Two Gentlemen of Verona Questions and Answers
Samacheer Kalvi 12th English Two Gentlemen of Verona Textual Questions
1. Answer the following questions in one or two sentences each
(a) Who did the narrator meet at the outskirts of Verona?
The narrator met two young brothers, Nicola and Jacopo, on the outskirts of Verona.
(b) Why did the driver not approve of the narrator buying fruits from the boys?
The boys looked shabby and poorly dressed. Therefore, the driver did not approve of the narrator buying fruits from them.
(c) The boys did not spend much on clothes and food. Why?
The boys were saving money for the medical treatment of their sister Lucia. Hence, they spent very little on food and clothes.
(d) Were the boys saving money to go to the States? How do you know?
No, the boys were not saving money to go to the States. They clearly told the narrator that they had other plans.
(e) Why did the author avoid going to Lucia’s room?
The author did not want to disturb the intimate family gathering or hurt the boys’ sense of pride.
(f) What was Lucia suffering from?
Lucia was suffering from tuberculosis of the spine.
(g) What made the boys join the resistance movement against the Germans?
The Germans had destroyed their home and killed their father during the war. This made the boys join the resistance movement.
(h) What made the boys work so hard?
The boys worked hard to earn money for the treatment of their sick sister.
(i) Why didn’t the boys disclose their problem to the author?
The boys were self-respecting and did not want sympathy from others. They preferred to earn money through hard work.
Additional Questions
(a) What were the two boys selling?
The two boys were selling wild strawberries.
(b) What were the boys doing at night in a deserted square?
The boys were resting on the stone pavement while waiting for the last bus from Padua so that they could sell their remaining newspapers.
(c) How did the boys impress the narrator?
The boys impressed the narrator with their seriousness, sincerity, and willingness to work hard despite their young age.
(d) What did the boys do other than selling fruits?
Besides selling fruits, the boys shined shoes, sold newspapers, guided tourists around the city, and ran errands.
2. Answer the following questions in three or four sentences each
(a) Describe the appearance of Nicola and Jacopo.
Nicola and Jacopo looked poor and shabby. One boy wore a worn-out jersey and cut-off khaki trousers, while the other wore a shortened army tunic. They had brown skin, tangled hair, and dark earnest eyes. Despite their poor appearance, they looked serious and dignified.
(b) What were the various jobs undertaken by the little boys?
The boys sold wild strawberries, shined shoes, and hawked newspapers. They also guided tourists to places of interest like Juliet’s tomb. In addition, they ran errands and arranged things such as opera tickets and American cigarettes for visitors.
(c) How did the narrator help the boys on Sunday?
The boys usually hired bicycles to visit Poleta every Sunday. On one such Sunday, the narrator himself drove them to the village in his car. Thus, he helped them reach their destination comfortably.
(d) Who took the author to the cubicle?
A trained nurse who knew Nicola and Jacopo well led the narrator into the hospital. She took him through the corridors and showed him the cubicle where the boys were talking to their sister Lucia.
(e) Describe the girl with whom the boys were talking in the cubicle.
Lucia was a young girl of about twenty. She was lying on the bed supported by pillows and wore a pretty lace jacket. She had a pale face and soft, tender eyes.
(f) Recount the untold sufferings undergone by the siblings after they were rendered homeless.
After their home was destroyed during the war, the children suffered from starvation and severe cold. They lived in a shelter built from the rubble of their ruined house. They struggled hard to survive in those miserable conditions.
(g) Why did the narrator prefer to keep the secret to himself?
The narrator understood the boys’ dignity and self-respect. He realized that they wished to keep their struggles private. Therefore, he remained silent and respected their feelings.
3. Answer the following in a paragraph of 100-150 words each.
Question (а)
What was the driving force that made the boys do various jobs?
Answer:
The boys lost their mother in their early life. Their father, a well-known singer became a victim of the early war against Germany. They became homeless and suffered starvation and cold winter. They led a pathetic life. After the war, they found their sister. They could not feel happy because she was suffering from tuberculosis of the spine.
The boys were the only family for their sister. They felt that it was their duty to make arrangements for her medical treatment. They were not rich enough to spend on medical expenses but they had an optimistic view to save their sister in one way or the other. This was the driving force that made the boys do various jobs.
Question (b)
How was the family affected by the war?
Answer:
Before the war, Nicola and Jacopo’s widowed father was a well-known singer. He was killed in the early part of the war leaving Lucia, his daughter behind to take care of the little boys. Shortly after a bomb destroyed their home. The three children were thrown into the streets. They had always known a comfortable and cultured life. Lucia was training to become a singer. Suddenly they were uprooted from their cozy life. They had suffered from near starvation and exposure to cold winter. The home they rebuilt from the rubbles was not weather-proof. The boys joined the secret services of resistance moment as they hated Germans. When they returned home after the war, they found their sister affected by tuberculosis of the spine. They persuaded a private hospital to take Lucia in. Every week they worked hard to pay for their sister’s medical expenses. To achieve it they had to sacrifice a lot.
Question (c)
Write a character sketch of Nicola and Jacopo.
Answer:
Nicola and Jacopo were two brothers who were 13 and 12 years respectively. They belonged to the city of Verona in Italy. They were childish and innocent. Jacopo was lively as a squirrel. Nicola was steady and engaging. They were engaged in different works to earn money which shows that they were hard working. Though they were young they were mature enough to understand the situation.
They were quite focused on their goal of earning money for the treatment of their sister. They didn’t even care about themselves which shows their care and understanding for their sister. Nicola was very cautious in keeping his secret. In fact, he did not like to get any help from anyone. They were honest and truthful. They carried family values of love, care, and sacrifice. In fact, one can find hope for human society in their characters.
Question (d)
What message is conveyed through the story ‘Two Gentlemen of Verona’?
Answer:
Adversity is a touchstone of virtue. Both the little boys resemble tea leaves. Their best essence comes to limelight when they find themselves in hot waters. But they don’t complain. One does not give up on family relations when misfortune strikes. The bond becomes strong as the bond demands selfless sacrifice. The nobility of human life emerges from the precious lessons one learns from the supreme sacrifices of Nicola and Jacopo. One who shoulders the responsibility of taking care of loved ones, irrespective of age, is an exemplary gentleman worthy of emulation. The primary motivational force of an individual is to find meaning in life. Both the little boys had a specific purpose for their life. They had made up their minds to do whatever work possible to earn money to save their sister and restore her singing career.
Question (e)
Justify the title of the story ‘Two Gentlemen of Verona’.
Answer:
The two boys Nicola and Jacopo were kind and caring towards their sister. They were very polite towards others. At their young age itself, they were ready to shoulder responsibilities without any hesitation. They behaved in a mature way which gets revealed by the fact that they were not ready to accept others feeling of sympathy
towards them. So they maintained their secrecy in a perfect way till the end.
They never lose hope. They didn’t even bother about their own personal appearance in their run towards earning money. They were ready to do all kinds of odd jobs to achieve their goal. Even in that situation they did not choose the wrong path. With all these qualities the two boys can be rightly called gentlemen. Thus the title gets justified.
Question (f)
Adversity brings out the best as well as the worst in people. Elucidate this statement with reference to the story.
Answer:
Whenever confronted by adversity, there is a psychological reaction among most of us. Either fight or flee from it. Even adults run away from crisis and seek asylum or support of others. We find hordes of people, when living becomes difficult, migrate to other places to survive. In the face of adversity, even educated people turn to evil ways. They worked hard from dawn to midnight. They did any job that came their way. They shined shoes, hawked newspapers, sold wild fruits and took the people round the city. They spent very little on their food and clothes. Every week they cycled to Poleta and paid Lucia’s medical bill systematically. In this story, the nurse of the private hospital reveals the bitter truth about the economy of Verona. Jobs are scarce. There is inflation. It is difficult to buy food with limited money. When the hospital laid the condition that the little boys Nicola and Jacopo should pay the weekly medical bill for their sister Lucia’s treatment for tuberculosis, they did not back off or give up. Their best qualities came out during adversity. Like tea leaves, they gave their best while in hot waters.
Question (g)
Which character do you like the most in the story and why?
Answer:
The character whom I like the most in the story is the Narrator. He is a keen observer and a very sensitive person. He tries to see the sorrow and joy beyond the shabby appearance of the boys. This shows his good humanity. He is both kind-hearted and has the tendency to help others, which is proved by his behaviour of driving the boys to Poleta himself.
In spite of the warning given by his driver he truly admires the gentlemanly attitude of the shabbily dressed boys. He never likes to intrude in the privacy of the boys. Even after knowing about their sister, he doesn’t utter a word and gives them the pleasure that they had succeeded in keeping their secret. In fact, the narrator himself can be called a perfect gentleman.