Previous Year Questions: The Enemy

CBSE Previous Year Questions 2025

Short Answer Type Questions 

Q.1. 'Not at all,' Sadao said. "It is inconvenient to have you here any longer." What image do you form of Dr. Sadao based on the above remark?  (2 Marks)

Answer: This remark portrays Dr. Sadao as a pragmatic and professionally detached individual. While he saved the prisoner's life due to his medical ethics, he remained a realist who understood the grave danger his family faced. His words show that he acted out of duty rather than a personal liking for the enemy, prioritizing the safety and peace of his household once the man was recovered.

Q.2. Why did the servants leave the house despite their concern for their master Dr. Sadao? (2 Marks)

Answer: The servants left because of their staunch patriotism and superstition. They believed that by healing an enemy, Sadao was defying nature and inviting "revenge" upon the house. They felt that Sadao's long stay in America had made him "forget to think of his own country first," and they feared being condemned as traitors if the man's presence was discovered.

Q.3. What was the dilemma faced by Sadao on seeing the prisoner of war? (2 Marks)

Answer: Sadao faced a conflict between his professional duty as a doctor and his loyalty as a Japanese citizen. As a doctor, he was trained "not to let a man die" if he could help it. However, as a patriot during World War II, harboring an American sailor was a criminal act that endangered his position, his family, and his reputation.

Q.4. The man behind the success of Dr. Sadao is his father. Bring out the truth in the above statement with evidences from the text.(2 Marks)

Answer: Sadao's father was the architect of his career; he made Sadao's education his "chief concern," sending him to America at twenty-two to study surgery and medicine. Sadao's deep respect for his father is evident in how he maintained his traditional Japanese values, such as marrying Hana only after ensuring she was "pure in her race" to please the old man.

Extract-Based Questions

Q.5. Read the following extracts and answer the questions  (4 Marks)
Extract: "That young master is so proud of his skill to save life that he saves any life," the cook said contemptuously.
"It is the children of whom we must think," Yumi said sadly. "What will be their fate if their father is condemned as a traitor ?"
They did not try to hide what they said from the ears of Hana as she stood arranging the day's flowers in the veranda near by, and she knew they spoke on purpose that she might hear.

(i) Complete the following suitably: The tone of the cook while speaking about her master's skill is _______.

Answer: Contemptuous.Solution: The text explicitly states that the cook spoke "contemptuously," indicating her bitter disapproval of Sadao using his skills to save an enemy.

(ii) 'They spoke on purpose that she might hear'. They wanted her to hear to convey their:(A) interest (B) disapproval (C) sympathy (D) respect

Answer: (B) disapproval
Solution: The servants were unhappy with the master's decision to harbor a prisoner. By speaking loudly enough for Hana to hear, they were expressing their resistance and disagreement with the situation.

(iii) How is Yumi's concern for the children justified?

Answer:  Yumi fears that if Sadao is arrested for treason, his children will suffer the social and legal consequences of being the offspring of a traitor.
Solution: In a militaristic state during wartime, the crime of harboring an enemy would likely lead to severe punishment for the whole family.

(iv) Select the correct option: The above extract reveals a __________ (superficial/close) association between the master and the servants.

Answer:  Close.
Solution: The servants had been with the family since Sadao was a boy. Their willingness to openly voice their opinions, even if through eavesdropping, suggests a long-standing, household-integrated relationship rather than a superficial one.

Long Answer Type Questions 

Q.6. Why did Dr. Sadao treat the American soldier, even though it was an unpatriotic act? Describe the difficulties faced by Dr. Sadao when he decided to help the enemy soldier. (5 Marks)

Answer: Dr. Sadao treated the soldier because his medical ethics superseded his national prejudices. He had been trained by his American professor that "ignorance of the human body is the surgeon's cardinal sin" and that failing to operate when possible is equivalent to murder. He simply could not let a man die if he had the skill to save him.

Difficulties faced:

• Domestic Rebellion: His servants, led by the cook and Yumi, openly defied orders and eventually left the house in protest.
• Hana's Distress: Sadao had to witness his wife's physical suffering; Hana was so revolted by the surgery that she went outside to retch.
• Psychological Strain: He lived in constant fear of arrest, especially when an official messenger appeared. Later, he suffered through sleepless nights waiting for the General's private assassins to complete their task.

Q.7. The element of dilemma, between humanity and Patriotism elevates the character of Dr. Sadao in 'The Enemy'. Support your answer with evidence from the text. (5 Marks)

Answer: The dilemma elevates Sadao from a mere doctor to a morally superior human being. He does not choose between humanity and patriotism; instead, he fulfills both. His humanity is displayed when he saves Tom, the "enemy," because his oath to preserve life is universal. He even murmurs "my friend" to the patient during surgery, momentarily forgetting the war.

However, his patriotism is evident because he does not intend to be a traitor. He reports the prisoner to the General and even agrees to the plan of assassination, which would have legally resolved the issue for the state. The true elevation of his character occurs when the General forgets his promise due to self-absorption. Sadao, realizing he cannot keep the man forever nor let him be killed for another's negligence, facilitates a safe escape. He manages to save his family and his honor while ensuring the survival of a human life, proving that humanity can rise above narrow national prejudices.

Q.8. Dr. Sadao emerges as both a true patriot and a compassionate human being. Elaborate.  (5 Marks)

Answer: Dr. Sadao is a complex character who balances two seemingly opposing identities. As a compassionate human being, he provides the highest level of medical care to a wounded man whom he personally finds repulsive. Even after the surgery, he continues to monitor the prisoner's health and eventually provides him with food, bottled water, quilts, and a flashlight to ensure his survival on the island.

Simultaneously, he remains a true patriot. His loyalty to Japan is seen in his deep respect for his father's traditionalism and his indispensable service to the Japanese General. He does not hide the prisoner out of a love for America-he actually remembers his time in America with bitterness and felt superior to the "prejudiced" Americans he met. He attempts to hand the prisoner over through the "proper channels" by informing the General. Ultimately, he resolves the situation in a way that protects his country's interests (by removing the threat) and his own conscience (by saving the life), embodying a rare blend of national loyalty and universal compassion.

CBSE Previous Year Questions 2024

Short Answer Questions

Q.1. What was the servants' reaction to Sadao's decision of treating the American soldier? (2 Marks)

Answer: The servants were frightened and openly defiant. The old gardener, who had served Sadao's father, believed that since the man had been "shot" by a gun and "wounded" by the sea rocks, saving him was a move against nature that would bring "revenge" upon the house. Yumi refused to wash the "dirty" white man and feared for the children's future if Sadao were branded a traitor. Ultimately, they felt the couple had stayed too long in America and forgotten to think of their own country first, leading them to leave the household together.

Q.2. How will you describe Dr. Sadao as a husband? (2 Marks)

Answer: Dr Sadao is portrayed as a deeply affectionate and considerate husband. He values his marriage greatly, having waited to fall in love with Hana until he was certain she was "pure in her race" to satisfy his father. Throughout the crisis, he is sensitive to Hana's distress; he feels "impatient and irritable" with the prisoner because he cannot go to comfort her when she is retching in the garden. His eventual decision to help the prisoner escape is motivated significantly by his desire to end the "strain" and anxiety Hana is suffering.

Q.3. "I will have nothing to do with it," Yumi said, "I am a poor person and it is not my business." What inference can be drawn about the character of the speaker? (2 Marks)

Answer: This statement reflects Yumi's stubbornness, narrow-mindedness, and sense of self-preservation. As a domestic servant, she lacks the global perspective or humanitarian training of Dr Sadao. Her refusal indicates a character governed by fear and social conditioning; she views the wounded man solely as a "menace" and an enemy, prioritizing her own safety as a "poor person" over the universal duty of care. Her loyalty is restricted to her masters' traditional interests, not their humanitarian experiments.

Extract Based Questions

Q.4. Read the following extract and answer the questions (4 Marks):

"If I am able, are you?" Sadao asked."No," Hana said, "But if you can do it alone..."Sadao hesitated again. "The strange thing is," he said, "that if the man were whole I could turn him over to the police without difficulty. I care nothing for him. He is my enemy. All Americans are my enemy. And he is only a common fellow. You see how foolish his face is. But since he is wounded..."

(i) Complete the sentence appropriately. 
The dilemma faced by the couple was whether they should save the American prisoner of war as a doctor and a human being, or hand him over to the authorities as a loyal Japanese patriot.

(ii) What does Hana ask Dr. Sadao to do alone?
(A) Treat the wounded soldier 
(B) Give him shelter in the outhouse
(C) Throw him back into the sea
(D) Hand him over to the authorities

Answer: (C)
Solution: In the dialogue, Hana is initially hesitant to bring the enemy into the house. When she asks if they are able to put him back in the sea and Sadao questions if she will help, she replies that he must do it alone because she is unable to participate in such an act herself.

(iii) Explain the expression: "if the man were whole".

Answer: The expression means if the man were healthy and not wounded. Sadao is explaining that if the American were physically fit and not in a dying state, his professional ethics as a doctor would not be at odds with his duty as a citizen, making it easy to hand him over to the police.

(iv) Dr. Sadao says, "All Americans are my enemy." What character trait of Dr. Sadao does it reflect?

Answer: This reflects his strong sense of national loyalty and patriotism. Despite his years of education in America, he does not have a "sentimental liking" for the prisoner; he acknowledges the political reality of the war and views the man as a representative of a hostile nation.

Long AnswerQuestions

Q.5. After having escaped from Japan with the help of Dr. Sadao, Tom (the prisoner of war) writes an article highlighting how Sadao's actions demonstrated the importance of humanity and living in harmony. (5 Marks)

Answer:Humanity is a value that binds us together... and Dr Sadao Hoki is the living embodiment of this truth. Despite being an "enemy" washed up on his doorstep during a brutal war, I was not met with the edge of a blade, but with the skilled hands of a healer. Sadao's actions proved that a professional's "cardinal sin" is to allow a life to slip away through ignorance or prejudice.

Though the world saw us as combatants, Sadao saw me as a "wounded helpless man". He rose above the "cold eyes" of his servants and the "ruthlessness" of his military superiors to provide me with food, clothing, and a path to freedom. He demonstrated that when we look past the "white faces" and national labels, we find a shared human vulnerability. If more people possessed his courage to prioritize life over politics, the "scars" of war would not exist. His final "reward" was not a medal, but the silence of an empty island, knowing a fellow human was safe.