Bholi class 10 ncert solutions

Bholi class 10 ncert solutions : Bholi is a story from class 10 English NCERT textbook written by K.A.Abbas. Here you'll get Bholi class 10 ncert solutions. 

The story bholi revolves around a girl named Sulekha,  who due to disease in her childhood faces the problem of being dull and ugly. She is always targeted and neglected by everyone for not being good looking and intelligent.

Her life turns when she joins a nearby school where her teacher encourages her and helps her to become a learned and confident person. Education transform her. It inspires courage and confidence in her. Later she raises her voice against social injustice.

Bholi ncert solutions class 10 English

Here we have tried to cover up short summary and explanation of Bholi, ncert solutions, short questions answers, extra questions answers, long questions answers, important questions answers, solutions for CBSE board exam

Bholi class 10 short summary in English

The story Bholi is about a girl who is ugly and who stammers. As she is different from her siblings, she does not get proper care in her family.

Her father is a government official and he sends her to a school because of a command from the tehsildar.

The teacher in the school becomes the true mentor of Bholi and helps her gain some confidence. Time flies and with that Bholi becomes a young woman who is educated like her sisters. Because of her ugly looks and pock- marked face, her father agrees to marry her off to a person who is double her age, Who is a well to do grocer.

Bholi agrees with her parents’ decision. But when the bridegroom arrives he demands dowry to marry her. Her father somehow manages that money. Bholi is aghast at this development and decides to rebel against all. She opposed to marry that greedy man.

She consuls her father, She decides to spend rest of her life to serve her parents at the time of their old age and to teach in the school where she read.

Bholi class 10 explanation in English

The story Bholi is about a little girl named Sulekha. She was called ‘Bholi’ for being a simpleton. She stammered because she fell of a cot at the age of ten months, so some part of her brain got damaged. She had pockmarks on her face due to attack of smallpox at the age of two. She was never treated properly and  was a laughing stock for everyone for being ugly.

Her father Ramlal was a Numberdar. He had three sons and four daughters, Bholi was the youngest of all. Ramlal was always worried about her as it seemed impossible to marry her for  having an ugly face and a dumb mind.

One day, the Tehsildar visited their village to inagurate a girl’s primary school. He asked Ramlal to send his daughters to school. Ramlal’s wife suggested to send Bholi to school, although she was against sending girls to school because no boy would marry such a girl. She reasoned that as Bholi had no chance of getting married, so she could go to school.

In the beginning, Bholi was frightened to leave her house but when for the first time in her life, she was bathed, dressed up and her hair was oiled, she felt that she was going to a better place. In the school, she met a teacher who was very kind and polite to her. She encouraged her to study and speak with confidence and she found the school as a different place.

This filled hope in Bholi and she began to go to school every day. Years passed and her village upgraded into a small town with some facilities like a cotton mill, a cinema and the primary school being converted into a secondary school.

One day Bholi’s parents decided to marry her to a lame old man who was a widower but was rich and had not demanded any dowry. They thought it to be the best marriage proposal for their dumb daughter and fixed up her marriage. Bholi also accepted it inorder to satisfy her parents.

Bholi NCERT solutions class 10

Page 54

Q1. Why is Bholi's father worried about her ?

Ans: Bholi was not like other normal child. She fell off a cot when she was ten months old, her brain was slightly damaged. She learnt to speak very late and used to stammer. Her face and whole body was covered with pock - marks. So her father was worried about her.

Q2. For what unusual reason is Bholi sent to school ?
Ans: Bholi's father Ramlal was a government official. The Tehsildar had asked Ramlal to send his daughters to the new school in his village. Bholi was sent to school just to satisfy the Tehsildar.

Page 55

Q1. Does Bholi enjoy her first day at school ? Ans: On her first day at school Bholi was afraid, She even wept when the teacher asked her name. She just sat in a corner. The beutiful pictures on the classroom wall attracted Bholi. Teacher's kind and loving behaviour made her comfortable. Though she didn't enjoy her first day at school but she liked school.

Q2. Does she find her teacher to be different from the people at home ?
Ans: Bholi had been a neglected child at home, she was never bathed nor her clothes washed. She was criticised and made fun of her. But Bholi found her teacher entirely different. Her teacher did not make fun of her.

Page 58

Q1. Why do Bholi's parents accept Bishamber's marriage proposal ?
Ans: Bholi's parents accepted Bishamber's marriage proposal as he was a well to do grocer and had not asked for dowry.

Q2. Why does the marriage not take place ? Ans: When Bishamber saw Bholi's pock - marked face, he asked for a dowry of five thousand rupees. Bholi's father was about to pay but Bholi refused to marry the greedy man. Thus the marriage did not take place.

Page 62

Q1. Bholi had many apprehensions about going to school. What made her feel that she was going to a better place than her home ?
Ans: The day she was going to school, forced her parents to dress her nicely. She was bathed and her hair was properly done. The special treatment she received made her feel that she was going to a better place.

Q2. How did Bholi's teacher play an important role in changing the course of her life ?
Ans: In the beginning when Bholi attended school  she was nerves and stammered. Her teacher treated her kindly and encouraged her to have confidence and be an independent girl. She taught her to read and write and became aware of her rights.

Q3. Why did Bholi at first agree to an unequal match ? Why did she later rejected the marriage ? What does this tell about her ?
Ans: Bholi agreed to the unequal match to fulfil her parents wishes.

Later on she rejected the marriage when the bridegroom demanded dowry.

This tell us that Bholi was not a timid and dumb girl, she was aware of her rights.

Q4. Bholi's real name is Sulekha. We are told this right at the beginning. But only in the last but one paragraph of the story is Bholi called Sulekha again. Why do you think she is called Sulekha at that point in the story ?
Ans: The word Bholi means a simpleton. Throughout the story she had been a simpleton who hardly expressed her opinion. The word Sulekha means a person with a beautiful sense of letters. In this story, this word has a larger meaning of being a literate, intelligent and mature individual. After her education, Bholi has really changed to Sulekha and her assertion at the time of her marriage is her announcement to the world that she is no more a Bholi, but is a Sulekha.


Page 62

Q1. Bholi's teacher helped her overcome social barriers by encouraging and motivating her. How do you think you can contribute towards changing the social attitudes illustrated in this story ?
Ans: Yes, We can contribute by saying no to taking or giving any kind of dowry. We should not discriminate between a boy and a girl, and should be given equal rights and opportunities.

Q2. Should girls be aware of their rights and assert them ? Should girls and boys have the same rights, duties and privileges ? What are some of the ways in which society treats them differently ? When we speak of Human rights do we differentiate between girl's rights and boy's rights ?
Ans: Yes, there is a differentiation between girl's and boy's rights. Although equal in the eyes of law but society treats them differently. Parents give more importance on boy's education than that of a girl.
Boys have special privileges in matters of career, freedom. Girl's must be aware of their rights to exercise them. They must utilise their education to preserve their self reliance and be ready to fight for their rights.

Q3. Do you think the character in the story were speaking to each other in English ? If not, in which language were they speaking ? ( you can get clues from the names of the persons and the non - English words used in the story. )
Ans: No, we do not think the character spoke in English, They spoke in Hindi. Several words like 'numberdar, tehsildar sahib, izzat and pitaji ' add weight to proof. Even the names used in the story like Ramlal and Bholi are Hindi words.

Bholi short questions answers class 10

Q1. Why is Sulekha called Bholi ?
Ans: Sulekha is called Bholi because she is simpleton as she stammered and  her brain was damaged after she fell of a cot. She is not as smart as children of her age. She is slow in learning in comparison to others.

Q2. What happened to Bholi when she was two years old ?
Ans: Bholi fell a victim to small pox at the age of two years. Her face and body became full of pock marks. Her parents took her to be just an ugly burden.

Q3. How did Bholi react when the teacher asked her name ?
Ans: When her teacher asked her name Bholi stammered and could not tell her name completely, she broke into tears but her teacher asked her to be fearless and spoke better.

Q4. Bholi was fascinated by the walls of the classroom. Why ?
Ans: The wall of the classroom had bright and colourful pictures of a horse, a goat, a parrot and a crow. They looked familiar to Bholi. That is why she was fascinated to those pictures.

Q5. Bholi found her teacher to be different from others. How ?
Ans: Others always made fun of Bholi all the time. But she found her teacher to be different. Her voice was calm, comforting and full of affection. She always encouraged her to do better than before.

Q6. In what way did the village change over time ?
Ans: The village changed into a small town over a period of time. The primary school had become a high school. The village had a cinema and a cotton ginning mill. The mail train also stopped at the village railway station.

Q7. What objections does Ramlal have to Bishamber's proposal ?
Ans: Ramlal was not happy with the proposal, he did not like the fact Bishamber was of his age. His children were quite grown up.

Q8. Why were Bholi's sisters envious of her luck ?
Ans: Bishamber Nath was a well to do grocer and quite prosperous. The procession for Bholi's marriage had a brass band and the groom rode a decorated horse. All this made her sisters envious of her luck.

Q9. Why was Ramlal thunderstruck ?
Ans: Ramlal had always taken his daughter to be dumb. He was thunderstruck when Bholi loudly asked him to take back the money and declared that she was not going to marry Bishamber Nath because of his greed.

Bholi extra questions answers

1. Little Sulekha could not speak till she was five, and when at last she learnt to speak, she stammered. The other children often made fun of her and mimicked her.
(a) What did Sulekha later on come to be known as?
(b) Why did children make fun of her?
(c) What does the word ‘mimicked1 mean?
(d) What part of speech is ‘often’?
Ans:
(a) Sulekha later on came to be known as Bholi.
(b) Children made fun of her because she stammered while speaking.
(c) The word ‘mimicked’ means to copy the speech of others.
(d) It is an adverb.

2. She remembered how a few days ago their old cow, Lakshmi, had been turned out of the house and sold. “N-n-n-n No, no-no-no,” she shouted in terror and pulled her hand away from her father’s grip.
(a) Why did Bholi shout in terror?
(b) Why did she remember ‘Lakshmi’ ?
(c) What is the antonym of ‘forgotten’ in the extract?
(d) The present tense of ‘sold’ is
Ans:
(a) Bholi shouted in terror as she thought that her father was turning her out of her house.
(b) She remembered her cow ‘Lakshmi’ because ‘Lakshmi’ had also been turned out of the house a few days ago.
(c) ‘‘remembered’ is the intonym of ‘forgotten’ in the extract.
(d) Its present tense is ‘sell’.

3. And in her smiling eyes was the light of a deep satisfaction that an artist feels when contemplating the completing of her masterpiece.
(a) What satisfaction did the teacher have?
(b) Who was the ‘masterpiece’?
(c) Find a word from the extract which means ‘thinking deeply’.
(d) What is the opposite of ‘deep’?
Ans:
(a) The teacher had the satisfaction of seeing her pupil (Bholi) turn into a bold girl willing to fight for her rights.
(b) Bholi was the ‘masterpiece.’
(c) ‘Contemplating ’ from the extract means ‘thinking deeply.
(d) Its opposite is ‘superficial’.

4. The lady teacher who was in class was saying something to the girls but Bholi could understand nothing.
(a) Where was Bholi ?
(b) Why could she understand nothing?
(c) What is the antonym of ‘everything’ in the extract?
(d) The opposite of ‘lady teacher’ would be
Ans:
(a) Bholi was in the classroom in village school.
(b) She could not understand anything as it was her first day at school.
(c) ‘nothing’ is the antonym of ‘everything’ in the extract.
(d) ‘Male Teacher’ would be its opposite.

5. He said to Ramlal, “As a revenue official you are the representative of the government in the village and so you must set an example to the villagers. You must send your daughters to school.” CBSE 2015
(a) Who is ‘he’?
(b) What example does ‘he’ want Ramlal to set?
(c) What does the word ‘revenue’ mean?
(d) What part of speech is the word ‘an’ in the extract?
Ans:
(a) ‘He’ is the Tehsildar.
(b) The Tehsildar wanted Ramlal to send his daughters to the village school so that other villagers will follow his example by sending their daughters to the school too.
(c) It means ‘tax’.
(d) It is an article.

6. Then she began to cry and tears flowed from her eyes in a helpless flood. She kept her head down as she sat in her corner, not daring to look up at the girls, who, she knew, were still laughing at her. CBSE 2015
(a) Who is ‘she’?
(b) Why were the girls laughing at her?
(c) What does the word ‘daring’ mean?
(d) What is the opposite of ‘laughing’?
Ans:
(a) ‘She‘ is Sulekha, also known as Bholi.
(b) The girls were laughing at her because she had stammered while speaking her name when asked by the teacher.
(c) It means ‘wanting’.
(d) It is ‘crying’.

Bholi class 10 CBSE solutions

1. Why did Bishamber's marriage with Bholi not take place ? CBSE 2013
Ans: Bishamber's marriage with Bholi did not take place because when he saw Bholi, he demanded dowry of five thousand from her father, so Bholi refused to marry him.

2. What kind of mother was Ramlal's wife ? CBSE 2014
Ans: Ramlal's wife was a traditional housewife who believed that daughters should not be educated, as it would be difficult to get married.

3. What filled Bholi a dumb cow with a new hope in her ? CBSE 2015
Ans: Bholi's first day of school brought a hope of a new life. She found the teacher very kind to her. The teacher inspired her and given her a book and made her confident about herself.

4. Why do Bholi's parents accept Bishamber's marriage proposal ? CBSE 2015
Ans: Bholi's parents accepted Bishamber's marriage proposal because he was a rich grocer and had not asked for dowry. They thought it would be a perfect match as Bholi look ugly.

Bholi important questions answers

Q1. Why did Bholi parents think her a dumb cow ?
Ans: Bholi's father was worried about the fact how he would marry her. This was because not only did Bholi look ugly due to the pock marks but also she was like a dumb cow. To top it all, she used to stammer also which caused her father to be very concerned about her.

Q2. What are the major themes of Bholi ?
Ans: The major theme of the story Bholi is the impact of family on children. Bholi is a little girl who fails to develop self-confidence because of her parents' attitude towards her. The story hints at why family support and emotional security are essential for proper child development.

Q3. How was Bholi treated at home why ?
Ans: Her parents called Bholi a cow and treated her as one. she was always left out, pushed aside and the old dresses of her sister were passed on to her. New clothes had never been made for Bholi nor she was bathed.

Q4. How did Bholi react when bishamber demanded five thousand rupees ?
Ans: As Bishambar was about to garland Bholi on the marriage day, he suddenly noticed pox marks on her face, and demanded five thousand rupees as additional dowry to marry her. While Ramlal gave the money, Bholi announced that she does not want to marry this greedy person and asked her father to take the money back.

Q5. Why did Bholi find the school a different place ?
Ans: Bholi believed that the school was a different place for her. She felt that in school she was treated better. That place was different because over there she was given a good treatment. She was bathed and dressed well in that school.

Q6. How did Bholi console her father in the end ?
Ans: Bholi consoled her father saying that she would not get married and she would instead take care of them in their old age . she also told them that she would teach the students in the same school where she learnt so much.