Three Questions by Leo Tolstoy || Grade 11 || Optional English || Summary and Exercise

 

About the Author:
•Leo Tolstoy(1828-1910) was a Russian writer who is regarded as the greatest author of all times.
•He is best known for his novels War and Peace(1869), and Anna Karenina (1878).

About this Story:
•Narrator: Third person narrator
•Themes: wisdom, knowledge, awareness, kindness, forgiveness and acceptance
•Moral: We should live in the present moment without regretting about the past and being anxious about tomorrow. 

Characters:
1. The King: he wanted to know the answers to his three questions
2. An old hermit

Summary:
A king once thought that he would never fail if he knew three things. First, what the right time was to begin something. Second, which people he should take advice from. Third, how to decide what the most important thing to do was.

He promised to give a reward of a large sum to the person who could answer his three
questions. Many wise men came up with their answers, but the king was not satisfied. So, he left for the woods to meet a wise hermit who lived there. He saw the old hermit digging the ground in front of his hut and was breathing heavily. The king asked his questions to him, but he continued digging. The king saw that the hermit was worn-out and decided to help him. He took the spade from the hermit's hand and started digging.
After having dug two beds, he stopped digging and again asked his questions. The hermit, without replying asked him to rest but the king did not oblige, and he continued to dig. Several hours passed. It was evening, so the king stopped digging and became ready to take leave from the hermit. Just then the hermit told that someone was running towards them.

The king saw a bearded man running towards them. His hands were pressed against his stomach from which blood was oozing. As he reached the king, he fainted and fell to the ground. He had a large wound in his stomach. The king immediately started dressing his wounds and carried him to bed inside the hut. Out of exhaustion from the day's work, the king also slept on the floor. The next morning, when he woke up the bearded man asked for forgiveness to the king. The king was puzzled. The bearded man revealed that he was an enemy of the king, who had been defeated by the king once. The king had taken all his property, so he had come to kill the king
when he was returning alone to the kingdom. But since the king did not return the previous day, the bearded man had come out of his hiding place, and the king's bodyguard had seen and stabbed him with a knife. He would have died if the king had not dressed his wound. He felt grateful to the king who had saved his life. He promised to serve the king as a faithful servant. The king was happy that he had made peace with his enemy. He forgave the man and promised to give back his property.

The king then went up to the hermit. He again asked for answers to his three questions. The hermit explaned that by digging the beds for him, the king had escaped attack. So, the most important time was when he was digging the beds. The hermit himself was the most important person. So, to do him well was the king's most important business. The hermit further told the king that the most important person for him was the person with him at a particular moment. The most important business was to help that person. And the most important time was "now" that is, the present moment.

MCQs:
1. The answers to the three questions will enable... ...
i. the hermit to go to the king
ii. the king to lead a peaceful life
iii. the king to be always
iv. the subjects to lead a good life successful

2. The king was not satisfied with the answers because...
i. they were lengthy
ii. they all were different
iii. they were dul
iv. they served no purpose

3. Some wise people suggested to the king ... ...
i. to take help from the minister
ii. to follow the timetable
ii. to take decision himself
iv. to do everything properly

4. Why did the king want to know the answer to the three questions?
i. To become a wise man
ii. To avoid failure in life
iii. To get the victory
iv. None of these

5. What efforts did the king make to get the answers?
i. Announced a reward
ii. Called his ministers
iii. Went to a saint
iv. Went to his father

Important Question-Answers:
1. What were the questions of the king? What did he do to know the answers of his questions?
2. Who would be the most important man and the most important occupanon according to the learned men?
3.  Why did the king decide to consult the hermit?
4. Why did the king put on simple cloth before meeting the hermit?
5. What did the hermit do after listening to the king's questions?
6. How did the king take care of the wounded man?
7. Why did the bearded man resolve to kill the king?

(This blog will be completed later.)