Class 10 English Chapter 1 Question Answers - A Triumph of Surgery

Short Answer Type Questions
Q1: “I think 1 know a cure for you”. What was Dr Herriot’s ‘cure’ for Tricki?
Ans: Seeing the miserable condition of Tricki Dr Herriot at once decides to keep him away from his mistress Mrs Pumphrey for a while. So, he suggested that Tricki should be hospitalized for about a fortnight as he had to be kept upder observation.

Q2: Why was Dr Herriot shocked at Tricki’s appearance?
Ans: Dr Herriot was shocked at Tricki’s appearance because he had become hugely fat. His eyes looked bloodshot and rheumy and his tongue lolled from his jaws. He could walk with difficulty.

Q3: What was MrsPumphrey’s reaction when Dr Herriot suggested Tricki’s hospitalization?
Ans: Dr Herriot had made his plan in advance. So when Mrs Pumphrey reported Tricki’s illness, he at once suggested him to be hospitalized for about a fortnight to be kept under observation.

Q4: Which two suggestions did Dr Herriot give to Mrs Pumphrey at the initial stage? Did she follow?
Ans: Dr Herriot suggested Mrs Pumphrey to cutdown on the sweet things given to Tricki. He asked her to provide more exercise to the dog.

Q5: What did Mrs Pumphrey do to bring him back to normal health? Was she successful?
Ans: When Mrs Pumphrey found Tricki weak, she started giving him extra diet between meals to build him , up. She gave him some malt and cod-liver oil and a bowl of Horlicks at night. She never forgot to give him cream cakes and chocolates which Tricki really loved. She was hot successful rather she put her dog in more trouble. He started gaining weight which made fys condition worse.

Q6: Why did Mrs Pumphery make a frantic call to Dr Herriot?
Ans: Suddenly Tricki stopped eating. He refused even his favourite dishes and had bouts of vomiting. He spent all the time lying on rug, panting and did not do anything. So Mrs Pumphrey was distraught and made a frantic call to Dr Herriot.

Q7: What step did Dr Herriot take to save Tricki?
Ans: Dr Herriot immediately hospitalised Tricki for about a fortnight as it was necessary to part him from his mistress. Tricki’s only problem was overfeeding which he knew. Tricki needed dieting which was possible only in absence of Mrs Pumphrey. He stopped giving food to Tricki. He was given only plenty of water.

Q8: Why was Tricki an uninteresting object for other dogs at the surgery?
Ans: When Tricki was brought to the surgery, all the household dogs surged around him but Tricki looked down at the noisy pack with dull eyes and lay motionless on the carpet. So after sniffing him for a few seconds, they found him an uninteresting object and moved away from him.

Q9: What evidence do you get from the text about Tricki’s affluent living?
Ans: Tricki was loved by his mistress. She was very much concerned for him. She was rather blind in love. Tricki lived a more lavish life than any noraml human bring. He had a whole wardrobe of clothes for different weather, raincoat for wet days. Different bowls for different meals, toys, cushions, comfortable bed and what not. He was given rich diet including cream cakes and chocolates which he loved.

Q10: Describe the ‘parting scene’ between Tricki and Mrs Pumphrey’s house hold?
Ans: The -only way to save Tricki was to take him away. When Mr Herriot was about to take him to his surgery for treatment, Mrs Pumphrey started wailing. The entire staff was roused and maids rushed in and out bringing his day bed, night bed, favourite cushions, toys and rubber rings and different bowls. As Mr Herriot moved off, Mrs Pumphrey, with a despairing cry, threw an armful of the little coats , through the window. Everybody was in tears. It was a sad and tearful parting.

Long Answer Type Questions

Q11: Write the brief character sketch of Mrs Pumphrey.
Ans: Mrs Pumphrey was a rich but eccentric lady. She was an ignorant kind of person. She had a pet dog Tricki, whom she loved more than anything. Her way of showing love was very different. She overfed Tricki. She showed her concern by giving him rich and extra diet between meals which finally made Tricki ill. She couldn’t bear Tricki doing exercise. She thought that it would make Tricki tired while it was necessary for him.
She pampered her pet which had a wardrobe of clothes for every season, different bowls for each meal, toys and what not. Her way of loving was not normal. But she was also a kind- hearted lady who finally burst into tears while parting with her dog. She had all human qualities as she didn’t forget to thank Mr Herriot at the end.

Q12: What evidence do you get of Tricki’s affluent living from the text?
Ans: Tricki is thoroughly pampered by his mistress Mrs Pumphrey. Dr Herriot is shocked at Tricki’s appearance. He hafe become hugely fat, like a bloated sausage with a leg at each corner. His eyes, bloodshot and rheumy, stares straight ahead his tongue lolls from his jaws.
Mrs Pumphrey explains to Dr Herriot that Tricki must be suffering from malnutrition. So she has been giving him some little extras between meals to build him up, some malt and cod-liver oil and a bowl of Horlicks at night to make him sleep. Above all, he gets cream cakes and chocolates.
To make the things worse he had been doing no exercise. When Tricki is sent to Vet. hospital, the entire staff of Mrs Pumphrey’s house rush to bring his day bed, his night bed, favourite cushions, toys and rubber rings, breakfast bowl, lunch bowl, supper bowl. When Dr Herriot informs Mrs Pumphrey that the little fellow is convalescing rapidly, she begins to send fresh eggSc,and wine to build him up. It all shows that Tricki has an affluent living.

Q13: Give a brief character sketch of Tricki.
Ans: Tricki is thoroughly pampered by his mistress Mrs Pumphrey. He has become hugely fat, like a bloated sausage with a leg at each comer. His eyes, bloodshot and rheumy, stares straight ahead his tongue lolled from his jaws. He is greedy and never refuses food. His mistress gives him some little extras between meals to build him up, some malt and cod-liver oil and a bowl of Horlicks at night to make him sleep.
Above all, he gets cream cakes and chocolates. To make things worse he had been doing no exercise. When Tricki is sent to Vet. Hospital, the entire staff of Mrs Pumphrey’s house rush to bring his day bed, his night bed, favourite cushions, toys and rubber rings, breakfast bowl, lunch bowl, supper bowl. It all shows that Tricki has an affluent living.

Q14: “Over-pampering is not only bad for human but also for animals”. Explain this statement in the light of the story “A Triumph of Surgery’.
OR
“Kids or cubs need fondling but too much pampering may harm them”. How far does it apply in the case of Tricki?
Ans: We all know that children are over-pampered by the parents due to their sentimental attachment …to them. In the story ‘A triumph of Surgery’ a dog Tricki is over-pampered by his wealthy mistress Mrs Pumphrey. She believes that her little dog is suffering from malnutrition so she gives him some little extras between meals to build him up, some malt and cod-liver oil and a bowl of Horlicks at night to make him sleep.
Above all, he gets cream cakes and chocolates. To make the things worse he had been doing no exercise. When Dr Herriot takes the dog to his Vet. hospital, it seems all the items of Tricki’s comfort would be sent with him. Even during his stay at the hospital, Mrs Pumphrey tries to provide him all the comforts. But Dr Herriot deals with the situation cleverly and the dog cures rapidly to return back to his mistress.
OR
Mrs Pumphrey is very fond of her pet, Tricki, she gives him rich diets and even richer caring like having wardrobes full of different weather clothes for him. Tricki has neither fix timings nor control over eating. This makes him greedy and soon ill. His mistress still keep him stuffing despite consistent warnings from the Doctor; soon Tricki comes to trotting, drooping and panting for breath. Finally he had to be sent to hospital for recovery. Only discipline on eating and fun play cure him.

Q15: Why is Mrs Pumphrey worried about Tricki?
Ans: Mrs Pumphrey is worried and distraught because Tricki would not eat anything. He is not even ready to eat his favourite dishes. Tricki has bouts of vomiting and spends all his time lying on the rug and panting. Tricki does not even want to go for walks or do anything.

Q16: What does she do to help him? Is she wise in this?
Ans: She calls the doctor to help Tricki. Yes, her decision is wise. The doctor suggests that Tricki should be hospitalized. She gets upset and wails, but lets the dog go with the doctor.

Q17: What does ‘I’ refer to in this story?
Ans: In this story, T refers to the veterinary surgeon, Mr Herriot.

Q18: Is the narrator as rich as Tricki’s mistress?
Ans: Though not clearly stated, there are instances in the story which suggest that the narrator is not as rich as Tricki’s mistress, Mrs Pumphrey. The narrator is able to provide Tricki with a warm loose box as a bed whereas at Mrs Pumphrey’s house, Tricki has a day bed, a night bed, cushions, toys, rubber rings, a breakfast bowl, a lunch bowl, a supper bowl, a whole wardrobe of tweed coats and perhaps many more things. When he arrives to take the dog with him, Mrs Pumphrey has her entire staff at her disposal to transfer all of Tricki’s belongings to the doctor’s car.
Secondly, on hearing from the doctor about Tricki’s gradual recovery, Mrs Pumphrey sends along two dozen eggs at a time, along with bottles of wine and brandy—all in order to help in Tricki’s speedy recovery. Finally, when she calls upon the narrator to take her recovered dog back home, she comes in a chauffeur-driven “thirty feet of gleaming black metal” (an obvious reference to a limousine). All these instances point to the fact that Mrs Pumphrey lived a luxurious life.

Q19: How does the doctor treat the dog?
Ans: The doctor knew that Tricki was not ill but just overweight qnd restless due to Mrs Pumphrey’s overindulgence in taking his care. So he decided not to give any food to Tricki, but plenty of water for two days. Slowly, the dog started showing interest in hi§-surroundings and began mixing with the other dogs at the surgery. On the third day, the doctor saw Tricki licking the empty supper bowls of the other dogs.
Next day, a separate bowl was kept for him and the doctor was pleased to note that Tricki had run to eat its food with enthusiasm. From that day onwards, his progress was rapid. He did not require any medical treatment and recovered quite well at the end.

Q20: Why is the doctor tempted to keep Tricki as a permanent guest?
Ans: Mrs Pumphrey has started bringing around eggs to build Tricki’s strength. Later, even bottles of wine and brandy began to arrive. The narrator and his partners started enjoying the eggs, wine and brandy meant for Tricki. According to the narrator, those were the days of deep content for him and his staff-starting with an extra egg in the morning, then the midday wine, and finally finishing off the day with brandy. This is the reason why the narrator is tempted to keep Tricki on as a permanent guest.