Memoirs of Chota Sahib
PREVIOUS YEAR QUESTIONS
2014
1. What does Rowntree
talk often in 'Memoirs of Chota Sahib'?
Ans:
In 'Memoirs of a Chota Sahib' John Rowntree often talks about the time he spent
in Gauhati and its neighbouring areas. Rowntree said that the banks of river
manas were full of dense forests, and wild animals including rhinos and many
birds.
2. Give a brief
description of peacock Island?
Ans:
Peacock Island was located in the middle of the river Brahmaputra. When viewed
from Rowntree's bungalow on the other bank, it offered a splendid view with the
dome of Hindu temple just visible through the trees. But a funny contradiction
was that Peacock Island housed no peacocks but instead he found troops of
monkey.
2015
1. Who is 'Chota Sahib'
in the 'Memoirs of Chota Sahib'?
Ans:
John Rowntree, the last British Senior Conservator of the Forest of Assam, is
the 'Chota Sahib' in the 'Memoirs of Chota Sahib.'
2. What is the belief
about the dividing channel between Peacock Island and the mainland of Guwahati
that the author mentions?
Ans:
The author Rowntree mentions that the dividing channel between the Peacock
Island and the mainland of Guwahati was becoming narrower with each passing
years and there was a belief that if this channel ever dried up completely it
would mean the end of British Raj. But, he did not know if it dried up or not
in 1947, as he no longer stayed there during the time.
3. What does Rowntree
state about the large 'Bheel' close to the bungalow at Rajapara?
Ans:
Rowntree mentioned that the bheel at Rajapara had been formed after an
earthquake lowered the land which subsequently became inundated with water. He
characterized it as an eerie spot because of the dead trees that rose out of
the bheel. To Rowntree they seemed to resemble skeletons, serving as reminders
of a past when the land was dry.
2016
1. What position did John
Rowntree hold before leaving Shillong a few days after independence?
Ans:
John Rowntree was the last British senior conservator of forest of Assam till
the date of independence of India.
2. Give a brief
description of peacock Island?
Ans: Previous
year-2014, Question No-2
3. What position did John
Rowntree hold before leaving Shillong a few days after independence?
Ans: John
Rowntree was the last British senior conservator of forest of Assam till the
date of independence of India.
2017
1. What information does
the author give us about Manas Wildlife Sanctuary?
Answer: A
few rhinoceros lived in the Manas Wildlife Sanctuary, which bordered the
Himalayan state of Bhutan. The rivers were teeming with mahseer, and the
Governor's Christmas camps were popular hangouts.
2. What does Rowntree say
about the river banks in the Manas Sanctuary?
Answer- Rowntree
described the Manas Sanctuary that the rivers were full of mahseer and their
banks a favourite site for the Governor's Christmas camps and it was his duty
to build it for which he sometimes receives letter of thanks from him.
2018
1. How did Jhon Rowntree
find the weather when he arrived at Gauhati?
Ans: John
Rowntree, when he arrived at Gauhati, found cold weather was getting under way
and the climate becoming bearable.
2. What unusual visitor
did Rowntree have in his bungalow one night?
Abs: John
Rowntree mentioned that the unusual visitor was a tiger which was perhaps
washed up by a flood. He also informed that he got the pug marks of the large
cat which were traceable in their compound.
3. Who is 'Chota Sahib'
in the 'Memoirs of Chota Sahib'?
Ans:
John Rowntree, the last British Senior Conservator of the Forest of Assam, is
the 'Chota Sahib' in the 'Memoirs of Chota Sahib.'
2019
1. Where did John
Rowntree and his family make their first home at Gauhati?
Ans:
John Rowntree and his family made their first home in a bungalow on the bank of
the Brahmaputra river which is situated in Gauhati.
2. Name the book from
which 'Memoirs of Chota Sahib' is taken.
Ans:
It is taken from the book 'A Chota Sahib: Memoirs of a Forest Officer'.
3. What is mar boat and
how is it operated?
Ans: Mar
boat is a kind of ferry consisted of two open boats covered with a platform
made of a wooden plank. These boats were paddled across the river or were
propelled by the force of the current along a cable that connected the boats to
another cable stretch across the river.
4. Give a brief
description of peacock Island?
Ans: Previous
year-2014, Question No-2
2020
1. What position did John
Rowntree hold before leaving Shillong a few days after independence?
Ans: John
Rowntree was the last British senior conservator of forest of Assam till the
date of independence of India.
2. Write, in brief, the
scene observed by the author from the veranda of his bungalow on the bank of
the Brahmaputra.
Ans: The
bungalow was situated on the bank of the river Brahmaputra and from which the
narrator had a splendid view of the river and its shipping and even the
Himalayas. In the centre was the Peacock Island with a Hindu temple, and the
dome of the temple was only visible through the trees.
2022
1. What character of the
North bank of the Brahmaputra did John Rowntree refers to?
Ans: Answered.
(Page 6 and Q. No. 3)
2. Name the book from
where the chapter Memories of a Chota Sahib' has been taken.
Ans: Answered.
(Prev. Year 2019, Q. No.-2)
2023
1. What does Rowntree
talk often in ‘Memoirs of a Chota Sahib’?
Ans: Rowntree
often talks about the time he spent in Guwahati and its neighbouring areas in
the “Memoirs of a Chota Sahib”.
2. What creatures did the
writer notice on the Peacock Island?
Ans: The
writer noticed monkeys on the peacock island.
3. What are epiphytes?
Ans: Epiphytes
are commonly known as ‘air plants’ as they do not grow directly from the soil.
They grow on other plants, deriving the required nutrients from the host plant
or trees. These plants also obtain nutrients from other sources like air, rainwater,
etc. Besides, they live on other bigger trees which support them in growing.
2024
1. What animals did the
author discover in Peacock Island?
Ans:
The author discovers monkeys on Peacock Island.
2. Who was John Rowntree?
Ans: John
Rowntree was the last British senior conservator of forest of Assam till the
date of independence of India.
3. What information does
the author give us about Manas Wildlife Sanctuary?
Ans: Previous
Year-2017, Question-1
Previous Year
Broad Notes
1. Describe the author’s
experience with bats in the Rajapara forest bungalow as depicted in ‘Memoirs of
a Chota Sahib’. (2023)
Ans: The
author John Rowntree has vividly described his experience with the bats at
Rajapara Forest Bungalow. He expressed his view that Rajapara Forest Bungalow
would have been beautiful and charming like the one at Kulsi if some bats had
not lived in the roof. Their excrement droppings and fusty smell constantly
reminded the author of their presence. The huge fruit-eating bats, with a
wingspan of five feet, were less fusty and lived in a tree outside the
bungalow. They flew out at dusk in search of food they appeared like uncanny
figures gliding in the sky on silent wings.
2. Describe the author's
experience of crossing a flooded river on horseback on the North bank of the
Brahmaputra. (2016)
Ans: The
author Rowntree had a terrible experience of flood while he was in Assam. He
describes that during the rainy season many problems arises in the North Bank.
One such big problem was flood. Once he tried to cross the river on horseback
during the floods but it was very difficult. He somehow persuaded his mount to
plunge into the water but he suddenly slipped over his croup and hung on to the
tail of the horse which he used as a rudder. He observed that when he pushed it
to the right the horse veered to the left and vice versa. Eventually, he and
his horse managed to made a safe landing on the other side of the river.
3. Relate Rowntree's
experiences of floods in Assam. (2018/2025)
Ans: The
author relates the various experience of the floods on the North- Bank of the
river Brahmaputra during the monsoon. Once the author crossed a flooded river
on horseback. He, with much difficulty, persuaded the horse to jump into the
river but he slipped. The author used the tail as a rudder and pushed it right
when he tried to push the horse to the left and vice versa. In this manner,
they eventually, crossed the river safely.
On another occasion, the
author was touring the North bank with his family. Though the roads were still
suitable for moto vehicles, but driving was extremely risky. Most of the roads
were constructed on the top of embankments to raise them well above the normal
flood level. Moreover, the roads were quite narrow and single-track. The road
on which the author's car was running was extremely slippery. Consequently, the
author's car went out of control and started sliding along the road and fell
into a paddy field six feet below the main road.
Additional
Questions
1. What lived in a tree outside the bungalow at Rajapara?
ANS: There lived the
huge fruit-eating bats with a wing span of five feet outside the bungalow at
Rajapara.
2. What animals did the
author discover in Peacock Island?
Ans:
The author discovers monkeys on Peacock Island.
3. At what time of the
year was the North Bank 'delightful'?
Ans:
The North Bank was delightful during the cold weather.
4. What are mahseers?
Ans:
Mahseers are a kind of freshwater fish.
Q.3. Where did Rowntree
go a few days after independence of India and what did he do there for his
livelihood?
Ans:
A few days after independence of India, John Rowntree returned to England via
Shillong and there he took up work as a journalist and media commentator for
his livelihood.
Q.5. Where was the first
home of John Rowntree in Assam? Or, Where did John Rowntree and his family make
their first home at Guwahati?
Ans:
John Rowntree ‘s first home in Assam was in a bungalow in Guwahati, on the bank
of the river Brahmaputra.
Q.6. What do you guess
the name to be of the dome of a Hindu Temple as mentioned in the lesson?
Ans:
The dome of the Hindu Temple is situated at an island in the middle of the
Brahmaputra; so, we can guess it to be the Umananda Temple.
Q.7. Which place is
called the gate-way into the North-East region?
Ans:
Guwahati is called the gate-way into North – East region.
8. How was John Rowntree related to Assam?
ANS: He was the last
British Senior Conservator of Forests of Assam.
10. Where is Peacock Island situated?
ANS: Peacock Island is situated in
Umananda island in Guwahati.
11. "Sometimes we had unusual visitors". Who were these
unusual visitors?
ANS: Animals, one of
which was a tiger.
12. What was the head quarter of the Kamrup District?
Ans: Guwahati is the head quarter of the Kamrup District.
13. What was the bordering Himalayan state of Manas Sanctuary?
ANS: Bhutan was the bordering Himalayan state of Manas Sanctuary.
14. What was the favourite site for the Governor's Christmas
camps?
ANS: The bank of the
rivers of Assam was the favourite site for the Governor's Christmas camps.
15. What was the task given upon him by the Governor?
ANS: The writer's task
was to build Christmas Camps on the bank of the rivers.
16. Why are the paddy fields divided into small enclosures?
ANS: The paddy fields divided into small enclosures to prevent
the flood water running away.
17. Where were the two bungalows situated?
ANS: One at Kulsi and
another at Rajapara.
18. What disturbed the writer at Rajapara bungalow?
ANS: Bats disturbed the writer at Rajapara bungalow.
19. What type of trees surrounded the bungalow at Kulsi?
ANS: Teak trees surrounded the bungalow at Kulsi.
20. Where was the Hindu temple mentioned by John Rowntree
located?
ANS: The Hindu temple
mentioned by John Rowntree was located on Peacock Island.
Think as you read
1. Briefly describe the
scene observed by the author from the veranda of his bungalow on the bank of
the Brahmaputra.
Ans: Previous-2020,
Question No-2
2. What is the belief
about the dividing channel between Peacock Island and the mainland of Guwahati
that the author mentions?
Ans: Previous-2014,
Question No-2
3. What does the author
say about the importance of Guwahati? Is the statement true in our today also?
Ans:
The author highlights the importance of Guwahati by describing it as the port
entry into Assam. In earlier times most of the travellers passed through
Guwahati on their way from Calcutta to Shillong or to districts lying further
up the valley. At times, they used it as a resting place by staying overnight.
Yes, the statement is
true in our time today also. Still, it connects the rest of India with the
Northeast region and hence called 'Gateway to North-East India.' Moreover,
tourists from across the country and abroad visit Guwahati in a large number
and it is a transit spot for the people traveling to other parts of the
North-East region.
3. What character of the
North bank of the Brahmaputra does the author refer to?
Ans: The North bank,
lying between the sandbanks of the Brahmaputra and the Himalayan foothills was
a vast, solitary stretch of flat and age land. The specialty of the region was
that during the hot weather the rivers dried up or suddenly disappeared
underground. the dwellers of the region had to dig for water which was so dirty
that it had to be cleaned by using alum to precipitate the mud.
4. What information does
the author give us about Manas Wildlife Sanctuary?
Ans: Previous
Year-2017, Question-1.
5. Describe the author's
experience of crossing a flooded river on horseback on the North bank of the
Brahmaputra.
Ans: Broad
Note-2016
Think as you read
1. Relate the author's
experiences of the road accident during the monsoon on the North Bank.
Ans: Once, the author was touring the North bank
with his family. They had either planned wrongly to return late after the
monsoon or monsoon was early that year. Though the roads were still suitable
for moto vehicles, but driving was extremely risky. Most of the roads were
constructed on the top of embankments to raise them well above the normal flood
level. Moreover, the roads were quite narrow and single-track. The road on
which the author's car was running was extremely slippery. Consequently, the
author's car went out of control and started sliding along the road, and fell
into a paddy field six feet below the main road. The adventurous journey
through the paddy field was quite jerky but they finally reached the road
again. Fortunately, 20 damage was done to the motor car as well as the people
inside it.
2. Relate the author's
reminiscence of the forest bungalow at Kulsi.
Ans:
The bungalow at Kulsi was the author's favourite and it was beautifully
situated on a raised and forested area above the river. It surrounded by a teak
plantation planted some sixty years back and was nearly matured. There was also
a rubber plantation of the Ficus elastica of very close to the bungalow.
UNDERSTANDING THE
TEXT
1 Give an account of the
author's experiences of the floods on the North Bank of the Brahmaputra
during the monsoon.
Ans:
Answered. (Prev. 2018)
2. Relate the author's
observation on the use of mar boats as a mode of river transport in Assam.
Ans:
The author presents a detailed description of a kind of special boat called
'mar' boats as a mode of river transport in Assam. Mar boat is a kind of ferry
consisted of two open boats covered with a platform made of a wooden plank.
These boats were paddled across the river or were propelled by the force of the
current along a cable that connected the boats to another cable stretch across
the river.
The mar boats as
considered by the author was a brilliant device and it performed successfully.
However, to balance the rise and fall of the river, continual modifications had
to be made. A good number of landing ghats had to be constructed at different
levels on the river bank for the landing of the travellers. Fortunately, at
that time, traffic was light and though crossing overtook time, there were
minimal delays.
3. Give the author's
description of a sal forest.
Ans: The author compares the sal forest of Assam to the English woodland. The sal forest of Assam was found in the flat terrain of South-Bank. In this vast stretch of land, the reserve forests comprising particularly sal trees were mostly in one block, and the trees were scattered with villages and cultivation.
2025
What are
mahseers?
Ans: Question
No 4 and Page No 4
At what time
of the year was the North Bank 'delightful'?
Ans: Question No 3 and
Page No 4
Give a description of Bungalow at Gauhati where John Rowntree
stayed.
Ans: John Rowntree lived in a bungalow at Gauhati. The bungalow had fresh lime-washed walls and woodwork painted with earth oil. It featured a raised portico in front, which served as a carport and on top, a varanda from which had a splendid view or river and shipping. From the bungalow, they could see Peacock Island.
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