Short Questions and Answers
Question 1 : Which qualities are common in all three characters of the play ‘The Proposal’?
Answer : All the characters in the play are argumentative, full of pride and possessiveness. They are always ready to argue for petty things. They even fought over the breed of dogs.
Question 2 : How does Lomov come to Chubokov’s house? For what does he come? How is he receivd?
Answer : Lomov comes to Chubokov’s house in the evening dress with gloves on. He comes to propose his duaghter Natalya. He is received with all the respect by Chubukov, who also felt happy and offered champagne to him.
Question 3 : How does Chubukov react when Lomov says that he has come to ask for the hand of his daughter?
Answer : When Lomov says that he has come to ask for the hand of his daughter, Chubukov gets off balanced with joy. He embraces and kisses Lomov, sheds a tear of joy and calls for God’s blessings for Lomov and Natalya. They celebrated that moment with champagne.
Question 4 : Why did Lomov want to get married?
Answer : Lomov wanted to get married as he was already 35 years old. Moreover, he was suffering due to a weak heart and sleep-sickness and wanted company of someone to look after them. Moreover he knew Natalya’s family for a long time and liked her a lot.
Question 5 : What happens to Lomov when he is in an excited state?
Answer : When Lomov is in an excited state, his heartbeat increases, lips tremble and there is a twitch in his right eyebrow. When he goes to sleep in such a state, something pulls him from this left side and he jumps like a lunatic.
Question 6 : How does Natalya excite Lomov to the point of verbal fighting?
Answer : Natalya repeatedly insists that Oxen Meadows are theirs and tells Lomov that upto now she considered Lomov a good neighbour and friend.
This excites Lomov to the point of verbal fighting. Though he has the documents to prove his possession but Natalya refuses his claim.
Question 7 : How does Lomov react when Chubukov says that he is not used to misbehave by a young man like Lomov?
Answer : Lomov reacts by saying that Chubukov thinks that he is a fool. He says that he cannot talk to him calmly and politely as he is making a false claim to his property. He further accuses Chubukov of being a grabber. He also threatens Chubukov to take him to the court.
Question 8 : Why does Natalya ask her father Chubukov to fetch Lomov in at once? Why does she accuse her father?
Answer : Natalya asks her father to fetch Lomov at once as she comes to know that Lomov had come to propose her. She accused Chubukov of driving Lomov out of their home.
Question 9 : How does Natalya react when she comes to know that Lomov had come to propose her?
Answer : When Natalya comes to know that Lomov had come there to propose her, she was shocked. She cries, changes her stance and asks her father to fetch Lomov in. When he proposed her, she became very happy as she also wanted to marry him.
Long Questions and Answers
Question 1 : The principle ‘forgive and forget’ , helps a lot in maintaining cordial relations with our neighbours. Do you think Anton Chekov conveys this message in the play ‘The Proposal’?
Answer : Anton Chekov does convey the message that the principle of ‘forgive and forget’ helps a lot in maintaining cordial relationship with one’s neighbours. Initially, the neighbours in the play, Lomov, Natalya and Chubukov were fighting over petty issues. They were putting important issues behind them and wasting their time by arguing over small things . These arguments slowly developed into fights and they started hurling abuses at one another. This damaged their relationship with each other.
It was when Natalya came to know that Lomov had come to propose her she left the topic of argument (Oxen Meadows) behind. She also asked for forgiveness from Lomov and requested him to come to the point. This shows that whether they fought unnecessarily upon insignificant issues like breed of dog etc but when it was about the marriage proposal, they forgot their enmity and agreed to marry. Even Chubukov who was insulted by Lomov enjoyed the moment and agreed for their marriage. Hence, it is mandatory to ‘forgive and forget’ if one wants to have cordial relationship with others.
Question 2 : Neighbours must have a cordial relationship which Lomov and Natalya do not have. Describe the first fight between them.
Answer : Lomov meets Natalya and rather than proposing her he gets off the point. He tells her how he inherited his land and how he respects her father. He also tells Natalya that his Oxen Meadows touch Natalya’s Birchwood. On hearing this, Natalya says that Oxen Meadows are theirs. They start arguing about it. Lomov clarifies that he is talking about the Oxen Meadows that are between her Birchwoods and burnt marsh.
Natalya again insists that they are theirs. Lomov refuses it. He tells her that his aunt’s grandmother gave those meadows to her father’s grandfather. The peasants used the land for forty years and started regarding it as their own.
Natalya’s father comes and also starts quarrelling with Lomov. They get into heated argument and resort to name-calling after some time, Lomov leaves their house.