On Examination
By Winston S. Churchill
Unit - 1
1. Does the writer like examinations? Quote the line in support of your answer?
Ans: The writer does not like examinations. The line which says it is -"I entered the inhospitable regions of examination. These examinations were a great trial for me."
2. Mention the subjects that were dearest to the examiners?
Ans: The subjects that were dearest to the examiners were Latin and Mathematics. They set all questions out of these subjects.
3. Which subjects did the writer like the most?
Ans: The writer liked history, poetry and essays.
4. What reason does the writer give for his not doing well in the examinations?
Ans: The examination questions were set from Latin and Mathematics. The writer had no knowledge of them. They set no questions from his favourable area. So I performed badly in the examination.
5. What did the writer write in the answer book for the Latin paper?
Ans: In the Latin paper, the writer wrote his name and the number of the question 'I'.
6. What a sad spectacle for him?
Ans: The writer shed tears in the examination hall. Teardrops fell on answer paper and created blots and smudges. This was a sad spectacle for him.
7. What was the writer's position in the merit list for admission?
Ans: In the merit list, the writer was placed in the third or lowest division of the Fourth or bottom Form.
8. Whom does he give the credit of his success in the Entrance Examination? Why?
Ans: Churchill gave the credit of his success to the headmaster Dr. Welldon. He was a man capable of looking beneath the surface of things. He passed out Churchill even though he had written nothing.
9. What do we mean by - "I gained no more advantage from the alphabet than from the wider sphere of letters."
Ans: The names of the new boys were printed in the school list alphabetical order. So Spencer Churchill appeared towards the end of list. The writer humorously says -I gained no more advantage from the alphabet than from the wider sphere of letters.
10. How did he become the last boy in the class?
Ans: Churchill's name was at the third position from the bottom. As the last two left school due to illness or some other cause, his name came to the last.
11. What is the custom of calling the roll at Harrow?
Ans: The custom of calling the roll at Harrow was that when the roll is called, the student files past a master in the schoolyard and answers his presence.
12. What is the custom of calling the roll at Eton?
Ans: At Eton the boys stand in a cluster and lift their hats when their names are called.
13. "Why, he's last of all"- why did people say so?
Ans: Churchill's name was at the end of the school list. During the roll call, it comes last and he files past. So others comment -why, he's last of all.
Unit - 2
1. What kind of students were taught Latin and Greek at Harrow?
Answer. The cleverer students were taught Latin and Greek at Harrow.
2. Which students were taught only English?
Ans: The dull students were taught English only.
3. Why does the writer rate English as a subject and Mr. Somervell as a teacher?
Ans: According to the writer, English should be read for earning livelihood. The English teacher Mr. Somervell was a delightful man. He could teach in an easy manner so that the dull students could understand his teaching. He taught parsing thoroughly.
4. What part of English grammar did he learn from Mr. Somervell?
Answer. Churchill learnt parsing from Mr. Somervell. It included identifying and using subject, object, verbs, clauses etc.
5. How did he score over the clever school fellows in after years?
Ans: The clever students first studied Latin and Greek while Churchill studied English. When the clever students returned to English class, Churchill had already got much knowledge in English and scored over others.
6. Why was he biased in favour of boys learning the English language?
Ans: He was biased in favour of boys learning English. Language because English would give them job opportunities, and would earn them bread.
Unit - 3
1. How did the boys enjoy their time at the swimming bath?
Ans: Children used to repair for hours at a time and bask between dips eating enormous buns on the hot asphalt margin.
2. What kind of pranks did they enjoy at the bath?
Ans: They go in groups, play jokes on each other, come up behind naked friends, push them into water.
3. What did the writer do to the boy standing in a meditative posture?
Ans: Once a boy was standing in a meditative posture on the bank of the pond. Churchill came behind him secretly, pulled out his towel and pushed him into the pond.
4. What was the reaction of the boy?
Ans: The boy emerged from the foam angrily, seized Churchill in a ferocious grip and hurled him into the deepest part of the pool.
5. What did the writer learn about Amery from the crowd of younger boys?
Ans: The writer learnt from others boys about Amery that he was in sixth form. He was the head of the house. He was the champion at Gym. He had got his football colours.
6. How did the writer apologize for his misconduct?
Ans: The writer came near Amery and said - "I am very sorry. I mistook you for a fourth form boy. You are so small. My father, who is a great man, is also small."
7. Did he apologise out of fear of guilt or both?
Ans: He apologised out of guilt. To him, it was "with the guilt of sacrilege."
8. Did the matter end happily for the writer?
Ans: Yes, the matter ended happily for the writer. In Unit-IV, he has given clarification.
Unit - 4
1. "Three years" difference in age is not as important as it is at school"- How does the writer prove it?
Ans: Three years difference may be enough in school. So Churchill and to beg pardon to Amery in school, In Later life, Churchill became the Prime Minister and Armory was his cabinet colleague for many years. They had no ill-feeling, no difficulty.
2. How did the writer fare at school?
Ans: The writer remained in the lowest rank in the merit list at school. It pained him much yet he showed excellence in a few fields.
3. How did he win a prize at school?
Ans: Churchill once, recited to the headmaster twelve hundred lines of Macauley's "Lays of Ancient Rome" without making a mistake and got a prize.
4. What were the writer's noteworthy achievements at school?
Ans: The writer passed out the preliminary examination for the Army when many seniors failed, It was a rare achievement indeed.
5. How did the writer prepare himself for the preliminary examination for the Army?
Ans: The writer thought that there would be a question to draw the map of a country and that country might be Newzealand, He read it and got the same question. So he answered it well.
6. Why does he call his success an en 'plein'?
Ans: He called his success an "en plein'' because he had read only one - "to draw the map of Newzealand". It was like a type of gambling. Actually, the same question came. So it was an en' plein for Churchill.
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