NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Chapter 1 A Triumph of Surgery

NCERT Solutions for CBSE Class 10 English Footprints Without Feet Chapter 1 A Triumph of Surgery are provided here. This story is written by James Harriot and includes many questions that are important for exams. We have solved all the NCERT questions of the lesson with a detailed explanation that help students to complete their assignments & homework. We have provided NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Footprints Without Feet Chapter 1 A Triumph of Surgery in PDF format so that you can download them for offline use.

Class 10 English Footprints Without Feet Chapter 1 NCERT Questions and Answers

Read and Find Out (Page No. 1)

Question 1. Why is Mrs Pumphrey worried about Tricki?

Answer: Mrs Pumphrey was worried and distraught because Tricki would not eat anything. It even refused its favourite dishes. It had bouts of vomiting. It spent all its time lying on the rug and panting. It did not want to go for walks or do anything.

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.

Read and Find Out (Page No. 3)

Question 1. Is the narrator as rich as Tricki’s mistress?

Answer: There are some instances in the story that suggest Dr. Herriot was not as rich as Tricki’s mistress, Mrs Pumphrey. This is evident from the fact that the narrator could not provide a luxurious life such as a cosy bed stuffed with favourite cushions, toys and rubber rings along with bowls for different meals of the day, rather he made up a bed for Tricki in a warm loose box next to the one where the other dogs slept. The doctor also could not afford an entire staff of maids and caretakers just like Mrs Pumphrey to take care of the sole well-being and maintenance of her pet, Tricki.

Question 2. How does he treat the dog?

Answer: The doctor gave Tricki no food, but plenty of water for two days. Slowly, the dog started showing interest in his 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 it and the doctor was pleased to note that Tricki had run to eat its food with enthusiasm. From that day onwards, its progress was rapid. It did not require medicinal treatment of any kind and recovered quite well at the end.

Question 3. Why is he tempted to keep Tricki on as a permanent guest?

Answer: Mrs Pumphrey had 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, they were days of deep content for them starting with the extra egg in the morning, then the midday wine, and finally finishing the day with brandy. This was the reason, why the narrator was tempted to keep Tricki on as a permanent guest.

Question 4. Why does Mrs Pumphrey think the dog’s recovery is ‘a triumph of surgery’?

Answer: Mrs Pumphrey thought that the dog’s recovery was “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, it leapt 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.

Think About It (Page No. 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 is full of common sense. He was very concerned for Tricki when he saw its appearance. He immediately told Mrs Pumphrey to stop giving it food and sweets, and to take it out for daily walks. When she called him to describe Tricki’s deteriorating condition, he immediately took the dog with him to the surgery. He took good care of it all the while and helped it recover completely.

He could be called tactful as he enjoyed the eggs, wine and brandy that Mrs Pumphrey had brought for the dog. He was even tempted to keep Tricki as a permanent guest in order to continue enjoying these luxuries. However, he was a good man. Thus, he called Mrs Pumphrey and told her to take the dog home when it had fully recovered.

Question 2. 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. Tricki was also happy at the surgery. When the dog was brought into the surgery, it was ill. But in spite of it, dog got cured in two days without any medication. Proper diet and regular exercise helped a lot in its speedy recovery. The dog regained its best health and was no longer ill.

Now, I think the same pampering will start again. Mrs Pumphrey will take excessive care of the dog. There is no doubt it was her lone, but excess of anything is harmful.

Question 3. Do you think it 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. The spoiling of the dog’s health by a rich mistress is believable and could also be a real life incident. The doctor’s advises also depict real life situation. However, the extremely speedy recovery of the dog could be fictitious. Also, the enjoyment of the luxuries (eggs, wine and brandy) by the narrator could be termed as a real life episode as there are people who would do so. The giving up of these luxuries because the owner of the dog would be getting worried is another episode that could be both real life and fiction. At the end, the happiness of Mrs. Pumphrey on seeing her dog healthy seems to be a real life happening. Therefore, the story is a mixture of both real life and fiction.

Talk About It (Page No. 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 silly actions of overfeeding Tricki had a harmful reaction on her pet’s health. She was making Tricki overeat and indulge in fatty food in the name of love and affection. This worsened his condition in such a way that he had become very lazy and bulky to even go out for short walks. Rich people like Mrs Pumphrey often indulge their pets in silly actions such as overfeeding to improve their health, which can otherwise have dangerous effects on them.

Question 2. Do you think there are also parents like Mrs Pumphrey?

Answer: Yes, there are parents who are too much possessive about their kids. The sense of overindulgence can go in either way. There are examples of parents spoiling their child by meeting each and every demand of the child. There are also examples of strict parents who put unnecessary pressure on their child for study and a particular behaviour pattern.

Question 3. 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 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.

(ii) 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.