Please see Chapter 10 The Sermon at Benares Exam Questions Class 10 English below. These important questions with solutions have been prepared based on the latest examination guidelines and syllabus issued by CBSE, NCERT, and KVS. We have provided Class 10 English Questions and answers for all chapters in your NCERT Book for Class 10 English . These solved problems for Glimpses of India in Class 10 English will help you to score more marks in upcoming examinations.
Exam Questions Chapter 10 The Sermon at Benares Class 10 English
Short Answer Type Questions
Question. Who was Gautam Buddha? Write a few lines about his early life.
Answer : Gautam Buddha was a prince. He was named Siddhartha Gautam by his parents. He was born in 563 B.C. in North India. He was sent away for schooling when he was twelve years old but four years later, he got married to a princess.
Question. How can death be considered an equaliser?
Answer : Death is certainly- an equalizer as it creates a balance of life. New lives start on earth only after the old lives are gone. If mortals won’t die, there will be no place far new lives. Moreover a person gets new Life after leaving the old one. So, death is required to keep the circle of life going.
Question. Did Kisa Gotami get a handful of mustard seeds as directed by the Buddha?
Answer : Poor Kisa Gotami went from house to house. The people pitied her and were ready to give a handful of mustard seeds to her. But, she couldn’t find a house where no one had lost a child, husband, parent or friend.
Question. What is the theme of the poem ‘For Anne Gregory’?
Answer : The poem conveys the idea that physical beauty may be important for young men or human beings. But God does not love human beings for their physical beauty. In this poem, the poet gives an example of a lover who loves the yellow hair of a young lady but does not like her ramparts. The lady disapproves his love.
Question. What makes a young man not to love the woman referred to in the first stanza?
Answer : The woman has beautiful yellow hair. But the outer part of her ears is not attractive. The poet says that never shall man love her only for herself.
Long Answer Type Questions
Question. People are not objects. They should be valued for being themselves. What lesson does the poet want to give to the readers through this poem?
Answer : Absolutely true. People are not objects. Appearances may be deceptive. A person should be liked and loved for being himself or ‘herself. Outwardly appearances do tempt and dazzle us. There may be many persons who would love to see Anne’s beautiful hair falling over her ears like the ramparts of a fort. Many would love Anne Gregory for her beautiful yellow hair. It would be difficult to find a real lover who loves Anne for `herself alone’. What is so great about yellow hair? Anne ridicules the idea of being loved for her yellow hair. She can dye her hair the way she likes — brown, black, carrot or yellow. But the irony of this world is that people will go on being tempted and dazzled by glamour, show and outwardly appearances. Only God can love a person for ‘himself or herself’ alone.
Question. “The life of mortals in this world is troubled and brief and combined with pain” With this statement of the Buddha, find out the moral values that Kisa Gotami learnt after the death of her child.
Answer : After the death of her only son, Kisa Gotami went to the Buddha. Firstly, she went to every neighbour, asking for medicine for her dead son. She had lost all her senses. She forgot that no
medicine could bring back the dead. Then she went to Buddha for making her son alive. Buddha asked her to bring a handful of mustard seeds from a house where no death had occur. But she couldn’t find such a house. The Buddha made her realise that death is common to all. It also shows the detachment from mundane life. Only grieving cannot bring peace of mind.
Question. Life is full of trials and tribulations. Kisa Gotami also passes through a period of grief in her Life. How does she behave in those circumstances? What Lesson does a reader learn from the story of her Life? Give any two points haw you would Like to act in the midst of adverse circumstances.
Answer : Kisa Gotamfs only son had died. Grief-stricken, she went about asking people for medicine to revive her dead son. At the behest of a man, she went to the Buddha who said he would cure her son onLy if she could gather some mustard seeds from a house where no death had ever taken place After knocking severaL doors and being unsuccessful she realised that death was common to all and it could not be avoided. No one can save anyone, so, weeping over a dead soul was fruitless. It was wise to stop grieving and accept the truth. Grieving over what is Lost would only cause more pain and suffering and even then, cannot bring one back to life. Accept Life as it comes, be grateful and Live to the fullest with peace of mind and good health.
Question. Describe the journey of Siddhartha Gautam becoming the Buddha.
Answer : Gautam Buddha began his life as a royal prince. He was named Siddhartha Gautama. At twelve, Gautama was sent away for schooling in the Hindu sacred scriptures. At the age of sixteen, he returned home to marry a princess. The prince was deliberately shielded from all sufferings of the world. But this attempt failed when the prince while out hunting chanced upon a sick man. Then, he saw an aged man. He also chanced to see a funeral procession. Finally, he saw a monk, begging for alms. These sights of suffering, sickness and decay shocked and moved the prince. He wanted to seek the final solution of all these sorrows and sufferings. He wandered for seven Years in search of enlightenment. Finally, he sat down under a fig tree. He meditated there until he was enlightened after seven days. He renamed the tree the Bodhi Tree or the Tree of Wisdom. He became known as the Buddha or the Awakened or the enlightened one. The Buddha gave his first sermon at Benares on the River Ganges.
