Hi Everyone!! This article will share A Turkish Judge Questions & Answers.
It is a Turkish folktale about the Turkish Caliph, Haroun al-Rashid, who ruled Baghdad and northern Turkey.
In my previous posts, I have shared the questions & answers of The Cherry Tree, The Miracle and The Selfish Giant so, you can check these posts as well.
A Turkish Judge Questions & Answers
Word Galaxy
- Caliph – the head of a state
- Cadi – a judge
- Steed – a horse to ride on
- Implored – asked somebody to do something in an earnest way
- Alight – get off
- Dilemma – difficult situation in which a choice has to be made between two or more things
- Turn against – get angry with
- Dispenses – distributes
- Porter – a person whose job is carrying people’s bags and other loads
- Stern – serious
- False-swearing – lying
- Ingratitude – the state of not feeling or showing that one is grateful for something
- Admiration – feeling of respect
- Awe – feeling of great respect mixed with surprise
- Beyond compare – cannot be compared
Question 1: Choose the correct option:
(a) The Caliph travelled in disguise because
i. he wanted to know first-hand about the welfare of his people.
ii. he did not like being the Caliph.
iii. he wanted to fool his courtiers.
(b) The Caliph went to the Cadi because
i. he did not have enough money to give to the old man.
ii. he wanted justice and he would get to know whether the Cadi was good at his work.
iii. he was afraid that he would lose his horse.
(c) The Cadi concluded that the gold coin belonged to the merchant as
i. the coin had oil on it.
ii. the porter was too poor to own a gold coin.
iii. the porter accepted that he had stolen it.
Question 2: What was the Caliph’s reaction when the old man tried to cheat him?
Answer: The Caliph could not believe that the old man was trying to cheat him after he had helped the lame old man from the roadside.
Question 3: What does the word witnesses mean?
Answer: The word witnesses means people who have seen something happen and are able to describe it to other people.
Question 4: What other cases were presented before the Cadi?
Answer: An oil merchant and a porter came before the Cadi, each claiming that a certain gold coin belonged to him. Then, a writer and a tailor came before the Cadi claiming ownership of a book.
Question 5: Read and answer the questions:
The Caliph was puzzled and he wondered how the Cadi would pronounce a just decision.
(a) Where was the Caliph?
Answer: The Caliph was at the Cadi’s court to seek justice for the wrong done to him by the old man.
(b) Why was the Caliph puzzled?
Answer: The Caliph was puzzled because when the oil merchant and the porter came before the Cadi to resolve their dispute over a gold coin, they did not have any witnesses with them and the judge had simply asked them to deposit the coin with him and return the next day. The Caliph wondered how the Cadi would deliver justice without witnesses.
(c) What does the word ‘pronounce’ mean in this context?
i. force
ii. deliver
iii. punish
A Turkish Judge Questions & Answers
Question 6: Do you think the punishment given to the old man was appropriate? Discuss.
Answer: Yes, I think that the old man deserved the punishment. As he had repaid the Caliph’s kindness with ingratitude, the Cadi said that the old man had to work at the court and extend courtesy to all the travellers who visited their town.
Question 7: What words would you use to describe the Cadi?
Answer: The Cadi was a just and wise man.
Question 8: Do you think the Caliph did the right thing by taking the old man to the Cadi?
Answer: Yes, the Caliph did the right thing by taking the old man to the Cadi. If I were in the Caliph’s place, I would have done the same thing because one should always approach a court of law to resolve disputes.
Question 9: Read and answer the questions:
“I have cared for him since he was a colt. If that horse is taken from me, how will I live?”
(a) Who said this and to whom?
Answer: The lame old man said this to Cadi.
(b) Was the speaker telling the truth?
Answer: No, the old man was not telling the truth. He had stolen the horse from the Caliph and was trying to defend himself by lying.
(c) How did the Cadi decide if the speaker was telling the truth?
Answer: The Cadi had the horse put in a stable which was on the way to the court from where both the Caliph and the old man had to pass through. The next morning, the Cadi noticed that when the old man passed, the horse didn’t look up. But when the Caliph passed the open door, the horst stretched out its head and neighed affectionately. Thus, the Cadi got to know that the Caliph was the true owner of the horse and not the old man.
Question 10: How did the Cadi solve the case of the writer and the tailor?
Answer: When the Cadi examined the Book of Learning, he found that the pages most used were the ones which the duties of writers and scholars were set forth. This made him realise that the book belonged to the writer and not the tailor.
Question 11: In your opinion, what are the qualities that a judge should have? Did the Cadi possess these qualities?
Answer: In my opinion, a judge should be wise, honest and stern towards wrongdoers. Yes, I think that the Cadi possessed all these qualities.
Question 12: What according to you, is a theme that this story reflects or a lesson that it teaches? Explain your answer with reference to the story.
Answer: According to me, the theme that this story reflects or a lesson that it teaches involves administration of justice and ensuring that those who are honest, truthful and kind get justice. In the story, the Caliph was kind and just. He wanted to ensure the welfare of his subjects. He also made the Cadi, the Grand Cadi of Baghdad because he saw first-hand how the Cadi delivered justice. The Cadi too saw to it that justice was given so that truth was upheld. He used his wisdom, experience and learning to arrive at truth even though there were no witnesses.
So, these were A Turkish Judge Questions & Answers.