Q. “If you here …… if you learn who I am you’ll be appalled. I …. I am a runaway convict.” (2015)
i) Who is the speaker? (1mark)
-> Pyotr Petrovich Milkin is the speaker here.
ii) Why does he say these words? (2marks)
-> He said these words because Kondrashkin was compelling him to propose to his daughter at any cost. But Pyotr never courted his daughter. So he was trying to worm his way out of the situation.
iii) What is the listener’s immediate reaction? (4marks)
-> When listener heard that pyotr was a runaway convict, he did not bother. His reaction was very cool and calm. He said that as Nastye loud him, she could be with Pyotr in time of his distress. So PYotr might propose to her. He insisted pyotr to marry Anastasia as he had seven daughters and Pyotr has spent lots of time with Nastya, eating drinking and chatting to the girls all the time. He behaved like a suitor, so he must propose his daughter Anastasia.
Q. List any three excuses that Pyotr makes to Kondrashkin to convince the latter that he is not a suitable suitor for Anastasia. (3marks) (2016/2017)
-> Excuses that Pyotr made to Kondrashkin to convince him that he was not a suitable suitor for Anastasia were-
1. Pytor said that he was a drunkard with a hereditary vice of going on drinking bouts.
2. Pytor gave an excuse that he had the vice of taking bribes and was a trial for embezzlement.
3. As per Pytor he was a runaway convict and was accused of forgery as well.
Q. Why did everyone expect Pyotr to marry Anastasia? (2marks) (2017)
-> Everyone expected Pyotr to marry Anastasia because he frequently visited her house and also went for walks with her.
Q. Why did Pyotr’s friend ask for a stag party? From where did people get the idea that Pyotr was getting married? (5marks) (2016)
-> Because Pyotr’s friend had come to know that Pyotr was getting married.
People get the idea that Pyotr was getting married with Kondrakshin’s daughter Anastasia. Everyone knew that he spent the whole day with her. He dined there, sang ballads and walked with Nastya. He also gave a bunch of flowers to her. Nastya was fully smitten. He was a frequent visitor to the Kondrakshin’s family. All these things led people to get the idea that Pyotr was courting Nastya. Even Nastya’s father also talked about their soon to be marriage.
Q. Attempt a character sketch of Councillor Kondrashkin. (5marks) (2019)
-> Councillor Kondrashkin was the father of seven daughters. He was very much fond of his daughters and wanted them to marry a suitable person. He allowed pyotr to come to his house and meet Anastasia because he was in the hope that Pyotr would marry her and loved her. When Pyotr did not pay any heed to the issue of marriage, Kondrashkin confronted young Pyotr about his reticence and accused him, for evading the issue and being dishonest as Pyotr wanted to leave the place without getting married to Anastasia. He tried to convince Pyotr as they had developed relations between them. In fact Kondrashkin did not bother when he heard that Pyotr was a runaway convict. In fact Kondrashkin was very cool and calm with a good sense of humor.
