Previous Year: Short Questions With Answers - The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse | English Class 11 PDF Download

Q. 1. Why is the narrator moved when he begins the story, ‘The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse’?
Ans. When the narrator begins the story, he is in mood of nostalgia. He was then nine years old. The world seemed to him full of every kind of splendour that he could imagine. Life appeared to him a delightful and mysterious dream.

Q. 2. What was the narrator’s immediate reaction when he saw his cousin Mourad sitting on a beautiful white horse?
Ans. When the narrator saw his cousin Mourad sitting on a beautiful white horse, he could not believe it. He rubbed his eyes to make sure that he was not dreaming.

Q. 3. “This was the part that wouldn’t permit me to believe what I saw.” What part does the narrator hint at?
Ans. The narrator refers to their poverty. They had no money. They lived in extreme poverty and it was difficult to understand how they got food to satisfy their hunger. He frankly admits that every branch of the Garoghlanian family was living in the most amazing and comical poverty in the world.

Q. 4. Which tribe did Aram belong to? What was the image of his tribe?
Ans. Aram belonged to the Garoghlanian tribe who were the natives of Armenia. This tribe was once rich and prosperous and had their lands but due to war or some other reason they had to flee from their homeland and settled in Assyria where they lived in poverty. This tribe was famous for their trust and honesty. They believed in right and wrong. They knew the art of living as they were contented with their lot. They were hospitable and men of simple faith.

Q. 5. What are the unique traits of Garoghlanian tribe?
Ans. The Garoghlanians were men of simple faith. They were contended with their guests with coffee and tobacco. They knew the art of living, which is the celebration of being alive. Though poor, they were famous for their trust and honesty. They were proud of their honesty. They believed in right and wrong. None of them could think of deceiving anybody in the world.

Q. 6. Why did Aram find it hard to believe that Mourad had stolen the horse?
Ans. The narrator couldn’t believe that his cousin Mourad had stolen horse because they belonged to the Garoghlanian tribe. The members of their tribe were famous for their honesty. They believed in right and wrong. None of them would deceive anybody in the world.

Q. 7. What two character traits of Mourad are hinted at by the narrator in the initial part of the story?
Ans. Mourad was considered crazy by everybody who knew him except the narrator. He was quite crazy about horses. Secondly, he enjoyed being alive more than anybody else.

Q. 8. What does the narrator mean when he says that the distribution of the various kinds of spirit of our tribe had been from the beginning capricious and vagrant? How does he illustrate his point?
Ans. The narrator means to say that in their tribe a child does not necessarily inherit this spirit from his father. He illustrates his points by giving the example of his cousin Mourad. Mourad’s father was practical but Mourad was considered to be crazy. He seemed to have inherited his craziness from their uncle Khosrove.

Q. 9. Describe the incident which confirms that the narrator’s uncle Khosrove was indeed crazy.
Ans. One day the narrator’s uncle Khosrove was having his moustache trimmed at the barber’s shop. His son Arak come running to tell him their house was on fire. Khosrove roared, “It is not harm; pay no attention to it.” The barber repeated what the boy had said. Khosrove roared again, “Enough, it is no harm I say.”

Q. 10. Give a short description of the narrator’s uncle Khosrove.
Ans. The narrator’s uncle Khosrove was considered crazy. He was an enormous man. He had a powerful head with black hair. He had large moustache. He was a man of furious temper and irritable nature. He was so impatient that he would stop anyone from talking by shouting, “It is no harm; pay no attention to it.”

Q. 11. Give examples to show why cousin Mourad was considered as one of the craziest members of the narrator’s family.
Ans. Cousin Mourad had a crazy streak. He was quite crazy about horses. He kept the stolen white horse for about six weeks, rode it, loved it, fed it well and hid it in a deserted yard. When he sang in the open countryside, it seemed as if he were roaring.

Q. 12. “It was true, then. He had stolen the horse. There was no question about it. He had come to invite me to ride or not, as I chose.” How did the narrator convince himself to enjoy a horse ride with cousin Mourad?
Ans. It seemed to him that stealing a horse for a ride was not the same thing as stealing something else, such as money. Since, he and Mourad were quite crazy about horses, it wasn’t thought to be stealing. He convinced himself with the thought that it would become stealing only when they offered to sell it.

Q. 13. Describe the narrator’s experience when he rode the white horse alone.
Ans. The narrator had a frightful experience when he rode the white horse alone. He leapt on to the backof the horse but it did not move. As advised by Mourad, he kicked into the muscles of the horse. It reared and snorted. Then, it began to run. It ran down the road to a vineyard and begin to leap over the vines. As it leaped over the seventh vine the narrator fell off. The horse continued running.

Q. 14. Give a brief account of Mourad’s joy ride.
Ans. Mourad kicked his heels into the horse and shouted, “Vazire, run !” The horse stood on its hind legs, snorted and ran forward at full speed. Mourad raced the horse across a field of dry grass to an irrigation ditch. He crossed the ditch on the horse. When he returned five minutes later he was dripping wet.

Q. 15. Why did Mourad not look worried when the narrator asked where they would hide the horse?
Ans. Mourad had stolen the horse a month before. Since then, he had been enjoying early morning ride. Then he would hide the horse in the barn of a deserted vineyard. So, he did not look worried when the narrator asked where they would hide the horse.

Q. 16. Who was John Byro? What problem was he facing these days?
Ans. John Byro was an Assyrian farmer. He was a regular visitor to the narrator’s family. His white horse had been stolen the previous month. His surrey was of no use without the horse. Now, he had to walk on foot if he wanted to go somewhere.

Q. 17. Why does the narrator mention uncle Khosrove? Which characteristic features of the man are highlighted?
Ans. Cousin Mourad seemed to inherit the crazy streak of uncle Khosrove. He was a big man with a powerful head of black hair and very large moustache. He was quite furious in his temper, very irritable and impatient. He would stop anyone from talking by roaring his phrase, ‘it is no harm, pay no attention to it.’

Q. 18. How did uncle Khosrove react to John Byro’s complaint about the stealing of his horse?
Ans. John Byro was sad that his white horse had been stolen last month and it was missing even then. Instead of showing any sympathy, uncle Khosrove became very irritated and shouted. “It’s no harm. What is the loss of a horse? What is this crying over a horse?”

Q. 19. How did Mourad tend the young robin with a hurt wing ? What aspect of his character is revealed in this incident?
Ans. Mourad repaired the hurt wing of the young robin and threw the bird into the air. After a few unsuccessful attempts, the robin flew away. This incident shows that Mourad was a great lover of birds and animals. He was a kind hearted boy.

Q. 20. How did the narrator know that his cousin Mourad couldn’t have bought the horse?
Ans. The narrator knew that his cousin Mourad couldn’t have bought the horse as they were afflicted with poverty. It was difficult for them to provide themselves with two square meals. He wondered how Mourad got the money to buy the horse.

Q. 21. What were the narrator’s views about ‘stealing’?
Or
What distinction does the narrator make between ‘stealing a horse for a ride’ and ‘stealing money’?
Ans. According to the narrator, stealing a horse for a ride was something different from stealing money. If you were crazy about horses, it was not stealing at all. It would amount to stealing only if you intended to sell the horses.

Q. 22. What do you think induced the boys to return the horse to its owner? 
Ans. One morning on the way to the deserted vineyard where they used to hide the horse, the boys ran into the farmer John Byro. He recognized his horse. But it was difficult for him to believe that the boys could have stolen his horse because their family was well-known for honesty. So, he went away saying that the horse must be the twin of his horse. The boys knew that he had become suspicious. So, the time had come to return the horse to its true owner.

Q. 23. “I have an understanding with a horse.” “Horses understand me.” “I have a way with a horse.” How do you think, had Mourad developed an understanding with the horse and what was the result?
Ans. Mourad had been quite tender and affectionate towards the horse. He would put his arms around it, press his nose into the horse’s nose and pat it. It was not easy to tame someone else’s horse and get it to behave nicely. At first he wanted to run wild. Gradually, Mourad was able to control the horse and do what he wanted. Even John Byro, the rightful owner, admitted that the horse had become better tempered and stronger than ever.

Q. 24. “We’ll either take him back or hide him until tomorrow morning. ” Which course of action did the speak take and why?
Ans. Mourad took the latter option. He hid the horse in the barn of a deserted vineyard which at one time had been the pride of farmer named Fetvajian. There were some oats and dry alfa in the barn. So, Mourad did not seem worried about the horse.

Q. 25. Why did the narrator insist on keeping the stolen horse for a year? Why did Mourad oppose the idea?
Ans. The narrator didn’t want to give the horse back to its owner until he learnt to ride. Mourad said that it would take him a year to learn to ride. The narrator insisted on keeping the horse for a year. But Mourad insisted that the horse must go back to its original owner. He did not want that a member of the Garoghlanian family should be accused of stealing.

Q. 26. “A suspicious man would believe his eyes instead of his heart.” In what context was this observation made and by whom?
Ans. This observation was made by farmer John Byro after looking into the mouth of the horse. It matched his horse tooth for tooth. He would have claimed it as his own horse if he had not known their parents or the fame of their family for honesty. The resemblance was so striking that he called it the twin of his horse.

Q. 27 Mourad was a kind hearted young boy who was emphatic in nature. Mention two instances to justify above statement?
Ans. Two instances of Mourad’s kindheartedness:
(i) He did not allow Aram to ride the horse alone because Aram did not know about the horse’s movement.
(ii) Mourad knew how to treat animals with compassion so, he could train John Byro’s horse.