Read the following extracts and answer the questions for ANY ONE of the given two (A) or (B):
(A) [Poets and Pancakes] 'The make-up room had the look of a hair-cutting salon with lights at all angles around half a dozen large mirrors. They were all incandescent lights, so you can imagine the fiery misery of those subjected to make-up. The make-up department was first headed by a Bengali who became too big for the studio and left. He was succeeded by a Maharashtrian who was assisted by a Dharwar Kannadiga, an Andhra, a Madras Indian Christian, an Anglo-Burmese and the usual local Tamils. All this shows that there was a great deal of National Integration long before A.I.R. and Doordarshan began broadcasting programmes on national integration. This gang of nationally integrated make-up men could turn any decent-looking person into a hideous crimson hued monster with the help of truckloads of pancake and a number of other locally made potions and lotions. Those were the days of mainly indoor shooting, and only five percent of the film was shot outdoors. I suppose the sets and studio lights needed girls and boys to be made to look ugly in order to look presentable in the movie. A strict hierarchy was maintained in the make-up department.'
(i) Why did the make-up room have a look of a hair-cutting salon?
(ii) What does 'fiery misery of those subjected to make-up' suggest? (A) emotional stress faced by the actors. (B) physical discomfort due to heat and lighting. (C) anger of the make-up artists due to irritation. (D) the discomfort caused by the cramped room.
(iii) Complete the following suitably: The tone of the author in the phrase 'hideous crimson hued monster' is _.
(iv) Why was excessive make-up considered a cinematic necessity at Gemini Studios during that era? (A) minimised the cost of set design and costumes. (B) was a mandated practice by the studio's creative heads and lead actors. (C) aligned with the theatrical traditions the studio admired. (D) compensated for the lack of advanced lighting and camera technology.
(v) What does 'became too big for a studio and left' imply about the Bengali make-up artist?
(vi) Complete the sentence with a suitable reason: The author refers to the presence of people from different regions in the make-up department to _.
OR
(B) [The Rattrap] 'Now I am going to tell you, Mr. Ironmaster, how things are', he said. 'The whole world is nothing but a big rattrap. All the good things that are offered to you are nothing but cheese rinds and bits of pork, set out to drag a poor fellow into trouble. And if the sheriff comes now and locks me up for this, then you, Mr. Ironmaster, must remember that a day will come when you yourself may want to get a big piece of pork, and then you will get caught in the trap. The ironmaster began to laugh. 'That was not so badly said, my good fellow. Perhaps we should let the sheriff alone on Christmas Eve.'
(i) What does the speaker mean when he says 'The whole world is nothing but a big rattrap'? (A) The world offers many chances for success and prosperity. (B) Temptations in life are traps that lead people into trouble. (C) Good deeds are always rewarded with cheese rinds. (D) Justice and fairness are not guaranteed for everyone.
(ii) What does the following phrase from the extract showcase: 'Cheese rinds'. (A) temptation (B) affirmation (C) gluttony (D) deprivation.
(iii) Select the correct option from those given in brackets to fill in the blank: By calling himself a 'poor fellow', the speaker emphasises his _. (vulnerability/credibility).
(iv) What does the speaker imply through his warning to the ironmaster?
(v) What does the following line from the extract showcase about the ironmaster's nature? 'Perhaps, we should let the sheriff alone on Christmas Eve.' (A) materialistic (B) understanding (C) conniving (D) enterprising.
(vi) Complete the following with a suitable reason: In the extract, it is implied that the speaker would be locked up because _.
Read the following extracts and answer the questions for ANY ONE of the given two (A) or (B):
(A) [Poets and Pancakes] 'The make-up room had the look of a hair-cutting salon with lights at all angles around half a dozen large mirrors. They were all incandescent lights, so you can imagine the fiery misery of those subjected to make-up. The make-up department was first headed by a Bengali who became too big for the studio and left. He was succeeded by a Maharashtrian who was assisted by a Dharwar Kannadiga, an Andhra, a Madras Indian Christian, an Anglo-Burmese and the usual local Tamils. All this shows that there was a great deal of National Integration long before A.I.R. and Doordarshan began broadcasting programmes on national integration. This gang of nationally integrated make-up men could turn any decent-looking person into a hideous crimson hued monster with the help of truckloads of pancake and a number of other locally made potions and lotions. Those were the days of mainly indoor shooting, and only five percent of the film was shot outdoors. I suppose the sets and studio lights needed girls and boys to be made to look ugly in order to look presentable in the movie. A strict hierarchy was maintained in the make-up department.'
(i) Why did the make-up room have a look of a hair-cutting salon?
(ii) What does 'fiery misery of those subjected to make-up' suggest? (A) emotional stress faced by the actors. (B) physical discomfort due to heat and lighting. (C) anger of the make-up artists due to irritation. (D) the discomfort caused by the cramped room.
(iii) Complete the following suitably: The tone of the author in the phrase 'hideous crimson hued monster' is _.
(iv) Why was excessive make-up considered a cinematic necessity at Gemini Studios during that era? (A) minimised the cost of set design and costumes. (B) was a mandated practice by the studio's creative heads and lead actors. (C) aligned with the theatrical traditions the studio admired. (D) compensated for the lack of advanced lighting and camera technology.
(v) What does 'became too big for a studio and left' imply about the Bengali make-up artist?
(vi) Complete the sentence with a suitable reason: The author refers to the presence of people from different regions in the make-up department to _.
OR
(B) [The Rattrap] 'Now I am going to tell you, Mr. Ironmaster, how things are', he said. 'The whole world is nothing but a big rattrap. All the good things that are offered to you are nothing but cheese rinds and bits of pork, set out to drag a poor fellow into trouble. And if the sheriff comes now and locks me up for this, then you, Mr. Ironmaster, must remember that a day will come when you yourself may want to get a big piece of pork, and then you will get caught in the trap. The ironmaster began to laugh. 'That was not so badly said, my good fellow. Perhaps we should let the sheriff alone on Christmas Eve.'
(i) What does the speaker mean when he says 'The whole world is nothing but a big rattrap'? (A) The world offers many chances for success and prosperity. (B) Temptations in life are traps that lead people into trouble. (C) Good deeds are always rewarded with cheese rinds. (D) Justice and fairness are not guaranteed for everyone.
(ii) What does the following phrase from the extract showcase: 'Cheese rinds'. (A) temptation (B) affirmation (C) gluttony (D) deprivation.
(iii) Select the correct option from those given in brackets to fill in the blank: By calling himself a 'poor fellow', the speaker emphasises his _. (vulnerability/credibility).
(iv) What does the speaker imply through his warning to the ironmaster?
(v) What does the following line from the extract showcase about the ironmaster's nature? 'Perhaps, we should let the sheriff alone on Christmas Eve.' (A) materialistic (B) understanding (C) conniving (D) enterprising.
(vi) Complete the following with a suitable reason: In the extract, it is implied that the speaker would be locked up because _.
Attempt only ONE extract, either (A) or (B), and answer all six of its sub-parts.
(A) Poets and Pancakes — model answers
- (i) The make-up room resembled a hair-cutting salon because it had half a dozen large mirrors ringed with harsh incandescent lights on all sides — exactly the lighting arrangement of a barber's shop — so artists could see every angle of an actor's face.
- (ii) (B) — the phrase points to the physical discomfort actors suffered from the heat and glare of incandescent lights during long make-up sessions.
- (iii) The tone is satirical/mocking — hyperbole ridicules the crude, garish make-up techniques of the era.
- (iv) (D) — heavy pancake make-up compensated for the studio's dated lighting and camera technology, which would otherwise make actors look washed out on screen.
- (v) It implies the Bengali make-up man grew arrogant and over-ambitious, feeling the studio was too small a stage for his talent, so he left.
- (vi) The author lists diverse regional identities to satirically expose the emptiness of official 'national integration' propaganda — genuine integration already existed informally in ordinary workplaces long before governments broadcast slogans about it.
(B) The Rattrap — model answers
- (i) (B) — the peddler means worldly temptations (wealth, comfort, pleasure) are like the cheese and pork used to lure animals into a rattrap; they trap people into ruin.
- (ii) (A) — 'cheese rinds' symbolise temptation, the small material lures that draw people towards moral downfall.
- (iii) vulnerability — calling himself a 'poor fellow' emphasises how defenceless he is against the world's traps.
- (iv) He warns that wealth and power do not make one immune to temptation; one day greed for 'a big piece of pork' could trap even a rich man like the ironmaster.
- (v) (B) — it shows the ironmaster's understanding, compassionate nature; he forgoes strict justice and lets the peddler go free on Christmas Eve.
- (vi) He would be locked up because he had earlier stolen thirty kronor from the kind crofter who had sheltered him, and the theft had been discovered.
Marking Scheme
- 11 mark for each of the six sub-parts (i)-(vi), 6 marks total for the ONE extract attempted.
- 2MCQ-type sub-parts ((ii),(iv) in A; (i),(ii),(v) in B): full mark only for the exact correct option letter.
- 3'Complete the sentence' sub-parts: 1 mark for correctly identifying the implied idea, even if worded differently, provided the sense matches.
- 4No credit for attempting both extracts — only the first attempted response is evaluated.
Hint
Attempt only ONE extract (A or B); anchor every answer strictly to the quoted lines, not the whole chapter.
Quick Oral Answer
Extract (A) satirises the artificial glamour and 'national integration' rhetoric at Gemini Studios; extract (B) shows the peddler's rattrap philosophy — that worldly temptations trap everyone, rich or poor — softening the ironmaster into compassion.
Analysis & Explanation
Concept: Both extracts test close reading of characterisation and tone within a single quoted passage, combining literal comprehension with inferential reading.
Why the keyed options are correct
- In (A), option (B) for (ii) is correct because the passage explicitly foregrounds 'incandescent lights', not emotional or spatial discomfort, as the cause of 'fiery misery'. Option (D) for (iv) fits because the text states studio lights 'needed [people] to be made to look ugly [with make-up] in order to look presentable' — a direct clue about dated lighting/camera technology.
- In (B), option (B) for (i) is correct since the peddler's whole rattrap philosophy is built on temptation, not literal danger. Option (A) for (ii) fits because 'cheese rinds' is his metaphor for bait. Option (B) for (v) is correct because excusing the theft shows compassion, not materialism or scheming.
Why the distractors fail
The rejected options either read the metaphor literally, invert the passage's emotional register, or introduce ideas (theatre tradition, cost-cutting, injustice) unsupported by the extract.
Exam trap: Students often answer from memory of the whole chapter instead of the quoted lines — always anchor answers strictly to the given extract.
Real-world connection: Asokamitran's satire on manufactured 'national integration' remains relevant to how genuine social harmony develops organically, unlike top-down slogans; Lagerlöf's rattrap metaphor is often cited in discussions of consumerism and greed.
Common Mistakes
- 1Attempting both (A) and (B) instead of only one, wasting exam time.
- 2Answering MCQs based on general chapter knowledge instead of the specific quoted extract.
- 3Missing the ironic/satirical tone in (A) and reading it as a neutral description.
Interesting Facts
Asokamitran worked at Gemini Studios in Chennai for over a decade in the 1950s, and 'Poets and Pancakes' is drawn directly from his own memoir of that experience.
Selma Lagerlöf, author of 'The Rattrap', was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, awarded in 1909.
'Pancake' make-up, satirised in the extract, was a real cosmetic brand (Max Factor Pan-Cake) widely used in early Indian and Hollywood cinema because it photographed well under harsh incandescent studio lights.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Should I attempt both extract (A) and (B) in Q25?
No. The question says 'ANY ONE of the given two (A) or (B)' — attempt only one extract completely; answering both wastes time and only the first response is evaluated.
What does 'fiery misery of those subjected to make-up' mean in Poets and Pancakes?
It refers to the physical discomfort — heat and glare — actors endured from the incandescent lights around the make-up mirrors, not emotional distress.
Why does the ironmaster forgive the peddler in The Rattrap?
The peddler's rattrap philosophy makes the ironmaster reflect that even he, a wealthy man, could be trapped by temptation one day; this softens him into compassion on Christmas Eve.