Class 10 English Chapter 1 Previous Year Questions - A Triumph of Surgery

Ans: Herriot uses Tricki and Mrs. Pumphrey’s relationship to highlight how excessive pampering and overfeeding pets reflect misguided affection. Mrs. Pumphrey treats Tricki like a child, ignoring his real needs. Through this, Herriot comments that true care means discipline and understanding, not indulgence or emotional overdependence on pets.

Ans: (b) The author was aware of the severity of Tricki's medical condition.

Herriot knew Tricki was seriously ill due to overfeeding and lack of exercise, so he had already decided that hospitalisation was necessary.

Ans: Herriot wanted to remove Tricki from his pampered environment where Mrs. Pumphrey’s overindulgence made him worse. At the surgery, he could control Tricki’s diet, monitor his health, and help him recover through rest, exercise, and proper care without interference.

Ans: fainted.

Ans: It shows that Mrs. Pumphrey was emotionally overattached and highly anxious about Tricki’s well-being. She panicked easily, revealing her excessive affection and inability to handle separation from her pet.

Ans: Yes, lunch became a significant ceremonial event for Mr. Herriot and his associates. Mrs. Pumphrey, believing it would strengthen Tricki, sent eggs, wine, and brandy to the surgery. Herriot and his partners enjoyed these luxuries, turning their meals into grand occasions, while Tricki continued to recover happily without any medicines.

Ans: Mrs. Pumphrey believed Tricki’s recovery was “a triumph of surgery” because she thought Mr. Herriot had performed some special medical treatment or operation to cure him. In reality, Tricki’s recovery resulted from a simple diet, exercise, and freedom from pampering — not from any surgical procedure.

Ans: Mrs. Pumphrey’s behaviour in A Triumph of Surgery goes beyond mere foolishness — it is harmful. Out of excessive affection, she overfed and pampered Tricki, giving him rich food, cream cakes, and chocolates. Believing he was weak, she ignored the vet’s advice and continued indulging him, which made him seriously ill. Her actions show how blind love and lack of understanding can cause real suffering to those we care for. Herriot’s intervention and strict diet finally saved Tricki’s life. Through Mrs. Pumphrey’s example, Herriot highlights that irresponsible affection, even if well-intentioned, can harm others. True care requires discipline, not indulgence or emotional dependency.

Ans: James Herriot planned to take Tricki away because he knew Mrs. Pumphrey’s overindulgence was the root cause of his illness. At the surgery, he gave Tricki no food for two days, only water, and allowed him to play freely with other dogs. Gradually, Tricki regained strength and health naturally.

Ans: (c) He wanted to do an experiment on Tricki
Mr. Herriot’s primary reasons for taking Tricki out were to observe him and improve his health, not to conduct an experiment on him.

Ans: Mrs. Pumphrey was distraught because her dog, Tricki, was very ill. He refused to eat, even his favourite foods, and experienced vomiting. Tricki spent his time lying on the rug, panting, and showed no interest in walks or play, causing Mrs. Pumphrey great worry.

Ans: True
Mr. Herriot anticipated Tricki’s health issues due to overindulgence by Mrs. Pumphrey and had prepared a plan for Tricki’s recovery.

Ans: (b) impractical but compassionate
Mrs. Pumphrey is compassionate towards Tricki, but her impractical approach to caring for him, such as overfeeding, led to his health issues.

Ans: The happy period was the time when the surgery was flooded with delicacies sent by Mrs Pumphrey. She sent in a lot of items like eggs, wine and brandy for Tricki. However, the doctor did not feed the entire stuff to Tricki. Instead, the entire surgery had lavish feasts and enjoyed.

Ans: In the story we see the mistress Mrs. Pumphrey shows a lot of affection towards her pet. Her excessive pampering leads to an overweight and lethargic Tricki. This shows how our affection can cloud our rationality and lead to our own destruction. One has to balance love and wisdom to ensure a healthy pet.

Ans: Mr. Herriot was shocked at Tricki’s appearance because the dog had become overweight. Mr. Herriot compared the dog to a bloated sausage with a leg at each corner. The dog’s eyes were bloodshot and rheumy, stared straight ahead and his tongue lolled from his jaws. It made Mr. Herriot worried about the Tricki.

Ans: Mrs. Pumphrey was a young, rich, and well-to-do lady. She pampered her pet dog, Tricki. She used to spend on the well-being and maintenance of her pet. Once she overfed her dog by giving him malt, cod-liver oil, fruits and vegetables, and what not. That dog also loved to eat sweets, ice-creams, and chocolates. So, she couldn't be strict and deny him the sweet treats. She gave into Tricki’s greedy demands. She was worried when her dog became listless. She could not live without him.

Ans: Mr. Herriot’s strict advice to Mrs. Pumphrey was to restrain from giving her pet dog Tricki, unnecessary rich diet that would cause him serious illness and to give him plenty of exercises. No, Mrs. Pumphrey did not agree to his advice as she continued spoiling her dog’s health by giving him rich food things like malt, cod liver, cupcakes, etc. and no exercise.

Ans: James Herriot treats Tricki just like an overweight dog should be treated. He cuts down his food intake and keeps him under strict observation for the initial days at the hospital. He gradually increases Tricki’s food and denies him the additional treats sent by Mrs. Pumphrey for him. Mr. Herriot sets Tricki free to run and play with the other dogs in the hospital for physical exercise to improve his health. This proves that Dr. Herriot knew his patient as well as their owners really well.

Ans: (d)
Mrs. Pumphrey, as a pet owner, was indulgent and foolish. She overly pampered her pet Tricki by giving him excessive food and treats, which led to his health problems. Her indulgence and lack of understanding of proper pet care demonstrate a certain foolishness in her approach to handling Tricki’s well-being.
So, the correct option is (d) (i) and (iv).

Ans: Mrs. Pumphrey is a good woman who overindulged her pet, Tricki. Because of her inability to control herself from feeding Tricki, the dog only got fatter. This makes him lose his appetite and thus, prone to diseases.

Ans: (d) The planned venture was fruitful. 

Ans: Tricki was Mrs. Pumphrey's pet dog. She loved him and pampered him a lot. But Tricki was a greedy dog who wanted to eat anything and everything which was served to him. He had never refused to eat food and used to have meals at any hour of the day or night. He had become sick because of his habits.

Ans: Tricki was a greedy dog. He could never refuse to eat whatever and whenever it was given him. He also hated exercise and these traits led him to serious health conditions. Mrs Pumphrey had to be cruel and deny Tricki his food and force him to move in order to save his life. That is the reason why Mrs Pumphrey needed to be cruel to Tricki for Tricki’s sake.

Ans: Mrs. Pumphrey was overly-concerned for her pet Tricki. She spoilt him with lots of ‘rich food’, which wasn’t appropriate for him. She fulfilled all unnecessary demands as well. Even after being warned many times, she didn’t cut down on Tricki’s food and didn’t make him do any physical exercise

Ans: No, Tricki wasn’t suffering from any ailment in reality. His greed for food and his owner’s overindulgence made him fat and lazy. Mrs. Pumphrey overfed him and spoiled his health to the extent that he had to undergo treatment at Dr. Herriot’s hospital.

Ans: When Dr. James Herriot saw an extremely fat Tricki with Mrs. Pumphrey, he was sure that Tricki’s overeating and lack of physical exercise would lead to his bad health. Hence, he expected a call from Mrs. Pumphrey.