On the Face of It by Susan Hill-Class XII English-CBSE English for Class 12-Questions-Answers

 

Lesson 6: On the Face of It by Susan Hill {Vistas for Class XII)

A.                       Most Important Qs

Q1. How was Derry’s face burnt?

Ans. Acid had fallen on his face. It burnt one side of his face. It totally disfigured it and made it look ugly.

Q2. What does Mr. Lamb tell Derry about the real worth of a person?

Ans. Mr. Lamb tells Derry that physical appearance is not much important in life. The real worth of a person lies in his inner personality. It lies in his behaviour and in how much he follows human values in life.

Q3. How was Lamb disabled?

Ans. Mr. Lamb had lost his one leg in the war. It was blown off in a bomb blast. Now he has a tin leg. But he never feels handicapped.

Q4. Who is Mr. Lamb? How does Derry enter his garden?

Ans. Mr. Lamb is an old man. He lives in his garden. He has a tin leg. The kids of the street make fun of him by calling him ‘Lamey lamb’. Derry entered his garden by climbing the boundary wall of the garden.

Q.5. Why does Mr. Lamb leave his gate always open?

Ans. Mr. Lamb lives alone in his house which is in a garden. Nobody likes to enter there and talk to him. He wants people to come and converse with them. So he keeps the doors of his garden always open.

 Q. 6. Why does Mr. Lamb not have curtains at the windows of his house?

Ans. Mr. Lamb likes to meet people. He likes to hear the sound of the wind blowing and the birds chirping outside. So he does not have curtains at the windows of his house.

Q.7. What realization does come to Derry at the end of the play?

Ans. Derry is full of confidence at the end of the play. He has realized his own worth in this world. He does not want to give any importance to what people think about him. His only concern is what he thinks and believes about himself.

Q.8. Why does Derry tell Mr. Lamb that he is afraid of seeing himself in the mirror in the play, ‘On the Face of it’?

Ans. One side of Derry’s face is badly burnt as acid had fallen there. It looks very ugly to all and also to him. So he is afraid to see his face in the mirror.

          Some More Qs.

 Q.1. How does Mr. Lamb try to remove the baseless fears of Derry? Or How does Mr. Lamb try to convince Derry that the outer looks do not make any difference?

Ans. Mr. Lamb encourages Derry not to feel disappointed if his face looks too ugly. Derry has a burnt face. He has two hands, two legs, and a brain. He can achieve greatness in life with the help of his brain and tongue.

Q.2. What qualities of Mr. Lamb attracted Derry to him?

Ans. Mr. Lamb’s qualities attracted Derry very much. First, he does not feel scared and shocked to see Derry’s burnt face. Rather he talks to him lovingly and encourages him to face the world boldly.  He is different from others.

Q. 3. What did Derry’s mother think of Mr. Lamb?

Ans. Derry’s mother did not have a very good opinion about Mr. Lamb. She thought that he is a good-for-nothing fellow. His talks are meaningless. So she does like Derry to stay in Lamb’s garden anymore.

Q. 4. Why does Derry say that people are afraid of him?

Ans. He says that his burnt face seems to be uglier than anything else to the people when they look at him. They feel scared and shocked.

Q. 5. Why does Mr. Lamb not have curtains at the windows of his house?

Ans. Mr. Lamb loves the outside world very much. He does not want to shut the doors and windows of his house to his mind. He likes to hear the sound of the wind blowing and the birds chirping outside.

Q.6. What realization comes to Derry at the end of the play?

Ans. Derry is full of confidence at the end of the play. He has realized his own worth in this world. He does not want to give any importance to what people think about him. His only concern is to think about himself.

Q7. Why does Derry say that he does not like his mother to kiss him?

Ans. Derry says that his mother never kissed him on the burnt side of his face. He thinks that his mother does not love him. So she kisses him out of formality to please Derry.  So he says that he does not love his mother.

Essay-Type Qs.  Q.1.How did Mr. Lamb’s meeting with Derry become a turning point in Derry’s life?      Or How did Mr. Lamb encourage and remove Derry’s doubts and fill his mind with courage and confidence?

Or Character sketch of Derry

Ans. Derry did not like meeting people. He always thought that people did not like to talk to him. They avoided him. People showed sympathy only to console him. He had no faith in his mother also. But Mr. Lamb caused a great change in him. He started feeling that life is a glorious gift. Mr. Lamb tells him that he has one leg, but he has two legs. His burnt face should not be a hurdle in his life. People may stare at him for once, twice, and thrice. But they would get fed up very soon. There is music in nature. At last, Derry’s thinking is changed.

Q2. Describe Mr. Lamb’s character.

Ans. Mr. Lamb is the owner of the garden. He has a tin leg. His real leg was destroyed in a bomb blast in war. He is very active. His thinking is positive. He does not feel disabled due to his tin leg. He likes to meet people. He does not keep the windows and doors of his house closed. He also keeps the main gate of his garden open. He welcomes people into his garden. He loves every creation of God. He loves the buzzing sound of the bees. It is music for him. Even weeds have importance for him. He is a true human being. He changes the thinking of Derry. He makes Derry understand that life is a glorious gift. It should not go waste.

Q4. The lesson ‘On the Face of It’ is an apt depiction of the loneliness and sense of alienation experienced by people on account of a disability.

Ans. The lesson ‘On the Face of It’ raises the very important issue of loneliness and alienation faced by physically handicapped people. Mr. Lamb and Derry face the same type of problem in their life. Mr. Lamb has a tin leg. He wants to talk to people. People do come to meet him for once but never come back. Derry’s face has one burnt side. It looks very ugly and shocking to the people of his neighbourhood. That is why he lives alone in his house with his mother. One day, Derry meets Mr. Lamb in his garden. He encourages Derry so much that there comes a turning point in his life. He decides to face life boldly.