Hi Everyone!! This article will share A Triumph of Surgery Questions & Answers.
Written by James Herriot, this is a humorous story of an obese dog named Tricki, who is overfed by his over-concerned owner Mrs. Pumphrey. In my previous posts, I have shared MCQs of A Triumph of Surgery, The Thief’s Story and Footprints Without Feet so, you can check these posts as well.
A Triumph of Surgery Questions & Answers
Question 1: Why was Dr Herriot really worried about Tricki?
Answer: Dr Herriot was really worried about Tricki because due to overeating, he had become very fat. Mrs Pumphrey, his overindulgent owner, had not given him sufficient physical exercise and this was certainly dangerous for the dog’s health.
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 due to overeating. His eyes were bloodshot and rheumy. Moreover, he walked with great difficulty and panted while walking.
Question 3: Why did Mrs Pumphrey think that Tricki was suffering from malnutrition? What did she do?
Answer: Mrs Pumphrey thought that Tricki was suffering from malnutrition because he had become listless. So, she gave him small portions of malt and cod-liver oil in between meals to build him up. She also gave him a bowl of Horlicks at night to make him sleep.
Question 4: Why did the doctor suggest to cut down on Tricki’s sweet intake? Was this advice followed? Why/Whynot?
Answer: The doctor suggested to cut down on Tricki’s sweet intake to control his obesity. No, this advice was not followed because Mrs Pumphrey gave in to Tricki’s love for cream cakes and chocolates.
Question 5: What makes Dr Herriot conclude that Tricki had never been known to refuse food?
Answer: Due to overeating, Tricki had become very fat. This made Dr Herriot conclude that Tricki had never been known to refuse food.
Question 6: Why could Tricki tackle a meal at any hour of the day or night?
Answer: Tricki could tackle a meal at any hour of the day or night because he was a very greedy dog.
Question 7: “Tricki’s only fault was his greed”. How did it get him into trouble?
Answer: According to Dr Herriot, Tricki’s only fault was his greed for food. As a result, he accepted every type of food at any time and in any quantity. This made him hugely fat with bloodshot eyes, and his tongue lolled from his jaws.
Question 8: How do you know that Tricki had an affluent life?
Answer: Tricki had a night bed, day bed, cushions, toys, rubber rings, breakfast bowl, lunch bowl, supper bowl and a wardrobe of expensive coats. This tells us that he had an affluent life.
Question 9: How did the ‘little extras’ between the meals affect Tricki?
Answer: The ‘little extras’ between the meals affected Tricki’s health adversely. Due to overfeeding, he became lethargic and listless and looked like a bloated sausage with a leg at each corner.
Question 10: How can you know that Mrs. Pumphrey pampered Tricki?
Answer: Mrs. Pumphrey used to give Tricki cream cakes, chocolates, cod-liver oil and Horlicks in between the meals. In spite of the doctor’s advice to restrict Tricki’s diet, she gave in to his demand for food and also didn’t give him enough exercise. All this tells us that she pampered Tricki.
A Triumph of Surgery Questions & Answers
Question 11: What were the ‘possible things’ not mentioned by Mrs Pumphrey to Dr Herriot and why did the doctor wonder about them?
Answer: Dr Herriot was aware of the fact that Mrs Pumphrey pampered Tricki excessively. So, he was quite sure that when she mentioned Tricki’s diet, she had not given him the exact picture. There must have been more sweet things and health boosters that she fed to Tricki.
Question 12: Who must harden his/her heart and why?
Answer: Mrs Pumhrey must harden her heart because her soft attitude had made the dog hugely fat and this was certainly dangerous for the dog’s health.
Question 13: What, other than a ‘strict diet’, did Dr Herriot advise to follow?
Answer: Other than a ‘strict diet’, Dr Herriot advised to give regular exercise to Tricki.
Question 14: What did Mrs Pumphrey tell Dr Herriot when he inquired about Tricki’s exercise regime?
Answer: When Dr Herriot inquired about Tricki’s exercise regime, Mrs Pumphrey gave a lame excuse. She said that Tricki had his little walks with her because Hodgkin, the gardener, was down with lumbago, so Tricki was not getting the ring-throwing exercise.
Question 15: “I tried to sound severe.” How did Dr Herriot do this?
Answer: In a severe tone, Dr Herriot advised Mrs Pumphrey to cut down on Tricki’s food and to give him plenty of exercise, if she wanted to avoid any serious health complications for her dog.
Question 16: “Mrs Pumphrey wrung her hands”. When did this happen and why?
Answer: In response to Dr Herriot’s ‘severe’ advice to restrict Tricki’s diet, Mrs. Pumphrey wrung her hands. She did so because she had ignored doctor’s instructions and was feeling guilty and responsible for Tricki’s obesity and listlessness.
Question 17: Why did Doctor Herriot expect to hear from Mrs Pumphrey?
Answer: Doctor Herriot knew that Mrs Pumphrey would continue to interpret her dog’s listlessness as a sign of weakness and would still overfeed him. This would certainly make him so unwell that he would require hospitalization so, he expected to hear from Mrs Pumphrey.
Question 18: Why was Mrs Pumphrey worried about Tricki?
Answer: Mrs Pumphrey was worried about Tricki because of his listlessness, bouts of vomiting, lack of interest in food and activity. This was showing that her pet dog was seriously unwell and she could not bear to see him in pain.
Question 19: How did Mrs Pumphrey react when Dr Herriot told her that Tricki required hospitalisation? Why did she react in this manner?
Answer: When Dr Herriot told Mrs Pumphrey that Tricki required hospitalization, she almost swooned. This behaved this way because she knew that her dear pet would die if he did not see her every day.
Question 20: Why was the entire staff roused by Mrs Pumphrey?
Answer: The entire staff was roused by Mrs Pumphrey to pack all Tricki’s stuff such as his night bed, day bed, favourite cushions, toys, rubber rings, breakfast bowl, lunch bowl, supper bowl etc. that she felt he would require at the hospital.
A Triumph of Surgery Questions & Answers
Question 21: Describe the parting scene between Tricki and Mrs Pumphrey.
Answer: At the time of Tricki’s parting, Mrs. Pumphrey and her entire staff were in tears because Tricki was loved by all and the separation from him filled them with despair.
Question 22: Why was Doctor Herriot confident that he had a cure for Tricki?
Answer: The doctor knew that Overfeeding was the cause of Tricki’s ailment so, he was confident that he would make him well again by restricting his diet. This treatment was really effective as fasting for a couple of days made Tricki active and agile.
Question 23: How was Tricki received at the surgery by other dogs?
Answer: At the surgery, the household dogs crowded round Tricki. But, Tricki laid motionless and took no interest in their advances. Therefore, the other dogs considered him an uninteresting object and ignored him.
Question 24: What immediate step did Doctor Herriot take to save Tricki?
Answer: Doctor Herriot made a bed for him in a warm loose box next to the one where the other dogs slept. For two days, he kept an eye on him and did not give him any food but plenty of water. He closely observed the symptoms that marked his gradual return to normalcy.
Question 25: What made Tricki an unlikely member?
Answer: In comparison to the shaggy and large dogs at the surgery, Tricki was silky and small. This made him an unlikely member.
Question 26: How did Tricki behave after becoming part of the gang?
Answer: After becoming part of the gang, Tricki too hunted rats at night and fought for his share of food at meal times.
Question 27: What was the first symptom of Tricki’s recovery?
Answer: On the third day, Tricki began to whimper when he heard the dogs in the yard. He trotted out to be with them when Doctor Herriot opened the door. This was the first symptom of Tricki’s recovery.
Question 28: What happened at the feeding time later on the third day of Tricki’s stay at the surgery?
Answer: On the third day of Tricki’s stay at the surgery, he examined the bowls of other dogs after they had finished eating and casually licked inside one or two of them. This was the indication that Tricki was regaining his appetite.
Question 29: What brought about the progress in Tricki’s condition?
Answer: Joining other dogs in their friendly scrimmages and running about with them at the hospital brought about the rapid progress in Tricki’s condition. This progress had come about without medicinal treatment of any kind.
Question 30: How did Tricki become ‘an accepted member of the gang’ from an ‘unlikely object’?
Answer: Tricki was a dog with a silky coat and this made him appear like an unlikely object amidst the shaggy bunch of dogs at the surgery. However, he became ‘an accepted member of the gang’ since they bowled over, tramped on and squashed each other every few minutes. Together, they hunted rats at night and fought for food at meal times.
A Triumph of Surgery Questions & Answers
Question 31: How did Mrs Pumphrey hover in the background when Tricki was undergoing treatment at the hospital?
Answer: During Tricki’s treatment at the hospital, Mrs Pumphrey hovered anxiously in the background by ringing up a dozen times a day for update on her pet’s condition. She enquired whether his cushions were being turned regularly or his correct coat was put on him according to the weather.
Question 32: What was Mrs Pumphrey’s reaction to the word ‘convalescing’?
Answer: The word ‘convalescing’ seemed to do some magic for Mrs Pumphrey. She started sending fresh eggs, two dozen at a time to build up Tricki’s strength. This was later followed by bottles of wine to enrich Tricki’s blood.
Question 33: Why had breakfast and lunch become a happy period and a ceremonial occasion respectively forHerriot and his partners?
Answer: Mrs Pumphrey started sending goodies for Tricki but these were actually consumed by Herriot and his partners. Breakfast had become a happy period because Herriot and his partners would relish two eggs each at this time. Lunch had become a ceremonial occasion because they now had two glasses of wine before, and several during the meal.
Question 34: What made Herriot feel that his days were ‘days of deep content’?
Answer: Herriot felt that his days were ‘days of deep content’ as he and his partners had an extra egg for breakfast in the morning, midday wine to improve and sustain this nourishment, and brandy at night. They could get this luxury at the expense of Mrs Pumphrey who was trying to pamper her dog even when he was at the hospital.
Question 35: Why was Doctor Herriot tempted to keep Tricki as a permanent guest?
Answer: The doctor was tempted to keep Tricki in the surgery as a permanent guest because he and his partners could enjoy the eggs, wine and brandy sent by her only till the dog was at the hospital.
Question 36: What compelled Doctor Herriot to tell Mrs Pumphrey that Tricki had recovered and could be taken home?
Answer: Dr Herriot knew that Mrs Pumphrey loved her pet dearly and was missing him a lot so, even though Tricki’s presence in the surgery would have made his life luxurious, yet he informed her.
Question 37: What followed minutes after Herriot’s call to Mrs Pumphrey? Why?
Answer: Minutes after Herriot’s call to Mrs Pumphrey, reached the rich lady at the surgery in her chauffeur driven thirty feet long gleaming black car. She reached there promptly because she had really been missing her pet badly and was eagerly waiting for a green signal from the doctor.
Question 38: Describe Tricki’s physique on the day he left the surgery.
Answer: Two week’s stay in the surgery had transformed Tricki completely. He was no longer listless and lethargic and was now a lithe, ‘hard-muscled’ animal who competed well with the rest of the dogs. He stretched out in great bounds and his chest almost brushed the ground
Question 39: How did Tricki react when he saw his owner after a gap of two weeks?
Answer: On seeing his owner, Tricki jumped out of the doctor’s arms and ‘sailed into Mrs Pumphrey’s lap’. He swarmed over her licking and barking excitedly. Mrs Pumphrey too was happy and tears of joy rolled out of her eyes when she got Tricki back.
Question 40: Why did Mrs Pumphrey think that her dog’s recovery was a triumph of surgery?
Answer: Within a span of few days only, Tricki had regained perfect health and such quick and complete cure is usually possible only after surgery. So, she thought her dog’s recovery was a triumph of surgery. But she was not right in this belief since Tricki had recovered through the simple process of strict diet and exercise and not through the surgery.
So, these were A Triumph of Surgery Questions & Answers.