THE WISE CALIPH

  ENGLISH 10TH - Short Question Answers

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Q.1: What was Caliph Haroon-ur-Rashid known and respected for? Why did he go through the streets of Baghdad at night?

Ans. Caliph Haroon-ur-Rashid was known and respected for his justice and wisdom. At night, he would disguise himself as a common man and go through the streets of Baghdad. He would mingle with the common people in order to gain first-hand knowledge of their difficulties and problems.

Q.2: What did Caliph Haroon-ur-Rashid say to the beggar after the settlement of the dispute?

Ans. Caliph Haroon-ur-Rashid said to the beggar after the settlement of dispute, "You are a liar and a wicked man. You tried to rob an honest and respectable citizen. You deserve severe punishment, but I shall be merciful and forgive you this time. If you beg forgiveness of this gentleman here."

Q.3: How did the Caliph prove that beggar was a liar? OR How did the Caliph discover/find out the real owner of the horse?

Ans. As per the order of the Caliph, the beggar placed his hand on the horse first. When the beggar touched the horse it winced as if it did not like the touch of his hand. But when the rich man touched, the horse snorted and neighed with pleasure. In this way, the Caliph discovered the real owner of the horse and proved that the beggar was a liar.

Q.4: What was the reaction of the horse when the rich man touched it?

Ans. When the rich man touched the horse, it snorted and neighed.

Q.5: What did the rich man do in the court after the settlement of the case?

Ans. The rich man forgave him for his cheating. He also gave him a handful of gold coins thinking that he was very poor. He felt sorry for him. The rich man’s noble action pleased everyone in the court.

Q.6: Why did the beggar refuse to get down the horse?

Ans. The beggar wanted to snatch the rich man of his horse so he refused to get down.

Q.7: What did the horse do when the beggar touched it?
Ans. When the beggar touched the horse, it winced as if it did not like the touch of his hand.

Q.8: What did the Qazi say to the Caliph?
Ans. The Qazi said to the Caliph, "O Leader of the Faithful! I have brought before you a dispute which I could not settle. It is a difficult case but I am certain that with your knowledge and wisdom, you will pronounce a just decision."

Q.9: What was the dispute between the rich man and the beggar?
Ans. The dispute between the rich man and the beggar was over a horse; each of them claimed that it belonged to him.

Q.10: What did the rich man tell the Caliph?
Ans. The rich man told the Caliph that he gave a ride to the other man. As he was limping along the road, he took pity on him and gave him the ride. However, he refused to dismount the horse on reaching the city gate by saying that he was the owner of the horse.

Q.11: What did the beggar tell the Caliph?
Ans. The beggar told the Caliph that he gave the ride to the other man because he was in a hurry to reach the city. On reaching the city gate, he refused to dismount the horse by saying that such a fine horse should not belong to a beggar. And he was in rags because of this horse, he had spent all his money on this horse.

Q.12: How can we say that the Caliph was very wise in pronouncing the judgment?
Ans. The Caliph was very wise in pronouncing the judgment because he was gifted with wisdom. The Caliph knew that the horse is a very faithful animal and loves its master. He used this characteristic of horses to pronounce the judgment.

Q.13: What did the Caliph say to the Qazi after hearing both of them?
Ans. After hearing both, the Caliph said to the Qazi, "I think this case is not very difficult to decide. I shall decide it in a minute. Tell these men to place their hands on the horse, one by one. Let the beggar do it first."

Q.14: How many main characters are there in the story?
Ans. There are four main characters in the story.

Q.15: Who are the main characters of the story "The Wise Caliph"?
Ans. The main characters of the story "The Wise Caliph" are:
(i) The Caliph Haroon-ur-Rashid
(ii) The Qazi
(iii) The rich man
(iv) The beggar

Q.16: Who got the horse?
Ans. The rich man got the horse because the horse belonged to him.

Q.17: Was the person who wrongly claimed the horse punished?
Ans. No. He was not punished because he was pardoned by both the Caliph and the rich man.

Q.18: How did the two men brought before the Caliph look like?
Ans. One of them was well-dressed and appeared to be a well-to-do, respectable citizen, while the other was in rags and seemed to be a beggar.

Q.19: On what condition did the Caliph decide to forgive the beggar?
Ans. The Caliph decided to forgive the beggar on the condition that if he begged forgiveness from the rich man.

Q.20: After getting the horse, how did the rich man behave?
Ans. After getting the horse, the rich man readily forgave the beggar. He also gave him a handful of gold coins.