2nd PUC “Too Dear!’ English Prose Notes Question and Answer Summary

2nd PUC English Too Dear Lesson Notes Question and Answer Summary Guide Extract Mcq Pdf Download Kannada Medium Karnataka State Syllabus 2025 too dear summary 2nd puc question answer too dear one mark questions and answers pdf too dear summary 2nd puc too dear lesson pdf 2nd puc too dear full story too dear lesson summary in Kannada second puc english notes 2nd puc english textbook lessons 2nd puc english too dear lesson summary in kannada

Prose Name : “Too Dear!’

Author Name : – Leo Tolstoy

Comprehension I (TEXT BOOK)

1. Why was ‘Monaco’ called a ‘toy kingdom?

Monaco was called a toy kingdom because it had such a tiny landmass that if all the land in the kingdom were divided, there would not be even an acre for each of its seven thousand inhabitants

2. Name the commodities that were taxed in Monaco,

OR

Mention any one of the sources of the king’s revenue.

The commodities taxed in Monaco were tobacco, wine and spirit. The people also paid a poll tax

3. What was the source of the King’s special revenue? Who were its beneficiaries?

OR

Name the special source of revenue in the kingdom of Monaco.

The percentage of profit given by the gaming house keeper to the kinglet was the source of the king’s special revenue. The king, his ministers, courtiers, his servants, a bishop, his generals, and his army were its beneficiaries.

4. Why did the Germans stop gaming houses in their country and how did it benefit Monaco?

The Germans stopped gaming houses in their country because the gaming houses encouraged people to gamble and try their luck. This way people lost their money, and sometimes some of them drowned or shot themselves in despair. In Monaco, the money received from the gaming house served as a special source of revenue and benefitted the king.

5. What was the punishment given to the murderer?

The murderer was sentenced to death.

6. The death sentence was converted into imprisonment for life because

Ans.: (b) – carrying out the death sentence was expensive.

7. How much did the king spend on the criminal annually?

The king spent 600 francs on the criminal annually.

8. On what condition did the criminal agree to go away from prison? How was his demand fulfilled?

The criminal agreed to go away on condition that he be paid 600 francs as pension for a year regularly until his death. His demand was fulfilled because the prisoner refused to run away from the prison. If he had remained there the king would have been forced to keep a guard over him to watch and also feed him until his death. The criminal left the prison and the king’s dominions as well, as soon as he received one-third of his annuity in advance. He emigrated to another country just across the frontier and settled there comfortably.

Comprehension II (TEXT BOOK)

1. Though gambling is a dirty business, why does the king of Monaco resort to it?

The king of Monaco ruled a tiny kingdom with a population of about seven thousand. In that kingdom, he was a real kinglet. He had a palace, courtiers, ministers, a bishop, generals, and an army to take care of. However, he had very limited sources of income. These sources were insufficient. So, he found a new source of special revenue; a gaming house where people played roulette. He knew well that gambling is a dirty business. But he had to resort to it for the survival and sustenance of his kingdom.

2. Why did the king of Monaco keep changing his mind about dealing with the criminal?

OR

What problems did the authorities of Monaco face in dealing with the criminal? How did they resolve them?

OR

What made the king of Monaco alter his decisions in dealing with the criminal?

OR

What were the various obstacles in carrying out the death sentence?

The king of Monaco kept changing his mind in dealing with the criminal because, every time he took a decision, he faced a problem to execute it. First, the king accepted the judge’s verdict and ordered the execution of the criminal, but he cancelled it and changed the sentence to ‘imprisonment for life’ because there was neither a guillotine machine nor an executioner in his country. Moreover, if he had decided to borrow one from the King of Italy, he would have been forced to levy 2 francs per person as additional tax which he did not like. Secondly, after keeping the criminal in prison for one year, he realized that he had to spend 600 francs on the maintenance of the criminal until his death, which would have proved to be again a financial burden to his people. Therefore, as advised by his council of ministers, he dismissed the guard hoping that the prisoner would run away. But the prisoner refused to run away because he had nowhere to go and he had stopped the habit of working. Once again, the king faced a new problem. Then, as suggested by his council of ministers, the king ordered payment of 600 francs a year as pension and got rid of the criminal.

3. Why was the criminal reluctant to go out of prison?

The prisoner was reluctant to go out of prison because his character had been ruined by the death sentence given to him and he had nowhere to go. Secondly, by being imprisoned and given food in his cell every day, he had given up working to earn a living. So, he had become lazy. Therefore, he felt helpless and so refused to go.

4. How did the criminal lead his life after his release?

After his release from prison, the criminal emigrated to another country and settled just across the frontier. With the money he had received as annuity in advance, he bought a bit of land, started market-gardening, and lived comfortably.

Comprehension III (TEXT BOOK)

1. You can’t earn stone palaces by honest labour. Justify with reference to the story.

OR

“You can’t earn stone palaces by honest labour”. How does the author relate this statement the actions of the king of Monaco?

OR

‘You can’t build stone palaces by honest labour.’ Is this true in the case of the king of Monaca? Discuss.

The King of Monaco levied taxes on tobacco, wine and spirit. He also levied a poll ta This was the source of his income. But, with the revenue collected this way, the king found it difficu to feed his courtiers and his officials and to meet his own expenses. Nobody could live a king’s life with the meagre Income the Prince of Monaco gut from his subjects. Therefore, to drive home the tens of thi statement he quotes the proverb, You can’t earn stone palaces by honest labour, they for his luxurie one wants to live beyond his means, honest labour alone cannot fetch him enough money for his luxuries It implies that one has to take recourse to earn extra money by some dishonest or unethical means The King of Monaco also had a source of additional or alternative revenue. He used to receive a large sum of money regularly from a gaming house keeper, who paid it out of the profits earned from his gaming house.

The king knew that earning one’s living by running a gaming house where people risked their money at the roulette table was a dirty business. Yet, he had allowed it to run because he needed more money. Also, he knew that collecting tax’ on tobacco and ‘drink’ was also unethical but, anyhow he had been doing it for a long time and so he did not mind collecting additional revenue from this dirty business as well.

2. Though the trial and imprisonment of the criminal are depicted in a comic mode in this story, it does give rise to serious questions. What are they?

Too Dear!’ tells the story of Monaco, a small kingdom in Europe. The author’s intention is to parody the efforts of the modern state to violently restrain crime.

Monaco had a small population, a small army, and was ruled by a kinglet. Since it was a very small kingdom, it had meagre financial resources. The people lived peacefully but somehow a murder was committed. The criminal was tried as per the existing rules of the state and was finally sentenced to death. But there was neither a guillotine machine nor an executioner in the state. Therefore, the king and the ministers made sincere attempts to borrow them from their neighbours the French Government and the King of Italy. After weighing the pros and cons of incurring a huge expenditure the king gave up the idea of getting the criminal executed and changed it to imprisonment for life This cost the king 600 francs. When the king reflected on the cost, it struck him that the cost would become a big burden if the criminal lived another fifty years. Again, the king and his ministers met, discussed the issue, and dismissed the guard believing that the criminal would run away on his own But the criminal refused to go. Finally, the criminal was offered a small pension and paid one-third of his annuity as an advance. He left the prison and emigrated to another country. Thus, there is a streak of humour in the story throughout.

The author’s intention is to prod the reader with the following serious questions:

Why should ‘violence’ be punished with violence only? What is the purpose of trying the criminal in a court of law and decreeing punishment? Why are crimes committed and how can they be prevented? What is the role of the government in crime prevention? How can the court ensure that the convicted criminal is given punishment commensurate with the crime? What is the role of the government in ensuring that the family of the criminal is not put to hardship after the execution of a criminal? How much time should a country, like Monaco, whose resources are limited, spend on the trial and punishment of criminals?

3. Were there other ways of dealing with the criminal? Discuss in the light of the story.

Monaco was a very small kingdom, with a small population and a small army. Also, its revenue was meagre. Yet, the king managed to rule like any other king with courtiers, judges and ministers enjoying the luxuries and privileges of a king. The king managed to enjoy his kingship, utilizing the additional revenue generated from monopolizing the gambling business. It is highly condemnable that a king should resort to do dirty business to enjoy royal comforts. One can only say the king is too self-centered.

As regards the ‘murder’ committed by a criminal, the kingdom did not have either a guillotine machine or an executioner. Secondly, the government could not afford to spend even 12000 francs on borrowing the same from the King of Italy. In such a situation it is quite preposterous to put in place a system of inflicting violence to eliminate violence.

One possible alternative punishment would have been sending the criminal into exile. Another alternative punishment would have been to condemn such criminals to hard, physical labour for life or for a limited period until they reformed their behaviour. It would be far more practical, economical and humane to use the state’s resources to reduce crimes, this way.

ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS:

Answer the following questions in a paragraph of 80-100 words each:

1. Why was the murderer finally sentenced to imprisonment for life?

OR

Why was the death sentence of the murderer altered to imprisonment for life?

OR

Why was the council forced to alter the execution of the criminal in Too Dear!?

OR

Describe the situation that led the authorities to alter the death sentence.

The king of Monaco sent two letters of inquiry to France and Italy so as to borrow a guillotine machine and the services of an executioner to execute the criminal. The French Government wrote to Monaco that it would cost them 16000 francs. The King of Italy offered to do the work for 12000 francs which included the travelling expenses also.

If the king had accepted the offer, he would have been forced to levy 2 francs per head on the whole population to collect 12000 francs. The people would not have accepted such a financial burden and that would have caused a riot. When the General of the Army also pleaded his inability to get the criminal executed by the soldiers, the ministers met again. They assembled a Commission. and a committee, and a sub-committee to explore other ways of punishing the criminal at a cheaper price. They all came to the conclusion that altering the death sentence to one of imprisonment for life was the best thing to do. They also felt that such a step would enable the prince to show his mercy. The king too felt that it was not worth spending so much money to execute a criminal. Therefore, the king changed the death sentence to one of imprisonment for life.

2. Why did the criminal refuse to run away/escape from the prison?

OR

What were the arguments put forth by the prisoner for not running away from the prison?

OR

Why was the criminal not willing to run away from prison?

OR

Why was the criminal reluctant to go out of the prison, in “Too Dear!”?

When the king realized that it was a serious matter to keep a criminal imprisoned for life and it would cause his people a huge financial burden, he summoned his ministers and asked them to find a cheaper way of punishing the criminal. The ministers met and after several deliberations suggested that they must dismiss the guard and save some money. The king agreed to their suggestion. Soon, the guard was dismissed and they waited curiously to see what the criminal would do. The criminal came out of his prison at dinner time, collected his food from the palace kitchen, and returned to the prison, shut the door on himself, and stayed inside. Later, the Minister of Justice asked him why he had not run away, as there was no guard to watch over him. They even told him that the prince would not mind if he ran away. But the prisoner told them that he had nowhere to go as his character had been ruined and people would turn their backs on him. Moreover, he had forgotten the habit of working and so if he ran away he would be forced to work for earning a living. That is why the criminal refused to run away from prison.

3. Why did the Council decide to offer the criminal a pension?

OR

Why was the criminal finally offered a pension? How did this offer benefit him?

The Minister of Justice asked the prisoner why he did not run away as there was no guard to watch over him. He also told him that the king would not mind if he escaped. But the prisoner told him that he had nowhere to go as his character had been ruined and the people would turn their backs on him. Furthermore, as he had been given food in the prison itself and by doing so, he had been prevented from doing any work to earn his living, he had become lazy. Therefore, he refused to go away. He was also feeling bad that he had been treated badly. The ministers met once more and discussed the matter Seriously. It struck them that the only way to get rid of him was to offer him a pension. Not only woode the criminal get some money to feed himself as long as he was alive, but there would not alto the aty need to worry about him anymore. That is why the council decided to offer the criminal a petsios The criminal received one-third of his annuity in advance and emigrated to another country just across the frontier. There he bought a bit of land and started market-gardening. He visited the gaming table and staked two or three francs, sometimes winning and sometimes losing. He lived comfortably and peaceably like the others.

4. Why did the authorities in Monoco fail to carry out the death sentence given to the criminal?

The authorities in Monaco failed to carry out the death sentence because there was neither a guillotine for cutting heads off nor an executioner Though they tried to borrow a machine and as expert from their neighbouring countries France and Italy, they realized that it would cost the kingdom a huge sum of money and the king would be forced to collect nearly two francs more per head on the taxes. Even if they were to get the machine, none of the soldiers in the army was ready to cut off the criminal’s head because they had not been taught how to behead a criminal. Therefore, the authorities gave up the idea of carrying out the death sentence.

5. How does the narrator describe the ‘toy kingdom?

OR

Describe the kingdom of Monaco mentioned in “Too Dear!”,

The tiny little kingdom called Monaco lies near the borders of France and Italy. There are only about seven thousand inhabitants in it. The kingdom is so small that if all the land in the kingdom were divided among its inhabitants, there would not be even an acre of land for each inhabitant. But this toy kingdom has a real kinglet and like any other real king, the kinglet lives in a palace with courtiers ministers, a bishop, generals, and a small army of only sixty men in all. The king lives by collecting taxes from the people, on tobacco, wine and spirits, and a poll tax. Besides, the king also received a large sum of money from a gaming house keeper.

6. Why was the criminal offered a pension finally? How did this offer benefit him?

OR

The criminal led a comfortable life after his release. Explain.

OR

How did the criminal benefit from the pension he was offered?

OR

In spite of ‘committing a murder’ the criminal leads a comfortable life. Explain with reference to “Too Dear!”

The king’s authorities could not get the criminal executed as per the king’s orders because there was neither a guillotine for cutting heads off nor an executioner in their kingdom. Then, they tried hiring a guillotine and an executioner from their neighbouring countries. When they realized that it would cost them a large sum of money which had to be recovered from the people through additional taxation, they decided to ask a soldier to cut off the criminal’s head. But, when they failed to find a soldier who would be ready to cut off the criminal’s head, they altered the death sentence to one of imprisonment for life. However, when they found that the cost of maintaining a prisoner in prison with a guard on duty cost the king dearly, they dismissed the guard and asked the criminal to run away. But, when the criminal told them that he had nowhere to go and no work to do, they offered him a pension of 600 francs and sent him away. The criminal received one-third of his annuity in advance and emigrated to another country just across the frontier. There he bought a bit of land and started. market-gardening. He visited the gaming tables and štaked two or three francs, sometimes winning and sometimes losing. He lived comfortably and peaceably like the others.

7. Describe the efforts of the ministers in carrying out the death sentence in “Too Dear!”.

Soon after receiving the judgement given by the court, the prince read out the sentence, confirmed it, and ordered the execution of the criminal. However, there was a problem in executing the king’s orders. Monaco did not have either a guillotine or an executioner. The ministers discussed the matter and sent a letter of inquiry to the French Government asking whether they could lend them a machine and an expert to execute the criminal and also inform the cost involved. The French Government informed them that it would lend them a machine and an expert as well and it would cost 16000 francs When the ministers informed the king about it, he thought over it and felt that it would be too burdensome for his people to bear. Then a similar inquiry was sent to the King of Italy. The Italian government offered to lend a machine and an expert at a cost of 12000 francs which included travelling expenses also. Though the price quoted by the Italian government was lesser than that of the French government, the king felt that the price was too much for a toy kingdom like theirs. Therefore, the council met, discussed the issue, and asked the General of the Army whether a soldier in the Army would be ready to cut off the man’s head in a rough and homely fashion. When the General discussed this issue with his soldiers, no soldier agreed to do it because they had not been taught how to behead a criminal.

8. How did the criminal spend his life after he was given a pension in “Too Dear!”?

When the criminal told the ministers that he had nowhere to go and no work to do, they offered him a pension of 600 francs and sent him away. The criminal received one-third of his annuity in advance and emigrated to another country just across the frontier. There he bought a bit of land and started market-gardening. He visited the gaming tables and staked two or three francs, sometimes winning and sometimes losing. He lived comfortably and peaceably like the others.

9. Where was the criminal in “Too Dear!” kept and what were the arrangements made for him?

In Too Dear!, as soon as the prince had agreed to alter the death sentence to one of imprisonment for life, the ministers began making arrangements for imprisoning the criminal. But they did not find a prison suitable for a criminal sentenced to life imprisonment. Finally, they managed to find a place strong enough to keep the criminal in it. They put the young criminal there and placed a guard over him. They asked the guard to watch over the criminal and also to fetch his food from the palace kitchen.

10. Why were a series of meetings held in Monaco in “Too Dear!”?

In Monaco, a series of meetings were held to figure out the most prudent or the least expensive way of executing the criminal. As there was no guillotine or an executioner in Monaco, the council of ministers discussed the issue and decided to request the French government to lend them a machine and an expert to execute the criminal. The next meeting was held between the king and the council of ministers to inform the king that the French government had asked 16000 francs ás rental for the machine and the expert and to seek the king’s consent. When the king asked them whether the job could not be done at a lesser price, the ministers held another meeting and decided to send a similar inquiry to the king of Italy. When they learned that the Italian government wanted 12000 francs for the job, they held another meeting to explore other ways of doing the job with less expense. Later, they consulted the Army General and requested him to find a soldier who would do the execution. When they came to know that none of the soldiers would do it, the authorities assembled a commission, a committee, and a sub-committee and finally came to the conclusion that the best way would be to alter the death sentence to one of imprisonment for life.

11. How does the kinglet in ‘Too Dear!’ feed his courtiers and officials and keep himself?

Though it was a tiny little kingdom, Monaco had seven thousand inhabitants. Its kinglet lived like a real king in a palace with courtiers, ministers, a bishop, generals, and an army of sixty men. The king managed his kingdom by collecting taxes from the people on tobacco, wine and spirits, and a poll tax. As the revenue so collected was inadequate, he permitted a gaming house to function in his kingdom. Thus, he was able on feed himself and his people with this revenue.

12. Why and whom did the kinglet of Monaco approach regarding executing the criminal?

A murder was committed in the Prince of Monaco’s domain. The criminal was tried and the judges finally decreed that the criminal be executed. The prince read out the sentence, confirmed and ordered the execution of the criminal. But the authorities failed to carry out the death sentence because there was neither a guillotine for cutting heads off nor an executioner. A letter of inquiry was sent to the French government asking whether they could lend them a machine and them the execute the criminal and also inform the cost involved. The French government informed them the It would cost 16000 francs. The prince felt that it was too much. Then a similar inquiry2000 fent to the king of Italy. The Italian government offered to lend a machine and an expert for 12000 francs The king felt even this was burdensome. Therefore, the council discussed the issue and asked the General of the Army whether a soldier in the army would be ready to cut the man’s head off When the General discussed the issue with his soldiers, no soldier agreed to do it because they had not been taught how to behead a criminal. Therefore, the authorities gave up the idea of carrying out the death sentence and altered the death sentence to imprisonment for life.

II. Answer the following questions in about 200 words each:

1. Describe the various ways in which the Prince of Monaco tried to get the criminal executed.

OR

Describe the attempts made by the ministers in solving the problem of cutting off the criminal’s head.

Soon after receiving the judgement given by the court, the prince read out the sentence, confirmed it, and ordered the execution of the criminal. However, there was a problem in executing the king’s orders. Monaco did not have either a guillotine or an executioner. The ministers discussed the matter and sent a letter of inquiry to the French Government asking whether they could lend them a machine and an expert to execute the criminal and also inform the cost involved in it. The French Government informed them that it would lend them a machine and an expert as well and it would cost 16000 francs. When the ministers informed the king about it, he thought over it and felt that it would be too burdensome for his people to bear. Then a similar inquiry was sent to the King of Italy. The Italian government offered to lend a machine and an expert at a cost of 12000 francs which included travelling expenses also. Though the price quoted by the Italian government was lesser than that of the French government, the king felt that the price was too much for a toy kingdom like theirs. Therefore, the council met, discussed the issue, and asked the General of the Army whether a soldier in the Army would be ready to cut off the man’s head in a rough and homely fashion. When the General discussed this issue with his soldiers, no soldier agreed to do it because they had not been taught how to behead a criminal.

2. Explain how and why the Council got rid of the prisoner.

OR

In spite of all their efforts, the king and his team failed in punishing the criminal. How is it narrated in the story Too Dear!?

OR

What benefits did the criminal enjoy in the lesson ‘Too Dear’?

OR

Give an account of the circumstances leading to the Prince of Monaco striking a deal with the prisoner.

Soon after the king had ordered imprisonment for life as the punishment, the ministers with great difficulty managed to find a place to keep the criminal imprisoned. They put him in it and placed a guard to watch over him. This way the criminal spent one year in prison. This arrangement cost the king 600 francs a year. When the king thought over it, it struck him that the criminal was young and may live for another fifty years. The king became apprehensive about the cost of keeping the criminal imprisoned for life. Therefore, he summoned his ministers and asked them to find a cheaper way of punishing the criminal. The ministers met and discussed the issue and came to the conclusion that the only way to save money was to dismiss the guard. They believed that the criminal would run away and their problem would be solved. The king agreed to their suggestion and the guard was dismissed accordingly. However, they waited curiously to see what the criminal would do. The criminal came out of his prison at dinner time, collected his food from the palace kitchen, and returned to the prison, shut the door on himself and stayed inside. Later, the Minister of justice asked him why he had not run away, as there was no guard to watch over him. They even assured him that the prince would not mind his running away. But the prisoner told them that he had nowhere to go as his character had been ruined and people would turn their backs on him. Moreover, he had forgotten the habit of working and so if he ran away, he would be forced to work to earn a living. The ministers met once more and discussed the matter seriously. It struck them that the only way to get rid of him was to offer him a pension. The king gave his consent and they finally got rid of him by offering a pension of 600 francs a year. The prisoner received one-third of his annuity in advance and left the king’s dominions. Thus, in spite of all their efforts, the king and his team failed in punishing the criminal.

3. The king of Monaco is a man without a decisive stand. Do you agree with this? Substantiate your answer with reference to “Too Dear!:

No. I do not agree with the statement, “The King of Monaco is a man without a decisive stand because there is enough evidence to prove that he had to act according to the needs of the situation.

The King of Monaco kept changing his mind in dealing with the criminal because, every time he took a decision, he faced a problem to execute it. First, the king accepted the judge’s verdict and ordered the execution of the criminal, but he cancelled it and changed the sentence to ‘imprisonment for life’ because there was neither a guillotine machine nor an executioner in his country. Moreover, if he had decided to borrow one from the King of Italy, he would have been forced to levy 2 francs per person as additional tax which he did not like. Secondly, after keeping the criminal in prison for one year, he realized that he had to spend 600 francs on the maintenance of the criminal until his death, which would have proved to be again a financial burden to his people. Therefore, as advised by his council of ministers, he dismissed the guard hoping that the prisoner would run away. But the prisoner refused to run away because he had nowhere to go and he had gotten out of the habit of working. Once again, the king faced a new problem. Then, as suggested by his council of ministers, the king ordered payment of 600 francs a year as a pension and got rid of the criminal.

4. ‘Too Dear!’ ridicules the foolishness of rulers. Discuss.

The story “Too Dear!’ exposes the predicament of a ruler who is forced to revise his own judgement not out of mercy but out of financial compulsions. The narrator seems to ridicule the foolishness of rulers who make rules unmindful of the real situation in which they are placed.

The story is thus a parody of one of the modern systems of governance. It ridicules the ways of bringing criminals to book and dispensing justice in modern states. Though the story is narrated in a matter-of-fact tone, there is an undercurrent of sarcasm.

Monaco is a tiny kingdom with only seven thousand inhabitants. It has a real kinglet who lives in a palace with courtiers, ministers, a bishop, generals, and an army of only sixty men in all. The king lives by collecting taxes on tobacco, wine and spirits and a poll tax. As the revenue collected from the people is too meagre to feed himself and his people, the king permits a gaming house where people play roulette. From the profits of the gaming house, the king gets a large sum of money.

This is the situation in which the king is placed. From this one can infer that, based on the size of the population and the army, the king can only be a toy king or a dummy who in reality cannot control the behaviour of the people except through mutual understanding and ethical principles.

The system of governance is only a make-believe system and it can boomerang or collapse at any point in time. As long as life goes on smoothly, there is no need for the king to prove to the people that he is their ruler and they must obey him. But it so happens that a crime is committed, and the king being the moral authority has to exercise his authority. Here in lies the crux of the whole story.

The king behaves like a king of a big kingdom in terms of both money and muscle power and announces a death sentence, which cannot be implemented and, instead of punishing the criminal, gives him a pension. This ironic situation is created because of the foolishness of the king. The king ought to have arrived at his final decision about the criminal only after examining the ground reality.

5. ‘It is a good thing that the criminal committed his crime in Monaco’. Why does the narrator in “Too Dear!’ feel so? Explain.

The story Too Dear! exposes the predicament of a ruler who is forced to revise his own judgement not out of mercy but out of financial compulsions. The narrator seems to ridicule the foolishness of rulers who make rules unmindful of the real situation in which they are placed.

Monaco is a tiny kingdom with only seven thousand inhabitants. It has a real kinglet who lives in a palace with courtiers, ministers, a bishop, generals, and an army of only sixty men. The king lives by collecting taxes on tobacco, wine and spirits and a poll tax. As the revenue collected from the people is too meagre to feed himself and his people, the king permits a gaming house where people play roulette. From the profits of the gaming house, the king gets a large sum of money.

It so happens that a crime is committed, and the king being the moral authority has to exercise his authority. Herein lies the crux of the whole story. The king behaves like a king of a big kingdom in terms of both money and muscle power and issues a death sentence, which cannot be implemented and instead of punishing the criminal, ends up giving him a pension. This ironic situation is created because of the foolishness of the king. The king ought to have arrived at the final decision only after examining the ground reality.

That is why, the narrator says, “It is a good thing that the criminal committed his crime in Monaco” to ridicule the king because despite being the king, he has no power to exercise his authority.

6. What were the circumstances that led to legalizing of gaming houses in Monaco?

OR

Write a brief note on the gaming house in the kingdom of Monaco.

The king of Monaco ruled a tiny kingdom with a population of about seven thousand. He had a palace, courtiers, ministers, a bishop, generals, and, an army to take care of. However, he had very limited sources of income. These sources were insufficient. So, he found a new source of special revenue; a gaming house where people played roulette. He let the gaming house run in his kingdom because the gaming housekeeper paid a large sum of money out of his profits. This money helped the kinglet to live and enjoy his life, holding court with all the ceremony of a real king.

The reason he paid so much was that it was the only such gaming establishment left in Europe. Some of the little German Sovereigns used to keep gaming houses of the same kind, but some years ago they were, forbidden to do so because the gaming houses did so much harm. But there was no one to stop the prince of Monaco, and he remained with a monopoly of the business. He knew well that gambling is a dirty business. But he had to resort to it for the survival and sustenance of his kingdom.

7. ‘It is a good thing that the criminal committed his crime in Monaco’: Why does the narratow In “Too Dear!’ feel so? Explain.

The story Too Deart exposes the predicament of a ruler who is forced to revise hin me foolishness of rulers who make rules unmindful of the real situation in which they are placed.

lives in a palace is th tow kingdoministers, a bishop, generals, and an army of only sixty men Tronking Monaco is a tiny kingdom with only seven thousand inhabitants. It has a real kinglet whe lives by collecting taxes on tobacco, wine and spirits and a poll tax. As the revenue collected from th people is too meagre to feed himself and his people, the king permits a gaming house where people play roulette. From the profits of the gaming house, the king gets a large sum of money.

It so happens that a crime is committed, and the king being the moral authority has to exercise his authority. Herein lies the crux of the whole story. The king behaves like a king of a big kingdom in terms of both money and muscle power and issues a death sentence, which cannot be implemented and Instead of punishing the criminal, ends up giving him a pension. This ironic situation is created because of the foolishness of the king. The king ought to have arrived at the final decision only after examining the ground reality.

That is why, the narrator says, “It is a good thing that the criminal committed his crime in Monaco” to ridicule the king because despite being the king, he has no power to exercise his authority.

8. What were the circumstances that led to legalizing of gaming houses in Monaco?

OR

Write a brief note on the gaming house in the kingdom of Monaco.

The king of Monaco ruled a tiny kingdom with a population of about seven thousand. He had a palace, courtiers, ministers, a bishop, generals, and an army to take care of. However, he had very limited sources of income. These sources were insufficient. So, he found a new source of special revenue; a gaming house where people played roulette. He let the gaming house run in his kingdom because the gaming housekeeper paid a large sum of money out of his profits. This money helped the kinglet to live and enjoy his life, holding court with all the ceremony of a real king. The reason he paid so much was that it was the only such gaming establishment left in Europe. Some of the little German Sovereigns used to keep gaming houses of the same kind, but some years ago they were forbidden to do so because the gaming houses did so much harm. But there was no one to stop the prince of Monaco, and he remained with a monopoly of the business. He knew well that gambling is a dirty business But he had to resort to it for the survival and sustenance of his kingdom.

Vocabulary: (TEXT BOOK)

Words that are spelled the same but have different meanings are called homonyms. E.g., watch,

A) Look at the following sets of sentences. The possible meanings of the homonyms used are given in brackets. Match them.

1.a) The valedictory address of the chief guest impressed everyone.

b) She made a mistake in the address while posting the letter. (location, speech)

2. a ) The poor man’s mind was full of worry.

b) Do you mind passing the jam? (have objection to, thoughts)

3. a) The soldier gave a complete account of the prisoner’s escape.

b) The officer checked the ledger account. (financial record, description)

4. a) He went to the ATM to draw some money.

b) The teachers draw pictures on the blackboard.

c) Don’t draw hasty conclusions without ample proof.

d) The offer of free balloons draws children to the park. (attract, sketch, infer, take out.)

Ans.: 1-a) speech, b) location;

2-a) thoughts, b) have objection to;

3-a) description, b) financial record;

4-a) take out, b) sketch, c) infer, d) attract.

(B) Find the sentences in which the above homonyms have been used in the story and identify the appropriate meanings.

1.The Ministers considered the matter and decided to address an inquiry to the French Government.

Ans : address – to say something directly to somebody.

2.You can go where you like, and the Prince will not mind.

Ans : mind-have objection to.

3. But when a year had passed, the Kinglet, looking over the account of his income and expenditure one day, noticed a new item of expenditure.

Ans : account-financial record.

4. He always goes at the proper time to draw his pension.

Ans : draw – take out.

GRAMMAR EXERCISES

A) Complete the following by filling in the blanks using the right form of the verbs given in brackets:

1. A few years ago a murder manner _________ (commit). The case ________ (try) in the most judicial Manner. The criminal (sentence) to death.

Ans.: was committed; was tried; was sentenced.

2. A letter _______ (send) to the French government. A prompt reply ________ (receive). It said that a machine and an expert ________ (could supply) but the cost would be 16,000 francs.

Ans : was sent; was received; could be supplied.

3. The general _______ (call). He _______ (ask) to find a soldier who would cut the man’s head off. The general talked it over with the soldiers. But the soldiers said, “It is not a thing we ________ (have, teach).

Ans : was called; was asked; have been taught

4. The guard _______ (dismiss). It ________ (decide) to offer the criminal a pension. The pension fixed was 600 francs. This __________ (announce) to the prisoner.

Ans: was dismissed; was decided; was announced.

5. A crime was reported to the Prince of Monaco. The Prince ________ (amaze), for a murder _______ (commit) in his toy kingdom. The ministers ________ (summon) to discuss the matter.

Ans : was amazed; had been committed; were summoned.

6. In the toy kingdom, a council _______ (call) to consider what _______ (could, do). It ________ (decide) to send a letter to the king of Italy.

Ans : was called; could be done; was decided.

7. The king of Italy was a brother monarch, and ________ (might, induce) to do the thing cheaper. So the letter _________ (write), and a prompt reply ________ (receive).

Ans : might be induced; was written; was received.

8. The Council met again. The General ________ (summon) and he _________ (instruct) to ask his soldiers if they _________ (prepare) to cut the criminal’s head off.

Ans : was summoned; was instructed; were prepared.

9. The Prince agreed to this, and the matter________ (arrange). There was a small lock-up where people _______ (keep) temporarily. The young fellow ________ (put) there.

Ans : was arranged; were kept; was put.

10. The council decided to approach the army General ________ (instruct) to ask his soldiers if ask his soldiers if they ________ (prepare) to cut the criminal’s head off.

Ans : was instructed; were prepared.

11. The criminal _______ (give) life imprisonment at last. A guard ________ (place) over him to take care of him

Ans : was given; was placed.

12. A council _______ (call) to consider what _______ (can/do) to execute the criminal.

Ans : was called, could be done.

13. The kingdom neither had a guillotine nor an executioner. Therefore, a council ________ (call). It ________ (decide) tp write a letter to Italian Government.

Ans : was called, was decided.

14. Finally, the matter ________ (settle). The criminal _______ (give) one-third of his annuity in advance.

Ans : was settled, was given.

15. A few years ago a murder ________ (commit). The case _________ (try) in the most judicial manner,

Ans : was committed; was tried.

16. Once more the ministers ________ (summon) They ________ (ask) to discuss the matter.

Ans : were summoned; were asked.

17. The only way to get rid of the prisoner was to offer him a pension. The sum fixed was 600 francs and the decision ________ (announce) to the prisoner. He agreed to this. Thus, the matter _______ (settle).

Ans.: was announced; was settled.

18. The prince agreed to show mercy and so the matter ________ (arrange), the only problem was that there was no suitable prison for a person who _________ (sentence).

Ans : was arranged; was sentenced.

19. The problem in Monaco was that there was no suitable prison for a person who _________ (sentence) for life. However, there was a small lock-up where people ________ (keep) temporarily

Ans : was sentenced; were kept.

20. There was no suitable prison in the Monaco kingdom. There was only a small lock-up where people _________ (keep) temporarily, but it, ________ (couldn’t + be + use) for a longer period of time.

Ans : were kept; couldn’t be used.

21. The Kingdom of Monaco was a peaceful and peace-loving country. Once a murder _________ (commit) there. They _______ (force) to look for ways to try and punish the criminal. At last, the criminal __________ (punish) for his crime.

Ans : was committed; were forced; was punished.

22. The prince agreed to show mercy and so the matter ________ (arrange). The only problem was that there was no suitable prison for a person who ________ (sentence) for life. However, there was a small lock-up where people ________ (keep) temporarily.

Ans : was arranged; was sentenced; were kept.

23. The gaming houses ______ (keep) by German Sovereigns, because the source of revenue ________ (collect) from them. But a few years ago, they _______ (forbid) to do so.

Ans : were kept; was collected; were forbidden.

24. A pension of 600 francs per annum ________ (fix) The prisoner ________ (give) one-third of his annuity in advance. He _________ (ask) to leave the kingdom of Monaco.

Ans : was fixed; was given; was asked.

25. Once a murder_______ (commit) in the kingdom of Monaco. They _______ (force) to look for ways to try and punish the criminal. At last, the criminal _________ (sentence) to death.

Ans : was committed; were forced; was sentenced.

26. There were no gaming houses in other countries of Europe except Monaco. They _______ (stop) by most of the countries because many people ________ (harm) by them.

Ans : were stopped; were harmed.

27. he king told his ministers to find a cheaper way of keeping the criminal. So a council ________ (call) and after a prolonged discussion it _______ (decide) to dismiss the guard.

Ans : was called; was decided.

28. The Prince told the ministers to find some cheaper way of dealing with the prisoner. So, the guard ________ (dismiss) immediately. Then the prisoner _______ (tell) to run away from the prison.

Ans : was dismissed; was told.

29. In Monaco, a council ________ (call) to consider the matter and a letter _________ (send) to the King of Italy.

Ans : was called; was sent.

30. There was neither a guillotine for cutting heads off, nor an executioner. Yet, the criminal _______ (give) death sentence. Later, the punishment ________ (change) to life imprisonment.

Ans : was given; was changed.

31. Monaco was a tiny little kingdom. It _______ (rule) by a real kinglet. Taxes _______ (collect) in this kingdom.

Ans : was ruled; were collected.

32. Finally the criminal agreed to take the pension. So the matter ________ (settle). He received one-third of his annuity in advance and left the king’s dominions. A bit of land _______ (buy) by him where he started market gardening and lived peaceably and well.

Ans : was settled; was bought.

33. The criminal refused to run away from the prison. A pension of 600 francs per annum ________ (fix). The prisoner _______ (give) one-third of his annuity in advance.

Ans: was fixed; was given.

B) Report the following conversation:

Ans : The minister asked the criminal as to why he didn’t run away. He added that there was no guard to keep him. He further added that the prince would not mind. The criminal replied that he knew it, but he had nowhere to go.

Ans : The minister informed the prince that the cost of execution would be 16,000 francs. The prince remarked that the wretch was not worth the money. He asked the minister whether it couldn’t be somehow done cheaper. He added that 16,000 francs was more than two francs a head on the whole population. He further said that people would not stand it.

Ans : The prince remarked to the ministers that they must find some cheaper way of dealing with that rascal. He added that the plan they had then was too expensive. The first minister stated that in his opinion they must dismiss the guard. The second minister continued saying that in such a situation the fellow would run away. The first minister replied that they could let him run away.

Ans : The minister suggested to the criminal that he could run away as there was no guard to keep him. The criminal replied that he would not run away as he had nowhere to go. He added that the minister had ruined his character by his sentence.

C) Fill in the blanks by choosing the appropriate expressions given in brackets:

1.The kinglet would __________ the account of his income and expenditure at the end of every year. When he noticed new items of expenditure, he would _________ the cost of each item. (reckon up, gave up, look over)

Ans : reckon up; look over.

2. The council suggested that the only The guard was ________ the criminal was to dismiss the guard. The guard was dismissed but the criminal did not run away. So, one of the ministers decided to tell him _______ to do so. (straight out, to look over, to get rid of)

Ans : to get rid of; straight out.

3. The criminal was asked to run away. But the criminal said that people would ________ on him if he did so. He also said that he had ___________ of working. (got out of the way, turn their backs, be hanged)

Ans : turn their backs; got out of the way.

4. There were about 7000 inhabitants in Monaco. The taxes fetched meagre income. Therefore the kinglet was ________ to feed his courtiers and himself. But he found a new source of income by which he could ________ money and lead a luxurious life. (rake in, hard put to it, straight out)

Ans : hard put to it; rake in.

D) Fill in the blanks with the appropriate linkers given in brackets:

1. The special revenue came from a gaming house, ________ people played roulette. Some of the little German Sovereigns used to keep gaming houses of the same kind ________ some years ago they were forbidden to do so. The reason they were stopped was _________ these gaming houses did so much harm. A man would come and try his luck. ________ he would risk all he had and lose it.

Ans : where; but; because; Then.

2. The criminal refused to go away ________ they had ruined his character ________ people would turn their backs on him. ________ he had got out of the way of working. He said they might do as they liked, __________ he would not go away. (but, for, besides, and)

Ans : for, and; Besides; but.

3. The criminal received one-third of his pension in advance _________ left the kingdom. __________ crossing the frontier, he settled down on a bit of land. ________ he started market gardening ________ fetched him good profit and he lived peacefully and well. (and, later, after, which)

Ans : and; After; Later; which.

4. The criminal remained in prison for a year. _________ when a year had passed, the kinglet was shocked to see the amount spent for his keep. ________ he summoned his council to consider the matter. The council considered _________ reconsidered. ________ they decided to dismiss the guard who watched over the criminal. (finally, but, therefore, and)

Ans : But; Therefore; and; Finally.

5. The death sentence was altered to life imprisonment. This would enable the Prince to show his mercy ________ it would come cheaper. _______ there was no strong prison fit for permanent use. ________ they managed to find a place _______ would serve the purpose. (but, and, which, however)

Multiple Choice Questions:

I. Answer the following questions by choosing the right option:

1. The kingdom of Monaco is situated on the shores of the _______

a) Persian Gulf

b) Black sea

c) Caspian Sea

d) Mediterranean Sea

2. The kingdom of Monaco is situated near the borders of _______

a) France and Germany

b) France and Italy

c) Italy and Spain

d) Austria and Belgium

3. If the kingdom of Monaco were divided among its inhabitants, then each inhabitant would get _______

a) one acre

b) five acres

c) less than an acre

d) two acres

4. There were ________ inhabitants in the kingdom of Monaco.

OR

The population of the kingdom of Monaco was _________

a) seven thousand

b) eight thousand

c) nine thousand

d) ten thousand

5. The “Toy Kingdom” mentioned in ‘Too Dear! is _________

a) Avenida Verges

b) Athens

c) Naples

d) Monaco

6. The kingdom that is referred to as ‘toy kingdom’ is, __________

a) Monaco

b) France

c) Italy

d) Monte Carlo

7. One of the commodities that was taxed in Monaco was ________

a) drugs

b) income

c) tobacco

d) gaming

8. The king had to find a special source of revenue because ________

a) the income from the taxes was insufficient

b) his people drank and smoked less

c) the people of Monaco gambled a lot

d) he had to pay for the special guard and the criminal’s food

9. The army in Monaco consisted of __________ soldiers

a) seventy

b) sixty

c) fifty-five

d) seventy-five

10. The King’s special revenue in “Too Dear came from ________

a) poll tax

b) tax on tobacco

c) the gaming house

d) tax on wine and spirit

11. The special source of revenue in the kingdom of Monaco was __________

a) tax on wine and spirits

b) tax on property

c) tax on tobacco

d) money paid by the gaming house

12. The kingdom in “Too Dear!’ that monopolised the gaming business was ________

a) Montreal

b) Monte Carlo

c) Macau

d) Monaco

13. ________ gained more from the gaming house in “Too Dear!

a) The Italian government

b) The prince

c) The French Government

d) The German Sovereign

14. The ________ forbade their rulers to make money from gaming houses.

a) French

b) Germans

c) Russians

d) Spanish

15. ________ is referred to as ‘a dirty business’ in “Too Dear!’

a) Prostitution

b) Wine and spirits

c) Gambling

d) Gaming

16. The Prince of Monaco monopolised the business of ________

a) smuggling

b) drugs

c) wine

d) gambling

17. The only gambling establishment left in Europe was located in ________

OR

The only place of gambling in Europe was in ________

a) Monaco

b) Russia

c) Italy

d) France

18. The unusual crime committed in the kingdom of Monaco was _________

OR

________ was committed in the prince’s domain.

a) kidnapping

b) theft

c) murder

d) forgery

19. The people of Monaco mentioned in “Too Dear!’ were _______

a) sociable

b) peaceable

c) fashionable

d) well-mannered

20. The punishment given to the murderer initially was, he was ________

a) sentenced for life

b) given a pension

c) sentenced to death

d) put in prison

21. The criminal was awarded the death sentence for _________

a) murder

b) gambling

c) refusing to pay taxes

d) forgery

22. The ministers of Monaco wrote first to the _________ to help them with the execution

a) Italian government

b) Prince of Monaco

c) French Government

d) Monarch of Norway

23. The hiach in the execution of the criminal was ________

OR

The murderer couldn’t be executed because ________

OR

One of the reasons for altering the death sentence to life impriment was _________

a) they had no law against crime

b) they had neither a guillotine nor an executioner

c) they had no prisons

d) they had no courts

24. “The wretch is not worth the money”. Here the word ‘wretch” refers to the _______

a) criminal

b) minister

c) king

d) executioner

25. The government mentioned in “Too Dear!’ that is Republican and has no proper respect for the King is the ________

a) Italian government

b) German government

c) French government

d) Russian government

26. The French government demanded _________ for a machine and an executioner.

a) 6000 francs

b) 16000 francs

c) 600 francs

d) 12000 francs

27. The Italian government demanded ________ to supply a guillotine and an executioner.

a) 1200 francs

b) 16000 francs

c) 6000 francs

d) 12000 francs

28. The king referred to the ________ as ‘a rascal’ in “Too Dear!’

a) guard

b) army general

c) criminal

d) German sovereign

29. The king who is considered as brother Monarch is ________

a) the king of Italy

b) the king of France

c) the king of Russia

d) the king of Norway

30. The death sentence was converted into imprisonment for life because _________

a) the criminal requested for mercy

b) carrying out the death sentence was expensive

c) the prince wanted to show mercy to the criminal

d) Monaco had neither a guillotine nor an executioner

31. The death sentence in “Too Dear!’ was altered because ________

OR

The ministerial committee decided to alter the sentence because _________

a) the king wanted to show mercy to the criminal

b) no one was willing to execute the criminal

c) they felt that doing so would cost much less money

d) the king wanted to save money on the guillotine and the executioner

32. The reason given by the soldiers for not accepting to execute the criminal was ________

OR

The soldiers couldn’t undertake the job of beheading the criminal because _________

a) they had never seen a guillotine

b) it was not a part of their duty

c) they only knew how to kill people in war

d) they did not know how to do it.

33. _________ brought food from the palace kitchen for the prisoner.

OR

__________ fetched the criminal’s food initially.

a) The ministers

b) The guard

c) The soldiers

d) The judges

34. In “Too Dear!’ the guard used to bring food for the criminal from _________

OR

The criminal got his food from ________

a) the palace kitchen

b) the jail kitchen

c) his house kitchen

d) his friend’s kitchen

35. The new item of expenditure noticed by the king in “Too Dear!’ amounted to ________

a) 200 francs

b) 600 francs

c) 16000 francs

d) 12000 francs

36. The criminal went to _________ to fetch his dinner.

a) the guard’s house

b) the gaming house

c) the jail kitchen

d) the Prince’s kitchen

37. The king spent ________ francs on the criminal annually.

a) 12000

b) 16000

c) 600

d) 800

38. The new item of expenditure that was noticed by the Prince was on ________

a) keeping a guard and feeding the criminal

b) rent of the prison

c) purchase of a guillotine and an executioner

d) pension to the criminal

39. When the guard was dismissed, the criminal _________

a) was happy and tried to run away

b) was worried for the guard’s family

c) did not show any sign of running away

d) went to the prince’s kitchen to work there

40. The guard was dismissed _________

a) as he was inefficient

b) to save money on his salary

c) to make the criminal get the food himself

d) to let the criminal run away

41. The criminal was offered a pension of ________

a) 800 francs

b) 12000 francs

c) 600 francs

d) 16000 francs

42. The criminal in “Too Dear!’ agreed to go away from prison if ________

a) he was offered a pension

b) he was allowed to emigrate

c) the guard was dismissed

d) the king showed mercy on him

Ans : and; But; However; which.

43. After emigrating from Monaco, the criminal settled in a place __________

a) just across the frontiers

b) where there were gaming houses

c) where he could commit murders

d) close to the palace kitchen

44. The criminal received ________ of his annuity/pension as advance before leaving the king’s domain.

a) half

b) three-fourth

c) one-fourth

d) one-third

45. “In war they don’t mind killing people”. Here the word ‘they’ refers to _________

a) the Council

b) the soldiers

c) the Commission

d) the natives

46. After being released from prison the criminal bought a bit of land and started __________

OR

After he emigrated from Monaco, the criminal started a new life by buying a bit of land and starting _________

OR

After his release from prison, the criminal earned his living by __________

OR

The criminal started _________ for his living after he left Monaco.

a) farming

b) agriculture

c) gaming house

d) market-gardening

47. The government of __________ demanded 16000 francs for the machine and an expert.

a) France

b) Russia

c) Spain

d) Italy

48. The government of ___________ demanded 12000 francs for the machine and an expert.

a) Spain

b) Germany

c) Italy

d) France

49. The king of Monaco supplemented the kingdom’s revenue by _________

a) starting market-gardening

b) getting one-third of his annuity in advance

c) monopolizing the gaming business

d) dismissing the guard

50. The criminal refused to go away until they ________

a) treated him better

b) offered him a pension and an advance on his annuity

c) helped him start market-gardening

d) allowed him to emigrate

51. The council believed that the king of Italy would come up with a cheaper solution to their problem because ________

a) the king of Italy was a brother monarch

b) the Italian government was republican

c) the king of Italy respected the king of Monaco

d) Italy monopolized the manufacture of guillotines

52. “You can’t earn stone palaces by honest labour” means __________

a) labourers building palaces are dishonest

b) stone palaces are expensive to build

c) honest people cannot live in stone palaces

d) honest labour alone cannot earn riches

53. People played ___________ in the gaming houses in Monaco.

a) poker

b) bingo

c) roulette

d) blackjack

54. One of the neighbouring kingdoms of Monaco was _________

a) Germany

b) Russia

c) Spain

d) France

55. After settling across the frontier of Monaco, the criminal __________

a) bought a bit of land

b) started a gaming house

c) became a prison guard

d) continued to get food from the prince’s kitchen

56. The criminal was still young and healthy and could live for ___________ years.

a) forty

b) fifty

c) sixty

d) seventy

57. Though gambling is a dirty business, the king of Monaco resorts to it because

a) the people of Monaco will gain more from this business

b) he rakes in the money

c) only the keeper of the gaming house gains money

d) drawing revenue from drink and tobacco is not a nice thing

58. Anyone who wanted to gamble went to _________

a) France

b) Monaco

c) Russia

d) Italy

59. The people of Monaco, mentioned in “Tho Dear!’ were ________

a) reliable

b) sociable

c) peaceable

d) fashionable

60. The only way to get rid of the criminal as decided by the council of ministers was ________

a) by a death sentence

b) by asking him to run away

c) by giving him a pension

d) by life imprisonment

61. In “Too Dear!’, the proverb points out “You can’t earn stone palaces _________

a) by gambling

b) by honest labour

c) by drinking and smoking

d) by committing murders

62. In “Too Dear!’, the French government is _________

a) Republican

b) Communist

c) Socialist

d) Monarchical

63. The ________ assembled with much ceremony and tried the case in the most judicial manner,

a) soldiers

b) Prince

c) judges

d) subjects of Monaco

64. The reason some of the little German because Sovereigns had stopped/forbidden gaming houses was ________

a) gaming houses were not profitable

b) gaming houses required a lot of space

c) gaming houses were not acceptable to its citizens

d) gaming houses did so much harm

65. Match column A with column B and choose the correct option:

a) i-c, ii – a , iii – b

b) i -b ii-c iii – a

c) i – c, ii-b, iii – a

d) i-b, ii – a iii- c

66. Match column A with column B and choose the correct option:

a) i-c, ii-a, iii-b

b) i-b, ii- c, iii-a

c) i-c, ii-b, iii-a

d) i-b, ii-a, iii-c

67. The ________ was dismissed thinking that the criminal would run away.

a) Minister of Justice

b) judge

c) cook

d) guard

68. Choose the correct sequence of events:

a) Criminal sentenced to death offered pension refused to run away – changed to life imprisonment

b) Offered pension – criminal sentenced to death – changed to life imprisonment – refused to run away

c) Refused to run away – changed to life imprisonment-criminal sentenced to death-offered pension

d) Criminal sentenced to death – changed to life imprisonment – refused to run away – offered pension

69. Choose the correct sequence of events:

a) Peaceful kingdom – murder committed – death punishment – changed to life imprisonment

b) Murder committed – death punishment – peaceful kingdom – changed to life imprisonment

c) Changed to life imprisonment-murder committed-death punishment-peaceful kingdom

d) Peaceful kingdom – changed to life imprisonment-death punishment-murder committed

70. What were the ways tried by the king of dealing with the criminal, in a sequence?

a) Offered pension – to let the prisoner run away – imprisonment for life – death sentence.

b) Imprisonment for life – death sentence – offered pension – to let the prisoner run away.

c ) Death sentence – imprisonment for life – to let the prisoner run away – offered pension.

d) To let the prisoner run away – offered pension – death sentence – imprisonment for life.

71. How did the criminal in “Too Dear!’ lead his life after his release, in a sequence?

a) left the kingdom – bought a bit of land – started market gardening – settled across the frontier

b) left the kingdom – settled across the frontier – bought a bit of land – started market gradening

c) settled across the frontier – started market gardening – left the kingdom – bought a bit of land

d) settled across the frontier – started market gardening – bought a bit of land – left the kingdom

About the writer:-

Leo Tolstoy Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy (1828-1910), also known as Leo Tolstoy, is a Russian writer who primarily wrote novels and short stories. Tolstoy is a master of realistic fiction and is widely considered one of the world’s greatest novelists. He is best known for two long novels, “War and Peace (1869) and ‘Anna Karenina’ (1877).

Tolstoy first achieved literary acclaim in his 20s for his ‘Sevastopol Sketches’ (1855), based on his experiences in the Crimean War, and followed by the publication of a semi-autobiographical trilogy of novels, ‘Childhood, Boyhood, and Youth (1855-1058). His works include two additional novels, dozens of short stories, and several famous novellas, including The Death of Ivan Ilych. ‘Family Happiness’, and ‘Hadji Murad.’

The story “Too Dear!” is based on an absurd situation in which a small state finds it much too expensive to either hang a criminal or to keep him in prison for long, Finally, the criminal has to be rewarded with a pension to save the kingdom some money!

Summary:

“Too Dear!’ is a fascinating short story by Count Leo Tolstoy, a famous Russian writer It is adapted from an episode in Guy de Maupassant’s work ‘Sur L’eau’ in French (translated into English Afloat’) and translated from Russian by Louise Maud and Aylmer Maud.

The story is a parody of one of the modern systems of governance. It ridicules ways of bringing criminals to book and dispensing justice in modern states. The story is narrated in a matter-of-fact tone but with an undercurrent of sarcasm.

The story begins with the description of a place, its people, and its system of governance There is a tiny little kingdom called Monaco near the borders of France and Italy. There are only about seven thousand inhabitants in Monaco. The kingdom is so small that if all the land in the kingdom were divided among its inhabitants, there would not be even an acre of land for each inhabitant. But this toy kingdom has a real kinglet and like any other real king, he lives in a palace with courtiers, ministers, a bishop, generals, and an army of only sixty men in all. The king lives by collecting taxes from the people. There are taxes on tobacco, wine and spirits and a poll tax too. However, the number of people living in his kingdom being very small, the taxes the people pay for their ‘drinking’ and ‘smoking are not adequate enough to feed the king’s courtiers, and officials and to keep himself. Therefore, the king had hit upon a new source of revenue. It came from a gaming house, where people play roulette The keeper of the gaming house got a percentage on the turnover irrespective of whether people lost or won. Out of his profits, the gaming house keeper paid a large sum to the kinglet.

Incidentally, it is the only gaming house that is left untouched by the rulers in Europe, and hence the gambling house keeper pays so much money to the prince. There were many such gaming houses run by German sovereigns but some years ago they were forbidden to do so. The rulers stopped such gaming houses because they did a great deal of harm to the people. Many a time, it so happened that a man would come and try his luck, then he would risk all he had and lose it. He would finally drown or shoot himself. However, there was no one to stop the Prince of Monaco, and he remained with a monopoly of the business. So now, whoever wants to gamble goes to Monaco and the prince gains a lot of money this way. The Prince of Monaco knows that earning revenue this way is a dirty business but he feels helpless because he has to live.

Though the kinglet knows that collecting taxes on people’s ‘drinks’ and ‘tobacco’ is bad yet he is collecting taxes. In the same way, the Prince is living on the revenue he gets from the gaming house. He lives, reigns, rakes in the money and holds his court with all the ceremony of a real king. He has his coronation and his levees. He rewards, sentences, and pardons. He also has his reviews, councils, laws and courts of justice just like other kings, but only on a smaller scale.

In the next part of the story, we see the moral conflict faced by the price and his people. A murder was committed in the Prince of Monan’s domain. The people of Monazo were peaccable and such a thing had not happened before. Like in other countries, there was a legal system in place in Monaco also. The criminal was tried according to the procedures of law. The lawyers argued and the judges finally decreed that the criminal he executed as directed by the law. The prince read out the sentence, confirmed it, and ordered the execution of the criminal.

The story now takes a serious and interesting turn. There arese a problem in the execution of the king’s order, Monaco was a toy kingdom and it did not have either a guillotine for cutting heads off or an executioner the man designated to carry out the execution. The ministers sent a letter of inquiry to the French Government, asking whether they could lend them a machine and an expert to cut off the criminal’s head and also inform the cost involved in it. They received a reply a week later informleg them that the French Government would lend them a machine and an expert as well, and it would cost 16000 francs. The king felt that sixteen thousand francs was a lot of money and it was utterly a waste of money to spend so much on beheading a wretched criminal. The king felt that the people would not accept his decision and if he forced them there might be a riot. Therefore, the king called a council and asked them for their suggestion. It was decided to send a similar inquiry to the King of Italy. They wrote to the king of italy and they received a prompt reply. The Italian government informed them that they would supply both a machine and an expert at a cost of 12000 francs including travelling expenses Though the price quoted by the king of Italy was cheaper than that of the French government, still the price was too much for a toy kingdom like theirs. Therefore, the ministers called another council and discussed the matter. The council asked the General of the army to find a soldier who would be ready to cut off a man’s head. The members of the council believed that the soldiers have been trained for such a job. The general discussed the matter with his soldiers to see whether one of them would agree to do that job. But the soldiers did not agree to do it because they had not been taught how to behead a criminal.

The king and the ministers met again and discussed the matter thoroughly. Finally, they came to the conclusion that the best thing to do was to alter the death sentence to one of imprisonment for life. This way it would enable the prince to show his mercy and it would also be cheaper The prince agreed to this and so the matter was arranged accordingly. Though there was no suitable prison for a man sentenced for life, they managed to find a place that would serve as a prison and put the criminal in it. They also placed a guard over him. The guard had to watch the criminal and also fetch his food from the palace kitchen. This way, they kept the prisoner imprisoned for more than a year The whole arrangement of keeping a guard to watch over the criminal and feeding the criminal cost more than 600 francs a year.

One day, while the kinglet was examining the account of his income and expenditure, the new item of expenditure caught his eye. He got worried and so he summoned his ministers and urged them to find some cheaper way of dealing with the criminal. The ministers again met and discussed ways of reducing the expenditure. Finally, they all came to the conclusion that the guard could be dispensed with so that the expenditure on his salary could be saved. They went to the extent of saying “let the prisoner run away and be hanged”. The ministers conveyed their decision to the kinglet and the kinglet gave his consent to it. Accordingly, the guard was dismissed; but they all waited to see how the prisoner would react. At dinner time the criminal came out, and not finding his guard, he went to the Prince’s kitchen to fetch his own dinner After collecting his dinner, he returned to the prison, shut the door on himself and stayed inside. he did not show any signs of running away and this got the ministers worried. The criminal was brought before the Minister of Justice. He suggested to the prisoner to run ways. He even told him that if he ran away, the prince would not mind it. The prisoner told the minister that he had nowhere to go and accusedg them of ruinging his character by sentencing him to death. secondly, he told them that having been confined to the prison, he had given up his habit of working, He actually resented their action in not executing him. He finally told them that he would not like to agree to their proposal that he should run away and escape, The minister felt helpless.

Once more the council was summoned and the criminal’s issue was discussed again. They came to the conclusion that the only way they could get rid of him was by offering him a pension. The ministers decided to pay the prisoner a fixed sum of 600 francs as pension. On receiving the news, the prisoner told them that he would go away on that condition but they must undertake to pay it regularly.

Finally, the prisoner received one-third of his annuity in advance and left the king’s dominions. He emigrated to another country just across the frontier. He bought a bit of land, started market- gardening and lived there comfortably.

The narrator comments jovially that it is a good thing that the prisoner did not commit his crime in a country where they do not grudge expense to cut a man’s head off, or keeping him in prison for life. The author seems to question the very conviction of the rulers about the system of law and governance instituted by the rulers of big nations. The author seems to appreciate the courage and open-mindedness of Monaco in acknowledging their limitations and letting the prisoner free on humanitarian grounds. It is worth noting that the writer puns on the words Too Dear! It means either ‘too expensive’ or ‘of great value. The author leaves it to the reader to decide whether Too Dear!’ refers to executing a criminal or saving a criminal’s life.

ಸಾರಾಂಶ:

ಮಾಪಾಸ ಎಂಬ ಖ್ಯಾತ ಕಥೆಗಾರ ಬರೆದ ಈ ಕಥೆಯನ್ನು ರಷ್ಯಾದ ಮಹಾನ್ ಕಥೆಗಾರರಾದ ಲಿಯೋ ಟಾಲ್‌ಸ್ಟಾಯ್ ಅವರು ಪುನಃ ನಿರೂಪಿಸಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಫ್ರಾನ್ಸ್ ಮತ್ತು ಇಟಲಿಗಳ ನಡುವೆ ಮೊನಾಕೊ ಎಂಬ ಪುಟ್ಟರಾಜ್ಯವಿತ್ತು, ಇತರ ರಾಜ್ಯಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಇರುವಂತೆಯೇ ಇಲ್ಲಿಯೂ ರಾಜ, ಮಂತ್ರಿ, ಸೈನ್ಯ, ಕಂದಾಯ, ಮುಂತಾದ ಎಲ್ಲ ವ್ಯವಸ್ಥೆಗಳೂ ಇದ್ದವಾದರೂ ಎಲ್ಲವೂ ಬೊಂದೆ ಆಟದಂತೆ ಪುಟಾಣೆ ಪ್ರಮಾಣದ್ದು ಏಕೆಂದರೆ ರಾಜ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಇದ್ದದ್ದೇ ಒಟ್ಟು ಏಳು ಸಾವಿರ ಪ್ರಜೆಗಳು, ಜನರ ಸಂಖ್ಯೆ ಬಹಳ ಕಡಿಮೆ ಇದ್ದುದರಿಂದ ಕಂದಾಯದ ಮೂಲಕ ಬರುತ್ತಿದ್ದ ಹಣದಲ್ಲಿ ಸರ್ಕಾರವನ್ನು ನಡೆಸುವುದು ರಾಜನಿಗೆ ಕಪ್ಪವಾಗಿತ್ತು. ಹಾಗಾಗಿ ಆತ ಜೂಜಿನ ಮನೆಗಳನ್ನು ನಡೆಸಲು ಅನುಮತಿ ನೀಡುವ ಮೂಲಕ ಹಣ ಸಂಪಾದಿಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದನು. ಯೂರೋಪಿನ ಇತರ ರಾಜ್ಯಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಜೂಜಿನ ಮನೆಗಳು ಇಲ್ಲದಿದ್ದುದರಿಂದ ಇತರ ರಾಜ್ಯಗಳ ಜನರೆಲ್ಲ ಮೊನಾಕೊಗೆ ಬಂದು ಜೂಜಾಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದರು. ಕುಡಿತ, ತಂಬಾಕು, ಜೂಜುಗಳ ಮೂಲಕ ಹಣ ಸಂಪಾದಿಸುವುದು ತಪ್ಪೆಂದು ರಾಜನಿಗೆ ಗೊತ್ತಿತ್ತಾದರೂ ಅವನಿಗೆ ಬೇರೆ ದಾರಿ ಇರಲಿಲ್ಲ.

ಹೀಗಿರುವಾಗ ಒಮ್ಮೆಮೊನಾಕೊದಲ್ಲಿ ಒಂದು ನರಹತ್ಯೆ ನಡೆದು ಹೋಯಿತು. ಆ ರಾಜ್ಯದ ಇತಿಹಾಸದಲ್ಲಿ ಹಿಂದೆಂದೂ ಅಷ್ಟು ಕ್ರೂರವಾದ ಅಪರಾಧ ನಡೆದೇ ಇರಲಿಲ್ಲ. ನ್ಯಾಯಾಲಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಸುದೀರ್ಘವಾದ ವಿಚಾರಣೆ ನಡೆದು ಅಪರಾಧಿಯನ್ನು ತಲೆಕತ್ತರಿಸಿ ಕೊಲ್ಲಬೇಕೆಂದು ತೀರ್ಪು ಬಂದಿತು. ರಾಜನೂ ಈ ನ್ಯಾಯಾಧೀಶರ ತೀರ್ಪನ್ನು ಒಪ್ಪಿದನು. ಆದರೆ ಶಾಂತಿಪ್ರಿಯರ ಆ ನಾಡಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಅಪರಾಧಿಯ ತಲೆಯನ್ನು ಕತ್ತರಿಸಲು ಬೇಕಾದ ‘ಗಿಲೋಟೀನ್’ (ತಲೆಗಡುಕ) ಎಂಬ ಯಂತ್ರವೂ, ಅದನ್ನು ಚಲಾಯಿಸುವ ಶಿರಶ್ವೇದಕನೂ ಇರಲಿಲ್ಲ. ಹಾಗಾಗಿ ಮಂತ್ರಿಮಂಡಲವು ಫ್ರೆಂಚ್ ಸರ್ಕಾರದ ನೆರವನ್ನು ಕೋರಿ ಪತ್ರ ಬರೆಯಿತು. ಅದಕ್ಕೆ 16 ಸಾವಿರ ಫ್ರಾಂಕ್‌ಗಳನ್ನು ನೀಡಿದರೆ ಯಂತ್ರ ಮತ್ತು ಶಿರಚ್ಛೇದಕನನ್ನು ಕಳುಹಿಸುವುದಾಗಿ ಫ್ರೆಂಚ್ ಸರ್ಕಾರ ಉತ್ತರಿಸಿತು. ಹಣ ತುಂಬಾ ಹೆಚ್ಚಾಯಿತು ಎಂದು ಭಾವಿಸಿದ ಮಂತ್ರಿಮಂಡಲ ಇಟಲಿಯ ಸರ್ಕಾರಕ್ಕೆ ಕಾಗದ ಬರೆದಾಗ 12 ಸಾವಿರ ಫ್ರಾಂಕ್‌ಗಳ ವೆಚ್ಚವಾಗುತ್ತದೆ ಎಂಬ ಉತ್ತರ ಬಂತು.

ಇಷ್ಟು ಹಣವನ್ನು ತೆತ್ತು ಅಪರಾಧಿಯ ತಲೆಯನ್ನು ಕತ್ತರಿಸುವಷ್ಟು ಆರ್ಥಿಕ ಸುಸ್ಥಿತಿ ಮೊನಾಕೊದ ಸರ್ಕಾರಕ್ಕಿರಲಿಲ್ಲ. ಹಾಗಾಗಿ ಅಪರಾಧಿಯ ಶಿಕ್ಷೆಯನ್ನು ಮರಣದಂಡನೆಯಿಂದ ಜೀವಾವಧಿಗೆ ಬದಲಾಯಿಸಲಾಯಿತು. ಹೊಸದಾಗಿ ಒಂದು ಸೆರೆಮನೆ ನಿರ್ಮಿಸಿ, ಅದಕೊಬ್ಬ ಕಾವಲುಗಾರನನ್ನು ನೇಮಿಸಿ ಅಪರಾಧಿಯನ್ನು ಜೈಲಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಸೆರೆ ಇಡಲಾಯಿತು. ಅರಮನೆಯ ಪಾಕಶಾಲೆಯಿಂದ ಅವನಿಗೆ ಪ್ರತಿದಿನ ಊಟ ಸರಬರಾಜಾಗುತ್ತಿತ್ತು.

ಈ ಹೊಸ ವ್ಯವಸ್ಥೆಯಿಂದಾಗಿ ಸರ್ಕಾರಕ್ಕೆ 600 ಫ್ರಾಂಕ್‌ಗಳ ಹೆಚ್ಚುವರಿ ವೆಚ್ಚ ಬರಲಾರಂಭಿಸಿತು. ಇದರಿಂದ ಚಿಂತಿತನಾದ ರಾಜ ಮಂತ್ರಿಮಂಡಲದ ಸಲಹೆಯಂತೆ ಕಾವಲುಗಾರನನ್ನು ತೆಗೆದುಹಾಕಿದನು. ಅಪರಾಧಿ ಜೈಲಿನಿಂದ ಓಡಿಹೋದರೆ ಅವನನ್ನು ಸಾಕುವ ಖರ್ಚು ಉಳಿಯುತ್ತದೆ ಎನ್ನುವುದು ಅವರೆಲ್ಲರ ಲೆಕ್ಕಾಚಾರವಾಗಿತ್ತು. ಆದರೆ ಕೊಲೆಗಾರ ಓಡಿಹೋಗಲಿಲ್ಲ. ಬದಲಿಗೆ ತಾನೇ ಹೋಗಿ ಆಹಾರವನ್ನು ಅರಮನೆಯಿಂದ ತಂದು ಸೆರೆಮನೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಆರಾಮವಾಗಿ ಇರುತ್ತಿದ್ದನು. ನ್ಯಾಯಶಾಖೆಯ ಮಂತ್ರಿ ಅವನನ್ನು ಕರೆಸಿ ‘ಓಡಿಹೋಗು’ ಎಂದು ಆತನಿಗೆ ಸಲಹೆ ನೀಡಿದಾಗಲೂ ಆತ ಅದಕ್ಕೆ ಒಪ್ಪಲಿಲ್ಲ.

ಕಡೆಗೆ ಮಂತ್ರಿಮಂಡಲ ಸಭೆ ಸೇರಿ ಕೊಲೆಗಾರನಿಗೆ ವರ್ಷಕ್ಕೆ 600 ಫ್ರಾಂಕ್‌ಗಳ ವರ್ಷಾಶನ ಕೊಟ್ಟು ಅವನನ್ನು ರಾಜ್ಯದಿಂದ ಹೊರಹಾಕಬೇಕೆಂದು ತೀರ್ಮಾನಿಸಿತು. ಅದರಂತೆ ಆತ ದೇಶದ ಗಡಿದಾಟಿ ಅದರ ಹತ್ತಿರದಲ್ಲೇ ನೆಲೆಸಿದನು. ಪ್ರತಿಬಾರಿ ಸಮಯಕ್ಕೆ ಸರಿಯಾಗಿ ಹೋಗಿ ವರ್ಷಾಶನವನ್ನು ತೆಗೆದುಕೊಳ್ಳುವುದು, ಅದರಲ್ಲಿ ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ಭಾಗವನ್ನು ಜೂಜಿಗೆ ಬಳಸುವುದು, ಕೆಲವೊಮ್ಮೆಗೆಲ್ಲುವುದು ಅಥವಾ ಸೋಲುವುದು ಹೀಗೆ ಅವನ ಜೀವನ ತೃಪ್ತಿಯಾಗಿ ನಡೆಯುತ್ತಿತ್ತು.

ಈ ಕಥೆಯ ಮೂಲಕ ಲೇಖಕರು ಅವರಾಧಿಗಳಂತಹ ನಿರುಪಯುಕ್ತರ ಮೇಲೆ ಸರ್ಕಾರಗಳು ಹಣ ಚೆಲ್ಲುತ್ತಿರುವುದರ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ವ್ಯಂಗ್ಯವಾಡಿದ್ದಾರೆ.

Glossary:

Roulette : a gambling game

rakes : (colloquial) especially of money to earn

levees : an official reception of guests or visitors in the morning

poll tax : a kind of tax levied on an individual

Franc : unit of currency of France

kinglet : the king of a very small country

domain : land ruled by a king

peaceable : not causing violence

spirits : strong alcoholic drinks

gaming house : a place for gambling

turnover (n) : here, the total amount of money that passed hands between different gamblers

hitch : a problem that causes a short delay

jurymen : persons who give decisions in a court or help the judge take decisions

barrister : lawyer (in higher law courts)

guillotine : machine for beheading (criminals)

dominions : territories (under the king)

homely : simple and plain

emigrate : go to another country to live there

stake : money used as a bet; money risked on gambling

annuity : a fixed amount of money paid to somebody every year

frontier : the border between two countries

grudge : do something unwillingly