SHOULD WIZARD HIT MOMMY-ADDITIONAL/PREVIOUS YEARS QUESTIONS-CLASS XII ENGLISH CBSE

1.Father has felt empty after two years of story telling to Jo. What  idea do you form about his skill in the art of story telling ?

Ans. It would be wrong to say that Jo's father is a bad story teller. In fact, with all his histrionics, sound effects and gestures, he is quite effective in the art. His only problem is that his stories lack variety and he ends up telling the same old story again and again with slight variation here and there. He feels empty because he has been telling stories for over two years now and has quite naturally run short of ideas.

 

2.Do you think the father in the story is, more or less, an alter ego of the author, as far as the childhood is concerned?

Ans.John Updike's childhood was tortured by 'psoriasis' and stammering and he had to suffer humiliation and ridicule at the hands of his classmates on account of this. Like him, Jo's father too recalls certain moments of 'humiliation of his own childhood. ''Thus the father more or less, was an alter ego of the author.''

 

3. How was Jo affected by Jack's story telling ?

Ans.Jo would be immensely engrossed in the story. She liked the way her father used to tell story particularly his dramatization of it, through gestures and changing voices. She also liked the predictable way the story would unfold for it allowed her to make guesses, draw conclusions and ask questions. The whole world of the story would come alive before her and she would twitch and turn in excitement as the story progressed.

 

4. This was a new phase, just this last month.

'What new phase is referred to here in the story "Should Wizard Hit    Mommy"?

Ans.Children's physical and mental growth is very speedy. Earlier Jo used to accept father's word about magic etc, but now she has started having apprehensions about such spells. She has become more inquisitive and less credulous.

 

5.Why does the wizard instruct the Skunk to "Hurry up"?

Ans.The wizard asked Skunk to hurry up because he was used to living alone and did not like company for a long time and secondly he was keen to have his full payment for the task performed. Another reason can be that he could not stand Skunk's smell for long.

 

6. After the Skunk started smelling of roses Jo "thought the story was all over." Why did she think so ?

Ans.Viewed from a child's angle, Skunk's smelling of roses is a befitting ending for the story, because first, Skunk's long standing desire has been fulfilled and secondly he is able to do what is dearest to his heart-play with other woodland creatures.

 

7.Why in your opinion is the smell of roses obnoxious for the Skunk mother or How did Skunk's mother react to his new smell ?

Ans.Nature keeps its own balance and has its own way. The Skunk's smell is obnoxious for other creatures, but certainly not for other Skunks. Skunks are born with this particular smell and any deviation is violation of Nature. So the mother Skunk does not like the rose smell of Roger Skunk.. She believes that what is natural is not disgraceful.

 

8. The Skunk accepts Mom's order like a tame lamb and follows her to the wizard without demur, but Jo chooses to differ from her father with regard to changing the rose smell. How would you account for this difference in attitude between the two ?

Ans. Roger Skunk as a character symbolizes Jack's own personality as a child. He loved and obeyed his mother very much. She in turn taught him courage and self-regard in dealing with his hurt and humiliation on account of his psoriasis and stammering. Thus, Skunk is as unquestioningly obedient as Jack himself was. Jo on the other hand is a happy-go-lucky child of four who has no upset and humiliation to deal with. She is naturally inquisitive and is curious to know more and more. It is not surprising that she is full of questions. The attitudes of both Skunk and Jo are shaped by their life experience.

 

9. Why did Jo not approve of Skunk's mother scolding him for his new smell ?

Ans.Jo was very happy to hear that Skunk had got rid of his awful smell and had been accepted by the woodland creatures. She did not like Skunk's mother scolding him for his new smell because Jo thought it was a pleasant smell and the one that had won Skunk so many friends. Skunk's mother, she thought, was wrong in scolding him for his new smell.

 

10. What is the underlying idea behind the wizard's taking the beating and tamely changing the rose smell?

Ans.By making the wizard take his beating by Skunk's mother quietly, Jack and through him the author wishes to bring home the idea that mothers are always right and that we should accept what is natural. The wizard also sees the point and tamely changes Skunk's rose smell into his original Skunk smell.

 

11.Which animal did Jo suggest for the story that day? Why?

Ans. Jo suggested the animal skunk that day. Teachers and students must have talked about skunks at nursery school that day.

 

12.Do you think Jack and Jo could identify with Roger skunk as a victim of the hatred of other creatures?

Jack brought the story to life when he narrated the tale remembering certain humiliations of his own childhood. The corners of Jo’s mouth drooped down and her lower lip bent forward. A tear flowed along the side of the nose. This shows that even Jo could identify with Roger skunk.

 

 13.Why did Roger Skunk go in search of the wizard?(SP)

-Every body made fun of Roger Skunk because he gave out a bad smell.

- he was upset about this

-He met the old owl who advised him to go to the wizard, which would help

him and give him a pleasant smell.

 

14. What custom did John follow in the evenings and for Saturday naps?

Ans. Jack told his daughter Jo a story in the evenings and for Saturday naps. He told her a story that he would make up with a slight variation to the basic tale. This custom had begun two years ago when Jo was two.

 

15. What was Roger Skunk’s problem?

Ans.Roger Skunk’s problem was that he smelled awful. The other animals did not play with him and would run away.

 

16.Why did Roger Skunk go to see the old owl? (All India 2014)

Answer. Roger Skunk was unhappy with his bad smell because of which all the woodland creatures would run away from him and no one would play with him. Thus, Roger Skunk went to the old wise owl to seek a solution for this problem.

 

17.What part of the story did Jack himself enjoy the most and why? (Delhi 2011)

Ans. Jack enjoyed the part of the story most when he had to speak in the wizard's voice, as it was one of Jack's own favourite effects. He did it by scrunching up his face and somehow whining through his eyes. He felt being an old man suited him. Besides, he also enjoyed telling the story when Jo listened carefully, without interrupting him with questions.

 

18. How did the Wizard help Roger Skunk? (Delhi 2012)

After listening to the misery of Roger Skunk, the Wizard invited him inside his house and with the help of his magic wand made him smell like roses.

 

19. What was usually the basic storyline of the tale that Jack told Jo almost daily?

Ans. The stories that Jack used to tell Joe were the slight variation of the basic tale about a small creature usually named Roger. Roger would go to the wise owl whenever in trouble. The wise owl would ask him to go to the wizard who would finally solve Roger’s problem.

 

20. Describe the wizard’s room.

Ans. The wizard’s room is a white house over the crick. Inside it are all magic things all jumbled together in a big dusty heap as the wizard did not have any cleaning lady.

 

21. How did Roger Skunk’s mommy react when he smelling ‘roses’ went home?

Ans. When Roger Skunk smelling ‘roses’ reached home his mommy asked what was that awful smell. Roger Skunk replied that the wizard had made him smell like that. She got angry and with Roger went to the wizard and hit his head with an umbrella.

 

22. Why does Jo call the Skunk's mommy stupid?

Ans. Mommy Skunk took Roger Skunk to the wizard to get his original smell back although he liked the new smell. Jo got upset on hearing this as Roger was happy with his new smell and having friends to play with him. She  called the mommy stupid as she thought it was unfair on the part of Roger's mother to hit the wizard and restore the unpleasant smell.

 

23. How was the Skunk’s story different from the other stories narrated by Jack?

Answer. The other stories narrated by Jack would end with the protagonist-some animal named Roger taking the help of the Wizard to solve his problem. However the Skunk’s story ended on a different note, where Roger’s mother took him back to the Wizard and got his smell changed again. Thus, in this regard the Skunk’s story was different from the other stories narrated by Jack.

 

24.How was the custom of storytelling especially fatiguing on Saturday?

 Ans. Jack told Jo stories to make her sleep. Jo was now four and no longer slept like an infant. Saturday afternoons would become fatiguing as Jo refused to sleep despite lengthy story-telling sessions.

 

25.Which two opposite forces acted on Jack while he was telling Jo the story?

 Ans. Jack was telling Jo something she must know and had no wish to hurry on. On the other hand, he heard a chair scrapping. He realized that he must help his pregnant wife Clare to paint the woodwork downstairs. These were the opposite forces acting on Jack while he was telling Jo the story.

26.Having got rid of his stink, what problem did Roger Skunk face? (2017)

-did not have the seven pennies that he had to pay as fee

- had to go to the well to get them

- had to face mother’s anger at his changed smell

- was taken by the mother back to the wizard to get his old smell back

 

27.How can we say that Jack is a dominant male? (2019)

-wants women to be hanging on his every word/chauvinist

- hates being contradicted or questioned

- doesn’t like women to take anything for granted

- feels trapped when his pregnant wife works

 

28.We can’t approve of Jack’s attitude towards his wife. Comment. (2019)

- didn’t like her when she feigned happiness

- wanted to help his wife but didn’t, though she was pregnant

- did not want to speak with her, touch her or work with her

- wanted to dominate her

               

29. Discuss the significance of the title 'Should Wizard hit Mommy?’

The title of the story is in the form of a question and raises moral and ethical issues. Jack told a story to little Jo in which mommy hit the wizard for daring to change the natural feature of her child. but Jo found it to be cruel on the part of mommy. The story depicts a conflict of viewpoints between the adults and the children. Jo believes in a happy ending so she wanted her father to tell another story in which the wizard would hit Mommy. But her protest is a challenge to parental authority. Jack wondered whether he would bend before Jo's emotional blackmail or not. The story is left at this crucial moment and the writer leaves it to the reader to interpret it in the light of his or her own experiences and  beliefs.