . . .  
the day before. 
i King’s announcement.
10 “Do you not see?” . . . sent 
into this life!”
j The King meets the hermit. 
(1)  (2)  (3)  (4) 
(5)  (6)  (7)  (8) 
(9)  (10) 
3. The character traits of the king and hermit are mixed up. Sort them out in the 
right box. 
compassionate
forgiving
enlightened
wise
feeble
impatient
patient
helpful
eager to succeed
convincing
KING HERMIT