English - Prose Chapter 6: The Artist Long Answer Questions

Long Questions Answer

Question 1. Who was Seibei? What was his hobby?

Answer: Seibei was a twelve years old talented Japanese boy studying in primary school. His hobby was to wander about the town looking for the gourds. Then in the evening he would sit cross legged in the living-room working on his newly acquired fruit. When he had finished treating it, he poured it in a little sake, inserted a cock stopped which he had fashioned himself, wrapped it in a towel, then put this in a tin especially kept for the purpose and finally placed the whole thing in the charcoal foot warmer.

Question 2. Pick out instances from the story to show that Seibei was passionate about gourd collection.

Answer: Some instances from the story show that Seibei was passionate about gourd collection are as follows: Seibei was the student of a primary school. After class, instead of playing with the other children, he usually wandered about the town looking for gourds. Then in the evening, he would sit cross¬legged in the corner of the living room working on his newly acquired fruit. When he had finished treating it, he poured it in a little sake, put this in a tin especially kept for the purpose, and finally placed the whole thing in the charcoal footwarmer. Then he would go to bed. As soon as he woke the next morning, he would open the tin and examine the gourd. The skin would be thoroughly damp from the overnight treatment Seibei would gaze adoringly at his treasure before tying a string around the middle and hanging it in the sun to dry. Then he set out for school.

Question 3. Explain the views of Seibei’s father about him and his hobby.

Answer: Seibei’s father wanted to see his son become a learned person. He always wanted to see him study well. His father didn’t like his son’s work whatever Seibei was doing. Seibei’s father didn’t want to listen to any complaints from his son. His desires were to give up unwanted work and unwanted things by his son. For this view, he always guided his son and at last forcely he made him give up his hobbies of collecting gourds.

Question 4. Seibei’s teacher becomes angry with him? Was his anger justified?

Answer: Seibei’s passion for gourds was so strong that he took a gourd to school. It was an ethics class. Seibei was expected to pay attention to what the teacher was telling them. But Seibei, instead, kept polishing the gourd under his seat. The teacher caught him. He was very angry. He believed the gourd collection was a girls’ hobby. He confiscated the gourd. To a great extent, the teacher’s reaction was justified. No teacher would telerate any of his students not paying attention to what he is teaching. The teacher, it appears, wa. zealous about his job. He even went to Seibei’s home to complain against him. But the teacher had no appreciation for Seibei’s art. He could have returned the gourd to him, ;and advised him never to bring it to class in future. That would have served the purpose better.

Question 5. Seibei’s teacher needs his parents to be responsible for Seibei’s mistake. Do you agree with the teacher? Explain.

Answer: I agree with Seibei’s teacher. If children do not study and waste their time on worthless pursuits, it is parents’ duty to keep them away from such pursuits. But many parents have hardly any time to see what their child is doing. Though Seibei was a real artist, but all children are not like him. So parents should see that their children do not spend too much time on playing games, watching TV, on hobbies and chatting with others.