Short & Long Question Answer - Birth | English Class 11 PDF Download

Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1: Who was Joe Morgan? Why had he been waiting for Dr Andrew Manson?
Answer:  Joe Morgan was a driller in Blaenelly, a mining town. He was a big, strong and heavy middle-aged person. Joe and his wife Susan, who had been married nearly twenty years, were expecting their first child. Joe was waiting for the doctor to help Susan in the delivery of the child.

Question 2: Where did Joe lead Andrew? Why did he not go in with the doctor?
Answer: Joe Morgan led Andrew to his house, 12, Blaina Terrace. His wife was about to deliver her first child after being married for nearly twenty years. Joe was quite tensed. He refused to go inside the house. Even his voice showed signs of strain.

Question 3: “Don’t fret, mother, I’ll not run away”. Why do you think Andrew say so?
Answer:  Mrs Morgan’s mother offered to make a cup of tea for the doctor. The experienced woman had realized that there must be a period of waiting. She was afraid that the doctor would leave^ the case saying that he would return later.

Question 4: Why did Andrew decide to remain there until everything was over?
Answer:  Andrew had reached Bryngower at about midnight. He was very worried and upset. He needed some rest and sleep. He knew that he could not sleep even for an hour if he went home. Secondly, he knew that the case would demand all his attention. He felt lethargic and decided to remain there until everything was over.

Question 5: What had Andrew been thinking about? How would you like to describe the state of his thoughts?
Answer:  Andrew had been thinking about the unsuccessful married lives of some persons he knew. Bramwell was foolishly devoted to a woman who deceived him immorally. Edward Page was bound to quarrelsome Blodwen. Denny was living unhappily apart from his wife. His thoughts were muddled (confused).

Question 6: What was Andrew’s view of marriage? Why was he resentful and confused?
Answer:  For Andrew marriage was a peaceful and beautiful state. He loved Christine. The conflict between his steady mind and overflowing heart left him resentful and confused.

Question 7: Why did Andrew feel surprised while sitting by kitchen fire?
Answer:  Andrew had been thinking about his beloved as he sat by the kitchen fire. He sat still and sadly for a long time. When the old woman sitting opposite him suddenly addressed him, Andrew felt surprised.

Question 8: Why did a shiver of horror pass over Andrew?
Answer:  Andrew had struggled for more than an hour to help Mrs Susan Morgan in the safe delivery of her first child. At last, the child was born, but it was lifeless. As Andrew gazed at the still form of the baby, a shiver of horror passed over him.

Question 9: What dilemma did Andrew face?
Answer:  His heart prompted him to resuscitate the stillborn child. His mind dictated him to attend to the mother who was laying in a hopeless state. Andrew faced the dilemma whom he should attend first.

Question 10: What efforts did Andrew make to revive Susan Morgan?
Answer:  He smashed a glass ampule and injected the medicine. After this he flung down the hypodermic syringe. Then he worked quiet hard to restore the soft and weak woman. Her heart strengthened after a few minutes of feverish effort.

Question 11: In what state did Andrew find the newborn child? What did he conclude?
Answer:  Andrew found the baby amongst wet newspapers under the bed. Its limp warm body was white and soft. Its head lolled on the thin neck. The limbs seemed boneless. The whiteness over the body meant suffocation caused by the lack of oxygen.

Question 12: How did Andrew’s practical experience come handy?
Answer:  Andrew had once seen a similar case in the Samaritan. He remembered the treatment that had been used. He at once decided to administer the hot and cold water therapy.

Question 13: What efforts did Andrew make to revive the newborn baby?
Answer:  First, he laid the child upon a blanket and gave it artificial respiration. Then he dipped the child alternately in hot and cold water. After that he rubbed the slippery child with a rough towel. He pressed and released his chest till it began to breathe and gave a city.

Question 14: How did Andrew react to the first glimpse of the success of his efforts to help the stillborn child come alive?
Answer:  As a result of Andrew’s persistent efforts, the small chest of the baby heaved up. This short heave was followed by other heart beats. Andrew turned giddy. The sense of life, throbbing under his feelings almost made him faint.

Question 15: What was the result of Andrew’s feverish efforts after the child’s chest gave a short, convulsive heave?
Answer:  Andrew redoubled his efforts. The child began to gasp deeper and deeper. A bubble of mucus came from a nostril. The limbs were no longer boneless. The pale skin turned pink. Then the child cried. It came alive.

Long Answer Type Questions

Question 1: Why was Andrew Manson called in? How did he react to the call of duty?
Answer: Andrew Manson had just begun his medical practice in the small Welsh mining town of Blaenelly. He was called in to attend to Susan Morgan, who was expecting her first child after being married for nearly twenty years. Her husband, Joe Morgan had been waiting for an hour outside the closed surgery. It was nearly midnight when Andrew reached there. As Joe acquainted Andrew with his wife’s condition, Andrew forgot his own affairs. He went inside his house for his bag and immediately left for the driller’s place.
Since his services were not immediately needed by the expecting mother, he decided to wait downstairs. He re-examined her after an hour. It was at 3:30 am when the nurse summoned him. He struggled for an hour before the child was born. Then he worked feverishly to revive the weak mother and the stillborn child. He had to use all his knowledge and experience in discharging his duty. He did not pay attention to his own physical tiredness or mental tension. Duty came first and he responded to it with single-minded devotion.

Question 2: Give a brief account of the efforts made by Andrew to revive the stillborn baby.
Answer:  A shiver of horror passed over Andrew as he gazed at the still form of the newborn baby. Though it was a perfectly formed boy, its limp, warm body was white. The whiteness indicated suffocation caused by a lack of oxygen. Andrew recalled the treatment for such a case from the Samaritan. Before the hot and cold water he had requested arrived, he laid the child upon a blanket and administered artificial respiration. He then alternated dipping the child in hot and cold water. After this, the child became quite slippery, so he rubbed it with a rough towel. Next, he pressed and released the child's chest until it heaved upward, followed by additional heaves. Andrew redoubled his efforts, and soon the child started gasping. A bubble of mucus emerged from one tiny nostril, and the pale skin transformed to pink. The limbs regained their strength, and the baby's head no longer hung back lifelessly. Finally, the child let out a cry—it had come alive.

Question 3: Compare and contrast Andrew’s emotional, mental and physical state at the beginning of the story and at the end.
Answer:   At the beginning of the story, Andrew is physically tired and emotionally upset. He has just returned from a disappointing evening with Christine, the girl he loves. His thoughts are heavy and muddled, and the episode he witnessed at Cardiff station still fills his mind with sadness. Although he views marriage as a blissful state, he cannot help but remember the miserable failures of many marriages. By the end of the story, Andrew is physically exhausted but emotionally cheerful and mentally alert. His mind is filled with joy and self-satisfaction after achieving something he considers a miracle. He calls upon God as a witness to affirm that he has finally done something real. This sense of achievement helps him to overcome his physical fatigue. Additionally, his sense of duty towards his patients enables him to attend to them whole-heartedly, as he forgets his personal feelings and focuses solely on reviving his patients.

Question 4: What impression do you form of Andrew Manson on the basis of the story ‘Birth’?
Answer: Andrew Manson is a young man who has recently qualified as a doctor and started his medical practice as an assistant to Dr Edward Page in the small Welsh mining town of Blaenelly. He is in love with Christine and views marriage as an idyllic state, filled with love and hope. Despite his romantic beliefs, Andrew's steady mind and reasoning allow him to perceive the marriages of many as dismal failures. He possesses the maturity to separate his private and professional lives. Once confronted with his responsibilities, he discharges his obligations to the utmost capacity, demonstrating a strong sense of duty. Andrew is not merely a theorist; he believes in a practical approach to medicine and is pragmatic, unafraid to try unique methods. He has a tender heart and is aware of the feelings of others. For instance, he understands how deeply Susan loved her unborn baby. With his polite manners and reassuring tone, Andrew impresses us as a dedicated doctor, committed to his patients and their well-being.

Question 5: “I have done something; oh, God! I’ve done something real at last.” Why does Andrew say this? What does it mean?
Answer : The young doctor Andrew Manson had accomplished commendable work, making his exclamation justified. He not only assisted a middle-aged lady, Susan Morgan, with the safe delivery of a male child but also helped restore her to perfect health. After the delivery, Susan's strength was fading, and she was almost pulseless. Andrew administered an injection and worked diligently to strengthen her heart. Andrew's major achievement was resuscitating the stillborn child. He first placed the child on a blanket and began a special method of respiration. He then attempted hot and cold water treatment, dipping the baby alternately. After labouring in vain for half an hour, he made one last effort. He rubbed the child with a rough towel and pressed and released the baby’s tiny chest with both hands. At last, the baby responded; his chest heaved, and Andrew redoubled his efforts. The child began to gasp, and a bubble of mucus emerged from his tiny nostril. The pale skin turned pink, and the baby’s limbs became firm. Finally, the child cried out. In calling upon God as a witness to his act, Andrew recognised the significance of his achievement, which was no less than a miracle. It was not mere theoretical talk but a practical accomplishment—something real and solid.