The Bell class7 icse

 

The Bell 

PRACTISE — Comprehension

A. Answer these questions briefly

1. What did the little girl wish to do?

The little wished to ring the bell in front of the sanctuary at the hour of lamplighting in the temple.

2. What justification did the girl give for her desire to ring the bell?

She said, "If Thangam can ring it, so can I," and added, "We are all equal in the eyes of God."

3. Why did the girl think that the elders had not heard her?

The girl thought that the elders had not heard her because they had already turned away in disgust. However, after lunch she heard them whispering about "that horrid English school she goes to," which meant they had heard her after all — they had simply not taken her seriously.

4. What was the girl's opinion about the adults?

She thought the grown-ups presumed that if they told her she would understand everything when she was older, she would accept their wisdom and authority unquestioningly. She envied and detested their "loathsome habit of not hearing whatever they found inconvenient to answer."

6. Why did the girl accompany her grandmother to the tank?

The girl submitted "with good grace" to the suggestion so that no one would suspect her secret mission of ringing the bell at lamplighting time. She wanted to behave well so she would be allowed to go to the temple in the evening.

7. Pick out words or phrases which show that the girl found the tank loathsome.

·         "slippery stone steps"

·         "the dark green slime at their edges menaced her foothold"

·         "the water had a sullen, dangerous look"

·         "bitterly cold"

·         the tiny fishes "pecking at them viciously, threatening her precarious balance"

8. Why did the girl go through the ritual of hairdressing?

Although she hated it, she endured the uncomfortable ritual of oiling and tight knotting of her hair without complaint, as part of behaving well and keeping her mission a secret. She was thankful none of her school friends could see her like this.

9. Why did she not want Kelu Nair to accompany her?

She felt ridiculous being escorted by the old, toothless major-domo. She reminded her mother that she walked alone to school and went by herself to the bakery when they were back in the town, so being chaperoned embarrassed her.

10. Describe the girl's actions as soon as the temple door was flung open.

Before she could regret her decision, she elbowed herself quickly through the untouchable circle of Namboodiri women, nearly floundered on the slippery steps, reached up, rang the bell with one resounding clang, and was down the steps before Kelu Nair realised what was happening.

11. How did the girl feel after ringing the bell?

She felt wondrously light-hearted and excitingly happy. She paid no heed to Kelu Nair's curses or the warnings of her great-grandmother's wrath, feeling as if a thousand voices were singing within her.

12. Do you think the girl defied the temple norms just because she studied in an English school?

Not entirely. Her English education gave her the idea of equality, but her rebellion came from her own strong sense of fairness. She genuinely believed that all are equal in the eyes of God and that a custom permitting only the priest's daughter to ring the bell was unjust.

B. Answer these questions with reference to the context

1. "'Besides,' she added, goading them deliberately, 'we are all equal in the eyes of God.' She was not quite sure whether they had heard this bit, for they had already turned away in disgust..."

a. Who is 'she'?
She is the young girl who is the protagonist of the story.

b. Whom was she talking to?
She was talking to the grown-ups of her household during the argument over lunch.

c. What did she want to prove?
She wanted to prove that no one has a special right before God — if Thangam, the priest's daughter, could ring the bell, she could too, because everyone is equal in God's eyes.

d. Who are 'they'? Why had 'they' turned away in disgust?
'They' are the grown-ups of the family. They turned away in disgust because they were shocked that a little girl dared to compare herself with the priest's daughter and challenge age-old custom.

2. "Today, she circled it hurriedly, her mind full of her secret mission, and almost ran along provoking an incomprehensible torrent of protest from Kelu Nair, who could not keep up with her."

a. What did she circle?
She circled the small, obstinately closed sanctuary of Krishna.

b. Why did she circle it hurriedly?
Her mind was full of her secret mission — to ring the bell at the hour of lamplighting — so she was in a great hurry to reach the main sanctuary and could not wait.

c. Who was Kelu Nair?
Kelu Nair was the old, toothless major-domo (long-serving chief servant) of the household, who was instructed to escort her to the temple.

d. What was her secret mission?
Her secret mission was to ring the temple bell in front of the sanctuary at the hour of lamplighting, defying the elders and temple custom.

3. "She was in dire disgrace. Their tight-lipped silence was more eloquent than speech, as was the conspicuous absence of her favourite tiny pappadams at dinner..."

a. Why was she in disgrace?
She was in disgrace because she had rung the temple bell — an act reserved for Thangam, the priest's daughter — in front of everyone at the sacred hour of lamplighting.

b. What do you understand by 'the tight-lipped silence was more eloquent than speech'?
It means their silent, pointed refusal to speak to her expressed their anger and disapproval more clearly and strongly than any words of scolding could have done.

c. Why were the pappadams missing?
Her favourite tiny pappadams, specially ordered for her every holiday, were deliberately withheld at dinner as a punishment — a conspicuous sign of her disgrace.

d. What does the 'tight-lipped silence' reveal about 'them'?
It reveals that the family was rigid and orthodox. Their dignity did not permit open scolding; instead, discipline was imposed through cold, expressive silence that everyone was expected to understand.

C. Answer these questions

1. In what way do you think the opening sentence of the story is significant?

The opening sentence — "An unusual sense of excitement pervaded her visit to the temple this evening" — signals a break from routine. It tells us at once that this visit has a special purpose (her secret mission) and creates suspense about what she is planning to do.

2. What can you gather about the girl's family?

Her family is a traditional, orthodox Kerala (Namboodiri) joint household, deeply bound by custom, hierarchy and ritual — with a great-grandmother, grandmother, mother and servants like Kelu Nair. They are conservative and resent the modern influences of "that horrid English school."

3. Why did the girl say, 'we are all equal in the eyes of God'?

She said it as her strongest argument against the custom that allowed only the priest's daughter to ring the bell. She genuinely believed that God does not distinguish between people by birth, caste or status, so the rule was unfair.

4. What did the girl's family mean when they said, 'that horrid English school that she goes to'?

They meant that her modern, English education was responsible for filling her head with ideas of equality and making her rebellious against tradition and caste customs. They blamed the school for her defiance.

5. Why do you think Kelu Nair was asked to accompany the girl?

As the major-domo of the household, Kelu Nair was both her protector and the guardian of custom. He was asked to accompany her to keep an eye on her and make sure she behaved exactly as tradition demanded at the temple.

6. Explain: 'strategic blend of authority and appeal'.

Sometimes, by cleverly mixing firmness (authority) with coaxing and persuasion (appeal), the girl could make Kelu Nair walk a few steps behind her and pretend he did not belong to her — though this was something she rarely achieved.

7. Whose 'dark looks' and 'subdued murmurs' are referred to in the story? Why are the looks dark and murmurs subdued?

They belonged to the Namboodiri women and the other devotees at the temple. The looks were dark because they strongly disapproved of her breach of sanctity, and the murmurs were subdued because it was the sacred hour of lamplighting and loud protest would itself have been irreverent.

8. What do you think is the difference between 'tight-lipped silence' of the family and the silence that the girl felt within her?

The family's silence was cold, punishing and full of anger and disapproval. The silence within the girl was joyful — "filled with a thousand voices singing" — full of happiness and the sweet satisfaction of having carried out her mission.

9. Did she feel any guilt after doing what she did? Give reasons.

No, she felt no guilt at all. She felt wondrously light-hearted and excitingly happy, and was "quite, quite sure that the golden god within the temple, in whose eyes all are equal, had accepted her gesture with love."

10. Do you think the girl did the right thing? Give reasons for your answer.

(Subjective answer) Yes, in principle she did the right thing. She stood up courageously against an exclusionary custom that had no fair basis, and she harmed no one. One could argue that persuasion might have been better than open defiance — but the story presents her act as a brave, childlike blow for equality.

11. Whom do you think the author supported—the girl or her family? Give reasons for your answer.

The author clearly supported the girl. The entire story is told through her feelings and perceptions, and the ending is filled with her joy — "a thousand voices singing within her" — while the family's anger remains petty (the missing pappadams). This shows the author's sympathy lies with the girl's rebellion for equality.

12. Why do you think the author did not give names to the girl and the members of her family?

By leaving them unnamed, the author makes the girl a universal figure — any child, anywhere — so that the conflict between tradition and equality becomes general rather than personal. It helps every reader identify with her.

13. Do you think the author has also highlighted the contrast between the village and the city life? Give reasons from the text to support your answer.

Yes. In the town, she walks alone to school and goes by herself to the bakery to buy sweets and cakes — independent and modern. In the village, she is oiled and tightly groomed, escorted by Kelu Nair, and bound by rituals like the tank bath and temple customs. This contrast highlights the freedom of city life against the restrictions of traditional village life.

PERFECT — Vocabulary

A. Find out the meanings of these words.

1.      Edakka — a small hourglass-shaped drum played with one hand, used in Kerala temple music; a percussion instrument.

2.      Ayyappa — a Hindu deity worshipped chiefly in Kerala; many Kerala temples have sanctuaries dedicated to him.

3.      Namboodiri — a Brahmin community of Kerala, traditionally temple priests and landowners; the girl's household in the story belongs to this community.

4.      Pappadams — thin, crisp, round fried wafers (papads) made of lentil or rice flour, served as an accompaniment to meals in Kerala; the girl's favourite food.