Short Answer Questions
Q1: Who is Derry? What self-opinion does he hold?
Ans: Derry is a fourteen-year-old boy whose face was badly burnt on one side by acid.. He is quiet, shy and defiant, and he suffers from low self-esteem; he sees himself as ugly and inferior because of his disfigurement.
Q2: How does Lamb try to remove the baseless fears of Derry?
Ans: Mr Lamb uses a calm, optimistic philosophy to change Derry's outlook. He treats insults lightly, asks Derry not to pay attention to other people's remarks, and encourages him to build inward strength and self-respect. By modelling cheerfulness and acceptance, Mr Lamb shows Derry that other people's opinions need not determine his self-worth.
Q3: What did Derry's mother think of Mr. Lamb?
OR
Why did Derry's mother stop him from going to Mr Lamb
Ans: Derry's mother disapproved of Mr Lamb. She had heard rumours and unfavourable things about him, so she was fearful and forbade Derry from visiting the old man.
Q4: Why does Derry go back to Mr. Lamb in the end?
Ans: Derry returns because Mr Lamb has taught him an important lesson about self-acceptance. He learns not to be ruled by other people's comments and begins to care more about his own feelings than about pity or ridicule. Realising that he will not change unless he faces this lesson, Derry chooses to go back.
Q5: Comment on the moral value of the play?
Ans: The play conveys that physical differences are insignificant compared to one's attitude towards life. It highlights the need for self-acceptance and urges society to stop judging people based on appearance.
Q6. Mr. Lamb says to Derry,'it's all relative, beauty and the beast', what essentially does he mean by that?
Ans: Mr Lamb means that beauty is a matter of personal perception. What one person finds beautiful, another may find ugly. Judgements about looks are relative and depend on individual feelings and attitudes.
Long Answer Questions
Q1: The actual pain or inconvenience caused by a physical impairment is often much less than the sense of alienation felt by the person with disabilities. What is the kind of behavior that the person expects from others?
Ans: People with physical impairments often suffer more from social rejection than from physical pain. They expect others to treat them with dignity and normalcy rather than with pity or excessive protection. They want honest, respectful behaviour: polite conversation, inclusion in activities, and ordinary friendships that do not centre on their disability.
For example, both Mr Lamb and Derry face verbal cruelties. Mr Lamb's tin leg drew curious or mocking remarks, yet he learned to shrug them off. Derry's burnt face makes him the target of constant pity and hurtful comments, which deepen his sense of isolation. What he truly needs is acceptance - people who will meet him as a person rather than define him by his appearance.
They also expect fairness rather than sympathy. Sympathy that turns into overprotection can be humiliating. A disabled person prefers encouragement to self-pity and opportunities to take part in ordinary life. Wounds of the body may heal, but bitter words linger and leave lasting emotional scars. Changing social attitudes - treating disabled persons as equals and refusing to reduce them to objects of curiosity - helps them regain confidence and belong in the community.
