On the face of It Class 12 English Exam Questions

Please refer to the below On the face of It important questions for Class 12 English. These questions and answers have been prepared as per the latest NCERT Book for Class 12 English. Students should go through chapter wise Class 12 English Important Questions designed as per the latest examination pattern issued by CBSE. 

Chapter Summary of On the face of It

• The play depicts beautifully yet grimly the sad world of the physically impaired.

• It is not the actual pain or inconvenience caused by a physical impairment that troubles a disabled man but the attitude of the people around him.

• Two physically impaired people, Mr. Lamb with a tin leg and Derry with a burnt face, strike a band of friendship.

• Derry is described as a young boy shy, withdrawn and defiant.

• People tell him inspiring stories to console him but no one shows genuine behavior towards him.

• Derry mentions about a woman telling that only a mother can love such a face.

• Mr. Lamb revives the almost dead feelings of Derry towards life.

• He motivates him to think positively about life, changes his mind set about people and things.

• How a man locked himself as he was scared-a picture fell off the wall and killed him.

• Everything appears to be the same but is different- Ex. of bees and weeds

• The gate of the garden is always open.

• Derry is inspired and promises to come back.

• Derry’s mother stops him but he is adamant saying if he does not go now it would be never.

• When he comes back he sees lamb lying on the ground

• It is ironical that when he searches a new foothold to live happily, he finds Mr. Lamb dead.

• In this way the play depicts the heart rendering life of physically disabled people with their loneliness, aloofness and alienation.

• But at the same time it is almost a true account of the people who don’t let a person live happily.

Question. The actual pain or inconvenience caused by a physical impairment is often much less than the sense of alienation felt by the person with disabilities. What is the kind of behavior that the person expects from others ?
Answer. A person with any physical impairment can live life with respect and honor, if he is not ridiculed and ignored by the society. He expects empathy rather than sympathy. If everyone looks down at him with a pessimistic approach, he may never be able to come out of his sorrow, and consequently, recline to his own secluded world. Being under tremendous mental and emotional pressure he expects other to be more understanding rather than reminding him of his disability. In the play, Derry and Mr. Lamb, are caught in a similar situation. Mr. Lamb, as an adult, is able to cope with such problems, but Derry, being a child, is not able to untangle this web alone. He develops a strong liking for this old man because he gets morale and emotional strength from him.

Question. Comment on the moral value of the play?
Answer. The moral of the play is very loud and clear. The physically disabled should focus on the brighter side of life and not to brood over the shortcomings. The society should accept them as they are. Their social interactions should also be expanded so that that they can fight out the loneliness, depression and disappointment.

Question. Will Derry get back to his old seclusion or will Mr. Lamb’s brief association effect a change in the kind of life will lead in the future ?
Answer. The brief association of Derry with Mr. Lamb boosted his self-confidence and helped him to respect his own self. He undergoes a remarkable change and start to think optimistically. He defends the old man for encouraging him. He tells his mother that his looks are not important and he has learnt to accept himself. He craves to become self sufficient. It is not likely that the death of Mr. Lamb would take him back to his secluded life. This big change is definitely here to stay and would not be undone due to setbacks. The entire conversation between the two is would not be undone due to setbacks. The entire conversation between the two is passing of wisdom from one generation to other.

Question. Who is Derry? What self-opinion does he hold?
Answer. Derek, also called Derry is a young boy of fourteen. He is a quiet, shy and defiant boy. One side of his face is totally burnt by acid. He is a victim of inferiority complex induced by insensitive behavior of so-called civilized society.

Question. How does Lamb try to remove the baseless fears of Derry?
Answer. Mr. Lamb influences Derry by his optimistic philosophy. He advises him not to give attention on other’s comments, try to be internally pure and strong and eliminate the negativity of life by seeing the beautiful side of it.

Question. What is it that draws Derry towards Mr. Lamb in spite of himself ?
Answer. Derry was a young boy whose face was mutilated by acid which shattered his self confidence and therefore could not face the world normally. He preferred to stay in solitude resulting in an isolation from the society. He met Mr. Lamb an old man by chance who did not show any dislike or horror at his look which surprised him. Although he wanted to leave the garden but the old man’s interesting and ‘peculiar’ conversation stoped him from leaving he also noticed that Mr. Lamb who was crippled of one leg never gave up and was living a happy life despite being mocked by the people Mr. Lamb spoke words of encouragement and hope and made him aware of his physical strength and explained the importance of emotional well-being which gave him a moral strength.

Question. Why does Derry’s mother stop him going to Mr. Lamb?
Answer. Derry’s mother does not hold a good opinion about Mr. Lamb. She has heard many things about the old man, therefore stops Derry to visit Mr. Lamb.

Question. Why does Derry go back to Mr. Lamb in the end?
Answer. Mr. Lamb is the only person capable of giving him right attitude to live in spite of physical impairment. He has learnt to ignore all the comments and opinions of others aimed at inflicting negativity in him. He now no longer cares about his burned face or looks. He is more concerned what he thinks, feels and what he wants to hear and see. So he goes back to Mr. Lamb in the end to fulfil his promise.

Question. In which section of the play does Mr. Lamb display signs of loneliness and disappointment?
What are the ways in which Mr. Lamb tries to overcome these feelings ?
Answer. Although the loneliness of Derry dominates the play, there are evident traces of Mr. Lamb’s loneliness throughout the first scene of the play. The old man says that having heard the bees for a ‘long time’ he knows that they ‘sing’, not buzz. It not only depicts how his perception was different from other but also illustrates that he was lonely and that he did not have any one to be with. Another evidence of his loneliness is the fact that whole day he sat in the sun and read books. This proves that books were his only true friends. He says that his ’empty house’ is full of books, underlining the way in which the void of his empty life was filled in by books. By the end of this scene, it becomes even clearer that he is lonely and sad when he mutters to himself that no one comes back to him after the first meeting. Likewise, he did not expect Derry to return. He was so sure that Derry would never return that he climbed that ladder to collect all the apples himself, although Derry had offered to help him after informing his mother. ironically, the old man would have died unnoticed if Derry had  not returned to fill the emptiness of his own life.

Extract Based Question

Question. What were Derry and Mr. Lamb victims of ?     
(a) vision impairment
(b) physical impairment
(c) war
(d) none

Question. Why did Derry go to Mr. Lamb’s garden ?    
(a) to steal apples
(b) to speak to Mr. Lamb
(c) to help the old man
(d) to feel that place

Question. Who has written On The Face Of It ?   
(a) Susan Hill
(b) William Sydne
(c) Salman Rushdie
(d) Chetan Bhagat

Question. How did Derry enter the garden ?     
(a) from the front gate
(b) from the side gate
(c) from back gate
(d) by climbing the garden wall