Chapter 6 – The Browning Version

The Browning Version

The Browning Version Notice These Expressions

Notice these expressions in the text. Infer their meaning from the context.

Question 1.
remove

Answer:
promotion to the next class

Question 2.
slackers

Answer:
lazy, careless, unmotivated students

Question 3.
muck

Answer:
rubbish, useless

Question 4.
kept in

Answer:
detained, held back to stay after school hours

Question 5.
got carried away

Answer:
got very excited

Question 6.
cut

Answer:
go away without permission

Question 7.
sadist

Answer:
a person who gets pleasure out of inflicting pain to others

Question 8.
shrivelled up

Answer:
having no feelings

The Browning Version Understanding The Text

Question 1.
Comment on the attitude shown by Taplow towards Mr Crocker-Harris.

Answer:
Mr Crocker-Harris is a middle-aged schoolmaster. He is a teacher in the traditional mould. He is a strict man who is more feared than respected. He follows rules and regulations with all sincerity.

Taplow is in the lower fifth standard. His attitude towards Mr Crocker-Harris is mixed. He recognises his sense of discipline, sense of devotion and stoic nature. But he has a personal feeling of ill-will against Mr Crocker-Harris. He is given extra work on the last day of the term as punishment because he missed a day the previous week when he was ill. Mr Crocker-Harris is a hard taskmaster. That’s why he gave extra work to Taplow. He doesn’t bother that it is the last day of the term.

Taplow feels that Mr Crocker-Harris is devoid of feelings, is strict and can never be flattered. In spite of everything, Taplow rather likes him. Mr Crocker-Harris doesn’t tell the results like the other masters before they are formally announced. Hence, Mr Crocker-Harris is different from other teachers. Taplow doesn’t consider Mr Crocker-Harris a sadist. He doesn’t get pleasure out of giving pain to others. In his view, a sadist shows some feelings but Mr Crocker-Harris has none.

Question 2.
Does Mr Frank seem to encourage Taplow’s comments on Mr Crocker-Harris?

Answer:
Yes, Mr Frank seems to encourage Taplow’s comments on Mr Crocker-Harris. Mr Frank is a young school teacher. He teaches in the same school in which Mr Crocker-Harris, his senior colleague, teaches. Actually, he is jealous of Mr Crocker-Harris. He frankly admits that Mr Crocker-Harris enjoys a wonderful hold over his students. They all seem scared to death of him. He is jealous of Mr Crocker-Harris’ authority and ‘effect’ on his students.

He relishes all adverse comments against Mr Crocker- Harris. Not only that, he even encourages Taplow to criticise him. But he doesn’t do it openly. He pretends not to like any adverse comments against Mr Crocker-Harris when Taplow calls his master ‘Crock’. However, when Taplow imitates Mr Crocker-Harris in his throaty voice, Mr Frank relishes it. He even asks Taplow to repeat it. He enjoys Mr Crocker-Harris being ridiculed by his own student.

Mr Frank also asks Taplow to go away without meeting his teacher. But Taplow can’t even imagine doing such a thing. He also encourages Taplow to share Mr Crocker-Harris jokes with him. Mr Frank pretends to have no jealousy against Mr Crocker-Harris and warns Taplow that he has gone much too far in his criticism of Mr Crocker-Harris.

Question 3.
What do you gather about Mr Crocker-Harris from the play?

Answer:
Mr Crocker-Harris is a middle-aged schoolmaster. He is quite reserved and a disciplinarian. He follows rules very strictly. He is a devoted teacher who can’t tolerate any relaxation among his students. He is a hard taskmaster. He doesn’t leak the results like other masters before they are formally announced. He is very conscious of his duty and he never spares a child who absents himself. He can give extra work to a student even on the last day of the term.

He is quite unpredictable. It is very difficult to read his mind. For instance, when Taplow asked him if he had given him a promotion, Mr Crocker-Harris replied mysteriously that he has given him exactly what he deserves, no less and certainly no more. His junior colleague feels jealous of the effect Mr Crocker-Harris has on the students.

Students seem to be scared to death of him. Taplow says that Mr Crocker-Harris has no feelings. It is quite correct, as he doesn’t like flattery, nor does he like anyone who likes him. Sometimes he also cracks jokes but his classical jokes lack humour. In spite of everything, Taplow likes him.

The Browning Version Talking About The Text

Discuss with your partners

Question 1.
Talking about teachers among friends.

Answer:
It is a common trait among students to talk about their teachers. Students have tremendous capacity to analyse the qualities of their teachers. Even a dumb student can understand whether a teacher is proficient in his/her subject or not. There are many issues that students discuss about their teachers. That is probably the reason that after each class, students form groups and discuss what had happened in the previous period. Many students also pass comments on the teacher’s appearance.

A well-dressed teacher is always appreciated by the students. If one pays attention to the comments of the students, one could easily conclude that an honest and unbiased teacher who knows his / her subject well will earn respect from students.

For students, nothing is more important than a teacher’s ability to make them understand their subject.

Question 2.
The manner you adopt when you talk about a teacher to other teachers.

Answer:
It is often noticed that as students, we are always very guarded in voicing our opinions about a teacher when we talk to other teachers. There is this lingering doubt that, after all, these teachers work together and their work culture demands them to be interactive with their colleagues. Passing any comment about a teacher can be taken in a negative light by another teacher. However, sometimes we do lose our guard and say things about other teachers that are not appropriate. We should thus be careful of our words and never speak ill of any teacher, especially in front of other teachers.

Question 3.
Reading plays is more interesting than studying science.

Answer:
Reading plays has always been more fascinating than studying facts. It provides an insight into an imaginative and far-fetched world that grips one’s interest in reading plays. It develops a critical bent of mind which is helpful in our daily life and its problems. Moreover, reading plays helps develop creativity.

On the other hand, science deals with only facts. There is no scope for creativity. While reading plays, one gets to learn about human nature and its vices and virtues. However, science is about observing the facts that are already known. Plays are about observing what somebody wrote and rebuilding one’s own understanding of the play.

The Browning Version Working With Words

A sadist is a person who gets pleasure out of giving pain to others.
Given below are some dictionary definitions of certain kinds of persons. Find out the words that fit these descriptions.

Question 1.
A person who considers it very important that things should be correct or genuine e.g. in the use of language or in the arts.

Answer:
Perfectionist

Question 2.
A person who believes that war and violence are wrong and will not fight in a war.

Answer:
Pacifist

Question 3.
A person who believes that nothing really exists.

Answer:
Nihilist

Question 4.
A person who is always hopeful and expects the best in all things.

Answer:
Optimist

Question 5.
A person who follows generally accepted norms of behaviour.

Answer:
Conformist

Question 6.
A person who believes that material possessions are all that matter in life.

Answer:
Materialist

The Browning Version Short Questions and Answers

Question 1.
“We get all the slackers!” What did Mr Frank mean?

Answer:
Mr Frank was a science teacher who didn’t like to teach science. When Taplow expressed that he would take science if he got a favourable result, Mr Frank was disappointed. He believed that most students who opted for science were so poor in studies that science attracted all such slackers, but not those who really liked science.

Question 2.
What did Taplow consider ‘muck’? Why?

Answer:
Taplow considered the Greek tragedy Agamemnon as muck. Even though he liked the plot of the play, Taplow disliked the way it was taught by Mr Crocker-Harris. Besides, a number of Greek words were to be learnt and if a student went wrong, he had to write each word fifty times as punishment.

Question 3.
Why was Taplow bitter?

Answer:
Mr Frank found Taplow waiting for Mr Crocker- Harris and they got into a conversation. While talking, Taplow called the ‘Agamemnon’ rubbish. Mr Frank detected some bitterness in Taplow’s voice. Taplow said that he was certainly bitter. The weather was good and he could have been out playing golf but here he was, in the school, doing extra work on the last day of the term.

Question 4.
Who gave Taplow extra work on the last day of the term? Why?

Answer:
Mr Crocker-Harris, who was Taplow’s teacher of classical literature, gave him extra work on the last day of the term. As Mr Crocker-Harris was a hard taskmaster and knew no mercy, he punished. Taplow because , he missed a day last week when he was ill.

Mr Crocker-Harris couldn’t excuse this. He was totally without feeling. So, he gave Taplow extra work even on the last day of the term.

Question 5.
Why did Taplow have to stay back at school on the last day of the term?

Answer:
Taplow had to stay back at the school as his classical literature teacher, Mr Crocker-Harris, had punished . him. Taplow was sick the previous week and hence missed school for a day. But Mr Crocker-Harris was a hard taskmaster. He wanted Taplow to make amends for the missed class. So, he asked Taplow to come on the last day of the term for extra work.

Question 6.
Why would Taplow not get any ‘comfort’ as mentioned by Mr Frank?

Answer:
Mr Crocker-Harris gave no benefit to his students for being good boys in taking up extra work. He gave marks as per the performance and not for doing any extra work. In fact, Taplow was afraid that his teacher would have rather marked him down for doing extra work.

Question 7.
What did Mr Frank call ‘bad luck’?

Answer:
The weather was fine and Taplow wanted to go and play golf. But Taplow had been given extra work to do by Mr Crocker-Harris.

He was waiting for his teacher and couldn’t dare to defy him. Mr Frank considered Taplow’s situation ‘bad luck’ as he could not go out to play on such a wonderful day.

Question 8.
Why did Taplow say that Mr Crocker-Harris was hardly human?

Answer:
Taplow could not believe that Mr Crocker-Harris was a normal human being for a number of reasons. Mr Crocker-Harris was extremely strict while teaching. He followed the headmaster’s rules of announcing results on the last day of term. He never told the students their results beforehand. He frightened the students in every possible way. He was a man who hated those who even liked him.

Question 9.
How does Mr Frank relish Mr Crocker-Harris being criticised by Taplow?

Answer:
Mr Frank is envious of Mr Crocker-Harris as he has a wonderful hold over his students. Moreover, he is a devoted teacher who always follows rules and regulations. He never discloses the results before they are formally announced. Mr Frank enjoys the scene when Taplow imitates Mr Crocker-Harris in his throaty voice. Mr Frank asks Taplow, ‘Just…. repeat it, would you? He only pretends to hide his envy for Mr Crocker-Harris.

Question 10.
Did Taplow come to the school only because Mr Crocker-Harris had asked him to?

Answer:
Taplow was present at the school on the last day of the term as he had missed a class of Mr Crocker-Harris the previous week and Mr Crocker-Harris had asked him to make amends for it. It is true that Taplow was there because he was scared to death of Mr Crocker-Harris, but he also had another motive. He was waiting for his result and feared that if he did not obey Mr Crocker-Harris then his result would suffer.

Question 11.
Why is Taplow worried about his ‘remove’? What did Mr Crocker-Harris reply to him?

Answer:
Taplow is in the lower fifth class. He can’t specialise until he goes into the next class. He is worried about the ‘remove’ i.e. his result, because much depends on how he performed in the examination.

At the same time, he is very anxious to know his result. So, he had gone to Mr Crocker-Harris and asked him if he had passed him. However, the teacher gave a very mysterious answer and told him that he had given him exactly what he deserved, not less and certainly not more.

Question 12.
Why does Mr Frank ask Taplow to ‘cut’? How does Taplow react?
or
“Well, he’s ten minutes late. Why don’t you cut?” What was Taplow’s reaction to this?

Answer:
Mr Frank and Mr Crocker-Harris are teachers at the same school. When Mr Frank finds Taplow waiting, he asks him to ‘cut’ as Mr Crocker-Harris had not arrived. However, Taplow cannot even imagine doing such a thing. According to him, there is probably not a single student who has insulted Mr Crocker-Harris in his career.

Question 13.
Mr Crocker-Harris is not a sadist. Still his students are scared of him. Comment.

Answer:
Taplow says that Mr Crocker-Harris is not a sadist. If he had been a sadist then he wouldn’t have been so frightening. It would mean that he had some feelings. But Mr Crocker-Harris was devoid of any feelings.
He had no feelings inside and seemed to hate that people liked him. Taplow couldn’t think of any teacher who didn’t like being liked by his students.

Question 14.
“But those sort of rules don’t apply to the Crock…” What sort of rules is the speaker talking about?

Answer:
Taplow was bitter as he had been detained. Mr Frank tried to comfort him by saying that at least it would make certain that he would get his result for being a good boy. Taplow said that was not an ordinary master and such masters wouldn’t dare not to give a student his result after taking extra work. But those sort of rules didn’t apply to ‘the Crock.’ He didn’t want anybody to flatter him.

Question 15.
What kind of a teacher and a human being is Mr Crocker-Harris, according to Taplow?

Answer:
Mr Crocker-Harris appears to be a disciplinarian. Students are scared to death of him. He follows rules and believes in them. He tells Taplow that he will mark him according to what he deserves; neither less, nor more. Taplow thinks that Mr Crocker-Harris is not a sadist, but hates being liked. He is all shrivelled up and without any feelings.

He has a wonderful hold over his students. No student has ever refused any punishment given by Mr Crocker-Harris in his entire career. He appears frightening to his students.

Question 16.
What happened when Mr Crocker-Harris made one of his classical jokes?

Answer:
One day, Mr Crocker-Harris made one of his classical jokes in class. Nobody understood it and hence nobody laughed. However, Taplow knew that Mr Crocker-Harris meant something funny and he laughed out of sheer courtesy. Mr Crocker-Harris said that he was impressed by the progress made by Taplow as he understood what others in his form couldn’t and then asked Taplow to explain to the whole class what he had understood.

Question 17.
Who is Mr Crocker-Harris? How was he different from other masters?

Answer:
Mr Crocker-Harris is a middle-aged schoolmaster. He teaches classical literature. He is a strict man who is more feared than respected. He is reserved and not so social. He is quite different from all other masters. Other masters like Mr Frank may leak the results but . Mr Crocker-Harris will never do such a thing. He has a wonderful hold over his students. He doesn’t like people who like him.

Question 18.
How does Taplow react to Millie Crocker-Harris’ arrival?

Answer:
Taplow is nervous on seeing Millie Crocker-Harris. He is unable to control his emotions and whispers to Mr Frank whether he thinks she has heard their conversation. Taplow feels that if she tells Mr Crocker-Harris about what they were talking about, he would be failed.

Question 19.
Who is Millie Crocker-Harris? How did Mr Frank and Taplow react to the sudden arrival of Millie Crocker-Harris?

Answer:
Millie Crocker-Harris was Mr Crocker-Harris’ wife. When Mr Frank and Taplow saw that she had come, they both reacted differently. They were shocked to see her. Mr Frank turned to welcome her. He was infinitely relieved at seeing her.

On the other hand, Taplow got scared to see her. He feared whether she had heard what he spoke about Mr Crocker-Harris. He was scared to think that if Millie Crocker-Harris told her husband about what he was doing, then he would not get his result.

Question 20.
Compare and contrast Mr Frank and Mr Crocker-Harris.

Answer:
Mr. Frank and Mr Crocker-Harris provide a striking contrast.

Mr. Frank is a young teacher and teaches science to higher classes while Mr Crocker-Harris is a middle-aged schoolmaster. He is a teacher in the traditional mould and teaches classical literature to the lower fifth class.

Mr. Frank lacks the sense of involvement that Mr Crocker-Harris seems to have in studies. He is a science teacher but shows no interest in science while Mr Crocker-Harris is a dedicated teacher. He has a wonderful hold over his students. Students seem to be scared to death of him. He is a hard and honest taskmaster. On the other hand, Mr Frank lacks honesty. He doesn’t seem to care for the rules. He doesn’t do his duty well. Being a teacher himself, he urges Taplow to avoid the punishment given by Mr Crocker-Harris.

Question 21.
Where does Millie Crocker-Harris send Taplow to and what will happen if Mr Crocker-Harris comes before Taplow?

Answer:
Millie Crocker-Harris comes to know that Taplow was waiting for her husband. She tells him that Mr Crocker- Harris will take quite some time to reach there. She asks him to go to a chemist with the prescription she hands over to him and get the medicine prepared. Taplow fears that in case Mr Crocker-Harris gets there before him, he will get angry. Millie Crocker-Harris asks him not to worry about that. She assures him to take the blame on herself if it happens.

Question 22.
HOW does Millie Crocker-Harris send Taplow away?

Answer:
On seeing Taplow, Millie Crocker-Harris points out that her husband was at the Bursar’s and would take some time to get back. She suggests him to go away for a quarter of an hour. However, Taplow does not do so due to fear of the teacher. Millie Crocker-Harris assures him that she would take the blame. She takes out a prescription and requests him to bring some medicines from the chemist. Taplow accepts the proposal and leaves.

Question 23.
What do you gather about Mr Frank from the play?

Answer:
Mr Frank is a young science teacher. He does not like the subject he teaches. He also admits that he tells results to the students before they are officially announced. He does not discourage Taplow from criticising Mr Crocker-Harris; in fact he relishes it. He envies Mr Crocker-Harris for the effect he has on the students.

The Browning Version Long Questions and Answers

Question 1.
Taplow does an imitation of Mr Crocker-Harris. Do you think respect for one’s teacher is fast disappearing in the modern world? Give reasons in support of your answer.

Answer:
It is true that respect for one’s teacher is fast disappearing in the modern world. Incorrect parenting, lack of restriction in schools and no fear of teachers are some of the reasons why teachers are not respected.

Too often parents these days blame the teachers for the slightest bit of strictness in schools. No wonder the children have no respect for the teacher when they know they can get away with indiscipline. Moreover, these days one seldom finds any teacher who has a passion to teach. As a result, teachers do not have good knowledge of their subject and are thus not respected by their students.

Moreover, there are teachers who are biased and prejudiced in their approach. Students do not appreciate such teachers and thus lose respect for them. Further, it is rightly said that respect is never demanded but earned. It is the responsibility of the teacher to earn the students’-respect. If a teacher comes across students who are disrespectful, he/she should think over it and try to understand where he/she has gone wrong and lost respect.

Question 2.
DO you feel it is proper for students to present their teacher the way Taplow does? What in your opinion should the relation between teacher and student be like?

Answer:
It is improper for students to present their teacher the way Taplow does. He should not have criticised his teacher and his ways in front of another teacher. Moreover, Taplow’s bitterness arises out of the fact that he is detained by his teacher for extra work when he wanted to play golf. Further,

Mr Crocker-Harris is the only one who follows the rules strictly. Had other teachers been like him, Taplow might not have been so critical of his teacher

The relation between a teacher and his students should be of mutual understanding, respect and cooperation. They should work as a team, as neither is complete, without the other. Both should try and create an interactive space where problems can be talked about and brought to a conclusion.

Moreover, it is the duty of the teacher to gain the trust of the students and create a friendly atmosphere where students are not scared of sharing their problems.

Question 3.
The play displays some qualities of an ideal teacher. What according to you are the traits that make a teacher popular among students?

Answer:
The most common trait among students is to talk about their teachers. Students have tremendous capacity to analyse the qualities (good or bad) of their teachers. Even a dumb student can understand whether a teacher is proficient in his subject or not. This is why after each class, students form groups and discuss what had happened.

Students generally pass comments on the teacher’s appearance also. A well-dressed and smartly dressed teacher is always appreciated by the students. If one listens to the comments of the students, one could easily decipher one fact: a teacher who is strict but honest and unbiased, and knows his subject well, will definitely earn respect from his students. Nothing is more important for students than a teacher’s ability to make them understand their subject.

Question 4.
Students always discuss about their teachers. Sometimes teachers like to learn more about other teachers. But a student is not always open. How should a student deal with such a situation?

Answer:
We are always very guarded in voicing our opinions about a teacher when we talk to other teachers. First of all, we are never sure that our comments about a teacher will not be passed to him / her by other teachers. We always have the lingering doubt that, after all, these teachers work together and their work culture demands them to be interactive with their colleagues.

Sometimes, we come across some teachers who ask questions about other teachers as we see in the lesson, ‘The Browning Version’. Frankly, it appears as if Mr Frank was wanting Taplow to pass uncharitable comments on Mr Crocker-Harris; however, in fact, Taplow wanted to give a comprehensive report of Mr Crocker-Harris. In similar circumstances, sometimes we lose our guard and say something about other teachers that may or may not be appropriate. We should understand that, before passing negative comments on our teachers, we have to ensure whom we are talking to.

Question 5.
What qualities should a teacher possess which make him a great teacher? Discuss with reference to the play ‘The Browning Version’.

Answer:
Undoubtedly, a teacher’s way of teaching reflects his character. We can judge from his teaching style what qualities he possesses. This is the simplest way to know about a teacher. His teaching is the mirror of his characteristic features. Like in the play, ‘The Browning Version’, we come across two teachers who provide a striking contrast to each other. One is Mr Frank, who is a young schoolmaster who lacks commitment and involvement. He lacks honesty and doesn’t seem to care for the rules.

Mr Crocker-Harris, a middle-aged schoolmaster is just the opposite to Mr Frank. He is a strict man who is more feared than respected. He follows rules and regulations with all sincerity. He has a wonderful hold over his students. He is a hard taskmaster. He punishes the students when necessary. In spite of all these, students can’t help liking him. This shows that full dedication and honesty should be the foremost priority of a teacher. It makes no difference how frank or lenient he is with the students. He must carry out his duties with full devotion.