Three Questions Broad questions And Answers. Leo Tolstoy

*** In this article, we will provide the large answers type questions and answers from the short story "Three Questions".The answers are written in proper, simple and understandable language.

** "Three Questions" is one of the most important chapters for the students of class-XII of WBCHSE for the final exam.

"THREE QUESTIONS"

By Leo Tolstoy

Class-XII(WBCHSE), Class-VII(CBSE)

1. Justify the title of the story "Three Question".

    Ans- The title of the story, ‘Three Questions’ written by Leo Tolstoy, is very short and simple. The story is a philosophical story. The main character of the story is the Tsar. Three questions arose in his mind and he was looking for the proper answers to these questions. He thought that if he knew the proper answers to these questions, he would never fail in any work he might undertake. All the content of the story is based on getting the answers to his three questions. The first question that came to his mind was what the right time for every action should be. Then, the second question that bothered him much was who the most important person in his life to listen to and whom to avoid. Finally, the third question was what the most important thing in life for him to do. The learned men of his kingdom did not give him satisfactory answers. Then he consulted a hermit for the answers. The hermit gave him the right answers through a practical incident and taught him a great lesson. The story is all about getting answers to the three questions of the Tsar. From this point of view, “Three Questions” is an excellent choice as the title of the story.

2. Which three questions occurred to the Tsar? What did he proclaim to get the correct answers? Could the learned men satisfy him?

    Ans- The questions that arose in the mind of the Tsar were three in numbers. The answers to the questions were vital to him. He thought that if he knew the proper answers to these questions, he would never fail in any work he might undertake. The first question that came to his mind was what the right time for every action should be. Then, the second question that bothered him much was who the most important person in his life to listen to and whom to avoid. Finally, the third and the last question that arose in his mind was what the most important thing in life for him to do.

     In order to get the correct answers, he proclaimed a rich reward for anyone who would come up with the right and satisfactory answers to his three questions.

    Unfortunately, none of the learned men and the scholars of his kingdom could come up with a satisfactory answer to any of the questions.

3. Why did the Tsar visit the hermit? How was he dressed? Why was he dressed so? What was the hermit doing at that time?

     Ans- In Leo Tolstoy’s short story ‘Three Questions’, the Tsar visited the hermit in order to find the proper and satisfactory answers to the three questions that came to his mind regarding the most important time, the most important man, and the most important occupation in his life. He knew that the wise hermit only could give him satisfactory answers.

    On the occasion, the Tsar dismounted from the horse and dressed himself like a common man.

    He was dressed like a common man because he knew that the hermit met only the common folk.

    At that time the hermit, who looked frail and weak, was preparing a seed bed by digging the ground with a spade in front of his hut. He was breathing heavily at each time he stuck his spade into the ground.

4. How did the Tsar nurse the bearded man? Or, How did the Tsar make peace with his enemy?

   Ans-  In Leo Tolstoy’s story ‘Three Questions’, we find the Tsar taking great care of the bearded man. He was wounded by the bodyguards of the Tsar when he came out of his ambush. He fell unconscious on the ground in front of the Tsar and the hermit. The Tsar found out that the man was severely injured in his stomach. He washed the wound with great care and bandaged it with his handkerchief and the towel of the hermit. As the man continued to bleed, he washed the wound repeatedly and re-bandaged it time and again. When the bleeding stopped and the man recovered a little, the Tsar brought fresh water for him to drink. Finally, with help of the hermit, the Tsar took the injured man inside the hermit’s hut and laid him on the bed. In this way, the Tsar nursed and saved the life of the bearded man. In the morning the Tsar promised the bearded man to restore his property. He also promised to send his own physician for his treatment. Thus he made peace with such a life-threating enemy so easily.

5. Forgive me”, said the bearded man.

--- To whom did the bearded man ask for forgiveness? Why did he ask for forgiveness? 

    Ans- The bearded man, in Leo Tolstoy’s short story ‘Three Questions’, asked for forgiveness from the Tsar.

    The bearded man had asked for forgiveness from the Tsar. He had set out to kill the Tsar during his return from the Hermit’s house. But the Tsar, whom he wanted to kill, had nursed him and saved his life the previous day. Actually, the bearded man wanted to take revenge the death of his brother by killing the Tsar. He was waiting in an ambush for the Tsar to return. But, when the Tsar did not return even at the end of the day, he came out of his hiding place only to be discovered by the Tsar’s bodyguard. They wounded him severely but he somehow escaped from them. He would have bled to death if the Tsar had not nursed his wound in time, given him water to drink and laid him on the bed in the hermit’s cottage. So, on waking up the next morning and having identified the Tsar, he begged for forgiveness of him.

6. How did the learned men give answers to the three questions of the Tsar?

 Ans-  To the Tsar’s first question, the most important time for him to begin a thing, the learned men gave different answers. Some said that the Tsar should draw up a timetable to decide the right time. Others suggested keeping up the ongoing of time and making a proper decision. Another group advised following the decisions of a group of wise men for calculating the right time. Some others offered to consult the magicians as they only predict the future. With the different answers, the learned men could not satisfy the Tsar.

      In reply to the second question, some said the people the Tsar most needed were his councilors. Some said about priests and doctors. Some other scholars said that the warriors were the most necessary men for the Tsar.

      In reply to the third question as to do the most important occupation, Some learned men said that the most important thing in the world was science. The others said it was skill in warfare and the others again said that it was religious worship.

 

7. “You are already answered” --- Who said this? Which answered is referred to here? What answers did the hermit give to the questions of the Tsar? 
Or, 
What did the hermit reply when the Tsar repeated his questions to the hermit before leaving the hut?

  Ans- The hermit said this to the Tsar in the story “Three Questions” written by Leo Tolstoy.

      The answers to the questions of the Tsar are referred to here.

       At the end of the story, the hermit told the Tsar that he had already been answered. When asked to clarify, the hermit, instead of giving a direct reply, dwelt on the turn of events. He reminded the Tsar how he had helped him by digging the seed beds. He also helped the bearded man by nursing his wound and saving his life. So, the time of digging the beds for the hermit and nursing the wounded man was the most important time. The hermit and the wounded man were the most important man. Again, the very act of digging and nursing the wounded man was the most important business for him at that time. In this way, the hermit, who was known for his wisdom properly answers his three questions. Thus the hermit, who was renowned for his wisdom, was able to justify his reputation by answering the three questions of the Tsar to his satisfaction in a logical way.

8. Sketch the characters of the hermit and the Tsar.

   Ans- The hermit is an important character in Tolstoy’s story, ‘Three Questions’. He lives a simple life in the woods and does his own work. The Tsar meets him with three questions. He wants that the Tsar should know the answers himself. In course of action, the Tsar meets a bearded man. He saves his life. The man who was the Tsar’s enemy is now his friend. Finally, the Tsar learns that his duty is to do good to man. Thus the hermit teaches the Tsar to teach himself. He is not only a man of learning but a man of wisdom also.

     The Tsar is the main character in the story ‘Three Questions’. The Tsar was the Russian king. The Tsar is shrewd and wise as well. He has a perfect perfectionist attitude. He is eager to become successful in life. In the story, he tries his best to get the perfect answers to his three questions in order to become successful. It is not enough to befool him with the various answers from the scholars. To get the right answers he enters the forest on foot, spades the soil, and sleeps on the floor of the hut. These activities show his passion for knowledge. Finally, with the help of the hermit, the Tsar learns a great lesson, the basic duties of the person.