Ncert Solutions for Class 10 English Chapter 9 – Bholi
Page No 54:
Question 1:
Why is Bholi’s father worried about her?
Answer:
Bholi’s father was worried about her as she had neither good looks nor intelligence. He did not know how he would find a suitable groom for her.
Question 2:
For what unusual reasons is Bholi sent to school?
Answer:
The tehsildar had performed the opening ceremony of the primary school for girls that had just opened in Ramlal’s village. He told Ramlal that as he was a representative of the government in the village, he should set an example for the villagers by sending his daughters to the school. When Ramlal discussed this matter with his wife, she said that if girls were sent to school, no one would marry them. Since Ramlal did not have the courage to disobey the tehsildar, his wife suggested that they should send Bholi to the school. She felt that as there were little chances of her getting married with her ugly face and lack of sense, she might as well go to the school.
Page No 55:
Question 1:
Does Bholi enjoy her first day at school?
Answer:
Bholi found everything new at the school. She felt glad to see many girls of her age present there. She was fascinated by the bright colours of the pictures on the walls. She cried when she kept stammering on being asked her name. However, she saw how kind the teacher was and finally, managed to speak her name. She was given a book by the teacher. The teacher behaved with her like no one had ever done, thereby filling her with confidence At the end of her first day at school, her heart was throbbing with a new hope and a new life.
Question 2:
Does she find her teacher different from the people at home?
Answer:
Yes, she found her teacher different from the people at home. Her teacher was very kind and spoke to her affectionately. She did not scold or command her, but encouraged her in a soothing voice. She told her that in time, she would be more learned than anyone else in the village, and no one would ever be able to laugh at her. People would listen to her and respect her. This filled Bholi with a new hope.
Page No 58:
Question 1:
Why do Bholi’s parents accept Bishamber’s marriage proposal?
Answer:
Bholi’s parents felt that if they did not accept Bishamber’s proposal, she might remain unmarried all her life. Her mother said they were lucky that Bishamber was from another village and hence, did not know about Bholi’s pock-marks and her lack of sense. Moreover, he had not even asked for any dowry. Hence, Bholi’s parents accepted the marriage proposal.
Question 2:
Why does the marriage not take place?
Answer:
The marriage did not take place because Bholi refused to marry Bishamber. When the groom saw that her face was covered with pock-marks, he declared that he would marry her only if her father paid him a dowry of five thousand rupees. Bishamber did not budge from his stand in spite of repeated pleadings by Ramlal. Finally, Ramlal placed the dowry amount at the groom’s feet. Consequently, when Bishamber was about to place the garland around Bholi’s neck, she struck out her hand and the garland was flung into the fire. She said that she was willing to marry that man only because of her father’s honour. However, on seeing that the man was mean, greedy and contemptible, she had decided not to go ahead with the marriage.
Page No 62:
Question 1:
Bholi had many apprehensions about going to school. What made her feel that she was going to a better place than her home?
Answer:
Bholi felt that she was going to a better place than her home when she got the treatment that she had never got before. New clothes had never been made for Bholi. The old dresses of her sisters were passed on to her. No one cared to mend or wash her clothes. However, before being sent off to the school, she received a clean dress. She was even bathed, and oil was rubbed into her dry and matted hair. It was then that she began to believe that she was being taken to a place better than her home.
Question 2:
How did Bholi’s teacher play an important role in changing the course of her life?
Answer:
Bholi’s teacher played a very important role in changing her life. She was the first one to have spoken to her affectionately. She encouraged her to speak out her name without any fear. She gave her a book, thereby aiming to inculcate in her the desire to learn. She told her that in time, she would be more learned than anyone else in the village, and no one would ever be able to laugh at her. People would listen to her and respect her. This filled Bholi with a new hope.
Question 3:
Why did Bholi at first agree to an unequal match? Why did she later reject the marriage? What does this tell us about her?
Answer:
At first, Bholi had agreed to marry an old man because of her father’s honour, thereby placing her family’s interest over her own. However, she later refused to marry him because she saw how mean, greedy and contemptible he was. By demanding a hefty dowry, he took advantage of her bad looks and the desperateness of her father to get her married. This is why she rejected the marriage and silenced everybody else who called her shameless. This tells us that Bholi had grown in confidence and could very well speak for herself.
Question 4:
Bholi’s real name is Sulekha. We are told this right at the beginning. But only in the last but one paragraph of the story is Bholi called Sulekha again. Why do you think she is called Sulekha at that point in the story?
Answer:
Sulekha was called Bholi because everyone considered her to be a backward child and a simpleton. The name Bholi thus symbolises her under confidence and ignorance. After mentioning her real name at the beginning of the story, the author mentions it again only in the second-last paragraph. This is a deliberate attempt on the part of the author to show that Sulekha has finally attained her true identity by literally throwing aside the veil that hid her personality.
