A Triumph of Surgery Important Questions Class 10 Footprints without Feet English
Very Short Answer Type Questions
Question 1. What was Mrs. Pumphrey’s reaction when Tricki showed little enthusiasm for exertion?
Answer
She was shocked and worried. She thought that Tricki was seriously ill. She thought that he had been suffering from malnutrition.
Question 2. Which two suggestions did Dr Herriot give to Mrs Pumphrey at the initial stage? Did she
follow?
Answer
Dr Herriot suggested Mrs Pumphrey to cutdown on the sweet things given to Tricki. He asked her to provide more exercise to the dog.
Question 3. What does ‘I’ refer to in this story?
Answer
In this story, T refers to the veterinary surgeon, Mr Herriot.
Question 4. What was Mrs. Pumphrey’s reaction when the doctor said that Tricki must be taken to the hospital for a fortnight?
Answer
Hearing this from the doctor’s mouth she almost swooned. She was sure that Tricki would pine and die if he did not see her every day.
Question 5. Why did Mr. Herriot ask Mrs. Pumphrey to admit Tricki in a hospital?
Answer
Dr. Herriot asked Mrs. Pumphrey to admit Tricki in a hospital because instead of cutting down upon his food and making him exercise, she was pampering him.
Question 6. What does she do to help him? Is she wise in this?
Answer
She calls the doctor to help Tricki. Yes, her decision is wise. The doctor suggests that Tricki should be hospitalized. She gets upset and wails, but lets the dog go with the doctor.
Question 7. What was the real disease that Tricki was suffering from?
Answer
Actually, Tricki didn’t have physical disease. He had a vomiting problem because of overfeeding. He was lazy because he did not have any physical exercise.
Short Answer Type Questions
Question 1. Why was Dr. Herriot confident that Tricki will be in hospital soon?
Answer
Tricki was tottering (move in an unsteady way) slowly in the house. He was not eating anything, not even his favorite dishes and besides, he had bouts of vomiting. Dr. Herriot was sure that if his food was not cut down and more exercise was not given to him, he would be really ill soon.
Question 2. What did Mrs Pumphrey do to bring him back to normal health? Was she successful?
Answer
When Mrs Pumphrey found Tricki weak, she started giving him extra diet between meals to build him , up. She gave him some malt and cod-liver oil and a bowl of Horlicks at night. She never forgot to give him cream cakes and chocolates which Tricki really loved. She was hot successful rather she put her dog in more trouble. He started gaining weight which made fys condition worse.
Question 3. How does Dr. Herriot treats Tricki?
Answer
Dr. Herriot cut down Tricki food and made him exercise. For the first three days jobs didn’t give him food but only water. He did not give any medicinal treatment but made him all day with the dogs. He discovered the joys of being bowled over, tramped on and squashed every few minutes. He enjoyed a lot along with his recovery.
Question 4. Describe the `parting scene’ between Tricki and Mrs. Pumphrey’s household.
Answer
Mrs. Pumphrey was wailing. The entire staff was roused (awakened). The maids rushed in and out bringing his beds and bowls to the doctor’s car. When the doctor drove the car away everybody in the house was in tears.
Question 5. What was the only fault of Tricki as diagnosed by Dr. Herriot?
Answer
Dr. Herriot knew that overindulgence and pampering of Tricki’s mistress, Mrs. Pumphrey created problems for him. The only fault of Tricki was his greed for food. He had never known to refuse food. Overfeeding and not giving him proper exercise made him hugely fat and dull.
Question 6. Why was Mr. Herriot shocked at Tricki’s appearance?
Answer
Tricki had become hugely fat. He looked like a bloated sausage. His eyes were bloodshot and rheumy. His tongue lolled from his jaws. So, Mr. Herriot was shocked at Tricki’s appearance.
Question 7. Why did Mrs Pumphery make a frantic call to Dr Herriot?
Answer
Suddenly Tricki stopped eating. He refused even his favourite dishes and had bouts of vomiting. He spent all the time lying on rug, panting and did not do anything. So Mrs Pumphrey was distraught and made a frantic call to Dr Herriot.
Question 8. What was Mr. Herriot’s strict advice? Did Mrs. Pumphrey heed his advice? What excuses did she make?
Answer
Mr. Herriot’s strict advice was to cut down on sweet things and to give him plenty of exercises. But Mrs. Pumphrey did not heed (pay attention) to this advice. She thought Tricki was weak. So she was giving him cream cakes and chocolates. Tricki had very little exercise because the gardener was unwell.
Question 9. How did Tricky treat his mistress when she went to collect him?
Answer
When Tricki saw his mistress, he took off from Mr. Herriot’s arms. He took a tremendous leap. He sailed into Mrs. Pumphrey’s lap. He swarmed over her. He licked her face and barked.
Question 10. What step did Dr Herriot take to save Tricki?
Answer
Dr Herriot immediately hospitalised Tricki for about a fortnight as it was necessary to part him from his mistress. Tricki’s only problem was overfeeding which he knew. Tricki needed dieting which was possible only in absence of Mrs Pumphrey. He stopped giving food to Tricki. He was given only plenty of water.
Question 11. Why was the entire staff of Mrs. Pumphrey at work while Tricki was going to the hospital?
Answer
Tricki was Mrs. Pumphrey beloved dog, and when he was going to the hospital, the entire staff got to work. His day and night beds, favorite cushions, toys and rubber rings, and food bowls were loaded into the narrator’s car by them.
Question 12. Describe the gradual progress of Tricki at the surgery.
Answer
Tricki’s main problem was his greed for food. For two days, Dr. Herriot gave no food but plenty of water to the dog. On the first day, Tricki lay motionless on the carpet. On the second day, he started showing some interest in his surroundings. On the third day, he began to whimper when he heard the dogs in the yard. From then on, his progress was rapid. He started for his share of food and hunting rats at night.
Question 13. Why was Dr. Herriot really worried about Tricki?
Answer
When Dr. Herriot saw Tricki with his mistress, he was really worried. He was shocked at his appearance. The dog had become hugely fat. His eyes were bloodshot and rheumy. His tongue lolled from his jaws. Naturally, the miserable condition of the dog made him really worried.
Question 14. Why was Tricki an uninteresting object for other dogs at the surgery?
Answer
When Tricki was brought to the surgery, all the household dogs surged around him but Tricki looked down at the noisy pack with dull eyes and lay motionless on the carpet. So after sniffing him for a few seconds, they found him an uninteresting object and moved away from him.
Question 15. Why was Tricki sent to the hospital?
Answer
Tricki had become sluggish as he had grown so fast that it became difficult for him to walk. He started panting all the time, kept on vomiting and stopped eating. He seemed very ill so he was hospitalized.
Question 16. The household dogs at the surgery rejected Tricki as “uninteresting objects.” Why?
Answer
At the surgery the household dogs surrounded Tricki. He looked at them with dull eyes. The other dogs sniffed him but he did not give any response. So they found him as an uninteresting object and rejected him.
Question 17. “I think 1 know a cure for you”. What was Dr Herriot’s ‘cure’ for Tricki?
Answer
Seeing the miserable condition of Tricki Dr Herriot at once decides to keep him away from his mistress Mrs Pumphrey for a while. So, he suggested that Tricki should be hospitalized for about a fortnight as he had to be kept upder observation.
Question 18. Why were the household dogs not interested in Tricki initially?
Answe
Tricki was a newcomer in the house. Moreover, Tricki was very lethargic to play with them He was not comfortable there. But after a few days, Tricki started enjoying them. He discovered the joys of being bowled over, tramped on and squashed every few minutes. He became an accepted member of the gang.
Question 19. Why was Dr. Herriot tempted to keep Tricki on as a permanent guest?
Answer
Tricki was a pampered dog and his mistress, Mrs. Pumphrey was an overindulgent lady. For a happy period, Dr. Herriot and his partner had two eggs each for breakfast. Then there was a liberal inflow of wine and brandy. They were the days of deep content for him. He was naturally tempted to keep Tricki on as a permanent guest.
Question 20. What evidence do you get from the text about Tricki’s affluent living?
Answer
Tricki was loved by his mistress. She was very much concerned for him. She was rather blind in love. Tricki lived a more lavish life than any noraml human bring. He had a whole wardrobe of clothes for different weather, raincoat for wet days. Different bowls for different meals, toys, cushions, comfortable bed and what not. He was given rich diet including cream cakes and chocolates which he loved.
Question 21. What excuses did Mrs. Pumphrey give for not following Dr. Herriot’s advice? What was the effect of ignorance?
Answer
Dr. Herriot knew that the only fault of Tricki was his greed for food. Mrs. Pumphrey was an indulgent mistress and pampered Tricki with malt, cod-liver oil and bowls of Horlicks. Dr. Herriot had advised her to cut down on sweets and give him some exercise. Tricki was to be kept on a very strict diet. Mrs. Pumphrey told the doctor that it was very difficult. The result of ignoring the doctor’s advice was disastrous. Tricki lost his appetite and lay motionless on the carpet. He vomited again and again.
Question 22. Why did Mrs. Pumphrey treats Tricki in a special way?
Answer
Mrs. Pumphrey was an extremely rich lady but was foolishly indulgent in pampering her dog, Tricki. She served him with cream cakes, chocolates and cod-liver oil. She did so because she treated Tricki like her son.
Question 23. What makes you know that Mrs. Pumphrey was a rich lady?
Answer
Mrs. Pumphrey was a wealthy lady as she had many servants and maids also had a pet. She used to feed her pet with a lot of dishes, sweets and snacks. Moreover, she had a separate room and wardrobe for her pet. All these things show that she was a rich lady.
Question 24. How was Tricki accepted as a member of the gang and the other dogs started enjoying his company?
Answer
Tricki was out of danger. He started taking interest in his surroundings. On the third day, Joe, the greyhound and other dogs surrounded him. They rolled him over and inspected him. Tricki followed them to the garden. He was running and rolling down in their company. Now he was accepted as a member of the gang.
Long Answer Type Questions
Question 1. Describe the ‘parting scene’ between Tricki and Mrs Pumphrey’s house hold?
Answer
The -only way to save Tricki was to take him away. When Mr Herriot was about to take him to his surgery for treatment, Mrs Pumphrey started wailing. The entire staff was roused and maids rushed in and out bringing his day bed, night bed, favourite cushions, toys and rubber rings and different bowls.
As Mr Herriot moved off, Mrs Pumphrey, with a despairing cry, threw an armful of the little coats, through the window. Everybody was in tears. It was a sad and tearful parting.
Question 2. Describe the gradual progress of Tricki at the surgery.
Answer
Tricki’s main problem was his greed for food. For two days, Dr. Herriot gave no food but plenty of water to the dog. On the first day, Tricki lay motionless on the carpet. On the second day, he started showing some interest in his surroundings. On the third day, he began to whimper when he heard the dogs in the yard. From then on, his progress was rapid. He started for his share of food and hunting rats at night.
Question 3. Give a brief character sketch of Tricki.
Answer
Tricki is thoroughly pampered by his mistress Mrs Pumphrey. He has become hugely fat, like a bloated sausage with a leg at each comer. His eyes, bloodshot and rheumy, stares straight ahead his tongue lolled from his jaws. He is greedy and never refuses food. His mistress gives him some little extras between meals to build him up, some malt and cod-liver oil and a bowl of Horlicks at night to make him sleep.
Above all, he gets cream cakes and chocolates. To make things worse he had been doing no exercise. When Tricki is sent to Vet. Hospital, the entire staff of Mrs Pumphrey’s house rush to bring his day bed, his night bed, favourite cushions, toys and rubber rings, breakfast bowl, lunch bowl, supper bowl. It all shows that Tricki has an affluent living.
Question 4. What excuses did Mrs. Pumphrey give for not following Dr. Herriot’s advice? What was the effect of ignorance?
Answer
Dr. Herriot knew that the only fault of Tricki was his greed for food. Mrs. Pumphrey was an indulgent mistress and pampered Tricki with malt, cod-liver oil and bowls of Horlicks. Dr. Herriot had advised her to cut down on sweets and give him some exercise. Tricki was to be kept on a very strict diet. Mrs. Pumphrey told the doctor that it was very difficult. The result of ignoring the doctor’s advice was disastrous. Tricki lost his appetite and lay motionless on the carpet. He vomited again and again.
Question 5. Write the brief character sketch of Mrs Pumphrey.
Answer
Mrs Pumphrey was a rich but eccentric lady. She was an ignorant kind of person. She had a pet dog Tricki, whom she loved more than anything. Her way of showing love was very different. She overfed Tricki. She showed her concern by giving him rich and extra diet between meals which finally made Tricki ill. She couldn’t bear Tricki doing exercise. She thought that it would make Tricki tired while it was necessary for him.
She pampered her pet which had a wardrobe of clothes for every season, different bowls for each meal, toys and what not. Her way of loving was not normal. But she was also a kind- hearted lady who finally burst into tears while parting with her dog. She had all human qualities as she didn’t forget to thank Mr Herriot at the end.
Question 6. Herriot enjoyed the lavish (costly) meal during Tricki’s stay but still, he felt compelled (forced to do something) to inform Mrs. Pumphrey about the recovery of Tricki. Why did he not keep Tricki for a longer time? Did he feel concerned for Mrs. Pumphrey? Was it not in his attitude to break the trust of others. Discuss the values he possessed in 100-120 words.
Answer
Tricki was a fat dog, the pet of Mrs. Pumphrey. He became listless and seemed to have no energy and fell ill. So, Mrs. Pumphrey called the veterinary surgeon, Dr. Herriot for help. Dr. Herriot took Tricki to his surgery. He kept an eye on him for two days and gave him no food but plenty of water. At the end of the second day, he started showing some interest in his surroundings and on the third day, began to whimper (cry) on the sound of dogs.
During his stay at the surgery, Mrs. Pumphrey started to bring round fresh eggs to a dozen at a time. She also sent bottles of wine and brandy for Tricki’s health. But that was consumed by Mr. Herriot and his partners. Hence, Herriot enjoyed the stay of Tricki. He did not want to keep Tricki for a longer time because he felt concerned for Mrs. Pumphrey. He did not want to separate the pet from his owner. He could understand Mrs. Pumphrey’s concern for the little dog. So he returned him back.
Question 7. Is the narrator as rich as Tricki’s mistress?
Answer
Though not clearly stated, there are instances in the story which suggest that the narrator is not as rich as Tricki’s mistress, Mrs Pumphrey. The narrator is able to provide Tricki with a warm loose box as a bed whereas at Mrs Pumphrey’s house, Tricki has a day bed, a night bed, cushions, toys, rubber rings, a breakfast bowl, a lunch bowl, a supper bowl, a whole wardrobe of tweed coats and perhaps many more things. When he arrives to take the dog with him, Mrs Pumphrey has her entire staff at her disposal to transfer all of Tricki’s belongings to the doctor’s car.
Secondly, on hearing from the doctor about Tricki’s gradual recovery, Mrs Pumphrey sends along two dozen eggs at a time, along with bottles of wine and brandy—all in order to help in Tricki’s speedy recovery. Finally, when she calls upon the narrator to take her recovered dog back home, she comes in a chauffeur-driven “thirty feet of gleaming black metal” (an obvious reference to a limousine). All these instances point to the fact that Mrs Pumphrey lived a luxurious life.
Question 8. How does the doctor treat the dog?
Answer
The doctor knew that Tricki was not ill but just overweight qnd restless due to Mrs Pumphrey’s overindulgence in taking his care. So he decided not to give any food to Tricki, but plenty of water for two days. Slowly, the dog started showing interest in hi§-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 him and the doctor was pleased to note that Tricki had run to eat its food with enthusiasm. From that day onwards, his progress was rapid. He did not require any medical treatment and recovered quite well at the end.
Question 9. Herriot seems to be a duty-bound doctor who values others ’emotions’ than his personal interests. Elucidate the above statement. Mention those values of Herriot which you would like to emulate in yourself also and give reasons for the same. Write your answer in 100-120 words.
Answer
Herriot was a duty-bound veterinary doctor. He used to visit Mrs. Pumphrey’s house regularly for the regular check-up of her dog Tricki. Mrs. Pumphrey was a very rich lady who had pampered her dog. Dr Herriot was quite worried about Tricki health. He knew that the dog was over-fed by his owner. He advised Mrs. Pumphrey to keep him on a rich diet and give him a lot of exercises. But she didn’t bother. Hence, in order to improve Tricki health, he decided to take him away from Mrs. Pumphrey. He told her that ‘Tricki needed surgery. He made a Tricki cut down his diet and made him do certain exercises which improve his health. Although he knew Mrs. Pumphrey was very rich and much attached to the dog, he did not take any advantage of it. He just performed his duties and should also learn the same values in our life.
Question 10. Why is the doctor tempted to keep Tricki as a permanent guest?
Answer
Mrs Pumphrey has 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, those were the days of deep content for him and his staff-starting with an extra egg in the morning, then the midday wine, and finally finishing off the day with brandy. This is the reason why the narrator is tempted to keep Tricki on as a permanent guest.
Question 11. How did Herriot save Tricki’s life?
Answer
Tricki was seriously ill. He refused food. He had bouts of vomiting. Mrs. Pumphrey was very much worried about him. She called Mr. Herriot who was a vet. Herriot and knew Tricki’s disease well. He told Mrs. Pumphrey that the dog must be hospitalized for a fortnight immediately. He carried the dog in his car to his surgery. There he put him in a separate room. He was given no food for two days but plenty of water. After two days the dog felt better. He started enjoying games with other dogs. In this way, Herriot cured Tricki of his illness without any medicine or surgery.
Question 12. 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. When the dog was brought into the surgery, he was ill. But in spite of that the dog got cured in two days without any medication. The doctor provided proper diet to Tricki and regular exercise also helped a lot in his speedy recovery. The dog regained his best health and was no longer restless.
Now, I think Mrs Pumphrey may again go back to her old ways of treating Tricki with love and care or learning a lesson from what she experienced, she may mend her ways and make him an agile and healthier dog.
Question 13. Mrs. Pumphrey says, “This is ‘A Triumph of Surgery’. Why did she say so? Did she know what ‘, Ticki’s ailment was?
Answer
Tricki was seriously ill. He refused food. He had bouts of vomiting. Mrs. Pumphrey was very much worried about him. She called Dr. Herriot who was a vet surgeon. Dr. Herriot knew about Tricki’s disease. He took the dog to his surgery. He gave Tricki no food for two days. He gave him a lot of exercises. When Mrs. Pumphrey went to Dr. Herriot’s surgery to take Tricki back she found him totally transformed. He had been very lazy and flabby. But now he had been transformed into a lithe and hard-muscled animal. All this made him say, “This is ‘A Triumph of Surgery’. No, Mrs. Pumphrey did not know about Tricki’s ailment. She also did not know how he was cured.
Question 14. 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 Mrs Pumphrey’s household, my life would have been miserable. But I would have had no option but to follow her orders as for Mrs Pumphrey, her dog was
everything. She loved her dog more than anything in the world. She always overfed him. So I would spend most of my time in feeding Tricki.
I would have helped Tricki by taking him out for a stroll so that he could burn his extra fat.
(ii) If I were her neighbour, I would advise her and tell how her excess love and silly behaviour were doing more harm than good to Tricki. I know she would not listen to me. She would tell me more about her loveliness and attachment to Tricki. I would have no option but to listen to her silly talk.
Question 15. Give a character sketch of Dr James Herriot.
Answer
Dr James Herriot, no doubt, was a competent veterinary surgeon. He was really worried about Tricki. He understood that the real fault of the dog was his greed for food. He never refused food. The dog had become hugely fat and listless. Dr Herriot instructed Mrs Pumphrey to keep Tricki on a very strict diet. He also asked her to give him a lot of exercises. Dr Herriot also suggested cuttting down sweets to him. He advised her that Tricki must be hospitalised for a fortnight under his observation.
Dr James Herriot was practical and pragmatic (sensible). He didn’t give any medical treatment to the dog. The dog was not given any food but lots of water. His method worked. Tricki’s recovery was surprisingly rapid. Tricki was transformed into a flexible and hard-muscled dog. He was not only out of danger but was soon handed over to his mistress. The grateful mistress thanked Dr. Herriot and called his feat (achievement)”A Triumph of Surgery”.
Dr. James Herriot was clever enough to enjoy the best of both worlds. He was tempted to keep Tricki on as a permanent guest. It was a happy period for Dr. Herriot and his friends. He enjoyed eggs for breakfast, and wine and brandy for lunch.
Question 16. Describe Tricki’s stay at Dr. James Herriot’s surgery, highlighting his behaviour and his rapid recovery.
Answer
Dr. Herriot found out quite early what was the real problem with Tricki. He knew that Tricki’s only weakness was his greed for food. He, therefore, wanted Mrs. Pumphrey to keep Tricki on a strict diet and give him plenty of exercises. Dr Herriot instructed her that the dog be hospitalised under his observation for a fortnight. At the surgery, Tricki looked down at the noisy dogs with dull eyes. He lay motionless on the carpet. The other dogs ignored him as an uninteresting object. A bed was made in a warm loose box next to the other dogs. For two days, Dr. Herriot kept an eye on him. He gave him no food but plenty of water. He gave no medical treatment to Tricki.
Dr. Herriot’s practical treatment worked. First, Tricki started taking an interest in his surroundings. His appetite returned. He started running along with the other dogs in the garden joining in their friendly barkings. Then, Tricki’s stay at the surgery became quite enjoyable. His indulgent mistress gave him fresh eggs, wine and brandy. Even Dr. Herriot was tempted to keep Tricki as a permanent guest. However, Tricki’s recovery was quite rapid and he was handed over to his mistress. The grateful Mrs. Pumphrey thanked Dr. Herriot and called his feat “A Triumph of Surgery”.