An Astrologer's Day
By R.K.Narayan
An Astrologer's Day is a short story. It is written by R.K.Narayan.In this story, the main character is Astrologer.He makes his living while predicting his customers future.
The entire story is based on the astrologer's sense of guilt at having stabbed another young man in the village.
The setting of "An Astrologer's Day", is the Town Hall Park.
The Possible Themes of "An Astrologer's Day", are 'Irony and Fate', ' Blind faith', 'Crime and Punishment', 'Human Greed', etc.
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Brain Storming
A-1-
1) The scientific study of the universe and objects in it, including stars,planets,nebulae and galaxies .......
Ans: Astronomy
2) The story of the movements of the Planets, Sun,Moon,and Stars in the belief that these movements can have an influence on peoples lives.......
Ans:. Astrology
3) A prediction of what will happen in the future....
Ans... Astrologer/Oracle/Fortune teller etc.
4) Scientific discipline that studies mental State and process and behaviour in humans and other animals .....
Ans:. Psychology
2)In the story we are told that the Town Hall Park was a remarkable place in many ways for an Astrologer to build his business.
List the exceptional qualities of the place.
Ans:
A surging crowd ,
Vendors of cheap cloth,
Vociferousness of the vendor of fried ground nut,
Variety of trade and occupation,
Narrow road,
No municipal lighting.,
The place was lit up by shop light.
3) The Astrologer never opened his mouth till the other had spoken to at least 10 minutes.
Discuss the reason behind his act.
Ans :1) Listening of others provides him enough information to give dozens of answers and advices.
2) After listening others, he was getting sufficient time to judge his customers nature.
3) He was getting sufficient time to analyze the problems of his customers.
4)He was good at reading the peoples mind.
A-2-
The tactics used by the Astrologer to earn his wages are :
Ans:
Tactics:1) analysis of human troubles.
2) He never opens his mouth till the other had spoken at least for 10 minutes.
3) by flattering them or supporting their own views
4) he was using his shrewdness
.ii) An Astrologer's appearance helps to create an impression on his clients.
Complete the following:
Ans:
a) The turban on his head.
b) Sacred ash and vermilion on his forehead.
c) eyes sparkled with sharp
abnormal gleam.
d)dark whiskers streamed down his cheeks.
iii . Read the following sentences and choose the correct one...
........................
a) The Astrologer says that if Nayak doesn't leave his village again, he could ------
1) Return the money
2)Face danger
3)Go back home and stop looking for the man
4)Not find the killer
Ans:. Face danger
b) According to the narrator the astrologer's success in his profession is primarily due to---
1)luck , 2) the bargains , 3)his
appearance 4) his understanding
of people
Ans:his understanding of people
C ) The story suggests that the astrologer's comments and observations please people by--
1) Promising them success and good fortune.
2) Proving as time passes,to have been true.
3) Flattering them or supporting their own views.
4) Helping them to learn to solve their own problems.
Ans: Flattering them or supporting their own views
D) Guru Nayak consult the Astrologer because he wants to..
1) understand the past.
2) find out who the astrologer is .
3)make some money through a bet.
4)to get the answer to specific questions.
Ans:to get an answer to specific question.
E) Guru nayak is looking for the man who tried to kill him -----
1)to take revenge.
2)to get an apology
3)to demand and explanation
4)to prove that the man was unsuccessful.
Ans: to take a revenge
F) the astrologer's remark Guru Nayak feel all of the following.
except:
1) relieved, 2) suspicious
3) impressed,4) disappointed.
Ans: suspicious
G) Reaction of the astrologer's wife to his news, suggest that she....
1)was unaware of his past.
2)has been worried about his safety.
3)has known hon since he was young.
4)is concerned about her future with him.
Ans: she was unaware of his past.
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Iv)Read the following sentences and find out true and false sentences.Correct the false sentences.
a) The Astrologer gave a correct prediction to the client about his past that he was stabbed,thrown into a well and left for dead.
Ans: True
b) When the Astrologer came to know that the man whom he killed is alive he felt that he was relieved of his guilt.
Ans: True
c) The Astrologer tried to back out of the deal and talked about the client's past
Ans:false.
Correct sentence is ----+-
The Astrologer demanded more money to tell about the client's past.
d)The Astrologer rescued himself from Guru Nayak's revenge
Ans:true
e) The moral of the story is that we must be responsible about what we have done and should not run away from our mistakes
Ans:True
---------------------------------------------------v) The Astrologer has changed his appearance and his persona when he arrived in the city.
Give specific reason.
Ans: Astrologer was gambler and drinker in his early life.One day he quarreled with his friend (Guru Nayak).He tried to kill him and threw him in to the well.After throwing him into the well, he left the village.He went to the city and settled there.He changed his appearance and persona so that no one could recognise him and his offence of killing Guru Nayak.
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vi) 'The darkness load that was inside the astrologer has disappeared'.
Through this sentence,explain the
significance of the title 'An Astrologer's Day'.
Ans; Astrologer thought that he had murdered Guru Nayak.Therefore,
he was thinking that there is stain of blood on his character.But one day he saw Guru Nayak.After seeing Guru Nayak alive, the burden that he was carrying with him from many years relieved.The day on which he was relieved from the load, was a special day for him.So that is the significance of the title ,'An Astrologer's Day'.
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vii)The astrologer feels that Guru is not dead as it a great burden for him.critically justify the statement and explain it.
Ans:for the answer of this question, follow the answer that is given above for (vi)
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Viii)The astrologer wins /gets the sympathy of criticism of the reader in the end. Express your opinion with the support of the main story.
Ans: Astrologer wins sympathy of the reader in the end because he had a stain of murder of Guru Nayak on him. But when he saw that Guru is alive,he felt relieved.
Thus he won a sympathy of reader.
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ix)If we have to eradicate the superstitions and other ill practices
from our society, What steps would you like to suggest ?
Ans:I would like to suggest the following steps to eradicate the superstitions and other ill practices
from our society.
1) develop scientific approach . towards life.
2) believe yourself rather than "karma"
3) keep away superstitions.
4)blind beliefs are like a speed breakers in the way of progress.
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A-3
I)
In the story, the following characters reveal their qualities through words and actions. Pick out the words that describe them from the box and write in the appropriate columns.
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Astrologer : Smart, shrewd, rational, clever , cunning, suspicious,mystical, sharp,humanistic ,skeptical
intuitive.
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GURU NAYAK
Manipulative , arrogant
overconfident, aggressive antagonist,quarrelsome
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Astrologer's wife :
Caring,worried,protective,
demanding,rational humanistic
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II )
Match the suffixes with words and make nouns.
Auction = auctioneer
Know = knowledge
Proceed= procedure
Remark= remarkable
Enchant= enchantment
Prepare= preparation
Appear = appearance
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III )
ASTROLOGER'S DAY has ironic elements where the astrologer pretends to have 'supernatural knowledge',that coincidently turns out to be truth.
Find out example of Irony from the story.
a)He knew no more of what was going to happen to the others than he knew what was going to happen to himself next minute.
b) He was as much stranger to the Stars as were his innocent customers.
c)His simple clients took to be prophetic light and felt comforted
d)he had a working analysis of mankinds' troubles.
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IV) In the story so many Indian words are used....................list them.
Ans:cowrie shells, eight annas, three pies, lit a cheroot, jutka drivers, pyol ,Raja's delicacy etc.
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Themes :
1)Irony and fate :
Ironical fact is that astrologer was a gambler and murderer.He doesn't know his own future, but he was telling the future of others.
2)crime and Punishment:
He was gambler as well as murderer.He is criminal.he has given Punishment to Guru Nayak as well as to himself . He killed Guru Nayak and punished him. He left the village, his family and estate and settled in the city. In this way he gave Punishment to himself.
Greed:
Human Greed is another theme of the story.
When he saw Guru Nayak ,he was relieved.But in the end of the story, he tells his wife to count the money given by Guru. She counted them and found short to the expected amount.He express regret over the short of money.
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Thank you very much.
