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Chapter 11, The Proposal, , Thinking abpout the Play, , Q.1 What does Chubukov at first suspect that Lomov has come for? Is, he sincere when he later says, “And I’ve always loved you, my angel, as, if you were my own son”? Find reasons for your answer from the play., Ans.: At first Chubukov suspected that Lomov has come to borrow, some money from him. Chubukov is not sincere when he later says, , “And I have always loved you, my angel, as if you were my own son.”, This is evident from the fact that he starts fighting with Lomov just a, short while later. He takes the side of his daughter in the fight and even, abused Lomov., , Q.2 Chubukov says of Natalya, “....as if she won’t consent! She’s in, love; egad, she’s like a love-sick cat....” Would you agree? Find, reasons., , Ans.: Natalya is evidently in love, which can be easily inferred from her, behaviour and talking. She even started weeping when she got to know, about Lomov’s proposal. Her love is visible when she urges her father to, bring back Lomov at once, even after such a huge argument., , Q.3A Find all the words and expressions in the play that the characters, use to speak about each other, and the accusations and insults they hurt, at each other., , (For example, Lomov in the end calls Chubukov an intriguer; but earlier,, Chubukov has himself called Lomov a "malicious, doublefaced

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intriguer." Again, Lomov begins by describing Natalya as "an excellent, housekeeper, not bad-looking, well-educated."), Ans.: Natalya calls Lomov: rascal, the monster., , Lomov calls him: villain, blind hen, the stuffed susage, malicious,, double faced, intriguer, old rat, fool. Chubukov calls Lomov's father: a, guzzling gambler., , Lomov calls Chubukov: Intriguer, Natalya's mother, hump-backed., , Chubukov calls Lomov: My precious., , Lomov calls Natalya: Excellent housekeeper, not bad-looking, elleducated., , Q.3B_ Then think of five adjectives or adjectival expressions of your, own to describe each character in the play., , Ans.: Chubukov: low-minded, insensible, cunning, quarrelsome, mean., Lomov: well-dressed, weak, assertive, stupid, idiotic., , Natalya: quarrelsome, lovable, immature, foolish, mean., , Q.3C Can you imagine what these characters will quarrel about next?, Ans.: All the characters seem to have a short temper and thus are, expected to get into a quarrel even on the pettiest issues. It can be said, that they’ ll quarrel soon enough.

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Thinking about Language, , Q.1A_ This play has been translated into English from the Russian, original., , Are there any expressions or ways of speaking that strike you as more, Russian than English? For example, would an adult man be addressed by, an older man as my darling or my treasure in an English play?, , Read through the play carefully, and find expressions that you think are, not used in contemporary English, and contrast these with idiomatic, modem English expressions that also occur in the play., , Ans.: Many expressions or ways of speaking are in the play that strike, as more Russian than English, * You must excuse my apron and negligee., , * Double-faced intriguer., , * The stuffed sausage., , * What a weight off my shoulder, ouf., , * We are shelling peas for drying., , * Ouf, frump, sausage, egad., , + Spit it out, she's like a lovesick cat, malicious., , * Rascal, the villain, the scare crow, house-keeper., , In an English play an adult man is highly unlikely to be addressed by an, older man as ‘my darling’ or ‘my treasure’. [Hints: ouf, frump, sausage,, egad etc. are the words not used in Modern English.]

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Q.1C Look up the following phrases in a dictionary to find out their, meaning, and then use each in a sentence of your own., , (i) You may take it that, , (ii) He seems to be coming round, , (iii) My foot’s gone to sleep, , Ans.: (i) You may take it that — suppose, , (1i) He seems to be coming round — to come to senses., , (iii) My foot’s gone to sleep — be numb., , Uses in the sentences —, , (1) My father may take it that I shall pass in this examination., (ii) After drinking water Lomov seems to be coming round., (ii) Hearing the news of her husband’s death her foot’s gone to sleep., , Q.2 Reported Speech, , A sentence in reported speech consists of two parts; a reporting clause,, which contains the reporting verb, and the reported clause. Look at the, following sentences., , (a) “ I went to visit my grandma last week,” said Mamta., , (b) Mamta said that she had gone to visit her grandma the previous, week. In sentence (a), we have Mamta’s exact words. This is an example, of direct speech. In sentence (b), someone is reporting what Mamta said., This is called indirect speech or reported speech. A sentence in reported, speech is made up of two parts-a reporting clause and a reported clause., In sentence (b), Mamta said is the reporting clause containing the, reporting verb said. The other clause-that she had gone to visit her, grandma last week-is the reported clause.