JKBOSE 9th Class English Solutions chapter – 20 OLD AT THE BRIDGE

It is a wartime story. An old man is seen sitting near a bridge. He is wearing steel-rimmed spectacles and is in very dusty clothes. A number of carts, trucks, men and women are crossing the bridge, but the old man keeps sitting motionless by the side of the road. He seems too tired to go any further.

At some distance across the bridge, a contact with the enemy is expected. A soldier has been sent to find out to what point the enemy has advanced. The soldier sees the old man sitting near the bridge. He asks the old man where he has come from and why he is sitting there. The old man says that he has come from San Carlos. As says that he was taking care of to why he is sitting there, he says nothing. Hea his animals. He also adds that he was the last man to leave the town of San Carlos. The old man did not look like a herdsman or a shepherd. So the soldier could not make out what animals the old man could be taking care of. The soldier asks the old man what animals he had.

The old man says that he had various animals. He shakes his head and adds sadly, “I had to leave them.” The soldier again asks the old man what animals they were. At this, the old man begins to detail the animals he had.

He says that he had two goats, a cat and four pairs of pigeons. He says that these animals were the only family he had. But he was 1 to leave by an army captain because of the danger of artillery fire. The old man says that he is seventy-six years old and has no politics does not belong to any political party) and yet he was asked to leave. He stave. He says he has walked twelve kilometres and is unable to move any further.

Expressing his concern for his animals, the old man says that the cat would take care of itself, but he didn’t know what would happen to the others. He had left the dove cage unlocked and hoped that the pigeons would fly away. But the others!’ he says sadly.

The soldier says that the artillery fire could open at any time. So he asks the old man to move away from there. The old man tries to get up on his feet, but sways from side to side and then falls backward in the dust. w stad The soldier sees that he can’t help the old man any more. It is a cloudy day and there are no warplanes in the sky to check the advance of the enemy forces. There could be no escape for the old man. The fact that cats know how to look after themselves is all the consolation that the old man can think of.

यह एक युद्ध के समय की कहानी है। एक बूढ़ा आदमी एक पुल के समीप बैठा हुआ है। उसने स्टील के रिम वाला एक चश्मा पहना हुआ है और उसने बहुत धूल-भरे वस्त्र पहने हुए हैं। अनेक छकड़े, ट्रक, आदमी और औरतें भी पुल को पार करते हुए जा रहे हैं, किन्तु बूढ़ा आदमी सड़क के किनारे निश्चल हुआ बैठा हुआ है। वह इतना थका हुआ प्रतीत हो रहा है कि और आगे नहीं जा सकता।

पुल के पार कुछ दूरी पर शत्रु के साथ भिड़न्त होने की संभावना बनी हुई है। एक सैनिक को यह देखने के लिए भेजा गया है कि शत्रु किस बिन्दु तक आगे बढ़ आया है। वह सैनिक उस बूढ़े आदमी को पुल के पास बैठा देखता है। बूढ़े आदमी से वह पूछता है कि वह कहां से आया है और वहां क्यों बैठा हुआ है। बूढ़ा आदमी कहता है कि वह सैन कार्लोज से आया है। इस बात के उत्तर में कि वह वहां क्यों बैठा हुआ है, वह कुछ नहीं कहता है। वह केवल इतना ही कहता है कि वह अपने पशुओं की देखभाल कर रहा था। वह यह भी कहता है कि सैन कार्लोज़ का नगर छोड़ने वाला वह अन्तिम व्यक्ति था । बूढ़ा आदमी किसी ग्वाले या गड़रिये के जैसा नहीं लगता था। इसलिए उस सैनिक को यह समझ न आ सका कि वह कौन-से जानवरों की देखभाल करता होगा।

सैनिक बूढ़े आदमी से पूछता है कि उसके पास कौन-से जानवर थे। बूढ़ा आदमी कहता है कि उसके पास विभिन किस्मों के जानवर थे। वह अपना सिर हिलाता है और उदासीपूर्वक कहता है, “मुझे उन को छोड़ कर आना पड़ा।” वह सैनिक बूढ़े आदमी से दुबारा से पूछता है कि वे जानवर कौन-से थे । इस पर बूढ़ा आदमी उन जानवरों के विषय में विस्तार से बताने लगता है जो उसके पास थे।

वह कहता है कि उसके पास दो बकरियां, एक बिल्ली और कबूतरों के चार जोड़े थे। वह कहता है कि ये जानवर उसका परिवार थे। किन्तु सेना के एक कप्तान के द्वारा उसे चले जाने को कह दिया गया क्योंकि वहां पर गोलाबारी होने का ख़तरा था। बूढ़ा आदमी कहता है कि वह छिअत्तर वर्ष की आयु का था और वह राजनीति से कोई सम्बन्ध नहीं रखता है, और फिर भी उसे चले जाने के लिए कह दिया गया। वह कहता है कि वह बारह किलोमीटर चल कर आया है तथा और आगे चल पाने में असमर्थ है।

अपने जानवरों के बारे में अपनी चिन्ता व्यक्त करते हुए बूढ़ा आदमी कहता है कि बिल्ली अपनी देखभाल स्वयं कर सकती थी, किन्तु वह नहीं जानता था कि दूसरों का क्या होगा। उसने पक्षियों का पिंजरा खुला छोड़ दिया था तथा आशा करता था कि कबूतर उड़ जाएंगे। ‘किन्तु अन्य !’ वह उदासीपूर्वक कहता है।

सैनिक कहता है कि गोलाबारी कभी भी शुरू हो सकती थी। इसलिए वह बूढ़े आदमी से कहता है कि उसे वहां से दूर हट जाना चाहिए। बूढ़ा आदमी अपने पैरों के बल उठने की कोशिश करता है, किन्तु इधर-उधर झूलता है और फिर से पीछे की तरफ धूल में गिर जाता है।

सैनिक देखता है कि वह बूढ़े आदमी की और अधिक मदद नहीं कर सकता है। बादलों-भरा दिन है और शत्रु सेना के आगे बढ़ने को रोकने के लिए आकाश में कोई सैनिक वायुयान नहीं उड़ रहे हैं। वहां बूढ़े आदमी के बच पाने की कोई संभावना नहीं हो सकती थी। यह बात कि बिल्लियां अपनी देखभाल करना जानती हैं, एकमात्र सांत्वना थी जो बूढ़ा आदमी सोच सकता था।

(Page 97) An old man with steel-rimmed spectacles and very dusty clothes sat by the side of the road. There was a pontoon bridge across the river and carts, trucks, and men, women and children were crossing it. The mule-drawn carts staggered up the steep bank from the bridge with soldiers helping to push against the spokes of the wheels. The trucks ground up and away heading out of it all. The peasants plodded along in the ankle-deep dust. But the old man sat there without moving. He was too tired to go any farther.

1. Describe the man sitting by the roadside.

2. Where was the pontoon bridge and how was it used ?

3. How were the mule-drawn carts moving ?

4. What were the peasants doing ?

5. Why was the old man also not moving toward where he had to go ?

1. He was very old, wearing very dusty clothes and steel-rimmed spectacles. He looked exhausted.

2. It was across the river. Carts, trucks and people of all ages were using it to cross the river.

3. They moved very slowly up the steep bank with soldiers helping to push it along, exerting at the spokes of the wheels.

4. They were plodding along in ankle-deep dust while going to their destination.

5. Having been travelling on foot for a long time, the old man was too tired to go any farther. He just sat there gloomily. Lample blue

(Pages 97-98) It was my business to cross the bridge, explore the bridgehead beyond and find out to what point the enemy had advanced. I did this and returned over the bridge. There were not so m many carts now and very few people on foot, but the old man was still there.

Where do you come from?” I asked him.

From San Carlos,’ he said, and smiled.

That was his native town and so it gave him pleasure to mention it and he smiled.

(A) (i) What was the narrator’s job ob ?

(ii) How was the movement of vehicles and people now ?

(iii) Where had the old man come from?

(B) Choose the most appropriate options :

(i) The job of the narrator was to …….. .

(a) cross the bridge                    (b) explore the bridgehead

(c) and then come back again   (d)  all of these three.

(ii) What was the state of movement after the narrator came back ?

(a) There were fewer carts.        (b) There were very few pedestrians.

(c) The old man still sat there.   (d) All of these three.

(C) What brought a smile on the old man’s lips ?

(A) (i) His job was to cross the bridge, explore the bridgehead beyond and find out to what point the enemy soldiers had advanced. Then he would cross the bridge again and come back to his original place.

(ii) By now, very few carts were crossing the bridge and very few pedestrians were moving over it.

(iii) He had come from the town of San Carlos.

(B) (i) (d) all of these three (ii) (d) All of these three.

(C) While answering the soldier’s question, he uttered the name of his native town, San Carlos. It brought a smile on his lips.

(Page 98) He did not look like a shepherd nor a herdsman and I looked at black dusty clothes and his grey dusty face and his steel-rimmed spectacles and What animals were they?

Various animals,’ he said, and shook his head. I had to leave them.’ I was watching the bridge and the African-looking country of the Ebro Delta wondering how long now it would be before we would see the enemy, and listening all the while for the first noises that would signal that ever mysterious event contact, and the old man still sat there.

1. Why does the writer say that he did not look like a ‘shepherd nor a herdsman’ ?

2. How did the old man look ?

3. What was the narrator watching ?

4. What was he wondering about ?

5. What would signal the ‘contact’ with enemy !

1. He says so because in reply to his question, the old man says that he had to leave his pet animals behind.

2. The old man was wearing black dusty clothes and steel-rimmed spectacles. His face looked grey because of a lot of dust on it.

3. He was watching the bridge and the countryside of Ebro Delta.

4. He was wondering how long it would be before the enemy advanced towards the writer’s area.

5. The first noises coming from across the bridge would signal the ‘contact’ with the enemy.

(Page 99) If you are rested I would go,’ I urged. ‘Get up and try to walk now.’ Thank you,’ he said and got to his feet, swayed from side to side and then sat down backwards in the dust. ‘I was only taking care of animals,’ he said dully, but no longer to me. I was only taking care of animals.”

kyn There was nothing to do about him. It was Easter Sunday and the Fascists were advancing towards the Ebro. It was a grey overcast day with a low ceiling so their planes were not up, and the fact that cats know how to look after themselves was all the good luck that old man would ever have.

(A) (i) What did the narrator urge the old man to do ?

(ii) What was the old man’s reaction to the narrator’s dre encouraging words?

(iii) What did the old man mumble to himself  ?

(B) Choose the most appropriate options :

(i) What did the old man do on the urging by the narrator ?

(a) He thanked the narrator.  (b) He got up.

(c) He tried to walk.               (d) All of these three.

(ii) The old man had been taking care of……… .

(a) patients              (b) animals

(c) soldiers               (d) the narrator.

(C) What day was it and what was happening that day ?

(A) (i) He urged the old man to get up and walk to his destination, since the narrator was going away from there.

(ii) The old man thanked the narrator for his concern for a poor man. Then che got up, but unable to walk, he sat down once again.

(iii) He mumbled very dully to himself that he had been only taking care of 2 his animals.

(B) (i) (d) All of these three. (ii) (b) animals.

(C) It was Easter Sunday and the enemy forces were advancing towards the Ebro.

Ans.— The old man had come walking twelve kilometres on foot. That was why his clothes were dusty. He was now too tired to cross the bridge.

Ans.— He was told that there was going to be artillery fire, and was asked by an army captain to leave the place. The soldier had told the old man that the army trucks were going towards Barcelona. Since the old man had no other place to go to, he thought of going to Barcelona itself.

Ans.— The old man did not look like a shepherd or a herdsman. So the narrator could not understand what animals the old man could have been taking care of.

Ans.— The narrator expected the approaching battle to take place at some distance across the bridge.

Ans.— By ‘the others’, the old man means his two goats and four pairs of pigeons. He is certain that his cat will take care of itself, but he is worried about the artiothers’. That is why he says, “It’s better not to think about the others.”

Ans.— Yes, the old man looked upon his animals as his family. He had to leave them alone and did not know what would happen to them. He feared that the artillery fire would harm them.

Ans.—The old man doesn’t say a word about war. He says he has no politics. It doesn’t matter to him which side wins or loses. His only concern seems to be his animals. To me, the old man seems to be a bit unhinged.

Ans.— Wars certainly have an adverse effect on our lives. The whole town of San Carlos had to be evacuated. People had to leave their homes and they became refugees. The poor old man of the story had to walk twelve kilometres on foot. He had to leave his animals behind which he considered to be his family.

1. Artillery : There was the danger of artillery fire and the town was evacuated.

2. Coup : He seized power in a military coup in 1997.

3. Check-post : The police have set up check-posts at various points in the city.

4. Outpost : The soldiers kept an eye on the enemy movements from their outpost.

5. Bridgehead : Our army captured an important enemy outpost and used it as a bridgehead.

6. Come through : He was lucky to come through all his difficulties successfully.

7. Stagger : The injured woman staggered to her feet.

8. Hurry : Please hurry up or you’ll be late.

9. To take care of : It is the duty of parents to take care of their children.

10. Blankly : She was looking blankly out of the window.

Myself : Good morning, doctor.

Doctor : Good morning. Yes, what is your problem ?

Myself : Indeed, a strange problem. I’ve a gold coin in my belly. belly !

Doctor : A gold coin in your belly !How did it get there?

Myself : In fact, it was a gift from my uncle. Just in fun, I tossed it up and tried to catch it in my mouth. I failed in the first two attempts. But at the third attempt, the coin went right into my throat, and then deeper and deeper into the food pipe. I could feel it all the way down there. And now I feel, it is resting somewhere in my belly. I feel scared.

Doctor : Nothing to worry much. We’ll give you a strong purgative and the coin will come out with your stools. I don’t think there will be any need of surgery.

Myself : Thank you, doctor. Please do as you think proper.