In this article, we are providing Bholi Extra Questions and Answers PDF Class 10 English Footprints Without Feet CBSE, Extra Questions for Class 10 English Footprints Without Feet was designed by subject expert teachers.

Bholi Extra Questions and Answers Class 10 English Footprints Without Feet

Extract Based Questions [3 Marks each]

Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that follow.
Question 1.
Little Sulekha could not speak till she was five, and when at last she learnt to speak, she stammered. The other children often made fun of her and mimicked her.
(a) What did Sulekha later on come to be known as?
(b) Why did children make fun of her?
(c) What does the word ‘mimicked1 mean?
(d) What part of speech is ‘often’?
Answer:
(a) Sulekha later on came to be known as Bholi.
(b) Children made fun of her because she stammered while speaking.
(c) The word ‘mimicked’ means to copy the speech of others.
(d) It is an adverb.

Question 2.
She remembered how a few days ago their old cow, Lakshmi, had been turned out of the house and sold. “N-n-n-n No, no-no-no,” she shouted in terror and pulled her hand away from her father’s grip.
(a) Why did Bholi shout in terror?
(b) Why did she remember ‘Lakshmi’ ?
(c) What is the antonym of ‘forgotten’ in the extract?
(d) The present tense of ‘sold’ is
Answer:
(a) Bholi shouted in terror as she thought that her father was turning her out of her house.
(b) She remembered her cow ‘Lakshmi’ because ‘Lakshmi’ had also been turned out of the house a few days ago.
(c) ‘‘remembered’ is the intonym of ‘forgotten’ in the extract.
(d) Its present tense is ‘sell’.

Question 3.
The lady teacher who was in class was saying something to the girls but Bholi could understand nothing.
(a) Where was Bholi ?
(b) Why could she understand nothing?
(c) What is the antonym of ‘everything’ in the extract?
(d) The opposite of ‘lady teacher’ would be
Answer:
(a) Bholi was in the classroom in village school.
(b) She could not understand anything as it was her first day at school.
(c) ‘nothing’ is the antonym of ‘everything’ in the extract.
(d) ‘Male Teacher’ would be its opposite.

Question 4.
He said to Ramlal, “As a revenue official you are the representative of the government in the village and so you must set an example to the villagers. You must send your daughters to school.” [CBSE 2015]
(a) Who is ‘he’?
(b) What example does ‘he’ want Ramlal to set?
(c) What does the word ‘revenue’ mean?
(d) What part of speech is the word ‘an’ in the extract?
Answer:
(a) ‘He’ is the Tehsildar.
(b) The Tehsildar wanted Ramlal to send his daughters to the village school so that other villagers will follow his example by sending their daughters to the school too.
(c) It means ‘tax’.
(d) It is an article.

Question 5.
Then she began to cry and tears flowed from her eyes in a helpless flood. She kept her head down as she sat in her corner, not daring to look up at the girls, who, she knew, were still laughing at her. [CBSE 2015]
(a) Who is ‘she’?
(b) Why were the girls laughing at her?
(c) What does the word ‘daring’ mean?
(d) What is the opposite of ‘laughing’?
Answer:
(a) ‘She‘ is Sulekha, also known as Bholi.
(b) The girls were laughing at her because she had stammered while speaking her name when asked by the teacher.
(c) It means ‘wanting’.
(d) It is ‘crying’.

Question 6.
And in her smiling eyes was the light of a deep satisfaction that an artist feels when contemplating the completing of her masterpiece.
(a) What satisfaction did the teacher have?
(b) Who was the ‘masterpiece’?
(c) Find a word from the extract which means ‘thinking deeply’.
(d) What is the opposite of ‘deep’?
Answer:
(a) The teacher had the satisfaction of seeing her pupil (Bholi) turn into a bold girl willing to fight for her rights.
(b) Bholi was the ‘masterpiece.’
(c) ‘Contemplating ’ from the extract means ‘thinking deeply.
(d) Its opposite is ‘superficial’.

Short Answer Type Questions [2 Marks each]

Question 1.
Why is Sulekha called ‘Bholi’?
Answer:
Sulekha is called ‘Bholi’ because she is a simpleton due to her suffering some brain damage after falling off a cot when she was ten months old. As a result, she is not as smart as children of her age.

Question 2.
What happened to Bholi when she was two years old ?
Answer:
Bholi fell a victim to small pox at the age of two years. Her face and body became full of pock marks. She was still fortunate as her eyes had remained untouched and were fine.

Question 3.
How did Bholi react when the teacher asked her name?
Answer:
Bholi stammered when she spoke and could not tell her name completely when the teacher asked her to do so. So, she broke into tears.

Question 4.
Bholi was fascinated by the walls of the classroom. Why?
Answer:
The walls of the classroom had bright and colourful pictures of a horse, a goat, a parrot and a cow. They all looked familiar to Bholi and were like the ones in the village. That is why she was fascinated to see those pictures.

Question 5.
Bholi found her teacher to be different from others. How?
Answer:
Others had always neglected Bholi. They made fun of her all the time. But, she found her teacher to be different. Her voice was calm, her manner comforting and touch was full of affection.

Question 6.
What filled Bholi’, a dumb cow, with a new hope in her? [CBSE 2015]
Answer:
Bholi’s first day of school brought a hope of a new life. She had found a loving and kind teacher. The teacher had inspired her and given her a book and had made Bholi feel confident about herself.

Question 7.
In what way did the village change over time?
Answer:
The village changed into a small town over a period of time. The primary school had become a high school. The village had a cinema and a cotton ginning mill. The mail train also stopped at the village railway station.

Question 8.
What objections does Ramlal have to Bishamber’s proposal?
Answer:
Ramlal was not very happy with the proposal. He did not like the fact that Bishamber was of his age. He had a limp and children were quite grown up. It was not a very satisfactory proposition.

Question 9.
Why do Bholi’s parents accept Bishamber’s marriage proposal? [CBSE 2015]
Answer:
Bholi’s parents accepted Bishamber’s marriage proposal because they were happy that he was well off and had not asked for dowry.

Question 10.
Why were Bholi’ sisters envious of her luck?
Answer:
Bishamber Nath was quite prosperous. The procession for Bholi’s marriage had a brass band and the groom rode a decorated horse. Such pomp and show impressed everyone. All this made her sisters envious of her.

Question 11.
Why did Bishamber’s marriage with Bholi not take place? [CBSE 2013]
Answer:
Bishamber’s marriage with Bholi did not take place because he had demanded a dowry of five thousand rupees from her father for the marriage. So, Bholi refused to marry him.

Question 12.
Why was Ramlal thunderstruck?
Answer:
Ramlal had always taken his daughter to be dumb. He was thunderstruck when she loudly asked him to take back the money and declared that she was not going to marry Bishamber because of his greed.

Question 13.
The last line of the text talks about an artist and the masterpiece. Elaborate.
Answer:
The ‘artist’ is the teacher and the ‘masterpiece’ is Bholi. It was her teacher who had turned Bholi into a strong and independent girl who was aware of her place in society.

Question 14.
What kind of mother was Randal’s wife? [CBSE 2014]
Answer:
Ramlal’s wife was a traditional housewife who believed that daughters should not be educated, as it would be difficult to find husbands for them. She neglected looking after her Bholi because she was a slow learner.

Long Answer (Value Based) Type Questions [8 Marks each]

Question 1.
‘Dowry is negation of the girl’s dignity’. Discuss with reference to the story ‘Bholi’.
Answer:
A girl is an individual in her own right. Equal opportunities in life can help her become independent and strong. She is not a burdensome object to be given away with money as compensation. Thus dowry negates the girl’s dignity and self respect.
The story ‘Bholi’ shows this in a dramatic manner. Bholi is thought to be ugly and dumb by her parents. So, they are willing to pay dowry to an old man with a limp. So that he marries her. Bholi, on the other hand, refuses to marry that man. She is educated; assertive and capable of taking care of herself. She dedicates her life to service of her parents and teaching at school.

Question 2.
Bholi chose a dignified life of service rather than surrendering herself to a greedy old man for the rest of her life. Education provides the required stimulus to overcome one’s personal barriers. Explain the role of education in shaping the life of a child with respect to the lesson ‘Bholi’. [CBSE 2012]
Answer:
Education is the answer to all social ills. Illiteracy and ignorance bring nothing but poverty, suffering and misery. Bholi lacks confidence initially because of her disabilities. She is silent, timid and weak in mind. Her ugliness and her stammer do not let her progress. She is afraid to speak as others make fun of her.
School changes her life completely. It opens a new world of hope for her. Her teacher treats her with love and kindness. Her affection and support help Bholi to have faith in herself. She studies and grows into a confident young woman. She knows her rights and she asserts them as well. She refuses to marry a man who demands dowry. Thus, being educated changes the life of Bholi.

Question 3.
The chapter ‘Bholi’ highlights the discrimination against the girl child. Analyse.
Answer:
Nature does not discriminate, but society does. From time immemorial the world has discriminated against the girl child. The chapter, ‘Bholi’ throws up many such instances. Randal’s sons go to school and college. His daughters are not educated but married off. Her mother does not think it necessary to take Bholi’s consent for her marriage. The groom is old and lame. Still he demands dowry. Her father is ready to pay him also. It is the girl herself who raises her voice against this marriage. She is criticised and humiliated for standing up for her dignity. But she is firm and decides the course of her life.

Question 4.
Bholi is a child different from others. This difference makes her an object of neglect and laughter. Elaborate.
Answer:
Society does not tolerate difference very easily. Bholi is not like others. She is slow for her age. She stammers when she speaks. Small pox leaves her all covered with pock-marks. As a result, she has to suffer a lot.
Her parents do not even bathe her. She is ignored and neglected. They take her only as a burden. People laugh at her. Children imitate her when she speaks. So, she remains silent most of the time. She has no confidence or self esteem.
Society must realise that it must accept those who are ” different. They must be treated with the same love and respect as others.

Question 5.
“Put the fear out of your heart and you will be able to speak like anyone else”. These words of encouragement from the teacher highlight that change of social attitude and encouragement can help a child like Bholi to become confident and face the world bravely. Taking help from the lesson ‘Bholi’ write how the social attitude towards Bholi made her an introvert. What should be done to help such children to face the world bravely?
Answer:
Bholi suffered a weak mind due to her accident (falling from her cot) during her infancy. She also started to a stammer while speaking. Then she became ugly due to pock-marks on her face and body on contracting the smallpox disease. All these made her family and other children treat her badly, resulting in her becoming an introvert. To help such children face the world bravely, we must treat them with love and affection and encourage them to join mainstream society. We must not mock their disabilities; instead we should give them hope that they can be as good as the other children by motivating and uplifting them.

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