10th English : A Dilemma
Unit 7.3 > A Dilemma
GLOSSARY
| ingenious (adj.) | clever, original and inventive | அறிவுத்திறனுள்ள, முதன்மையான கண்டுபிடிப்புகள் |
| mania (n) | an extensive, persistent desire, an obsession | தொடர் ஆர்வம், அலைக்கழிப்பு |
| malicious (adj.) | spiteful, intended to harm or upset someone | காழ்ப்பு, பகைமை |
| queer (adj.) | strange, odd | விசித்திரமான, வித்தியாசமான |
| appalled (adj.) | horrified, shocked | அதிர்ச்சியடைந்த, அச்சம் அடைந்த |
| oddity (n) | the quality being strange or peculiar | தனித்துவமான |
| closet (n) | cupboard | நிலைப்பேழை |
| incredible (adj.) | impossible to believe | நம்பமுடியாத |
| contrive (v) | cook up, hatch a plan by deliberate use of skills | திட்டமிடுதல், ஏமாற்றுதல் |
| despotic (adj.) | tyrannical, autocratic | கொடுங்காேல், தன்மையிலான |
| avarice (n) | extreme greed for wealth | பேராசை |
| jest (n) | a joke | களிப்பூட்டுதல் |
| vivisection (n) | a surgery conducted on a living organism for experimental purposes | அறுவை பரிசோதனை |
A. Read the given lines carefully and identify the character / speaker:
1. I suppose you think me queer. I will explain.
- Uncle Philip
2. Don’t come back. It won’t hasten things.
- Uncle Philip
3. He thought it simply a cruel jest.
- Father confessor
4. He did not desire to do so.
- Professor clinch
5. He would think it over and come back later.
- The collector
B. Answer the following questions in one or two sentences:
1. What did the uncle do as soon as he bought a stone?
He would put it in his pocket and look at it.
2. What did the uncle bequeath to the narrator?
The uncle bequeathed an iron box heavy and strong to the narrator.
3. What was the condition laid by the uncle to inherit his property?
The condition laid by the uncle was Tom should pay for his funeral.
4. Why do you think Tom happily looked forward to the expenditure for his uncle’s funeral?
Tom was happy because he would inherit his uncle’s property (ie) box full of rubies and pearls.
5. Write a few words about the mechanism used in the iron box.
If one unlocks the box, it will explode.
6. What was the counsel offered to the narrator?
The counsel offered to the narrator was not to think about opening the box.
7, Why and when was the narrator shocked?
The first time when he read the letter in the iron box that if he tried to unlock the box, it would explode.
The second one, when his “would be wife’. Susan parted with her engagement to him, saying he is a crack like his uncle.
8. What was the doctor’s warning to Tom?
The doctor’s warning to Tom was that he would end in the danger of losing his mind thinking too much about rubies and pearls,
9, Why didn’t Tom dare to assign the task of unlocking the box to someone?
Tom thought that they would carry away the rubies, So he didn’t dare to assign the task of unlocking the box to anyone.
C. Answer the following questions in a paragraph of about 100-150 words:
1. Describe briefly the contents of the letter written by Tom’s uncle.
| Silas Weir Mitchell in his ‘A Dilemma’ talks about Tom who receives a property from his Uncle Philip. It is nothing but. an iron box, The Uncle tells him to read the letter before unlocking the box. The letter read that this box contained a large number of rubies and diamonds. In addition a necklace of blue pearl was there. This was given to” Tom only to remember his uncle. Another surprise to Tom is if he unlocks the box, it will explode because there is dynamite attached to it. Uncle Philip finally says that as a man of consideration, he says Tom to take much care in handling the box. |
2. Explain the efforts taken by Tom to open the iron box? Did he succeed? Why?
| Tom. the narrator, was received by bis Uncle Philip on his death bed. He said he wanted to bequeath his property to Tom. It was nothing but an iron box. He laid the condition that Tom had to pay for his funeral. As the uncle passed away, Tom took the box home, In that he read the letter which said the box contained pearls and dynamites that would explode. Tom, in a dilemma, set it down with care in a closet, laid the key on it and locked the closet. He thought of many ways to open it without being killed. But he couldn’t find a way, He thought that somebody would carry away the box and it might explode. At times the moving vehicles may cause the explosion. He consulted professor Clinch and the professor said that Tom’s uncle was a liar. Uncle’s doctor Schaff said not to indulge in unnecessary thinking about rubies. It would spoil his health. Tom was in a high dilemma whether to be happy over rubies or to be sad over dynamites, He even changed his lodging, name and occupation. He approached the government but to no avail. Finally, he made a will to send the rubies and pearls to the Society for the Preservation of Human Vivisection, So automatically the asset went to the government and he had not opened the box. |
D. Fill in the blanks with the right option and write down the summary of the story ‘A dilemma’.
- 1. The narrator was sent for, by his uncle when he was on his deathbed. (on his deathbed / on his travels / in his workplace)
- The uncle had collected precious stones. (jewels / stones / articles)
- His uncle announced Tom as his heir and wanted him to pay for his funeral. (rented house / marriage / funeral)
- Leaving an iron box for Tom, his uncle instructed him not to shake the box. (throw / carry / shake)
- The letter read that the box contained a sensitive dynamite. (a sensitive dynamite / jewels / money)
- He started thinking of all possible ways to open the box without being killed. (wounded / killed / maimed)
- He planned to explode the box a safe distance at but dropped the plan in fear of losing the rubies. (home / a safe distance / a waste land)
- His consultation with Professor Clinch did not yield him any fruitful solution. (Uncle Philip / Professor Clinch / Susan)
- He failed in his attempts to open the box. His efforts to read about explosives led to confusions (hopes / confusions / suspicions) and
he had to change his lodgings. (name and occupation / lodgings /
appearance) - At last, he bequeathed the box to the Society. (his offspring / his friends / the Society)
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