Email:learnwith@introspectiveenglish.com
Physical address:
Durgapur, India
Introspective English
Prepare, Practise and Participate
Introspective English
Prepare, Practise and Participate
Karma by Khushwant Singh: Summary, Questions, and Answers
Karma
About the story
- The short story ‘Karma’ is taken from ‘The Collected Stories’ by Khushwant Singh in 1989.
- This is a fictional story that is told from the third-person point of view.
- This story depicts a glimpse of India under British aristocracy, in which a few sophisticated people had many attachments.
- This title story teaches us that the fruit of one’s actions determines one’s destiny. It also enriches us with a moral, “Pride comes before a fall”.
- At the end of the story, Sir Mohan Lal fails to make his journey in the first-class compartment of the train. His actions took him to an inevitable nemesis. So, this story ends with an ironic turn of the wheel of fate.
Word-Meaning:
♦patronage-support, ♦inefficient-unskilled, ♦indifferent-unconcerned, ♦carnation-a reddish pink flower, ♦ livery-uniform, ♦ruminate-think deeply
A. Answer the following questions in a complete sentence:
Study notes
Short Answer Type Questions
1. What was Mohan Lal’s profession?
Answer: Mohan Lal was a vizier and a barrister by profession.
2. What did Lachmi take out from her brass carrier before the train’s arrival?
Answer: Lachmi took out a bundle of cramped chapattis and some mango pickles from her brass carrier before the train arrived.
3. What is zenana?
Answer: Zenana is a middle-class train compartment that is only reserved for ladies.
4. Where was the Zenana compartment?
Answer: The zenana compartment was next to the guard’s van, at the tail end of the train.
5. What was Lachmi chewing?
Answer: Lachmi was chewing a betel leaf.
6. Where did Sir Mohan buy his suit from?
Answer: Sir Mohan bought his suit from Saville Row.
7.“Koi hai!”—Who said this and to whom?
Answer: Mohan Lal said this to the bearer.
8.“You are a bit of all right, old chap.”- Who is the ‘old chap’?
Answer: Sir Mohan Lal is the ‘old chap’.
9. What kind of perfume did Sir Mohan use?
Answer: Sir Mohan used Eau de cologne.
10.“Get the nigger out.”- Who is called ‘nigger’ here?
Answer: Sir Mohan Lal is called ‘nigger’ here.
11. Who threw Sir Mohan’s suitcase onto the platform?
Answer: The English soldiers, Bill and Jim threw Sir Mohan’s suitcase onto the platform.
12. Why was Sir Mohan dismayed after getting into the coupe?
Answer: Sir Mohan was dismayed after getting into the coupe because the coupe was empty.
14. Who struck Sir Mohan in the face?
Answer: Jim struck Sir Mohan in the face.
15. What was Lachmi fond of?
Ans: Lachmi was fond of betel leaf and a little gossip.
16. Why was Sir Mohan dismayed after getting into the coupe?
Ans: Sir Mohan was dismayed after getting into the coupe because the coupe was empty.
17. Why did Sir Mohan’s face show a sign of excitement when he saw two English soldiers?
Ans: Sir Mohan’s face showed a sign of excitement when he saw two English soldiers because he thought he would have a good chat with them.
Answer: Mohan Lal was a vizier and a barrister by profession.
2. What did Lachmi take out from her brass carrier before the train’s arrival?
Answer: Lachmi took out a bundle of cramped chapattis and some mango pickles from her brass carrier before the train arrived.
3. What is zenana?
Answer: Zenana is a middle-class train compartment that is only reserved for ladies.
4. Where was the Zenana compartment?
Answer: The zenana compartment was next to the guard’s van, at the tail end of the train.
5. What was Lachmi chewing?
Answer: Lachmi was chewing a betel leaf.
6. Where did Sir Mohan buy his suit from?
Answer: Sir Mohan bought his suit from Saville Row.
7.“Koi hai!”—Who said this and to whom?
Answer: Mohan Lal said this to the bearer.
8.“You are a bit of all right, old chap.”- Who is the ‘old chap’?
Answer: Sir Mohan Lal is the ‘old chap’.
9. What kind of perfume did Sir Mohan use?
Answer: Sir Mohan used Eau de cologne.
10.“Get the nigger out.”- Who is called ‘nigger’ here?
Answer: Sir Mohan Lal is called ‘nigger’ here.
11. Who threw Sir Mohan’s suitcase onto the platform?
Answer: The English soldiers, Bill and Jim threw Sir Mohan’s suitcase onto the platform.
12. Why was Sir Mohan dismayed after getting into the coupe?
Answer: Sir Mohan was dismayed after getting into the coupe because the coupe was empty.
14. Who struck Sir Mohan in the face?
Answer: Jim struck Sir Mohan in the face.
15. What was Lachmi fond of?
Ans: Lachmi was fond of betel leaf and a little gossip.
16. Why was Sir Mohan dismayed after getting into the coupe?
Ans: Sir Mohan was dismayed after getting into the coupe because the coupe was empty.
17. Why did Sir Mohan’s face show a sign of excitement when he saw two English soldiers?
Ans: Sir Mohan’s face showed a sign of excitement when he saw two English soldiers because he thought he would have a good chat with them.
Long Answer Type Questions
1. Write a short note on the Character of Sir Mohan Lal.
Answer: In the short story, “Karma”, Sir Mohan Lal has been portrayed as a sophisticated and dignified gentleman who calls himself distinguished, efficient, and handsome. He regards Indians as inefficient, dirty, and indifferent and feels himself superior to the normal Indians.
He has attained the mindset and manners of the Englishman like their sangfroid, manners, and attitude. He likes to show off his love for the British and likes to chat about books, politics, and people with them. He hates all Indian things and feels ashamed of his Indian wife who can neither speak English nor can follow British manners. He thinks that being an Indian is shameful. So, He is an arrogant man who looks down on his fellow countrymen including his wife, and embraces the English ways and culture instead of the normal Indian ways of life.
2. Describe the Character of Lady Lal.
Answer: In the short story, “Karma”, Lady Lal is portrayed as a down-to-earth person who represents a typical Indian woman. She does not know English manners and finds discomfort in the company of the British and Anglicized Indians. She feels good about her motherland and native culture.
Though Lady Lal is the wife of such a distinguished and Anglicized person like Sir Mohan Lal, she prefers to travel in the Zenana-inter-class compartment. She is lonely in life, but She is satisfied. Sir Mohan Lal’s disregard for Lady Lal is only due to her simplicity and illiteracy, but She is unchangeable. She hails the bearers or the coolie as ‘brother’, and talks to them with simplicity. She is talkative, down-to-earth, and unsophisticated. She stands for an ordinary Indian woman who is faithful to her culture, heritage, and lifestyle.
3. Write the significance of the title of the short story ‘Karma’ by Khushwant Singh.
Answer: Karma by Khuswant Singh is a short story that discusses education on the Law of Karma. Karma is the story of Sir Mohan Lal who sees himself as an English gentleman. He tries to idolize foreign languages, cultures, and behavior but neglects his roots and his identity as an Indian. He speaks in English or Anglicised Hindustani and does not accept his wife Lachmi, an illiterate ordinary middle-class Indian woman who is unable to grasp foreign culture. He had a reservation of everything like English cigarettes, Whiskey, The Times News Paper, and clothing. At the end of the story he is thrown out of the train with his luggage by two British soldiers with whom he was optimistic of having an impressive conversation, but his wife Lachmi enjoys her journey in her inter-class Zenana Compartment contentedly without any hindrance.
In the story, Mohan Lal’s sin of pride is punished when the two English soldiers call him a ‘nigger’ and throw him out of the first class compartment and his wife’s karma enables her to have a safe and comfortable journey in a ladies’ compartment. Both of them have created their fate by their deeds. Thus the title is significant.
4. How did Sir Mohan Lal feel when he saw two Englishmen coming up to the coupe? Why was he half smiling and half protesting?
Answer: When he saw two English soldiers Sir Mohan’s face showed a sign of excitement and he thought he would have a good chat with them. He decided to welcome them by talking to the guard though they were entitled to travel only second class and he was very eager to have an impressive conversation with Englishmen.
Sir Mohan was half smiling as he wanted to show his generosity to two Englishmen and wanted them to be thankful. He was half protesting because they called him a ‘nigger’ and wanted him out of the first-class compartment.
Exercise
A. Answer the following questions in a complete sentence:
1. How much rupees did Lachmi give to the coolie?
2. Whom did Sir Mohan meet in the compartment of the train?
3. Where does Zenana stop?
4. What is Balliol tie?
5. Why did Lachmi stop by the hawker’s stall?
6. How long did Mr. Mohanlal stay in England?
7. Whom did the address of the mirror as ‘Old Chap’?
8.“Are you traveling alone, sister?”-Who asked and to whom?
9. How was the mirror in the waiting room?
B. Answer the following in 100 words:
1.“Preposterous, Preposterous!” he shouted–––Who shouted and why? What was the result?
2. Discus how far the title of the story ‘Karma’ is appropriate.
3. What did Sir Mohan Lal do after the arrival of the train? How does Khushwant Singh bring out Sir Mohan’s obsession with English?
4. Write a short Character Sketch of Sir Mohan Lal from his conversation with himself in front of the mirror.
5. How did Sir Mohan try to impress any Englishman traveling with him?
6. Narrate briefly the manhandling and humiliation of Sir Mohan Lal by two junior English soldiers.
C. Do as directed:
1. It gave her great joy to play the teacher to Sidda. (Split into two simple sentences)
2.“ Keep your muddy mouth shut! ”Jim said to Sir Mohan. (Change the narration)
3.“Get the nigger out”, he muttered to his companion. (Change the narration)
4. She dismissed the coolie. (Change the voice)
5.“Are the trains very crowded on these lines?” Lady Lal asked. (Change the mode of narration)
6.Lachmi chatted away merrily.(Use the adjective form of merrily)
7. Lachmi was shorter than average Indian women. (Change into a negative sentence)