The Sermon at Benares by Betty Renshaw: Questions & Answers

Lesson 10: The Sermon at Benares for Class X

Type 1: Very Short Qs./Ans.

Q1. When was Siddhart Gautama born?  

Ans. He was born in 563 B.C.

Q2. Where did Buddha preach his first sermon?  

Ans. At Benares

Q3. After how many days of meditation did Buddha get enlightenment?

Ans. After seven days’ meditation

Q4. How many years did Buddha spend in search of enlightenment?  Ans. Seven years

Q5.What did Buddha ask Gotmi to bring?  

Ans.  He asked Gotmi to bring a handful of mustard seed from a house where death had never taken place.

Q6. What did Gotmi realise in the end?  Ans. She realised that death is inevitable (sure to happen).

Q7. Which sights changed Buddha’s life? 

Ans. These sights are of: a sick man, an old man, funeral procession and a begging monk

Q8. At what age did Siddhartha get married?   

Ans At the age of 16

Q9. What was Gautam Buddha’s real name? 

Ans. Siddhartha Gautama

Q10. Who was Kisa Gotami?  

Ans.  A young woman whose only son had died

Q11. What is the meaning of ‘Buddha’?  

Ans. the Enlightenment

Q12. Which family did Siddhartha (Gautama Buddha) belong to?  Ans.  Royal

Q13. At what age was Gautma sent to get schooling?  

Ans. At the age of twelve

Type II: short answer-type Qs (30-35 words each)

Q1. When her son dies, Kisa Gotami goes from house to house. What does she ask for? Does she get it? Why not?

Ans. Kisa Gotmi’s only son died. She was in deep grief. So she went from one house to the other to get some medicine to bring back her son’s life. Almost all refused because there was no such medicine.

Q2. Kisa Gotami again goes from house to house after she speaks to Gautam Buddha. What does she ask for, the second time around? Does she get it? Why not?

Ans. The Buddha advised her to bring mustard seeds from the house in which no death had ever taken place. The woman went to every house. But she could not get such mustard seeds because no one had such seeds.

Q3. What does Kisa Gotami understand the second time that she failed to understand the first time? Was this what the Buddha wanted her to understand?

Ans. She was tired and hopeless. At last, she understood the bitter truth of life that death comes to all on this earth. It is inevitable. Gautama Buddha wanted her to understand that.

Q4. Why do you think Kissa Gotami understood this only the second time? In what way did the Buddha change her understanding?

Ans. Gautama Buddha did not tell her that he was unable to bring her son back to life. He wanted to change her mind. So he told her to bring mustard seeds from the house of which no person had ever died. She failed to do so. Then she understood that death was unavoidable in life.

Q5. How do you usually understand the idea of ‘selfishness’? Do you agree with Kisa Gotmi that she is being ‘selfish’ in her grief?

Ans. If a person always thinks about his own benefit and does not bother about others may be called a selfish person. We cannot call Kisa Gotmi selfish. She wanted to bring her son back to life. She did not know that death comes to all on this earth.

Some other questions:

Q1. Who was Gautama Buddha?

Ans. Gautam Buddha was a prince. His real name was siddhartha Gautam. He was kept away from knowing anything about human sufferings. But one day he comes to know this. Then, one day he left his palace and all the comforts of life. He went from one place to the other in search of the ultimate truth behind all human sufferings. At last he got this knowledge.

Q2.  What does Gautam Buddha ask Kisa Gotmi to do?

Ans. Gautam Buddha asked Kisa Gotmi to bring mustard seeds from the house of which no person had ever died. He wanted her to learn the hard fact that death comes to all on the earth.

Q3. What did Kisa Gotmai realise about death?

Ans. Gautama Buddha wanted to change Kisa Gotmi’s mind. So he told her to bring mustard seeds from the house of which no person had ever died. She failed to do so. Then she understood that death was unavoidable in life.

Long Answer-Type Qs.

Q1. Who was Gautama Buddha? What made him renounce his royal life and become a monk?

Ans. Gautama Buddha was a prince. His original name was Siddhartha Gautama. He was sent for schooling to understand the Hindu religious books at the age of twelve. He studied them till he was sixteen. He was married at the age of 16. After that, he had a son. He was kept away from watching human sufferings. But, at the age of 25, he happened to see them. He saw a sick man, then an old man. After that, he saw a funeral procession and a monk, begging for alms. All these sights moved his heart. He left the palace and went into the world in search of truth behind human sufferings. Thus he became a monk.

Q2. Describe how Gautama Buddha attained enlightenment as given in the lesson ‘The Sermon at Benares’.

Ans. Gautama Buddha was a prince. His original name was Siddhartha Gautama. He had every comfort of life.

He was kept away from watching human sufferings. But, at the age of 25, he happened to see them. He saw a sick man, then an old man. After that, he saw a funeral procession and a monk, begging for alms. All these sights moved his heart. He left the palace and went into the world in search of truth behind human sufferings. Thus he became a monk. First he wandered here and there. But at last, he sat under a Bodhi tree. He took a vow not to leave until the place until he got enlightenment. After seven days, he got enlightenment. He was known as ‘Buddha’ after that.

Q3. How did Gautama Buddha make Kisa Gotmi realise that death is inevitable?

Ans. Kisa Gotmi’s only son died. She was in deep grief. So she went from one neighbour to the other to get some medicine to bring back her son’s life. Almost all refused to bring back her son’s life. At last, a person advised her to take her son to the Buddha. So she went to him and requested to revive the life of her son. The Buddha advised her to bring mustard seeds from the house in which no death had ever taken place. The woman went to every house. But she could not get such mustard seeds. She was tired and hopeless. At last, she understood the bitter truth of life that death comes to all on this earth. It is inevitable.

Madam Rides the Bus by Vallikkannan: Questions & Answers

                              Madam Rides the Bus  by Vallikkannan

A. Very Short Questions/Answers

Q1. Who is the writer of the lesson ‘Madam Rides the Bus’?

Ans. Vallikkannan is the author/writer of this lesson.

Q2. What is the age of Valli? 
Ans. Valli is an eight year old girl.

Q3. What is Valli’s pastime?

Ans. Her pastime is to stand outside her house and watch all that happens out.

Q4. Did Valli had playmates of her own age? 
Ans. No, Valli had no playmates of her own age.

Q5. What is the most fascinating experience for Valli?

Ans. Watching the bus was the most fascinating experience for Valli.

Q6. Between which destinations did the bus run? Or What was the route of the bus?

Ans. The bus travelled between her village and the nearest town.

Q7. What was Valli’s tiny wish? 
Ans. Valli’s tiny wish was to ride on that bus.

Q8. What was the distance between Valli’s village and the nearest town?

Ans. The town was six miles away from Vally’s village.

Q9 What time did one trip of the bus take?

Ans. The trip to the town took forty-five minutes.

Q10. What was one side fare of the bus?

Ans. The fare for one side journey was thirty paise.

Q11. How much money did Valli save? 

Ans. She saved sixty paise.

Q12. What was the conductor’s nature? 

Ans. The conductor was a jolly good person.

Q13. What did Valli bring from the town? 

Ans. Valli bought nothing from the town.

Q14. What did Valli usually buy? 

Ans.Valli usually bought peppermint, toys, balloons, etc.

Q15. What did Valli not like to be called by the bus conductor?

Ans. She did not like to be called a child and a madam.

Q16. What activity of the old woman did Valli not like?

Ans. Valli did not like the old woman’s chewing betel nut.

Q17. What desire of hers had Valli stifled? 

Ans. She had stifled a strong desire to ride the merry-go-round.

Q18.What is the full name of Valli? 

Ans. Valliammai

B.  Short Questions/Answers ( 30-35 words)

Q1.What was Valli’s favourite pastime?

Ans. Standing the front door of her house and watching the usual activities happening in the street. She would also enjoy watching children playing there. She would also enjoy watching the bus coming and going through the street.

 Q2.What details did Valli pick up about the bus journey? How did she get this detail?

Ans. She came to know that the one side journey of the bus to the town took forty-five minutes. The town was six miles away from her village. The one side fare of the bus was thirty paise. She got this detail by making questions to the people.

Q3. What plans did Valli make for her journey?

Ans. First she saved bus fare for her to and fro journey. She got detail about the suitable time for her journey. She would sit in the bus at one in the afternoon and come back home at 2:45 p.m.

Q4.Why does the conductor call Valli ‘Madam’?

Ans. The conductor calls Valli ‘madam’ just out of fun. It was because she did not want to be treated like a child. She did not want any type of help from the conductor.  She had a lot of self confidence in her.

Q5. Why did Valli stand up on her seat?

Ans.  Valli wanted to enjoy the outside scenes. But she was unable to see out properly. It was because the lower part of the window was covered with a canvas blind. So she had to stand up to look outside the bus.

Q6.What did the elderly woman say to Valli and what was Valii’s reaction to it?

Ans. The elderly woman asked Valli several questions. She told Valli that it was not proper for a child to travel alone in a bus. She asked her some questions. That made Valli feel irritated. She told the woman that she should not bother about her.

Q7. What did Valli see on her way that made her laugh?

Ans. The sight of a young cow made Valli laugh. It was running towards the bus. The driver reduced the speed. He also blew horn again and again. But the young cow came in front of the bus. It amused Valli most.

Q8. How did Valli save up money for her first journey? Was it easy for her?

Ans. She saved money for her first journey by resisting (opposing) her desires to buy peppermints, toys, balloons, etc. She had aslo stifled (suppressed) her strong desire to ride the merry-go-round at the village fair.

Q9.Why didn’t Valli get off the bus at the bus stand on reaching the town?

Ans. Valli did not get off the bus on reaching the town. First she had no extra money to go the market to buy anything. Second, it may be that she did not want to miss that bus.

Q10.Why didn’t Valli want to go to the stall and have a drink? What does it tell you about her?

Ans. Valli did not want to go to the stall and have a drink because she had no extra money with her. It tells us about her control over her emotions. She did not accept cold drink from the conductor. It shows her self respect.

Q11.Why did Valli refuse to look out of the window on her way back?

Ans. Valli refused to see out of the window because her excitement  had gone. She had seen the young cow dead. Sometime ago, it was running in front of the bus. All this made her sad.

Q12. What was Valli’s deepest desire? Find out the words and phrases in the story that tell you this?

Ans. Valli’s deepest desire was to travel in the bus that ran between her village and a town. She would daily stand at the gate of her house daily to watch the bus come and go with a strong desire.

Q13. How did Valli plan her bus ride? What did she find out about the bus and how did she save up the fare?

Ans. She made a plan to save sixty paise for fare of the both sides. She also planned to ride in 1 O’clock bus. She would reach the town at 1:45. She would be back at home around 2:45. She saved that money by sacrificing her desires.

C.Long Answer-Type Qs. (100-120 words)

Q1. How did Valli plan to ride a bus?

Ans. Valli was eight years old. A bus used to pass every hour through that street. It travelled between her village and the nearest town. Slowly, Valli had a strong desire to travel in the bus. She always listened to people who travelled in that bus. She picked up detail of the journey. It was of just six miles. She needed thirty paise for one side fare of the journey. She made a plan to save sixty paise for fare of the both sides. She also planned to ride in 1 O’clock bus. She would reach the town at 1:45. She would be back at home around 2:45. When she planned everything, she rode the bus one day.

Q2. Describe the character of Valli (Valliammai)

Ans. Valli was an eight year old girl. She was curious about knowing things around her. Her pastime is to stand outside her house and watch things. A bus used to pass through her street every hour. It created in her a strong desire to ride in that bus. She was intelligent also. So she collected every detail about the bus journey. She sacrificed her other desires for the sake of her desire to ride the bus. She collected sixty paise for the bus fare. One day, she boarded the bus. She was very bold and confident. She talked to the bus conductor fearlessly. She was very sensitive to other living beings also. She enjoyed natural scenes outside the bus. She entertained other passengers and the conductor by her innocent and funny talks.