CBSE Class 12 English - The Rattrap - Questions and Answers #cbse2022 #class12 #class12English #eduvictors

CBSE Class 12 English - The Rattrap - Questions and Answers

Author: Selma Lagerlöf

About the author: 

Selma Ottilia Lovisa Lagerlöf 20 November 1858 – 16 March 1940) was a Swedish author and teacher. She published her first novel, Gösta Berling's Saga, at the age of 33. She was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, which she was awarded in 1909. Additionally, she was the first woman to be granted membership in The Swedish Academy in 1914.

Q1: What message does the story 'The Rattrap' convey?

Answer: Essential goodness in a human being can be awakened through understanding and love.

Q2: Justify the title 'The Rattrap'.

Answer: “The Rattrap” is an appropriate title as it is the story of a rattrap peddler. The author has used the metaphor of a Rattrap to highlight the human predicament. Just as a rat is fooled by the bait and gets trapped, most human beings also fall into the trap of material benefits. The story revolves around the incident of a man getting trapped due to his greed. Hence, the title is an apt one.

Q3(MCQ): “Left to his own meditations”, one day the peddler fell into “a line of thought, which really seemed to him entertaining”. What does the peddler’s conception of the world as a rattrap, signify about him?  

(a) The peddler had a lot of time on his hands, with nothing much to do.

(b) The peddler was a reflective man whose wisdom did not depend on his status. 

(c) The peddler was a lonely vagrant trying to make sense of his fortunes.

(d) The peddler was a rattrap seller, and his work deeply inspired him.

Answer: (b) The peddler was a reflective man whose wisdom did not depend on his status. 

Q4: From where did the peddler get the idea of this world being a rattrap?

Answer: While plodding along the road, left to his own meditations, the peddler was struck by the idea that this world around him with its lands and cities is a big rattrap. It had never existed for any other purpose than to set baits for its people.

Q5: Who was the peddler?

Answer: The peddler was a vagabond who sold rattraps with a little thievery on the side to make both ends meet. He had no worldly possession to call his own, not even a name. It amused him to think of the world as a rattrap.

Q6: What words in the story described the peddler as destitute?

Answer: Rattrap seller, tramp, vagabond, poverty-stricken life are the words that indicate that he was destitute.

Q7: How did the Crofter entertain the peddler?

Answer: The crofter treated him kindly. He offered him shelter in his cottage, gave him porridge for supper. He also offered him a big slice of tobacco roll to him. The crofter played mjolis, a card game with him.  The crofter also confided in him about his income and showed him where he put it.

Q8: Why was he amused by this idea?

Answer: The life of a peddler was depressing and boring. He was full of hatred and malice against the world since it had never been good to him. He peddler felt unwelcome joy at everyone else's misery, and pain at being ensnared by the world's diabolical ways. Others caught in the snare and others circling around the bait gave him cruel pleasure.

Q9: Did the peddler expect the kind of hospitality that he received from the crofter?

Answer: When the peddler approached someone, he was used to being met with grumpy expressions or, worse, being rejected any type of assistance. On the other hand, the crofter was relieved to have someone to chat to in his loneliness. Porridge and tobacco were served to him by the crofter for supper. With him, he also played a game of cards.

Q10: Why was the crofter so talkative and friendly with the peddler?

Answer: The crofter was an old man without a wife or child. He was happy to get someone to talk to in his loneliness. He valued the presence of the peddler so much that he shared his confidences generously with him. It was probably a way for the crofter to infuse a sense of joy in his otherwise dreary life.

Q11: Why did he show the thirty kronor notes to the peddler?

Answer: The crofter told the peddler that he had made a decent living from his remarkable cow, which provided him with so much milk for the creamery every day, and that he had earned thirty kronor last month. The peddler looked surprised when I told him this bit of information. So, in an attempt to reassure his visitor, he presented him with thirty kronor.

Q12: What made the peddler think that he had indeed fallen into a rattrap?

Answer: The peddler remembered his ideas about the universe and the rattrap when he discovered he had been travelling in circles in the forest. He felt as if his moment had finally arrived, and the forest had become an impenetrable jail, a rattrap. He got caught because he took the bait, the thirty kronor, and there's a chance he won't be able to get away.

Q13: Why did the ironmaster speak kindly to the peddler and invite him home?

Answer: The ironmaster mistook the peddler for an old acquaintance, Captain von Stahle, a regimental comrade. He was taken aback to learn that his old colleague had had horrible days of poverty. So he invited him to his home for Christmas to keep him company and secure his future.

Q14: Why did the peddler decline the invitation?

Answer:  Because he was frightened of being identified as a thief, the peddler declined the offer. He felt he was willfully heading into the lion's den by accepting the offer to go to the ironmaster's residence. He merely wanted to sleep in the forge and escape as quietly as possible.

Q15: What made the peddler accept Edla‟s invitation?

Answer: The peddler had faith in Edla because of her warmth, persuasive attitude, polite and compassionate demeanour. He had no choice but to accept the invitation after she assured him that he would be just as free to leave as he was to come.

Q16: What doubts did Edla have about the peddler?

Answer: When Edla approached him and lifted his hat, the man sprung to his feet and appeared startled. She realised the man seemed terrified as if he had stolen something or gotten out of jail. She continued to express her doubts about the man the next morning, telling her father that he did not appear to be educated at all.

Q17: When did the ironmaster realise his mistake?

Answer: The stranger appeared truly clean and well dressed after being cleaned, shaved, and having his hair cut by the valet. With a puckered brow, the ironmaster glanced at him, and it was simple for him to realise that he had made a mistake when he saw the strange person in the hazy reflection from the furnace.

Q18: What did the peddler say in his defence when it was clear that he was not the person the ironmaster had thought that he was?

Answer: The peddler argued it was not his fault because he had never pretended to be anything other than a humble dealer, and pleaded to be allowed to remain in the forge. He volunteered to put on his rags and leave.

Q19: Why did Edla still entertain the peddler even after she knew the truth about him?

Answer: Edla did not believe it was proper to evict a human who had been invited to their home and had been promised Christmas cheer. She also felt sorry for the peddler, who she believed didn't have anywhere to rest without being chased away. She wanted him to spend a peaceful day with them. She wanted the vendor to join them in their Christmas celebrations. As a result, even after learning the truth about the peddler, she continued to amuse him.

Q20: Why did the peddler sign himself as Captain Von Stahle?

Answer: To underscore his point, the peddler signed the letter as Captain Von Stahle, claiming that it was Edla's love and compassion that enabled him to act in a manner worthy of her trust. Signing his name as Captain Von Stahle signified his acceptance of the peddler's elevated position as a captain.

Q21: What made the peddler finally change his ways?

Answer: The peddler had never had it easy in this world. It turned the peddler into a small-time thief. The Ironmaster's daughter, on the other hand, proved to be an angel in his life. When her father discovered that the peddler was not a member of his regiment, he ordered him to leave his home right away. His daughter has now come to his aid. She said that it was not the peddler's fault. As a result, her father agreed to her demands. She acted as if the vendor was a real captain. Her compassion and goodwill absolutely changed the peddler. He left a little bundle with a small rattrap, three crumpled ten-kronor notes, and a letter when he left the Ironmaster's residence. "Since you have been wonderful to me all day, I want to be nice to you in return," he wrote in his letter. You can offer the money to the elderly man by the side of the road. The rattrap is a Christmas present from a rat who, if he hadn't been promoted to captain, would have been trapped in the world's rattrap.

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