CBSE Class 12 English Core Flamingo Book Chapter 4 The Rattrap Question Answers from previous years question papers (2019-2024)
The Rattrap Previous Year Questions with Answers – Question Answers from Previous years Board Exam Question papers provide valuable insights into how chapters are typically presented in exams. They are essential for preparing for the CBSE Board Exams, serving as a valuable resource.They can reveal the types of questions commonly asked and highlight the key concepts that require more attention. In this post, we have shared Previous Year Questions for Class 12 English Core Chapter 4, “The Rattrap”.
Questions which came in 2024 Board Exam
Q1. What did the peddler say in his defence when it was clear that he was not the person the ironmaster thought him to be? [40-50 Words]
Ans. The peddler explained that he never pretended to be the ironmaster’s friend. It was the ironmaster who assumed his identity, and he merely went along with it out of necessity and desperation.
Q2. The lesson ‘The Rattrap’ is both entertaining and philosophical. Do you agree with the statement? Give reasons. [40-50 Words]
Ans. Yes, the lesson is entertaining through its engaging narrative of the peddler’s adventures and philosophical in its exploration of themes like redemption, the nature of human kindness, and the transformative power of selflessness.
Q3. Franz from ‘The Last Lesson’ and the peddler from ‘The Rattrap’ demonstrate the importance of learning from one’s mistakes and rising up to evolve as a better person.
Write an article based on the two texts on how a man evolves after learning from his mistakes. [120-150 Words]
Ans. In order to achieve success, it is crucial that we learn from our mistakes and improvise ourselves. In the story ‘The Last Lesson’ we see the young boy Franz who is shocked to know that it is his last lesson of French and that he will never get a chance to study it. This news transforms him and he develops a liking for studies. He starts admiring his teacher and acknowledges his dedication. That day Franz is able to understand all that is taught in the class. Similarly, we see the character of the peddler in the story ‘The Rattrap’. The peddler reacts to Edla’s selfless kindness and gets over his acts of petty thievery to be an army captain in the true sense. He does not want her to feel humiliated that she had considered him to be a gentleman. As a mark of acknowledgement of Edla’s kindness, the peddler returns the stolen money and requests her to hand it over to the old crofter.
Thus, we see that these two characters learnt precious lessons and incorporated them to become better versions of themselves.
Q4. She gave a little cry of joy. She found a small rattrap, … (The Rattrap)
Saheb-e-Alam received a pair of discarded shoes with a hole in one of them. In spite of this he was very happy. (Lost Spring)
Compare the joy that both Edla and Saheb experience after receiving their respective gifts. [120-150 Words]
Ans. Edla and Saheb, though from different backgrounds, experience similar joy from receiving gifts that symbolize kindness and hope.
Edla, in “The Rattrap,” is overjoyed to find a small rattrap left by the peddler, along with a note and money he had stolen. This gift represents the peddler’s transformation and redemption, brought about by Edla’s kindness. Her joy stems from witnessing the positive change her compassion has inspired.
Saheb, in “Lost Spring,” receives a pair of discarded shoes with a hole in one of them. Despite the shoes being imperfect, Saheb’s joy is immense because they represent a rare luxury in his impoverished life. The shoes give him a sense of dignity and a small escape from his harsh reality.
Both Edla and Saheb find happiness in these simple gifts because they carry deeper meanings of hope, transformation, and the human capacity for kindness.
Questions from the Chapter in 2023 Board Exams
Q1. Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow:
“I am thinking of this stranger here,” said Edla “He walks and walks the whole year long, and there is probably not a single place in the whole country where he is welcome and can feel at home. Wherever he turns he is chased away. Always he is afraid of being arrested and cross-examined. I should like to have him enjoy a day of peace with us here-just one in the whole year.”
(i) Complete the following sentence with the most appropriate option :
Edla wished the Pedlar to have a peaceful day because _________
(a) the Pedlar had worked for Edla.
(b) the Pedlar had not been released from jail.
(c) the Pedlar had been staying at the forge.
(d) the Pedlar had always been looked with suspicion.
Ans. (d) the Pedlar had always been looked with suspicion.
(ii) Select the suitable word from the extract to complete analogy.
single : multiple :: abroad : _________
Ans. home
(iii) In the above extract, Edla comes across as
(a) conscientious
(b) pretentions
(c) compassionate
(d) selfless
Ans. (c) compassionate
(iv) Based on the above extract, choose the statement which is true.
(a) relationships are rattraps.
(b) money is important in the world.
(c) criminal is not born but made.
(d) christmas is a time of charity
Ans. (c) criminal is not born but made
(v) In the context of the given extract, which day is referred to in the expression ‘just one in the whole year’?
Ans. (v) Christmas eve
(vi) What does the expression ‘he is cross examined’ suggest?
Ans. (vi) The expression ‘he is cross examined’ suggests that Peddlar and his identity have always been questioned because of suspicion.
Q2. Who was Edla Williamson? Why did she visit the forge at night? [40-50 Words]
Ans. Edla was the daughter of the owner of Ramjso Ironworks, the Ironmaster. She visited the forge on her father’s instructions. He wanted her to get the peddler home for Christmas. He had mistaken the peddler to be an old army comrade and wanted to share the Christmas cheer with him.
Q3. Explain the metaphor of the rattrap. [40-50 Words]
Ans. The peddler in “The Rattrap” compared the universe to a rattrap. He believed that the world entices people with prosperity, pleasures, and other material goods, just as a rattrap uses bait to entice rats. Once individuals succumb to these temptations, the world ensnares them like a rat in a rattrap.
Q4. What made the ironmaster invite the peddler to his house? [40-50 Words]
Ans. The ironmaster invited the peddler to his house because he mistook him for an old regimental comrade. He wanted to offer him shelter and assistance out of a sense of camaraderie and nostalgia.
Q5. Why was the peddler hesitant to accompany the ironmaster to the manor house? [40-50 Words]
Ans. The peddler had robbed the old crofter of his thirty crooner and was hiding from the police. He was reluctant in going to the Manor house with the ironmaster because he feared being recognized as the thief and being arrested.
Q6. Why did the iron master compare Edla to a parson? [40-50 Words]
Ans. He compares Edla to a parson because she has great power of persuasion just like the parson in a church. When Edla is able to convince her father to allow the stranger remain at the mansion and they share Christmas cheer with him, the father agrees reluctantly and says that Edla is good at persuasion.
Q7. Edla is a contrast to her father, the ironmaster. Explain. [120-150 Words]
Ans. In the story, the rattrap, there are various instances which indicate the differences between Edla and her father.
Ans. Edla is a mature girl. She realizes their responsibility towards the stranger whom they have got home to share Christmas cheer with. She persuades her father to allow the stranger to stay back till Christmas is over because they had forced him to come over. Her father is impulsive and rash and wants to throw the stranger out when he realizes his mistaken identity but the wise Edla stops him. She remains patient and kind to the stranger whom they had got home.
Edla is observant, a look at the stranger’s face shows his fear and she realizes that either he has committed a theft or has escaped from the police. However, her father is not able to decipher this.
Questions that appeared in 2022 Board Exams
Q1. Why did Edla invite the peddler? [40 Words]
Ans. Edla invited the peddler because she wanted to celebrate Christmas in the true spirit of the festival by having a guest over for Christmas supper. Moreover, she wanted to give the peddler a day of peace.
Q2. What made the Peddler accept Edla’s invitation? [40 Words]
Ans. By his frightened look, Edla guessed that the peddler had either stolen something or has escaped prison. So she hinted an assurance that he would be free to leave whenever he wanted. Reassured, he accepted the invitation.
Q3. What made the peddler think that he had fallen into a trap? [40 Words]
Ans. The peddler thought he had fallen into a trap when he realised that the rattrap had caught him, mirroring his own life’s predicament of being trapped by greed and deception.
Q4. Explain the metaphor of ‘The Rattrap’ as explained by the peddler. [40 Words]
Ans. The peddler uses the metaphor of “The Rattrap” to describe life’s temptations and traps. Just as a rattrap catches rats, life’s deceptions can ensnare people, leading them into moral and financial pitfalls.
Q5. What Christmas gift did the peddler give Edla? Write its significance. [40 Words]
OR
What Christmas present did the peddler give Edla? Explain its significance. [40 Words]
Ans. As a Christmas present for Edla Willmansson, the street vendor had left behind a small parcel. Three creased 10 kroner bills and a little rat trap were inside. The letter praised Edla’s generosity and friendliness. The gift made her pleased, she thought. The gift represented the peddler’s evolution. The kindness of Edla had changed the street vendor into a decent person who had compassion and love for others.
Q6. Why did the iron master speak kindly to the peddler and invite him home? [40 Words]
Ans. The ironmaster of the Ramsjé Ironworks spoke kindly to the peddler because he had mistaken him for an old regimental comrade, Captain von Stahle.
The ironmaster wanted to help the peddler, not only in regaining his health but also in taking up a new vocation. Moreover, the ironmaster was a lonely fellow who lived with his oldest daughter after the death of his wife and the departure of his sons. As he longed for some company on the Christmas Eve, he invited the peddler to his home.
Q7. Why was the peddler surprised at the hospitality he received from the crofter? [40 Words]
Ans. The street vendor created wire rat traps and sold them to passersby. When the vendor requested for protection, people typically made grumpy faces. However, the crofter invited him into his house. Along with providing him with food and shelter, he also engaged in a game of “mjolis” with him. This kindness shown to him by the crofter surprised him.
Q8. Why did the peddler derive pleasure from his idea of the world being a Rattrap? [40 Words]
Ans. The world had never been kind to the peddler so it gave him unwanted joy to think ill of it by considering it as a rattrap. It became his cherished pastime to think of people he knew who had let themselves be caught in the dangerous snare and of others who were still circling around the bait in the rattrap.
Q9. The iron master accuses the peddler of not being quite honest. What does the peddler say to justify the situation? [40 Words]
Ans. The peddler stood up in defence of himself when the ironmaster accused him of not being entirely honest and said he had never attempted to pass himself off as the ironmaster’s friend. He wasn’t at fault, therefore. He had continuously maintained his status as a meagre trader and appealed for permission to remain in the forge. His presence, though, had not caused any harm. He was prepared to don his rags once more and leave as a result.
Q10. In Edla’s dealing with the peddler, she was compassionate and generous. Discuss with reference to the story ‘The Rattrap’. [120-150 Words]
Ans. Edla was kind and generous in her dealings with the peddler. The peddler’s perspective on the world was affected by Edla’s deed of charity. Edla recognised right away that her father was confusing someone’s identity in order to be his acquaintance. She knew this because she had paid close attention to the peddler. She convinced him to go with her to her house so they could spend Christmas Eve together despite the fact that she knew he was either a thief or a dishonest person. The peddler used to believe that everything in life is a giant bait and that the world is a big rattrap. But Edla brought him to their home and asked him to be a part of their family at least for one day, which made him realise that she could see the true human being behind the con artist selling rattraps. She stood by him even after his name was made known. All of this gave the street vendor new insight into the world. She wanted the street vendor to relax and have a good time on Christmas Eve. She went so far as to invite him to spend the following Christmas with them. He started to see that there are good people in the world as well, and that he must modify the way he views the world moving forward.
Q11. In the lesson ‘The Rattrap’, the narrator takes an empathetic approach towards the rattrap seller. Considering the above statement, discuss the narrator’s portrayal of the peddler. [120-150 Words]
Ans. The narrator in ‘The Rattrap’ takes an empathetic approach towards the peddler, portraying him as a complex character caught in unfortunate circumstances. Despite his petty crimes, the peddler is shown as a victim of poverty and societal neglect. The narrator delves into the peddler’s psyche, explaining his belief that the world is a giant rattrap, and empathises with his plight. When the peddler is given kindness and hospitality at the ironmaster’s house, he undergoes a transformation, highlighting his inherent goodness. The narrator’s compassionate portrayal underscores the idea that everyone deserves a chance for redemption and that kindness can bring out the best in people.
Questions from the Chapter in 2020 Board Exams
Q1. Read the extracts given below and briefly answer the questions that follow each.
But just as he laid his head on the ground, he heard a sound – a hard regular thumping. There was no doubt as to what that was. He raised himself. “Those are the hammer strokes from an iron mill”, he thought.
(i) Who is he?
Ans. The peddler
(ii) Where was ‘he’ at that moment?
Ans. in the forest
(iii) Why did he lay his head on the ground?
Ans. he thought his end had come
(iv) Did he feel comfortable on hearing the thumping sound? Why?
Ans. Yes, the sound indicated that there was a mill nearby where he could seek shelter.
Q2. Why did the ironmaster invite the peddler to his house? [30-40 words]
Ans. The ironmaster mistook the peddler for an old army comrade and invited him home to feed him and improve his condition. He wanted to take his regimental comrade home.
Q3. How was the peddler welcomed in the iron mill? [30-40 words]
Ans. The peddler was cordially greeted at the crofter’s cottage. The world had never been kind to the peddler before. Everywhere he went, he was given the cold shoulder. As a result, he was pleased to be received warmly by the crofter.
Q4. Why did the peddler leave a Christmas gift for Edla? [30-40 words]
Ans. Edla’s selfless kindness brought a change in the peddler’s heart due to which he left a gift for her. He wanted to live upto the expected level of an Army Captain as she had addressed him.
Q5. How did the Crofter entertain the peddler? [30-40 words]
Ans. The old crofter welcomed the peddler, shared porridge and tobacco with him. He played Mjolis card game with the stranger and let him sleep there for the night. He also shared his secrets with the peddler.
Q6. Why did the Crofter repose confidence in the peddler? How did the peddler feel after betraying the crofter? [120-150 words]
Ans. The Crofter was an old lonely man. He was glad to get company, someone to talk to. So, he welcomed the stranger into his house. He shared porridge and tobacco with him, shared the warmth of the fireplace, enjoyed the company by playing card game ‘mjolis’ with him and even shared his secrets. He boasted about the cow that he owned whose milk had fetched him thirty Kronor from the dairy.
In order to make the stranger believe him, the Crofter even showed him the pouch in which he had kept the money. Perhaps he wanted to boast about owning such a bossy cow which gave milk for the creamery everyday.
The peddler breached the Crofter’s trust by stealing the money. Initially, he was pleased with his smartness, however, on realizing that he could get into danger, he diverted into the woods. There, he got lost and realized that he had been walking round in the same path. The peddler now thought that he had been tempted by the bait, the money and was now trapped in an impenetrable prison.
Q7. What are the instances in the story (The Rattrap) that show that the character of the ironmaster is different from that of his daughter in many ways? [120-150 words]
Ans. Edla is a mature girl. She realizes their responsibility towards the stranger whom they have got home to share Christmas cheer with. She persuades her father to allow the stranger to stay back till Christmas is over because they had forced him to come over. Her father is impulsive and rash and wants to throw the stranger out when he realizes his mistaken identity but the wise Edla stops him. She remains patient and kind to the stranger whom they had got home.
Edla is observant, a look at the stranger’s face shows his fear and she realizes that either he has committed a theft or has escaped from the police. However, her father is not able to decipher this.
Q8. Why did the peddler finally change his ways? [120-150 words]
Ans. Edla was selflessly kind towards the peddler. On the first glimpse of the peddler, she could identify that he had escaped the police or was hiding from it. Still, she gladly took him home and promised to share Christmas cheer with the vagabond. Edla was kind towards him and when the ironmaster realized the mistaken identity of the stranger whom he had mistaken to be an old army comrade, Edla insisted on keeping him home and fulfil the promise of sharing Christmas cheer with him. This selfless humanity changed the peddler. Edla did not want anything from the stranger, neither did she show him down or boast about herself. She just wanted him to sleep and eat for a few days because she knew that the homeless poor hungry wretch required just this.
2019 Exam Question and Answers from the Chapter
Q1. Why did Edla decide to entertain the peddler against the wishes of her father? [30 – 40 words]
Ans. On the first glimpse of the peddler, Edla knew that he had committed some wrong deeds. However, her father insisted on bringing the man home. Now when he realized his mistake and that the man was not an old army comrade of his, he wanted to get rid of him. However, Edla insisted that they had got him home and had promised him Christmas cheer and so, she did not want to send him away.
Q2. How did the peddler show his gratitude to Edla? [30 – 40 words]
Ans. For the first time the peddler had encountered a person with selfless kindness in Edla. He showed gratitude by rising up to the mark of an army captain. He left her a gift of a rat trap, the stolen money and a thank you note.
Q3. Why did the peddler decline the invitation extended to him by the ironmaster? [30 – 40 words]
Ans. the peddler was guilty of committing the theft and so, was reluctant to go to the Manorhouse. He wanted to take a nap at the mill. He knew that the ironmaster was mistaking him for an old army comrade and so, he refused the invitation.
Q4. Why did the peddler accept the invitation extended by Edla having already declined the one from her father? [30 – 40 words]
Ans. Edla’s friendly manner gave him confidence and he accepted the invitation which he had earlier refused.
Q5. Why was the crofter so talkative and friendly with the peddler? [30 – 40 words]
Ans. The crofter was a lonely fellow who lived on his own in a little gray cottage by the roadside. He had no wife or children, and craved company and friends. So, one day when the peddler turned up at his doorstep, he was happy to find someone to talk to, to be relieved of his boredom and monotony. This is the reason he was so talkative and friendly with the peddler.
Q6. Why was the crofter so kind and generous to the peddler? [30 – 40 words]
Ans. The crofter was a lonely man and needed company. Thus, he was welcoming and generous towards the peddler.
Q7. ‘The Rattrap’ focuses on human loneliness and the need to bond with others. Comment. [120 – 150 words]
Ans. ‘The Rattrap’ is a bit philosophical story which tells that the world is a trap and the materialistic things are bait. In the story, the author tells that humans need someone to share their joys and sorrows. They can’t live alone and that’s why they are called social I animals. In the story too, the peddler is lonely and so is the crofter. The peddler is a lonely man who sells rattraps to avoid his loneliness whereas the crofter is an old man who has neither wife nor child. Due to his loneliness, he wants someone to talk to. So he becomes talkative and friendly with the peddler and allows him to have a conversation with him. He not only gives him a shelter but also gives him the food to eat and tobacco to smoke. He tells the peddler everything about himself and his earnings. On the other hand, the iron master and his daughter are also lonely. They have lots of money but no companion and so they request the peddler to spend Christmas with them.
Q8. What made the peddler finally change his ways? [120 – 150 words]
Ans. The experience of the peddler at the manor of the Willmanssons made the peddler change his ways. Earlier he had never known a true sympathiser or well-wisher. He had no friend to steer him on the right path. Though the crofter was hospitable to him and even the ironmaster had almost offered him help, they failed to leave any impact on him. It was Edla who, through her genuine care and understanding, was finally able to change the peddler for the better.
Q9. How did the crofter tempt the peddler to steal his money? How did it change the peddler’s life? [120 – 150 words]
Ans. The peddler was a lonely man who looked like a beggar. He was a homeless wanderer who used to sell rattraps. Once he knocked the door of a crofter who was equally lonely like him for a night stay. He was received by the crofter warmly and cheerfully. Crofter was proud of his cow that gave him enough milk. So he told the peddler about the thirty kronors he got by selling the milk of the cow and he used to keep his money in a leather pouch that hung from a nail in the window frame. He felt that the peddler did not believe him so he showed the money to convince him. Having stolen the money, the peddler didn’t find it safe to walk along the public highway. So he went through the woods and got lost. Here, he thought that the whole world was a rattrap and the money he had stolen was a bait and he himself was trapped in it. Later, he regretted for stealing the crofter’s money so much so that when Edia invited him for Christmas, he returned the stolen money to her.
Q10. What miracle did Edla perform in the peddler’s life? How? [120 – 150 words]
Ans. Edla transformed the vagabond and gave him a positive outlook towards life. Edla’s compassion and selflessness gave the peddler the confidence. He now believed that goodness exists in the world. He wanted to stand up to her expectation of being a Captain and so, returned the stolen money. For the first time, he experienced genuine kindness.
Q11. When and how did the peddler realise that he had fallen into a rattrap? How could he get out of it? [120 – 150 words]
Ans. The peddler realised that he must not walk on the public highway with the stolen money in his pocket. He went into the woods. He kept walking without coming to the end of the wood. Then he realised that he had fallen in the rattrap. He had let himself befooled by a bait and had been caught in. In order to come out of the trap he made rattraps of wire and went around selling them. He got material for making them by begging in the big stores or at big farms. Since his business was not quite profitable, he would beg or steal in order to survive.
Q12. How was the peddler received at the Ramsjé iron mill? Why did he decline the ironmaster’s invitation? [120 – 150 words]
Ans. The workers at the ironmill were busy working at the hot furnace and no one reacted to the presence of the peddler. The peddler walked up to the furnace and lay close to it. The heat of the furnace gave out steam from his damp clothes. When the ironmaster arrived, he gave a close look to the peddler and mistook him to be an army comrade who had gone downhill in life. Thus, he insisted on taking the peddler home. The peddler knew that the master was mistaken and so, he refused. More so because he was afraid of being caught, having committed a theft. The peddler did not clear the ironmaster’s mistake because he thought that maybe the master would throw a cin or two at him for being his army comrade.
Q13. Give instances from the chapter, ‘The Rattrap’ to show that most of its characters are victims of loneliness. [120 – 150 words]
Ans. The main focus of the story ‘The Rattrap’ is on human loneliness. All the characters, whether it is the peddler, the crofter, the ironmaster or his daughters, suffer from loneliness. The peddler is a lonely man who has always been shunned by society’s cold and unkind words. When he knocks at the door of the old crofter’s cottage he does not expect hospitality but the crofter welcomes him as he is too happy to get someone to talk to after being alone for so long. By serving the peddler the crofter is in fact serving himself. He serves the peddler with supper, gives him tobacco and plays ‘mjolis’ with him. He is a very good host. The ironmaster and his daughter too miss company and this makes them all the more lonely on the occasion of Christmas. So the ironmaster, who mistakes the peddler for his old regimental comrade, invites him to his manor house for Christmas. The ironmaster’s daughter, Edla, extends this invitation again and tells the peddler he can leave any time after Christmas. Thus the need to bond is the main focus of the story ‘The Rattrap’.
Q14. How does the story, ‘The Rattrap’ show the redemptive power of love and compassion? [120 – 150 words]
Ans. The story ends with the peddler’s redemption for his sin of committing theft. The peddler is moved by Edla’s compassion and kindness. He feels confident that goodness exists in the world. He wants to live up to Edla’s expectation of being a real-life army Captain. Thus, he return the stolen money as a redemption for his guilt. The story wants to convey the message that love and compassion can sensitize even the hardest of hearts.
Also see:
The Rattrap Important Questions, NCERT Solutions, Extra Questions
The Rattrap Summary, Explanation
The Rattrap Character Sketches