The Tale of Melon City by Vikram Seth

Lesson 7.The Tale of Melon City by Vikram Seth (from Snapshot)

Mixed Type of Questions: Short & Long Answer-type Questions

Q1. What did the king order to get constructed on the major thoroughfare? What happened when he rode there?

Ans. The king proclaimed (announced) that an arch should be built in commemoration of (in memory of) his victories. It should be erected (built) at the main road entering the city so that it would edify (motivate) the spectators (people watching it while passing by).

The workers went there and built the arch as it was the king’s orders.

Q2. What made the king angry? What did he do then?

Ans. The king rode off towards the arch so as to edify (instruct/educate) the spectators there. As he was passing under the arch, his crown was touched by the arch as it was not made keeping in view the height of any person riding a horse. So the king’s crown fell down. It was a matter of dishonour to the king’s crown. So a ‘frown’ of anger appeared on the king’s placid (peaceful) face. He at once ordered that the chief of the builders must be hanged for the negligence (carelessness) in building the arch at a low height.

Q3.Why did the king order that the chief of the workmen would be hanged? How did he save his life?

Ans. The chief of the workmen had not constructed the arch of the gate keeping in view the height of the king while riding his horse. As his crown touched the arch and fell down, he ordered the the chief to be hanged. But he saved his own life by blaming the workmen for that fault.

Q4.How did the workmen save their life? Whom did they shift the blame to?

Ans. They stood stunned and surprised. They told the king that it was not their fault as the bricks were made of the wrong size. The king heard the workmen’s plea (appeal/request) and understood the situation. He forgave them and called the masons.

Q5. What did the masons say to save themselves from being hanged?

Ans. They stood trembling in front of the king with folded hands.   They also passed the buck on (to blame someone or make them responsible for a problem that you should deal with:) the architect. He was brought in front of the king.

Q6. The architect was also successful in saving his life from being hanged. What did he say to the king in his defence?

Ans.  He explained to the king that his majesty had made some amendments (changes) in the map when he had brought the map in front of him.   The king gave a patient hearing to the architect and forgave him.

Q7. Why did the king need the advice of the wisest man? What was his advice?

Ans.   The king was confused a little bit by the tricky situation. So he announced that he needed some advice in that matter to reach a justified decision. He ordered that the wisest man of the country must be brought in front of him.   When he was told to speak on the ‘tricky matter’, he spoke in a quavering voice (shaking voice) that the culprit (offender/guilty person) must be punished. He further expressed his opinion saying that the arch was the real offender as it banged (hit to make it fall) the king’s crown off. So it must be hanged.

Q8. Did the king hang the arch? Who changed the king’s decision to hang the arch and how?

Ans. The arch was brought to the scaffold (the wooden structure on which a culprit was hanged to death in the past) and then, all of a sudden, one of the king’s councillors (ministers) interrupted the proceedings (series of events) by saying that the arch must not be hanged as it respectfully had touched the king’s crown.

It would be a matter of shame for the country if it had been hanged.  The king thought (mused) for some time and then he was swayed (influenced) by the logic given by his councillor. He agreed with his minister on the logic forwarded by him.

Q9. Under what circumstances was the king hanged?

Ans. The king did not hang the arch. But the crowd was muttering some words as they were restless at the delay in hanging. They were in a mood to see someone being hanged (executed). The king was afraid of the mood of the public. They all wanted someone to be hanged.   The king declared at once to postpone giving thought to the finer points like guilt.  The noose (/nuːs/: the rope when tied in such a way that it can be put into a person’s (usually a criminal’s) neck to kill is called a noose) was set up at some height. Each man’s height was measured one by one to suit it, but only one tall man was found to fit the height at which the noose was set. The king was the only one person, and that was none other than the king himself. So the king was hanged in compliance with the king’s decree (an official statement that something must happen:)

Q10. Under what circumstances a melon was selected as the ruler of the state?

Ans. The King was hanged in compliance with the orders issued by him. It was a royal decree to hang someone. The ministers thanked God as they found a suitable person for hanging.  After some time, the king was dead and the Ministers uttered loudly: “Long live the King!’ The King is dead”

 Then they thought deeply about the situation and decided to find out the next King for the throne to sit on it.

Since they were practical-minded persons, they sent messages here and there, declaring that any person passing the City Gate would select the next ruler of the state according to the custom of the state. The custom will be followed with due ceremony. Then, the guards stopped a man passing by the City Gate and asked him to name the next king to the throne of that country. He was an idiot, so he cried ‘A Melon’. The idiot liked melons, so replied to all the questions asked to him ‘He liked melons’. After that, the ministers crowned a melon and said that it was their King now. Then they carried the melon to the throne and respectfully set it down there.

Q11.What was the tradition of the state described in The Tale of Melon City about selecting the king?

Ans. The incident of making a melon their king belonged to the remote past. If anyone now asks the people of that city as to why their king looks like a melon and how it happened, they reply that it was a decision taken due to a custom.  They have no objection if their king likes to be a melon. They have no right to question the king as to how he looks. They are bothered about their peace and liberty. They are happy because the principle of ‘laissez faire (lɛseɪˈfɛː)’ is followed there. It is the policy of leaving things to take their own course, without interfering.

Note: [ What is    "a laissez-faire attitude to life”?

When things are allowed to happen of their own and people are allowed to make their own decisions without  the govt.’s interference, this type of policy is called ‘laissez-faire’.]