Class 9 English Chapter 4 Previous Year Questions - In the Kingdom of Fools

Very Short Answer Type Questions 

Q1: What is Duddu?

Ans:In Kannada language, its meaning is money.

Q2: Why did the disciples not want to leave that kingdom?

Ans:The disciple did not want to leave the kingdom as everything was cheap there.

Q3: What were the things the disciples started eating every day?

Ans:The disciples started eating bananas, ghee, rice, and wheat every day.

Q4: Who went to search for the goldsmith?
Ans:A bailiff went to search for the goldsmith.

Q5: What problem was seen while giving the punishment to the old merchant?
Ans:The merchant was too thin to be executed on that stake. 

Short Answer Type Questions

Q1. Now justice had come full circle, thought the king. What argument did the merchant come up with? What counter-argument did the king give?

Ans:The merchant argued that his father had ordered the jewellery. Therefore he (merchant) was innocent. The king said that the merchant had inherited the riches as well as the sins of his father.

Q2. Why was it decided to execute the disciple? 

Ans:The rich man was too thin to be executed properly on the stake.  A fat man was needed for this. So the disciple was chosen to be executed.

Q3. How did the kingdom become normal again?

Ans:The people requested the guru and the disciple to be their king and minister. They finally agreed and changed all the old laws.  Thus the kingdom became normal again.

Q4. What did the dancing girl say in her defence?

Ans:The dancing girl said that she had given some gold to the goldsmith to make some jewellery. The goldsmith made many excuses. So she had to walk up and down his house many times.

Q5. How did the guru come to know that his disciple was in trouble?

Ans:The guru had magical powers. He saw in a vision that his disciple was in trouble.

Q6. What did the king and his minister do at night? 

Ans:At night, the king and his minister went secretly to prison. They released the guru and the disciple.  They then disguised themselves as the two. Then they got themselves executed.

Q7. Who were the people questioned during the course of the trial, and what was each person’s defence?

Ans: First, the owner of the house was summoned. But he said that the bricklayer who had constructed the wall was responsible. Thebricklayersaid that when he was making a wall, a dancing girl distracted his attention.  The dancing girl said that a goldsmith did not make jewellery in time. So she had to pass through the street several times. The goldsmith said that he had to make ornaments for a wedding in the rich man’s house. So he could not finish the jewellery of the dancing girl in time. He was the same owner who had been summoned first of all.

Q8. How was the Kingdom of Fools different from any other place?
OR
What was so strange about the Kingdom of Fools? 

Ans:The Kingdom of Fools was strange and different from any other place. It was governed by an idiot king and his silly minister. They passed an order according to which people had to work at night and sleep during the day. Even the cattle were made to sleep during the day. In addition, everything had the same cost – one duddu.

Long Answer Type Questions

Q1. Describe in brief the strange case brought to the king and the king’s judgment.

Ans: One day, a thief broke into the house of a rich man, A wall of the house fell on him and he died on the spot. The brother of the thief complained to the king that the rich man was responsible for the thief’s death because the wall of his house was weak. The owner of the house was summoned. But he said that the bricklayer who had constructed the wall was responsible. The bricklayer said that when he was making a wall, a dancing girl passed several times through the street. She distracted his attention. 

So, she was responsible. The dancing girl told the king that she had ordered a goldsmith to make jewellery for her. He did not make it in time. So she had to pass through the street several times. The goldsmith was called. He said that he had to make ornaments for a wedding in the rich man’s house. So he could not finish the jewellery of the dancing girl in time. He was the same owner of the house where the thief had died. 

Q2. Name all the people who are tried in the king’s court, and give the reasons for their trial.

Ans:The merchant was the first person to be tried in the king’s court because the wall in his house had collapsed and had killed the thief.  The next person to be tried was the bricklayer because the merchant had claimed that his bad workmanship had led to the making of a weak wall. Then, the dancer was accused of distracting the bricklayer by the jingling of her ankles when she walked up and down the street during the construction of the wall. Next, the goldsmith was accused of calling the dancer time and again for picking up her jewellery. Then, the merchant’s father was blamed for pressurizing the goldsmith to complete his order first. 

Finally, the blame came back to the merchant who had inherited the house (where the thief died) from his father.

Q3. How does the guru manage to save his disciple’s life?

Ans: The guru used his wisdom and magic powers to save his disciple’s life. He reached the kingdom instantly when his disciple prayed in his heart for help. He first confused the king by expressing his desire to be killed before his disciple. Then, he tricked the king by flattering him and telling him that the stake was the stake of the god of justice and whoever died first would become the king after rebirth. 

The second person to be executed would become the minister after rebirth. Ultimately the king fell in this trap and set the guru and his disciple free. He got his minister and himself executed in their place in the hope of being reborn as the rulers of their kingdom. Hence, the guru not only saved his disciple’s life but also got rid of the foolish king and his silly minister.

Q4. The guru was as wise as King Solomon. Discuss.
OR
Wisdom and far-sightedness were the most important qualities of the guru’s character. Discuss.

Ans: By saving his disciple’s life and eventually becoming the ruler of the Kingdom of Fools, the guru exhibited the positive value of wisdom.  He managed to solve even the most difficult problem only because he was wise enough to stay calm during the moments of crisis.

His character proves that wisdom is an invaluable asset that helps one get over tricky situations. Like King Solomon of Israel, the guru too was able to accomplish the seemingly impossible task of rescuing his disciple from the senseless execution orders of the foolish king. 

Being a much-traveled and learned man, he was quick to perceive that the Kingdom of Fools was being misruled and the follies of the king could not continue for long. The dangers sensed by him came true when his disciple was caught and condemned to be executed simply because he was fat and his neck could fit the stake. The wise guru made a clever plan not only to save his disciple’s life but also to get rid of the foolish king and his silly minister. Thus, wisdom triumphed over foolish and unbridled power.