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(Footprints without Feet)(Chapter - 1) (A Triumph of Surgery), (Class - 10), Read and Find Out - I, Question 1:, Why is Mrs Pumphrey worried about Tricki?, . Answer 1:, Mrs Pumphrey was worried about Tricki. She was shocked to see Tricki because she looked bloated, like a sausage. His tongue was rolling out of his mouth. It looked like he had no energy in his body, and was suffering from malnutrition. It even refused its favourite dishes and had bouts of vomiting., It spent all its time lying on the rug and panting., Question 2:, What does she do to help him? Is she wise in this?, . Answer 2:, She had made her plans. According to her the only way to help Tricki was to get in him out of the, house and be hospitalised for a night. Yes, her decision to call the doctor for help was wise. She, swooned and wailed, but let the dog go with the doctor. Ultimately, the doctor was successful in, curing Tricki., Question 3:, Who does 'I' refer to in this story?, . Answer 3:, In this story, T refers to the veterinary surgeon, Mr Herriot., Read and Find Out - II, Question 1:, Is the narrator as rich as Tricki's mistress?, LAnswer 1:, Though it is not clearly stated but there are instances in the story which suggest that the narrator, is not as rich as Tricki's mistress, Mrs Pumphrey. While the narrator provides Tricki with a warm, loose box as a bed, Tricki had 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 thingsat, Mrs Pumphrey's house. 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., On hearing from the doctor about Tricki's gradual recovery, Mrs Pumphrey sends two dozen eggs, at a time, along with bottles of wine and brandy 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". All these instances point to the fact that Mrs Pumphrey, lived a luxurious life., Question 2:, How does he treat the dog?, . Answer 2:, The doctor gave Tricki no food and no medicine, 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., One day the doctor saw Tricki licking the empty shining bowls of the other dogs. Next day, doctor, 1

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(Footprints without Feet) (Chapter 1) (A Triumph of Surgery), (Class - 10), kept 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 3:, Mrs Pumphrey had started bringing around eggs to build Tricki's strength along with bottles of wine, and brandy. 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 the 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 4:, 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 from a, weak dog who was lazy all the time with his tongue rolling out of his mouth. When Tricki saw her,, it leaped 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, 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 1:, I think Mr. Herriot, a veterinary surgeon is a very tactful person. He knows how to deal with people., He has the capability to indulge himself well to the circumstances. He immediately understand, Tricki's problem. Tricki doesn't suffer from any sort of illness. The main cause of its illness is, overfeeding. He takes the dog to his surgery. There he keeps it in natural environment. The dog gets, well under his supervision and natural environment of surgery., Question 2:, Do you think Tricki was happy to go home? What do you think will happen now?, E Answer 2:, Tricki had a good time with other dogs in the surgery. But indeed Tricki was even happier to go, home. We can make out from that instance when Mrs. Pumphrey came to take Tricki, it saw her and, leaped into her laps and started licking her face., Tricki was brought into the surgery for treatment. But it got cured in two days without any, medication. The proper diet and regular exercise helped a lot in its speedy recovery. Tricki regained, its best health and was no longer listless., Now, I think same pampering will start again. Mrs. Pumphrey will take excessive care of the dog and, again overfeed it., 2

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(Footprints without Feet)(Chapter - 1) (A Triumph of Surgery), (Class - 10), Question 3:, Do you think this is a real-life episode, or mere fiction? Or is it a mixture of both?, EAnswer 3:, This story could be a mixture of both: real life episode and a mere fiction. Mrs. Pumphrey is a rich, lady and has a pet dog. It is because of her pampering that she overfeeds her dog which results in, its illness. Although she has good intention in her mind but excess of everything is bad. This episode, can be treated as a fiction who do not take it seriously. It can be called real life for those parents, who take excessive care of their child., Talk about it, 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 1:, This episode describes the silly behaviour of a rich wealthy woman who is foolish. This may be, because of her loneliness. She is ignorant about results of her actions. The intentions might be good, but their excessive love and affection for someone can lead to severe consequences., Question 2:, Do you think there are also parents like Mrs Pumphrey?, C Answer 2:, Yes there are parents who are over 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 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 3:, (i) If I had been member of Mrs. Pumphrey's household, I would have felt very happy. Things would, have been very royal at times. As her only concern would have Tricki, so they could have enjoyed, royal treat. At time her behaviour could have been also a nuisance. Her over-concern would have, made her angry at the slightest negligence., (ii) Being her neighbour it would have been a great disturbance. There would have been chaos all, around. I would never wish to be a neighbour of Mr. Pumphrey., Question 4:, What would you have done if you were in the narrator's place?, Answer 4:, If I had been in place of the narrator, I would have also shown deep concern for Tricki. The narrator, does the best he could do for his profession. I would have taken Tricki to some open place in, countryside and made him run. Try to provide a positive attitude in the mind of Tricki., 3