12th English Hero No 1 First Year at Harrow by AG Ahmad

 12^th Year Hero No 1

First Year at Harrow

Q. 1. The writer says that the examiners ask questions which students cannot answer and not those which they can answer. Is the complaint just? Or What subjects were hateful to the writer? Name the subjects which were tough for the writer?

Ans. To some extent this complaint is true that the examiners ask the students those questions which they do not know. Mostly it does not happen. In fact the writer did not like Latin and Greek. These subjects troubled him much.

Q. 2. What sorts of questions are asked by your examiners?

Ans. Our examiners generally ask questions that have set or known answers, Questions are from within the prescribed syllabus. Sometimes they change the simple questions into complex form, in order to test the ability of students.

Q. 3. Why did not Churchill do well in the examination? (L.B 2013, 2014, 2016)

Or Why were the examinations a trial to Churchill? [L.B. 2015 G-I

Or In which subject did the writer wanted to be examined? Or In which subjects did the writer not want to be examined? Or In which subjects were the examiners interested?

OR How were these examinations a trial to him? (L.B. 2014) Or Why were examinations inhospitable for the writer? Or Why did Churchill dislike examinations? Why were Churchill afraid of examination? Or Why does Churchill call examination an "inhospitable region"? (L.B. 2014)

Ans. The examinations were a great trial to him. The writer feared and considered them inhospitable due to the following reason. The examiners were interested in Greek and Latin. But the writer was interested in poetry, history, and essay writing.

Q. 4. How did Churchill do his Latin paper? (L.B. 2013, 2016)

Or What did the writer do in his Latin paper? Or How did the writer attempt his Latin paper? Or How did he do his Latin paper of the Entrance examination to Harrow?

Or How did Churchill perform in his entrance examination to Harrow?

Or What did Churchill write on his paper? Or Why was Churchill placed in the lowest grade/division? Or Why was Churchill's name at the bottom in the school list?

Ans. He was unable to answer a single question in the Latin paper. He wrote his name at the top of the page. He wrote down the number of the question 'I. After much reflection he put a bracket round it thus (I). Thereafter, he could not write anything. That's why he was placed in the lowest grade.

Q. 5. Churchill was taught English at Harrow and not Latin and Greek. Was it a gain or

loss? (L.B. 2017) Or Why did the writer prefer 'English' to Latin and Greek? (L.B 2013)

Or Why did the brilliant students return to English? What happened to the boys who

had learnt Latin and Greek? Or Why did the intelligent students of the school learn English later? Or What were the intelligent boys taught at Harrow? (L.B. 2014)

Or How did Churchill get advantage over the clever boys? (L.B 2017)

Ans. Really it was a great gain for Churchill to learn English at Harrow. The intelligent students who had learnt Latin and Greek, had to come down to common English to earn their living. That's why the writer preferred English to Latin and Greek.

Q. 6. What good did his three years stay at Harrow do him? (L.B. 2015, G-I) [L.B. 2016]

Or What advantage did the writer/ Churchill gain by being so long in the lowest

form/class? Or What good did his stay at Harrow do him?

Or How did Churchill get the essential structure of the ordinary British sentence into

his bones? Or How did Churchill not feel himself at any disadvantage to earn his living? Or Did his knowledge of English stand him in good stead? Or

Q. 7. In after years how did the knowledge of English stand him in good stead? [L.B. 2017]

Ans. The writer remained in the three times. Thus he learned English three times more by Mr. Somervell. He got into his bones the essential structure of the ordinary British sentence. When his school fellow had to come down again to common English to earn their living, he did not feel himself at any disadvantage.

Q. 8. Write an appreciation or criticism of Churchill's views in regard to the study of

Latin, Greek and English and their value in earning a living. Or Why is Churchill biased in favour of English? Or Why did Churchill emphasis teaching English? [L.B. 2013]

Ans. Churchill is biased in favour of boys learning English. He would make them all learn English. Then he would let the clever ones learn Latin and Greek. But the only thing he would whip them for no knowing English. He would whip them hard for that.

Q. 9. Who did teach English to Churchill? Or How did Mr. Somervell teach Churchill?

Or What did Somervell have to teach English? Or What kind of teacher was Mr. Somervell? Or What was the opinion the writer about Mr. Somervell?

Or What was the method of teaching of Mr. Somervell? Or What do you know about Mr. Somervell's teaching method? Or How did Mr. Somervell teach English? [L.B. 2016]

Ans. Mr. Somervell was a delightful teacher he had a system of his own. He took a fairly long sentence and broke it up into its components by means of coloured chalks. He put the students in practice drilling daily.

Q. 10. What sort of man was the head master at Harrow? Or What did the writer say about the headmaster Mr. Weldon? Or How did Churchill get admission in Harrow?

Ans. Churchill says that Mr. Weldon was a man who could see beneath the surface of things. He was dependent on paper manifestation. The writer got admission there only because of the headmaster. He took a broad-minded view of him and admitted him there.

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