BIRTH
Q1. Who is the author of “Birth”?
A.J. Cornin
J.B. Priestley
Andrew Manson
Edward Page
Q2. Andrew did his medical practice under the
assistance of _________.
Dr. Page
Dr. Morgan
Dr. William
Dr. Shane
Q3. Who was waiting for Andrew at midnight?
Dr. Edward
Christine
Joe Morgan
Mrs. Morgan’s mother
Q4. Where did Joe Morgan live?
Number 11, Blaina Terrace
Number 14, Bryngower
Number 12, Blaina Terrace
Number 12, Bryngower
Q5. How does the author describe the bedroom of
Joe’s house?
Well furnished
Poorly furnished
Dirty
Both (B) and (C)
Q6. How has the author described Mrs. Morgan’s
mother?
Wise
Grey-haired
In her seventies
All of the above
Q7. When Andrew approached, Susan was
accompanied by her mother and _________.
Joe
father
a midwife
mother-in-law
Q8. “Don’t fret, mother, I’ll not run away.” Why did
Andrew say this?
To reassure Mrs. Morgan’s mother
To fulfill his obligations
To break the silence
To handle a critical situation well
Q9. Andrew decided to __________ at Joe’s house.
sleep
study
stay
eat
Q10. While waiting at Joe’s house, what did Andrew
think about?
Mrs. Morgan condition
Failed marriages
Christine
Both (B) and (C)
Q11. How was the newborn child?
Healthy
Lifeless
Underweight
Anaemic
Q12. What dilemma did doctor Andrew confront?
Whether the child could be saved or not
Whether the treatment would be successful
Whether to attend the child or the mother
Whether to inform Joe or not
Q13. In the dilemma he faced, what did Andrew do?
Check upon Susan first
Check upon the child first
Ran away
Left it to handle to the midwife
Q14. Where had the midwife placed the stillborn
child?
She held the child in her arms
Gave him to Susan’s mother
Under the bed
Handled him to Joe
Q15. What did Andrew conclude from the whiteness
of the child?
That he was dead
That he suffered from lack of oxygen
That he should be taken to hospital
That Andrew couldn’t save him
Q16. What did Andrew remember about Samaritan?
A place he went to volunteer
Someone he met there
A treatment he witnessed
Not mentioned in the story
Q17. What all things did Andrew use in the
treatment?
Hot and cold water
Basins and towels
A blanket
All of the above
Q18. How did Andrew try to save the still born?
Using a special method of respiration
Calling Dr. Edward
Taking him to a hospital
Giving him blood
Q19. After trying for fifteen minutes, Andrew felt
________.
accomplished
hopeful
hopeless
confident
Q20. What did Andrew remember in the middle of
ongoing treatment?
About his love for Christine
Morgan family’s longing for a child
His time in Samaritan
About his obligation as a doctor
Q21. Why did the child become slippery in Andrew’s
hand?
Because of atmosphere in the room
Because Andrew was losing his focus
Because of constant juggling between waters
None of the above
Q22. How long did it take for Andrew’s efforts to
yield results?
Fifteen minutes
All efforts went into vain
One hour
Half an hour
Q23. What does the author refer to as ‘a miracle’?
Life getting into the stillborn
Morgan family welcoming a child
Susan getting consciousness
None of the above
Q24. “But her hands were together, her lips moved
without sound.” Who is her?
Susan
Midwife
Mrs. Morgan’s mother
Not clear from the story
Q25. Why did Andrew get oblivious to all the work
he had done in Blaenelly?
Because he got all hopeless
Because he did something extraordinary that night
Because he was leaving Blaenelly
Because he got tired
Q26. During the whole incident, Joe did not enter
the house. Why?
Because he was superstitious
Because he didn’t want to disturb
Because he didn’t want to see the child
Because he was anxious
Q27. After how many years were Joe and Susan
blessed with a child?
Ten years
One year
Five years
Twenty years
Q28. Why is the lesson named “Birth”?
Because the doctor is specialist in childbirths
Because a lot of childbirths take place
Because it is about birth of a child
Because it talks about philosophy of life
Q29. Birth of Susan’s child was a turning point in
Dr. Andrew’s life. Do you agree?
Absolutely
Not at all
Partially
Not clear from the story
[Link] can you say about Dr. Andrew after
reading “Birth”?
He did not put all his efforts
He fulfilled his obligations well as a doctor
His skills were not enough
He was arrogant
SAQ
Question 1.
Why was Joe Morgan waiting for Andrew?
Answer:
Joe Morgan and his wife had been married nearly twenty
years and were expecting their first child. At nearly
midnight, Joe was worried and walked up and down,
waiting for Andrew to reach Bryngower.
Question 2.
“Andrew now felt dull and listless.” Give two reasons.
Answer:
On Joe Morgan’s call, Andrew, along with Joe, set out for
Joe’s house. The night air was cool and deep with quiet
mystery but Andrew felt dull and listless because it was
past midnight and he was reflecting about his own
relationship with Christine, the girl he loved.
Question 3.
What did Andrew notice as he entered Joe’s house?
Answer:
As Andrew entered the door of Number 12, he saw a
narrow stair which led up to a small bedroom, clean but
poorly furnished, and lit only by an oil lamp. Here, Mrs
Morgan’s mother, a tall, grey-haired woman of nearly
seventy, and a stout, elderly midwife waited beside the
patient.
Question 4.
What was the old woman’s fear? How did Andrew
reassure her?
Answer:
When the old woman returned with a cup of tea, Andrew
smiled faintly. He noticed the old woman, her wisdom in
experience, and realized that there had been a period of
waiting. She was afraid he would leave the case, saying
he would return later. But he assured her that he would
not run away.
Question 5.
What were the only sounds that Andrew heard in the
thick of the night?
Answer:
As Andrew sat by the kitchen fire, he noticed that it was
a still night. The only sound that he could hear was the
crackle of embers in the fireplace, the slow tick-tock of
the wall clock and Morgan’s footsteps as he moved to
and fro in the street outside.
Question 6.
What was weighing on Andrew’s mind as he waited with
the patient?
Answer:
Andrew’s thoughts were heavy and muddled. The
episode he had witnessed at Cardiff station still gripped
him and made him gloomy. He thought of Bramwell,
foolishly loyal to a woman who deceived him. He
thought of Edward Page, tied to the shrewish Blodwen
and of Denny, living unhappily, apart from his wife.
Question 7.
Why does the writer say that the old woman’s
‘meditation had pursued a different course’?
Answer:
While Andrew was thinking about the futility of
marriage and relationships, the old woman was thinking
about her daughter. She was concerned about both the
mother and the child. She said that her daughter,Susan,
did not want chloroform if it would harm the baby. She
really looked forward to having the child.
Question 8.
What dilemma was Andrew caught in? How did he
resolve it?
Answer:
After an hour-long struggle, the child was born lifeless
and the mother was in a critical state. Andrew was tom
between his desire to attempt to save the child, and his
obligation towards the mother. He overcame the
dilemma, instinctively; he gave the child to the nurse
and turned his attention to Susan Morgan.
Question 9.
How did he revive the mother?
Answer:
To revive Susan Morgan, who lay collapsed and almost
pulse-less, Andrew smashed a glass ampule, instantly,
and injected the medicine. Then he flung down the
hypodermic syringe and worked, ceaselessly, to revive
the almost lifeless woman. After a few minutes of
intense effort, her heart strengthened and she was safe.
Question 10.
What did Andrew think was wrong with the child? What
did he do?
Answer:
Andrew saw the child was a perfectly formed boy. The
head lolled on a thin neck and the limbs seemed
boneless. He knew that the whiteness meant asphyxia
pallida. He thought of the treatment, he remembered
being used at the Samaritan. He applied the same to the
stillborn child.
Question 11.
What was the treatment given to the child?
Answer:
Andrew hurried the child from one basin, filled with cold
water to the one with warm water. He continued his
efforts for half an hour, to no avail. Lastly, he rubbed
the child with a rough towel, crushing and releasing the
little chest with both his hands, till the child finally gave
a cry.
LAQ
Question 1.
“He had no premonition that this night call would prove
unusual, still less that it would influence his whole
future in Blaenelly.” What was the unusual event in
store for him?
Answer:
At nearly midnight, when Andrew reached Bryngower,
he found Joe Morgan waiting for him. Joe and his wife
had been married nearly twenty years, and were
expecting their first child. He accompanied Joe to his
place where after an hour-long, harsh struggle, the child
was born lifeless and the mother was in a critical state.
Andrew was tom between his desire to save the child,
and his obligation towards the mother.
After he revived Susan Morgan, he turned his attention
to the child. It was a perfectly formed boy, asphyxiated.
He struggled to save the child and finally succeeded.
Having saved two lives in the course of the night, his
future in Blaenelly seemed to hold promise.
Question 2.
His reason told him that all these marriages were dismal
failures. What are the reasons that make him reach this
conclusion?
Answer:
Andrew was sceptical about relationships because of
what he had closely observed. His thoughts were
serious and confused. The episode, he had witnessed at
Cardiff station, still obsessed him. He thought of
Bramwell, unwisely devoted to a woman who betrayed
him; he thought of Edward Page committed to the
quarrelsome Blodwen.
His thoughts turned to Denny, living unhappily, away
from his wife. His reason told him that all these
marriages were dismal failures. It was a conclusion,
which made him cringe in his present state. He wished
to consider marriage as a peaceful state. The conflict
between his cynical mind and his ’ heart, eager to love,
left him bitter and confused.
Question 3.
Andrew’s visit to the Morgan’s gave him pleasure and
satisfaction that he had not achieved earlier. Justify.
Answer:
At half past three, after an hour’s difficult struggle, the
child was born lifeless. Andrew attempted to revive the
mother who lay collapsed and almost pulse-less. He
injected the medicine and struggled to restore the
lifeless Susan Morgan, and after a few minutes of
intense effort, her heartbeat became steady.
Andrew then turned his attention to the lifeless baby.
He inferred the condition was caused by lack of oxygen
in the baby’s blood. He initiated the artificially induced
method of respiration. Pouring cold water into one basin
and warm, into the other, he rushed the child, from one
basin to the next, for fifteen minutes.
As his last resort, he rubbed the child with a rough
towel, crushing and releasing the little chest with both
his hands, trying to get breath into that limp body. Then
miraculously, the tiny chest began heaving and they
heard the child’s cry. He had saved two lives and was
eternally relieved at having ‘done something real at
last.’