The author has used gentle humour to point out human foibles. Pick out instances of this to show how this serves to make the piece interesting.
Solution and Explanation
The instances of humour, used by the author, mark the eccentricities and idiosyncrasies without making any direct and rude comment on anybody. For instance, the author portrays the make-up artists and the usage of the pancakes in an interesting way. Even the caricature of Subbu is hilarious. The way he tries to help his principal by offering quick solutions to his problems is quite amusing. The episode of the legal adviser that inadvertently causes the end of an actress’s career is yet another example. The frustration of the office boy, the superficial praising of Gandhi, hatred of Communism and the ‘mystery’ surrounding Stephen Spender are some of the instances where the author has incorporated gentle humour.
Top Questions on Poets and pancakes
- Why is the Englishman's visit referred to as an unexplained mystery? (Poets and Pancakes)
- CBSE CLASS XII - 2025
- English Core
- Poets and pancakes
- Read the following extract and answer the following questions:
The make-up room had the look of a hair-cutting salon with lights at
all angles around half a dozen large mirrors. They were all
incandescent lights, so you can imagine the fiery misery of those
subjected to make-up. The make-up department was first headed by
a Bengali who became too big for a studio and left. He was succeeded
by a Maharashtrian who was assisted by a Dharwar Kannadiga, an
Andhra, a Madras Indian Christian, an Anglo-Burmese and the
usual local Tamils. All this shows that there was a great deal of
national integration long before A.I.R. and Doordarshan began
broadcasting programmes on national integration. This gang of
nationally integrated make-up men could turn any decent-looking
person into a hideous crimson hued monster with the help of truck-
loads of pancake and a number of other locally made potions and
lotions.
(Poets and Pancakes)
(i) Why does the author compare the make-up room to a salon?
(ii) Select the correct option from those given in brackets to fill in the blank.
The term ‘crimson hued monster’ refers to the make-up applied to actors to make them look ugly so that they look \underline{\hspace{1.5cm}} (beautiful/terrified) on screen.
(iii) Complete the following sentence appropriately.
The make-up team’s ability to transform actors reveals two things about their skills:
First, their ___ and second, their use of ___.
(iv) Give textual evidence to prove that the make-up team reflected national integration.
(v) Explain the phrase ‘fiery misery’ with reference to the given extract.
(vi) What does the following line from the extract showcase?
“With the help of truck-loads of pancake and a number of other locally made potions and lotions.”
(A) creativity
(B) normalcy
(C) exaggeration
(D) simplicity- CBSE CLASS XII - 2025
- English Core
- Poets and pancakes
- What were the positive qualities of Subbu that the author admired?
- CBSE CLASS XII - 2025
- English Core
- Poets and pancakes
- What caused the lack of communication between the Englishman and the people at Gemini Studios?
- CBSE CLASS XII - 2025
- English Core
- Poets and pancakes
At last, around four in the afternoon, the poet (or the editor) arrived. He was a tall man, very English, very serious and of course very unknown to all of us. Battling with half a dozen pedestal fans on the shooting stage, The Boss read out a long speech. It was obvious that he too knew precious little about the poet (or the editor). The speech was all in the most general terms but here and there it was peppered with words like 'freedom' and 'democracy'. Then the poet spoke. He couldn't have addressed a more dazed and silent audience — no one knew what he was talking about and his accent defeated any attempt to understand what he was saying.
(Poets and Pancakes)
- CBSE CLASS XII - 2025
- English Core
- Poets and pancakes
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