3 Marks Questions : 3 Marks (30-40 Words)
Question 1 : What is mother Skunk’s role in the story?
Answer : Mother Skunk’s role in the story is to convince the reader about the narrator’s belief that we should never disobey our parents as they know what is best for us. Mother skunks told Roger never to forget his distinct identity.
Question 2 : What was the basic plot of each story told by Jack?
Answer : The basic plot of each story narrated by Jack was that a small animal, usually named Roger, with some problem went to the wise owl and the owl advised him to go to the wizard, who solved Roger’s problem.
Question 3 : What problem did Roger Skunks face when he went to play with his friends. How did he solve it?
Answer : Roger Skunk smelled very badly. As a result, whenever he went to play with his friends, they used to run away. Roger Skunk solved this problem by making the wizard remove the smell and give him the smell of roses.
Question 4 : Why did Roger Skunk go to the owl? What advice did he get?
Answer : Roger Skunk was unhappy with his bad smell because of which all the woodland creatures would run away from him and no one would play with him. Thus, Roger Skunk went to the old wise owl to seek a solution for this problem.
Question 5 : Why does Jo call the Skunk’s mommy stupid?
Answer : Mommy Skunk took Roger to the Wizard to get his original smell although he liked the new smell. Jo got upset on hearing this as Roger was happy with his new smell and hence called the Skunk’s mommy stupid.
Question 6 : How did Jo want to Skunk story to end?
Answer : Jo wanted the story to end with the Wizard hitting Roger Skunk’s mommy with his magic wand as she disapproved of Mother Skunk taking Roger to the Wizard to get back his old foul smell.
Question 7 : Which do you think is a better ending of Roger Skunk’s story, Jo’s or her father’s? Why?
Answer : According to me, Jo’s father’s ending of Roger Skunk’s story was better. This was because parents of a child know what is right for them and Roger Skunk’s mother was right in getting Roger’s smell changed.
Question 8 : Why does Jack insist that it was the Wizard that was hit and not the mother?
Answer : Jack insisted that it was the Wizard that was hit and not the mother as he wanted to send out a message that parents are the most genuine well-wishers of a child and know what is good for their children.
Question 9 : How was the Skunk’s story different from the other stories narrated by Jack?
Answer : The other stories narrated by Jack would end with the animal named Roger taking the help of the Wizard to solve his problem. However in the Skunk’s story, Roger’s mother back to the Wizard and got his smell changed by hitting the Wizard on his head.
Question 10 : Why was Roger Skunk’s mother angry? On whom did she pour her anger?
Answer : Roger Skunk’s mommy was angry with him because she did not like his going to the Wizard to get his small changed. She told him that as he was a Skunk, he should smell like one. She poured her anger on the Wizard by hitting him on the head.
Question 11 : What did Jo want the Wizard to do when Mommy Skunk approached him?
Answer : Jo wanted that the Wizard should hit Mommy Skunk right back on her head when she approached him. This was because Jo thought that Mommy Skunk was insensitive towards he son’s problem.
Question 12 : Why does Jo insist that her father should tell her the story with a different ending?
Answer : According to Jo, Roger Skunk was happy with the smell of roses. She did not want him to smell bad. That is why she insisted that her father should re-tell the story with a different ending does not change Roger’s smell back.
Question 13 : Why did Roger Skunk want to change?
Answer : Roger Skunk smelled very bad. Due to this the other animals teased him and did not make friends or play with him. So he wanted to change.
Question 14 : How did the Wizard help Roger Skunk?
Answer : Roger wanted to smell like roses. So he went to the Wizard’s house who helped him by changing his awful smell to smell of roses.
Question 15 : Why did Roger Skunk go in search of the Wizard?
Answer : Roger Skunk went in search of the Wizard so that he could get rid of his awful smell. He had consulted the wise owl about his problem and it was he who had told him to meet the Wizard.
Question 16 : What part of the story did Jack himself enjoy the most and why?
Answer : Jack particularly enjoyed the part when he changed his voice to that of an old man, imitating the Wizard’s voice. He felt being an old man suited him and enjoyed the part as he mixed his childhood’s humiliations and experiences while narrating the story.
Question 17 : Why did Jo think Roger Skunk was better off with the new smell?
Answer : Jo thought that Roger Skunk was better off with the new smell as he was welcomed by the other creatures and made friends with them when he got the new smell.
Question 18 : How did Jo want the Wizard to behave when mommy Skunk approached him?
Answer : Do wanted the Wizard to hit mommy Skunk back on her head and refuse to change Roger Skunk’s smell when she approached him.
Question 19 : How did Roger Skunk’s mother get his old smell back?
Answer : When Roger Skunk reached home smelling like roses, his mother asked him about it. On hearing the truth, she got infuriated and took him back to the Wizard and got his smell changed by hitting him on his head.
6 Marks Questions (120 – 150 Words)
Question 1 : How did Jack end the Roger Skunk story? How and why did Jo want to change it?
Answer : Jo was an avid listener of stories. She was always aware, inquisitive and alert during the story-telling sessions. Jo was shocked and surprised by the twist in the version of her father’s story and this was utterly unacceptable to her. She emphasised that Roger’s mother was wrong in getting Roger back his original smell. According to her, if her son was being happily accepted by his playmates, he should have been allowed to retain it. As a child, Jo related to Roger’s problem.
She put herself in place of Roger and wanted an ending different from what Jack had given to the story. Jo believed that Mother Skunk should have been hit by the Wizard for being stupid enough to be insensitive to Roger Skunk’s feelings.
Question 2 : The same situation can be viewed through two different perspectives. How does ‘Should Wizard Hit Mommy?’ establish this point through the views of Jack and Jo?
Answer : An adult’s view of life is different from that of a child. It is more realistic, practical and matter-of-fact due to an adult’s numerous experiences in life. In contrast to this, the child views the world with rose-coloured glasses. It is a perfect world untouched by the hard realities of life. Thus, a child’s view is very innocent as compared to that of an adult.
Jack, the father of in the story ‘Should Wizard Hit Mommy?’ told a story which was similar to one of his own childhood experiences. Through it, he wanted to convey to his daughter Jo that whatever parents say or do for their children is in their best interest. However, Jo thought from the narrow perspective of a child and wanted an ending different from what Jack had narrated.
Question 3 : A child’s standpoint invariably is different from that of an adult. Justify the statement with reference to the story, ‘Should Wizard Hit Mommy’?
Answer : Adults are mature, experienced and have a practical approach. Their responses are tutored and their actions reflect their thoughts. But children are spontaneous with natural and untutored responses. Jo, a four-year-old child, prefers to live in her world of dreams and fantasies. She would like to take revenge on Skunk’s mother and is annoyed because her father refuses to accept her suggestion. The father has a mature perspective and so he views things beyond the ‘face-value’ and delves into the philosophical and moralistic aspect of the entire situation. The Wizard, according to him, had interfered with nature and so deserved to be punished. Jo completely disagrees with her father. For her the baby Skunk was right and it made perfect sense if the Wizard hit the ‘stupid’ mommy.
Question 4 : What impression do your form of Jack as a father?
Answer : Jack was a father of a small four-year-old girl, Jo. He was a very loving, caring and affectionate father, who used to tell his daughter a story out of his imagination every day. Since his daughter was very inquisitive and used to ask many questions, he had to be ready with the answers. He was a good storyteller, but was often found caught in an ugly middle position, when he had no answers to his daughter’s questions.
As a part of good parenting, he tried his level best to prove his point and satisfy his daughter’s queries. To sum up, we can infer that Jack was a very good father, who believed in giving his child the best care and understanding.
Value Based Questions : 6 Marks (120 – 150 Words)
Question 1 : Roger Skunk’s mother finds the smell of roses detestable on Roger, implying that he should accept himself as he is. Adults as well as young people are often misjudging issues, people and circumstances based on appearances. Is an obsession for appearance disallowing us to appreciate our true selves? Explain.
Answer : Roger Skunk desired to smell like roses so that he could make friends and play with other animals. His natural Skunk smell made all others avoid him. However, he as a child did not understand that appearances are deceptive and all is not what it appears to be. Comparison with creatures smelling nice are bound to happen, leading to real matters getting brushed under the carpet. This is a sign of misplaced values, and will ultimately lead to animosity when our true self is exposed. So we should not be obsessed with only appearing good, but should develop an appreciation of our true selves and project this true self for others to understand and appreciate.
Question 2 : What is the moral issue that the story raises?
Answer : The moral issue that the story raises is whether parents are the best judge of what is good for their child or not. A sharp contrast is displayed in the story about the child’s viewpoint and an adult’s perspective of life. In the story, the child Jo felt that the happiness of being able to make friends is more than anything else and so she wanted the story to end with Roger Skunk smelling of roses. On the other hand, her father ended the story by saying that his mother was right in getting Roger’s smell back to its original state, implying to his daughter that parents knew what is best for their children. He also advocates that children should respect their parent’s opinions and obey them unquestioningly. Jack also narrated that all the other animals finally accepted Roger, as he was emphasising the importance of a person’s originality and individuality.