TWO GENTLEMAN OF
VERONA
A.J. CRONIN
1. The
driver did not approve of the narrator buying fruit from the two boys because:
(a) The
boys were untidy and poorly dressed.
2. The
narrator was most impressed by boys’:
(b)
Willingness to work
3.
Nicola was not pleased when Jacopo asked the narrator to drive them to Poleta
as he :
(a) Did
not want a stranger to become involved with their plans.
4. The
narrator did not go inside Lucia’:
(a) He
did not want to intrude into their privacy
5. The
boys were the first to join the resistance movement against the Germans because
(b) the
Germans had ruined their family
6. The
author did not speak to the boys on their return journey because :
(a) He
thought the boys would prefer to keep their secret.
What do
you understand by the following statements?
a) “We
do many things, sir”, Nicola answered seriously. He glanced at us hopefully.
(A)
Both boys were working very enthusiastically by doing many odd jobs but they
were hoping that the narrator would give them a chance for conducting tourists
and help him.
b) He
coloured deeply under his sunburn, and then grew pale.
(A) As
the narrator inquired about money which they earn & where they spend it,
Nicola was uncomfortable to explain about it and he did not want to reveal his
secret.
c) He
smiled uncomfortably.” Just plans, sir”, he answered in a low voice.
(A)
Both boys didn’t want to disclose anything to narrator about they were saving
money for getting their sister cured off tuberculosis of spine.
d) Yet
in both these boyish faces there was a seriousness which was far beyond their
years.
(A) The
narrator found them childish and quite innocent but as they were working under
the hot sun, they shined shoes, sold fruit, and ran errands these all appear as
they had many difficulties and problems which they didn’t want to disclose it.
Answer
the following questions briefly.
a) Why
didn’t Luigi, the driver, approve of the two boys?
The
driver did not approve of the narrator buying fruit form the two boys because
they had shabby appearance.
b) Why
were the narrator and his companion impressed by the two boys?
The
narrator and his companion impressed by their appearance strangely attracted as
they approached the car and their innocent and courteous behaviour.
c) Why
was the author surprised to see Nicola and Jacopo working as shoeshine boys?
The
author surprised to see Nicola and Jacopo working as shoeshine boys because at
first author saw both boys were selling wild strawberries.
d) How
were the boys useful to the author?
They
proved extremely useful to them. If they wanted a pack of American cigarettes,
or seats for the opera or the name of good restaurant they satisfied their
needs.
e) Why
were the boys in the deserted square at night? What character traits do they
exhibit?
Both
boys were waiting for the last bus from Padua to sell all unsold newspapers
when it comes in. The character traits boys had exhibited were sincerity,
devotion and the maturity.
f) The
narrator asks the boys, “Must you work so hard? You both look rather tired.”
The boys reply, “We are not complaining, sir”. What do you learn about the boys
from their reply?
The
reply of the boys shows their spirit of self-resignation and willingness to
work hard. It shows that they were not working under compulsion but of their
sweet will. It appears as if they had set an aim before them and the
achievement of that goal was their sole concern.
g) When
the narrator asks the boys about their plans, they are evasive (avoid meeting).
Why don’t disclose their problems?
It is
because they do not want to share their secret plans with strangers. Both
Nicola and Jacopo have self-pride, self-respect and family values do not allow
them to disclose about their problems to the narrator.
Discuss
the following questions and write the answers in your notebook.
1.
Appearances are deceptive. Discuss with reference to the two boys.
Both
Nicola and Jacopo, 13 and 12 respectively, were brothers. They wore shabby
clothes; the narrator felt a kind of strange attraction and seriousness in
them. They sold fruits, hawked newspapers, shined shoes and conducted tourists
round the towns. They proved extremely useful to narrator. If they wanted a
pack of American cigarettes, or seats for the opera or the name of good restaurant
they satisfied their needs and never let the narrator to know the secret of
their life that they were saving money for getting their sister cured off
tuberculosis of spine.
2. Do
you think the boys looked after Lucia willingly? Give reasons for you answer.
Yes,
Nicola and Jacopo looked after Lucia willingly. Nicola and Jacopo acted really
like parents in nursing their sister Lucia back to health. They took up the
responsibility of getting their sister cured at a hospital. Money was a big
problem for them. The narrator says that both the brothers did many jobs like
shining shoes, hawking newspapers, conducting tourists etc. So they did various
odd jobs to earn money for their sister’s treatment.
3. How
does the ‘Two Gentleman of Verona’ promise hope for society?
The
purpose and capacity to work hard of Nicola and Jacopo greatly impressed the
narrator. They had all the great qualities of gentleman like love, devotion,
capacity to work, honesty, fairness etc in them. The story recounts the hard
life chosen by two young boys so that they could pay for the treatment of their
sister afflicted with tuberculosis the boys’ sacrifice, their sincerity and
devotion to the cause and the maturity they display in their actions. That’s
why the narrator saw in them new nobility and hope for human society.
