Hi Everyone!! This article will share The Voice Of Conscience Questions & Answers.
In my previous posts, I have shared the questions and answers of I Cannot Remember My Mother, The Song From Heaven and India At Play so, you can check these posts as well.
The Voice Of Conscience Questions & Answers
Question 1: Complete the sentences:
1. Jumman coaxed his aunt into transferring the property to his name by promising to look after her well.
2. Alagu was uncomfortable when Jumman’s aunt called him to the panchayat because Jumman and Alagu were good friends.
3. Ramdhan Misra had a score to settle with Jumman because Jumman had persuaded many of Ramdhan’s workers to come and work for him instead.
4. Jumman was elated when Alagu was appointed sarpanch because he thought Alagu was his good friend and would pass judgement in his favour.
Question 2: Read the sentences and answer the questions.
“Whom do you appoint as panch, Jumman Sheikh? Let that be settled. Once the panchayat has spoken, you must abide by its decision.”
(a) Who said this? Who was finally appointed as sarpanch, and by whom?
Answer: Ramdhan Misra said this. Alagu Chowdhary was finally appointed as sarpanch by Jumman Sheikh’s aunt.
(b) What decision was given by the panchayat?
Answer: The panchayat gave the decision that Jumman must give his aunt a monthly allowance for her maintenance and, in case he was not willing to pay her a reasonable sum of money, he must return her property to her.
Question 3: Read the sentence and answer the questions:
‘How faithless, how deceitful Alagu had turned out to be.’
(a) Who thought that Alagu was deceitful? Why did he think so?
Answer: Jumman thought that Alagu was deceitful. He thought so because Alagu had passed the verdict in favour of Jumman’s aunt and against Jumman.
(b) Do you think that Alagu was deceitful? Give reasons for your answer.
Answer: No, I do not think Alagu was deceitful because he listened to the voice of his conscience and passed impartial judgement. He did not let his friendship overpower his sense of justice.
Question 4: Read the sentences and answer the questions:
“You sold me a half-dead animal. Because of him I lost so much money! And now you want payment for a corpse?
(a) Who said this, and to whom?
Answer: Samjhu Sahu said this to Alagu Chowdhary.
(b) Why did the speaker say that he had lost money because of the animal?
Answer: Samjhu Sahu was very cruel to the bullock he bought from Alagu. One day, due to overload and exhaustion, the animal collapsed and died on a deserted highway. As a result, Samjhu, who had to spend the night in his cart, found the next day that he was robbed off his entire day’s earnings and also his goods. That was why he said that he had lost money because of the animal.
(c) Did the speaker finally pay for the animal?
Answer: Samjhu did not want to pay for the animal but after the panchayat passed its verdict, he finally paid Alagu the full price of the bullock.
The Voice Of Conscience Questions & Answers
Question 5: Why did Jumman’s aunt threaten to call the panchayat?
Answer: Jumman had promised to look after his aunt and coaxed her into transferring her property in his name. However, after she did so, Jumman and his wife treated her very badly. He even refused to give her a monthly allowance for her maintenance. Therefore, Jumman’s aunt threatened to call the panchayat.
Question 6: “Is your friendship more valuable than your honesty?” What did Jumman’s aunt mean by this?
Answer: Jumman’s aunt had asked Alagu to come to the panchayat meeting which she had decided to call against Jumman. However, Jumman was Alagu’s good friend and Alagu did not want to risk their friendship. Therefore, Jumman’s aunt asked Alagu this question suggesting that honesty was more valuable than friendship and that Alagu should support what was right.
Question 7: How did Jumman defend his case before the panchayat?
Answer: Jumman defended his case before the panchayat by saying that he had fulfilled his duty by looking after his aunt and the quarrel between his wife and aunt was a matter between women, about which he could do nothing. He also argued that his aunt’s property, which she had transferred to him, did not yield him enough profit, so he could not give her a monthly allowance for her maintenance.
Question 8: What made Alagu’s and Jumman’s wives exchange hot words?
Answer: Alagu and Jumman had turned foes after Alagu had passed verdict in the panchayat in favour of Jumman’s aunt and against Jumman. In addition to that, when one of Alagu’s bullocks died a month after the panchayat meeting, Jumman and his cronies rejoiced at Alagu’s misfortune. Alagu also suspected Jumman of having poisoned his bullock. This led to their wives exchanging hot words.
Question 9: How were Alagu and Samjhu different?
Answer: Alagu and Samjhu were very different as was seen in their treatment of the bullock. In Alagu’s care, the bullock had a wholesome diet, plenty of rest and good grooming. However, after Samjhu bought it, he put the bullock to extreme hard work. One day, when the animal died of exhaustion, Samjhu cursed and kicked it instead of feeling bad for it. Moreover, he blamed the animal for the loss of his money. All this showed a contrast between Alagu’s kind and caring nature and Samjhu’s cruel and selfish one.
Question 10: Why did Alagu’s heart sink when Jumman was appointed sarpanch?
Answer: Alagu’s heart sank when Jumman was appointed sarpanch because he felt that Jumman would use this opportunity to settle scores with him. In the previous panchayat meeting, as sarpanch, Alagu had passed verdict in favour of Jumman’s aunt and against him. Now that Jumman was made the sarpanch, Alagu thought he would pass judgement against him, in favour of Samjhu Sahu.
Question 11: “But if the women of the household choose to quarrel with one another, what can I do?” Jumman seems to say that the quarrel is entirely between his aunt and his wife, and there is little he can do to help the matter. Is he right? Give reasons for your answer.
Answer: Jumman was not right when he said that he could do nothing when women of the household quarrelled among themselves, and it was a quarrel between his wife and his aunt. Although, he could have easily stopped his wife from behaving badly to his aunt and taunting the old lady, he chose not to, because he himself was indifferent to his aunt’s plight, especially now that he had got her property transferred in his name. Since he himself treated her poorly, he did not feel the need to rectify his wife’s behaviour towards her and used it up just as an excuse to not intervene between his wife and his aunt.
Question 12: “A panch is above both friendship and enmity. It is God who speaks through him.” How is this brought out in the decisions of both Alagu and Jumman?
Answer: Early in the lesson, Jumman’s aunt had suggested to Alagu that honesty was more valuable than friendship. Alagu realized this, especially when he sat in the sarpanch’s seat. Therefore, he passed judgement in favour of Jumman’s aunt, rather than Jumman his good friend. At that time, Jumman felt betrayed by Alagu. However, when Jumman became sarpanch in the dispute between Alagu and Samjhu, he realized that he was the ‘arbiter of truth and justice’ and he should not let judgement be overshadowed by his personal feelings. This was how, both Alagu and Jumman proved that a panch was ‘above both friendship and enmity’ and it was God who spoke through him.
So, these were The Voice Of Conscience Questions & Answers.