In this article, we are explaining Bholi Extra Questions and Answers PDF Class 10 English Footprints Without Feet CBSE, Extra Questions for Class 10 English Footprints Without Feet was designed by subject expert teachers.
Bholi Extra Questions and Answers Class 10 English Footprints Without Feet Chapter 9
CBSE Class 10 English Footprints Without Feet Chapter 9 Summary
The main character of this story is a simple girl, named Bholi. Her real name is Sulekha and she is the fourth daughter of Numberdar Ramlal. She fell out of her cot when she was 10 months old and, may be, a part of her brain was damaged. Pretty at the time of her birth, her body was disfigured and at the age of two, by an attack of smallpox. Only her eyes were saved. As late speaker, she could not speak clearly and so children made fun of her.
Bholi was the weakest child, while her brother and sisters were healthy. Her sisters, who were good looking, were married off and her brothers were sent to the city to study. When a primary school was opened in their village, Bholi’s father who was a revenue officer, wanted her to study there. He sent Bholi to school even though her mother protested against it.
Dressed in new clothes, she was sent to school. Happy to see other girls there, she hoped that one of them would become her friend. The teacher asked her, her name but Bholi was too scared to answer. The teacher smilingly encouraged her to speak. She also asked Bholi to come to the school daily. She gave her a book with many colourful pictures in it. She also told Bholi that she would soon be able to read it and everyone would treat her with respect. Bholi was filled with hope.
As the village progressed, the primary school became a high school. Soon a cinema house came up and then a cotton spinning mill.
When Bholi was of marriageable age, her father fixed her match with a person named Bishamber, as he had a big shop, house and a large bank balance. Nearly fifty years old, he also walked with a limp. Not only that, he was a widower and had grown up children.
Bholi was not consulted when this marriage was fixed. The day of the marriage came, and Bishamber arrived with a big baraat. He was pleased with the arrangements but when Bholi’s silken veil was removed, he was shocked to see her pock-marked face.
He refused to garland her, and said that the marriage would go through only if an additional five thousand rupees were given to him. Ramlal brought the money, and as Bishamber was going to garland her, Bholi flung the garland into the fire. She very clearly told her father that she would not marry that man, who was not just only old and lame but also a mean and greedy person. She took a vow never to get married. She decided that she would become a teacher and serve her parents in their old age.
Extract Based Questions (4 marks each)
Question 1.
Little Sulekha could not speak till she was five, and when at last she learnt to speak, she stammered. The other children often made fun of her and mimicked her.
(a) What did Sulekha later on come to be known as ?
(b) Why did children make fun of her ?
(c) What does the word, ‘mimicked’ mean ?
(d) When did Sulekha learn to speak ? (1×4=4)
Answer:
(a) Sulekha later on came to be known as’Bholi’.
(b) As being a late speaker, she could not speak clearly. So children made fun of her.
(c) to imitate and make fun of.
(d) Sulekha learnt to speak after the age of five.
Question 2.
It was a prosperous farmer’s household and there was plenty to eat and drink. All the children except Bholi were healthy and strong. The sons had been sent to the city to study in schools and later in colleges, of the daughters Radha, the eldest, had already been married.
(a) What did Bholi’s father do ?
(b) How many of his children were healthy and strong ?
(c) Find out a word from the passage which means the same as ‘enough’.
(d) Where did Bholi’s father send his sons and why ? (1×4=4)
Answer:
(a) Bholi’s father was a revenue officer.
(b) His six out of seven children were healthy and strong.
(c) ‘plenty’.
(d) Bholi’s father sent his sons to the city to study in schools and later in colleges.
Short Answer Type Questions (30-40 words & 3 marks each)
Question 1.
Why was Sulekha nicknamed Bholi ? [Board Term II, 2016 Set 2/1/3]
Answer:
Value Points:
When 10 months old, she fell off from the cot. Head and some part of her brain got damaged, stammered.
She remained a backwardchild and came to be known as Bholi (= the simpleton) [CBSE Marking Scheme 2016]
Detailed Answer:
When Sulekha was 10 months old, she fell from the cot. By this accident, her head and some part of brain got damaged. She also stammered. She remained a backward child. Being simple, she was nkknamed Bholi.
Question 2.
Give examples from the text, that Bholi was a neglected child. [Board Term-II, 2013 Code-2/1/3]
Answer:
Bholi was quite a neglected child at home, and this is evident from many citings in the passage. No new clothes were made for her and she was always passed on dresses of her elder sisters. No one cared to bathe her or oil her hair or even wash her clothes. The neglect was probably due to the fact that she was the youngest in a household of seven children. It might be that she failed to draw attention and affection of her parents because of her disadvantageous looks or her physical setbacks.
Question 3.
Why did the other children make fun of Bholi ? [Board Term-II, 2012 Set EL (62014)]
Answer:
Some part of Bholi’s brain had got damaged when she fell from a cot at the age of ten months. This made her a little backward and simpleton. She learnt to speak a little late and stammered a lot. Thus, the children made fun of her and mimicked her.
Question 4.
Why was Bholi’s father worried about her ? [Board Term-II, 2012 Set EL (62017)]
Answer:
Bholi’s father was worried about the fact how he would marry her. This was because not only did Bholi look ugly due to the pock marks but also she was like a dumb cow. To top it all, she used to stammer also which caused her father to be very concerned about her.
Question 5.
Why was Ramlal worried about Bholi and not about his other children ? [Board Term-II, 2013 Code-2/1/2]
Answer:
Ramlal was more worried about Bholi because she was the weakest child in their family while her brothers and sisters were healthy. He was worried about her ugly looks because of the pock-marks all over her body and also because of her stammering. He was worried that no one would come forward to mayry Bholi because of her being weak and ugly.
Question 6.
For what unusual reasons was Bholi sent to school ? [Board Term-II, 2015 Set 2/1/3] [NCERT]
Answer:
The Tehsildar Sahib put the responsibility of sending the girls of the village on Ramlal, the revenue official as he was the representative of village. Ramlal had not the courage to disobey him. He also felt that there was a little chance of Bholi’s getting married due to her ugly face and lack of sense.
Question 7.
Why did Bholi react when her father caught her by the hand to take her to school ? How did her fear disappear after she had gone to school ? [Board Term-II, 2013 Code-2/1/3]
Answer:
Bholi, the weakest child of the family, was suffering from physical disability and mental infirmity, because of which she didn’t want to go to school. But then, her teacher proved a gem to her who always provided all possible help and assistance to her and turned her into a bold and confident girl. The teacher always encouraged her and asked her to come to school daily.
Question 8.
How does Bholi become her teacher’s masterpiece ? [Board Term-II, 2012 Set EL (62023)]
Answer:
Bholi was definitely her teacher’s masterpiece because under her guidance, she overcame her handicap of stammering. The shy and reticent child bloomed into a bold and confident girl. She was a true masterpiece because she had the courage to revolt against a social evil of dowry and refused to marry the greedy Bishamber Nath.
Question 9.
Why did Bishamber’s marriage with Bholi not take place ? [Board Term-II, 2015 Set 2/1/3]
OR
Why does the marriage net take place ? [NCERT]
Answer:
When Bishamber greedily demanded five thousand rupees as a condition to marry a girl with pock marks on her face. Bholi refused to allow him to garland her and told him that he was a contemptible person.
Question 10.
How did Bholi find her school teacher different from her family members ? [Board Term-II, 2012 Set EL (62024)]
OR
Does she find her teacher different from the people at home ? [NCERT]
Answer:
Bholi found her school teacher to be different from her family members because the teacher was a kind and considerate lady. She had a soft and soothing tone. She gave Bholi a lot of encouragement and inspiration which she was not getting from her family.
Question 11.
Why did Bholi refuse to marry Bishamber at last ? [Board Term-II, 2012 Set EL (62022)]
Answer:
In the end, Bholi refused to marry Bishamber because he was greedy and mean. She refused to allow him to garland her and told him that he was a contemptible person.
Long Answer Type Questions (100-120 words & 8 marks each)
Question 1.
Describe Sulekha’s position in her family.
Answer:
Sulekha was ill treated and ignored in her family because she was not wise and beautiful. Since her childhood, everyone called her Bholi—the simpleton. Probably some part of her brain was damaged. She was ugly. When she had smallpox, her body was disfigured by pock-marks. She was devoid of luxuries of life which her other brothers and sisters enjoyed. She wore clothes of others. She also used to stammer. Other children also made fun of her way of speaking.
She was sent to a primary school of their village that also because of the reason that there was no scope of her marriage. Even then her mother protested against it.
Question 2.
Bholi was believed to be a ‘dumb cow’. What turned her into a fealess, bold and confident girl ?
Answer:
Value Points :
Bholi stammered -had pock marks on her face -was ill treated by everyone -was sent to school as she supposedly had no future -teacher’s love and affection moulded her -became confident, bold, didn’t accept to marry lame, old, greedy Bishamber.
Detailed Answer:
Such children should be made aware of their rights though they should equally be aware of their duties. There should be no discrimination among girls and boys as providing good education to the sons and ordinary to the daughters. The society should not treat such children as inferior. Society should follow the example of Bholi’s teacher who encouraged her with great love and affection and made her stand on her own legs to face the life bravely and with confidence.
Question 3.
What was the role of the teacher in transforming Bholi from an innocent girl into a bold and confident person ?
Answer:
The teacher played a very important role in transforming the shy and dumb Bholi into a bold and confident girl. The teacher’s kind and encouraging words helped her to overcome her handicap of stammering. It was the teacher’s untiring efforts which helped her to become so bold that she had the courage to finally refuse to marry Bishamber Nath who was much older than her and was a very greedy and contemptible person. The metamorphosis of the innocent Bholi to a bold and confident person was because of her teacher. The teacher had definitely created a masterpiece.
Question 4.
“Put the fear out of your heart and you will be able to speak like anyone else.” These words of encouragement from the teacher highlight that change of social attitude and encouragement can help a child like Bholi to become confident and face the world bravely. Taking help from the lesson, ‘Bholi’ write how the social attitude towards Bholi made her an introvert. What should be done to help such children to face the world bravely ?
Answer:
Such children should be made aware of their rights though they should equally be aware of their duties. There should be no discrimination among girls and boys by providing good education to sons and ordinary to daughters. The society should not treat such children as inferior. Society should follow the example of Bholi’s teacher who encouraged her with great love and affection and made her stand on her own legs to face the life bravely and with confidence.
Question 5.
Bholi had many apprehensions about going to school. Later what made her feel that she was going to a better place than home ?
Answer:
Bholi was initially apprehensive about going to school as she was ridden with doubts that she might be turned out of the house or sold away, just like their cow had been. Fear of the unknown is inherent in all humans and particularly so among children.
Later, when for the first time she was bathed by her mother and her hair were oiled and combed, and she was dressed in clean clothes she realised that she might be going to a better place.
Question 6.
Who was Bishamber ? Why did Bholi’s parents accept his marriage proposal ?
Answer:
Bishamber Nath was a well-to-do grocer from another village. He had a big shop and a house of his own. He had several thousand rupees in the bank. He was about forty or fifty years old and had children from his first marriage who were quite grown up. He had a limp also. Bholi’s parents accepted his marriage proposal because they felt that since he was from another village, he would not know about her pock marks and lack of sense. They also felt that otherwise she would remain unmarried all her life.
Question 7.
Why do you think that Bholi’s parents accept Bishamber’s marriage proposal ?
Answer:
Bholi’s parents in their ignorance and backward thinking felt that daughter’s were a liability or a burden to dispose off in marriage, and Bholi, with her disadvantageous look and stammering had little chance of that. Therefore, a marriage proposal from Bishamber, a rich shopkeeper was considered a piece of luck, even though he was a widower with grown up children, he walked with a limp and was old enough to be Bholi’s father.
Question 8.
“Don’t you worry, Pitaji! In your old age I will serve you and mother.” Through the statement the narrator wants to highlight moral values Bholi was imbued with. Based on the reading of the lesson, what made Bholi aware of he rights and how did she use them ?
Answer:
Value Points:
Hints: Self -confidence, love and affection for parents, self-respect, determination, the teacher made her aware of her rights, rejected the proposal of the greedy man, decision making power.
Detailed Answer:
It was teacher’s love and her education that transformed her totally. Social discrimination against women has been highlighted in the narrative of ‘Bholi’, where women are considered a liability, a burden to be borne till they are eventually disposed off in marriage.
The family in particular and the society at large have no faith in their capabilities and hence do not consider it essential to educate them. But Bholi’s incidence proves that daughters are capable and responsible in supporting the family just the same as the men folk and can be the bread winners, if the family invests in their education.
A significant change in the social attitudes can be brought about by creating awareness and counselling. Mass media such as television is very influential and significant work is already being done to initiate a change in attitude towards the girls. Women in our Indian culture are the ‘Ghar ki Lakshmi’ and deserve to be honoured
Question 9.
Bholi’s real name is Sulekha. We are told this right at the beginning. But only in the last one paragraph of the story is Bholi called Sulekha again. Why do you think she is called Sulekha at the last point in the story.
Answer:
Sulekha had been referred to as Bholi as she was a little behind her peer group in her mental attributes, owing to a part of brain being damaged due to a fall when she was ten months old. She had pock-marks and looked ugly. Her speech was faulty and she stammered while speaking and was ridiculed for it. She had no encouragement or support from her parents and consequently she was a timid girl with low self-esteem and totally devoid of confidence.
At school, it was with her teacher’s encouragement that she regained her confidence and developed courage for herself.
The transformation is evident when she refuses to marry Bishamber, who being greedy and selfish commanded no respect from her. At the end, she is referred to as Sulekha as a mark of respect for her rejuvenated spirit and confidence. She got determined to be a teacher in the school where she had gained a lot. She deserves the honour for her wisdom and sensibility to support her parents in their old age.
Question 10.
On the basis of your understanding of the story, sketch the character of Bholi.
OR
Why did Bholi at first agree to an unequal match ? Why did she later reject the marriage ? What does this tell us about her ?
Answer:
Value Points:
Bholi—a simpleton—lacked sense, pock marks and looked ugly, stammered.
Efforts from her teacher moulds her into bold and courageous girl.
Refuses to marry the man who humiliated her father and demanded dowry.
Determined to be a teacher in the school where she had gained a lot.
Detailed Answer:
Bholi had agreed to marry Bishamber who was old enough to be her father and had grown up children from his first wife, for the sake of her parents and their honour. But when Bishamber greedily demanded five thousand rupees as a condition to marry a girl with pock-marks on her face, Bholi not only took great offence but also expressed it strongly.
The striking change in Bholi’s attitude and behaviour is because of the confidence, instilled in her by her teacher.
Value Based Questions
Question 1.
What social attitudes are presented in the story, ‘Bholi’ ? How does Bholi’s teacher help her overcome these barriers ?
Answer:
Sulekha, the main character of this story, is called ‘Bholi’ as her brain was damaged which made her parents and the children in school call her dumb and witless. Worst of all, her parents tried to dispose her off by marrying her to a lame and old widowed. Her teacher had turned her into a bold and confident girl. Bholi refused to marry a dowry-seeker. The dowry practise is a sin which should be completely abolished.
Question 2.
‘The story, ‘Bholi’ throws light on some social evils being practised in our society. Bholi took a stand and succeeded in overcoming social barriers. What can you contribute to change the social attitudes, illustrated in the story.
Answer:
Social discrimination against women has been highlighted in the narrative of ‘Bholi’ where women are considered a liability, a burden to be borne till they are eventually disposed off in marriage.
The family in particular and the society at large have no faith in their capabilities and hence do not consider it essential to educate them. But Bholi’s incidence proves that daughters are capable and responsible in supporting the family same as the men folk and can be the bread winners, if the family invests in their education.
A significant change in the social attitudes can be brought about by creating awareness and counselling. Mass media such as television is very influential and significant work is already being done to initiate a chance in attitude towards the girls. Women in our Indian culture are the ‘Ghar ki Lakshmi’ and deserve to be honoured.
Question 3.
Are girls dware of their rights ? How can a girl overcome social barriers and contribute to the society ?
Answer:
This story is an important message to those people and parents who keep their daughters uneducated. The society should understand that education can do wonders and can help us to do away with curse of dowry. Bholi changed her identity from a dumb cow to a confident, outspoken and fearless girl. It was her dedication, devotion and hardwork towards her studies which helped her to become a fearless girl and set an example for others.
For More Resources
- NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English
- CBSE Class 10 English First Flight Chapter Wise Question Bank
- CBSE Class 10 English Footprints Without Feet Chapter Wise Question Bank
- CBSE Class 10 English First Flight Extra Questions
- CBSE Class 10 English Footprints Without Feet Extra Questions
- CBSE Revision Notes for Class 10 English First Flight
- CBSE Revision Notes for Class 10 English Footprints Without Feet