The Last Leaf Important Questions Class 9 Moments English
Short Answer Type Questions
Question 1. Why was the doctor confused about Johnsy’s illness?
Answer
The doctor was confused because no medicine was proving effective on Johnsy.
Answer
Behrman was a sixty year old painter who lived on the ground floor. His masterpiece was the 'Ivy Leaf that he painted on the wall and which looked so real. It was a masterpiece because it saved someone's life though it cost him his own life.
Question 3. What illness did Johnsy have? Who looked after her?
Answer
Johnsy was suffering from pneumonia. Her friend Sue looked after her.
Question 4. Who were Sue and Johnsy? Where did they live?
Answer
Sue and Johnsy were young artist friends who were struggling to establish themselves in the world of art. Both lived in a small flat which was on the third floor of an old house. They shared this place.
Question 5. Do you think the feeling of depression Johnsy has is common among teenagers?
Answer
Life has two aspects i.e. positive and negative. It depends upon us how we take it. Nowadays, it is very common that teenagers are getting depressed because of cut-throat competition. On the other hand, a majority of teenagers who take life positively and face difficulties boldly never lose hope and proceed further.
Question 6. Why does Sue rush down to meet Mr. Behrman?
Answer
Sue rushes down to meet Mr. Behrman, an old painter to pour out her worries regarding Johnsy. She told him about Johnsy's strange fancy how she was convinced that she would die when the last leaf falls.
Question 7. What quality of friendship do you find in Sue as a friend?
Answer
Sue was a loving and earing friend of Johnsy. She was the best friend of her as Sue always provided her mental support. When her friend was obsessed with the thought of dying with the fall of the last leaf on the ivy creeper, she tried to look at the positive side of things. She always convinced her friend to think positively and never think about death. Obviously, she represents true friendships and sacrifice in the story.
Question 8. How did Sue try to revive Johnsy’s interest in things around her?
Answer
Sue talked about clothes and fashions to draw Johnsy’s interest in things around her. She also moved her drawing-board to Johnsy’s room and whistled as she painted, to keep Johnsy’s mind off her illness.
Question 9. What was Johnsy suffering from? Why wasn't Johnsy recovering even after the doctor treated her every day?
Answer
Johnsy was suffering from Pneumonia. Johnsy wasn't recovering from her illness even after the doctor treated her every day because she had made up her mind that she wasn't going to get well. The medicines didn't help her because she didn't want to live.
Question 10. Why was Johnsy counting backwards while looking out of the window?
Answer
Johnsy kept looking out of the window and counted backwards to note the number of leaves left on the ivy-creeper. She believed that she would die when the last leaf fell whereas the leaves were falling in a normal process of nature during the autumn season.
Question 11. How did Johnsy associate herself with the falling of leaves?
Answer
Leaves on the other side of the window were falling one by one. Johnsy was feeling depressed. She had lost her will to get well. She thought that she would die when the last leaf fell from the creeper.
Question 12. What made the doctor come to the flat of Sue and Johnsy?
Answer
Johnsy was severely ill. She was attacked by pneumonia. Her weak body was helpless to bear the severity of the attack. She lay miserable in her bed. But her condition was deteriorating day by day. As her condition had alarmed Sue, he requested the doctor to come and examine her friend Johnsy.
Question 13. ‘I’m tired of waiting.’ Why did Johnsy say so to Sue?
Answer
Johnsy wanted Sue to finish her painting quickly so that she could see the last leaf fall. She believed that she would die with it but this was taking too long. She became tired of waiting for the last leaf to fall.
Question 14. What worried the doctor?
Answer
The doctor was worried because there was no improvement in Johnsy’s condition. He felt that Johnsy was not responding to treatment because she had made up her mind not to do so. He thought she had lost her will to live and hence the medicines would not be useful to her.
Question 15. Why did Sue become worried when Johnsy fell ill?
Answer
Sue became worried because Johnsy would lie in her bed without moving, just gazing out of the window. Johnsy had pneumonia and it seemed curable but her condition indicated otherwise.
Question 16. How did Sue help Johnsy during her illness?
Answer
She tried her best to soothe her friend, talked about clothes and fashion, whistled while working to distract her mind, called the doctor and did her best to get her friend rid of the illness and encouraged her not to lose heart.
Question 17. How did Sue try to convince Johnsy that her belief about dying with the last leaf was nonsense?
Answer
Sue immediately rubbished Johnsy’s belief as nonsense. She tried to convince her by telling her that old ivy leaves had nothing to do with her illness. The doctor too was confident that she would get better.
Question 18. What was Behrman's dream? How did it come true?
Answer
Mr. Behrman's dream was to create a masterpiece. The dream was realised when Johnsy fell ill. He painted a leaf on the other side of her window glass at night and it saved the life of the girl but cost him his own life.
Question 19. Why did Sue seek the promise from Johnsy not to look out of the window while she completed her painting?
Answer
Sue sought this promise because she did not want Johnsy to go deeper into the depression on seeing the ivy leaves fall. Moreover, she could not even pull the curtains to stop Johnsy from looking out as she needed the incoming light to complete her painting and get money for the two of them by selling it.
Question 20. How did Behrman react to Johnsy’s fancy?
Answer
Johnsy had a fancy that she would die when the last leaf fell. Brennan did not like this fancy of Johnsy. He called her fancy mere nonsense. He said that she should not have such absurd ideas.
Question 21. How did Sue react when she learnt about Johnsy's belief regarding the falling leaves of the ivy creeper?
Answer
Sue called Johnsy's belief nonsense because the falling of leaves was quite natural in autumn and had nothing to do with Johnsy's getting well. She was worried about Johnsy's pessimistic view of life.
Question 22. Why was Sue nervous to draw back the window curtains?
Answer
She was worried that the last leaf on the creeper might have fallen off in the wind and snow the previous night and that her friend Johnsy would consider it as a warning that she was also going to die soon.
Question 23. What did Sue and Behrman see from the window of the room next to Johnsy’s?
Answer
Sue and Behrman saw that only one leaf was left on the ivy creeper that was fluttering in the icy-cold wind accompanied by heavy rain. Under such conditions, it was bound to fall anytime soon.
Question 24. How could Johnsy's life be saved?
Answer
No medicines or care could make Johnsy healthy as she felt the last day of her life would be when the last leaf fell from the creeper. Behrman saved her life by painting the last leaf on the wall which never fell.
Question 25. How did Behrman die?
Answer
He died of pneumonia. He had been out in the stormy night, painting a leaf on the creeper outside Johnsy’s window. He came home soaked in the rain and fell ill there. The janitor found him there in the morning.
Question 26. When did Johnsy realise her mistake?
Answer
When Johnsy saw the last leaf intact, she admitted that Sue had looked after her so lovingly and she, in turn, had been a bad, wicked, gloomy, and non-cooperative girl. She had now realised that it was a sin to want to die.
Question 27. 'She is a true and faithful friend.' Comment.
Answer
She loved Johnsy and looked after her like a mother in her state of illness. She helped her get out of depression and was happy with Johnsy's recovery.
Question 28. What news about Behrman did the doctor convey to Sue when he came to examine Johnsy?
Answer
When the doctor came to examine Johnsy, he told Sue that Behrman too was suffering from pneumonia. He said that he was confident of Johnsy’s recovery but feared that there was no hope for Behrman.
Question 29. 'I can't draw the curtain for I need the light.' Who said this? What does `light' symbolise ?
Answer
Sue said this. The light here symbolises hope and optimism. The light could keep her spirit to fight alive. She might also have thought that a dark room would have made Johnsy more hopeless. The will to fight would have completely finished in the absence of light.
Question 30. Which items were found near Behrman when he died? What did this signify?
Answer
A ladder and a lighted lantern were found near Behrman’s bed when he died. There were also some brushes and green and yellow AT paints on the floor near the ladder. This signified that the last green and fresh leaf had been painted by Behrman all through the stormy night.
Question 31. 'It looks quite green and healthy’. What were the cause of the leaf’s colour and freshness?
Answer
The last leaf on the ivy creeper looked quite green and healthy because it was not a real leaf, but a painted one. Behrman had painted it overnight to help save Johnsy’s life.
Long Answer Type Questions
Question 1. What was the reason for Johnsy’s deteriorating health?
Answer
Johnsy suffered an attack of pneumonia in the cold winter month of November. Her illness made her so weak that she went into depression. She would lie still on her bed and keep gazing out of the window. The autumn added to her gloom when she saw the trees shedding leaves. She began to associate her death with the falling leaves and this negative thought deteriorated her health. When she gave up all hope in life, she refused to eat anything and medicines lost their effect. According to the doctor, her recovery depended on her willingness to live. In the absence of determination to get well soon even the medicines failed to affect positively.
Question 2. What values of friendship are prominent in Sue’s character?
Answer
Sue displays the virtues of a true and faithful friend. She and Johnsy were young artist friends who shared a small flat. When Johnsy fell ill, Sue did not spare any effort to nurse her back to health. She exhibited the values of sincerity and commitment to her friend by calling the doctor who would visit them daily to review Johnsy’s condition. She tried to lift Johnsy’s spirits by talking cheerfully to her thus exemplifying the value of unwavering support to a depressed friend.
She would sit beside Johnsy’s bed and paint so that she could earn for herself and Johnsy. She comforted Johnsy and dealt with her cranky behaviour very patiently. With her cheerful disposition and her optimism, she tried her best to reassure Johnsy that the old ivy leaves had nothing to do with her illness. Sensing the seriousness of Johnsy’s health and her state of mind, she at once sought Behrman’s help. Thus, Sue proves to be a compassionate human being and a true friend.
Question 3. How did Behrman save Johnsy’s life?
Answer
Behrman saved Johnsy’s life by sacrificing himself at the altar of art. “The Last Leaf” is about his extreme sacrifice that infuses life in a young depressed woman. Johnsy’s illness was serious but could be cured if she had the will to live. Her falling health was more due to her state of depression than pneumonia. The sixty-year-old painter Behrman took upon himself the difficult responsibility of saving Johnsy. He made a single-handed effort to brave the icy winds and rain to reach the window by climbing a ladder and finally painting a fresh and green leaf that looked natural and real. The readiness with which he gave up his life shows art's unparalleled commitment to talent. He painted the leaf with such passion that it revived the sinking breath of Johnsy. He thus saved Johnsy’s life by sacrificing his own.
Question 4. What did Johnsy believe about the falling leaves? Did Sue believe the same thing?
Answer
Sue and Johnsy were two young artist girls. They had a joint studio. They loved each other like sisters. One day, Johnsy caught pneumonia. There was an ivy creeper on the back wall of the next house. Johnsy could see it through her window. The leaves of this creeper were falling fast in the cold winds. Johnsy developed a fancy that she would also die when the last leaf of the creeper fell. She lost the will to live. Sue came to know of Johnsy’s fancy. She tried her best to cheer up Johnsy. She told her that there was no link between the falling of leaves and her death. She nursed Johnsy with love and care. She told Behrman about Johnsy’s fancy. Behrman was a painter. He painted a leaf on the wall when the last leaf fell. This saved Johnsy’s life. Thus Sue played an important role in saving Johnsy’s life.
Question 5. Compare and contrast the characters of Sue and Johnsy?
Answer
Sue and Johnsy were both artists and good friends. They shared a small flat in an old building. Sue was a very loyal and caring friend. She did everything she could to take care of Johnsy when she fell ill with pneumonia. She not only took care of Johnsy physically but also helped by earning money by selling her paintings. She cooked and ensured that Johnsy received the best treatment.
Johnsy on the other hand appears to have been a depressed and gloomy person, who is very self-absorbed. She did not have the will to fight against her illness and did not respond to the doctor or to Sue’s care and concern. She was highly imaginative and superstitious, as she came to believe that her life was linked to the number of leaves on the creeper outside her window. She believed that she would die the day the last leaf of the creeper fell.
It was because of this stubborn belief that Behrman, an older artist, lost his life when he went out in the storm to paint a leaf onto the creeper so that Johnsy would not realise that the last leaf had actually fallen.
Question 6. “The last leaf is indeed Behrman's masterpiece.” Justify this statement.
Answer
An art which is aesthetically supreme as well as begets the most miraculous change in human lives is a masterpiece. An art that defies being an art but also a reality because of its deceptively real nature is a masterpiece. Behrman's last leaf looked so real that Johnsy could hardly make out that it was a planted piece of art on the creeper, though she understood at the end that it was a piece of art. Ironically, art permanently or permanently captures nature whereas nature is woven into the cycle of birth, growth and death. The last leaf did that which Johnsy and the doctor had failed to do to stir an urge to live in Sue. The last leaf achieved this impossible thing miraculously. It also led Sue to realise that she had been uncooperative with Johnsy. She also realised that 'it is a sin to want to die'. It was Behrman's dream to draw a masterpiece before he died. What can be more appropriately defined as a masterpiece than that which dawned hope and an urge to live in a dying soul? The last leaf by Behrman is indeed a masterpiece as it gave new life to Sue.
Question 7. Justify the title of the story ‘The Last Leaf ‘.
Answer
This is a psychological story. The whole story is based on the last leaf. Johnsy was a young artist girl. She and her friend Sue lived together. One day Johnny caught pneumonia. There was an ivy creeper on the back wall of the next house. From her window, Johnsy watched that creeper. Its leaves were falling fast in the cold winds. Johnsy got a fancy that she would also die when the last leaf of the creeper fell. She lost the will to live. Her condition became worse. Barman, an old painter came to know of this fancy of Johnsy. The next night, the last leaf fell. But the same night Hellman painted a leaf on the wall. It looked like a real leaf. When Johnsy saw that leaf, her will to live returned. That painted leaf saved Johnsy’s life. Thus the leaf plays an important role in the story. So the title of the story ‘The Last Leaf’ is justified.
Question 8. Johnsy felt her survival is related to the falling ivy leaves. Explain how blind beliefs can cause harm to us?
Answer
Johnsy was seriously ill with pneumonia. She was highly depressed and lay in bed looking vacantly out of the window. She would keep watching for hours the creeper up the opposite wall shedding its leaves. She would count the number of leaves left on the creeper. She was obsessed with a foolish superstition. She would die with the fall of the last leaf. The doctor said that she would not recover unless she had a wish to live. It seemed to the doctor that Johnsy had no willingness to live in a state of depression. In such a state, no medicine could save her life. So, the doctor advised Sue to try her best to take her friend out of that state.
Question 9. This story shows the power of the mind. Discuss.
Answer
Yes, the story reveals the power of one’s thoughts and the mind in making us believe in something. In this story, we see that one of the characters, Johnsy, is suffering from pneumonia. She believes that she will not survive, and as a result, even medicines have no effect on her. Even her doctor was worried about her chances of recovery. Later, we see the power of the mind once again when she recovers.
At this point, her belief was that she would only live as long as the last leaf stayed on the creeper. When she sees that the leaf does not fall off despite the wind and stormy conditions, it makes her believe that even she might be able to survive. Even though it is not a real leaf, and was just painted by Behrman, Johnsy draws inspiration from it and slowly gains the will to live. Therefore, the story clearly expresses the power of the mind in changing the course of our lives.
Question 10. Johnsy could not get better despite the efforts made by the doctor and her friend Sue's ministrations. Discuss the negative feelings that keep one ailing and also discuss the values which remove such feelings and infuse a person with a desire to live.
Answer
Johnsy could not get better despite all his efforts. The reason for this was that she had associated herself with the negative feelings. She looked at an ivy creeper outside on the wall shedding its leaves. She started counting backwards from twelve. Sue asked what it was all about. Johnsy said that she would die with the falling of the last leaf. Sue told her that was all nonsense. But it had no effect on Johnsy. She had established a bond of her life with the ivy leaves. She felt she would die when the last leaf fell from the creeper. It was raining heavily and the wind was blowing. It seemed that the last leaf would fall any minute Behrman painted the ivy leaf, putting his own life in danger. Next day, when Johnsy saw the leaf she felt elevated. She was so sorry for being depressing and gloomy. But Behrman had caught pneumonia and died two days later. But his masterpiece had saved the life of Johnsy. The sacrifice of Behrman shows that love, resolution of one's own conflicts, selfless service and realisation inspire one to live.