Class 11 English Snapshots: The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse PDF

Summary

This is a summary of the story "The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse." The story is about two poor Armenian boys, Mourad and Aram, from the Garoghlanian family who share a close bond. It revolves around a beautiful white horse that Mourad steals, prompting a series of events and exploring themes of honesty, trust, and the human connection with animals.

Full Transcript

RIDDHI SIDDHI ACADEMY The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse Summary by - RIDDHI SIDDHI ACADEMY This story revolves around two poor Armenian boys Mourad and Aram. They are members of the Garoghlanian family. The hallmarks of their tribe are trust and honesty. The story begins in a mood of nostalg...

RIDDHI SIDDHI ACADEMY The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse Summary by - RIDDHI SIDDHI ACADEMY This story revolves around two poor Armenian boys Mourad and Aram. They are members of the Garoghlanian family. The hallmarks of their tribe are trust and honesty. The story begins in a mood of nostalgia. Aram, the narrator was then a boy of nine and his cousin, Mourad, a more adventurous but slightly crazy fellow, was thirteen. The narrator remembers vividly the day when Mourad came to his house at four in the morning and woke him up by tapping on the window of his room. Aram jumped out of bed and when he looked out of the window, he couldn’t believe what he saw. His cousin Mourad was sitting on a beautiful white horse. Mourad asked him to be quick if he wanted to ride. The narrator had a longing to ride, but his whole Garoghlanian family was poor though well-known for their trust and honesty. The narrator knew that his cousin Mourad couldn’t have bought the horse, and if he couldn’t have bought it, he must have stolen it. The narrator refused to believe he had stolen it because no member of the Garoghlanian family could be a thief. The narrator, Aram, asked Mourad where he had stolen that horse. Mourad did not reply but asked him to leap out of the window if he wanted to ride. He knew that Mourad was crazy regarding horses. Stealing a horse for a ride was not the same thing as stealing money or selling a stolen horse. The narrator leaped into his clothes. He jumped down to the yard from the window and leaped up onto the horse behind his cousin Mourad. From their house in Walnut Avenue, they reached Olive Avenue in less than three minutes. The horse began to trot as the air was fresh and lovely to breathe. Mourad was considered one of the craziest members of their family. He begin to sing or rather roar. They reached the open country and let the horse run as long as it felt like running. At last Mourad asked Aram HAND WRITTEN BY- KARTICK SHARMA 1 RIDDHI SIDDHI ACADEMY RIDDHI SIDDHI ACADEMY to get down as he wanted to ride alone. Aram asked him if he would let him ride alone. Mourad replied that it was up to the horse. The narrator got down and his cousin Mourad kicked his heels into the horse and shouted, “Vazire, run!” The horse stood on its hind legs, snorted and ran forward at a fast speed. Mourad raced the horse across a field of dry grass to an irrigation ditch. He crossed the ditch on the horse, and five minutes later returned. He was dripping wet. The sun was coming up. Now the narrator leaped to the back of the horse, but the horse did not move. At the suggestion of Mourad, he kicked into the muscles of the horse. It reared, snorted and began to run. The narrator didn’t know what to do. Instead of running across the field to the irrigation ditch the horse ran down the road to the vineyard of Dikran Halabian and leaped over seven vines before Aram fell. Mourad came running down the road. He was more worried about the horse than Aram. Both of them searched the horse in different directions. It took Mourad half an hour to find the horse and bring him back. Mourad hid the horse in a deserted vineyard belonging to farmer Fetvajian. There were some oats and dry alfalfa in the barn. It occurred to narrator that Mourad had been taking early rides for some time and had come to him that morning only. He enquired, “How long ago did you steal the horse?” Mourad did not like the question. The narrator rephrased it: “How long did you begin riding every morning?” He replied, “Not until this morning”. He was, obviously, not speaking the truth, but he convinced Aram by saying so. Mourad then told Aram that it wasn’t easy to get the horse to behave so nicely. At first, it wanted to run wild but since he had a way with a horse he developed an understanding with the horse. The narrator reached home and ate a hearty breakfast. That afternoon his uncle Khosrove came to their house for coffee and cigarettes. While he was sipping coffee and smoking in the parlour, another visitor arrived. The latter was a farmer named John Byro. He was an Assyrian who, out of loneliness, had learned to speak Armenian. He was also served coffee and tobacco. Sighing sadly, he said that his white horse which had been stolen last month was still gone. Uncle Khosrove became irritated and snubbed him for crying over a horse. Farmer John Byro was large man with a gentle heart. He had to walk ten miles to reach there and his left leg pained him. The horse had cost him sixty dollars and his surrey was no good without a horse. As soon as the farmer went away, Aram ran over to his cousin Mourad’s house and told him everything. He asked Mourad not to return it till he learnt to ride. He suggested keeping it for a year or at least six months. Mourad thought he was inviting a Garoghlanian to steal. He decided to return the horse to its true owner. Early every morning for two weeks Mourad and Aram took the horse out of the barn of the deserted vineyard where they were hiding it and rode it. Every morning, the horse would leap over grape vines and small trees and throw Aram and run away. Still Aram hoped to learn to ride as Mourad rode. One morning on the way to Fetvajian’s deserted vineyard they came across farmer John Byro who was on his way to town. Mourad greeted him. The farmer studied the horse eagerly and wished them good HAND WRITTEN BY- KARTICK SHARMA 2 RIDDHI SIDDHI ACADEMY RIDDHI SIDDHI ACADEMY morning. He asked the name of their horse. Mourad replied that they called it My Heart’. John Byro called it a lovely name for a lovely horse. He was certain that it was the horse which had been stolen from him many weeks ago. He asked if he might look into the horse’s mouth. On examining the teeth of the horse, the farmer was ready to swear that it was his own horse. But since the fame of their family for honesty was well-known, he would not call it the stolen horse. Still it was the twin of his horse. Early the next morning, the boys took the horse to John Byro’s vineyard and put it in the barn. Mourad put his arms around the horse, pressed his nose into the horse’s nose, patted it and then they went away. That afternoon John Byro came to their house in his surrey and showed the narrator’s mother the horse that had been stolen and returned. He was surprised to find the horse stronger than ever and better tempered too. He thanked God. Uncle Khosrove, who was in the parlour, became irritated and shouted at him to be quiet. He observed that his horse had been returned and repeated his pet phrase: “Pay no attention to it”. HAND WRITTEN BY- KARTICK SHARMA 3 RIDDHI SIDDHI ACADEMY RIDDHI SIDDHI ACADEMY Chapter 1 The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse MCQ Questions Class 11 English with Answers Question. Who is the author of “The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse”? A. AJ Cronin B. William Wordsworth C. William Shakespeare D. William Saroyan Answer : D Question. What idea/theme does “The Summer of a Beautiful White Horse” entails? A. Honesty B. Honour C. Trust D. All of the above Answer : D Question. John Byro said, “A suspicious man would believe his eyes instead of his heart.” What does it tell about him? A. He believed in the honesty of Garoghlanian family B. He was impractical C. He was foolish D. None of the above Answer : A Question. What were the hallmarks of the Garoghlanian tribe? A. Trust B. Honesty C. Both (A) and (B) D. None of the above Answer : C Question. After the horse was stolen and returned, it became ______. A. rougher A. sick & ill B. stronger & better-tempered C. Both (A) and (C) Answer : C Question. “Quiet, man, quiet. Your horse has been returned.” Who said this? A. Mourad B. Aram HAND WRITTEN BY- KARTICK SHARMA 4 RIDDHI SIDDHI ACADEMY RIDDHI SIDDHI ACADEMY C. Uncle Khosrove D. Not mentioned in the story Answer : C Question. Where did Aram live? A. In the centre of the town B. In the country C. Olive Avenue D. At the edge of town on Walnut Avenue Answer : D Question. What according to Aram, was his first longing? A. To own a horse B. To become rich C. To ride a horse D. To visit a vineyard Answer : C Question. Why did the boys return the white horse to its owner? A. Because they were conscience stricken B. Because they were afraid C. Because they found it difficult to hide the horse D. Because they were accused of theft Answer : A Question. Why couldn’t Aram believe when he saw Mourad with the horse? A. Because Mourad was crazy B. Because they were poor to afford a horse C. Because he was sleepy D. Because he was dreaming Answer : B Question. How would you describe uncle Khosrove? A. Hot tempered B. Irritable C. Impatient D. All of the above Answer : D Question. Mourad enjoyed being _______ more than anybody else. A. crazy B. alive HAND WRITTEN BY- KARTICK SHARMA 5 RIDDHI SIDDHI ACADEMY RIDDHI SIDDHI ACADEMY C. funny D. None of the above Answer : B Question. John Byro learned to speak Armenian out of ________. A. necessity B. fun C. eagerness D. loneliness Answer : D Question. At what time did Aram and Mourad ride the horse? A. Late night B. Early morning C. Evening D. Afternoon hours Answer : B Question. “I have a way with farmers.” Who says it to whom? A. Aram to Mourad B. Mourad to John Byro C. Aram to John Byro D. Mourad to Aram Answer : D Question. When did the boys return the horse? A. After Aram learned to ride it B. After an year C. After six months D. After they ran into John Byro Answer : D Question. When Aram rode the horse alone, it ran down the road to the _________. A. vineyard B. irrigation ditch C. field D. countryside Answer : A Question. What was uncle Khosrove’s customary line? A. Ignore it; pay no attention. B. Forget it. HAND WRITTEN BY- KARTICK SHARMA 6 RIDDHI SIDDHI ACADEMY RIDDHI SIDDHI ACADEMY C. It is harmless; ignore it. D. It is no harm; pay no attention to it. Answer : D Question. No member of the Garoghlanian family could be _______. A. poor B. rich C. a thief D. crazy Answer : C Question. Mourad had been hiding the horse _________. A. in a stable B. in a barn of a vineyard C. at a secret place of his house D. None of the above Answer : B Question. What was the behaviour of the horse initially? A. It wanted to be trained B. It wanted to rest C. It wanted to run wild D. All of the above Answer : C Question. Why did the horse's owner refuse to believe that the boys had stolen his horse? A. Because he didn’t examine the horse carefully B. Because their family was known for honesty C. Because he had found his horse elsewhere D. Because his horse had a twin Answer : B Question. How does Aram describe the horse? A. Magnificent & lovely B. Beautiful white horse C. Both (A) and (B) D. None of the above Answer : C Question. Who is the narrator of the story “The Summer of a Beautiful White Horse”? A. William Saroyan B. Aram C. John Byro D. Mourad HAND WRITTEN BY- KARTICK SHARMA 7 RIDDHI SIDDHI ACADEMY RIDDHI SIDDHI ACADEMY Answer : B Question. Mourad was considered the natural descendant of his _________. A. father B. uncle C. grandfather D. great-grandfather Answer : B Question. What sort of an understanding did Mourad mention with the horse? A. Mature B. Simple and honest C. Complicated D. Difficult Answer : B Question. “The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse” is a story of two _________ boys. A. Armenian B. Arabian C. Assyrian D. African Answer : A Question. What did uncle Khosrove do to stop anyone from talking? A. By beating them B. By walking away C. By shouting at them D. By ignoring them Answer : C Question. Who was the true knower of the horse? A. John Byro B. Fetvajian C. Dikran Halabian D. Zorab Answer : A Question. For how long did Mourad have the horse before Aram got to know about it? A. One day B. One year C. One month A. One week Answer : C HAND WRITTEN BY- KARTICK SHARMA 8 RIDDHI SIDDHI ACADEMY RIDDHI SIDDHI ACADEMY The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse Class 11 English Snapshots Chapter 1 The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse Reading with insight Question 1. You will probably agree that this story does not have breathless adventure and exciting action. Then what in your opinion makes it interesting? Answer: The thing of crazy streak in Garoghlanian family makes the story interesting. Uncle Khosrove repeated phrase to every petty or major loss, ‘Pay no attention to it. It’s no harm’, adds more interest in the story. Mourad’s innocence and his mysterious ways to tackle the ‘horse’, ‘dog1 and even ‘farmer’ make the story really very interesting. Question 2. Did the boys return the horse because they were conscience-stricken or because they were afraid? Answer: The boys returned the horse as they were afraid. The narrator had come to know that the horse belonged to farmer John Byro whose surrey had become useless because of his lost horse for a month. He informed it to Mourad and asked him not to return the horse as he wanted to learn how to ride a horse properly first. But unluckily when they met John Byro on the way, they got afraid. They put it stealthily in Byro’s bam next morning. Question 3. ‘One day back there in the good old days when I was nine and the world was full of every imaginable kind of magnificence, and life was still a delightful and mysterious dream. The story begins in a mood of nostalgia. Can you narrate some interesting incident from your childhood that might make an interesting story? Answer: Once when I was still a student of Class IV, I had gone to pick fruits including berries, guava, and pomegranates in the garden of villager Mr. Ramdhan Tyagi. We were a pack of eight children. We all had eaten fruits to our fill. After that we all packed our pockets. As we were returning happily, uncle Ramdhan returned from his home after a nap in the noon. He naturally gave us a chase. I being the youngest in the group, lagged behind and was caught. He asked ‘whose daughter are you?’ ‘Sh. Lekh Ram’, I replied. In the evening we all heard the sounds of great row at the home of Sh. Lekh Ram. Actually, romance at ‘hort notice was my speciality then. To save my skin from my parents I had told the name of a neighbour as my father. Question 4. The story revolves around the characters that belong to a tribe in Armenia. Mourad and Aram are members of the Garoghlanian family. Now locate Armenia and Assyria on the atlas and prepare a write up HAND WRITTEN BY- KARTICK SHARMA 9 RIDDHI SIDDHI ACADEMY RIDDHI SIDDHI ACADEMY on the Garoghlanian tribes. You may write about people, their names, traits, geographical and economic features as suggested in the story. Answer: The Garoghlanian tribes were scattered in the expanse of Assyria and Armenia in Asia continent sometime between the period of 500 B.C. to 800 B.C. Their main occupation was farming. They were famous for their honesty and trust. They were great nature-lovers. They never thought of stealing. They never bothered to attain more heights financially as well as physically. They were contented in their peaceful easy life. They never dreamt of taking advantage of others in the world. The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse Extra Questions and Answers The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse Extra Questions Short Answer Type Question 1. To which tribe did Aram and Mourad belong? What was particular about their tribe? Answer: Aram and Mourad belonged to Garoghlanian tribe. The tribe was well known for its honesty and trust. The people belonging to the tribe to neither be liars nor thieves. Question 2. Why and when did Mourad take John Byro’s horse? Answer: Mourad was known for a crazy streak in his character. He was fond of horse riding. But he belonged to a poor family, He could never afford to realise his long cherished s dream of riding a horse. So one day he ‘stole’ John Byro’s horse. He kept it to his custody at * least a month, before he disclosed it to Aram. Question 3. Why did Mourad bring the wonderful white horse to Aram? Answer: Mourad brought this horse to Aram, his cousin brother. He knew quite well that Aram was equally fond of riding a horse. Mourad himself had been enjoying joy-rides on the wonderful white horse since a month’s time. Now he wanted his cousin brother to enjoy the same. Question 4. How did Mourad manage to keep his ‘deed’ a ‘secret’? Answer: Mourad would enjoy the joy-rides on the wonderful white horse only during the early morning hours. As soon as the day breaks, he would hide the horse in a deserted bam. There were some oats and dry alfalfa to satisfy the hunger of the horse. Question 5. How did the narrator come to know about the real owner of the horse? What was his reaction? Answer: HAND WRITTEN BY- KARTICK SHARMA 10 RIDDHI SIDDHI ACADEMY RIDDHI SIDDHI ACADEMY The narrator returned his home, after enjoying a ride on the wonderful white horse. An Assyrian visitor named John Byro came to his home and sighing sadly told that v his white horse was stolen for a month. Now the narrator realised the horse Mourad was. having those days, was actually Byro’s. He felt panicky and went to Mourad to disclose the news. But he requested him not to return the horse so early. Question 6. Why did the boys not want to return the horse immediately? Did their wish fulfill? Answer: The boys didn’t want to return the horse immediately as both wanted to learn properly how to ride a horse. Mourad told Aram that he would keep it at least six months. But alas! Their wish couldn’t be fulfilled. Question 7. Why did the boys return the horse so early? Answer: One morning the boys were taking the horse to its hiding place, after having a joy ride over it. They met John Byro; the real owner of the horse. John swore that the horse was the twin of his own one and some suspicious mind could take it to be his own as its teeth and everything were like those of his own one. At this the boys got panicky. Due to fear of disclosure of their dare deed, they put hack the horse the next day at its real owner’s bam. Question 8. Who was John Byro? Why had he come to the narrator’s house? Answer: John Byro was an Assyrian by birth. He was a farmer. But he had learnt to speak Armenian also due to loneliness. Perhaps he had settled down somewhere in Armenia ten miles away from narrator’s home. He had come to the narrator’s house to vent out his woes over the loss of his only horse. His horse was missing for a month.. Question 9. What impression do you form about Khosrove? Answer: Khosrove was an uncle to Mourad and Aram. He had acquired the special char-acteristic of the family i.e. the crazy streak. He was an enormous man with a powerful head of black hair. He had the largest moustache in entire San Joaquin Valley. He was quite an irritable fellow who lost his temper quite easily if somebody cried over his loss. His most repeated words (at such situation) were. It is no harm; pay no attention to it.” Question 10. ‘I couldn’t believe what I saw.’ What was there so incredible to the speaker? Who is the speaker here? Answer: The protagonist of the story ‘Aram’ is the speaker here. One fine summer pre day-break, his cousin brother HAND WRITTEN BY- KARTICK SHARMA 11 RIDDHI SIDDHI ACADEMY RIDDHI SIDDHI ACADEMY Mourad had come to invite him on a wonderful white horse. The horse didn’t belong to him. So it was incredible to the speaker where from Mourad had got that horse, as he could not be a thief. Question 11. How was the ‘deed’ of taking away somebody else’s horse and hiding it without the owner’s knowledge not a theft according to the boys? Answer: According to the boys, the horse which actually belonged to John Byro had been taken away by them just to enjoy joy rides. It can’t be called a ‘theft’ until they offered to sell the horse. The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse Extra Questions Long Answer Type Question 1. Describe the boys joyride early one morning in your own words. Answer: The boys i.e. Mourad and Aram belonged to Garoghlanian tribe whose hallmarks were trust and honesty. Mourad was regarded a ‘crazy boy having acquired the ‘crazy streak’ of the family. One morning at about 4 a.m., Mourad tapped on Aram’s window waking him up. Aram peeped out of the window. He was surprised to see, wonderful white horse. He had come to invite him for a joy ride. There was no time for Aram to think or care for the right or wrong. He just jumped out of window, on to the horse, behind Mourad. They both had a round of the vineyards, orchards, irrigation ditches and country roads, all behind Aram’s house. Then they reached on Olive Avenue. The air was new and lovely to breathe in early morning. Mourad began to sing, being too much crazy. They made the horse run, as long as it felt like running Then Movrr.d alone had a ride. He shouted ‘Vazire’ run; and the horse once stood on its hind legs, snorted and burst into a fury of speed across a field of dry grass. Mourad returned after five minutes. He was dripping wet. Now the narrator wanted to ride alone. But the horse didn’t budge. At this Mourad asked Aram to kick it into its muscles and the trick worked. But Aram didn’t know how to reign the horse and it dropped him after leaping over vines. It ran away. It was only after half an hour, Mourad got it and brought it back. Then they both took it to Fetvajian’s deserted bam to hide. Mourad had a strange way of taming the horse. The horse seemed to obey him. Both returned to their homes. The narrator had a hearty breakfast that morning, as his long cherished dream of riding a horse had been fulfilled. Question 2. Compare and Contrast the characters of Mourad and Aram. Answer: The story ‘The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse’ has a few characters. Two of them are Mourad and HAND WRITTEN BY- KARTICK SHARMA 12 RIDDHI SIDDHI ACADEMY RIDDHI SIDDHI ACADEMY Aram. Aram is the speaker/ narrator of the story. But the most interesting character here is Mourad. He has his own way of understanding with birds and animals. He is thirteen year old i.e. 4 years older to Aram. Mourad had acquired the crazy streak of the family naturally. Except the narrator everybody who knew him regarded him crazy. But one day, he surprised the narrator also. He had brought along a Wonderful white horse. No doubt it was not ‘his’, as neither he could purchase and stealing was out of question. Both belonged to poor family and stealing was not a natural trait with their tribe whose hallmarks were honesty and trust. Anyhow, he had come to invite the narrator to enjoy a ride. He was so simpleton at heart, that he wanted to make Aram feel the same joy of enjoy¬ing a joyride, as he himself had enjoyed. Though he didn’t disclose how and when he did steal it. Both regarded that it was not a ‘theft’ until they wished to sell it. Both decided that they would keep it at least for six months unless they learnt to ride properly. The period is also decided by Mourad. But unluckily, the narrator came to know about the real owner. He felt nervous as the owner of the horse, John Byrd had come to his house, inquiring/ feeling sorry over his lost horse. Jle went to Mourad to reveal the news. At that time Mouracl was sitting under a peach tree, healing the hurt wing of a young robin. It showed that he loved animals and birds a lot. Mourad is a mysterious person with amusing characteristics. He had been enjoying rides on a horse of John Byro for a month and kept it for another two weeks. But he didn’t consider it a theft. As the narrator requested him to keep it for a year, he roared “what?” “Are you inviting a member of the Garoghlanian family to steal?” As they met the real owner, without getting worried, Mourad peacefully put back the horse at its real owner’s barn, early next morning. Again he behaved strangely, while bidding ‘goodbye’ to the horse. He put his arms around the horse, pressed his nose into the horse’s nose, patted it, and then started back. It was all too mysterious to Aram to understand Mourad’s strange ways of making the wounded bird fly, keeping the dogs shut their mouths, and making the horse run. Really he was a strange boy. HAND WRITTEN BY- KARTICK SHARMA 13 RIDDHI SIDDHI ACADEMY RIDDHI SIDDHI ACADEMY Or The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse Important Extra Questions and Answers Class 11 English Snapshots The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse Extra Questions and Answers Short Answer Type Question 1. What does the writer suggest by beginning the story with the following words, “One day back there in the good old days…”? Answer: The beginning of the story is suggestive of the fact that the episode that is going to be narrated is not one from the recent past. On the contrary, it is something that happened years back. The words ‘good old days’, suggest that the times in the past were better than what they are at present. Question 2. What does the writer say about the ‘good old days’? Answer: The ‘good old days’ refer to a time when the narrator was about nine years old. Then, to him, the world was full of all possible kinds of splendour. Life then seemed charming and was as alluring as a mystifying dream. Question 3. What was the narrator’s first reaction to the horse? Answer: When the narrator’s cousin, Mourad, came to his house at four in the morning and woke him up, Aram couldn’t believe what he saw. Mourad was riding a beautiful white horse. He stuck his head out of the window and rubbed his eyes to make sure that he wasn’t dreaming. Question 4. What did the narrator think of Mourad? Answer: Unlike the rest of the world, it was only Aram who did not feel that Mourad was ‘crazy’. Aram knew that Mourad enjoyed being alive more than anybody else, and ‘who had ever fallen into the world by mistake’. Question 5. What were the chief traits of the members of his family that the narrator could recall? Answer: The narrator felt that although the people of his clan were poverty stricken, yet they were honest. They HAND WRITTEN BY- KARTICK SHARMA 14 RIDDHI SIDDHI ACADEMY RIDDHI SIDDHI ACADEMY were proud, honest, and they believed in right and wrong. None of them would take advantage of anybody in the world, let alone steal. Question 6. Why was the narrator both delighted and frightened at the same time? Answer: The narrator was delighted at the magnificence of the horse. He could smell it, hear it breathing, which excited him but what frightened him was that Mourad could not have bought the horse. The narrator realized, if he had not bought it, he must have stolen it. Question 7. How did the narrator establish that Mourad had stolen the horse? Answer: When the initial fascination and surprise wore out, Aram asked Mourad where he had stolen the horse from. Aram was certain that no one in their family could afford one. When Mourad did not deny having stolen the horse, and evaded that question, Aram was sure that he had stolen the horse. Question 8. How did Aram justify the act of stealing the horse? Answer: Aram felt that stealing a horse for a ride was not the same thing as stealing something else, such as money. Perhaps, it was not stealing at all because they were crazy about horses. He felt it would not be called stealing until they offered to sell the horse, which they would never do. Question 9. What did Aram feel about Mourad’s temperament? Answer: According to Aram, Mourad had a crazy streak. That made him the natural descendant of Uncle Khosrove who had a crazy element in him. This crazy streak was common in their tribe and need not be passed on from a father to the son. The people of the tribe had been, from the beginning, unpredictable and unrestrained. Question 10. What happened when Aram tried to ride the horse? Answer: When Aram kicked into the muscles of the horse, it reared and snorted. Then it began to run. It ran down the. road to the vineyard of Dikran Halabian where it began to leap over vines. The horse leaped over seven vines and Aram fell off but the horse continued running. Question 11. What was the problem the children faced after getting the horse back? Answer: After Aram had been thrown off, it took Mourad half an hour to find the horse and bring him back. The HAND WRITTEN BY- KARTICK SHARMA 15 RIDDHI SIDDHI ACADEMY RIDDHI SIDDHI ACADEMY next concern was that they did not know where to hide the horse till the next day, and by then the people had woken up. Question 12. Where did the boys hide the horse for the night? Answer: The boys walked the horse quietly to the bam of a deserted vineyard, which at one time had been the pride of the farmer named Fetvajian. There were some oats and dry alfalfa in the bam. It was there that they kept the horse. Question 13. Who was John Byro? What concern did he express at Aram’s place? Answer: John Byro was an Assyrian farmer who, out of loneliness, had learned to speak Armenian. He was sad because his white horse, which was stolen a month back, was still not found. Byro had a surrey a four- wheeled horse-drawn pleasure carriage having two or four seats which was of no use without a horse. Question 14. Mourad showed a special concern for animals. Justify. Answer: Mourad not only had a special understanding with the horse but Aram saw Mourad, trying to nurse the hurt wing of a young robin which could not fly. He healed the bird and it took flight. The dogs, too, in John’s farm, did not bark when he went there to put back the horse. Question 15. What did John Byro mean when he said, “A suspicious man would believe his eyes instead of his heart”? Answer: John Byro scrutinized the horse; it was an exact replica of the one he owned. He refused to believe that the two boys had taken his horse, as he knew their family was famed for honesty. So, even when his rational mind said that it was his horse, his heart refused to believe it. Question 16. What did John Byro perceive about the horse after it was returned? Why? Answer: After the horse was returned, John Byro said that the horse was stronger than ever and also better tempered. It was so because the children loved the horse and had taken good care of it. Moreover, it had exercised without the weight of the surrey. HAND WRITTEN BY- KARTICK SHARMA 16 RIDDHI SIDDHI ACADEMY RIDDHI SIDDHI ACADEMY The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse Extra Questions and Answers Long Answer Type Answer the following in 120-150 words each. Question 1. Write a brief note on the Garoghlanian family as perceived by the narrator. Answer: The Garoghlanian family was poor. In fact, the whole tribe was poverty-stricken. But the family was living in the most amazing and comical poverty in the world. Nobody could understand where they ever got money enough to feed them, not even the old men of the family. Most importantly, they had been famous for their honesty for around eleven centuries, even when they had been one of the wealthiest families in the world. They were proud, honest, and believed in values such as right and wrong. None of them would take advantage of anybody in the world, let alone steal. The streak of ‘madness’ shared by the narrator’s Uncle Khusrove and cousin Mourad had been there in their tribe, from the beginning, unpredictable and unrestrained. Question 2. What did Aram feel about the ‘crazy streak’ in the family? Answer: Aram felt that every family has a crazy element somewhere, and Mourad seemed to have inherited it from their Uncle Khosrove, a man so furious in temper, so irritable, so impatient that he stopped anyone from talking by roaring, “It is no harm; pay no attention to it.” That was all he said no matter what anybody happened to be talking about. Even when his own son Arak came running to the barber’s shop where he was having his moustache trimmed to tell him their house was on fire, Khosrove roared exactly the same thing. The barber repeated what the boy had said but Khosrove roared, “Enough, it is no harm, I say.” Mourad, though he was the son of Zorab, was the one who had inherited the streak of madness from Khusrove. Question 3. Describe the ride of Aram and Mourad when they went out together for the first time. Answer: Mourad called out to the narrator who leaped onto the horse behind his cousin Mourad. On Olive Avenue, they let the horse run for as long as it felt like running. Mourad, then, went for a ride alone; he kicked his heels into the horse and shouted, “Vazire, run.” The horse stood on its hind legs, snorted, and burst into a fury of speed. Mourad raced the horse across a field of dry grass, across the irrigation ditch and five minutes later returned, dripping wet. When Aram leaped onto the horse for a ride, the horse did not move at first. Mourad told him to kick into his muscles. When Aram did so, the horse once again reared and snorted and began to run. But instead of HAND WRITTEN BY- KARTICK SHARMA 17 RIDDHI SIDDHI ACADEMY RIDDHI SIDDHI ACADEMY running across the field to the irrigation ditch, the horse ran down the road to the vineyard of Dikran Halabian where it began to leap over vines. The horse leaped over seven vines and then Aram fell off. Question 4. Bring out the humour in Uncle Khosrove’s and John Byro’s meeting. Answer: Uncle Khosrove came to Aram’s house for coffee and cigarettes. Soon another visitor arrived, a farmer named John Byro. The farmer, having his coffee and a cigarette, said with a sigh that his white horse which had been stolen the previous month, was still untraceable. Uncle Khosrove became very annoyed and shouted that it was no harm since they had all lost their homeland. Hence, it was no use crying over a horse. John Byro said that without a horse his carriage could not be put to use. “Pay no attention to it,” roared Uncle Khosrove. When John said that he had walked ten miles to get there, Uncle Khosrove shouted that he had legs. The farmer said that his left leg pained but Uncle Khosrove roared again, “Pay no attention to it.” The farmer said that the horse cost him sixty dollars. Uncle Khosrove said, “I spit on money” and walked out of the house, slamming the door. Question 5. Describe John Byro’s meeting with his horse and the two boys. What impact did it have on him? Answer: One morning, on the way to Fetvajian’s deserted vineyard, where they would hide the white horse during the day, the boys met John Byro who was on his way to town. They wished each other and the farmer studied the horse eagerly. He asked the boys the name of the horse. Mourad said it was called ‘My Heart’ in Armenian. John Byro said that he could swear it was his horse that was stolen many weeks ago. The farmer then looked into the mouth of the horse. He was even more certain that the horse was a replica of his. He said, had he not known their family’s fame for honesty, he would have claimed the horse to be his. He believed Mourad when he suggested that the horse was the twin of John Byro’s horse. The next morning, the boys took the horse to John Byro’s vineyard and put it in the bam. HAND WRITTEN BY- KARTICK SHARMA 18 RIDDHI SIDDHI ACADEMY

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