The Eyes Have It by Ruskin Bond - Textual Questions and Answers D.A.Q. (Set

The Eyes Have It

Ruskin Bond

Textual Questions and Answers

D.A.Q. (Set – 02)

8. “So many things were happening outside the window, it could be a fascinating game.” - What could be a fascinating game? When did the narrator think so? What things did the narrator perceive as the train reached and left Saharanpur?

Answer: Since the narrator was blind, looking out and pretending that he could see and also had to guess what went on outside the window of the train was a fascinating game to him.

The narrator thought so when the girl got off at Saharanpur and a new traveller boarded the compartment. The narrator sat in front of the window and stared into the daylight that was the darkness to him.

As the train reached Saharanpur station, the narrator heard the shouting of porters and vendors and a shrill female voice near the carriage door, perhaps that of the girl’s aunt. There occurred confusion in the doorway while a man was getting into the compartment. As the train was leaving Saharanpur station, the narrator perceived the speed of the train, the song of the wheels and the groan of the carriage.

Who is the girl? When did she get up? Why did she get up to collect her things? What had the speaker thought about the brief encounter he had with a girl?

Answer: The girl is the blind co-passenger of the narrator. She accompanies the narrator from Rohana to Saharanpur.

The girl got up from her seat when the engines whistle strike and the carriage wheels changed their sounds and rhythm.

The girl got up to collect her things since the train was approaching Saharanpur station, her destination.

The speaker thought that he would cherish the brief encounter for the rest of the journey and even for a while after that. He grew so fond of the girl within such a short span of time that he was ready to sit in the train for almost any length of time, just to hear the girl talking. He thought that the girl would forget their short meeting as soon as she would get down at Saharanpur because she expressed relief at the journey being not a long one. She also remarked that she did not like to sit in a train for more than two or three hours. It is very clear that the encounter bore different meanings to the two of them.

10. She was an interesting girl – who said this to whom and when? What else did the person say? What reply did he get?

Answer: The narrator of Ruskin bonds short story “The Eyes Have It” said this to his second co-passenger, a man who boarded the train at Saharanpur. When the man said he was not as attractive as the passenger who had just got off the train, the speaker said the above quoted line.

The narrator asked his second fellow passenger, if he could tell him whether the girl, who got down from the train a few minutes back kept her hair long or short.

Hearing the question the second fellow traveller got puzzled. He replied that he did not remember the length of the girl’s hair since it did not catch his attention.

He said that he noticed the beautiful eyes of the girl. The twist of the story was revealed when the man told the narrator that the girl's eyes were undoubtedly beautiful which is almost impossible for a common man to describe. But sadly, the girl's eyes were useless, because she was completely blind.

11.

- Whose reverie is referred to here? What was the reverie about? How was the reverie broken?

Answer: The reverie of the blind narrator is referred to here.

The reverie was about the brief meeting with the girl who boarded the train at Rohana. The narrator was daydreaming about his short and sweet interaction with the girl and how they exchanged views on various topics like the beauty of the hills in October, landscape view from outside the train window etc. The narrator felt that the brief meeting would stay with him for a long time.

The male passenger who boarded the train at Saharanpur broke into the narrative reverie by saying that the narrator must be disappointed as he was not nearly as attractive a travelling companion as the one who just left.

12. She was completely blind. Didn’t you notice? - Who said this to whom? When was this said? Bring out the irony that is revealed in the quoted line.

Answer: The quoted line was said by the second passenger who boarded the train from Saharanpur. And the line in question is told to the narrator.

After boarding the train, the second co-passenger told the narrator that the narrator must be disappointed because he was not nearly as attractive a travelling companion as the one who just left. In reply, the narrator asked about the girl’s hair whether it was plaited or kept in bun. The fellow traveller got a little confused hearing the question. He replied by saying that he noticed the eyes of the girl and not her hair because she had beautiful eyes. He further said that the girl’s eyes were of no use to her since she was completely blind.

Throughout the journey the narrator tried to hide from the girl the fact that he was blind. But when the new co-passenger revealed the truth he realized that all his attempts to keep his blindness a secret were useless and fate had played a clear prank on him.

13. Give a brief sketch of the conversation between the narrator and the girl.

Answer: The narrator of Ruskin Bond's short story "The Eyes Have It," was traveling in an empty train carriage. A girl entered Rohana. Annoyed by the solitude, the narrator, thrilled at the possibility of a conversation with the girl, asked her if she was going to Dehra. The girl said in surprise that she was unaware of his presence in the carriage.

The narrator was careful about his blindness and wished to hide it from others. So, he told the girl that he only heard her coming inside. The girl then informed him that she would land at Saharanpur where she was supposed to meet her aunt. The narrator, who was trying to befriend the girl, replied that he would not try to be too familiar with her then because the aunt was easily a scary animal.

The girl later expressed her desire to go to Mussoorie and told the narrator that she was very lucky to go there. The narrator in the answer gave a brief but beautiful description of maturity in October. He pretended to look out of the train window at his request and said some stylish scenes with confidence. Nature even complemented the girl by saying that she had an attractive face.

The girl was impressed by the narrator's admiration and admitted that it was nice to hear the comment because she told people she was tired of having a beautiful face. Eventually the girl got up and expressed relief as it was a short journey and said goodbye to the narrator in Saharanpur. Thus their conversation ended abruptly.

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👉 The Eyes Have It - D.A.Q. (Set– 02)

👉 The Eyes Have It - S.A.Q. (Marks – 01)

👉 The Eyes Have It - D.A.Q. (Marks – 05)

👉 The Eyes Have It - (Textual Grammar) Questions

👉 The Eyes Have It - M.C.Q (Mock Test)