The Bicycle by Dash Benhur – B.A. Alternative English

In our B.A. Literature English Material, we aim to provide quality comprehensive answers that students will find useful for exams. We cover the iconic Das Benhur piece in our first post.

The Bicycle by Dash Benhur

1. What was the theme of Sudhir Babu’s poems for the last two years?
   Ans: Sudhir Babu had a bicycle that had nearly outlived its designed life, but his long association with it had led to the cycle carving a place for itself in his heart. So, he wrote many poems centered around this cycle
2. Why was Tana annoyed with his grandfather’s poetry?
   Ans: For the young boisterous Tana, his grandfather’s infatuation with a cycle that had almost become a ramshackle piece was somewhat annoying. He was irked because the unattractive, old cycle got so much adoration from his grandfather.
3. How was Tana’s bicycle different from that of Sudhir Babu’s bicycle?
   Ans: Tana’s cycle was new and shining. It was red in colour and had shock absorbers fitted to it. It had a new-age look.
4. What was Sudhir Babu’s profession?
   Ans: Sudhir babu taught English in a nearby college.
5. Why was Tana annoyed with his grandfather’s poetry?
   Ans: Tana, the restless youngster could never understand the emotional bonding between the old decrepit cycle and his grandfather who owned it. He didn’t quite approve of the way his grandfather lavished praise on the cycle that deserved to be scrapped. This annoyed him.
6. What kind of a bicycle did Sudhir Babu have? By what name did he address his bicycle?
   Ans: Sudhir Babu’s cycle was an old vintage type that had been bought decades ago. Years of use and disuse had robbed it of all its charm. However, it had a dynamo fitted to its back wheel that emitted a strong beam of light when the cycle ran. In this regard, it stood apart from other cycles. Suresh Bab had named it Veersen”.
7. What other incidents does Sudhir Babu recall where Veersen had emerged as the real hero?
   Ans: On one occasion, Sudhir Babu had gone on a picnic with his friends. On the way back, it got dark, and the cycle-borne picnickers found it hard to find the road. Sudhir Babu’s cycle came to the front and dazzled like a petromax throwing a bright beam of light on the road. It carried the day.
8. How did Sudhir Babu breathe a new lease of life into his old bicycle?
   Ans: Sudhir Babu gave the ageing cycle to a repairer for seven days with instructions to give it a complete make-over. The repairer did a thorough job, and gave Veersen a nice smart look.
9. Why was Veersen consigned to a lonely position on the front verandah? Why did Sudhir Babu’s family bar him from riding the bicycle?
   Ans: On one unfortunate occasion, Sudhir Babu while riding his old, trusty Veersen met with an accident. He hit a roadside pole head along. The resulting injury made Sudhir Babu spend a few days in hospital. From then on, His family members forbade him from riding Veersen again. The cycle was left to stand alone in the verandah and fell into disuse. Its charm fed off rather fast.
10. How did the bicycle come to the rescue of Sudhir Babu and his friends when they found themselves stranded in a forest?
    Ans: It had got dark and the small group of picnickers found it very hard to negotiate their path in the terrain. Sudhir Babu’s Veersen had a dynamo and a headlight. It was made to lead the other cyclists with its bright beam of light.

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