Short Answer Type Questions
Q1: Why was Dr. Sadao not sent to the battlefield?
Ans: Dr. Sadao was a highly skilled and reputable surgeon who was working on a method to render wounds completely clean. He was also attending to the old General, who might require an operation at any time. Because his medical skills were indispensable locally, he was retained at home instead of being sent to the battlefield.
Q2: What forced Dr. Sadao to be impatient and irritated with his patient?
Ans: The patient was severely wounded and his condition demanded immediate, careful attention. Dr. Sadao was anxious both about saving the man's life and about the danger of harbouring an enemy in wartime. The pressure of performing a difficult operation under those risks, and his concern for Hana's distress, made him impatient and irritable during the treatment.
Q3: How did Hana help Dr. Sadao while he operated upon the enemy soldier?
Ans: Hana washed the wounded man's face and body with warm water until he was clean, brought towels and instruments as required, and assisted during the operation despite never having seen one before. Although the sight of blood made her uneasy, she stayed to administer anaesthesia and followed Dr. Sadao's instructions calmly to support the operation.
Q4: How did Dr. Sadao ensure that the American sailor left his house but he himself remained safe and secure?
Ans: Dr. Sadao provided the American sailor with his own boat, food and extra clothing, and advised him to land on a nearby uninhabited island. He told the sailor to wait there until a Korean fishing boat passed and could take him away. To protect himself, Sadao then informed the General that the soldier had escaped, thereby giving an official explanation that kept him and his household safe.
Q5: How does the writer indicate that Dr. Sadao's father was a very traditional and conventional man?
Ans: Dr. Sadao married Hana only after his father approved of her, and his father expected Sadao to marry a woman who was ''pure in her race''. The marriage was arranged in the traditional Japanese manner after the father's consent, which shows the father's conventional and conservative outlook.
Q6: Did Hana think the Japanese tortured their prisoners of war? Why?
Ans: Yes. When Hana noticed the deep red scars on the American soldier's neck, she feared they were signs of torture. Her reaction shows she believed it was common for prisoners of war to be treated brutally and that such scars could be evidence of ill-treatment.
Q7: What help did Dr. Sadao seek from Hana while operating on the wounded white man?
Ans: Dr. Sadao asked Hana to assist him in practical ways during the operation: to clean the patient, to hand him towels and instruments, and to give the anaesthetic when required. Though inexperienced, she followed his instructions and performed these tasks reliably, enabling him to concentrate on the surgery.
Q8: What forced Dr. Sadao to be impatient and irritable with his patient?
Ans: Hana, who had never seen an operation before, became sick at the sight of blood and rushed out to the garden to retch. Knowing how distressed his wife was and being unable to leave the operation to attend to her, Dr. Sadao grew impatient and irritable with the patient because the situation prevented him from comforting Hana.
Q9: What made a cool surgeon like Sadao speak sharply to his wife and what was her reaction?
Ans: While operating, Dr. Sadao saw Hana's face turn sulphur-coloured as she struggled with the sight of blood. Fearing she would faint and thereby cause further trouble, he spoke sharply and told her not to faint. Hana clapped her hands to her mouth and ran out into the garden to retch.
Q10: In what condition was the American sailor when Dr. Sadao found him?
Ans: The American sailor was badly wounded and unconscious when found. Fresh blood was flowing from his wound; a gunshot on the right side of his lower back had reopened and the flesh was blackened with powder. He also had deep red scars on his neck, suggesting prior mistreatment.
Long Answer Type Questions
Q11: Describe the difficulties faced by Dr. Sadao when he decided to help the enemy soldier.
Ans: Dr. Sadao faced several serious difficulties when he chose to help the wounded American soldier. Legally and politically, harbouring an enemy in wartime was an offence that could bring arrest and severe punishment. Socially, his servants openly protested and refused to serve or enter the room where the enemy lay; they believed the soldier should have been left to die and accused Sadao of disloyalty. Morally, Sadao endured a painful internal conflict between his duty as a patriot and his obligation as a medical practitioner to save a life. Practically, he had to perform a difficult operation, provide post-operative care, conceal the patient's identity, and finally make arrangements for the soldier's escape without attracting suspicion. Each of these pressures made his decision dangerous and fraught with risk to himself and his family.
Q12: What explains the attitude of the General in the matter of the enemy soldier? Was it human consideration, lack of national loyalty, dereliction of duty or simply self-absorption?
Ans: The General's attitude mainly reflects self-absorption and fear for his own welfare rather than noble human consideration or dereliction of duty. He is chiefly concerned with his illness and survival; he realises that harming Dr. Sadao might put his own medical support at risk. For that reason he delays sending assassins and pretends forgetfulness. His behaviour is not a principled lack of patriotism but a calculation to protect his own interests while avoiding any action that could endanger his indispensable surgeon.
Q13: How did Dr. Sadao rise above narrow prejudices of race and country to help a human being in need?
Ans: Dr. Sadao prioritised his professional and moral obligation to preserve life over national prejudice. Although he recognised the man as an enemy soldier and knew that aiding him could be seen as betrayal, he chose to treat the wounded sailor because his duty as a doctor demanded it. He performed the operation, provided careful post-operative care, and later arranged for the man's escape. By placing human life above political enmity, Sadao overcame narrow racial and national biases and acted out of compassion and professional conscience.
Q14: Why did Sadao Hoki go to America? Narrate his experiences there.
Ans: Sadao Hoki went to America at the age of twenty-two because his father wished him to study surgery and medicine abroad. In America he completed his medical education and there he met Hana at an American professor's house; the professor and his wife had been kind to foreign students. After completing their studies, Sadao and Hana returned to Japan, and only after his father approved their union in the traditional manner did they marry. Sadao returned to Japan around the age of thirty as a fully trained surgeon.
Q15: Dr. Sadao was more a dutiful doctor than a loyal citizen. Substantiate the statement by quoting suitable evidence from the story, 'The Enemy'.
Ans: Dr. Sadao's actions show that his professional duty outweighed his national loyalty. He first saved the life of the wounded American despite knowing he was an enemy. Although he informed the General and appeared willing to hand the soldier over, he could not accept the idea of the man being killed after he had restored his life. He lost sleep worrying about the man's fate and ultimately provided the soldier with a boat, food and clothing and arranged his escape. These actions demonstrate that Sadao's medical ethics and conscience took precedence over blind patriotism.
Q16: Explain the reactions of the servants in Dr. Sadao's house when he decided to give shelter to an enemy in the house.
Ans: The servants reacted with hostility and refusal when Sadao sheltered the enemy soldier. They avoided the room where the soldier lay and left the house in protest. Yumi refused to clean him, the old gardener felt insulted and believed the young man should be allowed to bleed to death as vengeance, and the cook showed contempt for Sadao's action. Their cold eyes and abrupt departure reflected suspicion about their master's loyalty and strong patriotic anger at harbouring an enemy.
Q17: A doctor is supposed to be gentle and humane. How did Sadao show these qualities in the story, "The Enemy"?
Ans: Dr. Sadao displayed gentleness and humanity through his behaviour and choices. Despite initial hesitation on recognising the man as an enemy, he could not abandon a dying person and therefore performed the necessary surgery with skill and care. He provided attentive post-operative treatment, shielded the patient from discovery, and finally ensured the man's safe escape rather than handing him to certain death. In risking his reputation and safety to preserve another's life, Sadao demonstrated compassion and professional devotion.
Q18: Good human values are far above any other value system. How did Dr. Sadao succeed as a doctor as well as a patriot?
Ans: Dr. Sadao managed to honour both his medical duty and his national allegiance by balancing action and intention. He fulfilled his duty as a doctor by saving the wounded soldier's life and giving him careful care. At the same time, he informed the General about the soldier's presence, which showed an attempt to respect authority and national obligation. When the General's agents did not act, Sadao arranged the soldier's escape, thereby avoiding betrayal of a life he had saved while minimising the appearance of disloyalty. In this way he retained his medical integrity without openly betraying his country.
Q19: To choose between professional loyalty and patriotism was a dilemma for Dr. Sadao. How did he succeed in betraying neither?
Ans: Dr. Sadao handled the dilemma by first informing the General of the prisoner's presence, which acknowledged his civic duty. He then waited for the authorities to act; when they did not, he took private steps to protect the life he had restored by arranging a discreet escape. Thus he attempted to satisfy official expectations while ultimately refusing to allow a man he had saved to be killed, thereby remaining true to his professional conscience without openly betraying his nation.
Q20: Dr. Sadao was compelled by his duty as a doctor to help the enemy soldier. What made Hana, his wife sympathize with him in the face of open defiance from the domestic staff?
Ans: Hana sympathised with Dr. Sadao because she shared his humane instincts and supported his professional duty. When the servants deserted them, she stepped into their roles - cleaning, bringing towels and assisting during the operation - and did so with composure and efficiency despite her distress at the sight of blood. Her practical help, patience and moral support showed that she understood and approved of her husband's choice to save a life, and she therefore stood by him even under social pressure.
