The Eyes Have It – Ruskin Bond Long Questions & Answers

Long Questions & Answers

1	WHERE WAS THE NARRATOR GOING TO? The narrator was a going to Dehradun and then to Mussoorie.
2	WHY WAS THE GIRL’S ENTRY A GREAT RELIEF FOR THE NARRATOR? The narrator had been traveling all alone in his compartment. He was bored of this lonely journey so the girl’s arrival was a welcome sign for him. Besides, he was fond of talking to people.
3	HOW DID THE NARRATOR LEARN THAT HIS COMPANION IN THE COMPARTMENT WORE SLIPPERS? Blind but a keen observer, the narrator was good at taking every perceptual stimuli from his surroundings. From his experience of sounds, he learnt that the girl who presently got into the compartment wore slippers from the sound of its back slapping against her heels.
4	WHAT WAS EXTRAORDINARY ABOUT THE GIRL’S RELATIVES? The girl’s relatives, a man and woman, probably the girl’s parents, seemed very anxious about her comfort. The woman gave the girl detailed instructions as to where to keep her things, when not to lean out of windows, and how to avoid speaking to strangers.
5	WHAT WAS THE NARRATOR'S FIRST QUESTION TO THE GIRL? HOW DID SHE RESPOND TO THIS? The narrator's first question to the woman was if she was going all the way to Dehra. Probably because he had been sitting in a dark corner that his voice startled the woman. She gave a little exclamation and said that she didn't see him.
6	HOW DOES THE NARRATOR EXPRESS HIS DISCONTENT WITH PEOPLE WHO HAVE EYESIGHT? The narrator is a little disturbed whenever he notices the blindness of the sighted people. Although they are able to see, they don't really observe. It appears that they have too much to take in which causes their blindness to important things in life and in the nature.
7	HOW ARE BLIND PEOPLE DIFFERENT FROM PEOPLE WITH EYESIGHT? While people with eyesight often fail to see the really beautiful and essential things, blind people take in only the essentials, whatever registers tellingly on their remaining senses.

9	WHY DOES THE NARRATOR FEEL THAT PEOPLE WITH GOOD EYE SIGHT FAIL TO SEE WHAT IS IN FRONT OF THEM? Being blind for a good portion of his life, the narrator had learnt wonderful lessons about blindness. He often noticed that people with sight are worse than those without sight. Although they are able to see, sighted people often fail to see things that they should really see. In the modern, fast and furious world, people see only that benefit them materially but fail to see things that give them endless happiness.
10	WHY DID THE NARRATOR BEGIN TO WONDER IF HE WOULD REALLY BE ABLE TO PREVENT THE GIRL FROM DISCOVERING THAT HE WAS BLIND? From his conversation with the girl, the only co-passenger, the narrator learnt that she was a keen observer. Although the narrator had been always able to travel with sighted people without giving out his blindness, this time he began to wonder if the girl would find that out.
11	HOW DOES THE NARRATOR SAY THAT THE HILLS ARE BEAUTIFUL DURING OCTOBER? OR HOW DOES THE NARRATOR DESCRIBE THE HILLS IN OCTOBER? (3 MARKS) The narrator describes the hills as covered with wild dahlias and warmed by sunlight falling on their sides. A visit to those hills is made rich with a little log-­fire and drink a little brandy. With most of the tourists gone and the roads quite and almost deserted, the narrator loves the hills in October.
12	HOW DID THE NARRATOR FEEL AS THE TRAIN APPROACHED SAHARANPUR STATION? The narrator was sad that the girl was getting down at the station. In fact he had been prepared to sit there for almost any length of time for her company. The journey with the girl was one of the most pleasant times in his life. It was such a remarkable time that he did not wish to forget for the rest of his life. The thought that the girl was pretty and beautiful weighed heavily on his sadness. He didn’t feel bored of listening to her. Her voice had the sparkle of a mountain stream.
13	WHAT MAKES US THINK THAT THE NARRATOR WAS A SHARP OBSERVER? The narrator was completely blind yet he had a very sharp observation skill. He was very patient in learning and observing. From each word and sound from the girl-companion, he was able to reach perfect conclusions. It is notable how he was able to guess who had come to see her off at the platform and that she had worn slippers.
14	WHAT WAS WORTH MENTIONING ABOUT THE NEW PASSENGER? The new passenger too was a good observer. He was sympathetic. Unlike the narrator who had the habit of blaming the sighted people for not having eyes to see, the man at once noticed that the girl was blind. He was not a romantic fool as the narrator. He was able to look into the girl’s blind eyes while he had failed to see if she had long hair or short hair.
15	WOULD THE READER HAVE LEARNT THAT THE NARRATOR WAS BLIND IF HE DOESN'T MENTION THAT HIMSELF? No, the narrator's sense of perception was so accurate that he could keep his blindness from the reader for any time. From his description above, one doesn't tumble upon any hint that he was blind if he hadn't given a self-introduction. He uses the words 'couple,' 'probably her parents,' 'a girl got in,' etc. and his description of the couple worried about the girl was also realistic and accurate.