Short questions of drama and novel........part2

What is modern about ‘The Cherry Orchard’?
Ans. One thing which is modern about "The Cherry Orchard" is the emphasis on realism. Moreover, money in the play is a modern element which dictates the transformation of landscapes from pastoral to industrial. Thus the play is 'out with the old and in with the new.'
(xi) What is the setting of ‘The Cherry Orchard?
Ans. The action takes place between May and October at a rural estate in Russian three to four decades after Czar Alexander II freed the serf in 1861.
(xii) What is the central conflict in ‘The Cherry Orchard’?
Ans. The central conflict of the play is the battle between the values of the old Russia and the values of the new Russia.
(xiii) How is ‘The Cherry Orchard’ perceived by the servant class?
Ans. Firs is the representative of the servant class. To Firs, the cherry orchard is something to be revered and remembered, and something that is intimately connected with past times and a very different kind of life from the life that is being experienced by the Ranevsky family now.
(xiv) What is the significance of the axe falling in ‘The Cherry Orchard’?
Ans. The axe falling on the tress in Act IV represents the destruction of the orchard and the old aristocratic way of life in Russia.
(xv) What is the ultimate fate of Firs at the end of ‘The Cherry Orchard’?
Ans. Firs is an old footman, faithful to the Ranevsky family for generations. Concerned only with the well-being of his employers, he is inadvertently left to die in the abandoned house, a symbol of the dying past.
What does 'Ezigbo' mean?
Ans. 'Ezigbo' means the good one (child). Ezigbo is the daughter of Ekwefi and Okonkow. She is also called Ezimna; meaning true beauty.
(x) What were the ingredients that went into making the medicine for 'iba'?
Ans. The earth provides ways for humans to combat disease. The ingredients that went into making the medicine for 'iba' were the leaves, grasses and barks of tree.
(xi) Give an account of Chielo's journey to Agbala, having Ezinma on her back.
Ans. While Ekwefi and Ezinma are telling folktales to each other during a moonless night, Chielo arrives. She says that the god Agbala wants to see Ezinma. Ezinma, who is very afraid, climbs on Chielo's back. In the dark night, Cheilo having Ezinma on her back is headed towards the cave of Agbala. Ekwefi follows them. Chielo enters the cave with Ezinma. Ekwefi sits and waits outside the cave.
(xii) Why was Okonkow famous?
Ans. Okonkow was famous because he defeated the most famous wrestler, Alalinze. Moreover, he a a well known farmer and warrior. He was also famous because of how he was able to define his in conjunction with socially established norms of "success".
(xiii) According to the oracle, why do Unoka's crops fail year after year?
Ans. Unoka, Okonkwo's father, visits the tribe's oracle, Agbala, to discover why he has bad harvests. Agbala's priestess says that he has no one but himself to blame for his bad harvests. She points out his laziness in contrast to his neighbours' admirable work ethic and sends him away with simple advicd: "go home and work like a man."
(xiv) What does the repetition the the number seven suggest in 'Things Fall Apart'?
Ans. In several places, the novel explicitly focuses on the theological and moral similarities between Christianity and Igbo religion. The repetition of the number seven -- symbolically important to both religions -- is another way of highlighting the similarities between the two cultures. The text refers to resting on the seventh day for both cultures.
(xv) Who brings the pots of wine in 'Uri' ceremony of Obierika's daughter?
Ans. The groom's family brings the pots of wine in 'Uri' ceremony of Obierika's daughter. They bring fifty pots of palm-wine, a very respectable number. The women of the house drink some wine, including the bride, Akueke.
In what language was 'Waiting for Godot' originally written?
Ans. "Waiting for Godot" was originally written in French in 1948, with the title "En attendant Godot". Beckett personally translated the play into English.  The world premiere was held on January 5, 1953, in the Left Bank Theater of Babylon in Paris.
(xii) What is 'mandrake'? What is its symbolic reference?
Ans. Mandrake is a plant of the nightshade family, with a forked fleshy root which supposedly resembles the human form and which was formerly used in herbal medicine and magic; it was alleged to shriek when pulled from the ground. In "Waiting for Godot", Vladimir says, "Where it falls mandrakes grow". It refers that mandrakes grow where the semen of the hanged man has dripped onto the ground.
(xiii) What does the song about the dog signify in 'Waiting for Godot'?
Ans. In the beginning of Act II, Vladimir moves about feverishly on the stage and suddenly begins to sing a dog song -- an old German Balled. It is a circular song. It is emblematic of the circularity and repetitiveness of the play as a whole. It also reinforces Beckett's idea of the loss of individuality, and creates more conflict between Vladimir and Estragon.
(xiv) What does Lucky's 'Dance in a Net' symbolize?
Ans. When Lucky is commanded to dance in Act I, Pozzo reveals that he calls his dance "The Net", adding, "He thinks he's entangled in a net". Thus Lucky's dance symbolizes the agony, strain and entanglement in life to magnify the ultimate suffering of human existence.
(xv) What is the function of the audience in 'Waiting for Godot'?
Ans. In the Theatre of the Absurd, there is an attempt to draw the audience into the play and make them feel involved. In "Waiting for Godot" it is never revealed conclusively who or what Godot is, this unknown force can be seen metaphorically represent that for which the audience is waiting in their own lives. The audience relates to the protagonists because waiting is common for all.
i) There are many types of war and many types of love in 'Arms and the Man'.
Ans. There are two wars; Serbo-Bulgarian War and Russain-Austrian War. There are two types of war; romanticized war and realistic war. Three love affairs; Raina-Sergius, Raina-Bluntschli, and Louka-Sergius can be grouped into two categories - romantic love and realistic love.
(xii) What characteristics make a person a good soldier?
Ans. Captain Bluntschli represents Shaw's ideal soldier. He harbors no romantic ideals; he views was as business to be efficiently dispatched. If Bluntschli demonstrates what a soldier should be, Sergius and Major Petkoff demonstrate what he should not be. Sergius is filled with poetic ideas about bravery and honour, and Major Petkoff is the picture of incompetence.
(xiii) Which character best serves as Shaw's spokesman?
Ans. Captain Bluntschli serves best as Shaw's spokesman. He is a thirty four year old realist who sees through the absurd romanticism of war. He is the representative of average humanity; he is what Shaw would like Man to be.
(xiv) Which characters have illusions about themselves and the world they live in?
Ans. Raina, Catherine and Sergius have illusions about themselves and the world they live in. Raina reads romantic novels and imagines herself a heroine. Raina's mother, Catherine, shares many of her daughter's allusions about love and warfare. Sergius believes in the romantic ideals championed by poetry and opera.
(xv) Who holds the most power in Petkoff's household?
Ans. Catherine, Raina's mother and Petkoff's wife, holds the most power in Petkoff's household. She runs her house energetically and ably, with a strong ruling will and definite ideas about upholding her position as an aristocrat.
) What role does the conch play in 'Lord of the Flies'?
Ans. The conch is a symbol of social order, respect, decency and power. When the boys hold meetings around the camp fire, only the speaker who is holding the conch may address the crowd. The speaker with the conch is supposed to be respected by the group and heard. When the conch gets destroyed, the boys' civilized world also becomes unglued.
(x) How and why do the boys make fire?
Ans. Boys gather woods and make fire by using Piggy's glasses. They think that this fire may draw the attention of a plane or passing ship, and in turn, help facilitate their rescue.
(xi) Who or what is the Lord of the Flies?
Ans. "Lord" is a word of power, and "Flies" connote death and decay. So "Lord of the Flies" is a power of corruption, decay and death. "Lord of the Flies" is also the popular translation of Beelzebub, who is either a demon or the devil himself. Simon calls the severed pig's head "Lord of the Flies" because he sees it as a manifestation of the boy's nature -- and possibly his own.
(xii) Interpret 'The head is for the beast. It's a gift'.
Ans. This line is from Chapter 8 in "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding. This line is spoken by Jack. Jack and his hunters sharpen a stick at both ends and place the dismembered head of a pig on it as a kind of offering for the imaginary beast. It also shows boys' lust for blood.
(xiii) Interpret 'Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood'.
Ans. This line is from Chapter 9 in "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding. This line is, in fact, the boys' savage chant in the novel. It symbolizes the loss of reason and blind emotion. When boys get involved in it, nothing seems real, they lose their grip on reality. This is why the boys mistake Simon as the Beast and murder him.
(xiv) What does the dead parachutist symbolize?
Ans. The dead parachutist symbolizes; the civilization from which the boys have been cut off, a link to the adult world, the lack of adult supervision on the island, the lack of order on the island, the essence of the beast and the lord of the flies, savagery and evil in action.
(xv) Why does the boys' plan for rescue fail?
Ans. The boys only had one plan for rescue, which was to keep a signal fire burning on the mountain top. One day Ralph spotted a passing ship. All the boys were on a pig hunt and the fire was left untended. The ship passed by and the boys remained unrescued.