L- 1 A Truimph of Surgery

            L - 1 A Truimph of Surgery

Q-1. Why is Mrs Pumphrey worried about Tricki? 

• Answer: Mrs Pumphrey is worried because Tricki has become listless, weak, and inactive. He refuses to eat his favorite dishes, has bouts of vomiting, and spends all his time lying on a rug panting without wanting to go for walks.

Q-2  What does she do to help him? Is she wise in this? 

• Answer: She gives him extra snacks between meals like malt, cod-liver oil, and a bowl of Horlicks to build up his strength. She also continues to give him sweets like cream cakes and chocolates. No, she is not wise. Her excessive indulgence and overfeeding make Tricki dangerously obese and sick. 

Q-3 - Who does ‘I’ refer to in this story?

• Answer: In this story, "I" refers to the narrator, Mr. James Herriot, who is a qualified veterinary surgeon. 

Q-4 Is the narrator as rich as Tricki’s mistress?

• Answer: No, the narrator is not as rich as Mrs. Pumphrey. She is wealthy  and provides  her dog with luxurious life  featuring specialized day and night beds, multiple cushions, toys, and an expansive wardrobe of tweed coats. Furthermore, Mrs. Pumphrey maintains a large domestic staff and drives a gleaming limousine. In contrast, the narrator runs a modest veterinary clinic.

Q- 5 How does he treat the dog?

• Answer: Mr. Herriot treats Tricki naturally without any medicines or surgery. He stops giving him food for the first two days, allowing him only a plenty of water. He then systematically regulates his diet and encourages him to run, play, and compete with the other clinic dogs to build up his physical strength. 

Q - 6 Why is he tempted to keep Tricki on as a permanent guest?

• Answer: He is tempted to keep Tricky on as a permanent  guest because Mrs. Pumphrey starts sending fresh luxury food items to build Tricki's strength. This includes two dozen eggs daily, alongside expensive bottles of wine and brandy. Since these are not given to Tricki, the narrator and his staff consume them, enjoying lavish breakfasts and daily lunches. All this made him consider keeping  Tricki longer.

Q- 7 - Why does Mrs Pumphrey think the dog’s recovery is ‘a triumph of surgery’?

• Answer: She calls it "a triumph of surgery" because Tricki was completely transformed from a sick, bloated animal into a highly flexible, hard-muscled dog in just two weeks. Since he recovered entirely without any operational surgery or medicine. she views the successful clinic treatment as a profound medical victory but it was really  a result  of Change  in diet and exercise that restored  his health.

Long Answer 

Q-1“He had never been known to refuse food; he would tackle a meal at any hour of the day or night.” Herriot believed that Tricki’s problem was his greed. Did he lack tolerance? What values would you like Tricky to imbibe? Elucidate.

Answer: Dr. Herriot was not entirely wrong in believing that Tricki’s problem was greed. Tricki was indeed greedy, but Mrs. Pumphrey only made matters worse by stuffing him with rich food. Herriot did not lack intolerance; he was just stating the obvious. Tricki’s ill-health made him concerned, and he made the observation as a veterinary doctor. Tricki, on the other hand, needed to exercise control on his eating habits. It would have been good if he did not greedily gobble up everything that was placed in front of him. Mrs. Pumphrey herself reveals that Tricki loved cream cakes and chocolates very much. Thus, Tricki ought to have been less gluttonous (excessively greedy) and luxury-loving, and behaved more like a dog!

Q-2 Mrs. Pumphrey, the overindulgent and caring mistress of Tricki, pampers her pet dog like a spoilt child. Comment.
Or
Give a brief character-sketch of Mrs. Pumphrey.

Answer: Mrs. Pumphrey was a fabulously rich and resourceful lady with a large number of servants and maids. She was passionately attached to her little pet dog, Tricki. She was very worried about Tricki’s miserable condition. Tricki had become hugely fat and listless. She thought he was suffering from malnutrition. So, she started giving Tricki malt, cod-liver oil and a bowl of Horlicks at night.

Being overindulgent, Mrs Pumphrey even ignored Dr. Herriot’s advice. The doctor knew that Tricki’s only fault was his greed for food. He had advised Mrs Pumphrey to cut down food and sweets for Tricki. He also advised her to give him plenty of exercises. The dog was to be kept on a very strict diet. For Mrs. Pumphrey, it was very difficult for her because she pampered Tricki like a spoilt child. This only compounded Tricki’s misery. His condition worsened. He lost appetite (hunger) and started vomiting.

Mrs Pumphrey was impractical but very compassionate (softhearted) and caring. She and her staff arranged all comforts, beds, cushions and toys for Tricki. She constantly enquired about his health from Dr Herriot. She gratefully thanked Dr Herriot for saving Tricki’s life and called it “A Triumph of Surgery”. Had she been a little more practical and disciplined, things might have not gone that far.