NCERT Solution for Class 10 English : Footprints Without Feet – Chapter 1 A Triumph of Surgery

NCERT solution is a great help to students. Students can check the understanding of the chapter by solving NCERT solution.

Read and Find Out

Question.1. Why is Mrs. Pumphrey worried about Tricki?
Answer. Mrs. Pumphrey is worried about Tricki because he is unwell. He has refused to eat food and had bouts of vomiting. She feels that he is suffering from a serious health issue such as malnutrition.

Question.2. What does she do to help him? Is she wise in this?
Answer. She at once calls Mr. Herriot for Tricki. Mr. Herriot is a veterinary doctor. She is wise in this. No one can know about animals except the veterinary doctor.

Question.3. Who is the ‘I’ in this story?
Answer. “I” in this story, refers to James Herriot, the veterinary surgeon.

Question.4. Is the narrator as rich as Tricki’s mistress?
Answer. No, the narrator is not as rich as Tricki’s mistress.

Question.5. How does he treat the dog?
Answer. He takes the dog Tricki to his surgery. There he does not give much food to it. He instead cuts its food. He keeps it on a strict diet. He keeps it under observation. At the end of the second day Tricki changes. It starts showing some interest in the surroundings. On the third day it whimpers.

Question.6. Why is he tempted to keep Tricki as a permanent guest?
Answer. It was a temptation to keep Tricki as a permanent guest. It was because Mrs. Pumphrey started sending fresh eggs, two dozen at a time. The staff of Mr. Herriot ate these eggs. There came bottles of wine etc. It was really a great thing for them. Mr. Herriot does not give these to Tricki.

Question.7. Why does Mrs. Pumphrey think the dog’s recovery is “a triumph of surgery”?
Answer. She thinks so because it is the surgery, that is, hospital. It has made Tricki all right. Its stay at the surgery has cured it of its illness.

Think About It

Question.1. What kind of a person do you think the narrator, a veterinary surgeon, is? Would you say he is tactful as well as full of common sense ?
Answer. The narrator is a verterinary surgeon. He is a tactful person. He had known that Tricki was about to fall in trouble. He was sure about Tricki’s treatment and suggested for his hospitalisation and to be kept under observation for a fortnight.

He said Tricki would have to undergo surgery but instead let him mix with other dogs and did not pamper him. Tactfully, he treated Tricki with giving him less food and more exercise. He had a commonsense. He realised that there was no need for surgery for Tricki and the only treatment of his illness was to change his eating habits and give him more physical exercise.

Question.2. Do you think Tricki was happy to go home? What do you think will happen now?
Answer. Yes, Tricki was happy to go home. When he saw his mistress, he took off from the narrator arms in a tremendous leap and sailed into Mrs. Pumphery’s lap. He swarmed over her, licking her face and barking. Tricki was now healthy. Tricki would now again be pampered by Mrs. Pumphrey and he will again fall in trouble.

Question.3. Do you think this is a real-life episode, or mere fiction? Or is it a mixture of both?
Answer. The story seems to be real life episode. We do come across such examples in the society. However, some things are added in between to make it interesting. Thus, it is a mixture of both real life episode and fiction.

Talk About It

Question.1. This episode describes the silly behaviour of a rich woman who is foolishly indulgent, perhaps because she is lonely. Do you think such people are merely silly, or can their actions cause harm to others?
Answer. The episode describes the silly behaviour of Mrs. Pumphrey. She was rich and lonely. She loves her dog and pampers him. She is emotionally attached to him.

Due to her pampering, the dog has become hugely fat and eventually falls ill. She was over protective but her indulgence was foolish. Mr. Herriot, the veterinary surgeon, had warned her and given her certain instructions but she did not pay any heed to them. This made Tricki fall ill and had to be treated. Yes, I think such people can cause harm to others as it is evident that her foolishness had put Tricki in trouble.

Question.2. Do you think there are parents like Mrs. Pumphrey?
Answer. Yes, many parents behave like Mrs. Pumphrey towards their children. They are over protective for them and sometimes it is a hindrance in the overall development of child.

Question.3. What would you have done if you were:
(i) a member of the staff in Mrs. Pumphrey’s household,
(ii) a neighbour?
What would your life have been like, in general?
Answer. (i) If I were a member of Mrs. Pumphrey’s household, I would not let Tricki fall in trouble. I would not allow Mrs. Pumphrey to give him too much to eat. I would myself make him exercise to keep him fit and energetic. In Mrs. Pumphrey’s household I would have an affluent life. I would have all the comforts of life as Mrs. Pumphrey was a rich lady.
(ii) If I were a neighbour of Mrs. Pumphrey, I would have advised her about Tricki’s health and also suggested some measures for his good health.

Question.4. What would you have done if you were in the narrator’s place?
Answer. If I were in narrator’s place, I would have also done the same thing as the narrator did. I too would have strictly warned Mrs. Pumphrey about Tricki’s health. At the end of the treatment, I would have provided a daily schedule and diet chart for Tricki and asked Mrs. Pumphrey to follow it strictly for Tricki’s better health.