NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Vistas Chapter 6 On the Face of It

On the face of It NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Vistas Chapter 6

On the face of It NCERT Text Book Questions and Answers

On the face of It Before you read

Question 1.
This is a play featuring an old man and a small boy meeting in the former’s garden. The old man strikes up a friendship with the hoy who is very withdrawn and defiant. What is the bond that unites the two?
Answer:
In the play ‘On the Face of It’, we find developing a peculiar and special bond between an old man Mr. Lamb and a small boy of thirteen named Derry. Besides the bond of humanity between them, there is another similarity that binds them. Mr. Lamb has a tin leg and Derry’s one side of the face is burnt with acid.

Because of it Derry becomes withdrawn and to a great extent defiant also. He avoids people or, as he says, people avoid him. Derry enters Mr. Lamb’s garden thinking that there is nobody there. But he finds Mr. Lamb there who encourages him to face life. Thus the bond is between two handicapped people trying to understanding each other though their attitude to life is totally different.

On the face of It Read and find out (Page 56)

Question 1.
Who is Mr. Lamb ? How does Derry get into his garden ?
Answer:
Lamb is an old man, who lives all alone in his house which has a big garden. He grows crab apples and makes jelly from them. He also has beehives and he makes toffees with honey. He is lame because one of his legs was blown off in war. So he has got a tin leg.

Mr. Lamb is a kind, intelligent and generous-hearted man. His doors are open for everybody and there are no curtains on the windows of his house. Derry gets into Mr. Lamb’s garden by climbing down the wall. He thought that there was nobody in. But he is surprised when he hears Lamb’s voice saying that he should not trample the crab apples.

On the face of It Read and find out (Page 62)

Question 1.
Do you think all this will change in Derry’s attitude towards Mr. Lamb?
Answer:
One side of Derry’s face is burned with acid. So he does not like being near people. He feels odd when they stare and when he sees them being afraid of him. But Mr. Lamb tells him that being secluded is no solution. When Derry tells Lamb that he hears his parents talk about him r- what he will ever do, what is going to happen to him when they have gone, how he will get on in this world with “that’ on his face.

Then Mr. Lamb tells him that he has got two arms, two legs and eyes and ears and he has got a tongue and a brain. Mr. Lamb encourages Derry by saying that he will get on the way he wants, like all the rest. If he sets his mind to it, he could get on even better than all the rest. Lamb tells him that he can do so the same way he did. Thus Derry’s attitude towards Mr. Lamb was changed. Lamb tells him that he considers Derry his friend.

On the face of It Reading with insight

Question 1.
What is it that draws Derry towards Mr. Lamb inspite of himself ?
Answer:
Lamb is a fourteen-year-old boy whose one side of face is burnt with acid. He comes to Mr. Lamb’s garden by climbing the outer wall thinking that there is nobody there. Mr. Lamb is an old man, who lives all alone in his house which has a big garden. He grows crab apples there and has beehives. He makes jelly from crab apples and toffees from honey. One side of Derry’s face is burnt with acid and he fights shy of meeting people.

He had many unpleasant experiences so he wants to lead a secluded life. But Mr. Lamb, who is lame because one of his legs was blown off in war and had a tin leg, does not seem to bother much about it. Unlike Derry, he is open to people and leads a normal life.

Derry is drawn towards Mr. Lamb because he can identify with him but his approach to life is different from that of Derry. Mr. Lamb enjoys meeting people despite the fact that the children call him ‘Lamey-Lamb’. He tells Derry that though there are fruits and flowers and trees and herbs of all sorts but there are weeds also.

He tells Derry that it is all life – growing same as Derry and himself. He tells Derry that Derry has got a burnt face and he has got a tin leg, but it is not important as there is no difference in Derry standing there and he sitting here. He advises Derry to keep his ears shut to what people say.

He tells Derry that locking oneself up in a room and never learning it is no solution. Mr. Lamb cites an example of a man who was afraid of the outside world where he could die, but a picture hanging on that room fell off the wall on his head and killed him. That is why Derry was drawn towards Mr. Lamb because he treated him kindly, was open-minded and had generosity of heart. He did not treat Derry as others were treating him. So, Derry was drawn towards Mr. Lamb for his sympathetic attitude, his practical wisdom and for his generosity and kindheartedness.

Question 2.
In which section of the play does Mj|. Lamb display signs of loneliness and disappointment ? What are the ways in Which Mr. Lamb tries to overcome these feelings ?
Answer:
Mr. Lamb is an old man, who lives all alone in his house, which has a big garden. He grows crab apples there and has beehives. When Derry enters the garden by climbing the wall, he thought that it was an empty house. Mr. Lamb tells Derry that it is empty as he is out there in the garden.

He says that it is empty until he goes back inside. It displays signs of his loneliness Mr. Lamb tells Derry that when he goes down the street, the kids shottt “Lamey-Lamb”. Derry asks Mr. Lamb how he will climb on a ladder and get the crab apples down.

He asks Mr. Lamb if he fell and broke his neck, he could lie on the grass and die. Mr. Lamb replies that he could. Mr. Lamb also seems to be disappointed when he says to himself that people say they will come back, but they don’t. They never come back. He was thinking so when Derry said that he would come back.

However, Mr. Lamb has found ways to overcome his feelings of loneliness and disappointment. His doors are open for everybody. He welcomes all those who come to him. He welcomes kids who come to him for toffees he makes of honey. Mr. Lamb says that his house is not empty but it is full of books. To overcome his loneliness Mr. Lamb reads books, sits in the garden and listens to music of bees. Moreover, he has lots of friends who are free to visit him.

Question 3.
The actual pain or inconvenience caused by a physical impairment is often much less than the sense of alienation felt by the person with disabilities. What is the kind of behaviour that the person expects from others ?
Answer:
Some people in this world unfortunately become victims of physical impairment. Usually, for such people the agony of physical pain or inconvenience is far less than the mental agonies they have to undergo. It hurts such persons when the people point out to their disabilities in the grab of showing sympathy. That is why such persons, like Derry, start avoiding people and feel alienated from them.

Derry is a fourteen-year-old boy who unfortunately had burnt one side of his face when the acid fell down on it. The agony of Derry is expressed when he says that he is not afraid of the people but the people are afraid of him. When people see his face they say that is bad, terrible and ugly. They call him a poor boy, which he thinks he is not. That is why he does not like being with people.

On the other hand, Mr. Lamb’s one leg was blown off in war and he has a tin leg. But being an old and a mature man, he knows better how to cope up with his handicap. He likes being with people. The gates of his house and garden are always open for everybody. He keeps himself busy by reading, listening to the music of bees and watching beauty of nature.

I think such people do not expect exaggerated sympathetic behaviour or sarcastic comments or comments showing fake pity. They just expect normal behaviour from other people. They don’t want that all the time they should be made conscious of their physical impairment.

Question 4.
Will Derry get back to his old seclusion or will Mr. Lamb’s brief association effect a change in the kind of life he will lead in the future ?
Answer:
Derry is a fourteen-year-old boy, one side of whose face is burnt with acid. After hearing so many taunts and unsympathetic remarks from people regarding his burnt face he does not like being with people. Derry enters Mr. Lamb’s garden thinking that it is empty.

But he finds Mr. Lamb there, who, to a large extent, changes his attitude towards life. Mr.Lamb cites examples to make Derry understand. He tells him that on one side of the corner in his garden he has grown weeds. He says that there is fruit, flowers, trees and herbs of all sorts in his garden but there are weeds also.

He tells Derry that it is all life …. growing same as Derry and himself. He tells him that he is old and Derry is young. Derry has got burnt face and he has got a tin leg. He says that it is not important. Derry tells Mr. Lamb that he does not like being near people.

Mr. Lamb says that then Derry could lock himself up in a room and never leave it. Mr. Lamb then narrated the story of a man who did that because he was afraid of everything in this world. So, he went into his room, and locked the door, and got into his bed, and stayed there. Derry asked ‘for ever’. Mr. Lamb said that for a while because a picture fell off the wall on his head and killed him.

I think due to his brief association with Mr. Lamb, Derry would not get back to his old seclusion. His attitude towards life will change and he is more likely to lead a normal life. It is evident when Derry tells his mother that it has nothing to do with his face and what he looks like. He says that he does not care about that and it is not important. Derry says that it is what he thinks and feels and what he wants to see and find out and hear. He says that he is going back to Mr. Lamb’s garden because if he does not go back there, he will never go anywhere in the world.

On the Face of It Extra Questions and Answers

On the Face of It Extra Questions Short Answer Type : (30-40 words)

Question 1.
Who is Derry and how does he enter Mr. Lamb’s garden ?
Answer:
Derry is a fourteen-year-old boy who climbs the wall and enters Mr. Lamb’s garden. He walks slowly and hesitantly through the long grass of Mr. Lamb’s garden. He stops for a short while and then walks on again. He is surprised when Mr. Lamb tells him to mind the apples.

Question 2.
“I thought it was empty an empty house.” How does Mr. Lamb react when Derry tells him so ?
Answer:
Mr. Lamb says that he was there and that is all right. Mr. Lamb tells Derry that since he is out there in the garden, the house is indeed empty until he goes back inside.

Question 3.
“Only you climbed the garden wall.” Whom does Derry tell Mr. Lamb about it and what does he say ?
Answer:
Mr. Lamb told Derry that he saw him climbing the garden wall. Derry informed that he did not come to steal anything. Mr. Lamb said that the young lads steal and scrump the apples, but Derry was not so young.

Question 4.
Why do the people call Derry “a poor boy” ?
Answer:
One side of Derry’s face is spoilt by acid. So when people see his face they say that he has a terrible ugly face. They call him a poor boy, which Derry thinks he is not.

Question 5.
What does Mr. Lamb grow in his garden ? What does he do with the apples ?
Answer:
Mr. Lamb grows crab apples in his garden. When they are ripe he pulls down those wild bitter apples with the help of the ladder and a stick. He says that it is a magic fruit and he makes jelly from these.

Question 6.
How does Mr. Lamb compare himself with Derry ?
Answer:
Mr. Lamb tells Derry that he is old whereas Derry is young. Derry has got a burnt face and he has got a tin leg. He says that it is not important. Derry is standing there and he is sitting there, so where lies the difference.

Question 7.
Why does Derry tell Mr. Lamb that he is afraid of seeing himself in the mirror ? –
Answer:
Derry was a boy of fourteen. He had a scar on his face which made him feel low. That’s why he was scared of looking at himself in the mirror.

Question 8.
How does Mr. Lamb console Derry when he says even in his old age he will have only half a face ?
Answer:
Derry says that he won’t ever look different. When he is as old as Mr. Lamb, he will still only have half a face. Mr. Lamb tells him that the world has got a whole face, and the world is there to be looked at.

Question 9.
“And no one will kiss me, ever.” Why does Derry say so ? Does anybody kiss him ?
Answer:
Derry says so because one side of his face is burnt with acid. He says that only his mother does kiss him and that too on the other side of his face. He does not like his mother to kiss him because she does it because she has to do so.

Question 10.
“You’ll get on the way you want, like all the rest.” How does Mr. Lamb encourage Derry ?
Answer:
Mr. Lamb tells Derry that he has got two arms, two legs and eyes and ears and has got a tongue and a brain. Her further adds that he will get on the way he wants, like all the rest. If he sets his mind to it, he could excel others.

Question 11.
“Do you have any friend ?” What does Mr. Lamb say when Derry ask him?
Answer:
Mr. Lamb tells Derry that he has friends everywhere. His gate is always open. Everybody knows him and they come and sit there in front of the fire in winter. Kids come for the apples and pears and toffees made with honey.

Question 12.
Are the kids who call Mr. Lamb ‘Lamey-Lamb’ afraid of him ?
Answer:
When Mr. Lamb goes down the street, the kids shout ‘Lamey-Lamb’. But they are not afraid of Mr. Lamb because he is not afraid of them. They still come into the garden and into his house.

Question 13.
What does Derry tell his mother about Mr. Lamb ? Why does he want to go back to him ?
Answer:
Derry tells his mother that Mr. Lamb is an old man with a tin leg and he lives in a huge house without curtains. He has a garden. He wants to be there and sit and listen to bees singing and him talking.

On the Face of It Extra Questions Long Answer Type : (125-150 words)

Question 1.
How does Mr. Lamb react when he finds Derry in his garden ?
Answer:
Derry is a fourteen-year-old boy. He walks slowly and hesitantly through the long grass of Mr. Lamb’s garden. He stops for a short while and then walks on again. Derry comes round a screen of bushes so that when Mr. Lamb warns him to mind the apples, he is quite close. Derry is surprised and asks who is there. Mr. Lamb tells his name to him and asks him to be careful as crab apples fallen in the long grass might not be trampled. Derry tells him that he thought it was an empty house. Mr. Lamb comments that the house was empty indeed as he was in the garden.

Mr. Lamb says it being a beautiful day, he would prefer to stay in the garden. Derry says that he has got to go. Mr. Lamb says that the gate is always open and he does not mind who comes in the garden. He tells Derry that he only climbed the wall. Derry says that he had not come to steal anything. Mr. Lamb replied that young boys steal and scrump the apples but Derry was not so young.

Question 2.
What is the impact of their physical impairment on Derry’s and Mr. Lamb’s behaviour towards people ?
Answer:
One side of Derry’s face was burnt with acid. He feels that it ate him, ate his face and now it is like this and it won’t ever be any different. His physical impairment changed his behaviour and his attitude towards life. He avoids seeing and meeting people. He feels that he is not afraid of people but people are afraid of him because of his face.

When people see his face they say that is bad and a terrible ugly think. They call him a poor boy, which he thinks he is not. He entered Mr. Lamb’s garden thinking that it was empty. When he looks in the mirror, he is afraid of him. Derry does not like being with people. Derry hates certain people who talk about his face in the most unsympathetic manner like that is a face only a mother could love.

Mr. Lamb’s one leg was blown off in war and he has got a tin leg. But his physical impairment does not make him secluded and he loves to meet and talk to people. He always keeps his door open and has put no curtains on the window of his house. Though some kids call him ‘Lamey-Lamb’ but it does not trouble him. Mr. Lamb has friends everywhere. When Mr. Lamb goes down the street, the kids shout “Lamey-Lamb”. But they still come into the garden, into his house. They are not afraid of him because he is not afraid of them.

Question 3.
“You could lock yourself up in a room and never leave it.” What story does Mr. Lamb tell Derry to illustrate it ? How did Derry react ?
Answer:
Derry enters Mr. Lamb’s garden after climbing the wall. He thought that the place was empty. Mr. Lamb asks him if he had seen him, Derry had not have been in. Derry said that he would not have come because he does not like being near people. Then Mr. Lamb said that then Derry could lock himself up in a room and never leave it.

To illustrate his point Mr. Lamb narrated the story of a man who locked himself in his room because he was afraid of everything in this world. He thought that a bus might run him over, or a man might breathe deadly germs onto him, or a donkey might kick him to death.

Or lightening might strike him down, or he might love a girl and the girl would leave him, and he might slip on a banana skin and fall and people who saw him would laugh. So he went into his room, and locked the door, and got into his bed, and stayed there. Derry asked if (he locked) forever.

Mr. Lamb said that for a while because a picture fell off the wall on his head and killed him. Derry liked the story so much that he laughed a lot. I think he must have realised that seclusion from people is never a solution to the problem.

Question 4.
“ I’m going. But I’ll come back. You see. You wait.” Does Derry come back to Mr. Lamb’s garden ? Does Mr. Lamb see him ?
Answer:
Derry had grown a sort of bond with Mr. Lamb. He wanted to help him in getting the crab apples down. But he said that his mother would want to know where he is. Mr. Lamb asks him to go back and tell her. Derry told him that once he got home, they had never let him come back. Mr. Lamb said that once Derry got home, he had never let himself come back. When Mr. Lamb goes to see the bees, Derry shouts that he is going but he will come back. But Mr. Lamb says to himself that they never come back.

Derry after reaching home finds that his mother does not seem to have good impression about Mr. Lamb. But Derry told her that Mr. Lamb is an old man with a tin leg and he lives in a huge house without curtains and has a garden.

He told her that Mr. Lamb tells him the things that matter, things nobody else has said and things he wants to think about. He intimates that he is going back there only to help him with the crab apples. His mother persuades him not to go, but he runs and reaches Mr. Lamb’s garden. Derry finds him lying dead on the ground. So Mr. Lamb could not see him. Derry says that he did come back.

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