The Old Man at the Bridge Questions & Answers

Hi Everyone!! This article will share The Old Man at the Bridge Questions & Answers.

In my previous posts, I have shared the questions and answers of Confessions of a Humorist and George’s Secret Key to the Universe so, you can check these posts as well.

The Old Man at the Bridge Questions & Answers

Question 1: Where was the old man sitting? Describe him.

Answer: The old man was sitting by the side of the road. He wore a steal rimmed spectacle and had black dusty clothes. He neither looked like a Shepherd nor like a herdsman. He had a gray dusty face and seemed to be tired.

Question 2: What kind of bridge is mentioned in the story? Who all were crossing the bridge?

Answer: A Pontoon bridge is mentioned in the story. Carts, trucks, men, women and children were crossing the bridge.

Question 3: What was the narrator’s business?

Answer: The narrator‘s business was to cross the bridge, explore the bridgehead beyond and find out to what point the enemy had advanced.

Question 4: Why does the old man sit there without moving?

Answer: The old man sits there without moving because he had already walked twelve kilometers from his native town and he was too tired.

Question 5: Why is the speaker worried about the old man sitting there?

Answer: It was a war-like situation (The Spanish Civil War) and the enemies were advancing forward and soon their planes would launch bombs on the bridge. So, the narrator was worried that the man might get killed unless he gets to a safe distance.

The Old Man at the Bridge Questions & Answers

Question 6: Where had the old man come from? Why?

Answer: The old man had come from San Carlos. He had come because of the artillery during the Spanish war. The captain had told him to leave the place.

Question 7: What animals did he own? What had he done with them?

Answer: The old man owned two goats, a cat, and four pairs of pigeons. He had left the animals behind in his native town because of the artillery fire.

Question 8: What advice does the narrator give to the old man?

Answer: The narrator advises the old man not to keep sitting by the roadside as the enemy was advancing and soon their planes would launch bombs on the bridge. He tells him to go up the road to where it divided for Tortosa as there were trucks there which would take the old man to Barcelona.

Question 9: Why is the old man worried?

Answer: The old man was worried about the animals which he had left behind in his native place. He was more worried about his goats as they were not safe under the artillery and they could not escape like the cat or fly away like the doves.

Question 10: Why doesn’t the old man cross the bridge and escape to a safer place?

Answer: He had already travelled twelve kilometers, so he was too tired to go any further. He was weak, the old man had no family and he had left his animals behind, he felt helpless as he couldn’t save his animals; he had surrendered himself to his fate.

The Old Man at the Bridge Questions & Answers

Question 11: Mention any two incidents in the story that show the consequences of a war.

Answer: People become homeless as men, women and children had to leave their native place along with their belongings to save themselves. War separates people from their loved ones just like the old man had to leave behind his animals whom he loved a lot.

Question 12: How does the narrator try to relieve the old man of his worries?

Answer: The narrator tries to convince the old man that the animals would probably be alright. The cat would take care of itself; the dove would fly away since the old man had left the cage unlocked. He advises him not to worry about others and urges him to go to a safer place.

Question 13: What happened to the old man at the end of the story?

Answer: The old man gets to his feet, sways from side to side and then sits down backward in the dust. He chooses to stay back there and face his death.

Question 14: What is “all the good luck that old man could ever have”?

Answer: “All the good luck that the old man could ever have” is that the cats would protect themselves and as the sky was cloudy, the fascists would not launch their planes to attack the local people.

Question 15: Which war has been mentioned in the story?

Answer: The Spanish civil war has been mentioned in the story.

So, these were The Old Man at the Bridge Questions & Answers.

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