Textbook Solutions: The Two Magicians | Buzzword Class 7: Book Solutions, Summaries & Worksheets PDF Download

(A) Arrange these sentences in the order in which the actions took place. 
1. 
Ans: The train had just begun to pull out of the station when a man opened the door of Surapati Mondol's carriage from outside and climbed in.

2. 
Ans: Surapati was amazed to see the man inside his compartment—it was Tripura Babu!

3. 
Ans: Surapati took the pack of cards and realized that his fingers were turning numb. Soon, his whole arm felt paralyzed. In a daze, he looked at Tripura Babu.

4. 
Ans: Tripura Babu said, "Your guru, Mr. Tripuracharan Mallik, shall perform in your place in Lucknow because of your sudden illness."

5. 
Ans: Surapati placed the ring at one end of the bench and the coin at the other. He turned his stare fully on the coin.

6. 
Ans: The coin began rolling towards the ring and then both coin and ring rolled back to Surapati.

7. 
Ans: Surapati took out a fifty-paisa coin from his pocket and took off his coral ring. He gave them to Tripura Babu.

8. 
Ans: When the train stopped at Burdwan, Anil appeared with a cup of tea and found Surapati fast asleep.

(B) Read these lines from the text and answer the questions, 

1. 
(a) 
Ans: The speaker is Tripura Babu. His proposal is that Surapati should allow him to perform in his place in Lucknow due to Surapati's sudden illness, and in return, Surapati should give him half of the earnings for that evening.

(b) 
Ans: Surapati initially did not agree to the proposal because he was passionate about starting his career as a magician in Lucknow, and he did not want to begin with a lie.

(c) 
Ans: Yes, the listener, Surapati, eventually changed his mind and agreed to Tripura Babu's proposal.

2. 
(a)
Ans: Surapati showed Anil the trick of making a coin and a ring move as if by magic. He placed the coin and the ring at opposite ends of a bench, focused on the coin, and made them roll towards each other and back to him.

(b).
Ans: Anil was likely surprised or shocked by what he witnessed.

(c).
Ans: The sentence that tells us about Anil's reaction is: "When the train stopped at Burdwan, Anil, Surapati's assistant, appeared with a cup of tea and found his boss fast asleep." This sentence indicates that Anil found Surapati asleep, which was likely surprising or unexpected to him.

(C) Answer in detail. 

1. 
Ans: Tripura Babu used a combination of persuasion and a demonstration of his magical abilities to get Surapati to agree to his request. First, he explained his desire to perform before a large audience and the financial difficulties he was facing. He then offered Surapati a deal in which he would perform in Surapati's place in Lucknow due to Surapati's "sudden illness," and in return, Surapati would give him half of the earnings for that evening. When Surapati initially rejected the proposal, Tripura Babu demonstrated his magical powers by paralyzing Surapati with a card trick. This demonstration of his supernatural abilities convinced Surapati to agree to the request out of fear and awe.

2. 
Ans: Surapati and Tripura Babu have different levels of ambition and priorities in their lives:
Surapati: 

• Surapati is a young magician who is ambitious and dreams of building a successful career as a magician. He aspires to travel and perform shows everywhere, gain recognition, hear applause, and receive praise from audiences.
• He is focused on his future and passionate about starting his career, and he is not willing to begin with dishonesty or deception.

Tripura Babu: 

• Tripura Babu is an older magician who had been Surapati's teacher. He once had a passion for magic but seems to have fallen on hard times. His appearance reflects his age and challenging circumstances.
• While he is still interested in performing, his primary ambition is to have one last opportunity to showcase his magic on a stage before a large audience.
• He is willing to make a sacrifice and use deception to achieve this goal, as he is aware that he lacks the ambition and drive to make a living through conventional means.
  In summary, Surapati's ambition is focused on building a successful career as an honest magician, while Tripura Babu's ambition is centered on getting one last chance to perform, even if it means resorting to deception.

(D) Think and answer. 

1. 
Ans: Tripura Babu made the request of Surapati because he had a deep-seated desire to perform on a stage before a large audience one last time. He had fallen on hard times, and his financial condition was not sound. He acknowledged that his lack of ambition had prevented him from making a living. Knowing that Surapati was about to perform in Lucknow and was passionate about his career, Tripura Babu saw an opportunity to fulfill his own ambition by asking Surapati to let him perform in his place. Tripura Babu's request was driven by his longing to showcase his magical abilities once more before potentially retiring from magic.

2. 
Ans: The chapter does not explicitly confirm whether Tripura Babu had truly been on the train or if it was a figment of Surapati's imagination. However, based on the events described in the story, it is strongly suggested that Tripura Babu possessed extraordinary magical abilities. He not only convinced Surapati with a demonstration of his powers, but he also performed the trick of making a coin and a ring move, which Surapati later replicated. This suggests that Tripura Babu's presence and powers were real rather than products of imagination.