Lesson =1 [ The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse ] SNAPSHOT Important Questions

The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse Summary

Aram and Mourad were cousins. Aram was nine years old while Mourad was thirteen. The mound was a lively and adventure-loving boy. But he was considered crazy. Both were fond of horse riding. They belonged to the Garoghlanian tribe. They were too poor to buy a horse. But their family was famous for honesty, and they were proud of it. They believed in doing the right things and not cheating anybody. Stealing was unthinkable. They were the natives of Armenia.
One summer morning, Mourad came to Aram’s house and woke him up by tapping on the room-window. Aram jumped out of bed and looked out of the window. He saw Mourad sitting on a beautiful white horse. He rubbed his eyes to make sure that he was not dreaming. He couldn’t believe that Mourad had bought or borrowed the horse. The only other way was that he had stolen it. But it was difficult to believe. No member of the family could be a thief.

Mourad told Aram to come out quickly if he wanted to enjoy a horse-ride. Aram was both delighted and frightened. He asked his cousin wherefrom he had stolen that horse but he got no reply. Evidently, Mourad had stolen the horse. Aram was tempted to go for a ride. He told himself that stealing a horse for a ride was not the same thing as stealing money. They were just crazy about horses. They would be guilty of stealing only if they offered to sell the horse.
Aram put on his clothes and sat on horseback behind his cousin. Behind their house was the countryside—fruit gardens, irrigation pits and grapevines. The horse began to trot and Mourad began to sing aloud. There was a crazy streak in the family which Mourad had inherited. Their
Uncle Khosrove was also crazy. He was furious in nature, irritable and impatient. He did not allow anybody to speak. His pet words were: It is no harm: pay no attention to it. Once his own house was on fire, and he was at the barber’s shop. His son Arak ran to that shop to tell about the fire. But he, as usual, roared that it was no harm,

Mourad’s own father Zorab was a very practical man. But Mourad was the natural descendant I of his uncle. Anyway, the two cousins let the horse run as long as it felt like running. At last Mourad asked Aram to get down. He wanted to ride alone. He said proudly that he had way with a horse. He named this white horse Vazire. Aram too wanted to ride alone. But he was told to wait. He was given a chance, and he had a bad experience. The horse ran off at breakneck speed. Aram fell but the horse continued running. It took them half an hour to find and bring back the horse.
It was morning. The whole world was awake. Their problem was to hide the horse. But Mourad knew a place. Aram asked him again how long ago he had stolen the horse. Mourad told him to tell a little lie and say that they had started riding that very morning. Mourad led the horse to a deserted vineyard of a farmer Fetvajian. He added that he had an understanding with horses.

That afternoon, uncle Khosrove came to Aram’s house. Then came another visitor John Byro who complained that his white horse had been stolen the previous month. Uncle Khosrove, as usual, shouted him down. He told Byro to stop crying over a horse when he had legs to walk ten miles to get there. Aram’s mother consoled Byro. She said that Khosrove had a gentle heart. but he was homesick.
Aram ran over to Mourad’s house to tell him about John Byro who wanted his horseback. At the same time, he extracted a promise from his cousin that he would keep the horse for at least six months. Mourad was at that time giving first aid to a robin bird which had hurt its wing. He then let the bird free.
For two weeks the cousins took the horse out from the barn and rode it. But every morning the horse threw Aram and ran away.

Q1. Why was Aram surprised when he saw Mourad in the Morning? 

Ans. Aram was surprised to see Mourad because he had come so early in the morning that too with a beautiful white horse. He could not believe that a boy of his tribe could buy or steal a horse. 

Q2. Why did Mourad return the horse?

Ans. Mourad belonged to a tribe which was known for its honesty. He could not tolerate John Byro's expressions when he seemed to have recognised the horse. It was no more charming accuse for him to keep the horse after this incident.

Q.3. What did people say about Mourad? Who had he inherited that weakness from?
Ans. Mourad enjoyed being alive. He was fond of adventures. He too had a streak of craziness. He had got it naturally from Uncle Khosrove. He used to say that he had a way with horses, dogs and farmers.

Q.4. What did Aram think about Mourad’s action of riding a stolen horse? How did he justify Mourad’s action?
Ans. Aram too was very crazy about horse riding. But riding a stolen horse both delighted and frightened him. He justified Mourad’s action saying that taking out a horse just for a joy-ride could not be called stealing until they offered to sell it.

Q.5. Who was John Byro? What did he first lose but finally recover?
Ans. John Byro was an Assyrian farmer and lived in the neighbourhood. He was a frequent visitor to Aram’s house. His white horse has stolen a few weeks ago. He recognised his horse being led by Mourad. But he did not create a scene. Mourad returned it to him when he realised that his family’s honour was at stake.

Q.6.   What change did John Byrn notice in his horse after it was returned to him?
Ans. John Byro was not only happy but also surprised when he got his missing horseback. He failed to understand how his horse had become stronger and hotel tempered than before. He thanked God for the change.

 Q.7. Give a brief account of Mourad’s adventure with the white home.
Ans. Mourad was a daredevil crazy boy. He was fond of horse riding. So, he stole the beautiful white horse of John Byro from his vineyard. He hid it in a deserted barn and enjoyed the ride every morning. One morning, he invited his cousin Aram also to share the joy. He had a way with the wild horse.
Aram hesitated because it was a stolen horse. Yet he joined his cousin and enjoyed the ride. Mourad rode alone as well. He sang and roared with joy. He let the horse run across a field of dry grass to an irrigation ditch. He returned five minutes later. He warned Aram not to ride alone because the horse was quite wild.