Class 9th Eng. Ch-5The Happy Prince Questions and answers (Supplimentary) Q/A Theme, Message NCERT/CBSE Based

Ch-5

The Happy Prince -Oscar Wilde

Textual Questions

Q1. Why do the courtiers call the prince 'the Happy Prince'? Is he really happy? What does he see all around him?

Ans. While the prince was alive, he lived in his palace. No sorrow was allowed to enter there. The prince was always happy. He did not know what sorrow was. So the courtiers called him 'the Happy Prince'. He only saw beautiful things around him. However, after he died and his statue was erected, he saw the ugliness of the city and the misery of the poor people of the city. This made him sad. So, he was not really happy.

Q2. Why does the Happy Prince send a ruby for the seamstress? What does the swallow do in the seamstress' house?

Ans. Seamstress is a poor woman. Her son is suffering from fever. He keeps on asking for oranges. But the poor woman cannot afford to buy oranges for him. So the happy prince sends a ruby for her through the swallow. The swallow puts the ruby on her table. He fans the boy's forehead with his wings. The boy gets much relief and falls asleep.

Q3. For whom does the prince send the sapphires and why?

Ans. The prince has two sapphires as his eyes. One sapphire he sends for a playwright while the other is sent for a poor matchgirl. The playwright has no firewood to warm himself. Also, he is hungry as he has no food. So, he is not able to write plays. The matchgirl's matches have fallen into a gutter. If she doesn't take money home, her father would beat her. The prince wants to remove their miseries. So, he sends his sapphires for them.

Q4. What does the swallow see when it flies over the city?

Ans. The swallow sees the economic disparity. The city has two completely opposite sides-one has rich people and the other has poor people. Their gap is widening day by day. The swallow sees that the rich are making merry in their beautiful houses. Beggars are sitting at their gates expecting something from them. In the dark lanes, there are poor children. They are hungry and their faces are white. Two little boys are lying in each other's arms to keep themselves warm under a bridge. A watchman drives them away from there.

Q5. Why did the swallow not leave the prince and go to Egypt?

Ans. The prince had given away the two sapphires of his eyes to the poor. He was completely blind. The swallow was impressed by his large heartedness. Moreover when he himself helped the poor people, he felt warmth in his heart. He could not leave the prince in that state. So, the sacrificing nature of the prince as well as his own kind nature changed his decision to go to Egypt.

Q6. What are the precious things mentioned in the story? Why are they precious?

Ans. The lead-heart of the Happy Prince and the dead swallow bird are the two precious things mentioned in the story. They are precious as they destroyed themselves while trying to lessen the misery in the world.

Short Answer Type Questions

Q1. Why did the prince want to help the playwright?

Ans. The playwright was feeling very cold and hungry. He didn't have food in his home or any wood in grate. So he was not able to finish his play. The prince wanted to help him. So, he requested the swallow to pluck out one of the sapphires from his eyes and give it to the playwright. The playwright thought that it might be a gift from his admirer. Thus, together they helped him finish his work.

Q2. Was the statue of the Happy Prince beautiful? Comment.

Ans. The statue of the Happy Prince was very beautiful and attractive. It was set up on a tall pillar. He was covered with gold leaves. He had two bright sapphires for his eyes and had a large ruby on the hilt of his sword.

Q3. Why did the statue of the Happy Prince cry?

Ans. The Happy Prince had lived a life of luxury and comfort. He never experienced any sorrow throughout his life. In his honour, after his death, a beautiful statue of him was erected on a high pedestal. Now, he could see the ugliness and misery of his city. He saw people suffering from poverty and hunger. This made him cry.

Q4. Describe briefly the playwright's appearance and condition.

Ans. The playwright was a young man in a garret. He had attractive physical features. He had brown and curly hair. He had large and dreamy eyes. His lips were as red as a pomegranate. He had become faint for want of food. He was cold as there was no fire in the grate. He was leaning over a desk covered with papers to finish his play.

Q5. How did the swallow react when the Happy Prince requested him to pluck out one of the sapphires? Why?

Ans. The statute of the Happy Prince had two sapphires at the place of eyes. The Happy Prince saw the world through the sapphires. If they were plucked out, the statue would become blind. So the swallow cried when the Happy Prince requested him to pluck out one of the sapphires.

Q6. Why was the swallow keen to go to Egypt?

Ans. The swallow was keen to go to Egypt because cold winters were approaching and snowfall could occur anytime in the city. Egypt, being a warm country, was ideal to spend time away from the harsh winters.

Q7. How did the little swallow show great courage by staying with the Happy Prince?

Ans. The bird grew cold due to the snow and the frost but he did not leave the Happy Prince as he was blind. He picked up crumbs outside the baker's door when the baker was not looking, and tried to keep himself warm by flapping his wings. But slowly this proved ineffective. But, he refused to leave the Happy Prince in spite of the bitter cold and the risk to his life. In this way, he showed great courage.

Q8.What message does the writer want to convey through the story 'The Happy Prince'?

Ans. The Happy Prince' is a didactic story whose primary message is that if we want to be truly happy in this troubled world, we must spread happiness around us. Happiness can be spread by helping the poor and the needy. When the prince was alive, he was happy as he had not seen any hardship and misery. But after his death, he saw pain, suffering and injustice, even his lead heart cried. Then he realised that he should help the poor and the needy to attain true happiness. The warmth of good deeds warms the soul. Even the swallow felt warmth in the cold winter by helping the seamstress.

.Q9Draw a brief character sketch of the Happy Prince.

Ans. The Happy Prince was a ruler who had no idea about the suffering of his people. Until his death, he didn't know what sorrow was. So it can be said that he was ignorant to the plight of his public.

After his death, a large statue of him was erected on a tall pillar to honour him. He had two sapphires for his eyes. His body was covered with leaves of gold. There was a ruby in his sword hilt. But now, he could see poverty and misery all around him. His heart was filled with pity. He tried to help the poor people. But he was helpless. But when the swallow became his friend, he found a messenger in him. He sent the ruby of his sword hilt to the poor seamstress and sent the sapphires of his eyes to the young playwright and the matchgirl. He asked the swallow to scrap the gold leaves of his body and distribute it among the poor and hungry children. It proved that he was very kind and considerate. He devoted everything he had to serve the poor and the needy.

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