UP Board Class 10 English Chapter 9 – The Proposal (Prose)

The Proposal is a one-act comedy that makes fun of the greed and hypocrisy of the upper-class society.

The story is about three people :

The story begins with Lomov visiting Chubukov’s house, dressed in a formal suit. He tells Chubukov that he has a proposal to make, but Chubukov misunderstands him and thinks that he wants to borrow money. Lomov says that he wants to marry Natalya, after which Chubukov became very happy. He calls Natalya and leaves them alone to talk.

Lomov starts by saying nice things about Natalya, but soon they start to argue over a piece of land called Oxen Meadows. Both Lomov and Natalya say that the meadow is theirs. They say mean things to each other and start a fight. Chubukov joins the fight and Lomov leaves in anger. He does not ask Natalya to marry him. Chubukov yells at Natalya for making Lomov go away. He tells her that Lomov came to propose to her, and Natalya feels sorry for what she did. She asks her father to bring him back, and he agrees.

Lomov comes back and Natalya tries to be nice and friendly. She says that he can have Oxen Meadows, and he is happy but then they start to fight again over their dogs, Squeezer and Guess. They continue arguing suddenly, Lomov falls down from a heart problem. Chubukov comes in and thinks that Lomov is dead. He tries to wake him up with water, after a while Lomov moves a bit and opens his eyes. Chubukov quickly gives Natalya’s hand to Lomov and blesses them, but they continue to argue over their dogs. The play ends with Chubukov shouting at them to stop.

‘The Proposal’ एक हास्यप्रधान एकांकी नाटक है, जो उच्च वर्गीय समाज के लालच व पाखण्ड का मजाक बनाता है।

यह कहानी तीन व्यक्तियों के बारे में है

कहानी की शुरूआत लोमोव औपचारिक सूट पहनकर चुबुकोव के घर जाने से होती है । वह चुबुकोव को बताता है कि वह एक प्रस्ताव लेकर आया है, परन्तु चुबुकोव उसे गलत समझता लेता है और सोचता है कि वह पैसे उधार लेना चाहता है। लोमोव कहता है कि वह नताल्या से विवाह करना चाहता है यह सुनकर चुबुकोव बहुत खुश होता है। वह नताल्या को बुलाता है और उन्हें बात करने के लिए अकेला छोड़ देता है।

लोमोव नताल्या के बारे में अच्छी बाते बोलने से शुरू करता है, लेकिन शीघ्र ही वे एक जमीन के टुकड़े को लेकर बहस करने लगते हैं, जिसे ऑक्सन मेडोज कहते थे। लोमोव और नताल्या दोनों कहते हैं कि मैदान उनके हैं। वे एक-दूसरे को तुच्छ बातें बोलते हैं और लड़ना शुरू कर देते है । चुबुकोव भी लड़ाई में शामिल होता है और लोमोव गुस्से में वहाँ से चला जाता है। वह नताल्या से शादी करने के लिए नहीं पूछता है । चुबुकोव लोमोव को भगा देने के लिए नताल्या पर चिल्लाता है। वह उसे बताता है कि लोमोव उसे विवाह का प्रस्ताव लेकर आया था और नताल्या ने जो किया, उसे उसके लिए दुःख होता है। वह अपने पिता से उसे वापस लाने के लिए कहती है और वह मान जाता है।

लोमोव् वापस आता है और नताल्या उसके साथ अच्छा एवं मित्रवत् रहने का प्रयास करती है। वह कहती है कि वह ऑक्सन मेडोज रख सकता है और वह प्रसन्न हो जाता है, लेकिन वे पुनः अपने कुत्तों, स्कवीजर और गैस के बारे में लड़ने लगते हैं। वे एक-दूसरे को भला-बुरा कहते रहते हैं और अचानक से लोमोव दिल की बीमारी के कारण नीचे गिर जाता है । चुबुकोव अन्दर आता है और सोचता है कि लोमोव मर चुका है। वह पानी से उसे होश में लाने की कोशिश करता है, कुछ समय बाद लोमोव अपनी आँखे खोलता है। चुबुकोव शीघ्रता से नताल्या का हाथ लोमोव को देता है और उन्हें आशीर्वाद देता है, लेकिन वे अपने कुत्तों के बारे में लगातार बहस करते रहते हैं चुबुकोव के उन्हें चुप करने के लिए चिल्लाने के साथ नाटक समाप्त हो जाता है।

परीक्षा में पाठ्य-पुस्तक के Prose के पाठों से एक Extract दिया जाएगा तथा उस पर आधारित 2 Multiple Choice Questions पूछे जाएँगे, जिनके उत्तर विद्यार्थी को देने होते हैं। यहाँ पर हमने Extracts के साथ 2 अधिक Questions दिए हैं, जो केवल विद्यार्थियों के सम्पूर्ण अभ्यास के लिए है। परीक्षा में 1-1 अंकों के 2 ही Questions पूछे जाते हैं।

Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that follow.

(a) he wants to get married soon.

(b) Natalya is a good match for him.

(c) he and Natalya are both quarrelsome.

(d) Natalya would add to his glory.

Ans. (b) Natalya is a good match for him.

(a) he is an old man.

(b) he suffers from attacks of excitements.

(c) he wants to make Natalya his business partner.

(d) he wants to travel to the world.

Ans. (b) he suffers from attacks of excitements.

(a) Lomov

(b) Chubukov

(c) Natalya’s housekeeper

(d) Chubukov’s wife

Ans. (a) Lomov

(a) talking to each other

(b) abusing each other

(c) arguing with each other

(d) in love with each other

Ans. (c) arguing with each other

(a) Marriage proposal for Natalya

(b) Ownership documents of Oxen Meadows

(c) His dog

(d) None of the above

Ans. (a) Marriage proposal for Natalya

(a) Shocked

(b) Calm

(c) Angry

(d) Irritated

Ans. (c) Angry

(a) They used the land for forty years

(b) They got accustomed to using the land

(c) Both (a )and (b)

(d) None of the above

Ans. (c) Both (a )and (b).

(a) Logical

(b) Rational

(c) Polite

(d) All of these

Ans. (d) All of these

(a) The listener aggressively refuses the speaker, Lomov’s claims.

(b) The listener politely refutes the speaker, Lomov’s assertions.

(c) The listener abused the speaker, Lomov.

(d) None of the above

Ans. (b) The listener politely refutes the speaker, Lomov’s assertions.

(a) Tendency of wealthy families to seek ties with other wealthy families

(b) Tendency of wealthy families to increase their estates

(c) Encouragement of marriages that make good economic sense

(d) All of the above

Ans. (d) All of the above

(a) Dress jacket and white gloves

(b) Evening coat with hat

(c) Waistcoat and trousers

(d) Shirt and trousers

Ans. (a) Dress jacket and white gloves

(a) Ask for her daughter’s hand in marriage

(b) Borrow money

(c) Borrow land

(d) All of the above

Ans. (b) Borrow money

(a) gave Oxen Meadows to Chubukov

(b) gave his pet dog guess to Natalya

(c) asked Chubukov’s daughter’s hand in marriage

(d) None of the above

Ans. (c) asked Chubukov’s daughter’s hand in marriage

Ans. Lomov had come in a formal evening dress-wearing a jacket and white gloves.

I think that he had come in that dress because he wanted to look his best while proposing to Natalya for marriage.

Ans. Chubukov was overjoyed and shed tears of happiness. When Lomov told him that he had come to propose to his daughter, Natalya, he kissed and embraced Lomov and told him that he had been hoping it for a long time.

Ans. Lomov wanted to get married as he was already 35 years old. He felt that now he should lead a quite and peaceful life with a well-educated and beautiful girl such as Natalya. Moreover he was suffering from a weak heart and sleep- sickness and he wanted the company of someone to look after him.

Ans. Lomov’s heart beat increased at an excited state. His lips trembled. There was a twitch in his right eyebrow. The worst thing was the way he sleeps. When he goes to sleep, something pulls in his left side and it comes to his shoulder and head making him jump like a lunatic.

Ans. Lomov is a 35 years old man. He is really a very funny and comical character who comes to propose Natalya but he becomes so nervous and excited that he continues quarrelling with Natalya over small things and fails to make the proposal. He has no confidence and no self-control.

Ans. Natalya was shocked when she came to know that Lomov had come to propose her. She cries, changes her stance and asks her father to bring him back.

When he proposed her, she became very happy as she also wanted to marry him.

Ans. After fighting about Oxen Meadows, Lomov and Natalya started fighting about their dogs, Squeezer and Guess. Natalya thinks that Squeezer was a better dog than Lomov’s dog, Guess. She further calls Guess old and worthless, thus starting another quarrel.

Ans. At first, Chubukov suspected that Lomov had come to borrow money.

Chubukov was not sincere when he told Lomov that he had always loved him and that he was like his own son, because he had decided to not give any money to Lomov.

If he truly meant what he said, he would not have thought of not giving him money. He said so only because Lomov had asked for his daughter’s hand in marriage.

Ans. Introduction Lomov is a 35 years old bachelor. He is a neighbour of Chubukov and wants to marry his daughter, Natalya. He is weak at his heart and easily gets excited and is short tempered. So, before proposing, he falls into contradiction over the ownership of Oxen Meadow and then over the superiority of his dog Guess. This shows his touchy nature and short-temperedness.

Has a Weak Heart and Suffers from Sleep Sickness He had both of these problems that is why he wanted to get married and lead a quiet and regular life.

Rigidness He is rigid and is not ready to forget his point even when Natalya asks for forgiveness.

Truthful He seems more truthful than Natalya and her father.

Conclusion Thus, we can say Lomov is a truthful, but rigid, short tempered man who is weak from heart.

Ans. Introduction Natalya forms a significant character in the play, “The Proposal’. She is the only daughter of a land owner named Chubukov. She is 25 years old and unmarried. When Lomov comes to propose her for marriage, she quarrels with him over the meadows.

Good Looking and Educated She is not very beautiful but is a good looking girl. She is well educated and a good home maker too.

Short Tempered She is a short tempered girl. She argues with Lomov over small issues like land ownership and the superiority of dogs.

Concerned about Family Although she is in love with Lomov, she still argues with him for her family’s land and her dog.

Conclusion Natalya is a talkative, good looking well-educated girl and a good home-maker too. She loves her family and shows concern for her family’s belongings. She also apologises after realising her mistake. She is also keen to get married with Lomov.

Ans. Introduction Chubukov is one of the three characters in the play ‘The Proposal’. Chubukov is a caring and sensible father.

Loving and Caring Father Chubukov loves his daughter. When she wails for Lomov and asks her father to bring him back, Chubukov goes and brings Lomov back.

Greedy He is a greedy fellow because he wants to grab Lomov’s land by marrying his daughter to him.

Diplomat Although he wants to avoid Lomov if he asks for. money, Chubukov talked to him in a polite manner. He also settles the quarrels among Natalya and Lomov and gets them married.

Conclusion Chubukov is a greedy, money minded person, but a loving and caring father too.

Ans. The point of controversy between Natalya and Lomov revolves around the ownership of the Oxen Meadows.

Lomov argues that his aunt’s grandmother granted free use of the meadows to Natalya’s father’s grandfather for forty years, with the peasants making bricks in return. However, Natalya disputes this claim, asserting that the meadows are her ancestral property.

After fighting about Oxen Meadow, Lomov and Natalya started fighting about their dogs, Squeezer and Guess. They were pointing out the, superior qualities of their dogs. Lomov pointed out that his dog guess, was of pure breed and had well Sprung ribs. On the other hand, Natalya argued that her dog squeezer was far more superior. She told Lomov that squeeger was of the finest pedigree.

Both of them kept on going about their dogs and the argument went on further.