Hassan’s Attendance Problem – Sudha Murthy

Chapter 1: Hassan’s Attendance Problem

Author: Sudha Murthy

I. COMPREHENSION

Q1. Short Answer Type Questions

i. What is the narrator’s profession?

The narrator is a teacher of Computer Science at a college in Bangalore.

ii. Why was Hassan not noticed by the teacher in the class?

Hassan was hardly ever present in class. Therefore, the teacher did not come to know about his existence initially.

iii. Why would the narrator render attendance to Hassan every time?

Hassan would beg for attendance and promise to attend classes regularly in the future. The narrator found it difficult to refuse him because she wanted him to do well in his studies.

iv. Why were Hassan’s parents called to school?

The narrator called Hassan’s parents because he was intelligent but irregular and undisciplined. She wanted them to understand the seriousness of his behaviour and help him improve his attendance.

v. During which days would Hassan often show up in the class?

Hassan would often show up when there was a class test or during examinations.

vi. What was Hassan’s mother’s plea to his father?

Hassan’s mother pleaded with his father to help control their son. She said that Hassan stayed awake late listening to music and chatting with friends, slept late in the morning, and did not listen to her.

vii. Why did the parent–teacher meeting end fruitlessly?

The meeting ended fruitlessly because Hassan’s parents started blaming each other instead of finding a solution. His father blamed his mother for failing to correct him, while his mother said that controlling a boy was difficult and that his father should help.

viii. Describe the physical appearance of Hassan when he met his teacher after several years.

When Hassan met his teacher after several years, he was about thirty-five years old. He was plump, had a bald head, and was moderately dressed. He was carrying a CD containing the software he wanted to sell.

ix. What had the narrator expected Hassan to become in his life?

The narrator expected Hassan to do very well in life because he was bright, had a good memory, and came from an affluent family. She believed that he could achieve a high rank if he attended classes and worked regularly.

x. How did Hassan study when he was in his college?

Hassan hardly studied during college. He prepared only just before examinations, guessed the probable questions, and skipped chapters. He relied on his intelligence instead of developing regular study habits.

xi. According to Hassan, who were “nerds”?

According to Hassan, “nerds” were people who worked hard and studied seriously. He used to make fun of them, but later many of them became millionaires.

xii. Why did Hassan start living separately?

Hassan started living separately because he frequently quarrelled at his workplace and at home. Finally, his fed-up father told him to stay separately.

xiii. What made Hassan feel optimistic as he left the narrator’s office?

Hassan felt optimistic because he believed that his teacher’s moral lessons had helped him in life. He also hoped that she would be interested in the educational software he was selling.

Q2. Long Answer Type Questions

i. Draw a brief character-sketch of Hassan.

Introduction: Hassan is the central character of the chapter Hassan’s Attendance Problem by Sudha Murthy. He is an intelligent young man whose careless habits prevent him from achieving success.

Character Sketch:

Bright and intelligent: Hassan is described as a very bright boy with a good memory. He could obtain first-class marks despite his poor attendance.
From an affluent family: He was the only son of a wealthy family and enjoyed considerable freedom.
Irregular and undisciplined: He frequently bunked classes and appeared mainly during tests and examinations.
Careless about studies: He hardly studied throughout the semester. He prepared just before examinations, guessed likely questions, and skipped chapters.
Irresponsible: His habits continued after graduation. He got up late, reached the office late, missed appointments, and failed to behave responsibly.
Overconfident: He believed that he could somehow manage things later without making sustained efforts.
Disrespectful towards hard work: He made fun of hardworking students by calling them “nerds”. Later, many of them became successful, while he struggled.
Pleasant by nature: Despite his weaknesses, Hassan was a nice boy. He thanked his teacher for her kindness and remembered the moral lessons she had taught him.

Conclusion: Hassan’s life shows that intelligence alone cannot ensure success. Discipline, regular effort, responsibility, and good habits are equally important.

ii. What is the theme of the chapter “Hassan’s Attendance Problem”?

Introduction: The chapter highlights the importance of discipline, regular effort, responsibility, and good habits in life.

Main Points:

Attendance matters: Students must attend classes regularly to gain knowledge and develop a proper understanding of their subjects.
Intelligence is not enough: Hassan was bright and had a good memory, but he failed to make proper use of his abilities.
Hard work leads to success: Hassan’s classmates, whom he called “nerds”, worked hard and later became successful.
Last-minute preparation is harmful: Hassan studied just before examinations and guessed questions. This habit prevented him from gaining sound knowledge.
Habits shape our future: His irregularity in college continued into his professional life, where he arrived late, missed appointments, and lost jobs.
Responsibility is essential: Hassan failed to take responsibility for his education and later blamed his circumstances for his difficulties.
Parents and teachers can guide us: The narrator tried to help Hassan, while his parents were also concerned about his behaviour. However, he needed to change his own habits.

Conclusion: The chapter teaches us that success comes through discipline, hard work, regularity, and responsibility. We must develop good habits early in life because our habits shape our future.

iii. Draw a character-sketch of the narrator, Sudha Murthy.

Introduction: The narrator, Sudha Murthy, is a Computer Science teacher who narrates her experience with Hassan. She comes across as a kind, patient, and responsible teacher.

Character Sketch:

Dedicated teacher: She takes her teaching duties seriously and prefers teaching students when they are fresh and attentive.
Kind-hearted: She repeatedly gives Hassan attendance because she wants him to complete his course and succeed.
Patient and forgiving: Although Hassan repeatedly breaks his promises, she finds it difficult to remain angry with him for long.
Concerned about students: She calls Hassan’s parents to discuss his irregularity and warns them that his habits may affect his future.
Disciplined: She believes that discipline is important and initially refuses to grant attendance without proper justification.
Helpful and encouraging: She gives Hassan opportunities to improve rather than abandoning him.
Observant: She notices the difference between Hassan’s intelligence and his poor habits. She understands that his problems arise from his own behaviour.
Experienced and thoughtful: She uses the incident to explain how habits influence a person’s life.

Conclusion: The narrator is a compassionate teacher who wants the best for her students. Her experience with Hassan teaches her readers that kindness must be accompanied by discipline and personal responsibility.

iv. How would Hassan apologise for his absence in the class?

Hassan would apologise to his teacher in the following way:

“Madam, I am extremely sorry for being absent from your classes. I know that I have been irregular and have not taken my studies seriously. I promise that I will attend all classes regularly from next semester onwards. Please forgive me this time. I shall try my best not to repeat this mistake. I know that discipline is important, and I will work hard to improve my attendance.”

v. Describe, in your own words, the narrator’s meeting with Hassan’s parents.

Introduction: The narrator called Hassan’s parents to discuss his poor attendance and careless attitude towards studies.

Main Points:

The narrator told Hassan’s parents that their son was intelligent and had a good memory, but he was irregular and undisciplined.
She explained that he could obtain a good rank if he attended classes regularly and worked in the laboratory.
She asked his parents to take the matter seriously because his habits could damage his future.
Hassan’s father was a busy man. He did not take the narrator’s words very seriously and believed that children would learn from life as they grew older.
Hassan’s mother was deeply upset. She said that he stayed awake late listening to music and chatting with friends and then slept late in the morning.
She complained that Hassan did not listen to her and that she had failed to correct him.
His father blamed his mother, saying that it was her duty to correct their son.
His mother replied that the father was also responsible and should spend more time with him.
Instead of working together to solve the problem, the parents began arguing with each other.
The meeting ended without a solution, and Hassan continued his old habits.

Conclusion: The meeting showed that blaming one another does not solve a problem. Parents should work together to guide their children, while children must accept responsibility for their own behaviour.

II. VOCABULARY PRACTICE

Q1. Give one word for the following, selecting words from the list given in the box.

Words given: nerd, lazy, affluent, moderate, ordinary, arrogant, famous

One who is lethargic — Lazy
One who is born with a silver spoon in the mouth — Affluent
One who is proud and haughty — Arrogant
One who is well-known — Famous
One who is run-of-the-mill type; average — Ordinary
One who is sensible and restrained — Moderate
One who is a bore — Nerd

Q2. Look at the following sentences and classify the words under the appropriate headings.

Words given: thin, untidy, staring, formal, neat, long, oval, twinkling, dreamy, round, starry, wavy, close-cropped, blue, brown, curly.

Face	Eyes	Hair	Dress
Thin	Staring	Long	Untidy
Oval	Twinkling	Wavy	Formal
Round	Dreamy	Close-cropped	Neat
	Starry	Curly
	Blue
	Brown

Note: “Thin” is also used to describe a person’s build, while “blue” and “brown” can describe eye colour. The textbook places these words in a general appearance-description activity.

III. GRAMMAR EXERCISES

Q1. Change the Voice

I like my teacher.
My teacher is liked by me.
Do manners reveal character?
Is character revealed by manners?
Columbus discovered America.
America was discovered by Columbus.
This man has cut down the trees.
The trees have been cut down by this man.
Hari did not open the door.
The door was not opened by Hari.
I will win him over.
He will be won over by me.
The old man takes the snuff.
The snuff is taken by the old man.
A cruel boy killed the bird.
The bird was killed by a cruel boy.
I had never seen a zoo before.
A zoo had never been seen by me before.
Will she have written a letter?
Will a letter have been written by her?

Q2. Fill in the blanks with suitable determiners.

How much money do you want?
All the books are lying at sixes and sevens.
He lost the few friends he had.
There is little milk in the jug.
I have much work to do.
Several people paid homage to the departed leader.
These grapes are sweet and juicy.
He related an interesting story.
Kanta is the taller of them both.
Both his sons are very intelligent.

Q3. Do as Directed

1. It is never too late to mend. (Remove “too”)

It is never late to mend.

2. I am as strong as he. (Change the degree of comparison)

He is not stronger than I am.

3. She could not prove her innocence. (Transform into a complex sentence)

She could not prove that she was innocent.

4. I sold my lame horse. (Transform into a complex sentence)

I sold my horse which was lame.

5. He was victimized by the travel agents. (Use the noun form of the italicized word)

He was made a victim by the travel agents.

6. Combine the two sentences:

i. I know this.
ii. English is easy to learn.

Answer: I know that English is easy to learn.

7. Can a day be turned into night? (Change into the negative form)

A day cannot be turned into night.

IV. PRACTICE IN SPOKEN ENGLISH

Q1. Practise the following sounds and words aloud.

Sound	Example
/g/	get
/dʒ/	join
/θ/	thin
/ʃ/	ship
/j/	yes
/tʃ/	chain
/ŋ/	long
/ð/	then
/ʒ/	measure
/iː/	weep
/ɑː/	part
/uː/	root
/eɪ/	play
/ɔɪ/	boy
/ɪ/	bit
/ɒ/	hot
/ʌ/	but
/əʊ/	go
/ɪə/	hear
/e/	pet
/ɔː/	court
/ɜː/	bird
/aɪ/	buy
/eə/	pair
/æ/	bat
/ʊ/	put
/ə/	away
/aʊ/	cow
/ʊə/	poor

Q2. Say the following sentences aloud.

i. /eɪ/ as in wait, late, play

They painted the table.
They painted the table pale grey.
They painted the table pale grey the other day.

ii. /əʊ/ as in go, flow, know

This won’t grow.
This won’t grow even slowly.
This won’t grow even slowly in this cold.
This won’t grow even slowly in this cold, you know.

iii. /aɪ/ as in fly, die, kite

I’d drive five miles.
I’d drive five miles on Friday.
I’d drive five miles on Friday night.
I’d drive five miles on Friday night to see the fight.

iv. /aʊ/ as in how, cow, now

Any amount of the rowdy crowd!
Any amount of the rowdy crowd around!
Any amount of the rowdy crowd around the clown.

IMPORTANT POINTS FOR REVISION

Hassan was a bright student, but he was irregular and undisciplined.
He relied on last-minute preparation instead of studying regularly.
His poor habits continued into his professional life.
Many students whom he called “nerds” became successful because they worked hard.
The narrator was kind and patient but believed in discipline.
Hassan’s parents argued instead of working together to solve his problem.
The main message: Intelligence alone does not guarantee success; regular effort, discipline, responsibility, and good habits are essential.