Q.1. What kind of life did Ivan live before his marriage?
Answer : Ivan used to drink and became riotous when he drank too much. After marriage, he gave up drinking except now and then.
Q.2. Why Ivan’s wife want him to postpone his departure for the fair ?
Answer : Ivan’s wife dreamt a bad dream on the preceding night of his journey to the fair. So she requested Ivan to postpone his journey.
Q.3. How did Ivan interpret his wife’s dream ?
Answer : Ivan was interpret his wife’s dream as a good sign which denoted that he would earn huge profit and become a rich man.
Q.4. On his way to the fair, Ivan spent a night at an inn ? Why did he start early next morning ?
Answer : Ivan wanted to travel while it was cool. So he kept the horse ready and resumed his journey before daw.
Q.5. What made the police officer certain that Ivan had committed the crime ?
Answer : Policeman searched Ivan’s luggages and found a blood stained knife in Ivan’s bag.
Q.6. What the people of Kiev say about Ivan ?
Answer : On enquiries with the people of Kiev, they said that in former days he used to drink and riot, but he was a good man at heart.
Q.7. Why did Ivan decide to appeal to God alone for mercy ?
Answer : Ivan found that his wife also suspected him as a murderer. Since only God knows the truth and justice could be expected from Him, Ivan decided to appeal to God only for mercy.
Q.8. What was the punishment given to Ivan ?
Answer : Ivan was condemned to be flogged and then sent to work in the mines of Siberia.
Q.9. How was Ivan treated in prison ?
Answer : The prison authorities liked Ivan for his humility and good behaviour. The fellow prisoners respected him and when there was any quarrel among the prisoners, they came to him to settle the matter.
Q.10. Who was Makar Semyonich ? What does he tell the other convict about himself ?
Answer : Makar Semyonich was a new convict brought to Siberia. He was a tall strong man of 50 years of age. He boasted to other convicts that he had been to the prison a couple of times earlier. But he never stayed behind the bars for long.
Q.11. How did Ivan became certain that it was Makar who had murdered the merchant ?
Answer : When Ivan wanted to know who killed the merchant, Mark made a sarcastic remark. It must have been he in whose bag the knife was found, Makar said. When Ivan heard these words, he had no doubt that this was the man who had killed the merchant.
Q.12. What were Ivan’s feelings about Makar when he became certain that it was he who had killed the merchant ?
Answer : Ivan was terribly upset. His anger against Makar was so great that he fined for revenge, even if he himself had to die for it.
Q.13. Why did Makar threatened to kill Ivan ?
Answer : Makar threatened to kill Ivan because Ivan discovered him digging an escape tunnel. Makar feared Ivan would expose his plan, endangering his chance to escape prison.
Q.14. What did the jailer want to know from Ivan ? Why did Ivan not tell what he know ?
Answer : The jailer wanted to know why Ivan was near the tunnel. Ivan refused to tell because he forgave Makar and trusted God’s justice over revenge.
Q.15. What was it that brought about a change in Ivan’s heart ?
Answer : Ivan’s heart changed after years of unjust imprisonment, suffering, and reflection. Forgiving Makar, the real culprit, brought him inner peace and acceptance of God’s justice.
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