SEBA Class 9 English Supplementary Reader Chapter 4: In the Kingdom of Fools--- Kannada Folktale (ed.) A.K. Ramanujan All Questions & Answers
In the Kingdom of Fools
TEXTUAL QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Think about it
1. What are the two strange things the guru and his disciple find in the Kingdom of Fools ?
Ans: The two strange things that the guru and his disciple found in the Kingdom of Fools were, firstly, anything could be bought for the sum of one ‘duddu’ and secondly, everyone slept by day, and woke up and worked throughout the night.
2. Why does the disciple decide to stay in the Kingdom of Fools ? Is it a good idea ?
Ans: In the Kingdom of Fools everything could be bought for the sum of a duddu. The disciple decided to stay there because all he wanted was to eat good, cheap food which he was getting there.No, it was not a good idea.
3. Name all the people who are tried in the king’s court, and give the reasons for their trial.
Ans: The first to be tried was the merchant because it was his house’s wall which had collapsed, killing the thief. The merchant blamed the bricklayer for building a weak wall and so, he was the next person to be tried. The bricklayer, who was now very old, in turn blamed a dancer for distracting him when he was building the wall. Therefore the dancer, now an old lady, was summoned to court and charged with distracting the bricklayer in his work by walking up and down the street with her anklets jingling. Not to be made a scapegoat, the dancer in turn blamed the goldsmith for delaying her order and thus making her visit him time and again. Finally the goldsmith pleaded not guilty because he revealed that the merchant had swamped him with orders and so he could not deliver the dancer’s ornaments on time and had to send her back. Thus the trial came to a full circle and again the needle of blame came to the same merchant’s now deceased father.
4. Who is the real culprit according to the king ? Why does he escape punishment ?
Ans: According to the king in the absence of the merchant’s father who is dead, the merchant is the real culprit. The merchant escaped sure death because when a new stake was made for his execution, it came to the notice of the minister that the rich merchant was too thin to be executed on the stake properly.
5. What are the Guru’s words of wisdom ? When does the disciple remember them ?
Ans: The Guru after observing the state of affairs in the Kingdom of Fools was of the opinion that they should leave immediately but the disciple did not agree as he was very happy at being able to purchase food at very cheap rates there. It was then that the learned man had opined that the people were all fools and the state of bliss the disciple so loved would not last long. Moreover, he added, there was no telling what the fools would do next.
The disciple recalls his Guru’s words of wisdom when he is arrested for murder, a crime he did not commit, only because the real accused was too thin and the disciple was fat enough to be properly executed on the newly constructed stake.
6. How does the guru manage to save his disciple’s life ?
Ans: The Guru managed to save his disciple’s life by enacting a small drama before the King and his minister. He began to fight with his disciple for the right to be executed first. Confused by this, the king asked him the reason for this madness to which the Guru replied that the stake that had been built for the execution was a pure stake on which no criminal had been executed before. Hence, whoever would be the first one to be executed on it, would be reborn as the future King, while the person to be executed next would be reborn as the Minister, Hearing this, the King and his minister could not bear the thought of losing their kingdom to the Guru and his disciple, so they chose to be executed on the stake themselves. They ordered the executioners accordingly and in the dead of the night, met with their death hoping to reborn as King and Minister. Thus by tricking the foolish King and his minister, the Guru succeeded in saving his innocent disciple’s life.
Talk about it
In Shakespeare’s plays the fool is not really foolish. If you have read or seen Shakespeare’s plays such as King Lear, As You Like It. Twelfth Night, you may talk about the role of the fool. Do you know any stories in your language about wise fools, such as Tenali Rama or Gopal Bhar ? You can also read about them in Ramanujan’s collection of folk tales.
Suggested reading
Tales from Shakespeare by Charles and Mary Lamb
Folk Tales from India: A Selection of Oral Tales from Twenty two Languages Selected and Edited by A. K. Ramanujan
Classic Folk Tales from Around the World Edited by Robert Nye
ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS
Answer the following questions :
1. Why did the King and minister decide to change night into day and day into night ? Did they succeed ? How ?
Ans: The King and the minister were foolish idiots. In their desire to be different from other kings, they decided to change night into day and day into night. Yes, they succeeded, by threatening the citizens to do as told or face death.
So, the people of the kingdom, for fear of death, learnt to sleep by day and get up and attend to their businesses at night.
Even the cattle had been taught to follow this unnatural system. Thus the King and his minister succeeded in reversing day and night.
2. The guru did not want to stay because
(i) he realised it was a kingdom of fools.
(ii) the king was looking for a fat man to execute.
(iii) his disciple wanted to stay.
(iv) everything could be brought for one duddu.
Ans: (1) he realised it was a kingdom of fools.
3. What did the disciple do after his guru had left ?
Ans: After the Guru had left, the disciple stayed on in the kingdom of fools, eating his fill. He fattened himself up on a diet of bananas, ghee, rice and wheat, all bought at the price of one duddu each. As a result he soon became fat and obese.
4. Why did the King decide to execute the disciple ?
Ans: The King decided to execute the disciple because he was fat enough to be executed on the stake properly, unlike the actual culprit who was too thin to fit.
5. “There is some mystery here. As a wise man you must make me understand.”
(i) Who is the speaker and who is he speaking to ?
Ans: The King of the Kingdom of Fools is the speaker and he is speaking to the guru.
(ii) What mystery is the speaker referring to ?
Ans: The speaker is referring to the mystery as to why the guru and the disciple were fighting amongst themselves to get on the stake and be executed first.
6. “Those are my orders. Don’t make any mistake.”
(i) Who is the speaker ?
Ans: The speaker is the King of the Kingdom of Fools.
(ii) What were the speaker’s orders ?
Ans: The King had told his executioners that the criminals would be sent to them that night. He ordered them that when the first man came he should be put to death; then the second man too be executed similarly.
(iii) Who was the speaker giving orders to ?
Ans: The king was giving orders to the executioners.
7.”You must punish the wrongdoer and compensate the family for this injustice.”
(i) Who is the speaker ?
Ans: The speaker is the brother of the thief who had broken into a merchant’s house.
(ii) Who is the speaker talking to ?
Ans: The speaker is talking to the King of the Kingdom of Fools.
(iii) What is the injustice referred to here ?
Ans: The injustice referred to here is the death of the thief.
According to his brother, the thief was only pursuing his business (of stealing) when the weak walls of the merchant’s house, which he had entered to rob, fell upon him and killed him. This was injustice according to him.
(iv) Who was the ‘wrongdoer’ according to the speaker ? Why ?
Ans: According to the brother of the thief, the merchant was the wrong doer because it was his wall which had fallen and killed the thief. The merchant should have built a stronger wall, he said.
(v) Give the noun form of ‘compensate?
Ans: Compensation.
