CBSE Class 12 English HOTs On The Face Of It Set 02

Read and Find Out 

Question. Who is Mr. Lamb? How does Derry get into his garden?
Answer: Mr. Lamb is an old man who lives in a big house. He has no family. He lost one of his legs in an explosion in a war. As Derry was walking past Mr. Lamb’s garden, he felt the place was isolated. So, he got into the garden by climbing over the garden wall.

Read and Find Out 

Question. Do you think all this will change Derry’s attitude towards Mr. Lamb?
Answer: Yes, I think Derry’s attitude towards life itself will entirely change. Mr. Lamb will be able to show him the bright side of life. Derry will be transformed totally and develop a new understanding about his life. Accordingly, his attitude towards Mr. Lamb will also change and he will consider Mr. Lamb a true friend.

Reading with Insight 

Question. What is it that draws Derry towards Mr. Lamb in spite of himself?
Answer: Derry finds Mr. Lamb quite different from the other people he has come across till now. He is impressed by the old man’s talk about beauty and the beast, pretty girls and the plain talk about how the world will change its attitude towards Derry. Mr. Lamb’s concept of the world, friendship, not believing everything one hears, the story about the timid man who locked himself in, and the like, sound peculiar to Derry, but interest him. He understands the underlying message that Mr. Lamb has given him. Derry is also drawn towards Mr. Lamb despite himself due to Mr. Lamb’s genuine acceptance and interest in him. Despite Derry’s initial resistance and fear of judgment, Mr. Lamb’s non-judgmental attitude, willingness to listen, and genuine kindness create a sense of belonging and connection for Derry, which he may not experience elsewhere.

Question. In which section of the play does Mr. Lamb display signs of loneliness and disappointment? What are the ways in which Mr. Lamb tries to overcome these feelings?
Answer: Mr. Lamb displays signs of loneliness and disappointment in Scene One, where he reflects on the fleeting nature of human connections and the tendency of people not to return. At the end of Scene One, when Derry promises to Mr. Lamb that he will return, as he rushes home, we hear Mr. Lamb telling himself, “We all know. I’ll come back. They never do, though. Not them. Never do they come back”. Thus, although Derry promises to come back, Mr. Lamb does not believe him. The words spoken by Mr. Lamb reveal his deepest feelings of loneliness. Further, in scene one Mr. Lamb states that he spends most of his time watching, listening and thinking. When Derry asks him to name some of his friends, the old man is at a loss. These also show that he lacks human company. To overcome these feelings, Mr. Lamb engages in activities he enjoys, such as tending to his bees and finding solace in nature. He is happy because the neighbourhood children come to his garden for stealing apples and pears.

Question. The actual pain or inconvenience caused by a physical impairment is often much less than the sense of alienation felt by the person with disabilities. What is the kind of behaviour that the person expects from others?
Answer: The actual pain or inconvenience due to a physical impairment is often much less than the sense of alienation felt by the person with disabilities because it creates a feeling of loneliness in the physically disabled person. People in society make such a person realise that they are not liked and maintain a distance from them. A person with a physical disability like a tin leg or a burnt face can live a life of respect and honour if he/she is not ridiculed or pitied. If everyone else looks at such persons in a negative way, they can never break out of their seclusion from the world. Such people expect respect understanding, acceptance and empathy from others. Here, Mr. Lamb understands his situation and copes with it successfully, whereas Derry, who is only 14 years old, is not mature enough to cope with his predicament. That is why he liked Mr. Lamb after meeting him for the first time. A person with a physical impairment expects a normal behaviour from others. He wants others to respect him instead of pitying him.

Question. Will Derry get back to his old seclusion or will Mr. Lamb’s brief association affect a change in the kind of life he will lead in the future?
Answer: Suffering from a physical impairment, Derry had become a pessimist. But after he met Mr. Lamb, he gradually began to see the bright side of life. He realised that, in the form of Mr. Lamb, he had found a true friend who has shown him the right approach towards life. A brief association with Mr. Lamb boosted Derry’s self-confidence and made him respect himself as he was. This new self-esteem brought about a major change in Derry and he told his mother that his looks do not matter. A change has certainly come about in Derry’s attitude towards himself and towards life in general. It is unlikely that he will revert to his past secluded life, even with Mr. Lamb’s probable death at the end of the story. In fact, he will now lead a more active life with the positive thoughts given to him by Mr. Lamb because Mr. Lamb was the person who taught him the correct approach to life.

How about...

Question. Using your imagination to suggest another ending to the above story.
Answer: The above story can be changed slightly to end on a happy note. It can happen that Derry will make efforts to revive Mr. Lamb instead of weeping. Mr. Lamb regains consciousness, gets up with Derry’s assistance and invites Derry to meet him regularly so that Derry can learn more about living a better life from him. Derry is overjoyed and promises to do so.

Exam Pattern Questions

Extract Based Questions

Derry: I’d not come to steal anything.
Mr. Lamb: No, no The young lads steal... scrump the apples. You’re not so young.
Derry: I just ...wanted to come in. Into the garden.
Mr. Lamb: So you did. Here we are then.
Derry: You don’t know who I am.
Mr. Lamb: A boy. Thirteen or so.
Derry: Fourteen. (Pause) But I’ve go to go now. Good-bye.
Mr. Lamb: Nothing to be afraid of. Just a garden. Just me.
Derry: But I’m not ....... I’m not afraid. (Pause) People are afraid of me... 

Question. Why does Mr. Lamb feel that Derry has not come to steal?
Answer: It is because Derry is not as young as those lads who come to steal from the garden.

Question. Cite instances from the extract which show that Mr. Lamb is trying to put Derry at ease.
Answer: Mr. Lamb tells Derry that there is nothing to be afraid of in the garden and there's only him as a way to put Derry at ease.

Question. Choose the correct statement.
(a) Derry entered the garden as he was fascinated by the bees.
(b) Derry came to meet Mr. Lamb.
(c) They were well acquainted with each other.
(d) Derry entered as he wanted to see the garden.
Answer: (d) Derry entered as he wanted to see the garden.

Question. People are afraid of Derry because ........
Answer: of the way he looks (his disfigured/burnt face).

Aren’t you interested? You’re a boy who came into the garden. Plenty do. I ‘m interested in anybody. Anything. There’s nothing God made that doesn’t interest me. Look over there.... over beside the far wall. What can you see? Rubbish.

Question. Complete the following suitably. ‘Aren’t you interested’? This line has been stated in the context of ........
Answer: Derry’s burnt face and his belief that people are afraid of him.

Question. Why Mr. Lamb is interested in anybody?
(a) Because he is friendly to others.
(b) Because he has a positive outlook in life.
(c) Because he loves to help others.
(d) Because he didn’t want anybody to be in trouble.
Answer: (b) Because he has a positive outlook in life.

Question. What was the purpose of Mr. Lamb asking Derry to look at the far wall?
Answer: Mr. Lamb asked Derry to look at the far wall to make Derry understand the absurdity of his behaviour and to show him "rubbish" to start a philosophical discussion about weeds and flowers.

Question. What is called ‘rubbish’? Why?
Answer: Weeds are called ‘rubbish’. They are called so because people find them to be useless and something that destroys the beauty of all other plants.

Mr. Lamb: Look, boy, look.... what do you see?
Derry: Just...grass and stuff. Weeds.
Mr. Lamb: Some call them weeds. If you like, then.... a weed garden, that. There’s fruit and there are flowers, and trees and herbs. All sorts. But over there.... weeds. I grow weeds there. Why is one green, growing plant called a weed and another ‘flower’? Where’s the difference. It’s all life.... growing. Same as you and me.
Derry: We’re not the same.
Mr. Lamb: I’m old. You’re young. You’ve got a burned face. I’ve got a tin leg. Not important. You’re standing there.... I’m sitting here. Where’s the difference?

Question. Complete the sentence suitably. The word ........ describes Derry’s tone when he says-“We’re not the same”?
Answer: gloomy (or defensive)

Question. Which of the following represents Mr. Lamb’s analysis of flowers and weeds?
(a) Comparison is an act of violence against the self.
(b) If you have a garden in your library, everything will be complete.
(c) One man’s freedom fighter is another man’s terrorist.
(d) The cosmos is within us. We are made of star-stuff.
Answer: (c) One man’s freedom fighter is another man’s terrorist.

Question. Like the play, the given extract is a study in contrasts. What does Mr. Lamb seek to do by bringing up distinctions?
Answer: To highlight that labels are arbitrary and essentially reflect a common life experience, trying to show Derry that external differences don't define the essence of life.

Question. Mr. Lamb and Derry suffer from physical impairments. What are the impairments?
Answer: Mr. Lamb’s impairment is that he wears a tin leg. Derry’s impairment is his burnt face.

Derry: You’re ... peculiar. You say peculiar things. You ask questions I don’t understand.
Mr. Lamb: I like to talk. Have company. You don’t have to answer questions. You don’t have to stop here at all. The gate’s open.
Derry: Yes, but...
Mr. Lamb: I’ve a hive of bees behind those trees over there. Some hear bees and they say, bees buzz. But when you listen to bees for a long while, they humm.... and hum means ‘sing’. I hear them singing, my bees.
Derry: But....I like it here. I came in because I liked it ..... when I looked over the wall.
Mr. Lamb: If you’d seen me, you’d not have come in.
Derry: No.

Question. List the playwright’s purpose of using ellipses (...) in this extract.
Answer: The playwright’s purpose of using ellipses (...) in this extract is to show that the character is pausing to think about something or is hesitating.

Question. Select the option that best describes Derry and Mr. Lamb in the extract.
(a) Derry: introvert; Mr. Lamb: friendly
(b) Derry: fearful; Mr. Lamb: domineering
(c) Derry: friendly; Mr. Lamb: weird
(d) Derry: open minded; Mr. Lamb: charming
Answer: (a) Derry: introvert; Mr. Lamb: friendly

Question. Which of the following best summarises Mr. Lamb’s attitude towards the bees?
(a) Beauty is being true to yourself.
(b) There is a kind of beauty in imperfection.
(c) Beauty is the promise of happiness.
(d) The beauty of the world lies in the details.
Answer: (d) The beauty of the world lies in the details.

Question. Derry says, “I came in here because I liked it ....” What was the one significant thing Derry might have liked about the place, as per the extract?
Answer: The statement by Derry that “I came in here because I liked it...” is significant in showing that Derry liked the isolation and the fact that it seemed empty, allowing him to stay away from the prying eyes of people.

Derry: What do you do all day?
Mr. Lamb: Sit in the sun. Read books. Ah, you thought it was an empty house, but inside, it’s full. Books and other things. Full.
Derry: But there aren’t any curtains at the windows.
Mr. Lamb: I’m not fond of curtains. Shutting things out, shutting things in. I like the light and the darkness, and the windows open, to hear the wind. 

Question. The description of the house indicates that Mr. Lamb ........
Answer: was an optimistic man who loved to read and be in touch with nature.

Question. The experience ‘does not like shutting things out, shutting things in’ suggests Mr. Lamb’s
(a) welcoming nature
(b) poverty-stricken existence
(c) lack of resources
(d) confused state of mind
Answer: (a) welcoming nature

Question. Mr. Lamb spends his time ........
I. reading books
II. cooking meals
III. shutting things out
IV. enjoying the beauties of nature
Which of the following options are appropriate?
(a) I and IV
(b) II, III and IV
(c) I and II
(d) I and III
Answer: (a) I and IV

Question. On the basis of the extract, study the two statements I and II given below.
I. Mr. Lamb liked meeting people.
II. Mr. Lamb accepted life as it comes.
Choose the most appropriate option.
(a) I can be inferred from the extract, but II cannot
(b) II can be inferred from the extract, but I cannot
(c) Both I and II can be inferred from the extract
(d) Neither I nor II can be inferred from the extract
Answer: (c) Both I and II can be inferred from the extract

Mr. Lamb: Well that needn’t stop you, you needn’t mind.
Derry: It’d stop them. They’d mind me. When they saw me here. They look at my face and run.
Mr. Lamb: They might. They might not. You’d have to take the risk. So would they.
Derry: No, you would, you might have me and lose all your other friends, because nobody wants to stay near me if they can help it.
Mr. Lamb: I’ve not moved.
Derry: No ........
Mr. Lamb: When I go down the street, the kids shout ‘Lamey-Lamb’. But they still come into the Garden, into my house; it’s a game. They’re not afraid of me. Why should they be? Because I'm not afraid of them, that’s why not. (CBSE 2023)

Question. The kids tease Mr. Lamb but still come into his garden. Why?
Answer: It is true that the kids tease Mr. Lamb but still come to his garden. This is so because the garden provides them open and safe place to play. Further, the crab apples may also seem to attract them.

Question. Choose the best option that describes Mr. Lamb.
(a) Headstrong
(b) Pessimist
(c) Negligent
(d) Positive
Answer: (d) Positive

Question. Choose the correct option with reference to the extract. What makes Derry tell Mr. Lamb that if he comes, others would stop coming?
(a) Mr. Lamb would not let others come.
(b) They would be surprised by Derry.
(c) Mr. Lamb will have to choose between him and others.
(d) Derry would flare up.
Answer: (c) Mr. Lamb will have to choose between him and others.

Question. What does Mr. Lamb mean by “They might, they might not”?
Answer: Through the given phrase, Mr. Lamb wants to state that he does not care if people stop coming to his garden. He believes that his garden is open for all even Derry and if they choose not to come to the garden, it will not affect him.