ENGLISH Answer the Questions [S.U.][2 MARKS]

The Garoghlanian Tribes
The Garoghlanian family was an Armenian tribe. Eleven centuries ago it was the wealthiest family in that part of the world. However, now every branch of the Garoghlanian tribe was living in the most amazing and comical poverty in the world. These poor people had no money. Nobody could understand where they ever got money enough to keep them with food in their bellies.
The Garoghlanian tribes were famous for their honesty. It had been the hallmark of the tribe for many centuries. They were proud of their family. Honesty came next and then they believed in right and wrong. None of them would take advantage of anybody in the world. No member of the Garoghlanian family could be a thief. The elders felt pained to remember that they had lost their homeland.
These people shifted their residence from one place to the other. The narrator says, “That year we lived at the edge of the town, on Walnut Avenue.” They loved countryside having vineyards, orchards, olives and Walnuts. The names of the people are semi-Arabic: Mourad, Aram, Khosrove, etc. This incident shows that in spite of having a crazy streak, Mourad was kind at heart and gentle towards God’s creatures.

I had just completed my primary education when I visited my uncle. He was a forest ranger in Dehradun. In those days there was a thick forest in the vicinity of the city and all sorts of wild animals prowled there. Uncle had advised us not to enter the deep forest, but forbidden fruit is sweet; My cousin Varun, a couple of his friends and I decided to explore the southern range. We had the kits of scouts and were hilly prepared.
In our boyish enthusiasm, we went deep into the jungle and reached a gorge. We were amazed to see a lioness with her cubs. One of us, perhaps, Mohit clicked his camera. The flashlight scared the lioness and she roared and leaped. Fortunately, there was a big ditch and she fell into it.
Meanwhile, we lit our torches, collected dry leaves and twigs and set them on fire. Momentarily, we got respite from our attackers. Then we threw some green leaves on fire to give smoke signal. A patrol party noticed it and rescued us. I shudder whenever I think of this adventure when we were close to death.

The story gives no indication that the boys were afraid of anyone or anything. Hence the return of the horse was not directed by fear. Secondly, they were not at all conscience-stricken. They did not feel any pangs of repentance or remorse at their action of stealing a horse solely for the purpose of riding it. The narrator makes it amply clear when he asserts that stealing a horse for a ride was not the same thing as stealing something else, such as money.
For him, it wasn’t stealing at all as he and Mourad were so crazy about horses. In his opinion, it would become stealing only when they offered to sell the horse, which he knew they would never do. The last phrase gives a clue to their mental make-up.
Mourad had the horse for over a month when farmer John Byro visited the narrator’s house. They retained it for two weeks more. Mourad outrightly rejected the narrator’s suggestion of keeping the horse any longer. It was his family pride that would not let him steal.
He decided that the horse must go back to its true owner The meeting with John Byro proved conclusive. He praised their family for its honesty. He trusted the boys as he knew their parents. Hence in order to uphold the family tradition and reputation, the boys returned the horse to its rightful owner.

The story ‘The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse’ is a tale told from the viewpoint of a nine-year-old boy. At that age, imagination is rich and one can romanticise even insignificant actions. To such a person the world is full of excellence and glory and life is delightful and a mysterious dream.
For the young poor boy, a ride on a beautiful white horse is a dream fulfilled. He had been always longing to ride and his cherished dream is realised when his cousin Mourad offers him a chance to ride on horseback – first with him and then alone. Riding the stolen horse and hiding it safely are great feats of adventure for the two boys. Though the storyline is thin, we eagerly follow the course of action taken by the boys till they return the horse to its rightful owner. The story provides us a peep into child psychology.
For boys who are crazy about horses, stealing a horse for a ride is not stealing. Though they enjoy the thrill of riding, they are conscious of their family pride. The Garoghlanian family is well-known for honesty and trust. They would neither steal nor take advantage of anybody in the world. Another point of interest is characterisation. The delineation of the common traits of uncle Khosrove and cousin Mourad is superb. The story also contains many purple passages full of pictorial descriptions. All these heighten its appeal to the reader.

Aram plays an important role in the story. Besides being the narrator, he is also a commentator. He not only narrates the various adventures, incidents and actions but also provides useful information regarding the main characters and their behaviour. In fact, he is the fulcrum on which the whole story rests. He gives a graphic description of the Garoghlanian tribe, its members, their traits and economic features. Nomad’s father Zorab is described as a practical person, whereas Mourad and uncle Khosrove represents the crazy streak in the tribe. Abject poverty of the family does not diminish his pride in his family which is famous for honesty. He says, “No member of the Garoghlanian family could be a thief.” He makes a fine distinction between stealing a horse for a ride and stealing a horse to sell it off. He gives a fine description of the horse ride and countryside with its vineyards, orchards, irrigation ditches and country roads.

Mourad is a young boy of thirteen. He belongs to the Garoghlanian family of Armenia. Their whole tribe was poverty-stricken. In spite of abject poverty, their family was famous for honesty. Mourad was quite adventurous and had a clear streak in him. He enjoyed being alive more than anybody else. Mourad loved horse riding. He had a way with a horse. He had tamed the horse by his affectionate behaviour and now the horse was no longer wild. It obeyed Mourad faithfully. His love for the horse is evident in the last scene. While parting, he put his arms around the horse, pressed his nose into the horse’s nose and patted it. He also had a way with dogs. The dogs of John Byro followed them around without making a sound. He was kind. He treated a young robin which had hurt its wing. He was worldly-wise and knew how to talk to farmers. Though he loved horse riding he was averse of keeping the horse for a long time. He is proud of his family which is well-known for their honesty and trust. In short, he is a lovable chap.

The narrator requested his cousin Mourad not to return the horse to farmer John Byro till he learnt to ride. Mourad observed that it might take him a year. The narrator suggested to keep the horse for a year. Mourad shouted that he was inciting him to steal. He declared that the horse must go back to its true owner. This shows his honesty and sense of family pride.

The narrator noticed Mourad trying to cure the hurt wing of a young Robin which could not fly. He was talking to the bird. After sometime. he threw the bird into the air. The bird tried hard and almost fell twice. However, at last, it flew away. high and straight.

Farmer John Byro visited the narrator’s house. He was homesick. sad and lonely. Ills horse had been stolen for over a month. Instead of showing any sympathy or concern for his loss, uncle Khosrove repeated his catchword: it’s no harm. Pay no attention to it”. When John Byro talked about the cost of horse, uncle Khosrove commented: ‘l spit on mOney.” This was too much for John Byro to bear and so he left the house in disgust.

Arani leaped to the back oI the horse, but it did not move. Then he kicked into the muscles of the horse. It reared and snorted. ‘Plzen it began to run. Aram did not know how to ride. The horse ran down the road to a vineyard. It leaped over seven vines, threw the rider and ran away.

Mourad kicked his heels into the horse and shouted, Wazire run!” The horse stood on its hind legs. snorted, and ran forward at full speed. Mourad raced the horse across a field of dry grass to an irrigation ditch. He crossed the ditch on the horse. When he returned five minutes later he was dripping wet.

Once uncle Khosrove was getting his moustache trimmed In a barber’s shop. Suddenly their house was on fire. His own son Arak ran eight blocks to the barber’s shop to Inform him. Khosrove got impatient and roared at his son. When the barber reminded him that his house was on fire. Khosrove roared at him and stopped him from talking.

Uncle Khosrove and cousin Mourad have one very important point in common-their craziness. Mourad’ was considered the natural descendant of uncle Khosrove in this respect. The second similarity is their dominating nature. Both use pet words and phrases and roar aloud to quieten the hearer. While uncle Khosrove says, “It is no harm; pay no attention to it,” Mourad boasts, “I have a way with horses/dogs/farmers.” Khosravi shouts at his son Arak, the barber and farmer John Byro. The narrator is a patient listener to Mourad’s assertions.
The difference lies in their age groups and physical build-up. Uncle Khosrove, a middle-aged person is an enormous man with a powerful head of black hair and very large moustache. Mourad is an athletic young chap of thirteen. Khosrove is irritable, impatient and furious in temper. Mourad is reasonable in conversation.

The Garoghianian family though now poor, were famous for their honesty even when they were wealthy. They were proud of their family first, honesty next and after that, they believed in right and wrong. None of them would take advantage of anybody in the world. They would not steal. No member of the Garoghianlan family could be a thief.

• Aram’s uncle Khosrove was a big man with a Powerful head and black hair.
• He had the largest moustache in the valley. However he had a furious nature.
• He would roar at People and make them stop their talking.
• He was always short tempered and Irritable. His crazy streak had been inherited by Aram’s cousin Mourad.
• The uncle’s Craziness was passed on to Mourad. He also had a passion and was crazy about horses and riding.

• Aram’s uncle Khosrove was a big man with a Powerful head and black hair.
• He had the largest moustache in the valley. However he had a furious nature.
• He would roar at People and make them stop their talking.
• He was always short tempered and Irritable. His crazy streak had been inherited by Aram’s cousin Mourad.
• The uncle’s Craziness was passed on to Mourad. He also had a passion and was crazy about horses and riding.

• One summer morning at four in the morning, Aram’s cousin Mourad tapped at his window and woke him up.
• Mourad Was riding a beautiful white horse. Aram couldn’t believe it that his Cousin had a horse because like him Mourad also belonged to the Garoghlanian family which Was poor.
• They even found it difficult to buy food so no member of their family could buy such a fine horse. It was certain that he had stolen the horse.

• One summer morning at four in the morning, Aram’s cousin Mourad tapped at his window and woke him up.
• Mourad Was riding a beautiful white horse. Aram couldn’t believe it that his Cousin had a horse because like him Mourad also belonged to the Garoghlanian family which Was poor.
• They even found it difficult to buy food so no member of their family could buy such a fine horse. It was certain that he had stolen the horse.

• One summer morning at four in the morning, Aram’s cousin Mourad tapped at his window and woke him up.
• Mourad Was riding a beautiful white horse. Aram couldn’t believe it that his Cousin had a horse because like him Mourad also belonged to the Garoghlanian family which Was poor.
• They even found it difficult to buy food so no member of their family could buy such a fine horse. It was certain that he had stolen the horse.

• The writer William Saroyan talks about the Garoghlanian family Iin the ‘Summer of the beautiful white horse.’ They were Armenians. They had once been wealthy and had their Own lands. They had lost everything to the war.
• Now they were so poor that they found it difficult to even buy food to eat.
• This tribe was first known for its pride. Honesty came next and then they believed in right and wrong.
• Thus they were known for their pride, honesty, trust and integrity since eleven centuries, They would never take advantage of anybody in the World and would never steal.

• In the story ‘The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse’, the narrator Aram is talking about things that happened in his life when he was nine years old.
• Nostalgia means remembrances. Aram recalls an incident that happened long ago. The Armenian boy and his cousin Mourad had done something impossible.
• Both loved horses and Mourad gets hold of an Assyrian farmer John Byro’s horse. He had tamed and learned to ride for almost a month and then he thought of Aram his cousin and then one morning called him out to ride the horse.
• He made Aram’s dreams come true. For the boys horse riding or owning a horse was a far-fetched dream as their family was poor and hardly had any food to eat.
• Aram couldn’t really learn riding alone as the horse was not comfortable with him on the back. They returned the horse and later Aram remembers this incident as ‘the good old days’ when he was nine.
• At that time ‘the world was full of every imaginable kind of magnificence.’ The horse incident was unforgettable for him.

• The story The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse’ revolves round stealing and returning the horse to its true owner. Aram’s cousin Mourad was considered to be the natural descendant of the crazy streak in the Garoghlanian family. He had a passion for riding.
• He had ‘a way with a horse’. It was Mourad who stole a beautiful white horse belonging to a farmer John Byro. In this respect Mourad went against the much respected values of the Garoghlanian. The tribe to which they belonged was famous for its integrity and honesty.
• As the family was poor Mourad couldn’t buy a horse. Hence, he resorted to stealing. Naturally, he stole it for riding and not for money. Aram also felt that stealing a horse for riding was not the same thing as stealing for money. Mourad used to take out the horse for early morning rides. He was a wonderful rider.
• The horse would burst into a fury of speed within no time with Mourad on its back. Aram was rather a bad rider. He always fell off the horse when he rode alone. In the end, the pangs of conscience overpowered their boyish passions and they didn’t want to bring a bad name to their proud family so they returned the horse to its true owner John Byro.

• ‘The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse’ is the story of two poor Armenian boys. They are Aram and Mourad. They are cousins. They belong to the Garoghlanian tribe which was known for its integrity and honesty but was living In Poverty with no money to even buys food.
• Aram is opposite to Mourad. He is calm and quiet. The world is full of romance and magnificence for him. It is delightful and dreamy. On the other hand, his cousin Mourad was dashing and dynamic and was considered to be crazy by everybody like uncle Khosrove.
• It was unimaginable that anyone of them could ever be a thief but Mourad had stolen a horse for riding and the horse loved his company as Mourad loved animals. Aram had not still learnt proper horse riding. Every time he rode alone, the horse threw him down.
• Mourad was more daring. Aram understood his cousin well. He and Mourad believed stealing the horse for riding was not the same as stealing for money. Mourad and Aram were conscience-stricken in the end; they returned the stolen horse to its true owner John Byro.

• John Byro was a farmer. He Was an Assyrian but he had learnt to speak Armenian as he was lonely and needed company. He lived nearby.
• He came to tell the narrator’s mother that his white horse had been stolen last month. He had still not found it.
• He was feeling bad that he couldn’t use his Surrey without his horse.
• The narrator’s mother offered him coffee and tobacco.

• Aram narrates the story, ‘The Summer of the beautiful white horse’. He was excited to sit on a horse with Mourad.
• It had been his dream and passion to have a horse.
• When Mourad stole a horse and kept it for riding, Aram felt it was a dream come true.
• He wanted to learn to ride the horse all alone tike Mourad.
• He knew that they it was not right to keep a stolen horse but he wanted to perfect his riding skills so he wanted Mourad to keep the horse till he learnt to ride.
• Mourad opposed his idea. He felt that it was time for him to return the horse to its rightful owner because they were a Part of the Garoghlanian family and couldn’t tarnish its image of honor and integrity.

• In the story, ‘The Summer of the beautiful white horse’ the narrator of the Story is Aram, who talks about his ‘experience as a nine year old about riding a horse alone.
• His cousin Mourad had brought a horse and had taken him for a ride. Aram wanted to ride the horse alone.
• He felt that if Mourad could do it, he would also be able to ride.
• When Aram got on to the horse, it didn’t move. After that he kicked into its muscles, the horse reared and snorted and then it began to run.
• Instead of running across the field to the irrigation ditch it ran down the road to the vineyard and it began to leap over the vines.
• The horse leaped over seven vines before the narrator was thrown down.

• The narrator Aram felt that every family had a Crazy streak in it somewhere and his cousinMourad was considered the natural descendant of the crazy streak of the Garoghlanian tribe.
• Before Mourad his uncle Khosrove had the Crazy streak of having a furious temper, being irritable and impatient.
• He would stop anyone from talking by roaring.
• Mourad’s father Zorab was a practical and calm man but his son had his uncles Khosrove’s streak and Khosrov’s son Arak was quite calm unlike his father.
• Therefore Aram Says that a man could be the father of his son’s flesh but that didn’t mean that he was also the father of his spirit.
• The distribution of the various kinds of spirit of their tribe had been from the beginning unpredictable and roaming.