MP Board 9th Moments In the Kingdom of Fools MCQs :Here are the complete details for the chapter “In the Kingdom of Fools” from the 9th Class English supplementary textbook “Moments,” presented in a style similar to your previous request.
MP Board 9th English Moments: In the Kingdom of Fools by A.K. Ramanujan
This chapter is a Kannada folktale retold by A.K. Ramanujan. It is a humorous and thought-provoking story about a kingdom run by a foolish king and his equally foolish minister. The story shows how their absurd decisions lead to chaos and how a wise Guru uses their foolishness to save his disciple.
About the Author
A.K. Ramanujan (1929-1993) was a renowned Indian poet, scholar, and folklorist. He wrote in both English and Kannada. He was a professor of linguistics and South Asian studies at the University of Chicago. This story is from his collection Folktales from India, and it highlights his deep interest in traditional stories and their underlying wisdom.
Vocabulary: In the Kingdom of Fools
| Word (English) | Hindi Meaning | English Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Kingdom | राज्य | A country ruled by a king or queen. |
| Fools | मूर्ख | People who are silly or unwise. |
| Disciple | शिष्य | A follower or student of a teacher or guru. |
| Guru | गुरु | A spiritual teacher or master. |
| Justice | न्याय | Fair treatment. |
| Merchant | व्यापारी | A person who buys and sells goods. |
| Burglar | सेंधमार | A thief who enters a building illegally. |
| Accuse | आरोप लगाना | To claim that someone has done wrong. |
| Summon | बुलाना | To officially order someone to come to a place. |
| Bricklayer | राजमिस्त्री | A person who builds walls with bricks. |
| Goldsmith | सुनार | A person who makes things from gold. |
| Scapegoat | बलि का बकरा | A person blamed for the wrongs of others. |
| Stake | सूली | A post to which a person was tied to be executed. |
| Execution | प्राणदण्ड | The act of killing someone as a punishment. |
| Bailiff | बेलीफ (अधिकारी) | An official who carries out the court’s orders. |
| Postpone | स्थगित करना | To put off until a later time. |
| Disguise | वेश बदलना | To change one’s appearance to hide one’s identity. |
Character Descriptions
- The King: The ruler of the kingdom. He is idiotic and impulsive. He wants to be unique and orders everything to be done in reverse (night as day). He has a flawed sense of justice that is based on absurdity rather than logic.
- The Minister: The king’s main advisor, who is just as foolish as his king. He supports all of the king’s ridiculous ideas.
- The Guru: A wise and practical man. He quickly realizes the danger of the foolish kingdom and tries to leave. He values his life and uses his wisdom to save his disciple.
- The Disciple: A follower of the Guru who is greedy and easily tempted. He is attracted by the cheap food in the kingdom and decides to stay, ignoring his Guru’s warning.
- The Merchant: The owner of the house whose wall collapsed. He is the first person to be accused but cleverly shifts the blame.
- The Dancing Girl: The woman who distracted the bricklayer. She is old now but is used as part of the chain of accusations.
- The Goldsmith: The man who is accused by the dancing girl of distracting her. He, in turn, blames the rich merchant’s father.
Summary of the Story: In the Kingdom of Fools
This story is about a kingdom where the king and his minister were both idiots. To be different, they made absurd new laws.
A Kingdom Upside-Down
The king ordered that night be treated as day and day as night. People were forced to sleep during the day and do their work (like tilling fields or running businesses) only after dark. Anyone who disobeyed would be executed. The people, fearing death, followed the new rule.
The Guru and The Disciple Arrive
A wise Guru and his disciple arrived in the city. They were shocked to find everyone asleep during the daytime. When night fell, the entire town woke up and the shops opened. They went to buy food and were astonished to find that everything—a measure of rice or a bunch of bananas—cost the same: a single ‘duddu’ (their currency).
The Guru, being wise, immediately understood that this was a Kingdom of Fools and told his disciple that it was not safe to stay. The disciple, however, was a glutton who loved to eat. He was overjoyed at the cheap food and refused to leave. The Guru warned him, “They are all fools. This won’t last long, and you don’t know what they’ll do to you next,” and left the kingdom.
The disciple stayed, eating his fill of bananas, rice, and ghee, and quickly became “as fat as a street-side sacred bull.”
The Case of the Collapsed Wall
One day, a thief broke into a rich merchant’s house by making a hole in the wall. As he was leaving with the stolen goods, the wall collapsed on him, and he died.
The thief’s brother went to the king and demanded justice. He said his brother was only following his “ancient trade” and the merchant should be punished for having a weak wall. The foolish king agreed, saying, “You are right. Justice must be done. The merchant must be punished.”
The Chain of Accusations
- The Merchant: The merchant was summoned. He blamed the bricklayer who had built the wall, saying he didn’t build it strong enough.
- The Bricklayer: The bricklayer was brought in. He claimed it wasn’t his fault. He was distracted by a dancing girl who was walking up and down the street with her anklets jingling, so he couldn’t keep his mind on his work.
- The Dancing Girl: The (now old) dancing girl was summoned. She said she was walking in the street because she had to visit the goldsmith to get some jewelry made. The goldsmith was lazy and made her walk to his house a dozen times.
- The Goldsmith: The goldsmith was brought in. He said he had to delay the dancing girl’s order because he was busy with a rich merchant’s order (the same merchant’s father) who had a wedding in the family and was very impatient.
The king declared that the merchant had inherited his father’s sins as well as his wealth, so he must be the one to be executed.
The Fat Disciple’s Trouble
A new stake (a sharp post for execution) was made. However, when the merchant was brought to it, he was too thin to fit the stake properly. The king, in his foolishness, announced that they needed to find a man who was fat enough to fit the stake.
The king’s soldiers searched the city and their eyes fell on the disciple, who had become very fat from eating. They dragged him to the king. The disciple, terrified, pleaded his innocence, but the king would not listen. All that mattered was that he was fat enough for the stake.
The Guru’s Clever Plan
The disciple, in his terror, prayed to his Guru. The Guru, who had magic powers, saw everything in a vision and arrived instantly to save his student.
He whispered a plan to the disciple. Then, the Guru and disciple began to fight, with the Guru saying, “Put me to the stake first!” and the disciple saying, “No, put me first! I came here first!”
The king was confused by this. He asked the Guru why he, a holy man, wanted to die. The Guru, in secret, told the king, “Your Majesty, this is a special stake. It is the stake of the god of justice. Whoever dies on it first will be reborn as the king of this kingdom. Whoever dies next will be reborn as the minister.”
The Fools’ Execution
The foolish king and his minister were thrilled. They wanted to be the king and minister in their next life, too. The king ordered the execution to be postponed for the night.
That night, the king and his minister secretly went to the prison. They disguised themselves as the Guru and the disciple and ordered the executioners to execute the first two people who came, which was their own order. The king and his minister were put to the stake and died.
A New King and Minister
The next morning, the people of the kingdom were shocked to find their king and minister dead. The townspeople, realizing the Guru’s wisdom, begged the Guru and his disciple to become their new king and minister.
The Guru agreed, but on one condition: they would immediately abolish all the old, foolish laws. From then on, night would be night, day would be day, and nothing would cost a single ‘duddu’.
Main Themes
- Foolishness vs. Wisdom: The story is a clear contrast between the idiotic king and the wise Guru. The king’s foolishness creates chaos and threatens lives, while the Guru’s wisdom solves the problem and restores order.
- The Danger of Greed: The disciple’s greed for cheap food is what gets him into trouble. He ignores his Guru’s wise warning because he is tempted by his own desires, which almost costs him his life.
- True Justice vs. Absurdity: The king’s idea of justice is a joke. He wants to execute someone simply because a wall fell. The story makes fun of blind, illogical authority.
- Consequences of Bad Company: The Guru warns his disciple that staying in a kingdom of fools is dangerous. The story shows that associating with foolish or irrational people can have disastrous consequences.
Textbook Questions (Commonly Asked)
Q1: What are the two strange things the Guru and his disciple find in the Kingdom of Fools?
Answer: The two strange things are:
- People sleep during the day and work only after dark.
- Everything in the market costs the same—a single ‘duddu’—whether it’s a measure of rice or a bunch of bananas.
Q2: Why does the disciple decide to stay in the Kingdom of Fools? Is it a good idea?
Answer: The disciple decides to stay because he is a glutton and is delighted that all food is so cheap. He can eat as much as he wants for almost nothing. It is not a good idea, as his Guru warned him that the fools were unpredictable and dangerous, which is proven true when he is arrested for execution.
Q3: Name all the people who are tried in the king’s court, and give the reasons for their trial.
Answer:
- The Merchant: Tried because his house’s wall collapsed on a thief.
- The Bricklayer: Tried because he built the wall and was distracted.
- The Dancing Girl: Tried because she distracted the bricklayer with her jingling anklets.
- The Goldsmith: Tried because he delayed the dancing girl’s jewelry, making her walk up and down the street.
- The Merchant (again): Tried because his father was the one who pressured the goldsmith.
Q4: Who is the real culprit according to the king? Why does he escape punishment?
Answer: According to the king, the real culprit is the merchant (who inherited his father’s sins). However, he escapes punishment because he is too thin to fit the newly made stake for execution.
Q5: What are the Guru’s words of wisdom? When does the disciple remember them?
Answer: The Guru’s words of wisdom are: “They are all fools. This won’t last long, and you don’t know what they’ll do to you next.” The disciple remembers these words when the king’s men arrest him to be executed simply because he is fat enough to fit the stake.
Q6: How does the Guru manage to save his disciple’s life?
Answer: The Guru uses his wisdom to trick the foolish king. He creates a fake story that whoever dies on the stake first will be reborn as the king, and the next to die will be the minister. The greedy and foolish king and his minister believe this and get themselves executed in place of the Guru and his disciple.
Short Answer Type Questions
Q1: What was the king’s and his minister’s ‘idiotic’ order?
Answer: They ordered that everyone in their kingdom must treat night as day and day as night. People had to work at night and sleep during the day.
Q2: What was the price of all goods in the Kingdom of Fools?
Answer: The price was the same for everything: a single ‘duddu’.
Q3: Why did the Guru want to leave the kingdom?
Answer: The Guru was wise and realized that a kingdom run by fools was unpredictable and dangerous. He believed they would not be safe there for long.
Q4: Why did the disciple’s decision to stay put him in trouble?
Answer: He stayed and ate so much cheap food that he became very fat. This made him the perfect size to fit the stake when the king was looking for a fat person to execute.
Q5: Who was the original owner of the house whose wall collapsed?
Answer: The original owner was a rich merchant.
Q6: Why did the bricklayer say he was innocent?
Answer: He claimed he was distracted while building the wall by a dancing girl walking up and down the street, making her anklets jingle.
Q7: Why was the goldsmith unable to finish the dancing girl’s jewelry on time?
Answer: He said he was being pressured by a rich merchant (the first merchant’s father) who had a wedding in his house and would not wait.
Q8: What was the king’s final solution when the merchant was too thin for the stake?
Answer: His solution was to find any man in the kingdom who was fat enough to fit the stake and execute him instead.
Q9: What was the “holy” reason the Guru gave for wanting to die first?
Answer: He told the king that it was a stake of justice and that the first person to die on it would be reborn as the king of that kingdom.
Q10: Who became the new king and minister after the foolish king’s death?
Answer: The people of the kingdom begged the wise Guru and his disciple to become their new king and minister, and they accepted.
MCQs on “In the Kingdom of Fools”
- Who is the author of the folktale “In the Kingdom of Fools”?
a) Ruskin Bond
b) Mulk Raj Anand
c) R.K. Laxman
d) A.K. Ramanujan
Answer: d) A.K. Ramanujan - In the Kingdom of Fools, what was the most unusual rule?
a) People had to work at night and sleep by day.
b) People had to pay a tax on bananas.
c) People could only eat at night.
d) People were not allowed to build strong walls.
Answer: a) People had to work at night and sleep by day. - What was the price of a measure of rice?
a) One rupee
b) One anna
c) One duddu
d) It was free
Answer: c) One duddu - What was the price of a bunch of bananas?
a) Two duddus
b) One duddu
c) Ten duddus
d) It depended on the size
Answer: b) One duddu - Who arrived in the city one day?
a) A king and his minister
b) A merchant and a bricklayer
c) A Guru and his disciple
d) A dancing girl and a goldsmith
Answer: c) A Guru and his disciple - Why was the Guru shocked?
a) Because the city was so beautiful.
b) Because everyone was asleep during the day.
c) Because the food was so expensive.
d) Because there was no king.
Answer: b) Because everyone was asleep during the day. - Why did the disciple decide to stay?
a) He liked the foolish king.
b) He found a job.
c) The food was very cheap.
d) The Guru told him to.
Answer: c) The food was very cheap. - What was the Guru’s warning to the disciple?
a) That the food would make him sick.
b) That the people were dangerous fools.
c) That a storm was coming.
d) That the king would steal his money.
Answer: b) That the people were dangerous fools. - How did the thief die?
a) The merchant killed him.
b) A wall fell on him.
c) The king executed him.
d) He was bitten by a snake.
Answer: b) A wall fell on him. - Who complained to the king about the thief’s death?
a) The thief’s brother
b) The merchant
c) The disciple
d) The Guru
Answer: a) The thief’s brother - Who did the king first decide to punish for the thief’s death?
a) The thief’s brother
b) The merchant
c) The bricklayer
d) The dancing girl
Answer: b) The merchant - Who did the merchant blame for the weak wall?
a) The dancing girl
b) The goldsmith
c) The bricklayer
d) His father
Answer: c) The bricklayer - Why did the bricklayer build a weak wall?
a) He was lazy.
b) He was distracted by a dancing girl.
c) The merchant didn’t pay him enough.
d) He was in a hurry.
Answer: b) He was distracted by a dancing girl. - Why was the dancing girl walking in the street?
a) She was performing for the king.
b) She was going to the temple.
c) She was waiting for the goldsmith to make her jewelry.
d) She was distracting the bricklayer on purpose.
Answer: c) She was waiting for the goldsmith to make her jewelry. - Who did the goldsmith blame for the delay?
a) The dancing girl
b) The rich merchant’s father
c) The king
d) The bricklayer
Answer: b) The rich merchant’s father - Who did the king finally decide to execute?
a) The goldsmith
b) The dancing girl
c) The merchant (as he inherited his father’s sins)
d) The bricklayer
Answer: c) The merchant (as he inherited his father’s sins) - What was the problem with the new stake?
a) It was too sharp.
b) It was too dull.
c. It was too big, and the merchant was too thin.
d) It was made of the wrong wood.
Answer: c. It was too big, and the merchant was too thin. - What was the king’s solution to the stake problem?
a) To let the merchant go.
b) To find a fat man who fit the stake.
c) To make a new, smaller stake.
d) To execute the bricklayer instead.
Answer: b) To find a fat man who fit the stake. - Who was the fat man the soldiers found?
a) The Guru
b) The merchant’s friend
c) The disciple
d) The king’s minister
Answer: c) The disciple - What had the disciple become “as fat as”?
a) A king
b) A sacred bull
c) A sack of rice
d) The minister
Answer: b) A sacred bull - When the disciple was arrested, who did he pray to?
a) The king
b) The god of justice
c) His Guru
d) His parents
Answer: c) His Guru - How did the Guru know his disciple was in trouble?
a) He saw it in a vision.
b) He received a message.
c) He was in the city and heard the news.
d) The disciple called him.
Answer: a) He saw it in a vision. - What did the Guru and disciple start to do in front of the king?
a) They started to pray.
b) They started to fight over who should be executed first.
c) They started to insult the king.
d) They started to offer the king money.
Answer: b) They started to fight over who should be executed first. - What “secret” did the Guru tell the king?
a) That the stake was cursed.
b) That the disciple was innocent.
c) That whoever died on the stake first would be reborn as the king.
d) That the kingdom would fall if he was killed.
Answer: c) That whoever died on the stake first would be reborn as the king. - What would the second person to die on the stake be reborn as?
a) The minister
b) The Guru
c) A rich merchant
d) A thief
Answer: a) The minister - What did the king and minister decide to do after hearing the secret?
a) To free the Guru and disciple.
b) To destroy the stake.
c) To die on the stake themselves.
d) To banish the Guru.
Answer: c) To die on the stake themselves. - How did the king and minister get executed?
a) They disguised themselves as the Guru and disciple.
b) They ordered the executioner to kill them.
c) They fought each other to the death.
d) The Guru killed them.
Answer: a) They disguised themselves as the Guru and disciple. - Who found the bodies of the king and minister?
a) The Guru
b) The disciple
c) The executioners
d) The people of the town
Answer: d) The people of the town - Who did the people of the kingdom decide to make their new king and minister?
a) The merchant and the goldsmith
b) The Guru and his disciple
c) The thief’s brother
d) They decided to have no king
Answer: b) The Guru and his disciple - What was the first law the new king (the Guru) changed?
a) He made all food expensive again.
b) He made day into day and night into night.
c) He banished all fools.
d) He rebuilt the merchant’s wall.
Answer: b) He made day into day and night into night. - What is the main theme of the story?
a) Foolishness can be dangerous.
b) Greed leads to trouble.
c) Wisdom can overcome any problem.
d) All of the above.
Answer: d) All of the above. - What does the disciple’s character represent?
a) Wisdom and foresight
b) Greed and poor judgment
c) Innocence
d) Cruelty
Answer: b) Greed and poor judgment - What does the Guru’s character represent?
a) Wisdom, logic, and foresight
b) Greed
c) Foolishness
d) Cruelty
Answer: a) Wisdom, logic, and foresight - What was the “ancient trade” of the burglar’s brother?
a) Goldsmithing
b) Thievery
c) Building walls
d) Dancing
Answer: b) Thievery - The king’s justice is best described as…
a) Fair and balanced
b) Slow and careful
c) Absurd and illogical
d) Kind and merciful
Answer: c) Absurd and illogical - The disciple remembered his Guru’s words when…
a) He got fat.
b) He was arrested.
c) He became the minister.
d) He arrived in the city.
Answer: b) He was arrested. - The story is a…
a) Tragedy
b) Historical non-fiction
c) Folktale with a moral
d) Romantic poem
Answer: c) Folktale with a moral - What does “justice” in this kingdom depend on?
a) Evidence and facts
b) The king’s ridiculous whims
c) The Guru’s advice
d) The
Answer: b) The king’s ridiculous whims - Why did the king and minister go to the stake “secretly”?
a) They were afraid of the dark.
b) They didn’t want their people to stop them.
c) They didn’t want the Guru or disciple to take their places.
d) The executioner told them to.
Answer: c) They didn’t want the Guru or disciple to take their places. - What does “disguise” mean?
a) To tell a secret
b) To change one’s appearance
c) To be afraid
d) To execute someone
Answer: b) To change one’s appearance - Who was the first person summoned to the court?
a) The bricklayer
b) The merchant
c) The thief’s brother
d) The dancing girl
Answer: b) The merchant - Why was the bricklayer not punished?
a) He was innocent.
b) He blamed the dancing girl.
c) The king forgot about him.
d) He ran away.
Answer: b) He blamed the dancing girl. - Why was the dancing girl not punished?
a) She was too old.
b) She blamed the goldsmith.
c) The king felt sorry for her.
d) She danced for the king.
Answer: b) She blamed the goldsmith. - Why was the goldsmith not punished?
a) He hid from the king.
b) He blamed the merchant’s father.
c) He bribed the king.
d) He was too thin for the stake.
Answer: b) He blamed the merchant’s father. - What does “scapegoat” mean?
a) A person who is very wise
b) A person who is blamed for others’ mistakes
c) A person who owns goats
d) A person who is foolish
Answer: b) A person who is blamed for others’ mistakes - Who was the ultimate scapegoat the king was looking for?
a) The merchant
b) The disciple
c) The goldsmith
d) Anyone who was fat enough for the stake
Answer: d) Anyone who was fat enough for the stake - What did the Guru and disciple agree to become king and minister on the condition that…
a) They would get free food.
b) They could change all the old, foolish laws.
c) They would be paid one duddu for everything.
d) They could leave whenever they wanted.
Answer: b) They could change all the old, foolish laws. - The story teaches that one should avoid…
a) Eating cheap food.
b) Staying in kingdoms with foolish people.
c) Being a king.
d) Building walls.
Answer: b) Staying in kingdoms with foolish people. - The disciple’s main flaw was…
a) Greed (gluttony)
b) Dishonesty
c) Cowardice
d) Foolishness
Answer: a) Greed (gluttony) - The king’s main flaw was…
a) Greed
b) Dishonesty
c) Foolishness
d) Cowardice
Answer: c) Foolishness