Important Question and Answers
Q. Where did the shepherd live?
Ans. The shepherd lived in a village in Iran.
Q. Who decided to meet him?
Ans. The king of the country heard about him and decided to meet him.
Q. What did the shepherd do to the traveller?
Ans. He took the traveller inside in the cave, gave him water to drink and a share of his meager food.
Q. How did the king feel?
Ans. The king was very much impressed by his hospitality and wise conversation.
Q. How did the king reward him?
Ans. The king rewarded him by appointing him a Governor of a small district.
Q. How did the shepherd behave after becoming Governor?
Ans. After becoming Governor, the shepherd remained as humble as ever.
Q. What did the other Governors tell the king about him?
Ans. The other Governors told the king that he was dishonest and secretly took his share from the tax collection.
Q. What did everyone including the Governors notice about him?
Ans. Everyone noticed that the new Governor always carried an iron box on the camel’s back.
Q. How did other people react when he was opening the box?
Ans. People standing around were curious to know the contents of the iron box.
Q. What was there in the box?
Ans. There was no silver, no gold but old blanket in the box.
Q. Why did new governor always keep the blanket?
Ans. According to the shepherd, the blanket could save him in the event if king withdraws his powers.
Q. What changes were seen in the shepherd after he became the governor of a small province?
Ans. There was no change in the shepherd’s behavior even after he became the governor of a small province. He was still as humble as ever.
Q. What impressed the king when he met the shepherd?
Ans. When the king met him, the shepherd welcomed him warmly. He took the king (disguised as a traveller) inside his cave and gave him water to drink and also shared his insufficient food with him. The shepherd’s wise conversation and hospitality impressed the king.
Q. What did the governors of other provinces think about the chest that the new governor carried with him?
Ans. The governors of other states were suspicious and jealous of the shepherd. They thought that he had hoarded a lot of money which he must have dishonestly stolen from the taxes collected from the people. The chest contained this secretly collected treasure.
Q. Why were the people astonished when the chest was opened?
Ans. When the chest was opened, the people were astonished to see that it contained not the secretly collected treasure, but only an old blanket.
Q. Write a few qualities that the shepherd possessed.
Ans. The shepherd possessed a lot of good qualities. He was poor and illiterate yet wise. He understood people’s sorrows and troubles and helped them to face their problems with courage. He gave sound advice to people. He was kind and just to all when he became the governor. He was friendly and hospitable to travellers. He was a fair and wise governor yet was humble.
Q. Was the shepherd worthy of being rewarded twice in the story? Why? Give your answer accurately.
Ans. Yes, the shepherd was worthy of being rewarded twice. First, the king was impressed by the shepherd’s goodness and wisdom when he visited his cave and made him the governor of a small district because he was glad with him. Secondly, when the king was doubtful about the shepherd’s honesty after hearing false stories about him, he asked the shepherd the reason behind carrying an iron box always. Hearing it, the shepherd replied in a humble way that the box contained the blanket which was his oldest friend. The blanket will protect him any time. The king was pleased to hear the shepherd’s reply. Being impressed with his honesty, he made him the governor of a much bigger district. Thus, the king’s action was justified.
Q. Honesty and wisdom are great virtues which are rewarded at the end? Support your answer with proper arguments.
Ans. It is true that honesty and wisdom are great virtues which are rewarded sooner or later. The shepherd was an honest and wise man. He shared his food with an unknown traveller and allowed him to sleep in his cave. As the stranger was the king, so he made shepherd governor of a small district. He rose to power, but remained as humble and calm as ever. He was kind and treated everyone equally with kindness. The other governors were jealous of him and made conspiracy against him to defame him. The said he was dishonest and corrupt. But he remained humble to everyone and told them the truth. He opened the box to show everything. The king was pleased with the shepherd’s wisdom and made him the governor of a much bigger district. Thus, honesty and wisdom are great virtues which are rewarded sooner or later.