A Horse and Two Goats

 

Extract I

Of the seven hundred villages dotting the map of India……by the iron-hooped wheels of bullock carts.

1.    What is meant by microscopic dot? What is said about Kritam in the extract?

Something very small.

Kritam was probably the tiniest of the seven hundred villages in India as it was a microscopic dot on the survey map.

2.    It’s a wrong question.

3.    Change the question. Give a brief description of the village Kritam.

It is ‘probably the tiniest’ of India’s seven hundred villages. It is a village that consists of ‘fewer than thirty houses, only one of them built from brick and cement.’ There are four streets in the village, with a shop for foodstuff and other items in the third street.

4.    Give the meaning of Kritam in Tamil. Where did Muni live in the village?

Kritam in Tamil meant ‘ coronet’ or ‘crown’ on the brow of the Indian subcontinent. Muni lived in the last house in the fourth street in the village, beyond which stretched the fields.

5.    How did the Big House differ from other houses?

The Big House, unlike other houses was built with brick  and cement. It was painted yellow and blue all over with carvings of gods. The other houses were of bamboo thatch, straw, mud and other  unspecified materials.

 

 

Extract II

In his prosperous days Muni had owned a flock…….dry sticks, bundled them, and carried them for fuel at sunset.

1.    How did Muni care for his sheep and goats? Why did he carry a cook at the end of a bamboo pole?

He would take his sheep  and goats everyday to the highway to graze around.

He carried  a crook at the end of a bamboo pole to collect foliage from the avenue trees to  feed his flock.

2.    In his prosperous days how many sheep and goats did Muni have? What happened to most of them later?

In his prosperous days Muni had owned  a flock of forty sheep and goats. Gradually, Muni’s fortunes declined and his flock of forty was reduced to only two goats.

3.    What did Muni’s wife give him for breakfast and midday meal? What does it show about his economic condition?

Muni’s wife would give him salted millet flour in boiled water  for breakfast. For midday meal, she would give him the same raw onion. This shows their poverty as they could not afford anything else.

4.    Why did Muni tether his two goats to the trunks of the drumstick tree? What claim does he have over the tree?

This was done so that his two goats could graze only within a set radius and not wander off and get lost. Although no one could say precisely who owned the tree, the only claim Muni had was that he lived in its  shadow.

5.    Compare and contrast Muni’s prosperous days with his present living conditions.

He once lived a prosperous life and reared a flock of forty, but now he was left wit two goats. Muni wanted to enjoy life, but now he had lost his riches, he had no option but to remember  his past with regret. He remembered the time when he smoked  cigarette, chewed betel leaves and bhang in a hut in the coconut grove with the famous butcher from the town. Even today, he craved to chew the drumstick out of sauce but failed to obtain the food items prepare it, on credit from the shopkeeper.

 

 

Extract III

‘You have only four teeth in your jaw………..empty day.’

1.    What was Muni craving for? Why?

He was tired of eating drumstick leaves alone. He wanted to relish them with sauce for a change.

2.    Why did his wife agree to supply him with what he was craving for? Under what condition would she oblige him?

His wife agreed thinking that next year, Muni might not be alive to ask for anything. She asked him to bring a few food items including a measure of rice or millet.

3.    How did Muni attract the attention of the shopkeeper and win over his goodwill?

To attract the attention of the shopkeeper, Muni kept clearing his throat, coughing and sneezing. Muni responded appropriately at the shop man’s jokes. This helped him win the shop man over.

4.    Change the question. How could Mini get some raw food items from the shop?

Muni would go and sit outside the shop. He would make polite sounds by cleaning his throat, coughing and sneezing until he caught the attention of the shop man. He would humor the shop man by appropriately responding to his jokes and then request the food items he needed.

 

Extract IV

Muni felt impelled to rise and flee…….. whom do you expect to rob by then?

1.    Change the question. Explain what has happened earlier because of which the shopkeeper is reluctant to give on credit.

Muni had been in the habit of coming to the shop, humouring the shop man and requesting for one or two items of food with the promise of repaying later. This time the shop man was not in good mood so he lost his temper at Muni for daring to ask for credit.

2.    Finally, from where did Muni say that he would get money?

Muni said that his daughter  would be sending him money soon for his fiftieth birthday.

3.    According to Muni, how old was he? How did he calculate his age?

According to Muni, he was fifty year old. He calculated his age from the time of great famine.

4.    What did the shop man say about Muni’s age? How could he guess that?

According to the shop man, Muni was seventy years old. Muni might  be referring to himself as fifty years old since past few years.

5.    What did Muni say just before he left the shop?

Muni had told the shop man that his daughter had sent word that she would be sending him money  for his fiftieth birthday.

 

Extract V

He told his wife, “ That scoundrel……..it’ll do you good.

1.    Who is referred to as scoundrel? Why was Muni annoyed with the scoundrel?

The shop man is referred to as scoundrel. Muni was annoyed because the shop man mocked at his habit of mentioning  his birthday time and again to procure things on credit.

2.    Why doesn’t Muni argue against what she says? How can you conclude that he trusts her as far as his welfare is concerned?

Muni did not argue because he knew that if he obeyed his wife she would somehow conjure up some food for him in the evening. Muni trusted her as far as his welfare was concerned. He knew by taking  up occasional  jobs in the big house, she would earn some money to keep dinner  ready for him in the evening.

3.    How would Muni’s wife get money to buy foodstuff?

She would go out and work-grind corn in the Big House, sweep or scrub  somewhere, to earn  enough money  to buy foodstuff.

4.    When Muni was passing through the village what was his and onlookers attitude to each other? Why?

When Muni was passing through the village, he avoided looking at anyone. He even ignored the call of his friends.

5.    Change the question. What was Mini thinking as he led his goats to the highway?

Muni was worried about his wife as he was seventy years old and might die soon. He also was pondering about the absence of progeny.

 

Extract VI

Muni sat at the foot of the statue………feed long enough.

1.    Describe the statue of the horse.

The statue was life-sized made of burnt  brightly coloured clay. It stood with its head held high and its forelegs in the air.

2.    How did the statue of the warrior look? How did the image makers depict him as a man of strength.

The warrior beside the statue is depicted as a man of strength through his description as a warrior with ‘scythe-like mustachios, bulging eyes, and aquiline nose.”

3.    Why didn’t Muni, the villagers or the vandals notice the splendour of the statue of the horse?

Nobody from the  village noticed its existence. Even Muni, who spent all his days at the foot of the statue, never bothered to look up.

4.    Why didn’t Muni go back home early?

Muni didn’t go back home early because he wanted to give his wife time to cool off her  temper  and feel sympathetic enough to  arrange some food for him.

5.    Briefly give the difference between Muni and the visiting American.

Muni was an old man residing in the Kritam village. He once lived a prosperous life and reared a flock of forty, but now he was left  with two goats. Muni wanted to enjoy life, but now he had lost his riches, he had no option but to remember his past with regret. He was a man who lived more in the past, than in the present.

The red faced man represents a typically wealthy American. He is polite and courteous as he offered Muni a cigarette and though he did not understand Muni, he listened to him attentively. He was a typical American tourist who wished to take back home the statue as a souvenir.

 

Extract VII

Today, while he observed……another car comes.

1.    Describe the arrival of the red-faced foreigner.

The red faced foreigner entered the story in a strange yellow vehicle. He stopped it, got down and went around it, poked under the vehicle because his car ran out of gas.

2.    What did the foreigner say looking at the clay horse?

He looked up at the clay horse and cried, “ Marvellous.”

3.    State the feelings of Muni after meeting the foreigner. Why did he have such feelings?

As soon as Muni met the foreigner his first impulse was to run away but his age did not allow him. He assumed  the foreigner to be a policeman or a soldier enquiring about the rumoured  murder.

4.    Looking at the clothes of the foreigner what did  Muni think? How did the foreigner put him at ease?

The foreigner was wearing khaki clothes. it made Muni think that he was  a policeman or a soldier. To put Muni at ease, the other man pressed his palms together, smiled, and said, “ Namaste!”

5.    Having exhausted his English vocabulary, what did Muni say in Tamil?

Muni said that his name  was Muni  and the goats belonged to him. The village was full of slanderers who would claim what was not theirs.

 

Extract VIII

1.    Who was the foreigner? What was his background?

The foreigner was a tourist in India. He was a rich American businessman who dealt in coffee.

2.    What is referred to as the courtesies of the seasons? Why did Muni answer ‘Yes, no”?

The foreigner’s polite behaviour on meeting Muni for the first time. As a courtesy he offered Muni a cigarette. Muni, being a Tamil speaking man could not understand the foreigner, and used the only English words he knew, i.e., “yes,no.”

3.    Change the question .State earlier experience of Muni of smoking a cigarette. When the foreigner  flicked the light open and offered a light to Muni what were the latter’s feelings?

Muni remembered the cigarette the shop man had given him on credit. He recalled how good it had tasted.  When the foreigner flicked the light open Muni was  confused about how to act so he blew on the light and put it out.

4.    What were the consequences of smoking an American cigarette on Muni?

Muni started coughing. It pained him yet he felt it was extremely pleasant.

5.    Describe Muni’s fears and anxieties when he was given the card by the visitor.

Muni feared that the business card was an arrest warrant and he moved back.

 

Extract IX

Out of this heritage……I know nothing.

1.    What did Muni speak in a fearful tone in the extract?

A mutilated dead body had been found thrown under a tamarind tree at the border between Kritam and Kuppam a few weeks ago. Mini feared that the khaki-clad foreigner was a policeman enquiring  about the murder. The man spoke to Muni and offered him a cigarette. Muni realised he could not run and spoke in a fearful tone to talk his way out of trouble.


2.    The foreigner said, “ I am sure you know when this horse was made. “ When was the horse made?


The horse was made long before  Muni was born i.e., it was made sometime when Muni’s grandfather’s grandfather was a young boy.

3.    Explain why Muni spoke of a murder with the foreigner.

Muni mistook the foreigner’s khaki dress and thought the foreigner was a policeman who was investigating  the case of a ’mutilated  body thrown under a tamarind tree a few weeks before.”

4.    State how the title of the story, ‘A Horse and Two Goats’ is relevant.

It is an apt title. Though the hero of the story is Muni who drives the story forward, the major part of the story is a dialogue between the American and Muni concerning  the house statue. From the beginning of the story it is observed that Muni is left with two goats. It is only when the goats are being taken to graze near the highway, that Muni’s chance encounter with the American takes place. Muni who is sitting on the pedestal of the statue is assumed to be its owner by the American. Muni, on the other hand does not understand what the foreigner says. When the American gives Muni a hundred rupee note as the price for the statue, Muni gets confused. He assumes it to be the price of his two goats.


5.    How is the clash of cultures brought about in the story?

On one hand, Muni is the representative of typical Indian native; who is poor, rural and uneducated.  He doesn’t know English and is striving to make a living. On the other hand, we have the Amercan who knows no Tamil but  expects Mini to understand  English. He is wealthy, urban and educated and is only interested in a business deal with Muni.

 

Extract X

“ I never went to a school…….officers know it.

1.    What has the foreigner just said about Tamil and Muni’s sales talk?

The foreigner said that Tamil to him ‘sounds wonderful’ and he got a kick out of every word Muni uttered. The foreigner assumed  Muni to be engaging  in sales talk and told him that he already appreciated  the article  and was ready for a better sales talk.

2.    What is Pongal? What does Muni do on Pongal in his village?

Pongal is a four-day havest festival celebrated in Tamil Nadu. Duging Pongal Muni and father would  cut the harvest. Muni would then go out  and play with others at the tank.

3.    State what Muni hints at the caste and class distinction between the rich and the poor in Kritam.

Muni had no formal education. He grew up as a member of a lower caste when only  the Brahmins, the highest caste, could attend school. he has not travelled beyond his village and he likes to  watch trucks and buses go by on highway a few miles away so that he can have ‘a sense of belonging to a larger world.’

He has some knowledge of the two major religious texts the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, which he has  learned by acting in plays and by listening to preachers at the temple.

4. Wrong question. What is the Parangi language referred in the extract? Who are the people who know the language?

English. Learned people and officers in Muni’s country know Parangi language. But children in the foreigner’s country know it.

4.    State briefly the position of women in villages as seen in the story, A Horse and Two Goats?

Child marriage was prevalent as in the case of Muni and his wife. Women were honoured as seen as nurturers but they needed a man to support them. Muni knew his wife would  garner the raw materials and prepare his drumstick gravy. He was worried what would happen to her after his death.

 

Extract XI

“ Muni, now assured that the subject………and trample down all bad men.

1.    Which dead body is referred to in the extract? Why was Muni afraid of the dead body earlier?

Muni mistook the foreigner’s khaki dress and thought the foreigner was a policeman who was investigating  the case of a ’mutilated  body thrown under a tamarind tree a few weeks before.”


2.    What is Kali Yuga? What is said to happen in Kali Yuga?

Kali Yuga is the last of the four stages the world goes through as part of the cycle of the ages.

At the end of kali yuga, this world and all other worlds will be destroyed, and the Redeemer will come in the shape of a horse called kalki and save all good people  while evil ones will perish.

3.    Wrong question. How does the language barrier in the conversation between the American and Muni provide humour?

Their different languages do not let them understand each other. They converse, though in reality, they are both speaking on entirely unrelated subjects. The foreigner is concerned about the price of the statue, Muni when through gestures realises that he is being asked  for the statue, rumbles on about its religious value, and how it has stood for generations. The foreigner, owing to the language barrier, assumes Muni as a salesman and offers him a hundred rupee note in exchange for the statue. Since Muni could not understand English, he assumes that the money offered is the exchange price for his goats.


4.    Describe the living room in America of the foreigner as stated by him.


The living room of the foreigner has a large bookcase filled with volumes of books. There are books piled up too.

5.    How would the horse be accommodated in the foreigner’s house?

The foreigner assures Muni that he would keep the statue with utmost care in his living room in his house in the USA.

 

Extract XII

Muni was still hovering…….trade is coffee.

1.    Who speaks these words? In what context does he speak them?

The foreigner. Muni was reflecting on the end of the world and asked the foreigner if he had any idea when Kali Yuga would end.

2.    What does Muni say about the coffee hotel in the locality? Why does he say about the  coffee hotel?

Muni had heard from passers-by that there were ‘kapi-hotels’ opened at the Friday Markets in the next town along the highway.  Muni only recognized the word ‘coffee’ in the foreigner’s conversation. He thought that the foreigner wanted to drink coffee.

3.    What has Muni said about the end of the world?

At the end of the world the Redeemer would come on the horse statue which would grow bigger and be called Kalki. There would be floods in which Kalki would carry good people to safety and the evil would perish.

4.    Explain what kind of businessman was the foreigner.

The foreigner claimed that he was a modest businessman dealing in coffee. However, he bragged about having the best home. He was a shrewd businessman-he realised he had bragged too much about his house. He took out a hundred rupee note and started bargaining over the price of the statue.

5.    How does the foreigner plan to  transport the horse to America?

The foreigner planned to cancel his air ticket and travel by ship with the horse in his cabin.

 

Extract XIII

1.    Muni asked  the red man, “ How many children do you have? The red man replied, “ I said a hundred. “ What was each one talking about? Explain the humour in this conversation.

Muni was asking the red man about his children, if any. The red man did not understand Muni. He assumed that Muni was the owner of the statue, so he offered him hundred rupees for it.

The humour here arises out of each ones inability to  understand the other. They seemed to be conversing, but in reality, they are talking about entirely unrelated subjects.


2.    Give two examples to show that Muni was curious about the red man.

Muni asks how many children does the man have.

He even asks how many of them are boys and how many girls.

3.    Looking at the hundred rupees note, how did Muni react? What did he think was the purpose of giving him that money?

Muni peered closely at the hundred rupees note. He was amazed as he had never seen it before. Muni thought that the red man wanted  him to exchange the note for change. Muni laughed at this idea.

4.    How did Muni describe the village headman?

The village headman was a moneylender who disguised himself in rags just to mislead the public. According to Muni, in reality, the headman had so much money that he could even have changed a lakh of rupees in gold sovereigns.

5.    Why did the red man show some interest in Muni’s goats? Briefly describe the intentions of Muni for rearing  the goats. Why couldn’t  his plan be carried out?

The foreigner showed interest in Muni’s  goats merely out of courtesy. Muni had reared the goats in the hope of selling them some day and, with the profit, opening  a small shop on that very spot.

 

Extract XIV

Muni hurried homeward…….carried them off in his motor car!

1.    What food did Muni normally take? Explain  why he is expecting miracle food at his occasion.

Muni would eat salted millet cooked into a little ball along with a raw onion.  He was expecting a miracle food because  he craved to chew  drumsticks out of sauce the same morning. He knew that if he obeyed his wife she would somehow conjure food for him by evening.

2.    How did Muni’s wife react when she saw the cash?

Muni’s wife was furious on seeing the hundred rupees note and accused Muni of stealing it.

3.    As soon as Muni completed his speech what did Muni’s wife conclude from the scene?

Muni and his wife heard bleating outside. On opening the door, she saw the two goats and thus concluded Muni has stolen the money.

4.    How can you conclude that Muni was annoyed by seeing the goats?

Muni’s annoyance was revealed when he questioned the goats, “Where is that man? Don’t you know you are his? Why did you come back?

5.    How does the story end? What has appealed to you in the story?

The story ends with a misunderstanding between Muni and his wife. The latter accuses him of stealing since the goats follow Mini back home. R K Narayan is known for using ironic humour in his stories. It is in no way insulting but is enjoyable. It lets the readers laugh at the characters and their situation gently. There are various situations in the story which creates comic effect.

Muni craves to ‘chew the drumstick out of sauce’,  to which his wife replies, “ You have only four teeth in your jaw, but your craving is for big things.”

When the shopkeeper doesn’t pay any attention to Muni sitting below the platform of the shop, Muni keeps coughing  and sneezing to attract his attention.

In a humorous way, Muni’s poverty is commented upon when shopkeeper says to Muni, “ You also forget that you mentioned a birthday five weeks ago when you wanted Castor oil for your holy bath.

 

 

 

 

A Horse and Two Goats Questions and Answers

Question 1.
What do you know about the village named Kritam and point out what the name means ?
Answer:
Kritam was a tiny village in the south of India. Though the village was small and consisted of less than thirty houses, it had a grand name “Kritam” which means “coronet” or “crown”. There was a Big House in the Tamil village which was made of brick and cement. It was gorgeously carved with figures of gods. The other houses were much smaller and were made of bamboo, straw and mud. There were four streets in the village and Muni, the protagonist of the story, lived in the fourth street.

Question 2.
Comment on Muni’s occupation and his domestic situation.
Answer:
Muni is a shepherd who earns his daily bread by grazing goats or sheep. There was a time in his youth when he owned a flock of forty goats and sheep but now his stock has dwindled to two goats only. This change in his economic situation has been caused by famines in the past. The things are so bad now that Muni is under debt and the village shopkeeper refuses to lend him any more. His wife pesters him often to get essential items for the kitchen but he is too poor to get any. He asks his wife to take the drumsticks and sell them in the market place.

Question 3.
Bring out the humour and irony in the conversation between Muni and the shop man.
Answer:
The story “A Horse and Two Goats” by R.K. Narayan is replete with touches of humour. We are amused when Muni’s wife sneers at him by saying “You have only four teeth in your jaw, but your craving is for big things”. She sends Muni to fetch dhall, chilly, curry leaves, mustard, coriander, gingelley oil etc. knowing too well that he has no money in his pocket. The shop man pays no attention to him when he sits on an upturned packing case below the platform of the shop. When he clears his throat and sneezes, the shop man loses his patience and says angrily : “What ails you ? You will fly off that seat into the gutter if you sneeze so hard, young man.” Muni is so much delighted at being addressed as a “young man” that he laughs loudly in order to please the shop man. He is able to win over the shop man as the latter likes his sense of humour to be appreciated. Muni apprises the shop man that he would be able to pay him some money because his daughter will be sending him some money on his fiftieth birthday. Later on, we come to know that Muni and his wife are childless. This is indeed ironic as well as tragic.

Question 4.
How does Muni feel after returning empty-handed from the village-shop ?
Answer:
The visit to the grocery fatigues Muni so much that he flings himself down in a corner after returning home. His wife also chides him : “Fast till the evening, it’ll do you good”. He understands that his wife is shattered with her poverty, though she is good-natured and caring about him. Her temper was undependable in the morning but improved by evening time. He knew that she would go out and work – grind corn in the Big House, sweep and scrub somewhere and earn enough to buy some food for the evening. He wonders what his wife would do if he dies suddenly. They had no children to sustain themselves at his age.

Question 5.
Describe the horse statue situated on the edge of the village. What is the part played by this statue in the story ?
Answer:
There was a huge horse-statue on the edge of the village. The pedestal of this statue was a resting place for Muni. Sitting on this pedestal for the major part of the day, Muni could enjoy the full view of the highway and see the lorries and buses pass through to the kills. It gave him a sense of belonging to a larger world. The horse was nearly life-size and it was moulded out of clay. There was a figure of a warrior beside the horse. This horse-statue plays a significant part in the story as it is unwittingly sold away to an Englishman who doesn’t understand the Tamil language spoken by Muni.

Question 6.
Comment on the communication gap between Muni and the red-faced foreigner bringing out the element of humour in the situation.
Answer:
Muni often sits at the foot of the horse- statue watching his goats and the passing vehicles. A yellow vehicle which looks like both a motor-car and a bus stops in front of him on this particular day. A red-faced foreigner gets down and looks around for help since he has run out of petrol. He approaches Muni and asks him if there is a gas-station (petrol pump) nearby. Suddenly his attention is caught by the horse- statue and he exclaims : “Marvellous”. The red faced man was wearing khaki clothes and this scares Muni because he could be a policeman or a soldier. He has an inner urge to run away but stays on. He curses his age since he can no longer put his limbs into action. Meanwhile, the foreigner comes closer to him and says “Namaste ! How do you do ?” Muni exhausts his English vocabulary saying “Yes, no,” in response. Shifting to Tamil language, he informs the foreigner that he is Muni and those two goats belong to him and nobody can challenge his claim. Failing to understand even a word, the foreigner looks in the direction of the two goats and then lights a cigarette from his silver case. Suddenly he asks Muni : “Do you smoke ?” Muni answers again
with his “Yes, no.” At this the foreigner takes out a cigarette and gives it to Muni who accepts the offer readily and gratefully. We have a touch of genial humour in this awkward meeting between a local and a foreigner.

Question 7.
What do you gather about the red-faced foreigner who meets Muni on the roadside ?
Answer:
The red-faced foreigner is an impressive character in the story “A Horse and Two Goats” written by R.K. Narayan. We come to know that this man has come from New York in America and is staying currently with his wife, Ruth, in a Srinagar hotel. Sick of the hot-summer in Connecticut, he suddenly made a plan to visit India and how he is just “doing the rounds”. After his vehicle breaks down on the way owing to shortage of petrol, he finds Muni to while away some time before he can get help from some other driver. He shows his friendliness to Muni by offering him a cigarette from his silver cigarette case. Since there is a language problem, he cannot understand whatever Muni says about his cattle and other things. He even offers to help Muni in chopping wood if the latter so desires.

Question 8.
Discuss the American tourist as an art- lover.
Answer:
Like all other European tourists, the American man shows his love of art and artifacts. Soon after meeting Muni on the roadside, the American is fascinated by the horse-statue. He has an instant desire to buy this souvenir and put it up in his living-room. From the manner in which Muni is sitting on the pedestal of the horse- statue, he gathers that Muni must be its owner. He tells Muni that he will offer a good price for this great piece of art. We are quite amused when he says :
“I appreciate the article. You don’t have to explain its points.”
In the attitude of a demonstrator the American remarks :
“This is a marvellous combination of yellow and indigo, though faded now … How do people of this country achieve these flaming colours ?”

Question 9.
Comment on “A Horse and Two Goats” as a piece of realism.
Answer:
R.K. Narayan is renowned world-wide for his realism. His portrayal of Malgudi in South India has won him great applause. He is regional yet universal in his appeal. This story is a typical example of his realistic description of characters and situations.
“A Horse and Two Goats” is replete with realistic touches. We can easily visualise the setting, the characters and the situation. The author deftly describes the details of his characters, their actions, gestures and mannerisms. Muni’s conversation with his wife, with the shop man and the American businessman is skilfully delineated. His characters are quite convincing and credible. Though there is a language-barrier between the Tamilian shepherd and the American businessman, their mutual admiration is unmistakable. The Tamilian Muni can speak only two words of English, “Yes, no” while the American can only say “Namaste”. It is this language barrier because of which Muni gets a hundred rupees from the American tourist under the impression that he has sold his goats to that foreigner whereas the American has paid this price for the horse-statue (under the impression that it belongs to Muni). Such a funny mistake proves to be harmless for both the characters. Such mistakes are the stuff of which human life is made.

A Horse and Two Goats Comprehension Passages

1. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
The village consisted of less than thirty houses, only one of them built with brick and cement. Painted a brilliant yellow and blue all over with gorgeous carvings of gods and gargoyles on its balustrade, it was known as the Big House. The other houses, distributed in four streets, were generally of bamboo thatch, straw, mud, and other unspecified material. Muni’s was the last house in the fourth street, beyond which stretched the fields. In his prosperous days Muni had owned a flock of forty sheep and goats and sallied forth every morning driving the flock to the highway a couple of miles away.

(i) What is the name of the village referred to here ? Where is it situated ?
Answer: The name of the village referred to here is Kritam. It is a tiny village, situated far away from the highway at the end of a rough track. ‘Kritam’ in Tamil means ‘crown’.

(ii) Describe the Big House.
Answer: The Big House was built with brick and cement. It was painted in a brilliant yellow and blue colour. There were carvings of gods and gargoyles on several posts.

(iii) What had Muni owned in his days of prosperity ? What did he do every morning ?
Answer: Muni had owned a flock of forty sheep and goats in his days of prosperity. Every morning he went out with his cattle to graze them.

(iv) What did Muni feed his flock with ? When did he come back home ? What did he carry home ?
Answer: Muni fed his flock with foliage. He came back home at sunset. He gathered faggots and dry sticks and carried them home for fuel.

(v) What did Muni’s wife cook for him in the morning ? How did she cook it ?
Answer: Muni’s wife cooked balls of millet flour for him in the morning. She boiled water in a mud pot. Then she threw a handful of millet flour into it, and added salt in it. Then she made balls of millet flour.

2. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
He flung himself down in a comer to recoup from the fatigue of his visit to the shop. His wife said, “You are getting no sauce today, nor anything else. I can’t find anything to give you to eat. Fast till the evening, it’ll do you good. Take the goats and be gone now,” she cried and added, “Don’t come back before the sun is down.”

(i) What fatigue does Muni refer to ?
Answer: Muni had gone to the shop to get rice, dhal, spices, oil and a potato on credit, but the shopman refused to give any item on credit. Rather, he was insulted by the shopman for making lame excuses and telling lies. He was disappointed and sad. He refers to his insult and disappointment as fatigue.

(ii) Why does Muni’s wife tell Muni, “Fast till the evening, it will do you good” ?
Answer: Muni asks his wife to cook drumsticks in a sauce. In order to cook drumsticks, she needs rice, dhal, spices, oil and a potato, but not a single item is there in the kitchen. Muni goes to the shop to get these things on credit. The shopman refuses to give him any item on credit. Rather he insults him. He comes back and tells everything to his wife. So Muni’s wife gets angry and tells him “fast till the evening, it will do you good.”

(iii) Why is Muni’s wife upset and angry ?
Answer: Muni and his wife lead a poor life. They don’t have anything to eat. Muni asks him to cook drumsticks in a sauce. But there is no sauce in the kitchen. Muni goes, to the shop to get the essential items on credit, but the shopman refuses to give him any item on credit. Rather he insults him. He tells everything to his wife. So Muni’s wife gets upset and angry because there is nothing to eat at home. She is upset and angry due to poverty and absence of eatables in the house.

(iv) Why did she ask Muni not to come back home before sunset ?
Answer: Muni went away to graze his goats without eating anything. She asked Muni not to come back home before sunset because she would somehow manage some food for him in the evening.

(v) How did she plan to earn enough to buy foodstuff for the evening meal ?
Answer: She planned to go out and grind com in the Big House, sweep or scrub somewhere, and earn enough to buy foodstuff and keep a dinner ready for him in the evening.

3. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
Unleashing the goats from the drumstick tree, Muni started out, driving them ahead and uttering weird cries from time to time in order to urge them on. He passed through the village with his head bowed in thought. He did not want to look at anyone or be accosted’. A couple of cronies lounging in the temple corridor hailed him, but he ignored their call.

(i) What did Muni do to urge the goats to move on ? Why didn’t he want to talk to anybody?
Answer: Muni uttered weird cries from time to time to urge the goats to move on. He was absorbed in his own thoughts and therefore did not want to talk to anybody.

(ii) Why did he ignore his cronies who had known him since his days of affluence ? Describe his days of affluence.
Answer: He ignored his cronies who had known him since his days of affluence because he was now poor and led a miserable life. He had no money to entertain his cronies. During his days of affluence, he had a flock of forty sheep and goats.

(iii) How does wealth lie in sheep ?
Answer: During his days of affluence, Muni had a flock of sheep. Fleece on the sheep is used to make woollen clothes. So wealth lies in the fleece of the sheep.

(iv) Where did Muni lead his goats to ? What did he do there ?
Answer: Muni led his goats to a grassy spot near the horse statue on the edge of the village. He sat on the statue’s pedestal while the goats grazed nearby.

(v) How did Muni lose his several cattle ? What is he left with now ?
Answer: Years of drought, a great famine and an epidemic ruined Muni’s several cattle. At present he is left with two goats.

4. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
The horse was nearly life-size, moulded out of clay, baked, burnt, and brightly coloured, and reared its head proudly, prancing its forelegs in the air and flourishing its tail in a loop; beside the horse stood a warrior with scythe – like mustachios, bulging eyes, and aquiline nose. The horse itself was said to have been as white as a dhobi-washed sheet, and had on its back a cover of pure brocade of red and black lace, matching the multi coloured sash around the waist of the warrior. But none in the village remembered the splendour as no one noticed its existence.

(i) What advantage did Muni have of sitting on the pedestal of the statue ?
Answer: Muni had the advantage of watching the highway and seeing the lorries and buses pass through the hills and it gave him a sense of belonging to a larger world.

(ii) Describe the statue of the horse.
Answer: The statue of the horse was nearly life-size. It was moulded out of clay, baked, burnt and brightly coloured. Beside the horse stood a warrior with scythe-like moustachios, bulging eyes and acquiline nose.

(iii) What did the image makers believe in ?
Answer: The image makers believed in indicating a man of strength by bulging out his eyes and sharpening his moustache tips, by decorating the man’s chest with beads.

(iv) What was the splendour of the horse ? Why did the people in the village not recognize it ?
Answer: The horse was as white as a dhobi-washed sheet and had had on its back a cover of pure brocade of red and black lace, matching the multi-coloured sash around the waist of the warrior. This was the splendour of the horse.
The people of the village never noticed the splendour of the statue and so never recognized it.

(v) How did the young village lads damage the things near the statue ?
Answer: The young village lads gashed tree trunks with knives and tried to topple off milestones and inscribed lewd designs on the walls.

5. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
“I am sure you know when this horse was made,” said the red man and smiled ingratiatingly.
Muni reacted to the relaxed atmosphere by smiling himself, and pleaded, “Please go away, sir, I know nothing. I promise we will hold him for you if we see any bad character around, and we will bury him up to his neck in a coconut pit if he tries to escape; but our village has always had a clean record. Must definitely be the other village.”

(i) What case does Muni refer to ? Why is he afraid to confront the American businessman ?
Answer: Muni refers to the case of murder that had taken place. He tells the American businessman that he knows nothing of the case. But the murderer would not be able to escape the law. He swears by God and says that he knows nothing about the murder.
He is afraid to confront the American businessman because he thought the American businessman to be either a policeman or a soldier.

(ii) Why did the foreigner nod his head to whatever Muni said about the murder ? What question does the foreigner ask Muni ?
Answer: Muni spoke in Tamil which the foreigner did not understand. So he nodded his head whatever Muni said about the murder.
The foreigner asks Muni if he knew when this horse was made.

(iii) What promise did Muni make to the foreigner with regard to the murder ? What did he tell him about his village ?
Answer: Muni promised the foreigner that if they found the murderer, they would hold him for him. They would bury him up to his neck in a coconut pit if he tried to escape. He told him that their village had clean record. The murderer must be from some other village.

(iv) Why are Muni and the American businessman unintelligible to each other ? What did Muni do to get out of this awkward situation ?
Answer: Muni, a south Indian Tamilian, speaks Tamil whereas the American businessman speaks English. They don’t understand each other’s language, and so they are unintelligible to each other.
Muni felt confused and tried to get away from this place. He said that he must go home and also turned to go. But the other man seized his shoulder.

(v) What difficulties did the American face while working in the Empire State Building last August ?
Answer: In the summer of last August, he was working in short sleeves in his office on the fortieth floor of the Empire State Building. There was a power failure that day. And he was stuck there for four hours because neither the elevator nor the air conditioning plant worked.

6. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
The old man now understood the reference to the horse, thought for a second, and said in his own language, “I was an urchin this high when I heard my grandfather explain this horse and warrior, and my grandfather himself was this high when he heard his grandfather, whose grandfather. …”
The other man interrupted him. “I don’t want to seem to have stopped here for nothing. I will offer you a good price for this,” he said, indicating the horse.

(i) How did Muni understand that the foreigner was making reference to the horse ?
Answer: The foreigner spoke English and tried to make Muni understand that he was referring to the horse, but Muni did not understand because he did not know English. So the foreigner almost pinioned Muni’s back to the statue and asked, “Isn’t this statue yours ? Why don’t you sell it to me ?” Muni now understood that he was making reference to the horse.

(ii) How did the American businessman conclude that Muni was the owner of the statue of the horse ?
Answer: The American businessman guessed that Muni was the owner of the statue of the horse by the way he sat on the pedestal of the statue of the horse.

(iii) How did Muni understand that the foreigner was talking about the horse ?
Answer: Muni followed the man’s eyes and pointed fingers towards the statue and then dimly understood that the foreigner was talking about the horse.

(iv) Why did Muni begin to talk about the horse enthusiastically ?
Answer: Muni felt relieved that the theme of the mutilated body had been abandoned. So, he began to talk about the horse enthusiastically.

(v) Why did the foreigner listen to the foreigner with fascination when he did not understand Muni’s language ?
Answer: Muni spoke Tamil in a stimulating manner and the foreigner listened to the sound of the language with fascination. He loved the sound of the language so much that he said, “Your language sounds wonderful.”

7. Answer the following questions with reference to R.K. Narayan’s short story entitled ‘A Horse and Two Goats’ :
The foreigner followed his look and decided that it would be a sound policy to show an interest in the old man’s pets. He went up casually to them and stroked their backs with every show of courteous attention. Now the truth dawned on Muni. His dream of a lifetime was about to be realised.

(i) What did Muni often dream of ?
Answer: Although Muni was extremely poor he often dreamt of big things. He had a craving of chew drumstick out of sauce.

(ii) How was the foreigner dressed ? Why did Muni feel the urge to run when he first laid eyes on him ? What stopped him from doing so ?
Answer: The foreigner was dressed in Khaki clothes. Evidently he looked like a policeman or a solider. Seeing the man dressed in Khaki, Muni mistook him for a policeman. He had an urge to run away. He feared lest the policeman should arrest him. His old age stopped him from running away.

(iii) Muni assumed that a recent incident had brought this visitor to his village. Give details of this incident.
Answer: A man had been murdered and his dead body was found mutilated and thrown under tamarind tree at the border between Kritam and Kuppam. This incident had take place a few weeks before.

(iv) What was the visitor actually interested in ? What did he offer Muni soon after they met ? Why did the offer surprise Muni ?
Answer: The visitor was actually interested in the statue of the horse. He offered Muni a cigrette. The offer surprised him because he had never been offered anything so respectfully.

(v) Which part of the story do you find most amusing ? Give reasons for your answer.
Answer: The visitor was actually interested in the statue of the horse. He offered Muni a cigarette. The offer surprised him because he had never been offered anything so respectfully.

A Horse and Two Goats Assignment

1. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
While he was brooding on this pleasant vision, the foreigner utilized the pause to say, “I assure you that this will have the best home in the U.S.A. I’ll push away the bookcase, you know I love books and am a member of five book clubs, and the choice and bonus volumes mount up to a pile really in our living room, as high as this horse itself.”

(i) How did the foreigner praise the horse ?
(ii) What did Muni say about the horse ?
(iii) What assurance did the foreigner give to Muni with regard to the horse ? What will he do to accommodate the horse in his house ?
(iv) What does Muni say about the pundit’s discourse in the temple about the horse ?
(v) What reply did the foreigner give to Muni when he was telling him about the pundit’s view about the horse ?

2. (a) What are Muni’s apprehensions about the American ? How does he react when the latter gives him his business card ?
(b) What do you know about the everyday life of Muni and his wife ? What impression do you form about them ?
(c) The story ‘A Horse and Two Goats’ reflects a clash between Indian culture and
American culture. Discuss with reference to the story.