On The Face of It Important Questions

Class 12 English
December 7, 2019 by Sastry CBSE

On The Face of It Important Questions CBSE

Question 1.
What qualities of Mr. Lamb attracted Derry to him? (All India 2009)
Answer:
Derry suffers from a terrible complex. But his meeting with Mr. Lamb is a turning point in
his life. He gives confidence to Derry and encourages him to develop a positive attitude
towards life. Derry’s life now has a new meaning and purpose and for this all the credit
goes to Mr. Lamb’s motivation and words of encouragement.

Question 2.
What did Derry’s mother think of Mr. Lamb? (All India 2009)
Answer:
Derry’s mother did not think very highly of Mr. Lamb and claimed to have heard not
really good things about him. She had been told and warned by people about Mr. Lamb
and so she tells Derry not to go back to him. She also tried to hold him back but he does
go back to Mr. Lamb.

Question 3.
What consolation did people give when they saw his acid burnt face? (Comptt. Delhi
2010)
Answer:
Derry’s face was burnt by acid on one side. When people saw Derry’s acid burnt face
they tried to console him by telling him fairy tales. They said that it was not important
what he looked like. Derry knew that people lied and showed sympathy only to comfort
him and that he would not change and would continue to look like a ‘monstrous beast’.

Question 4.
Mr. Lamb told Derry the story of a man who hid himself in his room. Why did the man do
so and with what result? (Comptt. All India 2010)
Answer:
Mr. Lamb told Derry the incident of a timid man who hid himself in his room and refused
to come out lest he should meet some fatal accident. But, ironically, he died in his room
itself because a picture hanging on the wall fell off it, landed on his head and killed him.

Question 5.
Why does Mr. Lamb leave his gate always open? (All India 2011)
Answer:
Mr. Lamb always keeps his gate open because he does not mind strangers entering his
house, He is an extremely social person and is ever ready to welcome anyone who
enters his garden.

Question 6.
How does Mr. Lamb keep himself busy when it is a bit cool? (Delhi 2012)
Answer:
When it gets a bit cool Mr. Lamb pulls down the ripe crab apples from the trees with the
help of a ladder and a stick. He then makes jelly from them as that is a good time of the
year to pick and make jelly out of orange and golden crab apples.

Question 7.
What peculiar things does Derry notice about the old man, Lamb? (All India 2012)
Answer:
Derry thinks that the old man. Mr. Lamb, is peculiar and says peculiar things. Derry
notices that although Mr. Lamb talks about his friends he has not seen anyone visiting
the old man, who lives all by himself. Even when he asks Mr. Lamb to name his friends,
Mr. Lamb fails to give him any name. Mr. Lamb refuses to admit his loneliness. Also he
asks Derry questions he does not understand. There are no curtains at the windows in
his house. He likes the light and darkness and hears the wind with the window open.

Question 8.
Who was Derry? What did he suffer from? (Comptt. Delhi 2012)
Answer:
Derry is a complex-ridden fourteen year old boy. He is a victim of inferiority complex
after acid accidently spilled and burnt one side of his face. His handicap has filled him
with bitterness and so Derry suffers more on account of the pain that his own views of
how everyone hates him, causes him.

Question 9.
If you were to give a different ending to the story, ‘On The Face of It’ how would you end
it? (All India 2013)
Answer:
I would rather want the story ‘On the Face of It’ to end with a happy reunion between
Mr. Lamb and Derry wherein the two become good friends with one another. Mr. Lamb
should continue to influence Derry positively and put him in a position where he is able
to befriend others despite his handicap.
Question 10.
As told by Mr. Lamb, why did a man lock himself up in his room and what happened to
him? (Comptt. Delhi 2013)
Answer:
The man locked himself up in his room as he was afraid of everything in this world. So
he went into his room and locked the door, got into his bed and stayed there. Finally a
picture fell off the wall on to his head and killed him.

Question 11.
In what sense is the friendship between Mr. Lamb and Derry fruitful? (Comptt. Delhi
2014)
Answer:
After his meeting with Mr. Lamb, Derry is gradually able to shed his complexes and
rediscover the joys of life. Mr. Lamb gives confidence and motivates him to move
forward in life. Derry’s short interaction with Mr. Lamb leaves an indelible imprint on the
young boy’s mind and his attitude towards life undergoes a drastic change.

Question 12.
Why did Mr. Lamb help Derry? (Comptt. All India 2014)
Answer:
Mr. Lamb and Derry are united by the bond of loneliness and alienation they share on
account of their physical disabilities. Mr. Lamb lost a leg in the war and has a tin leg
while Derry has an acid burn on one side of his face. Mr. Lamb inspires Derry by telling
him not to focus on the shortcomings of life and his handicap and instead he should try
to enjoy the blessings of life. He persuades him to develop a positive attitude and move
forward in life.

Question 13.
Why did Derry insist that he would go back to Mr. Lamb? (Comptt. Delhi 2015)
Answer:
Derry insisted that he would go back to Mr. Lamb as he opened a new world of thought
and wisdom for Derry. Derry was comfortable and happy in Mr. Lamb’s company and
completely forgot his handicap. He felt he too could live an independent life as he had
all his faculties intact.

Question 14.
How did Derry’s handicap damage his life? (Comptt. All India 2015)
Answer:
Due to his handicap, his burnt face, Derry suffered from an acute lack of self-regard and
rejection. He did not like being with people because they constantly reminded him of his
ugliness and so he stayed away from them. He felt he was too ugly to be liked and
loved by anyone so he became a recluse.
Question 15.
Why does Derry stay away from people? (Comptt. All India 2015)
Answer:
Derry suffers from an acute sense of complex after one side of his face got burnt by
acid. He stays away from people who constantly remind him of his ugliness. He does
not like to see people shirking from him because he is ugly. He feels rejected and
unwanted.

Question 16.
What does Mr. lamb try to tell Derry through the example of a weed and a flower?
(Comptt. All India 2016)
Answer:
Through the example of a weed and a flower Mr. Lamb speaks against discrimination
and the futility of appearance. He tells Derry that people should have a broader
perception and positive attitude towards life. He does not want Derry to feel an outcast
so he says all living things are the same and should be given respect.

Question 17.
How does Mr. Lamb react when Derry enters his garden? (All India 2017)
Answer:
Mr. Lamb realizes that Derry is startled by his presence in the garden. So he tries to
pacify the young lad with his reassuring and kind words. He tells Derry that he does not
mind strangers entering his garden and so Derry should not be afraid of anything.

Question 18.
Who was Derry? What problems did he have? (Comptt. All India 2017)
Answer:
Derry is a complex-ridden fourteen year old boy. He is a victim of inferiority complex
after acid accidentally spilled and burnt one side of his face. His handicap has filled him
with bitterness and so Derry suffers more on account of the pain that his own views of
how everyone hates him, causes him. Mr. Lamb has a garden that is full of fruits,
flowers and trees and herbs of all sorts. He likes his garden because it attracts young
children and he gets a sense of pleasure in pulling down the ripe crab apples from the
trees and making jelly for the children who visit his garden.

On the face of It Extra Questions and Answers Short Answer Type

Question 1.
What is the bond that unites the two, Mr Lamb and Derry? How does Mr Lamb inspire
the boy?
Answer:
Mr Lamb and Derry are suffering from the same sort of physical impairment. Mr Lamb
does not have one leg while Derry’s face is burnt from one side. They both are feeling
lonely. No one ever comes to see Mr Lamb and people have spread many stories about
him. People look at awe at Derry’s face and generally avoid him. Thus they both are
suffering from common problems. This bond unites Mr Lamb and Derry.

Question 2.
Who is Mr Lamb?
Answer:
Mr Lamb is an old man. He is retired from the army. He has lost one of his legs in a
bomb blast. He lives alone in a house that has a garden. No one ever comes to visit
him. Kids call him Lamey Lamb. People have spread stories about him.

Question 3.
What peculiar things does Derry notice about the old man, Lamb?
Answer:
Mr Lamb is retired from the army. He leaves his doors always open. Everybody is
welcomed in his garden. There are no curtains on his windows. These are quite peculiar
things for Derry.

Question 4.
What physical impairment is Mr Lamb suffering from?
Answer:
Mr Lamb lost one of his legs in a war. There is a tin leg in its place. The children would
mockingly call him ‘Lamey Lamb’. Also, no one ever comes to see him. People have
spread many stories about him.

Question 5.
Why had Derry come to the garden?
Answer:
Derry had thought it was an empty place and no one lived there. He wanted to see what
kind of place it was. He had no mind to steal any apple.

Question 6.
In what sense is the friendship between Mr Lamb and Derry fruitful?
Answer:
The friendship between Mr Lamb and Derry proved quite fruitful for both of them. Mr
Lamb instils self confidence in the young boy. While the young boy’s company helps Mr
Lamb to ward off his loneliness.

Question 7.
Why does Derry say people are afraid of him?
Answer:
Derry says people look at his face and call it a terrible thing. They call it the ugliest thing
they ever saw. Therefore according to Derry, people are afraid of him.
Question 8.
Why does Derry tell Mr Lamb that he is afraid of seeing himself in the mirror in the play,
‘On the Face of It’?
Answer:
One side of Derry’s face is burnt. Acid had fallen on this side. His face looked very ugly.
People would always keep on reminding of his face. Therefore Derry tells Mr Lamb that
he is afraid of seeing himself in the mirror.

Question 9.
How does Mr Lamb try to remove the baseless fears of Derry?
Answer:
Mr Lamb tells Derry that he, like others, has two eyes, two ears, two legs, two arms,
brain and a tongue. He can do or achieve whatever he likes. In this way Mr Lamb tries
to remove baseless fears of Derry.

Question 10.
What did Derry’s mother think of Mr Lamb?
Answer:
Derry’s mother did not have any good opinion about Mr Lamb. She considered him to
be a worthless man. She thought that Mr Lamb’s talk was all nonsense. She did not
want Derry to go there.

Question 11.
How does Mr Lamb react when Derry enters his garden?
Answer:
Mr Lamb welcomes Derry in his garden. He only asks him to mind crab apples lest he
should trip. When Derry wants to run away from there Mr Lamb says that he need not
go. Everyone is welcomed to come in his garden.

Question 12.
What kind of garden does Mr Lamb have? Why does he like it?
Answer:
Mr Lamb has a garden-outside his house. It has flowers, grass, trees arid bees. He likes
every inch of his garden. He has positive attitude of mind. For him even weeds in his
garden are living things. He likes humming of bees. He passes his time by making jam
from the crab apples. Thus, he remains busy due to his garden. Therefore, he likes it
very much.

Question 13.
What does Derry hear people talking down the downstairs?
Answer:
He hears people talking about him and saying, “What will he ever do? What is going to
happen to him when we are gone? How will he get on in this world with that face?”
Question 14.
What realisation comes to Derry about his face at the end of the play?
Answer:
At the end of the play, Derry realises that external looks do not matter much. The only
thing matters is the person’s worth. He decides now he would not care about anybody.
He will care about what he feels, thinks or hears.