Chapter 3: An Astrologer’s Day Textbook Solutions

NIOS Class 12 English Chapter 3 Question Answer

INTEXT QUESTIONS 3.1

1. What is the profession of the protagonist in the story?

Ans: Astrology

2. What was the professional equipment used by the protagonist to attract his customers?

Ans: A dozen cowrie shells, a square piece of cloth with obscure mystic charts on it, a notebook, and a bundle of palmyra writing.

3. Given below are a few words. Find their antonyms (words with opposite meaning from the passage and write them in the blanks given:

Blunt
Discomfort
Costly
Complex
Innocent
Dishonest

Ans:

Blunt – Sharp
Discomfort – Comfort
Costly – Cheap
Complex – Simple
Innocent – Shrewd
Dishonest – Honest

4. Does the astrologer have special powers of predicting the future?

Ans: No.

INTEXT QUESTIONS 3.2

1. Does the protagonist choose to be an astrologer by choice?

Ans: No

2. How could the astrologer satisfy his ‘clients’?

Ans: He would always say relatable things that pleased his customers. His strategy was to let a customer speak for at least ten minutes. That gave him enough stuff for a variety of answers.

3. What was the signal for the astrologer to bundle up and go home?

Ans: When the nuts vendor blew out his flare and rose to go home, that was a signal for the astrologer.

4. Given below are a few words. Find out their synonyms (words of same meaning) from the passage and write them in the blanks given:

i. Problem

ii. Ancestor

iii. Insight

iv. Far off

v. Ray

vi. Murmur

Ans:

i. Problem: Trouble

ii. Ancestor: Forefathers

iii. Insight: Perception

iv. Far off: Distant

v. Ray: Shaft

vi. Murmur: Grumbled

INTEXT QUESTIONS 3.3

1. How much fee did the astrologer charge per question?

Ans: Three pies per question

2. How did the astrologer initially react upon seeing the stranger?

Ans: Startled and fearful

3. “Leave me today. I will speak to you tomorrow.” Who is the speaker of the following words? Choose the appropriate option.

i) The astrologer

ii) The stranger

iii) The shopkeeper

iv) The narrator

Ans: i) The astrologer

4. What does the astrologer’s scar symbolise in the story? Choose an appropriate answer from the given options.

i) A physical injury

ii) A birthmark

iii) A reminder of his past mistake

iv) A mark of his expertise in astrology

Ans: (iii) A reminder of his past mistake

INTEXT QUESTIONS 3.4

1. What motivated the astrologer to confront the stranger openly? Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

a) Fear of exposure

b) Guilt and the need for redemption

c) The stranger’s insistence on the truth

d) Desire for revenge.

Ans: b) Guilt and the need for redemption

2. Where was Guru Nayak’s village situated?

Ans: Two days’ journey due north of the astrologer’s town.

3. When did the astrologer reach home?

Ans: At midnight

4. What did the astrologer’s wife plan to do with twelve and a half annas?

Ans: She wanted to prepare some nice sweets for her daughter.

INTEXT QUESTIONS 3.5

Fill in the blanks with the appropriate form of verbs:

1. She __________ (study) for her exams for three hours.

Ans: has been studying

2. They __________ (work) on the project since last Monday.

Ans: have been working

3. By the time we arrived, they __________ (wait) for us for over an hour.

Ans: had been waiting

4. I __________ (wait) for you for more than an hour.

Ans: have been waiting

5. They were exhausted because they __________ (dance) at the party for hours.

Ans: had been dancing

6. By the time he got the job, he __________ (search) for it for six months.

Ans: had been searching

7. The children __________ (play) in the garden since morning.

Ans: have been playing

8. When they finally met, they __________ (talk) on the phone for hours.

Ans: had been talking

9. She realized she __________ (work) on the wrong assignment all night.

Ans: had been working

10. He __________ (paint) the house for the last two days.

Ans: has been painting

INTEXT QUESTIONS 3.6

1. Fill in the blanks using the correct forms of the phrasal verbs given in the box.

put back, put on, put up, put out, put off, put by, bring in, look after, climb up, make out, come up with, fall back on, to keep up with

i. Every wise person _________a little money for a rainy day.

Ans: put by

ii. Please ________ the fire after you have cooked rice.

Ans: put out

iii. She couldn’t __________ the answer during the test, so she left it blank.

Ans: come up with

iv. The meeting was __________ as the chairman was not well.

Ans: put off

v. The children need someone to _____________ them while their parents are away.

Ans: look after

vi. The concert organizers had to ____________ extra chairs to accommodate the unexpected crowd.

Ans: bring in

vii. Please ________ the dictionary on the top shelf after you have looked up the meaning of the words.

Ans: put back

viii. ___________ your cardigan as it is cold.

Ans: put on

ix. The team ________________ a great performance.

Ans: put up

x. The cat tried to ________________ the tree to catch the elusive bird.

Ans: break down

xi. I could not _________ what he was trying to say.

Ans: makeout

xii. The couple is always trying ________ their neighbour’s status.

Ans: to keep up with

xiii. If one has some savings, one can _____ them in times of need.

Ans: fall back on

2. Match the column A with column B:

Column A	Column B
i. looked through	a) glanced at
ii. looked into	b) searched for
iii. looked after	c) took care of
iv. looked at	d) examined
v. looked for	e) read through

Ans:

i. looked through e. read through

ii. looked into d. examined

iii. looked after c. took care of

iv. looked at a. glanced at

v. looked for b. searched for

LET’S DO

1. There is an error in each line with a blank alongside. The verb in each sentence is incorrect. Remember to underline the error and write the correct form of the verb in the blank space alongside.

i. At the beginning of the year, Rahul did not knew a word of Urdu.

Ans: At the beginning of the year, Rahul did not know a word of Urdu.

ii. Now he was able to read simple Urdu book without difficulty.

Ans: Now he was able to read simple Urdu books without difficulty.

iii. His parents pays special attention to his needs and encourage him.

Ans: His parents pay special attention to his needs and encourage him.

iv. But Atul’s case has different.

Ans: But Atul’s case is different.

v. Instead of making progress he seeming to be going slow.

Ans: Instead of making progress he seems to be going slow.

vi. The negative factors at home cause all these differences.

Ans: The negative factors at home cause all these differences.

2. In the following passage, there are mistakes in subject-verb agreement. Go through and find the slips and correct them.

i. My father giving me some money yesterday. He always gave some money whenever he is in a happy mood; but the trouble are, his happy mood does not last very long. I is waiting for his next happy mood now.

Ans: My father gave me some money yesterday. He always gives some money whenever he is in a happy mood, but the trouble is, his happy mood does not last very long. I am waiting for his next happy mood

now.

ii. What guide the wasp or the bee when it flies home? When young bees fly out for first time, it makes short flights. The bees fly a yard or two, circle around, and then fly one. At last they know all the landmarks around the hive. Each flight is longer then the one before. These flights are not to test their wings but to get to know the country. They find their way home because they have flew over the country and seen it. They know their geography.

Ans: What guides the wasp or the bee when it flies home? When young bees fly out for the first time, it makes short flights. The bees fly a yard or two, circle, and then fly one. At last, they know all the landmarks around the hive. Each flight is longer than the one before. These flights are not to test their wings but to get to know the country. They find their way home because they have flown over the country

and seen it. They know their geography.

TERMINAL QUESTIONS

1. How does the astrologer manipulate his client’s palm reading?

Ans: He had a working analysis of mankind’s troubles: marriage, money, and the tangles of human ties. Long practice had sharpened his perception. He was paid three pies for each question and never opened his lips until the other person had spoken for at least ten minutes. It gave him enough information for a dozen responses and suggestions.

2. What does the astrologer’s interaction with his clients reveal about human nature?

Ans: The astrologer’s predictions are vague and general, yet his clients believe in their accuracy. This underscores the role of perception in shaping our beliefs and actions.

3. What is the significance of the title, “An Astrologer’s Day”?

Ans: It describes a day in the life of a fake astrologer.

4. What is the moral of the story “An Astrologer’s Day” by R.K. Narayan?Ans: People can change and seek redemption if they are given the opportunity. Though it is popularly believed in the power of destiny, individuals can control their own lives.