Drama: arms and the man questions and answers
arms and the man questions and answers
Brief Questions and Answers
1. When was Shaw awarded Nobel Prize? What did he do with the prize money?
Ans: He was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1925, but he gave away the prize money to start the Anglo-Swedish Literary Foundation.
2. What is ‘the New Drama’?
Ans: ‘The New Drama’ is a type of drama which started at the end of the 19th century and which deals with realistic social issues instead of idealism of the traditional drama.
3. What is ‘New Theatre’?
Ans: It is a theatrical organization which was established in London in 1891 in order to popularize the intellectual dramas of Ibsen and Shaw.
4. What is the background of Arms and the Man?
Ans: The play is based on the play historical war between Bulgaria and Serbia fought in 1885.
5. From where is the title of Arms and the Man taken?
Ans: The title of the play Arms and the Man is taken from Dryden’s translation of Virgil’s epic The Aeneid, beginning with “Arms and the man I sing”
6. What is the importance of the year 1885 in Arms and the Man?
Ans: The year 1885 in importance because the war between Serbia and Bulgaria took place in the year. The war started on November 14 and ended with the defeat of defeat of Serbia on November 19 at Slivnitza.
7. What is Slivnitza?
Ans: Slivnitza is a Bulgarian town, about twenty miles north-west of Sophia, the capital of Bulgarian
8. What is the Dragoman Pass?
Ans: It is a mountain pass in the west of Bulgarian. It provides an easy passage between Bulgarian and Serbia.
9. What is a Turkish ottoman?
Ans: It is a cushioned seat or sofa without back or arms. It was first used in Turkey.
10. Who is a Raina’s mother?
Ans: Raina’s mother is Catherine Petkeff, an energetic and dominating woman with black hair and eyes.
11. How does Sergius become the hero of the hour and the idol of the regiment?
Ans: By defeating the Serbians at Slivnitza, Sergius becomes the hero of the hour and the idol of the regiment.
12. How does Sergius win the battle at Slivnitza?
Ans: Sergius wins the battle at Slivnitza by means of his cavalry attack. When Sergius attacks the Serbs with his cavalry soldiers, the machine gun of the Serbs suddenly stops functioning. So Sergius becomes able to defeat them.
13. What is an opera?
Ans: An opera is a type of drama in which the actors make their speeches in musical verse, not in prose. Thus an opera is a musical drama.
14. Who is Louka?
Ans: Louka is the maid-servant of the Petkoffs.
15. What kind of girl is Louka?
Ans: Louka is a spirited woman. She is proud, bold and haughty. Though a maid-servant, she has not the spirit of a servant.
16. What is Tsar?
Ans: Tsar is the title of the Enperor of Russia before 1917.
17. Whom did Captain Bluntschli call Don Quixote?
Ans: Sergius.
18. “Nine soldiers out of ten are born fools” – Who is the speaker? Why does he say this?
Ans: The Man who enters Raina’s bedroom at night says this. Here he means that most of the soldiers are very foolish persons. He says this to encourage Raina that she can easily deceive the Bulgarian soldiers who are about to enter her room for search.
19. What kind of soldiers is the Man (Bluntschli) who enters Raina’s bedroom at night?
Ans: He is a professional soldier.
20. What is a professional soldier?
Ans: A professional soldier is a person who taken soldiering as a professional. He fights for money.
21. Why does Raina offer chocolate creams to the Man (Bluntschli)?
Ans: When the Man (Bluntschli) tells Raina that he aways carries chocolate in the battle instead of cartridges, she offers him chocolate creams out of sympathy.
22. How according to Bluntschli can one recognize an old soldier?
Ans: According to Bluntschli, an old soldier can be recognized from the contents of his pistol cases and cartridge boxes, where he carries some food.
23. Who was Don Quixote?
Ans: Don Quixote was the romantic hero of the novel of the same name by the Spanish writer, Cervantes. He attacked a windmill in action taking it a giant.
24. Why doesn’t Raina want to let Bluntschli stay in her room?
Ans: Raina doesn’t want to let Bluntschli stay in her room because he has said something insulting about Sergius’ cavalry charge.
25. How does Raina pride on the Petkoff family?
Ans: Raina pride on the Petkoff family by saying that it is the richest and best known family in Bulgaria.
26. Who was Ernani?
Ans: Ernani was the titular hero of an opera of the same name by Giuseppi Verdi, an Italian composer.
27. On what condition did Bluntschli agree to stay in Raina’s room?
Ans: Bluntschli agreed ro stay in Raina’s room on the condition that Raina must inform her mother about his presence in her room.
28. Why does Raina call Bluntschli a chocolate cream soldier?
Ans: Raina sarcastically calls him a chocolate cream soldier because he carried chocolate instead of cartridges in the battle-field.
29. Who is Nicola?
Ans: Nicola is the servant-man of the Petkoff family.
30. What, according to Nicola, is the secret of success in service?
Ans: According to Nicola, to have the soul of a servant is the secret of success in service.
Short Questions
1. Why is Shaw’s Arms and the Man called a drama of ideas?
2. What farcical elements do you find in Arms and the Man?
3. What is a comedy.
4. Why is Arms and the Man called an anti-romantic comedy?
5. Is Arms and the Man a problem play?
6. Describe the bedroom episode.
7. How is the ‘higher love’ of Raina and Sergius shattered?
8. What is the dramatic significance of the flirting scene of Segius and Louka?
9. Describe the coat-episode.
10. Write a note on the photograph episode.
11. Who embodies life-force in Arms and the Man?
12. Why does Bluntschli compare Sergius to Don Quixote?
13. Make a short note on the character of “Louka”.
Explanations
1. This is batter weapon than the revolver: eh?
2. Soldering, my dear madam, is the coward’s art of attacking mercilessly when you are strong, and keeping out of harm’s way when you are weak. That is the whole secret of successful fighting. Get your enemy at a disadvantage; and never, on any account, fight him on equal terms.
3. And how ridiculous! Oh war! War! The dream of patriots and heroes! A fraud, Bluntschli. A hollow sham, like love.
4. What a man! Is he a man?
5. Oh yes they are. There are only two sorts of soldiers: old ones and young ones.
Short Notes
1. Catherine Petkoff
2. Chocolate-cream soldier
3. Raina
4. Anti-hero
Broad Questions
1. Consider Arms and the Man as an anti-romantic comedy/ theme of love and war.
2. How is the theme of war handled in ‘Arms and the Man’?
3. Do you think ‘chocolate-cream soldier’ is an appropriate epithet for Bluntschli? Give reasons for your answer.
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