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Class 10 English Footprints Without Feet book Chapter 9 Bholi summary and questions answer|| CBSE class 10 English summary||Bholi chapter summary||NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Footprints Without Feet Chapter 9 Bholi||

February 26, 2022

Class 10 CBSE English Book Footprints Without Feet Chapter 9  Bholi Summary And Questions Answers


Chapter 9 of  Class 10 English book Supplementary Reader – Footprints Without Feet, consists of a prose – Bholi which is about a young girl named Sulekha who was also called Bholi. She was treated with contempt by everyone for her appearance and lack of intelligence. When she grew up, her marriage was fixed to a greedy middle-aged man but she refused to marry him. What happens next? Want to know more? Read the summary of this chapter in given below. CBSE Class 10 students can access the  summary of Bholi chapter here. 


                SUMMARY

 

This story is about a little girl named Sulekha. She was called ‘Bholi’ for being a simpleton. This was so because some part of her brain had got damaged due to an injury during her childhood when she was ten months. She stammered and had pockmarks on her face which she got when she had contracted smallpox at the age of two years. She was a laughing stock for everyone. Her father Ramlal was a Numberdar in her village. He had three sons and four daughters, Bholi being the youngest of all. Ramlal was always worried about her as it seemed impossible to marry her as she had neither good looks nor intelligence.  One day, the Tehsildar visited their village to inaugurate a girl’s primary school. He persuaded Ramlal to send his daughters to school. Ramlal’s wife suggested to send Bholi to school, although she was against sending girls to school because no boy would marry such a girl who was going to school. Then she said that as Bholi had no chance of getting married, so she could go to school. In the beginning, Bholi was frightened to leave her house but when for the first time in her life, she was dressed up and her hair was washed and oiled, she felt that she was to visit a better place. In the school, she met a teacher who was very kind and polite to her. She encouraged her to study and speak with confidence. This filled hope in Bholi and she began to go to school every day. Some Years passed and her village changed into a small town with some facilities like a cotton mill, a cinema and the primary school being converted into a secondary school. One day Bholi’s parents decided to marry her to a lame old man who was a widower but was rich and had not demanded any dowry. They thought it to be the best marriage proposal for their dumb cow daughter and fixed up her marriage. On the wedding day, the bridegroom arrived with great pomp and show which filled Ramlal with joy. The groom discovered that Bholi had pock marks and demanded dowry in return for marrying her. He demanded a sum of five thousand rupees. Ramlal begged for mercy and even placed his turban in Bishamber’s feet but Bishamber Nath did not agree. Ramlal had to give the money in order to save both his family’s honour and his daughter’s marriage. Bholi could not bear all this and refused to marry a greedy old man. People accused her of being shameless. The wedding party returned. The marriage ceremony ended without Bholi getting married. Her father was surrounded by grief and said that now no one would marry her and what would she do in future. To this, she replied that she would take care of her parents when they grew old and would teach in her school. Her teacher who was quietly watching all this felt proud of her decision.


INTEXT QUESTIONS

(Page no 54)

Q1. Why is Bholi’s father worried about her?

Ans- Bholi's father ramlal was worried about her because,she had neither good looks nor intelligence.

Q2. For what unusual reason is bholi sent to school?

Ans- In the village of bholi there was a primary School for girls was opened, for that tehsildar came to perform its opening ceremony and he said to her father that as a revenue officer you have to send your daughter to school.Due, to this reason he take a chance to go to school.

(Page no 55)

Q3. Does bholi enjoy her first day at school?

Ans-Yes, Bholi enjoyed her first day at school. Initially, she was frightened. But, she was delighted to find so many girls of her own age present there. She felt that one of the girls might become her friend. Also, her teacher was very polite to her and tought her how to speak and learn.

Q4. Does she find her teacher different from the people at home?

Ans-Yes, she finds her teacher quite different from the people at home. At home, she is never spoken to in a polite manner but her teacher spoke to her in a very soothing way.At home, she was disregarded for stammering but her teacher encouraged her to speak with confidence instead of making fun of her. This touched her heart.

(Page no 58)

Q5. Why do bholi parents accept bishamber's marriage proposal?

Ans-Bholi's parents accept Bishamber's marriage proposal becsuse if they don't accept it, she would not be married for the rest of her life and the bridegroom was  rich  and  have thousand in the bank.

Q6. Why does the marriage not take place?

Ans-When bishamber saw the pockmarks on her face, he then demanded five thousand as dowry to her father. Due to this she refused to marry and the marriage not take place.


EXERCISE [Page no 62]


Q1- Bholi had many apprehensions about going to school. What made her feel that she was going to a better place than her home?

A1- In the beginning, Bholi was scared of the idea of going to school. She was reminded of their cow Lakshmi who had been turned out of the house and sold off. It was when for the first time in her life that she was bathed, her hair washed and oiled and was dressed in clean clothes, that she felt that she was going to some better place than her home. She had never received such attention and care before.

 

Q2- How did Bholi’s teacher play an important role in changing the course of her life?

A2- Bholi was always laughed at by everyone. People used to call her dumb cow and laughed at  her. when she would fumble while speaking. This made her sad and a low confident child who would remain quiet and sit with her head bent down into her knees. It was on the first day of her school that her teacher discovered her problem of being low confident due to her inability to speak clearly. She encouraged Bholi and treated her in a polite manner. Bholi was never treated like this by anyone.  Her teacher told her that with practice she could become a learned person who could speak properly without stammering. This filled her with hope and led to a change in the course of her life.

 

Q3- Why did Bholi at first agree to an unequal match? Why did she later reject the marriage? What does this tell us about her?

A3- Bholi agreed to marry an unequal match because she had heard her parents discussing the marriage proposal. They said that she was lucky to get a bridegroom who was rich and was ready to marry her without taking dowry. He was unaware of Bholi’s pockmarks and dumbness. She had heard her mother say that if they did not accept the proposal, Bholi might remain unmarried all her life. Later, in the marriage when bridegroom saw her pockmarks. He refused to marry with her but later he demanded five thousand rupees from her father as dowry. Due to this Bholi refused from the marriage.  Moreover, it was unbearable for her to see her father pleading in front of him for the sake of his daughter and family’s honour. Her self respect made her refuse from marrying a greedy coward old man.

 

Q4- Bholi’s real name is Sulekha. We are told this right at the beginning. But only in the last but one paragraph of the story is Bholi called Sulekha again. Why do you think she is called Sulekha at that point in the story?

A4- The word “Bholi” means simpleton. On the other hand.  Throughout the story Bholi was sketched as a person who was a simpleton and never raised her voice for her betterment. At the end of the story she raised her voice for her self-respect and for her father’s dignity and refused to marry a greedy old man. The word Sulekha is used in the end to show her confidence, knowledge and ability to speak up against injustice.

Class 10  CBSE related links-

  • NCERT SOLUTIONS
  • PYQ
  • SAMPLE PAPER
  • CHAPTER NOTES
  • RD SHARMA SOLUTIONS
  • RD SHARMA BOOK