E. M. Forster A Passage to India Brief Questions with Answers
E. M. Forster
Q.1. When and where was E. M. Forster born?
Ans. Edward Morgan Forster was born on January 1, 1879, at Marylebone, London.
Q.2. What was his father?
Ans. Forster's father, Edward Morgan Llewellyn Forster, was an architect of Anglo-Irish descent.
Q.3. Who was Forster's mother?
Ans. Alice Clara “Lily” Thornton was Forster's mother.
Q.4. What do you know about Forster's education?
Ans. In 1890, Forster entered a preparatory school named Kent House. In 1893, he attended Tonbridge School, and in 1897 he went to King’s College, Cambridge, where he studied Classics and History.
Q.5. When did Forster become a teacher of Latin and where?
Ans. In 1902, Forster became a teacher of Latin at the Working Men's College.
Q.6. What is the name of Forster's first novel?
Ans. The name of Forster's first novel is Where Angels Fear to Tread, published on October 5, 1905.
Q.7. When did Forster visit India for the first time?
Ans. In 1912, Forster visited India for the first time with Lowes Dickinson and R. C. Trevelyan and became friendly with the Maharaja of Dewas State Senior.
Q.8. When did Forster come to India for the second time and in what capacity?
Ans. In 1921, Forster came to India for the second time and was appointed Private Secretary to the Maharaja of Dewas State Senior. He remained there until January 1922 and was awarded the Tukojirao Gold Medal for services rendered to the state.
Q.9. When did Forster start writing A Passage to India?
Ans. Forster started writing A Passage to India in 1922.
Q.10. When was the novel A Passage to India published?
Ans. A Passage to India, which is a masterpiece of Forster, was published on June 4, 1924.
Q.11. What prizes were awarded to Forster for writing A Passage to India?
Ans. Forster was awarded the Femina Vie Heureuse Prize and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction in 1925.
Q.12. When was Forster awarded the Benson Medal?
Ans. Forster was awarded the Benson Medal in 1937.
Q.13. When did Forster visit India for the third and last time?
Ans. In 1945, Forster visited India for the third and last time to attend a conference in Jaipur.
Q.14. How was Forster honoured by King’s College, Cambridge?
Ans. Forster was elected to an Honorary Fellowship of King’s College, Cambridge, in January 1946.
Q.15. When did Forster decline a knighthood?
Ans. Forster declined a knighthood in 1949.
Q.16. When was Forster made a Companion of Honour?
Ans. In 1953, Forster was made a Companion of Honour by Queen Elizabeth II.
Q.17. When did Forster become a member of the Advisory Council of the British Humanist Association?
Ans. In 1963, Forster became a member of the Advisory Council of the British Humanist Association and held the position until his death.
Q.18. When did Forster die?
Ans. Forster died of a stroke in Coventry on June 7, 1970, at the age of ninety-one.
Q.19. What is the setting of A Passage to India?
Ans. The setting of the novel is the imaginary city of Chandrapore, a few miles north of the Marabar Hills. It is situated on the bank of the Ganges.
Q.20. How many communities live in Chandrapore?
Ans. Three distinct communities live in Chandrapore—the Europeans, the Indians, and the Eurasians. They live in separate localities on either side of the railway line.
Q.21. From where did Forster take the title of the novel?
Ans. Forster took the title from Walt Whitman’s famous poem “Passage to India,” written to celebrate the opening of the Suez Canal.
Q.22. What does the mosque symbolize?
Ans. The mosque symbolizes Islamic brotherhood, the oneness of God, and man’s emotional nature. It is also symbolic of deep understanding between the East and the West, as well as the spring season.
Q.23. Who is Hamidullah?
Ans. Hamidullah is a Muslim barrister and the uncle of Dr. Aziz, the protagonist of A Passage to India.
Q.24. Why does Aziz come to Hamidullah’s house?
Ans. Aziz hurries to Hamidullah’s house to have dinner with his friends.
Q.25. Who summons Aziz during his dinner?
Ans. While dining with Hamidullah, Aziz receives a summons from the Civil Surgeon, Major Callendar, his superior, asking him to meet him immediately.
Q.26. How is Aziz humiliated at Major Callendar’s bungalow?
Ans. Aziz hurries to Major Callendar’s bungalow at his call, but he is humiliated there for several reasons. Major Callendar has already left for the club without leaving any message for him. According to the servant, Callendar has uttered, “Damn Aziz.” Moreover, Mrs. Callendar drives away in Aziz’s tonga without his permission.
Q.27. Why does Aziz go to the mosque?
Ans. After his humiliation at the bungalow of his boss, Major Callendar, Aziz goes to the mosque to seek consolation.
Q.28. Whom does Aziz meet at the mosque?
Ans. At the mosque, Aziz meets an English lady, Mrs. Moore, who is the mother of Ronny Heaslop, the city magistrate of Chandrapore.
Q.29. Why does Aziz shout at Mrs. Moore before her entry into the mosque?
Ans. Aziz shouts at Mrs. Moore to remove her shoes so that she does not defile the holy place. However, he apologizes when he learns that she has already taken them off.
Q.30. Why is Aziz pleased to talk to Mrs. Moore?
Ans. Aziz is pleased to talk to Mrs. Moore because, unlike other British people, she is friendly and sympathetic.
Q.31. What common ground prompts Dr. Aziz and Mrs. Moore to develop a friendship?
Ans. The common ground that prompts the emotionally hurt Dr. Aziz to develop a friendship with Mrs. Moore is her dislike of Mrs. Callendar.
Q.32. What are the surprising similarities in the lives of Aziz and Mrs. Moore?
Ans. Mrs. Moore married twice but lost both her husbands and is now a widow with three children. Similarly, Aziz also married twice, lost both his wives, and is now a widower with three children.
Q.33. What is “Cousin Kate”?
Ans. “Cousin Kate” is the name of a play being staged at the British officers’ club in Chandrapore.
Q.34. Who is Adela Quested?
Ans. Miss Adela Quested is a young woman who has newly arrived from England with Mrs. Moore. She is expected to become the fiancée of Ronny Heaslop, the city magistrate of Chandrapore.
Q.35. What desire does Adela express in the English club?
Ans. Adela Quested expresses her desire to see “the real India.” That is, she wants to meet Indians and learn about their way of life.
Q.36. What is the reaction of the English ladies to Adela’s proposal to see the Indians?
Ans. All the English ladies at the club, except Mrs. Moore, are shocked by Adela’s proposal to see the Indians.
Q.37. Why is the Bridge Party arranged?
Ans. The Bridge Party is arranged by Mr. Turton, the Collector (head of British officialdom at Chandrapore), to enable Mrs. Moore and Miss Adela Quested to meet the Indians.
Q.38. Why is Ronny Heaslop annoyed with his mother?
Ans. Ronny Heaslop is annoyed with his mother when he learns that she has met a Muslim, Dr. Aziz, and developed a friendship with him.
Q.39. What is the attitude of the British toward the Indians?
Ans. The British hold a prejudiced belief that they belong to a superior race and must not mix with the Indians, whom they consider inferior.
Q.40. What is the reaction of the Indians to being invited to the Bridge Party?
Ans. Most of the Indians are excited to be invited to the Bridge Party. However, Ram Chand requests the Nawab Bahadur not to demean himself by accepting the invitation.
Q.41. Where is the Bridge Party held?
Ans. The Bridge Party is held in the garden of the British officers’ club in Chandrapore.
Q.42. What do Mrs. Moore and Miss Adela Quested observe at the Bridge Party?
Ans. At the Bridge Party, Mrs. Moore and Miss Adela Quested are shocked to find that the Indian guests are not cordially received by the British.
Q.43. How does Mrs. Turton treat the Indian ladies?
Ans. Mrs. Turton, the wife of the Collector, reluctantly introduces Mrs. Moore and Miss Adela Quested to the Indian ladies in the rough Urdu she uses to speak to her servants.
Q.44. What is Mrs. Turton’s attitude toward the Indian women?
Ans. Mrs. Turton tells Mrs. Moore that English ladies are superior to Indian ladies, except for two or three “Ranis,” who are to be treated equally. She believes that English women are superior to any of the Indian women they meet at the Bridge Party.
Q.45. Is the Bridge Party a success?
Ans. The Bridge Party is a pathetic failure because of the indifference and ill-treatment shown by the British toward the Indians.
Q.46. How does Ronny defend the rough behaviour of the British toward the Indians at the Bridge Party?
Ans. When Mrs. Moore expresses her disgust at the way the English behaved toward the Indians at the party, Ronny defends them by saying that the English have come to India to rule, to administer justice, and to maintain peace—not to make friends.
Q.47. What is Ronny's view of British rule?
Ans. Ronny Heaslop regards British rule as a burden nobly borne by the British in their mission to civilize the so-called barbarians.
Q.48. Who is Fielding?
Ans. Cyril Fielding, a man over forty, is the Principal of the Government College in Chandrapore. He is well liked by his students and cares little about the disapproval of the club members.
Q.49. Who first arrives at Fielding's tea party?
Ans. Dr. Aziz is the first guest to arrive at Fielding's tea party.
Q.50. What does Aziz offer Fielding while he is dressing after a bath?
Ans. Aziz offers his collar stud to Fielding, who has accidentally trampled on his own stud.
Q.51. Is Fielding's tea party successful?
Ans. In contrast to the failure of the Bridge Party organized by British officialdom, Fielding's tea party is quite successful because Aziz’s impulsiveness and Fielding’s friendliness dissolve the racial barriers between the English and the Indians present.
Q.52. Who invites Mrs. Moore and Adela Quested to the Marabar Hills for a picnic?
Ans. Dr. Aziz invites Mrs. Moore and Adela Quested to the Marabar Hills for a picnic.
Q.53. What does Godbole say when asked to describe the Marabar Caves?
Ans. Godbole gives the impression that he can provide the necessary information about the Marabar Caves, but when asked to explain them, he cannot say much because he has never visited them himself.
Q.54. What do the Marabar Caves symbolize?
Ans. The Marabar Caves symbolize the primitive world of evil, chaos, and annihilation. They also represent summer, human intellect, and the failure of mutual friendship between the East and the West.
Q.55. Where are the Marabar Hills located?
Ans. The Marabar Hills are located about twenty miles to the south of Chandrapore.
Q.56. What are the special features of the Marabar Caves?
Ans. The Marabar Caves, as described by Forster, are older than Hinduism, older than mankind, older than antiquity—older than anything else in the world. All the caves are similar; they are dark, and even when they open toward the sun, very little light penetrates the entrance tunnel.
Q.57. How can the caves be approached?
Ans. The Marabar Caves can be approached through a tunnel eight feet long, five feet high, and three feet wide. This tunnel leads to a circular chamber about twenty feet in diameter.
Q.58. Who takes the initiative for the tour to the Marabar Hills?
Ans. Dr. Aziz takes the initiative for the tour to the Marabar Hills.
Q.59. Who starts the journey by train toward the Marabar Hills?
Ans. Aziz starts the journey by train with Mrs. Moore and Adela Quested. Fielding and Professor Godbole miss the train because of the latter’s long prayer.
Q.60. What is Mrs. Moore's experience in the first cave?
Ans. Mrs. Moore finds the first cave horrible, as she nearly faints due to the crush of people and the unpleasant smell inside the circular chamber.
Q.61. What kind of echo do visitors experience in the Marabar Caves?
Ans. In the Marabar Caves, visitors hear an echo that sounds like “bou-oum” or “ou-boum.” Whatever is said, the same monotonous sound is repeated and reverberates along the walls until it is absorbed into the roof.
Q.62. What is the effect of the echo on Mrs. Moore?
Ans. The echo has a terrible effect on Mrs. Moore. She loses her power of concentration and becomes confused and panicky. All hopes of understanding, union, kindness, and pity are shattered.
Q.63. What is the effect of the echo on Miss Adela Quested?
Ans. The echo has a far-reaching effect on Adela Quested, driving her to the brink of madness.
Q.64. Why does Aziz leave Adela inside the cave?
Ans. Inside the Marabar Cave, Adela asks Aziz whether he is married and whether he has only one wife, as Mrs. Turton has told her that all Muslims have four wives. This question infuriates Aziz, and shortly afterward he leaves her company.
Q.65. On what charge is Aziz arrested?
Ans. Aziz is arrested by a police inspector under the instructions of Superintendent McBryde on the charge of molesting Miss Adela Quested in one of the Marabar Caves.
Q.66. How does Fielding react to Aziz's arrest by the police?
Ans. Mr. Fielding believes that Aziz is innocent and is sure that he has been falsely accused of molesting Adela.
Q.67. How does S.P. McBryde infer that Dr. Aziz is guilty of the offence?
Ans. Mr. McBryde tells Fielding that the strap of the field-glasses found in one of Dr. Aziz’s pockets establishes beyond doubt that it was broken during the scuffle between Adela and Aziz. This, he claims, proves Aziz’s guilt.
Q.68. How does Fielding stand against his community in the club in support of Dr. Aziz?
Ans. An army officer at the British club makes an offensive remark against Dr. Aziz and accuses Mr. Fielding of being his accomplice. Then everyone except Mr. Fielding stands up in honour of Ronny Heaslop when he enters the room. Thus, Mr. Fielding stands against his community in support of Dr. Aziz.
Q.69. How does Mrs. Moore react to Aziz's arrest?
Ans. Like Mr. Fielding, Mrs. Moore is not swayed by racial discrimination. She even refuses to stand by Adela during the trial because, according to her, Aziz is quite innocent.
Q.70. Why does Ronny send his mother, Mrs. Moore, back to England?
Ans. When Ronny Heaslop finds that his mother speaks in favour of Aziz’s innocence, though he is accused of molesting Adela, he decides that she should return to England. Accordingly, Mrs. Moore accompanies Lady Mellanby to England.
Q.71. Who are the defence counsels of Dr. Aziz in his trial?
Ans. Mahmoud Ali and Amrit Rao are the two defence counsels who argue in favour of Dr. Aziz at his trial.
Q.72. How do Aziz's counsels (lawyers) win the first round against their opponents (the British)?
Ans. The defence counsels win the first round of the trial when they succeed in removing the English community from the platform where they had occupied seats.
Q.73. How do the defence lawyers of Aziz win the second round at the trial against their opponents?
Ans. The defence lawyers win the second round when the judge disapproves of the mention of Mrs. Moore’s name, as she has already left India. Besides, the judge upholds the objection of the defence lawyers since she had never been cited as a witness earlier.
Q.74. How does the Punkhawallah appear to Adela?
Ans. As Adela enters the courtroom, the first person she notices is the man who pulls the punkha—an untouchable, yet so splendid in appearance that he looks like a god as he majestically pulls the rope.
Q.75. What does the Punkhawallah symbolize?
Ans. The Punkhawallah symbolizes impersonal fate and the indifference of India—or of life itself—to individual destinies. He suggests to Adela the enigma of the universe, forcing her to question the very reason for initiating the trial.
Q.76. How does the Punkhawallah influence Adela?
Ans. As soon as Adela observes the Punkhawallah, his godlike and primitive figure not only fascinates her but also provides her with a revelation. She begins to question why she allowed the trial to take place and remembers that nothing actually happened in the cave, and that Aziz is innocent.
Q.77. Why does the crowd outside the trial court chant "Esmiss Esmoor"?
Ans. When Aziz’s defence lawyer accuses the English community of smuggling Mrs. Moore out of the country, Mr. Das, the magistrate, rules out the objection and disapproves of the mention of her name, as she has not been cited as a witness. Then Mrs. Moore’s name is Indianised as “Esmiss Esmoor” and is chanted by the crowd.
Q.78. Why does Adela withdraw the charge against Aziz?
Ans. Under the influence of the Punkhawallah’s godlike figure and the spirit of Mrs. Moore, Adela realizes that nothing actually happened to her in the Marabar Caves—it was only the echo. She confesses to the court that she has made a mistake about Aziz. Aziz is then declared innocent and released from jail.
Q.79. What is the immediate outcome of the racial conflict between the English and the Indians at Chandrapore?
Or
What is the consequence of Aziz's arrest and trial?
Ans. The immediate outcome of the racial conflict arising from Aziz’s arrest and trial is the improvement of Hindu-Muslim relations.
Q.80. What is the scandalous rumour about Mr. McBryde?
Ans. After Aziz’s trial, a scandalous rumour spreads in Chandrapore that Mr. McBryde has been seen in Miss Derek’s room and that his wife is about to appeal for a divorce.
Q.81. What scandalous rumour is heard in Chandrapore about Fielding after Aziz's trial?
Ans. After Aziz’s trial, a scandalous rumour spreads in Chandrapore that Mr. Fielding is in love with Miss Adela Quested, who stays at his house immediately after Aziz’s release from court.
Q.82. How much does the scandal about the relationship between Fielding and Adela affect the Aziz-Fielding relationship?
Ans. Dr. Aziz readily believes the rumour that Adela has become Fielding’s mistress while staying at his house after the trial. This creates misunderstanding and distance between Aziz and Fielding.
Q.83. What does the "Temple" symbolize?
Ans. The “Temple” symbolizes a meeting place for different people—even former enemies—for reconciliation. It stands for harmony, love, and hope. It also symbolizes the wet autumn, the monsoon season of India.
Q.84. Who leads the ceremony of Janmashtami?
Ans. Professor Godbole, the Brahmin and Hindu colleague of Fielding, leads the mysterious ceremony of Janmashtami (Sri Krishna’s birth) at the palace of Mau.
Q.85. How does the Janmashtami Festival at the palace of Mau help Forster realize the universality of the Hindu religion?
Ans. When people of all castes take part in a choral dance under the leadership of Professor Godbole, they feel the presence of Krishna’s birthplace and try to shower love upon one another. Professor Godbole recalls Mrs. Moore as part of the universal scheme, and Forster realizes that Hinduism stands for the unity of mankind as a whole.
Q.86. How does the collision of boats occur during the immersion of the clay model of Gokul?
Ans. It starts raining while Aziz and Ralph are boating on the river. When the clay model of Gokul (Krishna’s birthplace) is pushed into the water, Aziz and Fielding, who are in different boats, become so absorbed in the ceremony that their boats collide with each other, causing total confusion.
Q.87. What does the collision of the boats signify?
Or
What is the immediate outcome of the collision of the boats?
Ans. The collision of the boats signifies a kind of spiritual baptism or purification. Aziz, Fielding, Ralph, and Stella are plunged into the water and undergo a symbolic cleansing. The holy water seems to wash away all suspicion, hatred, and pettiness.
Q.88. What is Forster's conclusion on the question of friendship between Aziz and Fielding (between the East and the West)?
Ans. In the concluding chapter, Forster makes it clear that friendship is possible only among equals. As long as the British are rulers in India, there can be no lasting bond of friendship between the English and the Indians.
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