Chapter 5

Short answer type questions:-

Question 1.
Why was the “Happy Prince” not really happy?

Answer:
When the ‘Happy Prince’ was alive, he did not know what tears and sorrow were. After his death, he could see the ugliness and misery of the city. Therefore, he weeps and is not really happy.

Question 2:
Where was the swallow going? Why did he decide not go there?

Answer:
The little swallow was going to Egypt to join his friends. The happy Prince looked so sad that the swallow decided to stay back and be his messenger.

Question 3.
Describe the statue of the Happy Prince as described in the beginning of the story?

Answer:
At the beginning of the story the statue was fixed on a tall column, full of thin leaves of gold on the
Body, and had two sapphires for eyes. It had a large red ruby fixed on the hilt of the sword.

Question 4.
What were the drops of the rain actually? Why did they fall?
Answer:
The drops of rain were actually tears of the Happy Prince because he was weeping on seeing the misery and suffering of the people.

Question 5.
Why did the swallow not leave the prince and go to Egypt?

Answer:
The Happy Prince looked so sad that the little swallow felt sorry for him. He agreed to stay with him for one night and be his messenger. He picked out the great ruby from the prince’s sword and flew away to deliver it to the poor woman.

Question 6.
How did the Happy Prince help the poor children in the city?

Answer:
As per the orders of the Happy Prince, the gold leaves and the jewels on his boy were taken out by the swallow and distributed among the poor. Thus, the Happy Prince was able to help the poor children in the city.

Question 7.
How did the Happy Prince help the seamstress?

Answer:
The Happy Prince asked the swallow to take the ruby out of his sword, where it was hidden and give it to the seamstress, whose son was lying on the bed with fever. The swallow took the ruby and placed it on the table.

Question 8.
What did the Happy Prince ask the swallow to do for helping the young man in the garret?

Answer:
The Happy Prince ordered the swallow to pluck one of his eyes which were made of sapphire and take it to the man living in the garret who was very poor and could not write with an empty stomach.

Question 9.
Why did the Swallow cry when the Happy Prince asked him to pluck out one of the sapphires?

Answer:
The swallow cried when the Prince asked him to pluck out one of the sapphires because the Prince would go blind. The Prince himself suffered too much so as to help the poor and needy people.

Question 10.
In the story “The Happy Prince” what are the two most precious things? What makes them so precious?

Answer:
The two most precious things were the leaden heart of the Happy Prince and the dead swallow. The former wept for the poor and helped them by giving sapphires, gold leave and ruby. While the latter helped the prince in his noble cause and sacrificed her life while staying with him.

Question 11.
What is the moral of the story The Happy Prince?

Answer:
The moral of the story is that we must help the poor and the needy. The prince set an example of this by giving his jewels to the poor. The swallow also proved to be a great example of love and sacrifice.

Long answer type questions:-

Question 1.
How did the little swallow carry out the wishes of the Happy Prince?

Answer:
The swallow wanted to go to Egypt just like his friends who had already gone there. He had rested at the base of the statue of the Happy Prince for just a night. He postponed his trip as he had to carry a ruby to the needy playwright and another to the seamstress. When the Happy Prince gave the sapphire from his eye to the match girl he became blind. So the swallow decided to stay there and help the needy just like the prince. The swallow died carrying out the wishes of the Happy Prince in the service of the needy.

Question 2. Write a character sketch of Swallow.

Answer:
The swallow is kind-hearted and polite. On discovering that the statue was not made of solid gold, he did not make any personal remark. He had to leave for Egypt to be with his friends but stayed back when the prince insisted. He also helped the prince in distributing precious jewels and gold among the poor and needy of the city. He also had a compassionate heart. He refused to pluck out the sapphires, for they were the prince’s eyes.
And when the prince’s eyes had been given away as charity, the swallow decided to stay on with the prince. Even when the prince urged him to leave, he did not. He braved the cold and hunger until his last breath and sacrificed his life for the well-being of humanity.

Question 3. Write a character sketch of the Happy Prince.

Answer:
The Happy Prince was a statue of a prince who used to be known as Happy Prince when he was alive. He had been decorated with thin gold leaves all over his body and had sapphires as its eyes. A red ruby shone on his sword hilt. The Happy Prince became sad after his death because he could see the sorrow of the city from the place where his statue had been mounted. He was fastened to his pedestal which made him immobile.
Feeling helpless, he wept and wished to help those in need. He humbly pleaded with the swallow to be his messenger. He had pity in his heart and he was generous as he gave away every bit of wealth that he had. He truly loved the swallow and could not bear to be separated from it. When the bird died, the leaden heart of the prince broke into two.