Do intentions justify actions? Would you, like Horace Danby, do something wrong if you thought your ends justified the means? Do you think that there are situations in which it is excusable to act less than honestly?

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Chapter 4

NCERT

Class 10

English

Solutions

2. Do intentions justify actions? Would you, like Horace Danby, do something wrong if you thought your ends justified the means?

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Question:

Do intentions justify actions? Would you, like Horace Danby, do something wrong if you thought your ends justified the means? Do you think that there are situations in which it is excusable to act less than honestly?

Answer:

Intentions can never justify actions. If intentions were to justify actions, the entire world would be thrown into a chaotic state. I would never ever, do things like Horace and justify to suit them according to my needs. There might be situations in which we might act less than honestly, but the purpose of these actions must be to do good to others.

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(All Q's of this Chapter solved)

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Do you think Horace Danby was unfairly punished, or that he deserved what he got?

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Horace Danby was a meticulous planner but still he faltered. Where did he go wrong and why?

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“Horace Danby was good and respectable − but not completely honest”. Why do you think this description is apt for Horace?

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What are the subtle ways in which the lady manages to deceive Horace Danby into thinking she is the lady of the house?

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Did you begin to suspect, before the end of the story, that the lady was not the person Horace Danby took her to be? If so, at what point did you realise this, and how?

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Who is the real culprit in the story?

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Who is speaking to Horace Danby?

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Why does he steal every year?

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What does Horace Danby like to collect?

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Can you find other examples of poets taking liberties with language, either in English or in your own language? Can you find examples of humorous poems in your own language(s)?

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Look at the line ‘A novice might nonplus.” How would you write this ‘correctly’? Why is the poet’s ‘incorrect’ line better in the poem?

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Do you know what a ‘bearhug’ is? It’s a friendly and strong hug-such as bears are thought to give, as they attack you! Again, hyenas are thought to laugh and crocodiles to weep (‘crocodile tears’) as they swallow their victims. Are there similar expressions and popular ideas about wild animals in your own language(s)?

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Do you think the words ‘lept’ and ‘lep’ in the third stanza are spelt correctly? Why does the poet spell them like this?

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How does the poet suggest that you identify the lion and the tiger? When can you do so according to him?

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Does ‘Dyin’ really rhyme with ‘lion’ ? Can you say it in such a way that it does?

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Make a list of the contracted forms in the text. Rewrite them as full forms of two words. For example : I’ve = I have

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You have read the expression ‘not to lose heart’ in this text. Now find out the meanings of the following expressions using the word ‘heart’. Use each of them in a sentence of your own.

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Here are a few more idiomatic expressions that occur in the text. Try to use them in sentences of your own. (i)caught my eye (ii)he’d had enough (iii)laugh ourselves silly (iv)can’t bring myself to

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Now find the sentences in the lesson that have the phrasal verbs given below. Match them with their meanings. Are their meanings the same as that of their parts? (Note that two parts of a phrasal verb may occur separated in the text.)

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Match the compound words under ‘A’ with their meanings under ‘B’. Use each in a sentence.

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What do these statements tell you about Anne Frank as a person? (i) We don’t seem to be able to get any closer and that’s the problem. Maybe it’s my fault that we don’t confide in each other.

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Anne says teachers are most unpredictable. Is Mr. Keesing unpredictable?

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How does Anne feel about her father, her grandmother, Mrs. Kuperus and Mr. Keesing? What do these tell you about her?

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Why does Anne need to give a brief sketch about her family? Does she treat ‘Kitty’ as an insider or an outsider?

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There are some examples of diary or journal entries in the ‘Before You Read’ section. Compare these with what Anne writes in her diary. What language was the diary originally written in? In what way is Anne’s diary different?

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Was Anne right when she said that the world would not be interested in the musings of a 13 year old girl?

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What made Mr. Keesing allow Anne to talk in class?

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Do you think Mr. Keesing was a strict teacher?

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Why does Anne want to keep a diary?

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