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SAI International School
Grade IX-English
Chapter - The Beggar
Assessment

Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:

1. “KIND sir, have pity; turn your attention to a poor, hungry
man! For three days I have had nothing to eat; I haven‟t five
copecks for lodging, I swear it before God. For eight years I
was a village schoolteacher and then I lost my place through
intrigues. I fell a victim to calumny. It is a year now since I
have had anything to do.”
a. Who is the speaker in the above lines?
b. What does the speaker try to do in the above lines?
c. Does the speaker get the help that he asks for? Why?
d. Pick out the word from the extract which means the
same as „defamation‟.
2. Sergei‟s anger had vanished and he now began to feel a little
sorry and ashamed of himself for having set a spoiled,
drunken, perhaps sick man to work at menial labour in the
cold.
An hour later Olga came in and announced that the wood had
all been chopped.

a. Why was Sergei angry in the first place?

b. What job had Sergei given to the beggar?
c. Who was Olga?
d. What is the irony in the above lines?

Answer the following questions in about 30 words:

3. “I wouldn‟t refuse to do that, but in these days even skilled
wood-cutters find themselves sitting without bread.” – What
does this say about Lushkoff?
4. What reasons does Lushkoff give to Sergei for telling lies?
5. “Here‟s for your pains. I see you are sober and have no
objection to work.” Why did Sergei say this to Lushkoff?
6. What job did Sergei assign to Lushkoff that changed his life?
7. What advice does Sergei give Lushkoff after hearing his
reasons for begging?
8. Describe Lushkoff‟s first attempt to work at Sergei‟s place.