Part C — Supplementary Reading
Chapter 1: The School for Sympathy
Class 12 General English | PSEB | A Rainbow of English
Author: E. V. Lucas
1. Introduction and Summary
“The School for Sympathy” is an essay by E. V. Lucas. It describes an unusual school run by Miss Beam, where the main aim is not merely to provide academic knowledge but to develop thoughtfulness, humanity and good citizenship among students.
The school teaches children to understand the difficulties faced by people with physical disabilities. During the school term, every child experiences a series of special days: a blind day, a lame day, a deaf day, a maimed day and a dumb day. On these days, children experience temporary limitations and learn to depend on the help of others.
Other students assist and guide those experiencing the difficulties. This arrangement teaches both groups valuable lessons. The children experiencing a disability understand the challenges involved, while their helpers learn kindness, patience and responsibility.
The narrator initially feels distressed when he sees children apparently suffering from disabilities. Miss Beam explains that these conditions are temporary experiences designed to develop sympathy. After interacting with a girl on her blind day, the narrator realises how frightening it can be not to see and how much more thoughtfully he observes and describes his surroundings.
The lesson teaches that true sympathy develops when we try to understand another person’s difficulties. Education should therefore develop not only the mind but also the heart.
2. Short-Answer Type Questions
Q1. What does the author tell us about Miss Beam?
Answer: Miss Beam is a middle-aged, authoritative, kind and understanding woman. Her hair is beginning to turn grey, and her figure gives a comforting impression to homesick children. She runs a school that emphasises thoughtfulness, humanity and good citizenship rather than academic learning alone.
Q2. What was the real aim of Miss Beam’s school?
Answer: The real aim of Miss Beam’s school was to develop thoughtfulness, humanity and good citizenship among students. The school helped children understand the difficulties of people with disabilities by allowing them to experience temporary limitations themselves.
Q3. Why did the author feel sorry for some of the children?
Answer: The author felt sorry because he saw children apparently suffering from physical disabilities. One girl had a bandage over her eyes, two other children seemed to have visual problems, and another girl was using a crutch. He initially believed that they were genuinely disabled.
Q4. Were the children playing in the ground really physically handicapped?
Answer: No, the children were not really physically handicapped. They were participating in Miss Beam’s educational system. Each child experienced a temporary disability on a designated day to understand the difficulties faced by people with disabilities.
Q5. Why were the children acting as if they were blind, deaf or lame?
Answer: The children were acting as if they were blind, deaf or lame because Miss Beam wanted them to understand the difficulties of people who live with disabilities. By experiencing these limitations temporarily, the children learned sympathy, kindness and consideration for others.
Q6. What is the educative value of a blind, deaf or a lame day?
Answer: These special days teach children to appreciate the difficulties faced by people with disabilities. The children who experience the limitations learn how challenging everyday activities can become, while their helpers learn patience, kindness and responsibility. Thus, both groups develop sympathy and understanding.
Q7. Which day was the most difficult for children?
Answer: The blind day was considered the most difficult. The children found it frightening not to see their surroundings and feared that they might collide with objects or be hit by something. They needed assistance in almost everything.
Q8. Who did Miss Beam lead the author to?
Answer: Miss Beam led the author to a cheerful little girl whose eyes were covered with a bandage because she was experiencing her blind day.
Q9. How did the girl with the bandaged eyes feel on her blind day?
Answer: The girl found her blind day frightening and uncomfortable. She said that she had never realised how terrible it was not to see anything. She constantly feared that she might be hit by something and felt relieved whenever she could sit down. She eagerly waited for the day to end.
Q10. What does the girl tell the author about her guides?
Answer: The girl says that her guides are fairly kind, but they are not as careful as she intends to be when her own turn comes to help another blind child. She also observes that children who have already experienced a blind day make the best guides because they understand the difficulties involved.
Q11. What, according to the girl with the bandaged eyes, is almost a fun?
Answer: According to the girl, having a leg tied up and hopping about on a crutch is almost fun. Compared with the frightening experience of blindness, she finds this limitation less difficult to manage.
Q12. Why does the girl with the bandaged eyes say that her head aches all the time on her blind day?
Answer: The girl’s head aches because she constantly fears that she may collide with objects or be struck by something that she cannot see. She keeps moving her head and body to avoid imagined obstacles, which makes the experience tiring and frightening.
Q13. What does the girl with the bandaged eyes tell the author about the head girl?
Answer: The girl identifies the head girl as Millie. When the author describes her as a tall girl wearing a blue skirt and a pink blouse, with very light hair, the girl recognises her and says that Millie is very decent.
Q14. What does the girl with the bandaged eyes say about the gardener?
Answer: When the author describes an old man tying up roses, the girl identifies him as Peter, the gardener. She humorously says that he is hundreds of years old.
Q15. What made Miss Beam think that there was something in her system?
Answer: The narrator told Miss Beam that he felt sorry to leave the school because the experience had changed his understanding. While guiding the blind girl and describing the surroundings to her, he had become much more thoughtful and observant. This convinced Miss Beam that her educational system was effective.
3. Long-Answer Type Questions
Q1. What did the author see in Miss Beam’s school at first sight? How did he feel about it?
Answer:
When the author first visited Miss Beam’s school, he saw a girl of about twelve whose eyes were covered with a bandage. A younger boy was carefully guiding her between the flower beds. The sight puzzled and distressed him because he assumed that the children were genuinely physically disabled.
1. A girl with bandaged eyes: The first child he noticed was a girl whose eyes were completely covered. She depended on a younger boy to guide her safely through the garden.
2. Other apparently disabled children: Looking through the window, the author noticed more children who appeared to have disabilities. Some seemed to have problems with their eyesight, while a girl below the window was using a crutch.
3. A feeling of sadness: The author felt sorry for the children because he believed they were suffering from real physical disabilities. He was distressed by the sight of young children who seemed unable to enjoy ordinary activities freely.
4. Surprise and confusion: When Miss Beam explained that the children were not actually disabled but were experiencing special days as part of the school’s system, the author was astonished.
5. Understanding the school’s purpose: Miss Beam explained that the children temporarily experienced difficulties associated with blindness, deafness, lameness and other disabilities. The purpose was to help them understand the experiences of people who live with such conditions.
6. A change in perspective: The author gradually understood that the system was designed to develop sympathy and thoughtfulness rather than merely entertain the children.
7. Personal learning: While walking with the blind girl, the author discovered that he had become much more observant and thoughtful. He began describing his surroundings carefully so that she could understand what was happening around her.
Conclusion: At first, the author felt distressed and confused by what he saw. After learning about Miss Beam’s educational method and experiencing its effect himself, he recognised its value in developing sympathy and humanity.
Q2. Give a brief character-sketch of Miss Beam.
Answer:
Miss Beam is the head of an unusual school that aims to develop sympathy, kindness and good citizenship among children. She believes that education should develop the heart as well as the mind.
1. Kind and caring: Miss Beam is described as kind and understanding. Her comforting appearance helps homesick children feel secure and welcome.
2. Authoritative: She has a confident and authoritative personality. She manages her school with clarity and purpose.
3. Understanding: She understands that children need more than academic instruction. They must also learn to recognise and appreciate the difficulties experienced by others.
4. Innovative educator: Miss Beam has introduced a distinctive system in which every child experiences temporary disabilities on designated days. This helps students understand the challenges faced by people with disabilities.
5. Believer in practical learning: She believes that children learn sympathy more effectively by experiencing difficulties than by merely reading or hearing about them.
6. Humanitarian: Her main objective is to develop humanity, thoughtfulness and good citizenship. She wants her students to become considerate members of society.
7. Patient and observant: She allows the author to observe the children and explains the purpose of the system patiently. She understands the educational value of the children’s experiences.
8. Successful in her mission: When the author admits that the experience has made him more thoughtful, Miss Beam recognises this as evidence that her system works.
Conclusion: Miss Beam is a compassionate, practical and innovative teacher. She believes that true education should produce thoughtful, sympathetic and responsible human beings.
Q3. What is the theme of the lesson “The School for Sympathy”?
Answer:
The central theme of “The School for Sympathy” is that true education should develop sympathy, kindness, humanity and responsible citizenship. E. V. Lucas shows that people understand others’ difficulties more deeply when they make an effort to experience those difficulties themselves.
1. Education beyond textbooks: The lesson questions the idea that education should be limited to academic subjects. Miss Beam’s school focuses on the development of character and human values.
2. Learning through experience: The school gives children temporary experiences of blindness, deafness, lameness, dumbness and other physical limitations. These experiences help them understand challenges that cannot be fully appreciated through words alone.
3. Developing sympathy: The children learn to imagine how difficult everyday life can be for people with disabilities. This encourages them to behave with greater sensitivity and compassion.
4. The importance of helping others: Children who guide and assist their classmates learn patience, responsibility and kindness. Helping others becomes a practical lesson in humanity.
5. Understanding dependence: Children experiencing a disability discover how much they may need assistance with ordinary activities. This experience helps them appreciate the challenges faced by people who depend on others.
6. Developing observation: The narrator discovers that describing the surroundings to the blind girl makes him more observant and thoughtful. He begins to notice things that he might otherwise have ignored.
7. Building good citizens: Miss Beam wants students to grow into thoughtful and responsible members of society. Sympathy helps people treat others with dignity and respect.
8. The value of empathy: The lesson shows that sympathy is not simply feeling sorry for someone. It requires an effort to understand that person’s experience and respond with consideration.
Conclusion: The lesson teaches that education is incomplete without humanity and sympathy. By helping children understand the difficulties of others, Miss Beam’s school prepares them to become kinder and more responsible citizens.
Q4. Give a brief account of the author’s visit to Miss Beam’s school.
Answer:
The author had heard a great deal about Miss Beam’s school and finally got an opportunity to visit it. His visit helped him understand the school’s unusual educational system and the importance of learning sympathy through experience.
1. First impressions: On arriving, the author saw a girl with a bandage over her eyes being guided through the flower beds by a younger boy. He felt sorry for her because he believed she was blind.
2. Meeting Miss Beam: The author met Miss Beam, whom he found kind, authoritative and understanding. They discussed her school’s teaching methods.
3. The school’s educational aim: Miss Beam explained that the school did not concentrate only on academic instruction. Its real purpose was to develop thoughtfulness, humanity and good citizenship.
4. The special days: She explained that each child experienced one blind day, one lame day, one deaf day, one maimed day and one dumb day during the school term. These temporary experiences helped children understand physical limitations.
5. Learning through assistance: Children who experienced a disability needed help from their classmates. The helpers also learned important lessons about patience, responsibility and kindness.
6. Meeting the blind girl: Miss Beam led the author to a cheerful girl whose eyes were covered. The author spoke to her and learned that the blind day was frightening because she could not see anything around her.
7. The girl’s experiences: She explained that the guides were generally kind, though those who had previously experienced blindness were more careful. She found the blind day much more difficult than the other special days.
8. The author’s practical experience: The author offered to guide the girl on a walk. He described the playground, people, clothes and surroundings to her. This required him to observe details carefully.
9. A personal lesson: The author discovered that he had become far more thoughtful and observant than he had expected. He also realised that describing things to another person made the surroundings more interesting.
10. Miss Beam’s satisfaction: When Miss Beam came to release the author from his role, he admitted that he was sorry to leave. She was pleased because his response demonstrated the effectiveness of her system.
Conclusion: The visit helped the author understand the purpose of Miss Beam’s school. He realised that practical experience can develop sympathy and thoughtfulness more effectively than theoretical instruction alone.
Q5. “In the course of the term every child has one blind day, one deaf day, one maimed day, one dumb day.” What were the children expected to do on these days?
Answer:
At Miss Beam’s school, every child was expected to experience temporary physical limitations on designated days. The purpose was to help students understand the difficulties faced by people with disabilities and to develop sympathy, patience and responsibility.
1. Blind day: On this day, a child’s eyes were completely covered with a bandage. The bandage was put on overnight so that the child woke up unable to see. The child was expected not to peep or remove the bandage. Other students guided the child and helped with daily activities.
2. Lame day: On this day, a child experienced restricted movement, such as having a leg tied up and moving with the help of a crutch. The child had to manage ordinary activities despite the limitation.
3. Deaf day: On this day, a child experienced the difficulty of not being able to hear. The child had to understand how communication and everyday activities become challenging when hearing is unavailable.
4. Maimed day: On this day, a child experienced the limitation associated with an injured or unusable limb, such as having an arm tied up. The child discovered how difficult tasks such as eating could become when one arm could not be used normally.
5. Dumb day: On this day, a child was expected not to speak. Since the mouth was not physically bandaged, the child had to exercise willpower and communicate without using speech. Miss Beam explained that some children dreaded this day the most because it required self-control.
6. Assistance from classmates: Children experiencing limitations were helped by other students. The helpers had to guide them, describe their surroundings and assist them where necessary.
7. Learning by experience: The children were expected to take the experience seriously and avoid cheating. For example, a child on a blind day was not supposed to peep through the bandage.
8. Developing sympathy: By experiencing temporary limitations, the children learned that ordinary activities can become difficult for people with disabilities. They also discovered the importance of patience, kindness and cooperation.
Conclusion: These special days were designed to teach practical lessons in sympathy and humanity. By experiencing limitations and helping one another, the children learned to appreciate the difficulties of others and became more thoughtful and responsible.
4. Important Points for Revision
- Author: E. V. Lucas.
- Head of the school: Miss Beam.
- Main aim: To develop thoughtfulness, humanity and good citizenship.
- Teaching method: Children experience temporary disabilities during special days.
- Special days: Blind day, lame day, deaf day, maimed day and dumb day.
- Blind day: The most difficult day for many children because they cannot see their surroundings.
- Role of helpers: To guide and assist children experiencing temporary limitations.
- Narrator’s experience: He becomes more thoughtful and observant while guiding the blind girl.
- Central message: Education should develop sympathy and humanity, not merely academic knowledge.
Exam preparation tip: For long answers, use the numbered points to organise your response. Support your explanations with examples from the author’s visit, the special days and the conversation with the blind girl.