The Enemy
By- Pearl S. Buck
Short Answer Type Questions (30 to 40 words)
SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS
Q1. Why did the author say that Dr Sadao was also famous as a scientist?
Ans. Dr Sadao was also famous as a scientist because he had perfected a discovery which could render wounds entirely clean.
Q2. Why was Dr Sadao not sent abroad with the troops?
Ans.He was not sent abroad for two reasons. He had perfected a discovery which would render wounds entirely clean. Moreover, the General was in some sort of danger and might have needed an operation and Dr Sadao was the most skilled doctor available.
Q3. How did Hana come into the life of Sadao?
Ans. Sadao had met Hana at his professor’s house in America. She had also gone there to study. He had liked her but they had both fallen in love with each other after making sure that they belonged to the same background and that they were ‘pure’ Japanese. Sadao married her with the approval of his father.
Q4. Who was the person they saw while standing in the verandah? What had happened to him?
Ans. Sadao and his wife were standing in the verandah when they saw a man who had been flung up out of the ocean by a wave. At first, they thought him to be a fisherman but on looking closely they realised that it was a white man with. long yellow hair. His young face had a rough yellow beard. He was an American prisoner of war who had escaped. He was injured badly, was unconscious and was bleeding profusely.
Q5. What did the doctor do on seeing him in the dreadful state?
Ans. Sadao tried to staunch the fearful bleeding. He packed the wound with the sea moss that was lying nearby on the beach. After seeing the miserable condition of the injured man, he in consultation with his wife decided to take him home.
Q6. What was the dilemma for them?
Ans.The dilemma they faced was that if they sheltered the white man, they would be arrested and if they turned him over as a prisoner he would certainly die. He had lost a lot of blood due to a bullet injury. He required immediate surgery. The man belonged to the enemy’s army and they were contemplating whether to save him.
Q7. How did they come to know him as an American?
Ans.They examined his battered cap closely and realized that he was a sailor from an American warship. The words `U.S Navy’ was written on the cap in almost faint lettering. They realized that he was an escaped prisoner of war.
Q8. Why did they not put him back into the sea?
Ans.They were not able to bring themselves to drop him back into the sea because of their compassionate and humane nature. Moreover, Sadao, being a doctor himself knew how to save lives and thought it unethical to let the soldier die if he could prevent it.
Q9. Why were they afraid of taking him to their house?
Ans. Dr Sadao and his wife Hana were afraid of taking him to their house because of the servants who would refuse to work for them for the fear of getting into trouble themselves. They were afraid of harbouring a prisoner of war and knew that the servants would talk.
Q10. How did Yumi react when Hana asked her to obey the command of her master?
Ans. Yumi had refused to wash the white man saying that she had never done such a thing before and would not do it now especially for this man who was so dirty. But when Hana asked her to obey the master, there was a fierce look of resistance upon her face. She said she would have nothing to do with him and that it was not her business to clean him.
Q11. Why did Hana remember such men as General Takima?
Ans. Hana was looking at the recovering young soldier when she remembered General Takima whose triumphs on the battlefield were not worth remembering in comparison to the cruel treatment he gave to his wife. If a man like the General could be cruel to his wife, he would be very harsh to an escaped soldier like this American.
Q12. What did Dr Sadao say when the soldier asked him what he was going to do with him?
Ans. Dr Sadao answered by confessing that he himself didn’t know what he would do with him. He thought perhaps he would hand him over to the police as he was a prisoner of war.
Q13. Why were, according to the servants, Dr Sadao and his wife saving the American?
Ans.The cook of Dr Sadao declared that the young master was so proud of his skill as a doctor that he would save any life. Yumi even told Hana that they would not stay if they would continue to hide the man. She accused Sadao and Hana of having a soft corner for Americans after staying in America and having forgotten to think their own country first.
Q14. What did the gardener say about his master?
Ans.The gardener who had worked with flowers in Sadao’s house all his life said that the old master’s son knew very well what he ought to do. He said that the master shouldn’t have saved the enemy but let him bleed when the young man was so near death.
Q15. What did the cook say about his master?
Ans.The cook said with some contempt that the young master was so proud of his skill to save lives that he saves any life even if it was an enemy in this case.
Q16. What did the letter of Dr Sadao mean?
Ans. Dr.Sadao had led the prisoner on the road to recovery. One day he went to his office and typed a letter to the chief of police reporting the whole matter. He just mentioned that he had found the escaped prisoner in front of his house on the 21″ of February. He could not bring himself to complete this confession and so, left it in his drawer. He was a law-abiding citizen.
Q17. What happened on the seventh day after Dr Sadao had typed the letter?
Ans.Two things happened on the day the letter was typed. The cook, the gardener and Yumi had packed up their belongings and left together. Though the servants cried, Hana put up a brave front. The second thing that happened was the arrival of a messenger to tell Sadao that he had been called to the palace as the general was in pain again.
Q18. How did Hana feel when she saw a messenger in official uniform?
Ans.Her hands went weak and she could not draw her breath. She thought the servants had already told the police about the young prisoner they were harbouring. She ran to Sadao gasping and unable to utter a word. They were relieved to know that the messenger had come to deliver a message from the general.
Q19. Why was the general not in favour of Sadao’s arrest?
Ans.Sadao’s skill at operating on the prisoner with success, made the general believe only more firmly that he was indispensable to him. He did not want to have him arrested because Sadao was the only person who could save him if he had another of his attacks and required an operation.
Q20. What were the two foreign elements the general wanted Dr Sadao to combine?
Ans.The general wanted Dr Sadao to combine the German ruthlessness with the American sentimentality. Then only he would be able to turn over the prisoner for execution and yet not murder the general while he was being operated. His unusual sense of humour made him say this to Sadao.
Q21. What did the general suggest to get rid of the American?
Ans.The general suggested that the prisoner could be quietly killed by his own private assassins. He would send two of them to Sadao’s house and all he had to do was to leave the outer partition of the white man’s room open while he was sleeping. He even offered to have the body removed quietly.
Q22. Did the plan to kill the American succeed? Why or why not?
Ans.For three consecutive nights, Sadao kept awake, feeling a little disturbed but all the three nights no assassins came and the young prisoner was still there. Later the general confessed to Sadao that he had forgotten his promise of having the prisoner killed because he was preoccupied with his own sufferings. The plan did not succeed.
Q23. Did Dr Sadao take Hana into confidence in the matter of the plan? Why or why not?
Ans. Dr Sadao did not tell Hana about the plan of the General to send his private assassins to kill the young prisoner and dispose of his body. He did this because he knew she was timid and would feel very frightened while the plan was being executed.
Q24. What did Sadao do to get rid of the American soldier?
Ans. Sadao decided to help the American soldier to escape to safety. He told him to go to an island nearby and wait for a Korean fishing boat to pass by. He even gave him a boat, some food and bottled water. He kept two quilts for him and gave him clear instructions so that this plan would not fail.
Q25. What measures did Sadao take for the safety of the American?
Ans.He gave the American a stout boat, put food, bottled water and two quilts in it. He returned to the prisoner’s room, checked his temperature, the condition of his wound, his heart and his pulse. He decided to even give him his flashlight after a bit of hesitation. He told him how to catch fish and then use the flashlight to signal to him if he needed food etc.
Q26. Why was Sadao not able to ask the General about the assassins?
Ans. Sadao did not ask the General about the assassins because he knew that they had never come. He had operated upon the General and had not been sure if he would live. But the General himself confessed that he was so pre-occupied with his own health that he had forgotten his promise to have the prisoner killed by assassins.
Q27. How did the American behave while departing?
Ans. The young man first tried to understand all the instructions given to him by Sadao and then dressed in the Japanese clothes Sadao had given him, he shook his hand warmly and left for the island from which he had to escape.
Q28. The General wanted to reward Sadao. But Sadao had another reward. What was that reward?
Ans. The General had wanted to reward Sadao for his loyalty but at the same time, Sadao knew that he had the general in the palm of his hand, for the latter too, had shown dereliction of duty. Sadao was rewarded in a different way by destiny. His prisoner was able to escape to safety on the very first night. All his efforts had borne fruit.
Q29. How does the writer indicate that Dr Sadao’s father was a very traditional and conventional man?
Ans. Even though Sadao’s father had sent his son to America at the age of twenty-two to learn all that could be learned in surgery and medicine, he loved the Japanese race, customs and manners. Sadao married Hana only after confirming that she was a Japanese, as his father would not have received her unless she had been pure in her race.
Q30. Hana told Yumi to wash the soldier. How did Yumi react? What did Hana do?
Ans. Hana told Yumi to fetch hot water. Yumi put down the wooden bucket but refused to wash the dirty white man. Yumi said that she had never washed a white man and she would not wash a dirty one. Yumi added that she was a poor person and did not want to associate with the man. The fierce look of resistance upon Yumi’s dull face made Hana afraid. Under these circumstances, Hana had no option but to wash the white man herself.
Q31. How did Hana wash the wounded man?
Ans. First, Hana untied the knotted rugs that kept the young American covered. She dipped a small clean towel into the steaming hot water and washed his face. She continued washing him until the upper body was clean. She cleaned him but refrained from turning him over for fear of the wound.
Q32. What did Sadao learn about the white man’s wound?
Ans. The young prisoner of war was unconscious. There was a gun-wound that had been reopened on the right side of his lower back. The flesh was blackened with powder. The man had been shot recently and in his attempt to escape, a rock had struck the wound and reopened it. Later Sadao felt the bullet in the wound. The bleeding was not superficial and the young man had a lot a lot of blood. The bullet was near the kidney.
Q33. What forced Dr Sadao to be impatient and irritable with his patient?
Ans. Hana had never seen an operation and went outside to throw up. Sado heard Hana retching in the garden and said that it would be better for her to empty her stomach. Her distress and his inability to go to her at once made him impatient and irritable with the American prisoner of war.
Q34. How did Hana help Sadao during the operation?
Ans. As the young American began to stir he had to be administered the anaesthetic. She took the bottle and some cotton in her hand. Sadao instructed her to saturate the cotton with anaesthetic and hold it near the man’s nostrils. She had to move it away a little when he breathed badly.
Q35. What did Sadao’s old American professor of Anatomy tell him?
Ans. Sadao’s old American professor of Anatomy told his students that ignorance of the human body was the surgeon’s cardinal sin. He would impress upon them to have as complete knowledge of the body as if they had made it. To operate with anything less than that meant murder.
Q36. Why does Sadao wonder why he could not kill the young enemy?
Ans. Sadao found it strange that he had spared his enemy. The Americans were full of prejudice and he found it bitter to live there. The white people were repulsive even in their kindness. Yet he had operated upon the enemy and let him escape. As a trained medical practitioner, Sadao had risen above narrow prejudices to save the enemy’s life.
37. Did Hana think that the Japanese tortured their prisoners of war? Why?
Ms Hana had heard rumours that the Japanese torture the prisoners of war. She also remembered that people like General Takima often beat their wives. She was convinced that if these people could beat their wives and be cruel to them, then they would certainly torture their enemies. This became evident when she saw scars on the body of the American soldier.
38. Why had Hana to wash the wounded man herself?
Ans. Hana had ordered her maid Yumi to wash the American soldier. But Yumi bluntly refused to do so and said that she had nothing to do with a white man. She even threatened to leave the job if forced to wash the American. So Hana had to wash the wounded man herself.
39. What help did Dr Sadao seek from Hana while operating on the wounded man?
Ans. Dr Sadao needed the assistance of Hana while operating. The wound was so deep that the man was to be given anaesthesia. Dr Sadao asked Hana to help him by giving anaesthesia to the man during the operation. Though Hana had never done this before even then she managed to help Dr Sadao in his operation.
40. How nearly had Dr Sadao missed marrying Hans?
Ans. Dr Sadao met Hana at a party at Professor Harley’s house in America. The Professor and his wife had invited their foreign students home. Students used to get bored there. Dr Sadao was not in a mood to go to the Professor’s house that night because the rooms were very small and the food was very bad. Moreover, Professor’s wife was voluble. But he had gone and there he met Hana. Had he not gone to the Professor’s house that night, he would have missed the meeting and finally marrying Hana.
41. What made a cool surgeon like Dr Sadao speak sharply to his wife and what was her reaction?
Ans. When Dr Sadao asked his wife to help him in operating the man by giving him an anaesthetic, Hana turned pale out of nervousness. She had never seen an operation before. When Dr Sadao saw her he sharply said, ‘Don’t faint’. It was his dedication to his work as a surgeon. He wanted to save the life of the man and at this point of time, the only concern in his mind was the success of the operation. Hana knew him well so didn’t react rather got ready to give an anaesthetic to the patient.
42. In what context Hana remembers the cruel nature of General Takima?
Ans. While Hana was helping Dr Sadao in operating upon the American, she noticed a red scar. She wondered if this man had been tortured by the Japanese army. She also remembered that people like General Takima beat their wives and were cruel to them. She was convinced that if these people were cruel to their wives, they would certainly be cruel to their enemies.
43. What solution did Hana offer to resolve Dr Sadao’s predicament?
Ans. When Dr Sadao and Hana saw the wounded American soldier, at first they thought of throwing him back into the sea. But they could not do so. Finally, Hana resolved the problem by saying that they should carry him into the house. She suggested that the man should be treated and then given to the poke.
44. How did Hana react when she saw a messenger at the door in official uniform?
Ans. Hana got nervous and scared when she saw a messenger at the door in official uniform. Her hands went weak and she could not draw her breath. She thought that the servants must have told about the American man and the man had come to arrest Dr Sadao.
45. Why did the General not order immediate arrest of Dr Sadao who had sheltered a white man?
Ans. The General was very worried about his own health as he was suffering a lot. He desperately wanted Dr Sadao beside him and trusted only him for his medical treatment. If Dr Sadao was arrested, then Et there was no one else who could have operated upon him and saved his life. So he didn’t order for the immediate arrest of Dr Sadao.
46. Why did Dr Sadao treat the American soldier even though it was an unpatriotic act on his part?
Ans. Dr Sadao was an expert Surgeon. He was devoted to his work. When he saw the wounded soldier, his professional ethics compelled him to give the man medical treatment and save his life. Though he was a loyal and patriotic citizen, humanity and compassion are the supreme emotions which compelled Dr Sadao to treat the American soldier.
47. In what conditions did Dr Sadao find the American soldier at the seashore?
Ans. When Dr Sadao saw the man at the seashore, he was unconscious and bleeding profusely. He was in wet rags, had yellow, long hair which was not cut for many weeks and sported a rough yellow beard.
48. What role did the American professor play in bringing Hana and Dr Sadao together?
Ans. It was at the American professor’s house that Dr Sadao met Hana for the first time. The professor and his wife, in order to show their kindness to the foreign students, had called them to their house. Though Dr Sadao didn’t want to go there, he went and there he met Hana who was a first-year student.
49. Who did Dr Sadao think the survivor from the sea was when he first saw him?
Ans. When Dr Sadao saw the man on the seashore, he thought him to be a fisherman from a nearby village who had been washed from his boat. There were fishing villages, a mile or two away on either side.
50. Why did Dr Sadao seek Hana’s help to treat the US soldier?
Ans. The US Soldier was badly wounded. He had a deep wound which was to be operated immediately. Dr Sadao needed some assistance at the time of operation. The most important task was to give anaesthesia to the patient at the time of operation so as to stop his movement. Dr Sadao could not call anyone from outside as he had to keep the presence of the US Soldier in his house a secret. So he asked Hana to help him during the operation and give anaesthesia to the patient.
51. On the seventh day, after the American soldier was found by Dr Sadao two things happened. Why did Hana feel scared of the second?
Ans. The second thing that happened on the seventh day was that a messenger came in official uniform to call on Dr Sadao. When Hana saw the official, she got scared. She thought that the servants might have complained to the police about the white man and so the officers had come to arrest Dr Sadao.
52. Give two reasons why Dr. Sadao was not sent abroad with the Japanse soldiers.
Ans. The General was very ill and he was being treated by Dr Sadao. He needed an operation and for that, he trusted only Dr Sadao. Moreover, Dr Sadao was doing research to render ‘the wounds entirely clean’. That is why he was not sent abroad with the Japanese soldiers.
53. Give a character sketch of Dr Sadao’s father.
Ans. Dr Sadao’s father was a traditional man. He was a serious and stern man and a very concerned father. He never played with Dr Sadao but had been very keen on providing the best to him. He was mainly concerned about Dr Sadao’s education, that is why he sent Dr Sadao to America to study. But at the same time, he wanted him to come back to his country and serve his people. He had great respect for his culture and traditions.
54. How did the General offer to help Dr Sadao in getting rid of the American?
Ans. The General offered to send his private assassins to help Dr Sadao in getting rid of the American. These assassins would kill the white man noiselessly and also dispose of his body.
55. What was the dilemma faced by Dr Sadao and Hana after encountering the injured American soldier?
Ans. When Hana and Dr Sadao saw the American soldier, they were in a dilemma. They were very loyal to their country and didn’t want to save the enemy. They wanted to hand him over to the police. gut the man was wounded and in a pitiable state. Thus, the doctor inside Dr Sadao urged him to save his life. Humanity rose above patriotism and they thought of first treating him and then handing him over to the police.
56. Why does the General not want to be treated by doctors trained in Germany?
Ans. The General trusted Dr Sadao deeply. He didn’t want to be operated upon by anyone other than Dr Sadao. The General believed that Germans were ruthless and quite cruel. So he was afraid of being operated upon by them. He believed that the Americans valued life and had sentiments attached to it. So he wanted to be treated by Dr Sadao who was trained in America.
The Enemy- Moral/ Message of the lesson
The Enemy- Short & Detailed Summary
The Enemy- Main Characters of the Story
The Enemy- Multiple Choice Questions in Quiz
The Enemy- Important Extra Questions Long Answer Type
The Enemy- Important Extra Questions Value-Based Answer Type
