Class 12 English (Elective) Drama 1 Chandalika Question Answers from Kaleidoscope Book
Updated for 2025-2026 Session
Class 12 English (Elective) Chandalika Question Answers – Looking for questions and answers for CBSE Class 12 English (Elective) Drama 1 – Chandalika from Kaleidoscope Book? Look no further! Our comprehensive compilation of important questions will help you brush up on your subject knowledge. Practising Class 12 English question answers can significantly improve your performance in the exam. Improve your chances of scoring high marks by exploring Drama 1 – Chandalika now. The questions listed below are based on the latest CBSE exam pattern, wherein we have given NCERT solutions to the chapter’s extract-based questions, multiple choice questions and Extra Question Answers
Also, practicing with different kinds of questions can help students learn new ways to solve problems that they may not have seen before. This can ultimately lead to a deeper understanding of the subject matter and better performance on exams.
- Chandalika NCERT Solutions
- Chandalika Extra Question Answers
- Chandalika Multiple Choice Questions
- Chandalika Extract Based Questions
Related:
Chandalika Textbook Questions (NCERT Solutions)
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Q1. How does Prakriti’s mother react when she hears of Prakriti’s encounter with the monk?
Ans. Prakriti’s mother is very surprised when she hears about her meeting with Ananda, the Buddhist monk. She worries that Prakriti’s conversation with him might not be accepted well because Prakriti is from the lowest untouchable caste, called Chandalika.
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Q2. Will Prakriti resign herself to her lot?
Ans. Yes, Prakriti will resign herself to her lot.
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Q3. Will the spell work? What will happen when Ananda is made to come?
Ans. The spell does not affect the monk. When Ananda comes home, he sees that the house setting is not suitable for a monk. He feels ashamed and prays inwardly to Buddha. Buddha helps Ananda escape the spell with the help of Prakriti, an untouchable girl who has fallen in love with the monk.
Thinking about the Play
1. Why does something so ordinary and commonplace as giving water to a wayfarer become so significant to Prakriti?
Ans. Prakriti gives water to the monk Ananda, and this moment is important to her because it helps her understand her worth. When a respected person like Ananda, who is a respected disciple of Buddha, accepts water from her, a woman from the untouchable caste, it changes how she sees herself. This small act breaks her feelings of self-pity and low self-esteem. It empowers her to realize she is not just a Chandalika but a person who deserves respect and love.
2. Why is the girl named Prakriti in the play? What are the images in the play that relate to this theme?
Ans. The name Prakriti means ‘nature’ which symbolises her natural awakening and quest for self-discovery. The play explores her transformation from a low-caste untouchable girl to a woman who questions social norms and embraces her own humanity. Images of the natural world, like the river and the sky, are used to reflect Prakriti’s emotional journey.
3. How does the churning of emotions bring about self-realisation in Prakriti even if at the cost of her mother’s life?
Ans. Prakriti felt compassion for the monk and asked her mother to cast a spell on him. The spell was supposed to distract the monk and make him desire Prakriti. However, since the monk was a follower of Buddha, casting the spell was a sin against a believer in God, which meant her mother’s life was in danger. As the spell progressed, Ananda, the monk, became corrupted and transformed into a wicked person. This change upset Prakriti and affected her feelings. Unfortunately, she realized too late what had happened, and her mother died
4. How does the mirror reflect the turmoil experienced by the monk as a result of the working of the spell?
Ans. Prakriti’s mother gave her a mirror to help her see where the monk had gone after the spells. Tagore shows that the mirror reflects a person’s happiness, devotion, and humanity. As the mother’s spell grew stronger, Ananda, the monk, began to lose his spirituality and fell into lust. The mirror illustrates the monk’s changing personality throughout the play. By the end, the once bright and inspiring Buddhist monk becomes a deceitful and uncharismatic person, showing a defeated character.
5. What is the role of the mother in Prakriti’s self-realisation? What are her hopes and fears for her daughter?
Ans. Prakriti’s mother knew that casting an evil spell on the monk would have serious consequences. The spell would turn the kind monk into a being without conscience or truth. It would also harm her own life. However, she gave in to Prakriti’s strong desire to have the monk and decided to cast the spell. Nonetheless, her mother also warns her of the dangers of the spell and the pain it will inflict on Ananda. She encourages Prakriti to confront the reality of her actions by witnessing the monk’s suffering through a mirror. Later, Prakriti realized that her wish to possess the monk had caused her mother’s death and turned the once devout monk into an ordinary person. Her mother hopes for her that she finds true happiness, perhaps even with Ananda, if he’s willing. However, her fear is that Prakriti’s desire to possess Ananda will lead to harm or regret. She recognizes the potential for the spell to cause immense pain and suffering.
6. ‘Acceptance of one’s fate is easy. Questioning the imbalance of the human social order is tumultuous.’ Discuss with reference to the play.
Ans. In Chandalika, the main conflict is between accepting fate and questioning the social order. This is seen in the characters of Prakriti and her mother. Prakriti’s mother believes that one should accept their role as a Chandalika. She fears that challenging this position will bring punishment from above. On the other hand, Prakriti questions the caste system. After meeting Ananda, she seeks respect and equality. She defies societal norms by asserting her worth, saying that a religion that insults people is not true. Her rebellion leads to conflict and tragedy, resulting in her mother’s death and Ananda’s suffering. This shows the heavy price of challenging strict social norms.
Appreciation
1. How does the dramatic technique suit the theme of the play?
Ans. Rabindranath Tagore’s “Chandalika” is a profound drama that utilizes various techniques to enhance its themes. The dialogue, especially between Prakriti and her mother, reveals Prakriti’s awareness of her social status and desire for change. The setting, centred around a well, symbolizes the social and spiritual landscape, highlighting the themes of purity and acceptance. Rich symbolism is prevalent throughout; water represents purity and liberation, while the magic mirror symbolizes distorted reality and unchecked desire. The play follows tragic conventions, showcasing Prakriti’s journey of suffering, self-realization, and redemption. Additionally, the structure, with its rising action, climax, and resolution, effectively builds tension and delves into the character’s inner conflicts.
2. By focusing attention on the consciousness of an outcast girl, the play sensitises the viewer/reader to the injustice of distinctions based on the accidents of human birth. Discuss how individual conflict is highlighted against the backdrop of social reality.
Ans. Prakriti’s encounter with Ananda, a disciple of Buddha, transforms her self-perception. When he asks her for water, a request she feels unworthy to fulfill, it sparks a ‘new birth’ within her, revealing that her worth transcends her social status. Her desire for Ananda symbolizes her struggle for recognition, as he is the only one who sees her humanity. The play highlights the psychological burden of being an outcast, reflected in Prakriti’s shame and hesitation. Her internal conflict between the desire for dignity and acceptance mirrors broader caste discrimination, illustrating how social injustice fosters suffering and alienation while showcasing the resilience of the human spirit and the yearning for dignity among marginalized individuals.
3. ‘I will enthrone you on the summit of all my dishonour, and build your royal seat of my shame, my fear and my joy’. Pick out more such examples of the interplay of opposites from the text. What does this device succeed in conveying?
Ans. “A religion that insults is a false religion.” Here, religion, which is generally associated with comfort and solace, is paired with insult.
“Poison kills poison, they say so one curse another.” This line juxtaposes the negative force of poison/curse with the idea of a counteracting or neutralizing effect.
“They draw men by the strength of their virtue. We drag them with spells, as beasts are dragged in a noose.” This contrast highlights the difference between righteous attraction and forceful manipulation.
The interplay of the opposites are significant as they emphasize conflict and tension between social and moral dilemmas and duality of human experience leading to transformation in Prakriti.
4. ‘Shadow, mist, storm’ on the one hand, ‘flames, fire,’ on the other. Comment on the effect of these and similar images of contrast on the viewer/reader.
Ans. The different images in Chandalika, like ‘shadow, mist, storm’ compared to ‘flames, fire’, are key to showing the play’s themes and the characters’ inner struggles. ‘Shadow, mist, storm’ represent darkness, confusion, and Prakriti’s challenges as an untouchable. On the other hand, ‘flames, fire’ symbolize passion, purification, and Prakriti’s love for Ananda, along with the transformative power of self-realization. The conflict between these images reflects the dramatic tension between Prakriti’s desires and Ananda’s detachment, with chaotic forces clashing against purifying elements. These images highlight human duality, showing how opposing forces exist together. Prakriti’s character captures the struggle between her longing for freedom and her awareness of its consequences. The vivid contrasts create strong emotions like fear, longing, and awe, drawing the audience into Prakriti’s journey and linking her struggles to wider themes of human experience.
CBSE Class 12 English (Elective) Drama 1 – Chandalika Extra Question and Answers
Q1. What does Prakriti mean by ‘I am your handmaid’?
Ans. Prakriti made a bold and unconventional choice, essentially declaring servitude as a means of reclaiming her dignity and freedom. Instead of being bound by the constraints of her social status or perceived limitations, she chooses to be a “handmaid” (a term implying service) to seemingly attain a greater autonomy. This act is a rebellion against the societal expectations of her time, where her caste and lack of power would typically have limited her options.
Q2. What is the significance of the play’s ending?
Ans. The ending of the play is important because it shows Prakriti realizing and changing herself. She understands that trying to force Ananda to love her was wrong. The ending highlights that true freedom and love come from self-respect, understanding, and compassion, not from control or possession. It also comments on the harmful effects of the caste system and suggests that one can break free from its limits through enlightenment and moral growth.
Q3. What role does magic or the spell play in the story?
Ans. The magic or spell in the story represents the desperate actions of marginalized people who seek what they want. It shows the harmful effects of trying to control or possess others through unnatural means. This is opposite to Buddhist ideas of letting go and free will, emphasizing the difference between real connection and forced control.
Q4. How does Ananda’s interaction with Prakriti affect her?
Ans. Ananda’s interaction with Prakriti deeply influences her by helping her see her own worth as a person, regardless of her caste. He challenges her long-held beliefs about social hierarchy and ‘untouchability’. This inspires her to want a life filled with dignity and self-respect.
Q5. What do the characters of the play Chandalika represent?
Ans. Prakriti represents the oppressed ‘untouchables’ of society, who long for recognition and self-respect. She symbolizes the fight against social injustice. Ananda, the Buddhist monk, stands for compassion, equality, and spiritual enlightenment. He challenges the strict caste system through his actions. Prakriti’s Mother represents the internal struggle of those in marginalized communities. She faces tough choices between societal pressures and her love for her daughter.
Class 12 Chandalika Multiple Choice Questions
Q1. Who is the protagonist of the play?
A. Ananda
B. Prakriti
C. Prakriti’s mother
D. The Buddha
Ans. B. Prakriti
Q2. What is Prakriti’s caste?
A. Brahmin
B. Kshatriya
C. Chandalika
D. Vaishya
Ans. C. Chandalika
Q3. Which character is a disciple of the Buddha?
A. Prakriti
B. Prakriti’s mother
C. Ananda
D. King Suprabhas
Ans. C. Ananda
Q4. What does Ananda ask Prakriti for?
A. Water
B. Shelter
C. Food
D. Directions
Ans. A. Water
Q5. What does Prakriti’s mother possess?
A. Great wealth
B. Magical powers
C. Knowledge of scriptures
D. Healing abilities
Ans. B. Magical powers
Q6. What does Prakriti’s mother use to bring Ananda to Prakriti?
A. Prayers
B. Incense
C. A magic mirror and spells
D. A powerful mantra
Ans. C. A magic mirror and spells
Q7. What is the name of the monk?
A. Buddha
B. Rahul
C. Ananda
D. Sariputta
Ans. C. Ananda
Q8. What does Prakriti feel when Ananda asks for water?
A. Anger
B. Shame and surprise
C. Fear
D. Indifference
Ans. B. Shame and surprise
Q9. According to Ananda, what is clean and holy?
A. Only water from the Ganges
B. Water offered by Brahmins
C. All water that satisfies thirst
D. Water from a temple well
Ans. C. All water that satisfies thirst
Q10. What does Prakriti call her encounter with Ananda?
A. A curse
B. A new birth
C. A divine blessing
D. An illusion
Ans. B. A new birth
Q11. What does Prakriti want from Ananda?
A. Wealth
B. Recognition and acceptance
C. Forgiveness
D. Salvation
Ans. B. Recognition and acceptance
Q12. How does Prakriti describe her life before meeting Ananda?
A. Happy
B. Fulfilled
C. Humiliating
D. Peaceful
Ans. C. Humiliating
Q13. What does Prakriti ask her mother to do?
A. Curse Ananda
B. Bless Ananda
C. Use her magic to bring Ananda to her
D. Forget about Ananda
Ans. C. Use her magic to bring Ananda to her
Q14. What does the mother fear about using her magic on Ananda?
A. It might not work.
B. It will anger the gods.
C. It will harm Prakriti.
D. It is dangerous and could cost her life.
Ans. D. It is dangerous and could cost her life.
Q15. What does Prakriti want to offer Ananda?
A. Gold
B. Flowers
C. Her service and her life
D. A place to rest
Ans. C. Her service and her life
Q16. What does Prakriti ask her mother to chant?
A. Spells
B. Prayers
C. Hymns
D. Verses
Ans. A. Spells
Q17. How long does it take for the spell to take full effect?
A. One day
B. Three days
C. Fifteen days
D. A month
Ans. C. Fifteen days
Q18. What does Prakriti say about the religion that insults?
A. It is a false religion.
B. It is a test of faith.
C. It is the true religion.
D. It should be followed without question.
Ans. A. It is a false religion.
Q19. What does Prakriti see in the magic mirror?
A. A peaceful Ananda
B. Ananda in great suffering
C. Her own future
D. A vision of Buddha
Ans. B. Ananda in great suffering
Q20. What does Prakriti ask her mother to do when she sees Ananda’s state?
A. Continue the spell
B. Reverse the spell
C. Strengthen the spell
D. Ignore Ananda
Ans. A. Continue the spell
CBSE Class 12 English (Elective) Drama 1- Chandalika Extract-Based Questions
Answer the following extract-based questions.
A.
I told him, yes. He said it wasn’t true. If the black clouds of Sravana are dubbed chandal, he said, what of it? It doesn’t change their nature, or destroy the virtue of their water. Don’t humiliate yourself, he said; self-humiliation is a sin, worse than self-murder.
Q1. Who is the speaker?
Ans. Prakriti is the speaker in the given context.
Q2. Who is the speaker speaking to?
Ans. Prakriti is speaking to her mother.
Q3. Who are they talking about?
Ans. Prakriti and her mother were talking about the Monk who asked for water.
Q4. What did Prakriti tell the Monk?
Ans. Prakriti told the Monk that she is a Chandalini (a person belonging to a low caste).
Q5. What did the monk say to Prakriti?
Ans. The black clouds of Sravana are a metaphor for someone of a low caste. Prakriti had initially internalized societal judgment and accepted the label, when she confessed her caste to him. The monk told her that even if she is labeled as a ‘chandal’, that label doesn’t change their true nature or the value of their inherent qualities. The ‘water’ symbolizes purity and goodness, which the label shouldn’t be able to taint. She has been urged to not lower herself in the eyes of others or herself. The monk believes that internal self-degradation is more harmful than physical self-harm.
B.
It was the other day. The palace gong had just struck noon and it was blazing hot. I was washing that calf at the well—the one whose mother died. Then a Buddhist monk came and stood before me, in his yellow robes, and said, ‘Give me water’. My heart leaped with wonder. I started up trembling and bowed before his feet, without touching them. His form was radiant as with the light of dawn. I said, ‘I am a chandalini, and the well-water is unclean’. He said, ‘As I am a human being, so also are you, and all water is clean and holy that cools our heat and satisfies our thirst’. For the first time in my life I heard such words, for the first time I poured water into his cupped hands—the hands of a man the very dust of whose feet I would never have dared to touch.
Q1. When did her new birth take place?
Ans. It was on the day when she met the Buddhist monk. The palace gong had just struck noon and it was blazing hot.
Q2. What was Prakriti doing when she met the Buddhist monk?
Ans. She was washing that calf at the well, the one whose mother had died.
Q3. Why was Prakriti trembling and bowing before the monk’s feet, without touching them?
Ans. Prakriti trembled and bowed before the monk’s feet, without touching them because she belonged to a lower caste, Chandalini, who are considered untouchable.
Q4. Whom did Prakriti meet when she was washing the calf?
Ans. Prakriti met the Buddhist monk when she was washing the calf.
Q5. What did the monk teach Prakriti about?
Ans. The monk dismissed her self-consciousness regarding her caste. He told her that as he is a human being, so also is she, and all water is clean and holy that cools humans’ heat and satisfies their thirst.
C.
Was there no other water, mother, in all Sravasti city? Why did he come to this well of all wells? I may truly call it my new birth! He came to give me the honour of quenching Man’s thirst. That was the mighty act of merit which he sought. Nowhere else could he have found the water which could fulfill his holy vow— no, not in any sacred stream. He said that Janaki bathed in such water as this, at the beginning of her forest exile, and that Guhak, the chandal, drew it for her. My heart has been dancing ever since, and night and day I hear those solemn tones— ‘Give me water, give me water’.
Q1. Who is the speaker in this context, and to whom are they speaking?
Ans. The speaker is Prakriti, and she is speaking to her mother.
Q2. What is the speaker’s initial question, and what does it reveal about her thoughts?
Ans. Prakriti asked her mother about whether there is no other water in all of Sravasti city, then why did the monk come to this well of all wells. This reveals her astonishment and wonderment that the monk chose her well, a well belonging to an untouchable, to ask for water. She is trying to understand why he would seek her out.
Q3. What does the speaker mean by ‘new birth’?
Ans. When Prakriti calls it her new birth. She means that the monk’s acceptance of water from her, despite her being a chandalika, has given her a new sense of dignity and self-worth. It’s as if she has been reborn into a life where she is seen as a human being, not just an untouchable.
Q4. What reason does the speaker give for why the monk came to her well?
Ans. Prakriti believes that the monk came to her well for a specific reason. He came to give her the honour of quenching Man’s thirst. That was the mighty act of merit which he sought. Nowhere else could he have found the water which could fulfill his holy vow, not in any sacred stream. She believes that the monk saw a unique spiritual opportunity in taking water from her.
Q5. Which story does the speaker mention, and what is its significance?
Ans. Prakriti mentions the story of Janaki (Sita) and Guhak the chandal. She recounted the words of the monk who said that Janaki bathed in such water as this, at the beginning of her forest exile, and it was Guhak, the chandal, who drew it for her. This story is significant because it draws a parallel between her situation and a story from revered Hindu tradition, where a chandal served a high-born person. It suggests that her provision of water to the monk is not without precedent and carries a certain spiritual weight.
D.
That one wayfarer, mother, the one and only. In him are all who fare along the ways of all the world. Day after day goes by, yet he does not come. Though he spoke no word, his word was given—why does he not keep his word? For my heart is become like a waterless waste, where the heat-haze quivers all day long. Its water cannot be given, for no one comes to seek it.
Q1. Who is the speaker referring to as ‘that one wayfarer’?
Ans. The speaker is referring to Ananda, the Buddhist monk who had earlier asked her for water.
Q2. What does the speaker mean when she says, ‘In him are all who fare along the ways of all the world’?
Ans. This suggests that the speaker sees Ananda not just as an individual, but as a representative of all travelers or wanderers in the world. He embodies a universal quality, and perhaps, a spiritual guide.
Q3. What ‘word’ was given, and why is the speaker concerned about it not being kept?
Ans. The reference to ‘word’ is the unspoken promise or expectation that Ananda would return or acknowledge her in some way after accepting water from her. The speaker is concerned because Ananda has not returned, and she longs for his presence.
Q4. What does the speaker compare her heart to, and what does this comparison imply?
Ans. Prakriti compares her heart to a waterless waste, where the heat-haze quivers all day long. This implies that her heart is desolate, barren, and filled with a restless longing. Just as a waterless waste yearns for water, her heart yearns for Ananda.
Q5. What does the speaker mean by the last line, ‘Its water cannot be given, for no one comes to seek it’?
Ans. This line expresses Prakriti’s feeling that her love and devotion (represented by the ‘water’ of her heart) are going to waste because the person she desires to give it to (Ananda) has not returned to ‘seek’ it. She feels her feelings are unrequited and unfulfilled.