12th English Guide The Chair Text Book Back Questions and Answers
Textual Questions:
1. Answer the following questions in one or two sentences each based on your understanding of the
story: (Text Book Page No. 148) (Note: IQ – Important Questions)
Question a.
What was put on the family agenda?
Answer:
The idea of buying a chair for the house was put on the family agenda.
Question b.
Who visited the family?
Answer:
Their family friend who was a sub-judge visited the family.
Question c.
Describe the stool that the narrator’s family hpd.
Answer:
The three legged stool measured a mere three – fourth foot. It would topple over if the weight vvps not
placed exactly above the legs.
Question d.
What was Pedanna suggested to their father?
Answer:
Pedanna suggested that they could buy a chair from the town.
Question e.
What was offered to Maamanaar by their mother?
Answer:
Their mother offered buttermilk seasoned with asafoetida to Maamanaar.
Question f.
Why were the two chairs compared to Rama-Lakshmana?
Answer:
Rama and Lakshmana were the brothers who were identical in their character. In the same manner the
two chairs were identical.
Question g.
When did the children shy away from the chair?
Answer:
The children shied away from the chair as it was used to propup a deadbody in their village.
Question h.
How did Maamanaar handle the chair at home?
Answer:
Maamanaar used to wipe it every morning. While shifting the chair he himself carried it and put it down
carefully as if placing down gently a mud pot brimming with waiter.
2. Answer the following questions in three or four sentences each: (Text Book Page No. 149)
Question a.
What happened to the visitor when he sat on the stool?
Answer:
The stool would topple over if one didn’t place one’s weight exactly above the legs. Before the family
members tried to caution the sub judge, he sat on it fell down with a thud and rolled over.
Question b.
Why did the family find it difficult to make a chair?
Answer:
The family found it difficult to make a chair because there was no model of a chair in their village.
Moreover there was not a single carpenter who knew how to make one.
Question c.
What was grandmother’s suggestion of wood ? Why ?
Answer:
Grandmother suggested to make use of teak wood as it would be of light in weight and could be carried
around easily. Moreover it would be strong.
Question d.
How was the chair made and how did the villagers react to it?
Answer:
The chair was made of black wood with a mirror like gleam. It had perfectly shaped front legs and
curved back legs. The villagers arrived in groups to see the chair. A few touched it gently. An old man
lifted it and fall it to be heavy and strong.
Question e.
When did the children get over the fear of sitting on the chair?
Answer:
One of their neighbour Suganthi came to their home with her baby brother. She put her baby brother on
the chair. It was only after that incident the children got over the fear of sitting on the chair.
Question f.
Why did Maamanaar hand over the chair to the villagers to retain it?
Answer:
Maamanaar handed over the chair to the villagers to retain it as he thought that it could be used to prop
up dead bodies in the village whenever needed.
Samacheer Kalvi 12th English Guide Prose Chapter 5 The Chair
3. Answer the following in a paragraph of 100-150 words each: (Text Book Page No. 149)
Question a.
Narrate the humorous incidents that happened in the author’s home before and after the arrival of the
chair.
Answer:
There was only a three legged stool in the narrator’s home when the story begins. The woeful thing
about the stool was that if one didn’t place one’s weight exactly above the legs, the stool would topple
over. Their family friend, a sub-judge paid a visit to their home one day. He was provided with the stool
to sit on. Before he was given a caution, he sat on it and fell down with a thud and rolled over.
This incident made the family members giggle for a long time. After the arrival of the chair there arose a
different scenario. The chair was asked by the villagers whenever there was a death in the village. It was
used to prop up the corpse. Whenever the mourners came for the chair, the family members felt very
sad which was misinterpreted by the mourners. The family members had fear to sit on the chair after
that incident. They persuaded their visitors to sit on it and made fun that they were rehearsing for their
death. When they started to sit on the chair again it would be asked for by the mourners. Thus the witty
incidents continued.
Question b.
Write character sketches of Maamanaar and Pedanna.
Answer:
Maamanaar is considered to be a person who is very affectionate and calm. Though his sister’s children
tease him to a great extend he remains mum With a smile. He never scolds them for their action. He is
the one who is well-mannered and tidy. The way in which he takes care of his betel box and the newly
brought chair reveals his perfection in handling things at home.
His cleanliness also comes to lime light when one has a close look at his lime paste dabba. Though he
considers and maintains the things in his home as treasures, he is ready to lend his chair to the villagers.
He even asks them to retain it for funeral purpose. This act of him highlights his generosity.
Pedanna seems to be a person who disrespects elders. The way in which he ridicules his Maamanaar
when the latter pays a visit to his home proves this statement. He is also very good in making tricks.
When the mourners come for the chair he diverts them to his Maamanaar’s house, which shows his
deceitful act. In other sense, based on the above said qualities we can also consider Pedanna to be a
person who likes to lead his life with fun and cheer.
Paragraph:
Introduction:
In the story “The Chair” the narrator, Rajanarayanan amusingly narrates the humorous incidents that
took place in his home before and after the arrival of the chair.
Fun with stool:
There was only a three legged stool in the narrator’s home. It would topple over if one didnot place his
weight exactly above its legs. Their family friend, a sub judge paid a visit to their home on6 day. He was
provided with the. stool to sit on-. Without knowing the wretched thing about the stool, he sat on it and
fell down with a thud and rolled over. The family members could not control their giggles.
The arrival of chair:
The narrator’s family decided to make a chair for their home. They had a lengthy discussion about it.
Finally they decided to make two chairs. One for them and the other for their maamanaar. The chair
arrived. The narrator and his siblings took turns to sit on it and even fought for it often.
Ordeal of the chair:
The village people came in groups to have a look at the chair as it was the first chair in their village.
Unfortunately, there was a death of an eminent person in the village and the chair was asked for the
propup the corpse of that eminent person. From then the chair was asked for whenever there occurred
a death in the village. This act disturbed the sleep of the family members as the chair was asked for
mostly during late night hours.
Pedanna’s trick:
The narrator and his siblings were afraid to sit on the chair, once after it was got back after the funeral
ceremony. They washed it with many buckets of water. They made each and every visitor who came to
their home to sit on it. Only after a long time they started to sit on the chair again. By that time the
mourners came for the chair again. In order to overcome it Pedanna diverted the mourners to go to his
maamanaar’s house and get the chair.
Maamanaar’s generosity:
Pedanna thought that his Maamanaar would not give the chair to the mourners. Pedanna v and his
siblings were of the opinion that their Maamanaar was stingy. But things happened viceversa.
Maamanaar was so generous to lend the chair to the villagers and asked them to retain it for funeral
purpose.
Conclusion:
Thus the narrator elucidates the incidents that took place because of the chair in a humorous way.
