Jharkhand Board Class 9TH English Notes | THE HAPPY PRINCE
JAC Board Solution For Class 9TH English S Reader Chapter 5
Long Answer Type Quesions
■ Answer these questions in about 80-100 words each :―
Q.1. What are the precious things mentioned in the story?
Why are they precious?
Ans. Soon the statue of the Happy Prince gave a deserted
look. When the Mayor and the town Councillors passed there they
viewed that the statue was like a beggar. So the statue was pulled
down. The statue was melted in a furnace. The overseer at the
foundry said that the broken lead heart won't melt in the farnace.
They threw it away where the dead swallow was also lying. Then
God asked one of the angels to bring the two most precious things
in the city. The Angels took the leaden heart and the dead bird.
These two things were precious because the Prince had sacrificed
everything for the poor and the needy. The swallow acted according
to the command of the Prince and did not leave him. Then it was
blind she protected it till his last breath. She fell dead at his feet.
Q. 2. Give the Character sketch of the Happy Prince.
Ans. Happy Prince was a statue. He had a ruby on his sword-
hilt. His body was covered with gold. His eyes were of sapphires.
He stood very high. So he saw the ugliness and misery of the
whole town. His heart was made of lead. Yet it melted at the sight
of so much misery. Once a little swallow came to him. With his
help, the Prince did whatever he could to help the poor and the
miserable. He gave away his ruby, his sapphires and all his gold.
The Prince was affectionate. He could not stand the death of his
dear little swallow. The leaden heart of the Prince broke into two
pieces on this occasion.
3. Describe the suffering of the poor people in the city. How
did the Happy prince help them?
Ans. The poor people in the city lived a miserable life. There
was a seamstress who could not give oranges to her sick son. The
Happy Prince sent her ruby through the swallow who picked it out
from his sword hilt. There was a young playwright who had no
firewood to p himself warm so that he could complete the play.
The prince sent him a sapphire. There was a match girl who had no
shoes or stockings. Her matches had fallen in the gutter and were
spoiled. She was crying as now she was afraid of her father. The
prince commanded swallow to give her his second sapphire. There
were hungry and homeless children. The prince sent them all the
gold leaves he had on his body.
Q. 4. What happened to the swallow when he was taking
rest?
Ans. The swallow thought that he had a golden bedroom. But
just as he was going to put his head under his wing a large drop of
water fell on him. He was surprised. There was no cloud in the sky,
the stars were quite clear and bright and yet it was raining. Then
another drop fell. He looked up. He saw that the eyes of the Happy
Prince were filled with tears. The Happy Prince told his story. He
told the swallow to stay with him and help the poor.
Q.5. What was the first task given to the swallow?
Ans. The Happy Prince said to the swallow that far away in a
little street there was a poor house. He could see a woman seated at
a table. She was a seamstress. She was embroidering flowers on a
satin gown for the loveliest of the Queen's maids of honor, to wear
at the next Court ball. Her little son was lying ill. He had a fever
and was crying for oranges. His mother had nothing to give him.
The Prince asked the swallow to pick out the great ruby from his
sword and give it to the women.
Q. 6. Why did the Happy Prince send a ruby to the
seamstress?
Ans. The. Happy Prince stood as a statue on a pillar. He saw
the misery of the people in the city from that height. He first saw a
seamstress and her little son. She was very poor. Her son was ill.
The little boy was crying for oranges. But the poor woman had
nothing to give him. She had only water of the river for him. The
Prince was moved greatly over this scene. He wanted to help her.
But he had no money to give.
However, he had a ruby on his sword-hilt. So he sent the ruby
through the swallow to her. The poor woman could buy oranges
for her son with the jewel. In this way, the Happy Prince helped the
seamstress in her misery.
Short Answer Type Quesions
■ Answer these questions in about 30-40 words each :―
Q. 1. Why do the courtiers call the prince. "The happy
prince" Is he really happy? What does he sce all around him?
Ans. As long as the prince was alive, he lived in his palace free
from sorrow or suffering. It was such a carefree and happy life that
his courtiers called him the Happy Prince. But after his death, his
statue was put up on a high pillar. He saw the suffering of the post
and felt very unhappy. Since he couldn't move himself, he only
wept helplessly.
Q. 2. Why does the Happy Prince send a ruby for the
seamstress? What does the swallow do in the seamstress house?
Ans. The Prince persuaded the swallow bird to stay with him
for a day and oblige him. He asked the bird to take out the ruby
from the handle of his sword and give it to a poor seamstress. Her
son is ill and asking for oranges. But the mother can give him only
river water. The bird carried out the mission. He flew gently round
the bed and fanned the boy's forehead. The boy felt cool and
better.
Q.3. For whom does the prince send the sapphires and why?
Ans. The prince sends his two sapphires to help a poor
playwright and a match girl. He thinks that the playwright will sell
the ruby to buy firewood and finish his play. The match girl, he
thinks, will escape punishment by her father.
Q.4. What does the swallow see when it flies over the city?
Ans. The swallow flew over the great city and saw the rich
making merry in their beautiful houses. She saw the beggars sitting
at the gates. She also flew into the dark lanes and saw the white
faces of starving children looking out listlessly at the black streets.
Under the bridge she saw two little hungry boys wandering out
into the rain.
Q. 5. Why did the swallow not leave the Prince and go to
Egypt?
Ans. During the winter the swallow decided not to leave the
prince. She kept herself warm by flapping his wings. The Happy
Prince had become blind and he can see nothing. The Prince asked
him to kiss him on the lips since he loved him. But the swallow
told that he was going to the house of death. He kissed the prince
on the lips and died at his feet.
Q. 6. What made the Happy Prince send a ruby to the
seamstress?
Ans. The seamstress was embroidering flowers on the royal
dress. She was sad. Her little son had fever. He was crying for
oranges. She had nothing to give him but river water only. So the
Prince sent her the ruby to help her.
Q. 7. How did the poor children feel when they got the gold?
Ans. The poor children's faces grew rosier. They laughed and
played in the street. Earlier they were hungry. But with the gold
they had food. They themselves said that with the gold they would
have bread then.
Q.8. What happened when the little swallow fell down dead?
Ans. A curious crack sounded inside the statue after the
swallow fell down dead. It seemed as if something had broken.
The Prince's leaden heart had broken into two pieces.
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