1. My Old Home- Lu Xun 2. Half Closed Eyes of Buddha and Slowly sinking sun _ Shankar Lamichhane 3. A very Old man with enormous Wing- GG Marquez

 

5. My Old Home   -Lu Xun

1. 2082 GIE Set A Q.No. 3a What were the three different types of workers involved in different works in the contemporary Chinese society? Give detail of their work. [5]

In Lu Xun’s short story "My Old Home," the author outlines how agricultural laborers and servants in his district were traditionally categorized into three distinct classes based on the nature and duration of their work:

1.        Yearlongs (Full-timers):

These were domestic servants who were hired by a single family to work continuously throughout the entire year or even longer. They lived closely tied to the household or farm they served, bearing the steady, year-round burden of manual labor.

2.      Short-timers ( Day Workers):

These workers were hired on a flexible, day-to-day basis. They offered their labor whenever short-term assistance was required by employers, living a more precarious and uncertain economic existence compared to full-time workers.

3.      Busy-mothers (Part-timers):

These were small-scale independent farmers who owned and tilled their own small plots of land, but were forced to work for a specific wealthier family only during peak seasons—such as the New Year, major festivals, or periods when agricultural rents were being collected.

Lu Xun highlights these categories to illustrate the harsh economic stratification, rigid class divisions, and widespread rural poverty of early 20th-century China, where peasants like Runtu were trapped in cycles of exhausting labor under oppressive socio-economic conditions.

 

2. 2082 Partial Q.No. 2b What are some of contributing factors that made Runtu like a lifeless wooden figure? [2]

Runtu transformed from a vibrant, energetic, and knowledgeable boy into a weathered, lifeless man resembling a "wooden figure" due to several compounding socio-economic factors: such as poverty and hardship and furthermore feudal oppression. Constant struggles with extreme poverty, heavy taxation, and the burdens of supporting a large family drained his vitality. The rigid class hierarchy of old China crushed his spirit, forcing him to accept passiveness and stripping away his dignity and agency.

3. 2081 GIE Set A Q.No. 2b OR Why does Runtu address his childhood friend as 'Master'? [2]

Runtu addresses his childhood narrator-friend as "Master" because of the rigid feudal class distinction that re-established itself as they grew older. Although they were close, equal playmates in childhood, society later categorized them into vastly different social strata—the narrator as a member of the gentry or educated class, and Runtu as a lowly peasant. This painful social gap forced Runtu to internalize his inferior status, replacing childhood warmth with formal, obedient distance.

4. 2081 GIE Set A Q.No. 3a Runtu, as it is said, represents a good majority of Nepali people. Explain. [5]

Runtu’s tragic socioeconomic transformation serves as a powerful allegory for a significant portion of the working-class population in Nepal:

Just as Runtu suffered from the relentless burdens of farming under an oppressive system, many rural Nepalese farmers work endlessly on small plots of land, often trapped in cycles of debt, poverty, and seasonal migration for labor.

Runtu’s loss of voice and blind acceptance of his lower status mirrors how marginalized communities in Nepal have historically faced systemic neglect, economic exploitation, and lack of access to opportunities. Runtu's transition from a lively boy to a silent, weathered worker reflects the heavy toll that political instability, economic struggle, and social barriers take on ordinary Nepali citizens striving simply to sustain their families.

 

5. 2081 Set A Q.No. 3b Evaluate the lesson Lu Xun learnt from his latest visit to his old home.

During his final visit to his old home, Lu Xun confronts the heartbreaking decay of his once-vibrant hometown and the tragic transformation of his childhood friend, Runtu. From this experience, the author learns profound and sobering lessons about society:

Firstly, he realizes that rigid social hierarchies and oppressive traditions do more than just cause economic hardship—they actively dehumanize people. The class barrier turned childhood equals into master and servant, crushing Runtu's spirit and reducing him to a silent, lifeless figure.

Secondly, he learns that the comforting memories of the past cannot survive the harsh realities of the present. His idyllic childhood memories of Runtu catching snow-birds and guarding melons contrast sharply with the bleak, impoverished reality he witnesses as an adult.

·          Thirdly and lastly, despite the melancholy of his departure, the interaction between their respective children (Hongsheng and Shuǐshēng) teaches him a final lesson about hope. Unlike the adults trapped by social divides, the children break bread and play together freely. This inspires Lu Xun's famous concluding realization: hope cannot be neatly categorized as existing or not existing; it is like paths on the earth—created simply by people walking on them.

6. 2081 Set C Q.No. 2a In your observation, how was Mrs Yang's character?

Mrs. Yang's Character

Mrs. Yang is portrayed as a sharp-tongued, gossipy, and practical town-dweller who has been hardened by the struggles of poverty. Once known as the "bean-curd beauty" who sat behind her counter, she has transformed into a cynical woman obsessed with petty gains, famously mocking Runtu's poverty and accusing him of stealing household goods. She represents the petty, small-minded nature fostered by a decaying society.

7. 2000 Set C Q.No. 3a OR Do you think the relationships of childhood are innocent, impartial and disinterested? Why why not? Give reasons based on the story 'My Old Home'. [5]

Based on Lu Xun's "My Old Home," childhood relationships are indeed innocent, impartial, and disinterested, but they are tragically vulnerable to corruption by adult society.

When Lu Xun and Runtu were young boys, their friendship transcended social boundaries. Runtu—a peasant boy—and Lu Xun—a member of the landlord gentry—shared stories, hunted birds, and played on the beach without any awareness of class, wealth, or status. Their bond was pure, driven by genuine affection and curiosity rather than social advantage.

However, as they grew older, this pure bond was destroyed by the rigid class structure of contemporary Chinese society. Runtu was forced to address his childhood friend as "Master," bowing respectfully and erecting a mental wall of deference.

Childhood relationships are inherently innocent and impartial because children do not yet recognize artificial social constructs. The tragedy in the story is not that childhood bonds are flawed, but that the oppressive realities of the adult world inevitably poison and destroy that original purity.

8. 2080 Set D Q.No. 2 Why did the writer go back home after twenty years? [2]

10. 2079 GIE Q.No. 2b Why does the author rush back home after more than twenty years?

The writer returns to his old home after more than twenty years for a bittersweet and final purpose: to sell the old family house and say a permanent goodbye to the place where he spent his youth, before the family moves away entirely to a distant location. Sothat, he can settle in the city in his new house with his family members.

9.2000 Set G Q.No. 2b How does Lu Xun describe his feeling at the arrival of his old home?

11. How does the narrator describe his feeling at the arrival of his old home?

Upon arriving at his old home after more than twenty years, the narrator's feelings are a mixture of deep melancholy, desolation, and disappointment. Instead of the vibrant, thriving home of his memories, he finds the house utterly desolate, gloomy, and devoid of any comforting atmosphere. He feels a heavy sadness weighing on his heart, realizing that his childhood sanctuary has been eroded by time, poverty, and despair.

 

6. The Half-closed Eyes of the Buddha and the Slowly Sinking Sun- Shankar Lamichhane

1. 2082 Q.No. 3a. What is the relevance of giving reference of the paralysed child, near Swyambhu, very close to the statue of half closed eyes of Buddha? What does Lamichhane try to indicate here?

[5]

In Shankar Lamichhane's essay "The Half-closed Eyes of the Buddha and the Slowly Sinking Sun," the introduction of the paralyzed child near Swayambhu is a profound artistic and philosophical contrast:

Swayambhu and the Buddha's half-closed eyes symbolize eternal peace, compassion, and spiritual awakening. However, the presence of the suffering, paralyzed child brings the reader crashing down from divine idealism into the stark, painful reality of human misery and physical affliction.

Lamichhane uses this tragic image to indicate the blind spots of society. While people flock to admire historical monuments and gaze at holy statues, the suffering of ordinary, helpless human beings often goes unnoticed or neglected right at the doorstep of the sacred.

The half-closed eyes of the Buddha look down with compassion, yet the child remains crippled. The author highlights that spiritual heritage alone cannot automatically cure the physical and economic miseries of the people unless society actively extends true compassion to the vulnerable.

2. 2082 Partial Q.No. 36 How do both perspectives presented in the story reflect good qualities of Nepal? [5]

The essay presents two contrasting perspectives—that of the Western tourist seeking ancient mystery, spirituality, and a retreat from modern materialism and that of the Nepali guide representing local reality, cultural preservation, and daily life.

The foreigner's view reflects Nepal's global identity as a sanctuary of peace, ancient wisdom, and spiritual grounding. It highlights Nepal's capacity to offer the restless, mechanized Western world a sense of philosophical renewal and a connection to nature.

The guide's view reflects the natural warmth, hospitality, and pride of the Nepali people. It shows a deep-rooted connection to the soil, traditional lifestyle, and a realistic understanding of the country's heritage rather than just viewing it through a romanticized lens.

Together, these perspectives reflect Nepal's unique dual qualities: its ability to inspire the soul on a global scale while maintaining a rich, resilient, and deeply human local culture.

3. 2081 GIE Set A Q.No. 2b Do you think the tourist knows better about Nepal than the Nepali Guide? Why? [2]

No, the tourist does not know better than the guide. While the tourist brings readymade, romanticized notions of Eastern philosophy, mysticism, and ancient texts from the West. Infact, the Nepali guide possesses experiential, ground-level knowledge of the country's actual culture, history, geography, and day-to-day realities.

4. 2081 Set C Q.No. 3a The writer mentions the eyes of different places with their significance. What are those eyes and what do they symbolize? Do you also agree with their significance as mentioned in the story? Give reasons.[5]

In the story ‘“The Half-closed Eyes of the Buddha and the Slowly Sinking Sun” the author talks about the eyes in many places such as: The eyes of shaven monks and nuns indicating ‘the samyak gaze’ which means the sight that perceives everything in its true form.

The eyes of the carved lattice (जाली) windows, the eyes painted on the door panels. The eyes on the stupas, the eyes of the people, the eyes of the Himalaya, the eyes of the paralyzed boy, the eyes of the welcoming villagers and above all the half-closed eyes of the Buddha.

These all instances of eyes indicate that it is a land of eyes, a land guarded by the half-closed eyes of the Lord Buddha.  Even if all of the world's history books were destroyed today,  but   it is  these eyes which displays  a new culture, civilization, religion, natural beauty and more over the land of Buddha. The journey becomes meaningful by the memories obtained by eyes.

In this way, the author associates several instances of eyes to memories that people obtain and people’s appetite that never fulfil as they visualize something by their inner eyes and heart and unifies the story as a whole.

5. 2080 GIE Set A Q.No. 2b Why does the foreign tourist express his happiness upon stepping in the laid of Buddha?[2]

The foreign tourist expresses his happiness upon stepping into the land of Buddha because he feels peaceful and spiritually inspired to be in the birthplace of Lord Buddha. He is excited to experience the sacred land associated with Buddha’s life and teachings. He views Nepal as a spiritual haven—far away from stress, and spiritual emptiness of modern Western industrial life.

6. 2080 GIE Set A Q.No. 3a What could be the author's purpose of introducing different places of Kathmandu Valley to the tourists, at the out set, and a child at the end? [5]

The author's purpose of Introducing Kathmandu valley places at the outset and a child at the end to introduce famous, majestic cultural sites establishes an atmosphere of awe, spiritual grandeur, and historical richness, matching the high expectations of the foreign visitor.

Ending with the suffering paralyzed child grounds the essay in stark reality. the author's purpose is to shift the focus from abstract tourism and romanticized heritage to genuine human empathy, reminding readers that real life involves pain that requires active compassion, not just aesthetic admiration.

7. 2080 Set D Q.No. 26 According to the author, what are the different things that Nepal has given to the West? [2]

According to the author, there are different things such as cultural and religious diversity, local foods like momo, magical eyes, welcome smile, images of brass and ornaments of ivory, manuscripts of palm leaves, religious holy books, inscriptions on copperplate as well as a civilization and its wisdom that Nepal has given to the West.

The author glorifies Kathmandu Valley, its culture, history, religion and people.

8. 2079 Set B Q.No. 26 Why does the guide take the tourist to the remote village? [2]

In the second part of the story, the guide takes the tourist to the remote village in order to show  a different yet real picture of Nepal. He took him there to meet a completely paralyzed child of a poor family to show him the pulse of reality. Perhaps, he wants to show him the sympathetic aspect of the wonderful country. The tourist not only sees the natural, cultural, religious and artistic beauty of the country but also feels that there are the patient eyes waiting for some unknown help.

9. How does the tourist describe his initial impression of the Kathmandu Valley?

The tourist describes his initial impression of the Kathmandu valley saying that the valley looks green in colour with its geometric fields, earthen houses of red, yellow, and white and the scent of soil and mountains in the atmosphere. He feels the air filled with the serenity of mountains and is fascinated by views of the valley. He describes art, culture and history and yields a lot  to the Eastern people for the transfer of artifacts and religions to the western societies.

10. According to the tourist, why is the West indebted to the East?

According to the tourist, the West is indebted to the East because the East has provided so many things  such as the Purans, images of brass and ornaments of ivory, manuscripts of palm leaves, inscriptions on copperplate as well as a civilization and its wisdom. The tourist glorifies the Kathmandu Valley, its culture, history, religion and people. He shows his positive attitude towards the East.

11.     How does the tourist interpret the gaze of the monks and  nuns?
The tourist interprets the gaze of the monks and nuns as ‘the samyak gaze’ which means perception, pure and without contamination; sight that perceives everything in its true form.  The monks and nuns are the religious people who have pure intention. They can’t be bad at other human beings. The holiness and piousness is reflected in their eyes. Thus, one who has this gaze doesn’t look at the things with negative or bad intention.

A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings-Gabriel Garcia Marquez

1.        Describe the old man as Pelayo and his wife first encounter within their courtyard. (2080 Set G)

As Pelayo and his wife Elisenda encountered the strange old man within their courtyard, they  found the old man dressed like a rag picker (a person who collects and sells rags). There were only a few faded hairs left on his bald skull and very few teeth in his mouth, and his pitiful condition of a drenched  (भिजेको) great-grandfather with his huge buzzard wings, dirty and half-plucked entangled (उलझिएको) in the mud. It was a very old man, lying face down in the mud, who, in spite of his tremendous efforts

2.       Why does the writer describe the weather condition at the beginning of the story? What relation does the weather condition have in the story? (2079 GIE)

3.       How does the narrator describe the weather and its effects in the exposition of the story?

The narrator describes a continuous rainy weather for three days resulting glimmered March nights glimmered high temperature of a new born baby and weak light noon. The story opens in a rainy season where it has been raining for three days continuously and as a result many crabs are seen dead inside the house spreading bad smell. The courtyard is seen drenched because of the rain. Sea and sky are single ash gray and sands  of the beach has mud and rotten shellfish. The light is so weak at noon.

4.      What is the theme of the story 'A Old Man with Enormous Wings"? (2079 Set B)

The story “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” carries the theme of relationship between natural and supernatural forces by presenting two major supernatural occurrences: the old man with wings and the Spider girl.The old man bears supernatural characteristics andthe family makes him the matter of exhibition for the villagers. On the other hand, the Spider-Girl is a clear contrast with the Old Man. She delights the people with the clarity of her story. Anyway, the story connects supernatural incidences with natural incident and how humans receive supernatural forces.

5.       Gabriel Gracia Marquez illustrates the themes of abuse and cruelty in the story 'An Old Man with Enormous Wings'. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Give your opinion with reference to the context.(2079 Set E) – Long Question: 5 marks

Gabriel Gracia Marquez illustrates the themes of abuse and cruelty in the story 'An Old Man with Enormous Wings'.Personally, I agree with the given statement due to following bases:

·         A very old man of the story is treated cruelly by the people. People abuse him with stones and their indifference to him.

·         The story shows human nature of self. Instead of treating the angel with reverence or sympathy, the townspeople are cruel to him; they keep him in wretched conditions, hurt him in order to rouse him into more entertaining behaviour, and exploit his suffering.

·         From the beginning of the story, the townspeople regard the old man as "other" the angel, or perceive him as being fundamentally different from them, which shows their lack of empathy.

·         Pelayo and Elisanda initially believe that he is a foreign sailor and they keep the angel under armed guard in the filth of the chicken coop.

·         None of these people ever raises questions about whether it's appropriate to profit off of or be entertained by the angel's suffering, or whether his terrible conditions are cruel. Instead, they see him as a circus animal.

Marquez wants to say how selfish, cruel and kindles human beings appear to be to a poor creature.