THE BLUE BEAD

-NORAH BURKE
Short Answer Questions
Passage 1

Sibia was eating the last of her meal,chuppati wraped round a smear of green chilli and rancid butter
and she divided this also, to make it seem more, and bitit, showing straight white teeth. With her
ebony hair and great eyes and her skin of oiled brown cream, she was a happy immature child-woman
above 12 years old. Bare foot, ofcourse, and often goosey-cold on a winter morning, and born to toil.

1. Were did Sibia live? How was she depressed? What ddi her last meal consist of?
2. What Sibia like to buy. Why?
3. Describe Sibia's physical appearance?
4. What did she look at when she passed before the sweat meat stall?
5. What ddi Sibia like to tasta at home? What drink did she like to have at home?

Passage 2

Chattering as they went the woman followed the dusty track towards the river. On their way, they
passed a Gujar encampment of grass huts where these nomadic graziers would live for a time until
their animals had perhaps finished all the easy grazing within reach or they were not able to sell
enough of their white butter and white milk in the district or there was no one to buy the young male
buffaloes fo tiger-bait.

1. What did the women pass by when they went toards the river?
2. What did the Gujar women wear?
3. Where had the Gujar men and boys gone?
4. What did Sibia notice about the buffaloes that the Gujar men left behind?
5. Why are the Gujars aclled junglis?

Passage 3

The women came out on the stoe and made for the stepping stones. They had plenty to laugh and
bicker about, as they approached the river in a noisy crowd. They jirded up their skirts so as to jump
from stone to stone, and they clanked their sickles and forks together over their shoulders to have ease
of movements . They shouted their quarrels above the gush of the river.

1. How had the ancestors of the gujars been getting their living?
2. How did the woman cross the river?
3. In wha mood did the woman cross the river?
 4. What frightens the crocodile's? Why did the big crocodile not move?
5. What had the women to do to get at the grass? Name the different animals that lived in the
river?

Passage 4

The big crocodile fed mostly on fish, but also on deer and monkeys drink,perhaps a duck or two . But
sometimes hear at the ford he fed on a pie dog full of parasites or a skeleton cow. And sometimes he
went doen to the burning ghats and found the half burned bodies if Indians cast into the stream.

1. Where did the crocodile come to rest?

2. Why ddi the big crocodile lie motionless in the river?
3. What did the big crocodile feed on?
4. Why ddi the crocodile sometime go down to the burning ghats?
5. What was a blue bead?

Long Answer Questions

1. How ddi Sibia a young girl of twelve save the life of a gujar women?
2. What was the heroic act that Sibia did? What did she think about her heroic act?
3. Prove by quoting from the text that Sibia is a selfless, bold,modest and humble girl?
4. Why did the writer begin his story with a detailed description of the crocodile before shifting
to Sibia's act of heroism?Explain?
5. Show how the story shows a conflict between humans and nature?
6. Can we say that it is a story about heroism and a true soldier?
7. Show how the story demonstrates that a good deed begets good?
8. Describe the picture of India given by author?
9. Give a detailed character sketch of Sibia in the story?
10. What was the difference between Gujar women and Sibia?
11. How has the setting influenced the story?
12. How does the story "Blue Bead" depict the theme "where there is a will there is a way"?
13. Suspence and visual images in the story "Blue Bead"?