Class 9 English Chapter 5 Previous Year Questions - The Happy Prince

Very Short Answer Type Questions 

Q1: What was used to make the eyes of the statue of the Happy Prince?
Ans: Two bright, shining sapphire stones were used to make the eyes of the statue of the Happy Prince.

Q2: Where was the swallow going?
Ans: The little swallow was going to Egypt.

Q3: Where did the bird take shelter for a night on the way to Egypt?
Ans: The bird took shelter between the feet of the statue of the Happy Prince.

Q4: Where did the bird think to change his shelter from the feet of the statue?
Ans: The bird decided to take a new shelter in the chimney of a house.

Q5: What did the swallow see after the third drop fell on it?
Ans: The swallow saw tears in the eyes of the Happy Prince.

Q6: What were the things seen by the Swallow on the way to the poor woman’s house?
Ans: The Swallow saw the cathedral, the palace of the city, a beautiful girl with her lover on the balcony, and lanterns hanging on the masts of the ships.

Q7: What kind of warmth was felt by the little swallow?
Ans: The little swallow felt the warmth of humanity, the warmth of positivity, which one can get after helping others.

Q8: Whose story was told next by the statue to the swallow?
Ans: The story of a young writer was told next to the swallow by the statue.

Q9: What was offered to the young writer to heal his problem?
Ans: The Happy Prince offered one of his sapphires from his eyes to the young writer.

Q10: Where did the writer find the beautiful sapphire?
Ans: The writer found the beautiful sapphire lying on the withered violets. 

Q11: What happened to the matchsticks of the match girl?
Ans: All the matches had fallen in the gutter and spoiled.

Short Answer Type Questions 

Q1. What made the statue of the Happy Prince cry? 

Ans: The statue of the Happy Prince cried because it could see the misery and suffering of people from its high position. When it saw a seamstress who had nothing to give her sick son except for river water, the Happy Prince was moved to tears.

Q2. Why was the statue called the Happy Prince? 

Ans: The statue was called the Happy Prince because it was a likeness of a prince who had lived a life free from sorrow and tears. He had lived in a palace and died happy, hence earning the name Happy Prince.

Q3.  Why did the Happy Prince request the swallow to stay with him for the night? 

Ans: The Happy Prince requested the swallow to stay with him for the night because he wished to send the ruby from his sword hilt to the seamstress to help her and her sick son. 

However, he was unable to do so as he was just a statue, and the swallow could help him by carrying the ruby to the seamstress.

Q4. What was the last wish of the swallow? 

Ans: The swallow knew that her end had come. He flew on to the shoulder of the Happy Prince and said, “wish to kiss your hand.”  The Happy Prince asked him to kiss him on the lips. He kissed on his lips and then died.

Q5. Describe the statue of the Happy Prince as depicted at the beginning of the story. 

Ans: The statue of the Happy Prince was mounted on a tall column high above the city. It had thin leaves of fine gold-gilded all over. Two bright sapphires were its eyes and a large red ruby glowed on its sword hilt.

Q6. Where was the swallow going? Why did he decide not to go there? 

Ans: The swallow was going to Egypt to join his friends who had already reached there six weeks ago. Initially, he had stopped by only for a night to break his long journey but later got so attached to the Happy Prince that he could not bear to see him crying. He stayed back to be his messenger.

Q7. What were the drops of rain actually? Why did they fall? 

Ans: The drops of rain were actually the tears that rolled down the Happy Prince’s sapphire eyes.  The Prince’s sapphire eyes shed them because he was sad to see the poverty and misery of the city dwellers.

Q8. What made the statue of the Happy Prince cry?

Ans: The Happy Prince had never seen or experienced sorrow all his life. 

But after his death, his statue was put up on a high pedestal from where he could see the ugliness and misery of his land. This made him cry with sorrow.

Q9. Why and how did the Happy Prince help the seamstress? 

Ans: The Happy Prince decided to help the poor seamstress who was dead tired and whose son was hungry and lay in the fever. 

The poor woman had no money to feed her son and get him medicine. She only gave him water to drink. The Prince wanted the swallow to carry the ruby from his sword hilt so that the seamstress could get rid of her poverty and buy her son food and medicine.

Q10. How did the swallow become the Prince’s eyes? 

Ans: The swallow stayed back with the blind Prince. He would fly over the city and see its people in all their colours. He would report their miseries and sufferings to the Prince. Then, on the Prince’s orders, he would pluck the golden leaves from his statue and give them to the needy.

Q11. Why was a cracking sound heard when the swallow died?
OR
What happened when the little swallow fell down dead at the feet of the Happy Prince?

Ans: The Happy Prince loved the swallow dearly. So when the bird kissed the Prince and fell down dead at his feet, the latter’s leaden heart broke into two with a curious cracking sound.

Long Answer Type Questions 

Q1. Why do the courtiers call the prince ‘The Happy Prince’? Is he really happy? What does he see all around him?
Or
Why was ‘Happy Prince’ not really happy?

Ans: The courtiers refer to the prince as the ‘Happy Prince’ because he lived a joyful life, free from sorrow within his palace. However, he was not truly happy, as he had never experienced the misery of his people.

When his statue was erected, he could finally see the city and its suffering. He witnessed:

• Pain and hunger among the citizens
• Despair and suffering all around him

Even though his heart was made of lead, he could not help but weep for the plight of those he had never known.

Q2. When and how did the Happy Prince realise the true meaning of life? What did this realisation prompt him to do?

Ans: The Happy Prince lived a comfortable life, shielded from sorrow, which led to his title. After his death, his statue was placed high in the city, allowing him to witness the pain and suffering of the people below. This experience opened his eyes to the harsh realities of life, revealing that:

• Suffering is a fundamental aspect of human existence.
• The true beauty of life lies in compassion, not in wealth.

Moved by the misery he observed, the Happy Prince decided to:

• Share his riches with those in need.
• Alleviate the pain of poverty among the city's inhabitants.

His realisation prompted him to act selflessly, demonstrating that true happiness comes from helping others.

Q3. How did the Happy Prince discover true happiness? How did he spread it?
Or
What the Happy Prince does as a statue should have been done by him when he was alive? Discuss.

Ans:  The Happy Prince lived a comfortable life, shielded from sorrow in his palace. After his death, his statue was erected on a tall column, allowing him to witness the misery and suffering of the city's people. This experience led him to discover true happiness, which he spread by sacrificing his riches.

• He sent the ruby from his sword hilt to a poor seamstress to help her buy food and medicine for her sick son.
• One of his sapphire eyes was given to a playwright in need of warmth and food to complete his play.
• The other sapphire was sent to a matchgirl who feared punishment from her father for losing her matches.
• He distributed his gold leaves among the poor to help them find success.

Through these acts, the Happy Prince donated all he had to alleviate misery and poverty. His actions exemplify that the true purpose of life is to find happiness by spreading it to others.

Q4. Why did the Happy Prince request the swallow to stay for another day? 

Ans:  The Happy Prince stood on a tall column, observing the suffering of the people below. Unable to move, he wished to help them.

• He noticed a poor seamstress and sent her a ruby through the swallow.
• Next, he saw a handsome playwright, shivering at his desk, struggling to finish a play.
• The young man lacked firewood to stay warm and was faint from hunger.
• Moved by compassion, the Prince wanted to send one of his sapphire eyes to help him.

Thus, he asked the swallow to stay for another day to assist him in his mission.

Q5. Give a brief character sketch of the swallow.

Ans:  The little swallow plays a significant role in the story. Initially, he is on his way to Egypt to join his friends. However, the Prince asks him to stay for one more day, and the swallow agrees.

• At the Prince's request, he delivers a ruby to a seamstress.
• He also takes the sapphires from the Prince's eyes to help a young man and a poor girl.
• Despite becoming blind, the Prince's kindness inspires the swallow to remain with him.

The swallow demonstrates a kind heart by:

• Fanning the son of a poor woman to provide comfort.
• Staying with the Prince even as winter arrives.
• Enduring the cold and living on crumbs.

Ultimately, the swallow dies from the harsh winter, but his loyalty remains unbroken. Even in death, he is united with the Prince, as the angel of God takes them both to paradise.