Q.1: “Then I made a mistake.” — What ‘mistake’ did the speaker make? Why did he think that it was a ‘mistake’? What removed the speaker’s doubts? What did the speaker do then? 1+2+1+2 (HS Final - 2017)
Ans: The speaker made the mistake of asking the girl the question “What is it like outside?”
The speaker thought that it was a ‘mistake' because a normal person with good eyesight is not supposed to ask such a wrong question. Perhaps the speaker wanted to hide his blindness from the girl.
When the girl asked the speaker why he did not look out of the window, it was then that the speaker’s doubts removed.
The speaker then moved along the birth and felt for the window ledge. He faced the open window making a pretence of studying the landscape and tried to convince the girl that he could see.
Q.2: …the girl got up and began to collect her things.” — Who is the girl? When did she get up? Why did she get up to collect her things? What had the speaker thought about the brief encounter he had with the girl? 1+1+1+3 (HS Final Exam – 2019 & 2022)
Ans: The girl is the blind co-passenger of the narrator who got into the train from Rohana and was his companion till Saharanpur.
She got up when the carriage wheels changed their sound and rhythm to slow down near the Saharanpur station.
She got up and began to collect her things because she would get down at Saharanpur station, her destination.
The speaker had thought that as soon as the girl left the train she would forget their brief encounter. But the speaker would cherish the brief encounter for the rest of the journey and even for a while after that.
Q.3: “Yes, this is the best time,” — Who is the speaker? From where are the above lines are quoted? What is the place spoken about in the line? What time of the year is it? Why is it the the best time to the narrator?
Ans: The narrator of the story ‘The Eyes Have It’ is the speaker.
The above lines are quoted from Ruskin Bond’s story ‘The Eyes Have It’.
The place is spoken about is Mussoorie.
It is the time of October.
October is the best time to visit the hills because by that time the hills are covered with wild dahlias, the sunshine is pleasant and at night one can sit in front of a logfire and drink a little brandy. The roads also become quite and deserted as the tourist season gets over.
Q. 4: “The man who entered the compartment broke into my reverie.” — Whose reverie is mentioned here? What was the reverie about? How did it come to end?
Ans: The narrator’s reverie is mentioned here.
When the girl got down from the train at Saharanpur. The narrator sat in front of the window and was thinking about the short and sweet conversation with the girl. The narrator was very disappointed and thought that the brief encounter with the girl would stay with him even after the journey was over. So to relieve the frustration, he decided to play again the fascinating game of guessing what went on outside the train’s window. It was the reverie of the narrator.
The second co-passenger of the narrator who entered the compartment at Saharanpur broke into the narrator’s reverie by saying that he is not nearly as attractive a travelling companion as the one who just left.
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