NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Footprints Without Feet Chapter 1 A Triumph of Surgery

Read and Find Out
(Page 1)
Question 1.
Why is Mrs Pumphrey worried about Tricki?
Answer:
Mrs Pumphrey is worried about Tricki because he is unwell. He has refused to eat food and had bouts of vomiting. She feels that he is suffering from a serious health issue such as malnutrition.

Question 2.
What does she do to help him? Is she wise in this?
Answer:
Mrs Pumphrey starts giving him extra snacks like malt, cod-liver oil and Horlicks, apart from his main meals, to improve his condition. She also continues to satisfy his sweet tooth with cream cakes and chocolates. She does not give him any exercise, considering his listlessness as well. She is not wise in doing so because overfeeding Tricki is worsening his conditions instead of improving it. It has made him very fat and lazy.

Question 3.
Who does ‘I’ refer to in this story?
Answer:
‘I’ refers to the narrator, Mr James Herriot, a veterinary doctor.

Page 3

Question 4.
Is the narrator as rich as Tricki’s mistress?
Answer:
No, the narrator is not as rich as Tricki’s mistress, Mrs Pumphery. We can say so because the narrator seems fascinated by how lavishly Mrs Pumphrey spends on the well-being and maintenance of her pet. He is unusually surprised by the enriching items she sends for Tricki, as he cannot afford them for himself.

Question 5.
How does he treat the dog?
Answer:
James Herriot treats Tricki just like he would treat an overweight and lazy dog, which Tricki is. He cuts down his food intake and keeps him under strict observation for the initial days at hospital. He gradually increases Tricki’s food and sets him free for physical activities to improve his health.

Question 6.
Why is he tempted to keep Tricki on as a permanent guest?
Answer:
Mr Herriot is tempted to keep Tricki on as a permanent guest because of the good food and wine he is enjoying in Tricki’s name. He does not want to lose the luxurious inflow of fresh eggs, wine and brandy.

Question 7.
Why does Mrs Pumphrey think the dog’s recovery is ‘a triumph of surgery’?
Answer:
Mrs Pumphrey thinks that Tricki’s recovery is a triumph of surgery because his illness was very serious. She was of the opinion that there were very few chances of Tricki to improve and he needed immediate medical attention. Thus, his revival without any medicinal treatment was a great achievement, according to her.

Think About It
(Page 6)

Question 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:
The narrator, a veterinary surgeon, is a capable and wise doctor. He handles Tricki properly which shows that he is sincere about his profession.
He does not operate upon the dog unnecessarily and cures him by altering his diet and activities.
He is a tactful person as he knew exactly how to convince Mrs Pumphrey to hospitalise Tricki for a surgery. His decision to inform Mrs Pumphrey to collect Tricki supports his sensibilities even though he was tempted to keep Tricki as a permanent guest.

Question 2.
Do you think Tricki was happy to go home? What do you think will happen now?
Answer:
Tricki was happy to go back home as he really loved his mistress and the comfort of his lavish life. He didn’t have any friends at home like in the hospital, but he seemed equally excited at the sight of Mrs Pumphrey. I think that Mrs Pumphrey will now be careful about Tricki’s diet and health. She may also give him exercise daily as prescribed by the vet earlier.

Question 3.
Do you think it is a real-life episode or mere fiction? Or is it a mixture of both?
Answer:
The story seems to be a mixture of both. It may be possible for rich persons to overfeed their pets due to love. It is not unusual for them to maintain a vast wardrobe for them either. But it is unlikely for a veterinary doctor to go out of the way and lie in order to save an animal. It is also unusual for anyone to consume food which is given in the name of a pet’s health.

Talk About It
(Page 7)

Question 1.
This episode describes the silly behaviour 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:
Mrs Pumphrey’s actions had a harmful reaction on Tricki’s health. She was overparenting’ and overfeeding Tricki in the name of love. This worsened his condition to an extent that he had to be hospitalised. People like Mrs Pumphrey are not just merely silly but their actions can definitely have dangerous consequences for others.

Question 2.
Do you think there are also parents like Mrs Pumphrey?
Answer:
Yes, there are some parents like Mrs Pumphrey who spoil their children by pampering them. They overfeed their children/pets despite being aware of the harmful effects on their health. Parents like Mrs Pumphrey should maintain a healthy lifestyle of their family and pets.

Question 3.
What would you have done if you were :

1. a member of the staff in Mrs Pumphrey’s household,
2.  a neighbour? What would your life have been like, in general?

Answer:

1.  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.
2.  If I were Mrs Pumphrey’s neighbour, 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 hospitalised. My life as Mrs Pumphrey’s neighbour 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?
Answer:
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 Tricki’s share of eggs, wine and brandy sent by Mrs Pumphrey.

A Triumph of Surgery Extra Questions and Answers Short Answer Type

Question 1.
“I think 1 know a cure for you”. What was Dr Herriot’s ‘cure’ for Tricki?
Answer:
Seeing the miserable condition of Tricki Dr Herriot at once decides to keep him away from his mistress Mrs Pumphrey for a while. So, he suggested that Tricki should be hospitalized for about a fortnight as he had to be kept upder observation.

Question 2.
Why was Dr Herriot shocked at Tricki’s appearance?
Answer:
Dr Herriot was shocked at Tricki’s appearance because he had become hugely fat. His eyes looked bloodshot and rheumy and his tongue lolled from his jaws. He could walk with difficulty.

Question 3.
What was MrsPumphrey’s reaction when Dr Herriot suggested Tricki’s hospitalization?
Answer:
Dr Herriot had made his plan in advance. So when Mrs Pumphrey reported Tricki’s illness, he at once suggested him to be hospitalized for about a fortnight to be kept under observation.

Question 4.
Which two suggestions did Dr Herriot give to Mrs Pumphrey at the initial stage? Did she
follow?
Answer:
Dr Herriot suggested Mrs Pumphrey to cutdown on the sweet things given to Tricki. He asked her to provide more exercise to the dog.

Question 5.
What did Mrs Pumphrey do to bring him back to normal health? Was she successful?
Answer:
When Mrs Pumphrey found Tricki weak, she started giving him extra diet between meals to build him , up. She gave him some malt and cod-liver oil and a bowl of Horlicks at night. She never forgot to give him cream cakes and chocolates which Tricki really loved. She was hot successful rather she put her dog in more trouble. He started gaining weight which made fys condition worse.

Question 6.
Why did Mrs Pumphery make a frantic call to Dr Herriot?
Answer:
Suddenly Tricki stopped eating. He refused even his favourite dishes and had bouts of vomiting. He spent all the time lying on rug, panting and did not do anything. So Mrs Pumphrey was distraught and made a frantic call to Dr Herriot.

Question 7.
What step did Dr Herriot take to save Tricki?
Answer:
Dr Herriot immediately hospitalised Tricki for about a fortnight as it was necessary to part him from his mistress. Tricki’s only problem was overfeeding which he knew. Tricki needed dieting which was possible only in absence of Mrs Pumphrey. He stopped giving food to Tricki. He was given only plenty of water.

Question 8.
Why was Tricki an uninteresting object for other dogs at the surgery?
Answer:
When Tricki was brought to the surgery, all the household dogs surged around him but Tricki looked down at the noisy pack with dull eyes and lay motionless on the carpet. So after sniffing him for a few seconds, they found him an uninteresting object and moved away from him.

Question 9.
What evidence do you get from the text about Tricki’s affluent living?
Answer:
Tricki was loved by his mistress. She was very much concerned for him. She was rather blind in love. Tricki lived a more lavish life than any noraml human bring. He had a whole wardrobe of clothes for different weather, raincoat for wet days. Different bowls for different meals, toys, cushions, comfortable bed and what not. He was given rich diet including cream cakes and chocolates which he loved.

Question 10.
Describe the ‘parting scene’ between Tricki and Mrs Pumphrey’s house hold?
Answer:
The -only way to save Tricki was to take him away. When Mr Herriot was about to take him to his surgery for treatment, Mrs Pumphrey started wailing. The entire staff was roused and maids rushed in and out bringing his day bed, night bed, favourite cushions, toys and rubber rings and different bowls.
As Mr Herriot moved off, Mrs Pumphrey, with a despairing cry, threw an armful of the little coats , through the window. Everybody was in tears. It was a sad and tearful parting.

A Triumph of Surgery Extra Questions and Answers Long Answer Type

Question 1.
Write the brief character sketch of Mrs Pumphrey.
Answer:
Mrs Pumphrey was a rich but eccentric lady. She was an ignorant kind of person. She had a pet dog Tricki, whom she loved more than anything. Her way of showing love was very different. She overfed Tricki. She showed her concern by giving him rich and extra diet between meals which finally made Tricki ill. She couldn’t bear Tricki doing exercise. She thought that it would make Tricki tired while it was necessary for him.

She pampered her pet which had a wardrobe of clothes for every season, different bowls for each meal, toys and what not. Her way of loving was not normal. But she was also a kind- hearted lady who finally burst into tears while parting with her dog. She had all human qualities as she didn’t forget to thank Mr Herriot at the end.

Question 2.
What evidence do you get of Tricki’s affluent living from the text?
Answer:
Tricki is thoroughly pampered by his mistress Mrs Pumphrey. Dr Herriot is shocked at Tricki’s appearance. He hafe become hugely fat, like a bloated sausage with a leg at each corner. His eyes, bloodshot and rheumy, stares straight ahead his tongue lolls from his jaws.

Mrs Pumphrey explains to Dr Herriot that Tricki must be suffering from malnutrition. So she has been giving him some little extras between meals to build him up, some malt and cod-liver oil and a bowl of Horlicks at night to make him sleep. Above all, he gets cream cakes and chocolates.

To make the things worse he had been doing no exercise. When Tricki is sent to Vet. hospital, the entire staff of Mrs Pumphrey’s house rush to bring his day bed, his night bed, favourite cushions, toys and rubber rings, breakfast bowl, lunch bowl, supper bowl. When Dr Herriot informs Mrs Pumphrey that the little fellow is convalescing rapidly, she begins to send fresh eggSc,and wine to build him up. It all shows that Tricki has an affluent living.

Question 3.
Give a brief character sketch of Tricki.
Answer:
Tricki is thoroughly pampered by his mistress Mrs Pumphrey. He has become hugely fat, like a bloated sausage with a leg at each comer. His eyes, bloodshot and rheumy, stares straight ahead his tongue lolled from his jaws. He is greedy and never refuses food. His mistress gives him some little extras between meals to build him up, some malt and cod-liver oil and a bowl of Horlicks at night to make him sleep.

Above all, he gets cream cakes and chocolates. To make things worse he had been doing no exercise. When Tricki is sent to Vet. Hospital, the entire staff of Mrs Pumphrey’s house rush to bring his day bed, his night bed, favourite cushions, toys and rubber rings, breakfast bowl, lunch bowl, supper bowl. It all shows that Tricki has an affluent living.

Question 4.
“Over-pampering is not only bad for human but also for animals”. Explain this statement in the light of the story “A Triumph of Surgery’.
OR
“Kids or cubs need fondling but too much pampering may harm them”. How far does it apply in the case of Tricki?
Answer:
We all know that children are over-pampered by the parents due to their sentimental attachment …to them. In the story ‘A triumph of Surgery’ a dog Tricki is over-pampered by his wealthy mistress Mrs Pumphrey. She believes that her little dog is suffering from malnutrition so she gives him some little extras between meals to build him up, some malt and cod-liver oil and a bowl of Horlicks at night to make him sleep.

Above all, he gets cream cakes and chocolates. To make the things worse he had been doing no exercise. When Dr Herriot takes the dog to his Vet. hospital, it seems all the items of Tricki’s comfort would be sent with him. Even during his stay at the hospital, Mrs Pumphrey tries to provide him all the comforts. But Dr Herriot deals with the situation cleverly and the dog cures rapidly to return back to his mistress.
OR
Mrs Pumphrey is very fond of her pet, Tricki, she gives him rich diets and even richer caring like having wardrobes full of different weather clothes for him. Tricki has neither fix timings nor control over eating. This makes him greedy and soon ill. His mistress still keep him stuffing despite consistent warnings from the Doctor; soon Tricki comes to trotting, drooping and panting for breath. Finally he had to be sent to hospital for recovery. Only discipline on eating and fun play cure him.

Question 5.
Why is Mrs Pumphrey worried about Tricki?
Answer:
Mrs Pumphrey is worried and distraught because Tricki would not eat anything. He is not even ready to eat his favourite dishes. Tricki has bouts of vomiting and spends all his time lying on the rug and panting. Tricki does not even want to go for walks or do anything.

Question 6.
What does she do to help him? Is she wise in this?
Answer:
She calls the doctor to help Tricki. Yes, her decision is wise. The doctor suggests that Tricki should be hospitalized. She gets upset and wails, but lets the dog go with the doctor.

Question 7.
What does ‘I’ refer to in this story?
Answer:
In this story, T refers to the veterinary surgeon, Mr Herriot.

Question 8.
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. The narrator is able to provide Tricki with a warm loose box as a bed whereas 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.

Secondly, 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.

Question 9.
How does the doctor treat the dog?
Answer:
The doctor knew that Tricki was not ill but just overweight qnd restless due to Mrs Pumphrey’s overindulgence in taking his care. So he decided not to give any food to Tricki, but plenty of water for two days. Slowly, the dog started showing interest in hi§-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.

Next day, a separate bowl was kept for him and the doctor was pleased to note that Tricki had run to eat its food with enthusiasm. From that day onwards, his progress was rapid. He did not require any medical treatment and recovered quite well at the end.

Question 10.
Why is the doctor tempted to keep Tricki as a permanent guest?
Answer:
Mrs Pumphrey has 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, those were the days of deep content for him and his staff¬starting with an extra egg in the morning, then the midday wine, and finally finishing off the day with brandy. This is the reason why the narrator is tempted to keep Tricki on as a permanent guest.

Question 11.
Why does Mrs Pumphrey think the dog’s recovery is “a triumph of surgery”?
Answer:
Mrs Pumphrey thinks that the dog’s recovery is “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, he 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.

Question 12.
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, seems to be a practical and 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 his illness is overfeeding. He takes the dog to his surgery. There the doctor keeps him on water diet and makes him physically active and treats without any medicine. The dog gets well under his supervision and natural environment of surgery.

Question 13.
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. When the dog was brought into the surgery, he was ill. But in spite of that the dog got cured in two days without any medication. The doctor provided proper diet to Tricki and regular exercise also helped a lot in his speedy recovery. The dog regained his best health and was no longer restless.
Now, I think Mrs Pumphrey may again go back to her old ways of treating Tricki with love and care or learning a lesson from what she experienced, she may mend her ways and make him an agile and healthier dog.

Question 14.
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 episode and a mere fiction. Mrs Pumphrey is a rich lady and has a pet dog. It is because of her overindulgence that she overfeeds her dog which results in his being overweight and restless. Although her intention was not wrong but excess of everything is bad. This episode can be treated as a fiction for those who do not take things seriously. At the same time it can be called a real life episode for the people who take excessive care of their children and thus spoil their habits.

Question 15.
This episode describes the silly behaviour of a rich woman who is foolishly indulgent, perhaps because she is lonely. Do you think such people are merely silly, or can their action cause harm to others?
Answer:
These sort of people have enough disposable money but are ignorant about results of their actions. They show their excessive love and affection without knowing its consequences to others. Undoubtedly, their intentions are good and they don’t have any sort of ill-will but these actions do more harm than good to the object of affection.

Question 16.
Do you think there are also parents like Mrs Pumphrey?
Answer:
Yes, there are parents who are too much possessive about their kids. Their sense of overindulgence can go either way. There are examples of parents spoiling their children by protecting them in each and every way, thus creating hardships for them later in their life. Also there are examples of parents who are strict and want their child to be disciplined and so unnecessarily put pressure on them to study hard and always follow a standard behavioural pattern.

Question 17.
What would you have done if you were
(i) A member of the staff in Mrs Pumphrey’s household.
(ii) A neighbour? What would your life have been like, in general?
Answer:
(i) If I were a member of the staff in Mrs Pumphrey’s household, my life would have been miserable. But I would have had no option but to follow her orders as for Mrs Pumphrey, her dog was
everything. She loved her dog more than anything in the world. She always overfed him. So I would spend most of my time in feeding Tricki.
I would have helped Tricki by taking him out for a stroll so that he could burn his extra fat.

(ii) If I were her neighbour, I would advise her and tell how her excess love and silly behaviour were doing more harm than good to Tricki. I know she would not listen to me. She would tell me more about her loveliness and attachment to Tricki. I would have no option but to listen to her silly talk.

Question 18.
What would you have done if you were in the narrator’s place?
Answer:
If I were in the narrator’s place, I would have acted the same way. I knew the root of the problem was – her excess attachment to Tricki. She made him sick by overfeeding. Her silly behaviour was causing him more harm than good. I would have kept Tricki away from her for some more time. As a doctor I would have prescribed a strict diet chart. I would ensure follow up and would not hesitate in scolding Mrs Puthphrey for her silly behaviour.