Class 10 English Two Gentlemen of Verona Summary and Important Questions

Ans. (a) Two brothers Nicola (13) and Jacopo (12) were selling wild strawberries.

(b) Luigi was quite cautions about what to buy and whom to buy fruit from.

(c) Luigi wanted to convey his disapproval of the shabby appearance of the boys and buying strawberries from them.

 

Ans. (a) The narrator calls Nicola and Jacopo 'childish' and 'artless' because they were free from cunningness and had 'innocence' of childhood in them.

(b) The younger brothers Jacopo was full of life and energy and he was active like a squirrel. The elder brother Nicola was composed and constant.

(c) Heavy burden of responsibilities brought a 'seriousness' far beyond their years on their boyish faces.

 

Ans. (a) The nurse asked the narrator to come inside the cubicle and meet the boys and their sister Lucia there.

(b) The narrator turned away as he didn't want to intrude upon the party and privacy of the happy family.

(c) He begged the nurse to tell him all she knew about those boys and their family.

 

Ans. (a) The boys sat beside the narrator and spoke nothing. The narrator also didn't utter a word to them.

(b) The boys wanted to feel that they had succeeded in keeping their secret from the narrator that they were working hard and saving money for the treatment of their sister.

(c) Their selfless action, sacrifice, sincerity and devotion to the cause gave a new hope for humanity.

 

Ans. The narrator and his driver Luigi were driving through the foothills of the Alps. Two young boys stopped them on the outskirts of Verona, a city in Italy. They were selling wild strawberries. They stopped them considering them their prospective customers.

 

Ans. The two young boys were selling wild strawberries. The cautions driver Luigi conveyed his disapproval of buying strawberries from them on two grounds. The boys looked shabby in their appearance. Moreover, they could get much better fruit in Verona, which was not far away from there.

Ans. Nicola, the elder brother was 13 and was more composed and steady than his younger brother Jacopo who was 12 and was as lively as a squirrel. One boy was wearing a worn jersey and cut-off khaki pants. The other was wearing a shortened army tunic gathered in loose folds over his skinny frame. The two brothers had brown skins, tangled hair and dark earnest eyes.

 

Ans. The narrator thought that the two young boys were saving money to emigrate to America. Nicola replied that for the time being they had 'other plans' than going to the States. The narrator wanted to know about their future plans. Nicola was evasive on this question. He didn't want a stranger to know their immediate family plans. They saved money to pay for the treatment of their ailing sister. Hence.He was evasive and only uttered "Just Plans, sir and smiled uncomfortably".

 

Ans. The narrator told the boys that they were leaving Verona on Monday. He asked if he could do anything for them before going. Nicola remained silent but Jacopo burst out. He asked if he could drive them to Poleta, 30 kilometres from Verona on Sunday. The narrator knew that Luigi might have the Sunday off. Still he was so much impressed by the sincerity and devotion of the boys that he agreed to drive them himself to Poleta on Monday.

 

Ans. Both the boys were self-respecting and hardly look for favours from other persons. However, jacopo, the younger brother showed a little weakness. He got ready to take a little favour from the narrator. The narrator asked if he could do anything for them before leaving Verona on Monday. The younger brother wastempted to ask if he could drive them to Poleta on Sunday. The self respecting and proud Nicola didn't relish it. He didn't want to take favour or put others in trouble for them. He looked glaringly at Jacopo in vexation.

 

Ans. The nurse bade the narrator to look through the glass partition. He saw the two boys seated at the bedside of a girl. The girl propped on the pillows listening to their chatter. She resembled her brothers.

 

Ans. The nurse took the narrator to the door of a little cubicle. Reaching there she paused and put her fingers to her lips. She asked the narrator to look only through the glass partition. The calling girl Lucia was talking to her Brothers sitting at the bedside. The nurse didn't want to alarm them. She assessed the situation and allowed the narrator to go on after some time.

 

Ans. The nurse asked the narrator to go inside as Lucia would be pleased to see him. But the narrator dropped the idea of going inside of going inside. He shook his head and turned away. He didn't want to intrude upon that happy family party and privacy.

 

Ans. The Germans were responsible for their ruin. They brought troubles for their family. Their father, a wellknown singer, died in the early part of the year. Their mother had died much earlier. The bombing destroyed their house. The Germans occupied the city for three years. The boys hated the Germans. They were among the first to join the resistance movement against the Germans.

Ans. Nicola and Jacopo did everything to make her ailing sister comfortable and happy. Lucia was suffering from tuberculosis of the spine. They got her admitted in a hospital. They visited her on Sunday every week. They worked very hard and did all kinds of jobs to earn money. But they didn't give up and arranged to pay the bills regularly. They hoped that she would be able to walk and sing again one day.

 

Ans. The story has been aptly and logically titled 'Two Gentlemen of Verona. The title of the story is that of one of the early plays of Shakespeare. In the story the two gentlemen are Nicola and Jacopo. They are through gentlemen because they are gentle, cultured and human. They do all kinds of jobs to earn a living and make others extremely comfortable. They can be relied up onto give any kind of service. Their selfless sacrifice and devotion to their cause raise them to human heights and dignity.

Ans. Nicola and jacopo were two young boys. Nicola, the elder brother was 13. Jacopo who barely came up to the handle of a car, was nearly twelve. One by was shown wearing a worn jersey and cut-off khaki pants. The other wore a shortened army tunic. They hand brown skins, tangled hair and dark earnest eyes. Even Luigi conveyed his disapproval of their shabby appearance.

The poor boys were the victims of the German war. The Germans brought disaster and destruction of their family. Their mother had died much earlier. The father, who was a well-known singer, died in the early part of the war. They were left as shelterless orphans as their house was destroyed by a bomb.They hated the Germans and were among the first to join the resistance movement against them. They had no one to call their own except their sister Lucia. They met their beloved sister after the war.

And they found that she was suffering from tuberculosis of the spine.

Nicola and Jacopo were real fighters, heroes. Even the worst kinds of difficulties and the war could not break their spirit. They continued their struggle against heavy odds. They were self-respecting and never complained or asked for favours from anybody. They saved every penny which they could earn. They spent little on their food and clothes. But they never forgot to make their payment of the hospital bills every week. They got their sister admitted to a hospital and visited her on Sundays. They hoped that one day she would be able to walk and sing again. Their selfless action, sacrifice and devotion to the cause give a new hope for humanity.

 

Ans. Nicola and Jacopo were fighting against heavy odds. Their family was completely destroyed in the war. They had lost their shelter and parentage. Now they were orphans. They had none in this world who they could call their own except their beloved sister Lucia. And even she was suffering from the tuberculosis of the spine. Their struggle for existence is long but heroic. They were forced to shoulder much bigger responsibilities at a very tender age. They were innocent and artless. They sold fruit, hawked newspapers, conducted tourists round the town, shined shoes and ran errands. They proved extremely useful to anyone and could be relied upon to satisfy the needs of their patrons. They remained awoke till midnight on a chilly wintry night waiting for the last bus from padua. They did all this not only to buy food and clothes. Actually. They spent little money on them. They worked so hard not to emigrate to the States. They were struggling and saving every penny for a nobler cause. They had to pay the hospital bills every week. They had to save their beloved sister Lucia. She was in the hospital. She had been there for the last few months. Life was very hard in Verona. They had no regular job or any source of income. However, they didn't give in. Their devotion and selfless sacrifice bore the desired results. Lucia had shown a lot of progress. It was hoped that she would be able to walk and sing again one day.

Their selfless struggle and sacrifice to save their beloved sister made them real heroes. Their self-respect and pride in themselves and their cause lifted them to human heights. They did so without complaining or without asking for any favour from anyone.

Ans. 20th March, 1947. Verona.

Life throws many surprises. When I first encountered Nicola and Jacopo on the outskirts of Verona, I took them just two ordinary boys and nothing more. They were selling wild strawberries. My driver Luigi did not approve of their shabby appearance but I bought the biggest basket. Soon I found them shining shoes in the public square. They did so many things to earn a living. They shined shoes, hawked newspapers, conducted tourists round the town and ran errands. Very soon they proved very useful to us. If we needed a pack of American cigarettes, seats for the opera or the name of a good restaurant, we could rely on them to satisfy our needs. One day I saw them resting on a stone pavement on a windy and chilly night waiting for the last bus from Padua. They wanted to sell their unsold newspapers to the passengers.

I came to know of their selfless sacrifice and devotion rather late. I thought they were saving money to emigrate to the States. They were self-respecting boys who never troubled others or asked for any favours from anyone. When I drove them to Poleta, I didn't know why they came there. I could know only from the nurse how the war made them homeless orphans. Their only sister Lucia was suffering from tuberculosis of the spine. Now I could understand why they spent little money on their food or clothes. They saved every penny for the treatment of their sister. They didn't want to make their personal pains and grief public to anyone. They were proud to keep their family secrets only to themselves. Their selfless love and devotion to the cause give a new hope to all of us and to humanity.

Ans. A.J. Cronin titles the story 'Two Gentlemen of Verona'. A title of one of the early plays of Shakespeare. The story is aptly and rationally titled. Really the two small boys, Nicola and Jacopo, have all the virtues and gentlemanly grace and grandeur. Their selfless action, Their sacrifice and total devotion to their cause make them noble characters. They were totally ruined by the war. The war left them as homeless orphans. They had no one in the world to call their own except their homeless orphans. They had no one in the world to call their own except her sister. And she was suffering from tuberculosis of the spine. Both Nicola and Jacopo showed rare courage and determination to fight against heavy obstacles that came in their way. They undertook all kinds of work not only to earn a living but also to save money for the treatment of lucia. They spent little on their food or clothes. They saved every penny so that they could pay the bills of the hospital every week. Their selfless sacrifice, sincerity and devotion to their cause earn our respect, sympathy and love for them. They were too self-respecting and proud to show their personal troubles or grief to any outsider. Nor they ever asked for any favour from any one. They didn't want anyone to intrude upon their family's secrecy. Nor could they imagine to trouble others for their own advantage. They were the finest specimen of humanity and their example gives promise of a greater hope for human society.