“The Eyes Have It” is a short story that was written by the Indian Author Ruskin Bond. In this short story, the narrator and his co-passenger were completely blind. They were travelling by a train. The narrator tried to hide his blindness. At the end of the story, he came to know that his co-passenger, a beautiful girl, was also blind.
53 Questions with their answers are given below :
The Eyes Have It – Question and Answer
1. Who came to see the girl off?
A couple, probably her parents, came to Rohana to see the girl off.
2. Who gave the girl detailed instructions at the moment of seeing her off?
A woman, probably her mother, gave the girl detailed instructions at the moment of seeing her off.
3. Why were the narrator’s eyes sensitive only to light and darkness?
As he was completely blind, the narrator’s eyes were sensitive only to light and darkness.
4. Whose voice startled the girl in the short story, ‘The Eyes Have It’?
In the short story, ‘The Eyes Have It’, the narrator’s voice startled the girl.
5. What did the narrator want to conceal from the girl in the short story, ‘The Eyes Have It’?
In the short story, ‘The Eyes Have It’, the narrator wanted to conceal from the girl the fact that he was blind.
6. Where would the girl in the story, ‘The Eyes Have It’, get off?
In the story, ‘The Eyes Have It’, the girl would get off at Saharanpur.
7. Who would receive the blind girl at Saharanpur?
The blind girl’s aunt would receive her at Saharanpur.
8. Where was the narrator of the story, ‘The Eyes Have It’, going?
The narrator of the story, ‘The Eyes Have It’, was going to Dehradun, and then to Mussoorie.
9. What, according to the narrator of Ruskin Bond’s story ‘The Eyes Have It’, is the best time to visit the hills?
According to the narrator of Ruskin Bond’s story, ‘The Eyes Have It’, October is the best time to visit the hills.
10. What could the narrator see in his mind’s eye?
In his mind’s eye, the narrator could see telegraph posts flashing by.
11. What safe remark did the sightless narrator make?
The sightless narrator remarked that the girl had an ‘interesting face’.
12. What, according to the narrator, can few girls resist?
According to the narrator, few girls can resist flattery.
13. How was the voice of the girl?
The narrator thought that the girl’s voice had the sparkle of a mountain stream.
14. Who had come to receive the girl at the station?
The girl’s aunt had come to receive the girl at the station.
15. Who stammered an apology?
The new passenger, who got into the train after the girl’s departure, stammered an apology.
16. What did the narrator want to know from the new passenger?
The narrator wanted to know from the new passenger if the girl’s hair was long or short.
17. What is the surprise at the end of the story?
At the end of the story, the narrator, who tried to conceal his blindness from the girl all through the journey, came to know that the girl too was blind.
18. Who accompanied the narrator upto Rohana?
Nobody accompanied the narrator upto Rohana as he was alone in the compartment.
19. What made the narrator feel that the couple who had come to see her off were her parents?
The narrator felt so because the couple who had come to see the girl off were very anxious about her well being.
20. The girl overlooked the narrator. What reason did the narrator give for this?
The narrator said that the girl overlooked him because he must have been sitting in a dark corner.
21. Who is going to meet the girl at Saharanpur station?
The girl’s aunt is going to meet the girl at Saharanpur station.
22. What is the narrator’s notion about aunts?
Aunts are usually formidable creatures. This is the narrator’s notion about aunts.
23. When do the hills look lovely, according to Ruskin Bond?
According to Ruskin Bond, the hills look lovely in October.
24. Why is October the best time in the hills?
According to the narrator, the hills present a lovely sight in October because of the blooming wild dahlias, the refreshing sun, and the quiet roads. Therefore, October is the best time in the hills.
25. What compliment did Bond give to his co-passenger, the girl?
Ruslin Bond complimented the girl by saying that she had an interesting face.
26. What was the girl tired of?
The girl was tired of people telling her that she had a pretty face.
27. What feeling did the thought of laughter evoke in the narrator?
The narrator felt troubled and lonely at the thought of laughter.
28. What, according to the narrator, was the impact of the brief encounter on both of them?
According to the narrator, though the girl would forget their brief encounter when the journey would be over, it would stay with him for a prolonged time.
29. How was the voice of the girl’s aunt?
The girl’s aunt had a high-pitched voice.
30. Who broke into the narrator’s reverie?
The new traveller who had entered the compartment broke into the narrator’s reverie.
31. What account of the girl did the new traveller give to the narrator?
The new traveller informed the narrator that he had noticed only her beautiful eyes which, however, were of no use as she was completely blind.
32. What did the second fellow-passenger say to the blind narrator about the girl’s eyes?
The second fellow-passenger told the blind narrator that although she had beautiful eyes, they were of no use because she was completely blind.
33. Where did the blind girl get into the train?
The blind girl got into the train at Rohana.
34. What instructions did the woman give to the girl before the train started?
The woman gave the girl necessary instructions regarding where to keep her things, when not to lean out of windows, and how to avoid talking to strangers.
35. How did the narrator feel that the girl wore slippers?
The narrator knew that the girl wore slippers from the sound of her slippers slapping against her heels.
36. The girl did not notice the narrator. What reason would you give for this?
The girl overlooked the narrator because she was blind too.
37. What is Bond’s observation about people with good eyesight?
Through the eyes of the narrator, Ruskind Bond observes that people with good eyesight often fail to see what is right in front of them, as they have too much to take in.
38. What do blind people take in?
According to the narrator of the story, ‘The Eyes Have It’, blind people take in only the essentials, whatever registers most tellingly on all their senses except vision.
39. Why did the girl consider the narrator lucky in the story, ‘The Eyes Have It’?
In the short story, ‘The Eyes Have It’, the girl considered the narrator lucky as he was going to Mussoorie, a beautiful hilly region.
40. “Then I made a mistake”-What mistake did the speaker make?
As the speaker wanted to conceal his blindness, he made the mistake of asking the girl what it was like outside.
41. Why did the narrator make a pretence of studying the outside landscape?
The narrator made a pretence of studying the outside landscape to conceal the fact that he was completely blind.
42. How did the narrator answer confidently that he saw no animals?
The narrator knew that there were hardly any animals left in the forests near Dehra. Therefore, he answered confidently that he saw no animals.
43. “That always happens”-What always happens?
It always happens that the passengers feel that they are standing still in the moving train while the trees outside seem to be moving.
44. What was the girl’s reaction to the safe remark of the narrator?
The girl liked the narrator’s remark of possessing an ‘interesting face’ as she was tired of the comment that she had ‘a pretty face’.
45. How much did the girl like train journeys?
The girl did not like long journeys by train as she could not bear to sit in a train for more than two or three hours.
46. Why was the narrator prepared to sit in the train compartment for any length of time?
The narrator was so impressed by the voice of the girl, his co-passenger, that he was prepared to sit in the train compartment for almost any length of time to listen to her talking.
47. What prompted the girl to get up and collect her things?
Just before reaching the station at Saharanpur, the engine’s whistle shrieked, and the carriage wheels changed their sound and rhythm, which prompted the girl to get up and collect her things.
48. What was heard outside when the train drew slowly into Saharanpur?
The shouting of porters and vendors along with a high-pitched female voice was heard when the train drew slowly into Saharanpur station.
49. What was the effect of the perfume from the girl’s hair on the narrator?
The perfume from the girl’s hair tempted the narrator so much that he would have almost touched her hair if she had not moved away.
50. What game did the narrator play after a new traveller had entered the compartment?
After a new traveller had entered the compartment, the narrator sat in front of the window and started guessing what went on out there, just like a game.
51. Who, according to the new traveller, would be disappointed and why?
According to the new traveller, the narrator would be disappointed as the new traveller was not as attractive a companion as the girl who had just left.
52. Why were the eyes of the girl of no use?
The eyes of the girl were of no use because she was completely blind.
53. Who wrote “The Eyes Have It”?
Indian author Ruskin Bond wrote “The Eyes Have It”.
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