CBSE Class 11 English Birth Questions Answers Worksheet Set 02

Introduction

‘Birth’ is an excerpt from “The Citadel” that revolves around Andrew Manson who just graduated from medical school. It is an account of how the newly graduated medical practitioner helped in bringing Joe and Susan’s child into this world despite going through a tough time with his girlfriend, Christine. The story begins with Andrew Manson, who has just begun his medical practice in the small Welsh mining town of Blaenelly. When he returns from a terrible evening with his girlfriend, Christine, Joe Morgan approaches him to help in the delivery of his wife. Dr Andrew Manson has to put in much labour in the delivery, as the mother requires much attention before she is revived. Moreover, the baby was not breathing at birth. Using all his knowledge and intuition, Dr Andrew Manson makes more efforts to revive the child. After almost half an hour of frantic efforts, he succeeds and gains a sense of achievement.

THEME

The chapter ‘Birth’ shows us that it is important to keep going, in order to accomplish every deed no matter what adversities we come to face. It is only when we do this that we are blessed with the realisation of the significance of the experience that has been given to us. A doctor has the capability of saving a life and if he lets his personal woes get the better of him, the life would be lost. Each and every birth is significant because each and every human being is special and different. We need to be aware of the gifts with which we have been blessed and live every day according to our potential.

Summary

Dr Andrew had recently graduated from medical college. He was practising as an assistant to Dr Edward Page in a small Welsh mining town named Blaenelly. One night, he was returning home when he found Joe Morgan waiting for him outside his home. He had been there for more than an hour. He looked relieved to see the doctor. He informed the doctor that he was needed at their home as his wife was expecting to deliver a baby after almost 20 years of their marriage. Dr Andrew asked him to wait for a few minutes. He went inside, got his medical bag, and set out for Joe Morgan’s house. Joe Morgan stopped outside the house and requested Dr Andrew to go inside alone. Through a narrow staircase, the doctor reached a small, clean but scantily furnished room. He found two women beside the patient—Susan Morgan’s mother, a tall, grey-haired woman of nearly seventy, and an elderly midwife. Susan’s mother offered him a cup of tea. So, Dr Andrew sensed that she didn’t want him to leave, as there would be a waiting period. Dr Andrew was tired but still decided to stay. An hour later, he went to check the patient and came down. The restless footsteps of Joe Morgan could be heard as he paced the street outside. Dr Andrew was so deep in his thoughts that the voice of the old lady (Susan Morgan’s mother) surprised him. She informed him that her daughter didn’t want him to give her chloroform if it would harm the baby. Dr Andrew replied that it would do no harm. Just then, he heard the midwife’s voice. It was half-past three and Dr Andrew perceived that it was time for him to start working on the delivery. After a harsh struggle for an hour, the child was born, a perfectly formed boy. Unfortunately, it was not breathing. A shiver of horror passed over Dr Andrew. He wanted to resuscitate the child, but the mother herself was in a very desperate state. He gave the child to the midwife and turned his attention to Susan Morgan, the mother, who was lying unconscious. Her pulse was slow and her strength was reducing. After a few minutes of continuous efforts, he stabilised her by giving her an injection. Then, he asked for the child. The midwife had kept the child under the bed, presuming him to be dead. Dr Andrew pulled out the child. His head was hanging loosely and the limbs seemed boneless. He concluded that the child was suffering from asphyxia pallida (an abnormal medical condition in a newly born baby). Dr Andrew recalled a case he had once seen in the Samaritan (a medical journal) and the treatment that was given. He asked the midwife to quickly get hot water and cold water in two bowls.

He started plunging the child once into the icy water and then into the steaming bath alternately. Fifteen minutes passed and nothing happened. Dr Andrew was getting frustrated. He could see the unbelieving faces of the midwife and the old lady, but he continued his efforts. Dr Andrew started rubbing the child’s chest with a rough towel and thumping his little chest, trying to get breath into that limp body. Then, as if by a miracle, the child’s chest began moving. Dr Andrew felt weak and nervous at the site of life springing under his hands. Life came to the child’s limbs, his head became erect, the skin started turning pink and suddenly, the child cried. The midwife exclaimed with tears of happiness in her eyes that the child was alive.

After such a frantic effort and its success, Dr Andrew felt weak and speechless. The old woman, Susan’s mother, was still standing against the wall, praying. Andrew went downstairs and said that he would fetch his bag later on. He found Joe Morgan still waiting with an anxious, eager face. Dr Andrew gave him the happy news that both the mother and the baby were all right. Andrew was really happy and exclaimed, “Oh God! I’ve done something real at last.” He had achieved a feat in medical history which would certainly brighten his future.

A.J. Cronin was a Scottish physician, novelist, dramatist, and non-fiction writer. He was born on July 19, 1896 in Dunbartonshire, Scotland. In 1914, he entered Glasgow University to study medicine, but his studies were interrupted by World War I, in which he served in the British Navy as a surgeon sub-lieutenant. A.J. Cronin was one of the most renowned storytellers of the twentieth century. His best-known works are ‘The Citadel’ and ‘The Keys of the Kingdom’, both of which were made into Oscar-nominated films.

Questions

READING WITH INSIGHT

Question. “I have done something; oh, God! I’ve done something real at last.” Why does Andrew say this? What does it mean?
Answer: Andrew said that he had done something real at last because he had handled a tough situation. He had been successful in saving both – the mother and the child. It was a complicated delivery and having accomplished it successfully made him feel that he had done something worthwhile. Doing something real at last means that Andrew felt content and jubilant at his own efforts and the achievement.

Question. There lies a great difference between textbook medicine and the world of a practising physician. Discuss.
Answer: Textbook medicine gives knowledge about medicines, diseases, human anatomy and treatments. However, it does not teach you how to handle stressful situations. A practising physician has to work in various odd situations. His skills of endurance and medical expertise are tested in such situations. So, textbook medicine and the world of a practising physician are very different from each other.

Question. Do you know of any incident when someone has been brought back to life from the brink of death through medical help. Discuss medical procedures such as organ transplant and organ regeneration that are used to save human life.
Answer: Yes, once my neighbour was in a critical condition. He had a heart attack and was rushed to the hospital. Timely medical help saved his life. He underwent a heart surgery and now, he is hale and hearty. Medical procedures like organ transplant and organ regeneration are very beneficial for people. Many people donate their organs also, so that these can be of help to others. Organ transplant has a good success rate and many people opt for it. The procedure gives them a new life and a needy person gets financial help in return. However, just like other things, the business of organ donation and transplant has become a money making industry with a lot of exploitation of people.

Additional Questions

Extract-based Questions

Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.

“Eh, Doctor, I’m glad to see you. I been back and forward here this last hour. The missus wants ye — before time, too.” Andrew, abruptly recalled from the contemplation of his own affairs, told Morgan to wait. He went into the house for his bag, then together they set our for Number 12 Blaina Terrace. The night air was cool and deep with quiet mystery. Usually so perceptive, Andrew now felt dull and listless. He had no premonition that this night call would prove unusual, still less that it would influence his whole future in Blaenelly.

Question. What is the name of the doctor?
(a) Andrew,
(b) Morgan,
(c) Blaina,
(d) Blaenelly
Answer: (a) Andrew

Question. Why does Morgan say that the missus wants the doctor “before time”?
(a) She is in a hurry.,
(b) She is in labour.,
(c) She is in pain.,
(d) She is in danger.
Answer: (b) She is in labour.

Question. What does the phrase ‘contemplation of his own affairs’ suggest about Andrew?
Answer: The phrase ‘contemplation of his own affairs’ suggests that Andrew was preoccupied with his personal problems.

Question. Pick an evidence from the extract that shows that Andrew was not expecting anything unusual to happen during his night call.
Answer: The line “He had no premonition that this night call would prove unusual, still less that it would influence his whole future in Blaenelly” shows that Andrew was not expecting anything unusual.

An hour later he went upstairs again, noted the progress made, came down once more, sat by the kitchen fire. It was still, except for the rustle of a cinder in the grate and the slow tick-tock of the wall clock. No, there was another sound – the beat of Morgan’s footsteps as he paced in the street outside. The old woman opposite him sat in her black dress, quite motionless, her eyes strangely alive and wise, probing, never leaving his face.

Question. Who is ‘he’ in the extract?
(a) Andrew,
(b) Morgan,
(c) Blaina,
(d) Blaenelly
Answer: (a) Andrew

Question. What does the phrase ‘noted the progress made’ imply about the situation upstairs?
(a) The situation was improving.,
(b) The situation was worsening.,
(c) The situation was unchanged.,
(d) The situation was unknown.
Answer: (a) The situation was improving.

Question. What does the sound of Morgan’s footsteps as he paced in the street outside suggest?
Answer: The sound of Morgan’s footsteps as he paced in the street outside suggests that he was anxious or restless.

Question. What does the term ‘black dress’ indicate about the old woman?
Answer: The term ‘black dress’ indicates that the old woman was mourning or grieving.

As he gazed at the still form a shiver of horror passed over Andrew. After all that he had promised! His face, heated with his own exertions, chilled suddenly. He hesitated, torn between his desire to attempt to resuscitate the child, and his obligation towards the mother, who was herself in a desperate state. The dilemma was so urgent he did not solve it consciously. Blindly, instinctively, he gave the child to the nurse and turned his attention to Susan Morgan who now lay collapsed, almost pulseless, and not yet out of the ether, upon her side. His haste was desperate, a frantic race against her ebbing strength.

Question. What does the phrase ‘still form’ refer to in the extract?
(a) The child,
(b) The nurse,
(c) The mother,
(d) The doctor
Answer: (a) The child

Question. What does the term ‘frantic race’ indicate about the doctor’s actions?
Answer: The term ‘frantic race’ indicates that the doctor’s actions were fast and desperate.

Question. What had Dr Manson promised to the Morgans?
Answer: Dr Manson had promised a safe delivery of the child and mother to the Morgans.

Question. Which of the following best suggests the central idea of the extract?
(a) A Doctor’s Tragic Failure,
(b) A Doctor’s Difficult Choice,
(c) A Doctor’s Heroic Effort,
(d) A Doctor’s Ethical Dilemma
Answer: (b) A Doctor’s Difficult Choice

Snatching a blanket, he laid the child upon it and began the special method of respiration. The basins arrived, the ewer, the big iron kettle. Frantically he splashed cold water into one basin; into the other he mixed water as hot as his hand could bear. Then, like some crazy juggler, he hurried the child between the two, now plunging it into the icy, now into the steaming bath. Fifteen minutes passed. Sweat was now running into Andrew’s eyes, blinding him. One of his sleeves hung down, dripping. His breath came pantingly. But no breath came from the lax body of the child.

Question. Which method was used by the doctor on the child?
(a) Special method of respiration,
(b) Mouth-to-mouth,
(c) Oxygen mask,
(d) Inhaler
Answer: (a) Special method of respiration

Question. What does the phrase ‘crazy juggler’ imply about the doctor’s actions?
(a) He was throwing things in the air.,
(b) He was moving things quickly and skillfully.,
(c) He was doing something dangerous and risky.,
(d) He was entertaining someone with his tricks.
Answer: (b) He was moving things quickly and skillfully.

Question. Which line from the extract shows that the doctor was exhausted?
Answer: The line “Sweat was now running into Andrew’s eyes, blinding him. One of his sleeves hung down, dripping. His breath came pantingly” shows that the doctor was exhausted.

Question. What does the term ‘plunging’ indicate?
Answer: The term ‘plunging’ indicates the doctor’s movements which were sudden and forceful.

Andrew handed her the child. He felt weak and dazed. About him the room lay in a shuddering litter: blankets, towels, basins, soiled instruments, the hypodermic syringe impaled by its point in the linoleum, the ewer knocked over, the kettle on its side in a puddle of water. Upon the huddled bed the mother still dreamed her way quietly through the anaesthetic. The old woman still stood against the wall. But her hands were together, her lips moved without sound. She was praying.

Question. Who is ‘her’ in the first sentence of the extract?
(a) The child,
(b) The nurse,
(c) The mother,
(d) The old woman
Answer: (b) The nurse

Question. What was the condition of the room?
Answer: The room was quite chaotic and messy.

Question. What does the term ‘huddled bed’ indicate about the mother’s position?
Answer: The term ‘huddled bed’ indicates that the mother’s position was curled up.

Question. Which of the following titles best suggests the central idea of the extract?
(a) A Doctor’s Relief and Shock,
(b) A Doctor’s Joy and Pride,
(c) A Doctor’s Guilt and Shame,
(d) A Doctor’s Fear and Doubt
Answer: (a) A Doctor’s Relief and Shock

Short Answer Questions 

Question. Susan’s mother was wise in experience. What hints did she give of her wisdom?
Answer: Susan’s mother was a tall, grey-haired woman of nearly seventy. From her personal experience, she knew that the childbirth would take some time. She was wise enough to fear that Dr Andrew might not wait for long. So, she tried to make him stay by offering him tea and sitting beside him.

Question. Dr Andrew faced the biggest dilemma of his life that night. How did he act and save two lives?
Answer: Dr Andrew was called to supervise the first and crucial delivery of Susan Morgan. He was tensed and short of sleep. Still, he decided to wait. He promised Joe and his wife that everything would go well. But he became nervous to find both the mother and her baby in trouble. He first gave an injection to Susan. Next, he lifted the stillborn baby, put him in hot and cold water alternately, and pressed the child’s chest continuously. Luckily, he saved both of them.

Question. Comment on the behaviour and role of the midwife attending on Susan Morgan.
Answer: The midwife attending on Susan showed lack of experience and professional attitude. She declared at once that the baby was stillborn. She pushed it under the bed. Even when Andrew was trying to bring back life into the baby, she showed disbelief and even discouraged him from making feverish efforts. The cry of the baby made her exclaim with joy.

Question. What did Andrew do to restore life in the stillborn child?
Answer: Andrew recalled a similar case in the past. He gave the same treatment to the stillborn baby. He asked for warm and icy cold water. He placed the baby in cold and warm water alternately. He rubbed the child with a rough towel, pressed, and released the little chest with his hands. After trying hard for more than half an hour, the miracle happened. The baby’s skin turned pink and it started to cry.

Question. Describe the moment when the stillborn child gave a short heave and slowly revived.
Answer: Andrew, for a while, felt beaten and disappointed. But he made one last effort. He pressed the baby’s chest gently and then released it. The technique was successful. He felt the little heart beating. A bubble of mucus came from one nostril. The child was gasping and then started crying.

Question. Who was Joe Morgan? Why had he been waiting for Dr Andrew Manson?
Answer: Joe Morgan was a driller in Blaenelly, a mining town. He was a big, strong and heavy middle-aged man. Joe and his wife, Susan, who had been married for nearly twenty years, were expecting their first child. Joe was waiting for the doctor to help Susan in the delivery of the child.

Question. Where did Joe lead Andrew? Why did he not go in with the doctor?
Answer: Joe Morgan led Andrew to his house, Number 12 Blaina Terrace. His wife was about to deliver their first child after being married for nearly twenty years. Joe was quite tensed. He refused to go inside the house. Even his voice showed signs of strain.

Question. “Don’t fret, mother, I’ll not run away”. Why do you think Andrew said so?
Answer: Mrs Morgan’s mother offered to make a cup of tea for the doctor. The experienced woman had realised that there must be a period of waiting. She was afraid that the doctor would leave the case saying that he would return later.

Question. Why did Andrew decide to remain there until everything was over?
Answer: Andrew had reached Bryngower at about midnight. He was very worried and upset. He needed some rest and sleep. He knew that he could not sleep even for an hour if he went home. Secondly, he knew that the case would demand all his attention. Though he felt lethargic, he decided to remain there until everything was over.

Question. What did the stillborn baby look like when Andrew turned his attention to it?
Answer: The baby’s body was perfectly formed. His limp, warm body was white and soft. The head lolled on the thin neck. The limbs seemed boneless. His whiteness showed that he suffered from ‘asphyxia pallida’ which meant lack of oxygen in the blood.

Question. Why did a shiver of horror pass over Andrew?
Answer: Dr Andrew struggled for more than an hour to help the mother Susan Morgan safely deliver the baby. But when the child was born he was lifeless. As Andrew gazed at the still born baby, a shiver of horror passed over him.

Question. “Andrew now felt dull and listless.” Give two reasons.
Answer: On Joe Morgan’s call, Andrew, along with Joe, set out for Joe’s house. The night air was cool and deep with quiet mystery but Andrew felt dull and listless because it was past midnight and he was reflecting about his own relationship with Christine, the girl he loved.

Question. What did Andrew notice as he entered Joe’s house?
Answer: As Andrew entered the door of Number 12, he saw a narrow stair which led up to a small bedroom, clean but poorly furnished, and lit only by an oil lamp. Here, Mrs Morgan’s mother, a tall, grey-haired woman of nearly seventy, and a stout, elderly midwife waited beside the patient.

Question. What was the old woman’s fear? How did Andrew reassure her?
Answer: When the old woman returned with a cup of tea, Andrew smiled faintly. He noticed that the old woman, wise in experience, had realized that there must be a period of waiting. She was afraid that he would leave the case, saying that he would return later. But he assured her that he would not run away.

Question. What were the only sounds that Andrew heard in the thick of the night?
Answer: As Andrew sat by the kitchen fire, he noticed that it was a still night. The only sound that he could hear was the crackle of embers in the fireplace, the slow tick-tock of the wall clock and Morgan’s footsteps as he moved to and fro in the street outside.

Question. What was weighing on Andrew’s mind as he waited with the patient?
Answer: Andrew’s thoughts were heavy and muddled. The episode he had witnessed at Cardiff station still gripped him and made him gloomy. He thought of Bramwell, foolishly loyal to a woman who deceived him. He thought of Edward Page, tied to the shrewish Blodwen and of Denny, living unhappily, apart from his wife.