A Triumph Of Surgery, Class 10th Supplementary Reader

 

A Triumph Of Surgery, Class 10th Supplementary Reader

A Triumph Of Surgery

By James Herriot

1-Introduction

2-Characters

3-Summary 

4- Word -Meaning

5- Textbook Exercises

6- Self Assessment

7- To Conclude

1-Introduction

Present story is taken from supplementary reader class Tenth syllabus. The story is written by James Herriot. The narrator i.e. James Herriot a veterinary surgeon saves the life of a dull dog named Tricki. The dog is over pampered by his owner named Mrs Pumphrey. Therefore Tricki has to be hospitalized under the care of Dr James Herriot. Later on, Tricki recovered and went back to his home happily. In the end Mrs Pumphrey called the treatment as “A Triumph Of Surgery”.

2- Characters

• James Herriot- He was a veterinary surgeon. He was wise, intelligent and capable doctor who proves his worth by doing a Triumph Of Surgery which actually was done without any meditation.

• Mrs Pumphrey- She was a wealthy single woman. She was very much loving and caring towards her pet dog Tricki. She pampered him alot.

• Tricki- Tricki is a lethargic and fat dog who loves to eat junk and take rest. After recovering from his illness he turned out to be energetic and playful.

3- Summary

While driving, doctor James Harriot saw Mrs  Pumphrey and Tricki while walking down the street. Doctor Harriot stopped his car, he was shocked to see tricki condition as he had become fat and sausage. It looked like Tricki lag energy and he was ill. At this doctor James inquired about Tricki's health from his owner I.e. Mrs Pumphrey.

Mrs Pumphrey Felt that Tricki was suffering from malnutrition . So she started giving him some extra food. Further, doctor James asked Mrs Pumphrey, whether she had stopped giving him sweet things. At this Mrs Pumphrey replied that she had tried but she failed as Tricki loves chocolates and cream cakes a lot. She also told doctor James that tricki walks only with her and does not play anything.

 Doctor James advised Mrs Pumphrey that she had to reduce his food and increase exercise otherwise tricki would fall ill. He also added that his advice should be strictly followed.

 After a few days doctor James received an expected call from Mrs Pumphrey as she informed doctor James that tricki was not eating anything and he had been vomiting. Doctor James suggested Mrs Pumphrey to hospitalise him for a period of two weeks so that the proper treatment can follow.

With a heavy heart, Mrs Pumphrey allowed Dr James to take Tricki to his surgery. The maid helped Dr James to collect the belongings of Tricki as day and night blankets, toys, bowls etc.

Dr James took Tricki to the hospital in his car. On the first day, Tricki laid on the carpet. Many dogs in the hospital gathered around him and found him uninterested. Dr James decided to put him on water diet. At the end of the second day, Tricki started to show some interest in his surroundings. O the third day, he started walking slowly and joined the dogs gang.

The very next day he started running with enthusiasm when the food was served. No medicine was given to Tricki for his recovery. During the first few days, he was put on water diet only. He not only fought with dogs for food but he also chased rats during night.

In the other hand, Mrs Pumphrey used to call Dr James several times a day. But he didn’t respond. He did not pay attention to her questions, but he assured Mrs Pumphrey that Tricki was out of danger. After few days, Mrs Pumphrey started sending additional food items like eggs and wine. As this was not required so very and his partners stated consuming these additional items. They now wanted to keep Tricki as a permanent guest.

Dr James also knows that Mrs Pumphrey loved Tricki so much. He informed Mrs Pumphrey that Tricki was fine and can go home now. Mrs Pumphrey went to the hospital to receive him. Dr James informed that Tricki was fine and went to get Tricki from the garden. 

As soon as the dog saw his owner, he jumped into her lap and started licking her face. She was very happy as finding Tricki fit and energetic and she thanked Dr James and called the treatment “A Triumph Of Surgery”. Here the story ends.

4- Word-Meaning

• Relent- to agree upon something

• Tottering- to walk with unsteady steps

• Distraught- extremely worried

• Fortnight- a period of two weeks

• Supper- the last meal of the day

• Despairing- the feeling of having lost all hope

• Scrimmages- confused struggle

• Chauffeur- a person whose job is to drive a car.

5- Textbook Exercises

i-Why is Mrs Pumphrey worried about Tricki?

Ans- Mrs Pumphrey is worried about Tricki because he is ill. According to her Tricki was suffering from a serious health problem such as malnutrition.

ii- Who does ‘I’ refer to in this story?

Ans- ‘I’ refers to the narrator. Dr James  who guides Mrs Pumphrey in taking care of her dog, Tricki.

iii- Is the narrator as rich as Tricki’s mistress?

Ans- No, the narrator is not as rich as Tricki’s mistress because the narrator is surprised of how she spends on Tricki. She sends enriching items for Tricki when he was hospitalized. Dr James cannot afford those enrichments for them.

iv- How does he treat the dog?

Ans- He kept Tricki on liquid diet for first few days. He cuts down his food intake and keep s him under observation. He also sets him free for physical activities in order to improve his health.

v- Why does Mrs Pumphrey think the dog’s recovery is “a Triumph Of Surgery”?

Ans-  Mrs Pumphrey thinks that Tricki’s recovery is”a triumph of surgery” because according to her, his illness was very serious. He needed immediate medical attention as his condition was critical according to her. 

vi- Do you think Tricki was happy to go home? What do you think will happen now?

Ans- Yes, Tricki was happy to go home as he really loved Mrs Pumphrey. He was also habitual of the lavish life provided by Mrs Pumphrey. 

I think Mrs Pumphrey will take good care of Tricki whether it’s diet or health. She may also take him for morning walk.

vii- What does she do to help him? Is she wise in this?

Ans- To help Tricki she starts giving him extra food like malt, cod oil and horlicks. She also gives him cream cakes and chocolates.

She is not wise in doing so because overfeeding Tricki is worsening his condition instead of improving it.

6- Self-Assessment

i-What was the only fault of Tricki as diagnosed by Dr Herriot? Why did he say so?

Or

What was the major flaw in Tricki? (CBSE 2020)

Ans- The only fault of Tricki was his greed for food.

The dr says so because he knew very well that the pampering of Mrs Pumphrey created problems for the dog.

ii- What made James Herriot expect a call from Mrs Pumphrey? (CBSE 2015)

Ans- James Herriot encounter with Mrs Pumphrey and Trick’s condition made him expect a call. He was sure that overeating and no exercise would put him in danger 

iii- Was Tricki suffering from any ailment in reality? If not, then what made him inactive and lethargic? ( CBSE 2019)

Ans- No, Tricki was not suffering from any ailment. It was his greed for the food and Mrs Pumphrey pampering that spoilt his health. That’s why he became fat and lethargic.

iv- Why is Mrs Pumphrey responsible for Tricki’s condition? ( CBSE 2020)

Ans- Mrs Pumphrey was responsible for Tricki’s condition because of her over caring behaviour. She does not cut down his food and did not provide him with proper exercise. Instead she used to fed him extra as according to her he was suffering from malnutrition.

Class 10th English 

7- To Conclude

I hope the above article would be a great help. If any doubts you can reach me through the comment section below and I will get back to you as soon as possible. Thank You....

All The Very Best For Your Upcoming Exams....