Chapter 1- A Triumph of Surgery 10th English notes

Read and Find Out 

1. Why is Mrs Pumphrey worried about Tricki?

Answer

Mrs. Pumphrey was worried and distraught because Tricki would not eat anything. It even refused its favorite dishes. It had bouts of vomiting. It spent all its time lying on the rug and panting. It did not want to go for walks or do anything.

2. What does she do to help him? Is she wise in this?

Answer

She called the doctor to help Tricki. Yes, her decision was wise. The doctor suggested that Tricki should be hospitalized. She swooned and wailed, but let the dog go with the doctor. Ultimately, the doctor was successful in curing Tricki.

3. Who does ‘I’ refer to in this story?

Answer

In this story, ‘I’ refers to the veterinary surgeon, Mr Herriot.

Read and Find out

4. Is the narrator as rich as Tricki’s mistress?

Answer

Though not clearly stated, there are instances in the story which suggest that the narrator is not as rich as Tricki’s mistress, Mrs Pumphrey.

While the narrator is able to provide Tricki with a warm loose box as a bed, at Mrs Pumphrey’s house, Tricki has a day bed, a night bed, cushions, toys, rubber rings, a breakfast bowl, a lunch bowl, a supper bowl, a whole wardrobe of tweed coats and perhaps many more things.

When he arrives to take the dog with him, Mrs Pumphrey has her entire staff at her disposal to transfer all of Tricki’s belongings to the doctor’s car.

On hearing from the doctor about Tricki’s gradual recovery, Mrs. Pumphrey sends along two dozen eggs at a time, along with bottles of wine and brandy—all in order to help in Tricki’s speedy recovery.

Finally, when she calls upon the narrator to take her recovered dog back home, she comes in a chauffeur-driven “thirty feet of gleaming black metal” (an obvious reference to a limousine).

All these instances point to the fact that Mrs Pumphrey lived a luxurious life.

5. How does he treat the dog?

Answer

The doctor gave Tricki no food, but plenty of water for two days. Slowly, the dog started showing interest in his surroundings and began mixing with the other dogs at the surgery. On the third day, the doctor saw Tricki licking the empty supper bowls of the other dogs. The next day, a separate bowl was kept for it and the doctor was pleased to note that Tricki had run to eat its food with enthusiasm. From that day onwards, its progress was rapid. It did not require medicinal treatment of any kind and recovered quite well in the end.

6. Why is he tempted to keep Tricki on as a permanent guest?

Answer

Mrs Pumphrey had started bringing around eggs to build Tricki’s strength. Later, even bottles of wine and brandy began to arrive. The narrator and his partners started enjoying the eggs, wine and brandy meant for Tricki. According to the narrator, they were days of deep content for them—starting with the extra egg in the morning, then the midday wine, and finally finishing the day with brandy. This was the reason why the narrator was tempted to keep Tricki on as a permanent guest.

7. Why does Mrs Pumphrey think the dog’s recovery is “a triumph of surgery”?

Answer

Mrs Pumphrey thought that the dog’s recovery was “a triumph of surgery” because in two weeks, Tricki had recovered completely and had been transformed into a hard-muscled animal. When Tricki saw her,it leaped into her lap and licked her face. She was so excited that tears started rolling out of her eyes. She declared Tricki’s recovery as a triumph of surgery to express her happiness and gratitude towards the doctor.

Think about It

1. What kind of a person do you think the narrator, a veterinary surgeon, is? Would you say he is tactful as well as full of common sense?

Answer

I think the narrator; a veterinary surgeon is a very tactful person. He knows how to deal with people. He adjusts himself well to the circumstances. He immediately understands Tricki’s problem. Tricki doesn’t suffer from any sort of illness. The main cause of its illness is overfeeding. He takes the dog to his surgery. There he keeps it in the natural environment. The dog gets well under his supervision and the natural environment of surgery.

2. Do you think Tricki was happy to go home? What do you think will happen now?

Answer

Yes, Tricki was very happy to go home. Tricki was also happy at the surgery. When the dog was brought into the surgery, it was ill. But despite it, the dog got cured in two days without any medication. The proper diet and regular exercise helped a lot in its speedy recovery. The dog regained its best health and was no longer listless. 

Now, I think the same pampering will start again. Mrs. Pumphrey will take excessive 

care of the dog. There is no doubt it was her alone, but excess of anything is harmful. 

3. Do you think this is a real-life episode or mere fiction? Or is it a mixture of both?

Answer

This story could be a mixture of both: real-life episodes and mere fiction. Mrs. Pumphrey is a rich lady and has a pet dog. It is because of her pampering that she overfeeds her dog which results in its illness. Although she has good intentions in her mind excess of everything is bad. This episode can be treated as a fiction who do not take it seriously. It can be called real life for those parents who take excessive care of their children.

Talk about It

1. This episode describes the silly behavior of a rich woman who is foolishly indulgent, Perhaps because she is lonely. Do you think such people are merely silly, or can their actions cause harm to others?

Answer

This episode describes the silly behavior of a rich woman who is foolish. This may be because of her loneliness. They are ignorant about the results of their actions. They show their excessive love and affection for someone without knowing the consequences. There is no doubt that their intentions are good, and don’t have any sort of ill will, but they are not aware their action can cause harm to others.  

2. Do you think there are also parents like Mrs. Pumphrey?

Answer

Yes, some parents are too much possessive about their kids. The sense of overindulgence can go in either way. There are examples of parents spoiling their child by meeting each and every demand of the child. There are also examples of strict parents who put unnecessary pressure on their children for study and particular behavior patterns.

Question 3.

What would you have done if you were :

a member of the staff in Mrs. Pumphrey’s household,

a neighbor? What would your life have been like, in general?

If I were a member of the staff in her household I would have not followed Mrs Pumphrey’s command to feed Tricki blindly. In fact, I would have fed him according to the vet’s advice. I would have also skipped sending the unnecessary stuff like toys, cushions, etc to the hospital. My life would have been a very busy one, as I would have had to take care of the household chores and meet Tricki’s demands on time.

If I were Mrs Pumphrey’s neighbor, I would have advised her to consult a vet and follow his advice strictly keeping in mind Tricki’s deteriorating health. I would have also been supportive in their hard time when Tricki was hospitalized. My life as Mrs. Pumphrey’s neighbor would have been full of surprises and gifts as Mrs. Pumphrey was a loving lady.

Question 4.

What would you have done if you were in the narrator’s place?

If I were in the narrator’s place, I would have treated Tricki with a similar amount of compassion and love. I would have been equally caring as Mr James Herriot towards Tricki. I would have just been a little more stern while advising Mrs Pumphrey to put Tricki on a strict diet knowing her way of showing love. I would have also not consumed Tricky’s share of eggs, wine, and brandy sent by Mrs Pumphrey

MCQs

Question 1.

Why is the narrator tempted to keep Tricki as a permanent guest?

(a) because he loved Tricki

(b) he thought Mrs. Pumphrey wouldn’t take good care of Tricki

(c) they would lose all Luxuries like eggs, wine, and brandy

(d) none of the above

Answer

 (c) they would lose all Luxuries like eggs, wine, and brandy

Question 2.

Was Tricki happy to see Mrs. Pumphrey?

(a) yes

(b) No

(c) maybe

(d) she showed no emotions

Answer

 (a) yes

Question 3.

How would you describe Mrs. Pumphrey?

(a) loving

(b) over-doing

(c) intelligent

(d) rational

Answer

 (b) over-doing

Question 4.

“In two weeks he had been transformed into a lithe, hard-muscled animal”. What is the meaning of the word “lithe”?

(a) dirty

(b) graceful

(c) misbehaving

(d) rude

Answer

 (b) graceful

Question 5.

How did the staff benefit from Mrs Pumphrey’s overdoing?

(a) breakfast with eggs

(b) lunch with wine

(c) dinner with brandy

(d) all of the above

Answer

 (d) all of the above

Question 6.

What is the meaning of the word “convalescing”?

(a) condescending

(b) worsen

(c) disappointing

(d) recover

Answer

 (d) recover

Question 7.

What is the meaning of the word “scrimmage”?

(a) fight

(b) play

(c) run

(d) none of the above

Answer

 (a) fight

Question 8.

What did the dogs know about food?

(a) last ones will be liable to have competition for the leftover food

(b) there was no competition

(c) it wasn’t good

(d) it was the best part of the day

Answer

 (a) last ones will be liable to have competition for the leftover food

Question 9.

for how many days he was given no food?

(a) 1

(b) 2

(c) 3

(d) 5

Answer

 (b) 2

Question 10.

What was best according to the vet?

(a) to take him to the hospital

(b) to take him for a walk

(c) to let him have sugar

(d) both b and c

Answer

 (a) to take him to the hospital

Question 11.

What is the meaning of ‘distraught’?

(a) bend

(b) worried

(c) upset

(d) both b and c

Answer

 (d) both b and c

Question 12.

What did the doctor advise?

(a) cut his food

(b) give him more exercise

(c) keep him on a very strict diet

(d) all of the above

Answer

 (d) all of the above

Question 13.

Who is Hodgkin?

(a) dog owner

(b) gardener

(c) Veterinary surgeon

(d) Dog

Answer

 (b) gardener

Question 14.

What problem does Mrs Pumphrey think Tricki has?

(a) diarrhoea

(b) malnutrition

(c) allergies

(d) all of the above

Answer

 (b) malnutrition

Question 15.

Who does “I” refer to in the story?

(a) Tricki

(b) Mrs. Pumphrey

(c) Veterinary surgeon

(d) none of the above

Answer

 (c) Veterinary surgeon

Question 16.

What was Tricki’s main fault?

(a) fatness

(b) inactivity

(c) laziness

(d) greed

Answer

 (d) greed

Question 17.

Mrs Pumphrey was a very…….. Lady.

(a) miser

(b) poor

(c) cruel

(d) rich

Answer

 (d) rich

Question 18.

What did Mrs Pumphrey think her dog is suffering from?

(a) fever

(b) malnutrition

(c) stomach pain

(d) footsore

Answer

 (b) malnutrition

Question 19.

“I think I know a cure for you.” Who is ‘I’?

(a) Mrs Pumphrey

(b) Mrs Pumphrey’s husband

(c) Mr Herriot

(d) Mrs Pumphrey’s servant

Answer

 (c) Mr Herriot

Question 20.

What did the doctor give Tricki at his clinic?

(a) many injections

(b) medicines

(c) no food for two days

(d) only milk and chocolate

Answer

 (c) no food for two days

Question 21.

Where did Mr Herriot take Tricki?

(a) to his clinic

(b) to Mrs Pumphrey’s house

(c) to a public hospital for vets

(d) nowhere

Answer

 (a) to his clinic

Question 22.

How did ‘hick; look?

(a) very thin

(b) like a bloated sausage

(c) very smart

(d) always ready to run

Answer

 (b) like a bloated sausage

Question 23.

Who was Mrs Pumphrey worried about?

(a) herself

(b) her maid-servant

(c) her dog Tricki

(d) her son

Answer

 (c) her dog Tricki