CBSE Class 11 English Chapter 7 “Birth Important Questions and Answers” From Snapshots Book
Birth Important Extra Questions and Answers
Q.1. “I have done something; oh, God! I’ve done something real at last.” Why does Andrew say this? What does it mean?
Important Points-
– Andrew finally achieved something as a doctor.
– He did what every doctor dreams of.
– He miraculously saved the life of a new-born baby and his mother.
– First, he saved Susan Morgan’s life, who had given birth to her first child after twenty years of marriage.
– But the greater task was saving the child who was stillborn.
– By saving the child’s life, the doctor had done more than his duty.
– It filled him with a sense of achievement, making the impossible thing possible, never giving up till he breathed life into the child.
Q.2. There lies a great difference between textbook medicine and the world of a practising physician. Discuss.
Important Points-
– Medical books teach you how to cure diseases, which medicines should be used, and how to handle patients.
– But they do not prepare a doctor for the different situations which they may face when they become practising physicians.
– They do not help the physician to deal with emergencies.
– The physician has to use knowledge, intuition and decision-making skills for each case.
– Every case is unique, and a doctor needs to handle different cases differently.
– Dr Andrew Manson had to decide whom to treat first the mother, or the new-born baby.
– He decides instinctively to treat the mother first.
– When he turns to the child, he finds that the nurse had put him under the bed, considering him dead.
– Andrew Manson acts immediately; he plunges the child, by turns, in hot and cold water and then pumps his chest.
– The miracle happens, and the child starts gasping and crying.
Q.3. Describe the scene at Joe’s house when the doctor arrived there.
Important Points-
When the doctor reached Joe’s house, the latter was walking impatiently at the entrance of his house and his wife was about to deliver their first child.
Mrs Morgan’s mother, a lady of nearly seventy, along with a stout midwife, was waiting beside Mrs Morgan’s bed.
Q.4. Why did the doctor remember a case in Samaritan?
How did it help him?
Important Points-
– Seeing the white face of the supposedly stillborn child, he concluded it to be the case of lack of oxygen.
– He immediately remembered the similar case he had witnessed in Samaritan and the treatment that had been used.
– Using the treatment of immersing the child, first in hot and then in cold water, and rubbing the child’s body with a rough towel, he was able to save him.
Q.5. His dilemma was so urgent that he did not solve it consciously. Explain the statement in your own words.
Important Points-
– Mrs Morgan had delivered a lifeless child and she herself was in a desperate state.
– For the doctor, the dilemma was so urgent that he instinctively handed over the child to the nurse and decided to save the mother first.
Q.6. ‘Birth’ celebrates the miracle of life shining through clouds of death. Explain.
Important Points-
– ‘Birth’ is a story of a young doctor bringing a new born child back to life.
– The main theme is the birth of a baby and its consequences for all those connected with it.
– The Morgans had been married for twenty years and were expecting their first child.
– The child’s birth was of great significance for them.
– Both mother and father were filled with apprehension and expected the doctor to help Mrs Morgan in having a safe delivery.
– For the doctor, the birth of the baby became a challenge and an ordeal.
– At the time of birth, the baby was lifeless and the mother critical.
– The doctor first saved the mother and then struggled for half an hour to resuscitate the child.
– His quick diagnosis of the child’s condition and his frantic efforts, resulted in miracle and the child survived.
– The doctor felt immense satisfaction of having done something real by saving the life of the mother and her child.
– The story celebrates birth and survival.
Q.7. Dr Andrew had almost lost his belief in marriage.
He thought marriages were dismal failures. Why did he think so?
Important Points-
– Dr Andrew became sceptical about marriages due to what he had seen happening to couples around him.
– The episode he had seen at Cardiff station depressed him and it still obsessed him.
– He thought of Bramwell who foolishly loved a woman who betrayed him.
– Edward Page was married and stuck with a shrewish wife, Blodwen.
– Denny was another man living unhappily, separated from his wife.
– All the above marriages of men he knew were dismal failures.
– It made Andrew very unhappy as he was in love with Christine and wanted a peaceful, idyllic married life.
– He could not think of conflict with Christine.
– His loving heart and his doubting cynical mind were in conflict, leaving him confused and bitter.
Q.8. How do Joe Morgan, the old lady and the midwife show their concern for the birth of the baby in different ways?
Important Points-
– Joe Morgan’s wife, Susan Morgan, was going to give birth to their first child after about twenty years of their marriage.
– Everyone close to the family was deeply concerned about the delivery.
– Joe Morgan was pacing in the street and refused to go inside the room as he could not see his wife in pain.
– Mrs Morgan’s mother, a seventy-year-old lady, was standing against the wall in the room where the doctor was treating her daughter.
– Her lips were moving continuously in prayers.
– Elderly midwife waited beside the patient, observing doctor’s expressions as he moved about the room.
– They were all very anxious about the childbirth.
Q.9. Give a character sketch of Doctor Andrew Manson.
Important Points-
– Andrew Manson was a young doctor who had just started practice, after completing his graduation, in the Welsh mining town of Blaenelly.
– Dr Andrew did not believe in marriage as most of the people, known to him, had unsuccessful marriages.
– He was greatly distressed because he was a man of words and in love with Christine.
– He wanted to lead a successful married life.
– Dr Andrew, although a fresher in his trade, was a hardworking and a knowledgeable doctor.
– Even in a dull and listless mental state, he could save two lives the baby assumed to be stillborn and the mother who was critical.
– In the most challenging situation, he did not lose his patience and was able to save both the mother and the child.
– For him ‘work is worship, and after saving two lives, he felt great satisfaction for having done something real in his life.
– It filled him with a great sense of achievement making something impossible possible.
– All this could be done due to his never say die-hard spirit and his belief in perseverance.
Birth Related Links
| Birth lesson Explanation, Summary, Question Answers | Birth MCQs |
| Birth Lesson Explanation Video | Birth MCQs Video |
Birth Important Question Answers – Multiple Choice Questions
Q.10. Andrew did his medical practice under the assistance of ________.
- Dr. Page
- Dr. Morgan
- Dr. William
- Dr. Shane
Ans: (A)
Q.11. “Don’t fret, mother, I’ll not run away.”
Why did Andrew say this?
- To reassure Mrs. Morgan’s mother
- To fulfill his obligations
- To break the silence
- To handle a critical situation well
Ans: (A)
Q.12. While waiting at Joe’s house, what did Andrew think about?
- Mrs. Morgan condition
- Failed marriages
- Christine
- Both (B) and (C)
Ans: (D)
Q.13. What dilemma did doctor Andrew confront?
- Whether the child could be saved or not
- Whether the treatment would be successful
- Whether to attend the child or the mother
- Whether to inform Joe or not
Ans: (C)
Q.14. In the dilemma he faced, what did Andrew do?
- Check upon Susan first
- Check upon the child first
- Ran away
- Left it to handle to the midwife
Ans: (A)
Q.15. Where had the midwife placed the stillborn child?
- She held the child in her arms
- Gave him to Susan’s mother
- Under the bed
- Handled him to Joe
Ans: (C)
Q.16. What did Andrew conclude from the whiteness of the child?
- That he was dead
- That he suffered from lack of oxygen
- That he should be taken to hospital
- That Andrew couldn’t save him
Ans: (B)
Q.17. What did Andrew remember about Samaritan?
- A place he went to volunteer
- Someone he met there
- A treatment he witnessed
- Not mentioned in the story
Ans: (C)
Q.18. Why did Andrew get oblivious to all the work he had done in Blaenelly?
- Because he got all hopeless
- Because he did something extraordinary that night
- Because he was leaving Blaenelly
- Because he got tired
Ans: (B)
Q.19. During the whole incident, Joe did not enter the house. Why?
- Because he was superstitious
- Because he didn’t want to disturb
- Because he didn’t want to see the child
- Because he was anxious
Ans: (D)
Class 11 English Important Links