Very Short Questions

Question 1 : In which city Ranji discovered the pool?

Answer : Ranji discovered the pool in Rajpur.

Question 2 : Describe the appearance of Ranji when we meet him for the first time.

Answer : Ranji was wearing vest and shorts and his brown feet had become chalky with dust because of walking in extreme heat.

Question 3 : Describe the pool water that Ranji saw in the pool at Rjpur.

Answer : The pool water had a gentle translucency and smooth round pebbles could be seen at the bottom of the pool.

Question 4 : How did Ranji and the stranger introduce themselves to each other?

Answer : The stranger introduced himself as a Warrior. Ranji, on the other hand, introduced himself as a Fighter.

Question 5 : What instructions were given by Ranji to the stranger to make a good dive?

Answer : Ranji asked the stranger to stand on the rock, stretch out his arms and allow his head to displace his feet.

Short Questions

Question 1 : Describe the physical appearances of Suraj and Ranji.

Answer : Suraj was tall and solidly built. He had a broad nose and tick red lips. He was older than Ranji, and stronger too. Ranji, on the other hand, was thin and bony. Though Ranji was strong too, his limbs were supple and free from any fat.

Question 2 : Why did Ranji go to the pool the next day, despite feeling weak for the fight?

Answer : Despite feeling weak for the fight, Ranji goes to the pool the next day because he didnt’ wish refuse the challenge. Refusing the challenge would mean cowardice or acceptance of defeat. Ranji didn’t wish to accept defeat or let go off the pool without fighting for it.

Question 3 : What was the atmosphere of Rajpur when Ranji visits the place?

Answer : It was extremely hot in Rajpur when Ranji visits the place. The Earth was parched and the grass was brown. The trees had become listless and were hardly stirring, as if waiting for a cool wind or a refreshing shower of rain.

Question 4 : What happened when Ranji went to the bazzar?

Answer : Ranji went to the bazaar to find solace in a bottle of lemonade and hot and sweet jalebis. When had just finished his lemonade, he saw Suraj coming down to the bazaar. Ranji wanted to ignore him or through his bottle of lemonade on him. He merely stared at his opponent , though.

Long Questions

Question 1 : Give details of the fight that took place between Ranji and Suraj.

Answer : When Ranji refused to leave the pool, Suraj took on a violent expression. He made hissing sounds and both Ranji and Suraj kept staring at each other. Then, Suraj slapped Ranji with great force. Gathering himself, Ranji swung his arm and pushed a hard bony fist into Suraj’s face. Soon, both were at each other’s throats and were rolling over and over in the dust.

Their fight continued for sometime in which both were groping for each other’s head and throat.

Question 2 : What does ‘pehelwan’ mean? In what ways could Suraj help Ranji become one?

Answer : A ‘pehelwan’ means somebody whose body is strongly built and has physical process. It could also mean a wrestler. Seeing that Ranji was strong, but had a thin and bony body, Suraj suggests to Ranji that he would help him become a pehelwan if Ranji helped him with swimming. He also tells Ranji that he must drink one seer of milk everyday to become a pehelwan and have proper food.

Value Based Questions

Question 1 : What virtue does Ranji display towards the end of the story? How does it make him better than Suraj?

Answer : Towards the end of the story, Ranji understood that even without fighting, he had won the match can claim over the pool. Suraj was now willing to address the pool as ‘our pool’. Ranji displays calm and composed self by not imposing his triumph or victory on Suraj and thereby maintaining peace true that had happened between the two of them.

Ranji doesn’t display the hostility that Suraj had showed towards him and thus avoids airing any more qualms between the two.