C. Answer the following questions in a sentence each:

(i) Where were the Bishop’s two candlesticks placed?
Ans:- The two candlesticks were placed on the mantelpiece .

(ii) To whom were the silver salt-cellars sold?
Ans:- The silver salt-cellars were sold to Monsieur Gervais.

(iii) Why did the Bishop give his comforter to Marie?
Ans:- The Bishop gave Marie his comforter to protect her from the biting cold outside.

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(iv) According to Persome, what did people do to have the Bishop call on them?

Ans:- Persome believed that the people pretended to be ill as they wanted Bishop to visit them and also pray for them.

(v) What did the Bishop’s mother tell him on her death bed?
Ans:- The Bishop’s mother told him to keep the candlesticks in remembrance of her on her death bed.

(vi) For how many days, did the convict say he had not eaten?
Ans:- The convict said that he hadn’t eaten anything for the last three days.

(vii) The night I was sentenced, the gaoler told me……. What did the gaoler tell the convict?
Ans:- The gaoler told the convict that his wife Jeannette was dead.

(viii) The convict said that he hated the church. What did the Bishop reply?
Ans:- The Bishop replied that the church did not hate him.

(ix) Where would the convict head for from the Bishop’s house?
Ans:- The convict would head for Paris.

(x) ‘Stay my son, you have forgotten your property’. What is the property mentioned here?
Ans:- The property mentioned here is the candlesticks.

D. Answer each of the following questions briefly:

(i) Why was the Bishop with Marie’s mother?
Ans:- One night the Bishop did not return early because he had gone to visit Marie’s mother and pray for her good health as she was sick.

(ii) Why were the silver salt-cellars sold?
Ans:- An old lady Mere Gringoire was sick and bedridden. She could not pay her rent. The bailiff had ordered her to pay the rent or vacate the house. She requested the Bishop to help her but he had no money. So, he sold the silver salt-cellars to help her.

(iii) Why did the Bishop insist on Marie taking the comforter?
Ans:- The Bishop gave Marie his comforter as she was going out in the extreme cold weather. Moreover, it would protect her from the cold. So the Bishop insisted on Marie to take the comforter.

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(iv) ‘I’m sure Marie’s mother is not so ill that …….’ Write why Persome says so.

Ans:- Persome felt that her brother needn’t have to go out on such a cold night. She believed that those people pretended to be ill, just to have the Bishop call on them.

(v) ‘My dear, there is so much suffering in the world, and I can do so little (sighs), so very little’. Based on the above statement, make a comment of the Bishop’s character.
Ans:- The Bishop is a very kind hearted and generous man. He is full of profound pity by the sight of sufferings. He is ever ready to help the needy and never cares about his personal comfort or needs.

(vi) “But it is ridiculous: you will soon have nothing left.........” Why does Persome says so to the Bishop?
Ans:- Persome is the Bishop’s sister. She is the complete opposite of her brother. She is more concerned about her brother and is insensitive to spiritual values of mercy and charity. On the other hand, the Bishop is ever ready to help the needy and thepoor. He gives away anything that he has to help people in need. His savings were used to help the poor, and he even sold his silver salt-cellars to help an old needy woman. He did not care for his comfort and needs. 

(vii) ‘Oh, why not? They would pay somebody’s rent, I suppose’. Why did Persome say so?
Ans:- The Bishop had sold the silver salt-cellars to pay the rent of Mere Gringoire. Persome said that he would sell the candlesticks next, to pay somebody’s rent. It showed Persome’s concern about the family belongings, and her frustration at her Brother's generosity.

(viii) ‘Brother, I’m frightened. Why was Persome frightened?
Ans:- When the Bishop called his sister Persome for the keys of the cupboard, she entered and found the convict with a knife in his hand. He had a wild look in his eyes. So Persome was frightened.

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(ix) Why did the Bishop leave his window unshuttered and the door unbarred?

Ans:- The doors and windows in the Bishop’s house were never bolted because he wanted anyone who was in need of shelter or foods to come and stay in his house anytime.

(x) ‘I was free, free to starve’. What does the convict mean by it?
Ans:- The convict was fed in the prison, but after he escaped, he was starving. He could not look for work, or beg for food, as he might be caught and sent back to prison.

(xi) Why was the Bishop sentimental about the candlesticks?
Ans:- The candlesticks were the gift of his mother before her death. It was a token of love to remember her. When the candlesticks were stolen, he thought of the gift of his mother before she died, and the promise he had made to her. That’s why the Bishop was sentimental and therefore broke down.

(xii) Comment on the Bishop’s reaction when he found that the convict had taken the candlesticks.
Ans:- When the convict had stolen the candlesticks, the Bishop blamed himself. He said that it was his fault, It was he who kad led the convict into temptation.

(xiii) ‘But, but I don’t understand, this gentleman is my very good friend’. Why did the Bishop say so to the sergeant speaking about the convict?
Ans:- The Bishop did not want the convict to be sent back to prison. Moreover, he thought that the convict’s need was greater than his. So, he told the sergeant that the man was his friend and that he himself had given him the candlesticks.

E. Answer the following questions in about 80 words each:

(i) Comment on the importance of the scene between Persome and Marie at the beginning of the play.
Ans:- The play opens with a conversation between Marie and Persome regarding the Bishop. Persome thinks that her brother is being overstrained. Marie informs her that the Bishop has sold his silver salt-cellars to help a poor old woman. Persome feels upset, as she thinks that people are taking advantage of her brother’s kindness. So, it is understood that Persome is an insensitive lady - strict, and dominating.

 

(ii) Bring out the importance of the silver salt-cellars.
Ans:- An old woman Mere Gringoire was sick and bedridden. She couldn’t pay her rent. The bailiff had ordered her to pay rent or vacate the house. She requested the Bishop to help her. But he also had no money. Therefore, he sold the silver salt-cellars to help her. When Persome heard that the silver salt cellars were sold, she almost breaks down. It showed how Persome treasures her belongings. So, the silver saltcellars were very important to both the Bishop and his sister.

 

(iii) Comment on the life of prisoners in French jails in the time this play was written.
Ans:- Based on the experience revealed by the convict, the prisons in the French jails were like hell. They chained prisoners like a wild beast and lashed them like hounds. The prisoners were fed on filth, and made to sleep on boards. They were often covered with vermin. They were not allowed to complain. More lashes were given to any prisoner who complained.

(iv) ‘The Temple of the living God, I’ll remember’. How does this realisation come to the convict?
Ans:- The convict had been hardened due to the cruel and inhuman treatment he had received in the prison. After his escape from the prison, he happened to face the kind hearted and benevolent Bishop who gave him food and shelter. Inspite of this, he stole the Bishop’s candlesticks. He was caught and brought to the Bishop. He expected that the Bishop would be bitter and have him sent to the prison again. But the Bishop not only forgave him but also gave him the candlesticks so that he could start his life again. This generosity moved him. He again came to believe that goodness still exists in the world. It changed the convict’s heart and opened his eyes to the goodness and purity within him. 

(v) Make a comparison between the character of Persome and the Bishop.
Ans:- The Bishop is a kind hearted person whereas Persome appears to be a pitiless lady. She is short tempered, rude, proud and possessive. The Bishop is full of human kindness. He is very much concerned about the sufferings, want, hunger and disease prevailing all around. He is always at the service of the people who needed his help. But Persome looks down upon the poor people. She is insensitive to other people’s need and sufferings. In this way her character is in sharp contrast to her brother the Bishop.

(vi) Write a character sketch of the Bishop.
Ans:- The Bishop is a very kind hearted, generous and charitable religious man. He is deeply filled with pity by the sight of sufferings in mankind. He is ever ready to help the needy and never cares about his personal comforts and necessities. He goes out in the cold night to attend the ailing mother of his maid. When he comes home after seeing her, he sends Marie to her mother’s side and gives his comforter to protect her from the biting cold outside. He sells his silver salt cellars to help a poor old woman to pay for her rent. Moreover, the Bishop is very forgiving. When the convict enters with a long knife, threatens and demands for food the Bishop not only gives him food but also provides him a comfortable bed to sleep on. When the convict runs away with his candlesticks, he again saves him from imprisonment. He forgives him and even gives him the candlesticks so that the convict can start his life afresh in Paris. He is really a man of god. The Bishop was, as his sister Persome' says, “The best man in all France”. He was a true Bishop indeed. He followed Jesus Christ’s teachings of love, charity, benevolence, and forgiveness in true spirit. He helped his parishioners. When the Bishop sold his salt-cellars to pay Mere Gringoire's rent, who was ill, he was practising the teachings of Christ. His encounter with the convict was the litmus test of his virtues, which he passed with flying colours. His patience, love, care, and magnanimity transformed the beastlike convict into a good human being. The Bishop’s character stands as an epitome of all virtues which each and every person should try to emulate.

(vii) Comment on the theme of the play.
Ans:- The play, ‘The Bishop’s candlesticks’ is based on the theme of love, kindness, charitable and redemption. This play shows a moral that punishment do not play any reformative role in the convict’s life. It is only love, sympathy and kindness that make changes to the convict’s life. It also shows that circumstances can turn a man into a criminal. In the play the convict was caught and was imprisoned for ten years for stealing. There he was chained like a wild beast and was lashed like a hound. He led a life of hell and turned into a hardened criminal. When the convict breaks into the Bishop’s house and threatens him with a long knife and demands for food, he treats him kindly and gives him food, shelter and care like his own friend. Also, when the convict runs away with his candlesticks he saves him from being sent to prison again. He forgives him and also gives him the candlesticks so that he can start his life afresh and is able to turn into a good man.

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(viii) Character Sketch of Persome'.
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Ans:- Persome', though the Bishop’s sister, is poles apart from her brother. She has been portrayed as an ordinary human being who is insensitive to the spiritual values of mercy, charity, benevolence, forbearance, and sympathy. Actually her ordinariness sets of the Bishop’s  agnanimity and grandeur. From the opening scene we see her behaving harshly with Marie. She scolds her for being slow in her work. She does not want her brother to be so generous, charitable, and helpful to the people of his parish and other people also. She feels people take undue advantage of his charitable and generous nature. She gets angry at the bishop when she comes to know his act of selling the silver salt-cellars to help Mere Gringoire, an old distressed  woman. Similarly, she does not want her brother to give Marie his comforter when he offers it to Marie to keep warm in the bitter cold outside. Likewise her reactions when the convict breaks in to the bishop’s cottage are quite ordinary. However, as a sister she is quite caring and loving. She really cares for her brother’s comfort and well-being. She knows that he is the ‘best man in all France’.

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(ix) Character Sketch of The Convict.​

 

Ans: The convict was not born into a life of crime. He was an ordinary man with a loving wife who lived respectably before he became a hard-hearted criminal. The truth is the callousness of society turned him into a beast. The apathetic people of the society compelled him to steal food for his starving and sick wife. The cruel society had no sympathy and pity for him! Instead of sympathizing with him, the police arrested him and tried him in a court. Even the cruel judge did not hesitate passing such a harsh sentence against him.  He was treated like a beast for such a minor and pardonable offence. He was beaten, fed on filth, and tortured. His wife died in his absence that turned him into a criminal. However, the inborn goodness always remained suppressed in his heart. The kindness of the bishop again brought his goodness to the surface, and he was transformed.

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(x) Character Sketch of Marie

Marie was a maid at the Bishop’s house. She was a very well-behaved girl. Her mother was ill and the Bishop had gone to her house to see her mother and pray for her. She did not mind Persome’s scolding. The Bishop trusted her a lot. She also ran errands for the Bishop. The Bishop sent her to Monseigneur Gervais to sell silver salt cellars to him to help Mere Gringoire. She was a grateful girl. She revered the Bishop quite sincerely.

(xi ) Character Sketch of  the Sergeant 

He was the leader of the Gendarmes (French police)  that caught the convict. He had a sharp memory as he recognized the Bishop’s candlesticks and brought him to the Bishop for recognition and confirmation. He respected the Bishop a lot. Though he suspected the convict to be a real criminal, he released him on the Bishop’s behest. He was inclined to use swear words carelessly.