CBSE Class 12 English Poets and Pancakes Worksheet Set A

GIST OF THE LESSON

• The Gemini studio owned by S.S.Vasan was one of the most influential film Producing Organizations of India in the early years of Indian film making industry.
• The make-up department of studios looked like a hair cutting salon.
• Had lights at all angles, half dozen mirrors, incandescent lights · The artists were subjected to misery while application of make-up.
• The make-up department, consisting of people from different parts of the country, was a unique example of National Integration.
• A strict hierarchy was maintained in the make-up dept.
• Narrator worked in a cubicle tearing newspapers, thought he was free, people barged in always.
• Kothamangalam Subbu, no.2 at Gemini studios, was always cheerful, tailor made for films, endowed with great creativity, charitable yet had enemies
• He was loyal and faithful, very close to boss.
• He could offer various alternatives for how a scene could be invented. Subbu, in fact, gave direction to Gemini studios during its golden years.
• The story Department of the studios comprising of a lawyer, officially known as legal adviser but was treated the opposite. Once he brought a sad end to the career of a
brilliant and promising young actress.
• Story dept wound up-lawyer lost job.
• A favorite haunt for poets
• Most people wore Khadi, worshipped Gandhi, knew nothing about politics.
• Against communism, believed that a communist was a godless man
• A warm welcome was accorded to moral Re Armament Army (MRA) by the Gemini studios.
They presented two plays 'Jothan Valley' and "The forgotten Factor" which had a great influence on Tamil drama.
• THE MRA was a strong countermovement against communism.
• The Gemini studios again got an opportunity to welcome an English poet or an Editor. But the people of Gemini Studio could not comprehend the purpose as well as the language of the poet or editor, so his visit was a mystery.
• Later on, he came to know that the visitor was the editor of "The Encounter" and his name was Stephen Spender.
•'The God That Failed' was the collection of six essays by six men of letters including Spender.
These essays described separately their journey into communism and their disillusioned return.
• Mystery was solved.

Question. Pick the quote which best describes Subbu’s role in Gemini Studios based on the story.
1. Life’s too short to hang out with people who aren’t resourceful.
2. The more a person limits himself, the more resourceful he becomes.
3. Success is not about your resources. It’s about how resourceful you are with what you have.
4. Resourcefulness: Seeing where you want to go and taking the first step.
(a) Option 1
(b) Option 2
(c) Option 3
(d) Option 4

Answer: C

Question. ‘An extremely talented actress, who was also extremely temperamental, once blew over on the sets’.
Pick the idiom that matches best with ‘blew over’.
(a) At one’s wits end
(b) Get bent out of shape
(c) Have the blues
(d) Experience pins and needles

Answer: B

Question. ‘In any case, there was this man in the make-up department who would wish the direst things for Subbu’. Here ‘direst things’ refers to something that is
(a) urgent.
(b) desperate.
(c) disastrous.
(d) dreadful.

Answer: D

Question. ‘Often he looked alone and helpless- a man of cold logic in a crowd of dreamers…’. It can be inferred that the man
(a) rationalised every thought before it was spoken.
(b) failed to consider human emotions and social dynamics.
(c) was critical of what others did around him.
(d) egoistic and always thought others lacked reason.

Answer: B

Extract Based Questions:

A. His success in films overshadowed and dwarfed his literary achievements-or so his critics felt. He composed several truly original ‘story poems’ in folk refrain and diction and also wrote a sprawling novel Thillana Mohanambal with dozens of very deftly etched characters. He quite successfully recreated the mood and manner of the Devadasis of the early 20th century. He was an amazing actor-he never aspired to the lead roles-but whatever subsidiary role he played in any of the films, he performed better than the supposed main players. He had a genuine love for anyone he came across and his house was a permanent residence for dozens of near and far relations and acquaintances.

Question. The phrase ‘deftly etched’ shows that Subbu
(a) created the roles delicately.
(b) was skilful in creating the characters.
(c) pondered beyond necessity about the characters.
(d) gave very little thought to the characters.

Answer: B

Question. Pick the option that best describes Subbu according to the extract.
1. benevolent
2. powerful
3. accomplished
4. witty
5. generous
6. temperamental
(a) 4, 5 & 6
(b) 2, 3 & 4
(c) 1,3 & 5
(d) 3 ,4 & 6

Answer: C

Question. Which of these statements is NOT TRUE about Subbu?
(a) His literary accomplishments stole the limelight from his films.
(b) He was a gifted poet and writer and his literary works were noteworthy.
(c) He was selfless in nature and was empathetic towards others.
(d) He never hankered after lead roles and performed minor roles in films.

Answer: A

Question. The word ‘sprawling’ has been used with the word ‘novel’. Pick the option with which the word ‘sprawling’ CANNOT be used.
(a) metropolis
(b) handwriting
(c) campus
(d) portrait

Answer: D

B. Barring the office boys and a couple of clerks, everybody else at the Studios radiated leisure, a pre-requisite for poetry. Most of them wore khadi and worshipped Gandhiji but beyond that they had not the faintest appreciation for political thought of any kind. Naturally, they were all averse to the term ‘Communism’. A communist was a godless man-he had no filial or conjugal love; he had no compunction about killing his own parents or his children; he was always out to cause and spread unrest and violence among innocent and ignorant people. Such notions, which prevailed everywhere else in South India at that time also, naturally, floated about vaguely among the khadi-clad poets of Gemini Studios. Evidence of it was soon forthcoming.

Question. Why do you think leisure is a pre-requisite for poetry?
(a) Poetry means freedom of expression.
(b) One can enjoy poetry when there’s free time.
(c) In order to write poetry, one needs free time.
(d) Poetry means freedom from work.

Answer: C

Question. Asokamitran says that leisure is a pre-requisite for poetry. He says this because poets
(a) need to relax for a period of time before composing lines.
(b) maintain a leisured pace in all tasks they do.
(c) are creative and need to have free time to weave their thoughts.
(d) begin poetic compositions in rushed way and end in a relaxed manner.

Answer: C

Question. Pick the option that uses the same figure of speech as ‘A communist is a godless man.’
(a) She is as determined as Gandhi when it is a fight against injustice.
(b) She is a Gandhi when she raises her voice against ‘hinsa’ or violence.
(c) She, like Gandhi, feels that the earth is crying for deliverance.
(d) She lives a life of opulence and calls herself a follower of Gandhi.

Answer: B

Question. Based on the extract, choose the correct option with reference to the two statements given below.
Statement 1: At Gemini Studios, the poets had a profound knowledge about Communists.
Statement 2: Communists were responsible for anarchy and discontent in the country.
(a) Statement 1 is true but Statement 2 is false.
(b) Statement 1 is false but Statement 2 is true.
(c) Both Statement 1 and Statement 2 cannot be inferred.
(d) Both Statement 1 and Statement 2 can be inferred.

Answer: D

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS

Question. How does the writerdescribe the make-up room of the Gemini studios?
Answer: The makeup room of the Gemini studio had incandescent lights. It also had lights at all angles, large mirrors. Those subjected to makeup had to face bright light and a lot of heat there. It was on the upper floor of the o a building that was believed to have been Robert Clive's stables.

Question. How was the make-up room a fine example of national integration?
Answer: The makeup room was headed by a Bengali, succeeded by a Maharashtrian, assisted by a- Dharwar Kannadiga, an Andhra, a Madrasi, Christian and an Anglo Burmese.

Question. How did the legal advisor bring a sad end to the brief and brilliant acting career of an extremely talented in the studios?
Answer: The legal advisor (lawyer) quietly switched on the recording equipment when once she blew over on the sets against the producer. When the actress paused for breath, he played back the recording. She was struck dumb on hearing her own voice and never recovered from the shock.
That was the end of the brief and brilliant career of the actress.

Question. What does 'The God That Failed' refer to?
Answer: 'The God That Failed' refers to a collection of essays by six eminent literary personalities, about their journey into communism and disillusionment. Stephen Spender was one of the authors.

LONG ANSWER QUESTIONS

Question. The author has used gentle humor to point out human foibles. Pick out instances of this to
Answer: show how this serves to make the piece interesting. -author uses gentle and subtle humor -bring out human foibles-use of pancake -ostensibly to cover the pores -The actors look ugly. -Strict hierarchy. -people at the studio imagined to be poets yet no idea about contemporary -Poetslaughingly brings out their ignorance -wore khadi looked gandhian no idea about politics -no idea of communism-welcomed MRA, Stephen Spendor -Description of office boy-Description of Subbuwonderful insight into character. -pokes fun at the ignorance of all the people -at the same time projecting them as real people with human failings and eccentricities and foibles.

               Very Short Answer

Q.1)        Why was the office boy frustrated? Who did he show his anger on?

Q.2)        What were the positive qualities of Subbu that the writer admired?

Q.3)        Who was Subbu’s principal?

Q.4)        Account for Subbu’s importance in Gemini Studios?

Q.5)        What made the lawyer stand out from others at Gemini Studios?

               Short Answer

Q.6)        Why was Moral Rearmament Army welcomed at the Studios?

Q.7)       Answer the following questions:-

(1)        Why do you think the office boy blamed Subbu for his own failures?

(2)         How did the make-up department have a great deal of national integration?

Q.8)        Why is the Englishman’s visit referred to as ‘unexplained mystery’?

Q.9)       Answer the following questions:-

(1)         Why did the Gemini Studios by truck-loads of pancake?

(2)         Does the author agree to the view that several buildings in Madras belonged to Lord Clive?

Q.10)      How did the author discover who the English visitor to the studios was?

               Long Answer

Q.11)      How does the writer describe the make-up department of Gemini Studios and its work?

Q.12)      Answer the following questions:-

(1)          Why was Subbu considered number two at Gemini Studios?

(2)          How did the people of Madras and those at Gemini Studios respond to the plays staged by the Moral Re-Armament Army?

(3)          Give one example to show that Gemini Studios was influenced by the plays staged by MRA.

Q.13)      Analyse the frustration and anger of the office boy?

Q.14)      You must have met some interesting characters in your neighbourhood or among your relatives. Write a humorous piece about their idiosyncrasies. Try to adopt the author’s rambling style, if you can.

Q.15)      Write a character-sketch of Kothamangalam Subbu?

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