The Scarecrow summary and Question Answers |class 12| AHSEC

The Scarecrow Summary 

Fuel Trouble

MrigankoBabu’s car ran out of petrol, on the outskirts of Panagarh. He was aware of the petrol gauge not functioning well and had pointed it out to his driver, Sudheer, at the onset of their journey in the morning.

Sudheer did not pay attention and the car actually had less petrol than indicated by the gauge.Sudheer offers to walk three miles to Panagarh and bring petrol. Mriganko Babu did not relish the prospect of waiting, all alone, in the car for two and a half hours, in the middle of nowhere.

It was 3.30 pm. Though an amiable man, who did not snap at his servants, he was now irritated at Sudheer. He gives him money to buy petrol and warns him not to make the same mistake again. Sudheer takes the money and before leaving for petrol, assures his master that they would reach Kolkata by 8 p.m.

Contemplations

Mrigankoshekhar Mukhopadhyay, a famous and popular writer, was invited by a club in Durgapur, for a cultural function to felicitate him.

Being unable to get a reservation on the train, he chose to go by car. He was on his way back home when the car ran out of fuel.

He was not superstitious and never consulted the almanac before traveling anywhere. Yet, now he thought that he would not be surprised if he found that the almanac forbid him to travel that day. Getting out of the car, he stretched and lit a cigarette.

A Description of the Scene

He looked around and saw empty barren fields, stretched out for miles. It was the end of January and the crops had been removed from the fields.

In the far distance, he could see a small hut next to a tamarind tree. There was no other residence in sight. Further ahead grew some palm trees and beyond that was a dense dark forest. All these things were visible on the eastern site of the road.

On the western side, about forty feet away from the road was a pond, without much water in it. There were some thorny bushes near and a few trees further away. There were two huts, but without any sign of occupation. There was a scarecrow in the middle of the field. There were clouds to the North, in the sky but it was sunny whereMrigankoBabu stood. Feeling warm in the sun, he returned to the car and started reading a detective novel.

Apathy of Passers by

A few vehicles passed by with nobody stopping to ask if he needed help. Mriganko thought that all Bengalis are selfish and did not spare a thought for others.

He wondered, if being a Bengali, he too would have done the same. His fame would not remove his inherent faults. Soon, the entire sky became cloudy and a cold breeze also set in. Feeling cold, Mriganko taking out a pullover from his bag, slipped it on. The sun would set by 5pm, and it would get colder.

He thought that Sudheer had got him into an awful situation. He could not focus on the book he was reading. So he thought of thinking of a plot for a new story that ’Bharat’ magazine had asked him to write. He started jotting down a few points in his notebook.

Desolation

He felt bored sitting in the car, so he stopped writing, put away his notebook and got out of the car. Lighting another cigarette, he took a few steps and stood in the middle of the road. He felt completely desolate as though he was the only human being in the whole world. Then he realized that there was someone else, a scarecrow.

The scarecrow

The scarecrow was in the middle of a small patch of land, where there were some winter crops. A bamboo pole fixed vertically on the ground, with another placed horizontally across it constituted the structure of the scarecrow.

A shirt had been slipped on the horizontal pole, the two ends of which stretched out like two arms. The shirt sleeves covered the arms. An earthen pot was placed upside down, over the free end of the vertical pole. The pot was painted black and huge eyes were drawn on it with white paint.

MrigankoBabu thought it strange that this weird figure was mistaken by birds for a real person and out of fear, did not cause harm to the crops. He wondered if birds were that foolish and if they didn’t have a sense of smell, like dogs.

Sunlight filtered through a crack in the clouds and fell on the scarecrow. It was wearing a torn, red and black printed shirt.Mriganko had seen that shirt before, it reminded him of someone. He could not recollect who it was, but he was sure that he had seen someone wear such a shirt, a long time ago.

Evening sets in

It was 4.20 pm. Mriganko returned to the car and helped himself to a cup of tea from the flask. He feels better after this. It would soon be sunset. He drinks some more tea and gets out of the car.Sudheer would not be back for an hour. The sun sets and dusk would soon follow. For some unknown reason, MrigankoBabu was drawn to the figure of the scarecrow. He continued to look steadily at it.

Back to the scarecrow

He wonders if the appearance of the scarecrow had changed somewhat and if his arms were lowered a little. He also thinks that the scarecrow was standing less stiffly and more like a real man.The poles appear like legs to him. The black pot also looks smaller. Though not a heavy smoker, Mriganko feels the need to light one more cigarette. He felt he was seeing things, at this remote place.He asks himself if the scarecrow could come to life.He replies in the negative. His eyes dart back to the scarecrow.

A Ghost from the past

There was no doubt that the scarecrow had moved forward. It was not merely moving, but advancing towards him. It walked with a limp, and instead of a pot, it had a human head. It wore the same shirt, and a short slightly dirty dhoti.

The scarecrow speaks with a human voice and addresses Mriganko as Babu. Mriganko shivers and recognizes the voice as Abhiram’s, who had been his servant. He hailed from a village, next to Mankar. Mankar came before Panagarh. Terrified, Mriganko stepped backwards and stood leaning against his car.

Abhiram was only ten yards away. He asked if Mriganko recognized him. Mriganko replies in the affirmative. Abhiram looks like an ordinary man and this gave Mriganko the courage to speak. He recollects that he had bought that shirt for Abhiram. Abhiram says Mriganko had done a lot for him.

Yet, despite his innocence, his master had not believed him. Abhiram had worked for Mriganko for twenty years. Three years back, Mrigankolost a gold watch, gifted to him for his wedding. Abhiram is suspected and blamed for the theft. Mriganko’s father called a local witch doctor, who spinned a wicker tray and it stopped pointing at Abhiram.

The family is assured that Abhiram is guilty, though he protests that he is innocent and remove him from his job. Afterwards he couldn’t work anywhere because he falls I’ll and becomes serious. He didn’t have money for treatment or even for food.His son used the shirt till it tore. After which it was fit only for a scarecrow.

He longed to meet Mriganko and tell him what he learnt after death. He tells him to look under his wardrobe, once he reaches home and he would find the watch there.

It has been there since the three years. Upon getting it, he would know that Abhiram wasn’t a thief. It’s quite dark and Abhiram’s figure becomes hazy. He says that now after so many years he has found peace after telling Mriganko the truth. Saying this Abhiram disappears.

Awake to Reality

Sudheer’s voice saying that he has brought petrol wakes up Mriganko, who had fallen asleep in the car, thinking of a suitable plot for the story. As soon as he opened his eyes, he glanced at the scarecrow. It was standing exactly as he had first seen it.

On arriving home, Mriganko went to his room and searched under the wardrobe and found his watch without difficulty. He resolved not to seek a witch doctor’s help if anything ever got stolen from his house.

I HOPE YOU I LIKE THE SUMMARY OF THE SCARECROW. DO SHARE THIS POST WITH YOUR FRIENDS

The Scarecrow Questions-Answers

The Scarecrow question Answers has been given below which will help you to prepare better for you exam.

1 Mark Questions

1. Who was Abhiram? 2017 2018

Ans. Abhiram was in the employment of Mriganko Babu, for twenty years as servant, till three years ago.

2. Who had authored the story “The Scarecrow”? 2017

Ans. Satyajit Ray is the author of the story ‘The Scarecrow’.

3. What is the name of Satyajit Ray’s first film?

Ans. Pather Panchali, a Bengali film, released in 1955 was Satyajit Ray’s first film.

4. Who was Mriganko Babu?

Ans. Mriganko Babu was a famous and popular Bengali writer.

5. What was the name of Mriganko Babu’s driver?

Ans. The name of Mriganko Babu’s driver was Sudheer.

6. What was the full name of Mriganko Babu? 2019

Ans. The full name of Mriganko Babu was Mrigankoshekhar Mukhopadhyay.

7. What was the occupation of Mriganko Babu?

Ans. Mriganko Babu was a writer by profession.

8. Was Mriganko Babu superstitious?

Ans. Mriganko Babu was not superstitious and never consulted the almanac before traveling anywhere.

9. Which magazine had asked him for a story?

Ans. ‘Bharat’ magazine had asked him for a story.

10. Was Mriganko Babu really alone in that place?

Ans. Mriganko Babu was really alone in that place because despite there being a few huts on either side of the road, there was no other sign of habitation.

2 Marks Question:

1. What did Sudheer not pay any attention to? 2018

Ans. Mriganko Babu had pointed out to Sudheer that the petrol gauge of the car had not been working properly, for quite some time. Sudheer had not paid any attention to rectifying the faulty gauge.

2. Why did Mriganko Babu go to Durgapur? 2017

Ans. Mriganko Babu was a famous and popular Bengali writer. He was invited by a club at Durgapur for a cultural function, organized to felicitate him. It is for this reason that he travelled to Durgapur.

3. What kind of shirt was scarecrow wearing?

Ans. The scarecrow was wearing a printed shirt. It was old and torn, red and black in colour.

4. What did Mriganko Babu decide never to do again?

Ans. Mriganko Babu decided never again to call a witch doctor, if ever anything in his house was stolen.

5. What happened to Abhiram after he left Mriganko Babu?

Ans. After Abhiram left Mriganko Babu, he fell ill, suffered from dropsy, which worsened. He was very poor and didn’t have money for treatment, medicines or even proper food. He never recovered from his illness.

6. What was the scene on the eastern side of the road where Mriganko Babu stood waiting for Sudheer, his driver?

Ans. On the eastern side of the road, were empty barren fields, stretched out for miles. In the far distance, there was a small hut next to a tamarind tree.  Further ahead grew some palm trees and beyond that was a dense dark forest.

7. What were Mriganko Babu’s thoughts on his fellow Bengalis? What made him think so?

Ans. When Mriganko Babu was stranded on the road and awaited his driver to come back with petrol, a few vehicles passed by. Not even one of the drivers asked him if he required help. This makes him think that all Bengalis are selfish and would not think about helping others if it caused them inconvenience.

8. What did he do in the car? What did he try to think of doing next?

Ans. He sat in the car trying to read the detective novel that he had with him. Finding himself unable to concentrate on this, he thinks of writing down points for the plot of a story he has to write for ‘Bharat’ magazine.

9. Describe the Scarecrow.

Ans. A bamboo pole fixed vertically on the ground, with another placed horizontally across it constituted the structure of the scarecrow. A shirt had been slipped on the horizontal pole, the two ends of which stretched out like two arms. The shirt sleeves covered the arms. An earthen pot was placed upside down, over the free end of the vertical pole. The pot was painted black and huge eyes were drawn on it with white paint.

10. Why was he reminded of something at the sight of the scarecrow?

Ans. The shirt on the scarecrow looked familiar to Mriganko Babu. It reminded him of someone. He felt sure that he had seen this shirt before, a person wearing the shirt. Yet, he could not recollect who it was.