NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Flamingo Chapter 6- Poets and Pancakes

• blew over – give a long, angry speech of criticism or accusation
• was struck dumb – render speechless, as by surprise or shock
• catapulted into –to shoot forth or launch
• a coat of mail –an armoured coat made of chain mail, interlinked rings, or overlapping metal plates
• played into their hands –to act or behave to give an advantage to (an opponent).
• the favourite haunt –a frequently visited place
• heard a bell ringing –stirring an often indistinct memory

Ans. The make-up room of Gemini Studios looked like a hair-cutting salon. It had around half a dozen mirrors with incandescent lights at all angles around them. The artists would feel the heat emanating from these lights. Thus, the writer uses the term ‘fiery misery’ to denote the uncomfortable situation of those subjected to make-up.

Ans. The make-up division of the Gemini Studios was an example of national integration. According to the author, this is so because people from different regions and religious groups worked together in the same department. The department was headed by a Bengali who was succeeded by a Maharashtrian. The other helpers included a Dharwar Kannadiga, an Andhra, a Madras Indian Christian, an Anglo-Burmese, and the local Tamils.

Ans. The ‘office boy was responsible for the make-up of the people who formed part of the crowd in the films. He used to mix his paint in a giant vessel and slapped the paint on the faces of the players.

He had joined the Gemini Studios years ago, aspiring to become an actor, a scriptwriter, a director, or a lyricist. He was disappointed with the studio that failed to recognize his talent. He called it a “department fit only for barbers and perverts”.

Ans. The job of the author was to cut newspaper clippings and file them. For the other employees, all he seemed to be doing is tearing newspapers, which according to them did not qualify as work.

Ans. The office boy had joined the studio years ago in the hope of becoming an actor or a screenwriter, a director, or a lyricist. The fact that he ended up becoming none of these left him frustrated. According to him, “great literary talent was being allowed to go waste in a department fit only for barbers and perverts”. He used to direct his anger at the author even though it was meant for Kothamangalam Subbu.

Ans. The Boss, who was also the founder of Gemini Studios, was Subbu’s principal.

Ans. Subbu was a multi-disciplinarian. He was could provide solutions to problems, could remain cheerful all the time, and was an actor, a poet, and a novelist.

Ans. A lawyer used to be a part of the story department at Gemini studios. Though a legal adviser was supposed to be involved in legal matters, his cagey yet stupid idea led to the end of an actress’s career. Due to this, he was referred to as the opposite of a legal advisor, by the people.

Ans. The lawyer wore pants and a tie and sometimes a coat whereas everyone else in the Story Department wore a similar khadi dhoti with a slightly oversized and clumsily tailored white khadi shirt. Thus, the lawyer stood out from others at Gemini Studios as if he is a dispassionate man who did not take sides. Moreover, he was a logical man with no emotional attachment whatsoever.

Ans. The people at Gemini Studios did not have any particular political affiliations. The common political notions of the day managed to influence them but that was limited to wearing khadi and admiring the Gandhian philosophy.  They were averse to the term ‘Communism’ but had only an erroneous understanding of the concept.

Ans. Frank Buchman’s Moral Re-Armament army was welcomed at the studio mainly because of their political association. The people at the Gemini Studios were averse to Communism, and hence, were ready to play host to the MRA.

Apart from that, the studio people hardly had any occupation and suffered from boredom. The MRA came as a welcome change to their monotonous days at the studio.

Ans. Madras and Tamil drama communities included scenes of ‘sunset and sunrise in the manner of Jotham Valley’ in almost all of their plays. This shows how the plays, staged by MRA, influenced Gemini Studios.

Ans. Mr. S.S. Vasan was The Boss of Gemini Studios.

Ans. The accent of Stephen Spender, the Englishman, was the main cause of the lack of communication between him and the people at Gemini Studios. Apart from that, the people did not have any idea about what he was talking about.

Ans. The Englishman’s visit to the Gemini Studios is referred to as an unexplained mystery because no one could decipher his identity, whether he was a poet or an editor. Besides, when he spoke no one at the studio understood what he intended to say as his accent was beyond their comprehension.

Ans. The English visitor to the Gemini Studios was Stephen Spender. He was the editor of The Encounter, a British Periodical, and a famous English poet, essayist, and novelist of the twentieth century.

Ans. Before investing money in participating in a short story contest organized by an English periodical The Encounter, the author did research on the magazine. He went to the British Council Library where, while going through an issue of that periodical, he discovered that its editor was Stephen Spender, the poet that had once visited the studio.

Ans. The God That Failed was a compilation of six essays written by six eminent writers, namely, Andre Gide, Richard Wright, Ignazio Silone, Arthur Koestler, Louis Fischer, and Stephen Spender. In each essay, the respective writers described “their journeys into Communism and their disillusioned return”.

Ans. The instances of humor, used by the author, mark the eccentricities and idiosyncrasies without making any direct and rude comments about anybody. For instance, the author portrays the make-up artists and the usage of the pancakes interestingly. Even the caricature of Subbu is hilarious. The way he tries to help his principal by offering quick solutions to his problems is quite amusing. The episode of the legal adviser that inadvertently causes the end of an actress’s career is yet another example. The frustration of the office boy, the superficial praising of Gandhi, hatred of Communism and the ‘mystery’ surrounding Stephen Spender are some of the instances where the author has incorporated gentle humour.

Que. Why was Kothamangalam Subbu considered No. 2 in Gemini Studios?

Ans. Kothamangalam Subbu succeeded in securing the place closest to The Boss by means of flattery. He was not brilliant but a rather cheerful person and exceedingly loyal to The Boss. He offered solutions whenever The Boss was in a fix. Thus, the other employees considered him No.2 in Gemini Studios.

Ans. The audience at the Gemini studios was not knowledgeable enough to understand the thrills and travails of an English poet, of which the visitor poet-editor talked about, in his speech. The studio made films for simple people whose limited resources did not provide them with an opportunity to develop a taste in English poetry. The audience failed to understand anything the poet said, all the more, because of the latter’s accent. The poet-editor, in turn, looked baffled realising the utter inappropriateness of his speech being directed to such an audience.

Ans. Though the author had a very tedious and unchallenging job at the studios, his interest in literature and writing is apparent in his willingness to participate in the short story contest organised by the British periodical, The Encounter. Moreover, the author appears to be a keen reader visiting libraries and buying books on wide-ranging topics whenever he could afford them. Besides, the narrative also establishes the fact that the author was one of the most knowledgeable persons in Gemini Studios. His idea about how prose writing was not meant for geniuses but for those with patience and perseverance, highlights his reflective and deep thoughts on literature and creative writing.

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NCERT Solutions Class 12 English Flamingo Chapter 6- FAQs

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