The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse | English | Class 11

Lesson Architecture

1. Story-At-A-Glance

2. NCERT Questions

3. Short Extra Questions

STORY-AT-A-GLANCE

• This story is about two tribal Armenian boys who belonged to the Garoghlanian tribe.

• The story talks about an incident that revolves around two cousins Aram who is nine years old and Mourad who is thirteen.

• Aram narrates a story of his childhood when he was nine. He admired his cousin Mourad who was considered crazy by everyone of his tribe.

• Early one morning, Mourad tapped on Aram’s window and Aram jumped out of his window and was utterly surprised to see that his cousin Mourad was sitting on a beautiful white horse.

• Mourad asked Aram if he wanted to ride the horse. Aram being passionate about horses, could not turn down the offer.

• Poverty was characteristic of their entire tribe. However, they were renowned for their honesty which every member practised as a tradition for centuries.

• Aram knew that Mourad could never buy the horse. A member of the Garoghlanian family could never be a thief.

• Aram tried to justify Mourad’s possession of the horse by telling himself that stealing a horse for a ride could not be termed theft as he was not going to sell it. Moreover, Mourad was crazy about horses.

• Mourad had a crazy streak in him just like their uncle Khosrove. Uncle Khoosrove was a big man with a large moustache. He was irritable and impatient and always silenced everyone by a roar.

• Once his own son came to inform him that their house was on fire. Uncle Khosrove silenced him roaring that it no harm and not to pay any attention to it.

• Mourad wanted to ride alone. So he asked Aram to get down. Mourad kicked the horse and it broke into a furious speed that delighted Aram. After racing the horse across the field and an irrigation ditch, they returned dripping wet.

• Not Aram leaped on to the horse, but the horse did not move. Mourad warned him that they had to get back before everyone got up. Aram kicked the horse and the horse rand down the road to a vineyard and began to leap over the vines.

• Aram fell down but the horse continued to run. They finally found the horse, but by then the whole world had woken up.

• Aram asked Mourad when he had stolen the horse and since when he had been taking these lessons, but Mourad replied that it was only since that morning.

• Mourad walked the horse quietly to the barn of a deserted vineyard. The horse calmed down and Mourad claimed that he had ‘a way’ with horses.

• The same afternoon , uncle Khosrove came to Aram’s house for coffee and cigarettes. As he was talking to the family, another visitor, an Assyrian farmer, John Byro, arrived.

• John was sad and regretted that his white horse had been stolen a month ago and could not be found.

• On hearing this uncle Khosrove became irritated and roared that after having lost their homeland, the loss of a horse was insignificant.

• Byro added that he had spent sixty dollars on the horse and now even his carriage was of no us. He had to walk ten miles on a painful left leg to get there.

• After Byro left, Aram hurried to Mourad’s house and told home of the farmer’s visit. He also requested Mourad not to return the horse until he had learnt to ride.

• Mourad roared that the horse must go back to its owner and said that learning to ride would take Aram almost a year.

• However, Mourad agreed to keep the horse for six more months and then return it. Every morning they took the horse to ride and as always the horse would throw Aram down and run into the vineyard.

• One morning, when the two boys were taking the horse to hide it , they ran into John Byro. Byro studied it in minute detail and exclaimed that the horse he had lost was identical to this.

• Early nex morning, they took the horse to Byro’s vineyard and put it in the barn. Mourad put his arm around the horse’s neck and patted it.

• That afternoon John Byro came to Aram’s house and showed them the horse which had miraculously been found in his barn. He also announced that the horse had become stronger and better tempered to.

• Uncle Khosrove , who was in the parlour, became irritated and roared not to pay any attention as the horse had returned.

NCERT Solution

Reading With Insight ( Page 8)

1.You will probably agree that this story does not have breathless adventure and exciting action. Then what in your opinion makes it interesting?

The story deals with the natural urge for children for fun and adventure. The story deals with two Armenian boys and their tale of adventure. It is the theme and development to its subtle climax, that makes it interesting.

The way the two boys-Aram and Mourad justify their stealing of the horse for a few days is very interesting and speaks volume of their innocence. Aram was so delighted to have discovered that his cousin Mourad had managed a horse for their mutual ride. He justified the theft by revealing the fact the stealing for riding was not the same as stealing for money.

The episode with Uncle Kohsrove and the crazy streak in his personality with the funny statement ‘ pay no attention to it..’ is very interesting and makes us laugh every time he utters it.

The episode with John Byro with his concern for his lost horse and uncle Khosrove’s reaction to it is also very funny. When Byro said that he had to walk ten miles on a painful left leg, Uncle Khosrove reacted said that Byro should not pay heed to it.

John Byro inspection of his own horse and not being able to claim the horse to be his own is very interesting and ironical. He could not claim the horse because it would be wrong to doubt the honesty and integrity of Mourad and Aram.

To conclude it can be said that in spite of not having any breathless adventure, the story makes an interesting reading.

2. Did the boys return the horse because they were conscience stricken or because they were afraid?

Ans The way the two boys-Aram and Mourad justify their stealing of the horse for a few days is very interesting and speaks volume of their innocence. Aram was so delighted to have discovered that his cousin Mourad had managed a horse for their mutual ride. He justified the theft by revealing the fact the stealing for riding was not the same as stealing for money.

Aram and Mourad belonged to Garoghlanian tribe, which is famous for honesty and integrity of their character. They stole the horse due to their passion for riding a horse. As they belonged to a very poor family, they could not afford to own a horse. Therefore, their stifled desire to go for a horse ride compelled Aram to steal it for few days for a ride. Moreover, he justified that it can not be a theft as they have no intention of making money out of it.

John Byro, the owner of the horse, examined the horse in minute detail, but could not claim the horse to be his own. As the boys belonged to a tribe known for their honesty and integrity, so John Byro had no iota of doubt on their integrity. Aram and Mourad felt it bad that John Byro had abundant trust on him that they could not steal his horse. They felt guilty-stricken and returned the horse to Byro’s farm early next morning.

3. “One day back there in the good old days when I was nine and the world was full of every imaginable kind of magnificence, and life was still a delightful and mysterious dream...” The story begins in a mood of nostalgia. Can you narrate some incident from your childhood that might make an interesting story?

Ans: Recall an interesting incidence from your childhood and make a story out of it.

4. The story revolves around characters who belong to a tribe in Armenia. Mourad and Aram are members of the Garoghlanian family. Now locate Armenia and Assyria on the atlas and prepare a write-up on the Garoghlanian tribes. You may write about people, their names, traits, geographical and economic features as suggested in the story.

Ans: Do a research on the topic and write in detail about Garoghlanian tribes.

Short Questions with Answers

Q.1. Why was Aram surprised when he saw Maraud in the Morning?

Ans. Aram was surprised to see Maraud because he had come so early in the morning that too with a beautiful white horse. He could not believe that a boy of his tribe could buy or steal a horse.

Q.2. Who was uncle Khosrove? Why was he considered the craziest member of his tribe?

Ans. Uncle Khosrone was a relative of Aram who was an enormous man. He was short tempered and impatient by nature. His standard response to all the problems was. “It is no harm : pay no attention to it”.

Q.3. Why was John Byro Sad?

Ans. John Byro was sad because his horse was stolen and now he had to go on foot for long distance as him surrey was useless without a horse.

Q.4. Why did Mourad return the horse?

Ans. Mourad belonged to a tribe which was known for its honesty. He could not tolerate John Byro's expressions when he seemed to have recognised the horse. It was no more charming and challenging task for him to keep the horse after this incident.

Q.5. Why did John Byro not accused mourad of stealing the horse, though he recognise his horse

Ans. Though John Byro could recognise the horse, he did not blame Mourad of stealing because he knew his parent well. He knew that Mourad's family and tribe was famous for honesty.

Q6. Who was John Byro? Why did he come to the narrator’s house?

Ans: John Byro was an Assyrian farmer who had learnt to speak Armenian.

He came to the narrator’s house and informed uncle Khosrove that his white horse had been stolen a month before and he had not been able to find it yet.

Q7. What was Byro’s reaction when he met the boys along with the horse?

Ans: On meeting Aram and Mourad with a white horse, Byro scrutinized it and even looked into his teeth. But he could not claim it to be his own as the horse was in the possession of the two boys. They belonged to a tribe known for their honesty and integrity.

Q8. What changes did Byro see in the horse after it was returned? Why?

Ans: Byro found the horse stronger and better tempered than before. The change was possible due to the love and care of the young boys as well as the regular exercise in the morning without the weight of the carriage.