Do you think the lawyer was gullible? How could he have avoided being taken for a ride?
The lawyer was new to this profession and amateur. He had yet to understand the way the world works or functions. He could have done his homework before going to the village. If available he could have taken a photograph of Lutkin. Before depending upon the bill he could have double checked with other people as well. He could also have avoided sending bill alone to search lutkin.
Do you think this is a real-life episode, or mere fiction? Or is it a mixture of both?
“Griffin was rather a lawless person.” Comment.
“Ausable did not fit any description of a secret agent Fowler had ever read.” What do secret agents in books and films look like, in your opinion? Discuss in groups or in class some stories or movies featuring spies, detectives and secret agents, and compare their appearance with that of Ausable in this story. (You may mention characters from fiction in languages other than English. In English fiction you may have come across Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, or Miss Marple. Have you watched any movies featuring James Bond?)
How does Ausable manage to make Max believe that there is a balcony attached to his room? Look back at his detailed description of it. What makes it a convincing story?
Horace Danby was a meticulous planner but still he faltered. Where did he go wrong and why?
What kind of a person do you think the narrator, a veterinary surgeon, is? Would you say he is tactful as well as full of commonsense?
What was the cause of Matilda’s ruin? How could she have avoided it?
The course of the Loisels’ life changed due to the necklace. Comment.
Bholi’s story must have moved you. Do you think girl children are not treated at par with boys? You are aware that the government has introduced a scheme to save the girl child as the sex ratio is declining. The scheme is called Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Save the Girl Child. Read about the scheme and design a poster in groups of four and display on the school notice board.
How does he treat the dog?
Lutkins openly takes the lawyer all over the village. How is it that no one lets out the secret? (Hint: Notice that the hack driver asks the lawyer to keep out of sight behind him when they go into Fritz’s.) Can you find other such subtle ways in which Lutkins manipulates the tour?
If you were caught in a situation like this, how would you have dealt with it?
Do you think this is a real-life episode, or mere fiction? Or is it a mixture of both?
Who is the real culprit in the story?
What does Horace Danby like to collect?
Bholi’s real name is Sulekha. We are told this right at the beginning. But only in the last but one paragraph of the story is Bholi called Sulekha again. Why do you think she is called Sulekha at that point in the story?
Who is speaking to Horace Danby?
What kind of a person do you think the narrator, a veterinary surgeon, is? Would you say he is tactful as well as full of commonsense?
What was the cause of Matilda’s ruin? How could she have avoided it?
What are the subtle ways in which the lady manages to deceive Horace Danby into thinking she is the lady of the house? Why doesn’t Horace suspect that something is wrong?