Class 11, The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse by William Saroyan | NCERT Answers of Chapter 1, Snapshots - CBSE English Textbook Exercise Questions

Class 11, The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse by William Saroyan

Chapter 1, Snapshots

(Supplementary Reader for CBSE Class XI, English Core Course)

NCERT Answers for Snapshots Chapter Exercise Important Questions only

Reading with Insight

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

Answer: It is true that though the story "The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse" has neither any breathless adventure nor any exciting action, yet it holds the interest of the readers. 

It begins in a mood of nostalgia and takes us back to the memories of our own childhood when the world was full of every imaginable kind of magnificence, and life was still a delightful and mysterious dream. This is an interesting adventurous story of two poor Armenian boys Aram and Mourad who belong to a tribe known for its integrity and honesty. It describes their passion for horse-riding which makes Mourad steal a beautiful white horse.

The writer-narrator William Saroyan weaves a simple story into an interesting tale. He relates an incident which took place when he was nine. Everything is narrated from a child's point of view. He reveals the natural urge of children for fun and adventure. In his childish innocence, the narrator believes that stealing a horse for a fun and riding is not stealing at all.  But ultimately, the pride and honesty of their tribe overpower their childish pranks and they decide to return the horse to its owner John Byro.

Both the description and language are lucid and simple. The story moves in a very relaxed manner but seemingly natural. The narrator never seems to be in a hurry to bring the story to its conclusion.  Thus in spite of lacking any ups and downs, the readers keep engaged till the end of the story and enjoy a delightful reading.

Question.2: Did the boys return the horse because they were conscience-stricken or because they were afraid.   

Answer: The boys returned the horse because they were conscience-stricken not because they were afraid.

Mourad and Aram belonged to the Garoghlanian family which was famous for its integrity and honesty. Due to their passion for riding and fun once, they stole a beautiful white horse. In their childish innocence, they justified that stealing a horse for a fun and riding was not the same as stealing and selling it for money. Soon the pride and honesty which they inherited from their tribe overpowered their childish pranks and they realized that what they did was wrong as this could bring disgrace to their family. Thus conscience-stricken, they decided to return the horse to its rightful owner.                 

Class 11, snapshots (NCERT English Supplementary reader) - further study

• Solutions of CBSE Sample Questions for Class XI NCERT English Supplementary Reader - Chapter 1, Snapshots - The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse  [Read]