Word Meaning, Summary, Important Questions Of Chapter 1 A Triumph of Surgery
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Hindi Meaning Of Difficult Words | Chapter 1 A Triumph of Surgery

About The Poet | Chapter 1 A Triumph of Surgery

INTRODUCTION

Apparently this is a simple story with simple subject. It touches a very sensitive issue of handling of loved ones by their elders. It is the duty of the elders to take care of the necessities. Nurturing the needs of their beloved is their duty but they should know when to stop. But if we try to read between the words, the story has much significance for our life as well. One could see many kids who are overweight and spoilt because their parents just try to meet every demand of the kid. As a result, the kid develops into a couch potato which is not good for his life.

Short Summary Of Chapter 1 A Triumph of Surgery
In English

SUMMARY

Dr. Herriot saw Mrs. Pumphrey and Tricky walking down the street. He pulled up his car to see how Tricky was doing. He was wondered when he found that Tricky had become fat like a sausage and was lacking energy. After inquiring about Tricky from Mrs. Pumphrey, he advised her to stop immediately giving the dog extra snacks between meals. He also wanted her to make him exercise daily along with a strict diet in order to improve his health. Mrs. Pumphrey promised him that she would do so in order to improve Tricky health and went off with Tricky. Tricky had refused to eat food and he had bouts of vomiting so Mrs. Pumphrey called James Herriot. James knew that the only way to cure Tricky was to get him out of the house for some time. He suggested to Mrs. Pumphrey to hospitalize him for a fortnight for observation so that Tricky could get well soon. Mrs. Pumphrey’s eyes filled with tears as she listened James and she allowed James to take Tricky along with him for surgery. He covered the dog through blanket and went to hospital. All the house helpers started to get together the blankets, rugs, bowls, coats etc. that Tricky might need during his hospitalization. James started to drive off as he knew that his car could carry so many things. All that Mrs. Pumphrey managed to put were a few of his coats. Tricky left for the hospital leaving his caretakers behinds in tears. Tricky could not even wag his tail or kick with his legs. His eyes too had become dull and he lay down motionless on the carpet. The other dogs at the surgery ignored him as an uninterested object. The doctor gave him plenty of water. He became a bit energetic after two days. On the third day he trotted out and enjoyed the company of other dogs. He also started eating properly. All day, he frolicked with other dogs cheerfully.

Mrs. Pumphrey enquired of Tricky at Vet’s clinic several times a day using phone. She was curious to know about his recovery and maintenance. She was suffering from the pang of his separation. Once she got news about Tricky improving health, she started sending additional food items, wine and brandy for Tricky although this was not required. So the vet and his partner consumed these additional items themselves. James called up Mrs. Pumphrey to inform that Tricky was fit and could go home around after two weeks. Mrs. Pumphrey reached there within half an hour. She was concerned about his well being and wanted to be sure about it. Tricky was playing with the pack, within two weeks he become strong and active. As James carried Tricky out to his mistress, he jumped off his arms and landed in his mistress lap’. He licked her face and wagged his tail. Mrs. Pumphrey thanked the vet for the Triumph of surgery’.

TITLE JUSTIFICATION

TITLE JUSTIFICATION

The story revolves around a dog Tricky. Its mistress showered her care and made it fat and dull. It didn’t show any interest even in food of his choice. It didn’t play and thus, health was declining. Its mistress took it to narrator who was a vet by profession. He understood condition and took it under his care at his place. It fed him well and let it play. Soon it turned out to be a fit pet. Mrs. Pumphrey gave the credit to surgery, which was not true at all because Tricky didn’t go under any surgery. It was just diet and play that made him active again.

THEME

THEME

This lesson is about an ill dog named, Tricky and his mistress Mrs. Pumphrey. She was a very rich lady. Her overfeeding the dog had made it very fat and ill. She came to the narrator’s clinic. When his advice did not work and Tricky was in danger, she called on the narrator and he decided to take the dog to his clinic. Mrs. Pumphrey was very frightened. The narrator gave the dog nothing to eat, for first two days except water. On the third day, the dog started showing some signs of improvement. Now he started to take food and thus within a week, he got well. Mrs. Pumphrey started sending eggs and wine to improve the health of the dog. The narrator himself ate them and also enjoyed it very much. After a fortnight Mrs. Pumphrey was called to take back the dog home, Mrs. Pumphrey was very happy.

MESSAGE

MESSAGE

The lesson imparts a message for the ones suggesting them to own the responsibilities. They should not shower unnecessary love to their young ones as it might be fatal to their life. Mrs. Pumphrey was a rich woman who loved her dog very much. She loved to live a comfortable and lavish life and also wanted her dog to spend a similar one. She had maintained a wardrobe full of fancy fur coats, dresses, beds etc. for Tricky. Apart from this, she used to overfeed Tricky out of her love and concern. She used to serve him cod-liver oil and malt between the main meals and Horlicks after dinner to give him strength. She never realized that Tricky was a greedy dog and this would spoil his health. Her overfeeding worsened Tricky condition. This made the dog lazy, inactive and obese. He used to lie on his rug and pants all day long. Mrs. Pumphrey fed him excessively, spoiling Tricky health to such an extent that he had to be hospitalized. Even in the hospital she continued to shower Tricky her love by sending eggs, wine and brandy. Her fondness and care for Tricky proved that excess of everything made him fall sick.

CHARACTER SKETCH

CHARACTER SKETCH

1. James Herriot

James Herriot is a veterinary surgeon, who proves to be a capable doctor and a wise individual. He is an animal lover and a caring guardian. When he first saw the deteriorating health condition of Tricky he could assess the root cause of the problem. He convinced Mrs. Pumphrey to leave it at his surgery for its treatment. He keenly observed its movement and gave treatment for fast recovery. He knew well that Mrs. Pumphrey would spoil it again yet he looked after it well.

2. Mrs. Pumphrey

Mrs. Pumphrey is a wealthy single woman. She is very much attached to her dog, Tricky. She is very loving but weak at heart. She showered love to Tricky which was too much for it. Hence it turned out to be a listless and lethargic dog. She took it to a vet who kept it under his treatment. She, out of her care and love, sent food and drinks to the surgeon. She was curious to know if Tricky was missing her. She came in a big car to take Tricky along with her. Thus she was an overindulgent and loving mistress. She had given comfortable life to her pet.

3. Tricky

Tricky is a lazy and fat dog who loves food. He is very fond of his owner. He was showered with extra feeding and overindulgence. He became dull and uninterested. He was then put under the treatment of vet, Mr. Herriot. He turns out to be energetic and lively after recovering from his illness.

GLOSSARY

Bloated- a build of gas in stomach & intestine;

Sausage- meat.

Rheumy- discharge of nose or eyes,

Lumbago- muscular pain in the lower part of the back;

Malt-grain,

Hastened- quickly to do something:

Relent- to agree upon something after refusing:

Pine- to become very sad Lithe flexible:

Scrimmages- confused struggle or fight

Slopped- dress in an untidy manner;

Whimper-low sound (expression of fear. pain).

Sniffing- draw up the air audibly through nose to detect a smell;

Engulfed- powerfully affected overwhelmed,

Gasping- a quick deep breath;

Bouts- a short period of a particular activity.

Tottering- to walk in a weak unsteady steps,

Distraught- extremely upset,

Regime- ordered way of doing things.

Supper- dinner (light food);

Despairing-feeling of loosing all hope:

Shaggy-having long and untidy hair.

Convalescing- medical treatment;

Triumph- a great success;

Jostlingpush- roughly in crowd.

TYPE I: REFERENCE TO CONTEXT (VERY SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS)

TYPE II: SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS (30-40 WORDS EACH)

Answer the following questions:

1. Why is Mrs. Pumphrey worried about Tricky?

Ans. Mrs. Pumphrey was worried for her pet because he did not seem well to her. She was distraught as Tricky was not eating anything. When she offered its favorite dishes, it did not show any interest. It had bouts of vomiting. It spent all its time lying on the rug and panting. It did not want to go for walks or do anything. It became lethargic and disinterested.

2. What does Mrs. Pumphrey do to help him? Is she wise in this?

Ans. She made every effort to make him more lively and happy. But when she failed in her efforts. She called the doctor to help Tricky. The doctor suggested that Tricky should be hospitalized. Ultimately the doctor was successful in curing Tricky. As her pet was healthy again, we can say that her decision to take him to doctor was wise.

3. What kind of a person do you think the narrator, veterinary surgeon, is? Would you say he is tactful as well of common sense?

Ans. The narrator was truly a professional vet. He diagnosed the reason behind the ill-health of the pet. He handled the situation tactfully. He adjusted himself well to the circumstances. He immediately understood Tricks problem. Tricky didn’t suffer from any sort of illness

He took the dog to his surgery. There he keeps it in natural environment. The dog gets well under his supervision and natural environment of surgery.

4. Do you think Tricky was happy to go home? What do you think will happen now?

Ans. When Tricky saw its mistress, it jumped into her lap and thus we can say that Tricky was very happy to go home. Tricky was also happy at the surgery. When the dog was brought into the surgery, it was ill. But in spite of it, the dog got cured in two days without any medication. The proper diet and regular exercise helped a lot in its speedy recovery. Now, Mrs. Pumphrey would give extraordinary attention and would over pamper him. It is praiseworthy, but it would make Tricky listless again.

5.Do you think this is a real-life episode, or mere fiction? Or is it a mixture of both?

Ans. The story could be a mixture of both real-life episode and a fiction. Mrs. Pumphrey is a rich lady and has a pet dog. Although she has good intention in her mind but excess of everything is bad. It can be called real life for those parents who take excessive care of their child. She overfed her pet that shocked the vet. He observed that its mistress had pampered it to the level that made her pet lethargic and listless.

6. This episode describes the silly behavior of a rich woman who is foolishly indulgent, perhaps because she is lonely. Do you think such people are merely silly, or can their actions cause harm to others?

Ans. The episode describes about a rich lady who seems to be lonely as her focus was too much on her pet. Mrs. Pumphrey overfed it at her home and also sent food to the surgery. Thus she does extra care that worsens the health of Tricky.

7. Do you think there are also parents like Mrs. Pumphrey?

Ans. Mrs. Pumphrey is certainly an epitome of over indulgent care takers. Yes, there are parents who are too much possessive about their kids. Their overdoing of things harm their children. Either they become rebellious or too docile to raise their voice. There are also examples of strict parents who put unnecessary pressure on their child for study and particular behavior pattern.

8. What would you have done if you were: (i) a member of the staff in Mrs. Pumphrey’s household. (ii) a neighbor? What would your life have been like, in general?

Ans. (i) As a staff I would have no other way than to follow Mrs. Pumphrey’s orders. Otherwise she would have sacked me of my job.

(ii) As a neighbor, I would have given her the proper suggestion. But the choice of following or refusing my suggestions is up to her. She is a rich lady who loves to splurge her money. So there is least chance that anybody can forcefully change her opinion about a subject.

9. What would you have done if you were place?

Ans. I would have done the same thing which the narrator did. In addition to it, I would have strongly recommend for the severity of health hazard the over pampering could do.

10. What made James Herriot expect a call from Mrs. Pumphrey?

Ans. James Herriot’s encounter with Mrs. Pumphrey and Tricky made him expect a call for help. He was sure that the extra diet and no physical activity would soon put Tricky health in danger. And just as anticipated, Mrs. Pumphrey called the vet a few days afterwards.

11. Why did Mrs. Pumphrey decided to take help of the vet?

Ans. Mrs. Pumphrey decided to call the vet as Tricky was fat and lazy. Tricky had become listless. He just used to lie on his rug and pant. He also refused to eat food, even his favorite dishes. His bouts of vomiting added to Mrs. Pumphrey’s worry. That is why, she called James Herriot.

12. What treatment did the vet give to the ailing Tricky?

Ans. Tricky was given a non-medicinal treatment. His diet regime was altered. He was kept on liquid diet for the first two days and then his diet was gradually increased. Yes, this treatment did help Tricky as it built up energy in him. He had transformed to an energetic, hard-muscled dog in just a fortnight.

13. Why did Mrs. Pumphrey make a frantic call to Mr. Herriot?

Ans. Mrs. Pumphrey had a dog named Tricky and out of her love for it, she kept on looking after it. She gave him little extra between meals i.e., meat, cod-liver oil, etc. Mrs. Pumphrey was more concerned towards giving him comfortable life. He was not given any physical exercise. So, the dog fell ill and started vomiting also. It made Mrs. Pumphrey so much worried that she had to call the veterinary surgeon. Dr. Herriot for his treatment.

14. What suggestions were given by Dr. Herriot to Mrs. Pumphrey at the initial stage?

Ans. Dr. Herriot suggested Mrs. Pumphrey to cut down on the sweet things and not to give extra food to him. He also suggested her to give him more exercises and keep him on a very strict diet.

15. Why was Mr. Herriot tempted to keep Tricky as a permanent guest?

Ans. Mrs. Pumphrey used to send lots of things like eggs, wine brandy etc. for Tricky. But nothing was given to Tricky All the things were consumed by the doctor and the other members of the hospital. Hence, Mr. Harriot was tempted to keep Tricky on as his permanent guest. Secondly he was aware that Mrs. Pumphrey would continue to over pamper the dog that would ruin his health.

TYPE III: LONG ANSWER QUESTIONS (100-120 WORDS EACH)

Answer the following questions:

1. Is the narrator as rich as Tricky mistress?

Ans. The narrator is not as rich as Tricky mistress, Mrs. Pumphrey, although it is not directly mentioned in the story. While the narrator is able to provide Tricky with only a warm loose box as a bed and at Mrs. Pumphrey’s house, Tricky has a day bed, a night bed, cushions, toys, rubber rings, a breakfast bowl, a lunch bowl, a super bowl, a whole wardrobe of tweed coats and perhaps many more things when he arrives to take the dog with him, Mrs. Pumphrey has her entire staff at her disposal to transfer all of Tricky belonging to the doctor’s car. On hearing from the doctor about Tricky gradual recovery, Mrs. Pumphrey sends along two dozen eggs at a time, along with bottles of wine and brandy – all in order to help in Tricky speedy recovery.

Finally, when she calls upon the narrator to take her recovered dog home, she comes in a chauffer-driven “thirty feet of gleaming black metal”. Thus, it can be concluded that Mrs. Pumphrey is rich as the vet mentioned her various instances.

2. How does the narrator treat the dog?

Ans. The doctor observed the slaggy state of the pet. He knew it already that he was over pampered. The doctor gave Tricky no food, but plenty of water for two days. Slowly, the dog started showing interest in his surrounding and began mixing with the other dogs at the surgery. On the third day, the doctor saw Tricky licking the empty supper bowls of the other dogs. Next day, a separate bowl was kept for it and the doctor was pleased to note that Tricky was running to eat its food with enthusiasm. From that day onwards, its progress was rapid. It did not require medicinal treatment of any kind and recovered quite well at the end. So, the vet took some hard steps initially to make the dog more energetic.

3. Why is he tempted to keep Tricky on as guest?

Ans. Mrs. Pumphrey was a rich lady who has spoiled her pet and sent eggs and wine etc. for it to strengthen its stamina. However, the vet knew that consumption of such food articles would spoil its health. So he and his friends started enjoying it. According to the narrator, those were the days of deep content for them- starting with the extra egg in the morning, then the midday wine, and finally finishing the day with brandy. This was the reason why the narrator was tempted to keep Tricky on as a permanent guest.

4. Why does Mrs. Pumphrey think the dog’s recovery is “A Triumph of Surgery”?

Ans. Mrs. Pumphrey had overpampered the pet and spoiled its condition. She tried everything to make it well. She was worried. She thought that the dog’s recovery was “A Triumph of Surgery” because in two weeks, Tricky had been transformed into a hard – muscled animal. When Tricky saw her, it leaped into her lap and licked her face. She was so excited that tears started rolling out of her eyes. She declared Tricky recovery as “A Triumph of Surgery” to express her happiness and gratitude towards the doctor.

5. What was status of Mrs. Pumphrey?

Ans. Mrs. Pumphrey was a rich lady who had a small dog, named Tricky. She had pampered the dog by providing him things like a raincoat for wet days, a whole wardrobe, full of tweed coats. There were separated bowls like breakfast bowl, lunch bowl, supper bowl etc. for his different meals. She had a lot of servants and maids to take care of him. Besides, she owned a chauffeur driven long, black car. All these things suggest that she was a rich lady.

QUESTIONS FOR PRACTICE

1. What kind of dog was Tricky?
2. How was Tricky an exceptional case for Dr. Herriot?
3. Why was Tricky kept with the other dogs?
4. It was Mrs. Pumphrey who spoiled Tricky health? How?
5. ‘The recovery of Tricky health was really a triumph of surgery.’ Justify.

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