The Frog and the Nightingale - Extract based questions and answers

                 Read the following extracts and answer the questions.

1. “Other creatures loathed his voice

                But, alas, they had no other choice”.

a)    Whose voice is talked in the above lines?

            Ans:The frog’s voice is being talked about in the above lines.

b)    Why did the creatures of the bog loathe the voice of the frog?

            Ans: His voice was harsh and unpleasant. It was like a fog horn.

c)    What do you understand by the word loathed?

            Ans: Loathed means hated, strongly disliked

2. “Bravo!” “Too divine!” “Encore!”

a)    Who are the speakers of the above words?

Ans. The speakers of the above words are the creatures of the Bingle Bog.

b)    What is “Encore”?

Ans. To repeat, to sing again.

c)    To whom are these words spoken? Why?

Ans. These words are spoken to the nightingale by the creatures of the bog because

they were captivated by her melodious voice.

3.    “You’ll remain a mere beginner

                    But with me you’ll be winner”.

                   “Dearest frog,” the nightingale breathed:

                   “This is a fairy tale and

                     you’re Mozart in disguise Come to earth before my eyes”

                    “Well, I charge a modest fee”

                    “Oh!” “But it won’t hurt, you’ll see.”

a)    How does the frog plan to make the nightingale a winner?

     Ans. The frog plans to make the nightingale a winner by training her to sing well.

b)    Who was Mozart?

     Ans. Mozart was a famous Austrian composer.

c)    Why does the nightingale compare the frog to Mozart?

     Ans. She compares the frog to Mozart because she wants to flatter him so that he             agrees to train her.

d)    What character traits of the nightingale is evident here?

     Ans. The nightingale is fawning, servile and gullible.

e)    What character traits of the frog are displayed in this stanza?

      Ans. The frog is presumptuous, cunning and money minded.

4.    “And my dear, lay on more trills

                 Audiences enjoy such frills

                 You must make your public happier

                Give them something sharper, snappier

                We must aim for better billings”

(a)  What are the suggestions given by the frog for improvement?

           Ans. The advised the nightingale to sing musical notes repeatedly and something     
            catchy and fast

(b)  What objective is there for the frog in giving the suggestions?

           Ans. The frog wanted that the creatures should come in large numbers to hear  the 

           nightingale’s songs so that he could earn more money.

           (c ) Explain ‘better billings’.

           Ans. ‘Better billings’ means better publicity. 

5.     At a voice so uninspired

                And the ticket office gross

                Crashed and she grew more morose

                For her ears were now addicted

                to applause quite restricted

(a)  Why did the crowd stop listening to the nightingale?

           Ans. The crowd got bored of listening to the stale and listless songs of the                 
           nightingale.

(b)  How did it affect the nightingale?

           Ans. The nightingale became miserable because the audience decreased and there              was no one to applaud and appreciate her singing. 

(c)  The nightingale is a typical artist. What character-traits of her are being reflected here?

           Ans. She is sensitive, perfectionist, loves appreciation and egoistic.

     

6.    Well, poor bird - she should have known.

That your song must be your own

That’s why I sing with panache

            (a) How does the frog express his sympathy?

            Ans: The frog calls her a stupid creature. He also comments that she should have

           had confidence in herself and her song should have been original.

(b)  What character-traits are reflected by the frog’s comments?

            Ans : The frog is heartless, cruel, insensitive and arrogant

           (c )  The meaning of the word  ‘panache’ is …..

            Ans: The meaning of panache is confidence.