'The Sleepwalkers' Question Answers

 Very Short Question Answers

Q1. What is a farce?

Ans A farce is a comedy that aims at entertaining the audience. It can be used as a satire to describe something that is supposed to be serious but has turned ridiculous.

Q2. Why are the Indian guests wearing masks?

Ans In the play, the guests are wearing masks on their faces. It is because they don’t have individuality. Before the American guests, they are all flatterers.

Q3. What kind of stories does Mr. Varma write?

Ans Mr. Varma tells Mr. Morris that his stories will be perfectly suited to his magazine. ‘Blank’. He writes stories that are totally without thought.

Q4. What are the usual themes of Miss Ganguli’s play?

Ans Miss Ganguli is a playwright. The themes for her plays are supplied by the government of India. These themes are mostly concerned with family planning.

Q5. Which reputed authors are referred to in the play?

Ans Miss Ganguli and Mr. Morris are talking to each other about literature. At that point, she refers to the American writer Hemmingway and Indian writer Rabindranath Tagore.

Short Answer Type Questions

Q1. Describe the incident where the sari of Mrs. Morris falls off?

Ans. Mrs. Morris and Mrs. Raman have been talking to each other. Mrs. Morris likes Mrs. Raman's sari and wants to wear it. They go away for some time. When they come back, they have exchanged each other’s dresses. Now Mr. Morris is in a sari and Mrs. Raman is in the western dress. Mrs. Kapur tells her that her sari is a little too high. Mrs. Shan leans forward and gives the sari a tug from behind. At the same time Mrs. Kapoor gives a tug from the front. As a result, her sari falls off. The ladies shriek and men come forward to help them. Mrs. Morris gathers up the sari and runs out.

Q2. What happens when Mr. Morris tells the Indian guests about his magazine?

Ans. When the Indians listen to Mr. Morris, they all praise him. Some of them think that they can benefit from this magazine. When Mr. Morris says that he has four million subscribers, Mr. Raman offers himself to work as a correspondent for this magazine. Morris says that he will bring out editions in the Indian language also. At this Mr. Varma offers to publish his stories in this magazine. He says that his stories will be greatly suitable for it because there is no thought in his stories. Miss Ganguli is a Bengali playwright. She says that this magazine will be good for Bengal. Prof. Shah also says that Indians have reached a state of mind where the thought is unnecessary.

Q3. The person laughed at is separate from the person laughing. Explain.

Ans. Mr. Morris tells the Indians that there is no honour in his magazine. When we laughed, we laugh at somebody or something. The person laughed at is separated from the person who is laughing at him. This creates a division between them. The laughing of people at one another may lead to nations laughing at one another. This laughing of nations can cause conflicts. He says that laughter is not necessary for peace of mind. According to him, he who does not laugh, neither shall he weep. Thus he stresses that there is no need for humour or laughter in our lives.

Q4. How can the American magazine ‘Blank’ enable the readers to dispense with thinking?

Ans.  Mr. Morris says that his magazine ‘Blank’ will help people give up thinking. According to him, thought is very harmful. Mr. Raman asks him how it is possible to avoid thought completely. We cannot help thinking. Mr. Morris agrees that we cannot help thinking. He says that in modern times, there are many technological means for neutralizing thought. His magazine will help people give up thinking with the help of these means. Thus his magazine will be able to make people’s minds blank.

Q5. Bring out the significance of the title “The Sleepwalkers”.

Ans.  Nissim Ezekiel’s play is a satire on the so- called Indian intellectuals and scholars. This play laughs at their pretensions and hollowness. They pose to be scholarly but their knowledge is shallow. It is important to note that the Indian guests in this play are wearing masks. It means that they do not have any individuality. They are all alike. They behave as if they are walking in sleep. They are all flatterers of Americans that is why they all chant the praise of the Americans when Mr. Morris comes. So the title of the play is very appropriate