The Beggar NCERT Solutions, Summary & Word Meanings Class 9 PDF
Subject: English (Moments) | Chapter: 9 | Author: Anton Chekhov
📥 Download Notes PDF 📢 Join Telegram📖 Chapter Summary: The Beggar
"The Beggar" by Anton Chekhov is a profound story about how genuine compassion and empathy can completely transform a person's life. The story begins with a beggar named Lushkoff asking for alms from a prosperous advocate named Sergei. Lushkoff lies, claiming he was a poor village schoolteacher who lost his job due to intrigues. Sergei immediately recognizes him, remembering that he had seen him the previous day claiming to be an expelled student. Caught in his lie, Lushkoff confesses that he used to sing in a Russian choir but was fired for drunkenness. He explains that he lies because if he tells the truth, no one will give him a single copper.
Instead of giving him money, Sergei strictly offers him work—chopping wood at his house. Lushkoff is weak, unhealthy, and unwilling to work, but his pride forces him to accept. Sergei hands him over to his cook, Olga. Olga looks at the beggar with deep disgust, shoves him into the woodshed, and bangs the door. Sergei watches from the window as Lushkoff struggles miserably to even lift the axe. Feeling a bit guilty for forcing a sick, drunken man to work in the cold, Sergei leaves.
An hour later, Olga comes in and announces that the wood has been chopped. Sergei gives Lushkoff half a rouble. Over the next few months, Lushkoff comes regularly to do odd jobs like shoveling snow, beating dust out of rugs, and arranging wood. Eventually, Sergei gets him a better, cleaner job of copying documents with a friend, as Lushkoff knows how to write.
Two years later, Sergei spots Lushkoff at a theatre ticket window. Lushkoff is well-dressed and reveals that he is now a respectable notary earning thirty-five roubles a month. Sergei is incredibly proud, taking credit for pushing Lushkoff onto the right path. However, Lushkoff reveals a shocking truth: while Sergei's words helped, the person who truly saved him was Olga, the cook. She would scold him harshly but then sit opposite him, weep for his miserable state, and chop all the wood for him. Her pure empathy, tears, and selfless sacrifice touched his heart so deeply that he stopped drinking and changed his life forever.
📚 Part 1: NCERT Solutions (Textbook Questions)
Q1: Has Lushkoff become a beggar by circumstance or by choice?
Ans: Lushkoff has become a beggar by choice, not by unavoidable circumstances. He had a job singing in a Russian choir, but he was fired because of his severe drunkenness. Instead of finding honest work, he chose to lie and beg to support his drinking habit.
Q2: What reasons does he give to Sergei for his telling lies?
Ans: When Sergei catches his lie, Lushkoff confesses the truth. He explains that he lies because the world is unsympathetic. If he tells people the truth—that he is a drunkard fired from a choir—no one will give him a single penny. Lying is his only way to survive.
Q3: Is Lushkoff a willing worker? Why, then, does he agree to chop wood for Sergei?
Ans: No, Lushkoff is not a willing worker. He is physically weak, sick, and exhausted from consuming too much vodka. He agrees to chop wood not because he wants to work, but because he has been trapped by his own words. His pride and a sense of shame force him to accept Sergei's challenge.
Q4: Sergei says, "I am happy that my words have taken effect." Why does he say so? Is he right in saying this?
Ans: Sergei says this when he meets Lushkoff two years later at the theatre and sees him dressed as a respectable, earning notary. Sergei thinks his strict scolding and the job he offered changed the beggar's life.
He is only partially right. While Sergei provided the opportunity, the true transformation in Lushkoff's heart was brought about by the cook, Olga, whose genuine tears and selfless help actually saved him.
Q5: Lushkoff is earning thirty-five roubles a month. How is he obliged to Sergei for this?
Ans: Lushkoff is obliged to Sergei because Sergei was the one who refused to give him free alms and forced him to earn his living. Most importantly, Sergei gave Lushkoff a letter of recommendation to his friend, which helped Lushkoff get a respectable desk job (copying documents) that led to him becoming a notary.
Q6: During their conversation, Lushkoff reveals that Sergei’s cook, Olga, is responsible for the positive change in him. How has Olga saved Lushkoff?
Ans: Olga saved Lushkoff through her immense empathy and compassion. Outwardly, she would scold him, calling him a miserable drunkard who would go to hell. But inwardly, she felt deep pity for him. She would sit opposite him, weep over his sad fate, and then chop all the wood for him so he could earn his money. Seeing her suffer and do his heavy work out of pure kindness melted Lushkoff's heart, prompting him to quit drinking and reform his life.
⚡ Part 2: Extra Practice Questions
Q7: How did Sergei catch Lushkoff lying?
Ans: When Lushkoff begged Sergei claiming to be a village schoolteacher, Sergei noticed his overcoat and his eyes. He suddenly remembered that he had seen this exact same man in Sadovya Street the day before, where the man had claimed to be an expelled student.
Q8: Contrast the characters of Sergei and Olga.
Ans: Sergei is a practical, rational, and strict man. He believes that hard work and tough love are the only ways to reform a person. He is proud of his methods. Olga, on the other hand, is highly emotional and deeply compassionate. While she has a rough exterior and a sharp tongue, she possesses a heart of gold. She does not just preach; she practically suffers for the beggar by doing his physical labor. Ultimately, it is Olga's emotional empathy, not Sergei's practical logic, that brings about true change in the beggar.
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Q: Where did Sergei meet Lushkoff after two years?
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🔤 Important Word Meanings
- 1. Mendicant (n): A person who lives by begging (Bhikari).
- 2. Copsec (n): (Kopeck) A Russian monetary unit, equal to one-hundredth of a rouble.
- 3. Intrigues (n): Secret plans or plots to harm someone (Saazish).
- 4. Swindling (v): Using deception to deprive someone of money or possessions (Thagi karna).
- 5. Irresolutely (adv): Showing or feeling hesitancy; uncertain (Hichkichate hue).
- 6. Billet (n): A thick piece of wood cut for fuel (Lakdi ka tukda).
- 7. Notary (n): A person authorized to perform certain legal formalities, especially to draw up or certify contracts (Ek sarkari afsar).