The Three Questions — Class 8 English (Samacheer Kalvi)
TN State Board (Samacheer Kalvi) Class 8 English, Supplementary 3, by Leo Tolstoy. A wise tale about how to live rightly.
1. About the lesson
The Three Questions is a short story written by Leo Tolstoy in 1885 (in Russian). Tolstoy (1828–1910) was a great Russian writer, famous for the novels War and Peace and Anna Karenina.
2. Summary
A king wished to know the answers to three questions:
- When is the right time to begin everything?
- Which are the right people to listen to?
- What is the most important thing to do?
The answers given by his wise men did not satisfy him, so he went, in simple clothes, to a hermit living in the woods. The hermit was old and tired, so the king took the spade and dug the ground for him until the sun began to sink behind the trees. Through the day's events, the hermit helped the king discover the answers:
- the most important time is now (the present),
- the most important person is the one you are with, and
- the most important thing is to do good to that person.
3. Theme
The story teaches that we should live fully in the present, give attention to the person before us, and make our chief work doing good to others.
4. Glossary
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| hermit | a person who lives alone, away from society |
| spade | a tool for digging |
| bodyguard | a person who protects another |
| wise men | learned, knowledgeable people |
| sink (of the sun) | to go down / set |
5. Book-back questions (Samacheer Kalvi)
A. Read and answer
- Who wrote The Three Questions? — Leo Tolstoy.
- What were the three things the king wanted to know? — The right time, the right people and the most important thing to do.
- To whom did the king finally go? — A hermit in the woods.
- Why did the king take the spade? — To dig and work for the hermit, who was tired.
- Until when did the king dig? — Until the sun began to sink behind the trees.
B. Think and answer 6. What is the most important time, according to the hermit? — Now (the present moment). 7. What is the most important thing to do? — To do good to the person you are with.
6. Common mistakes
- Mistake: Naming the wrong author. Fix: The story is by Leo Tolstoy.
- Mistake: Saying the wise men gave the right answers. Fix: Their answers did not satisfy the king; the hermit led him to the truth.
- Mistake: Confusing the three answers. Fix: Right time = now; right person = the one with you; right thing = to do good.
7. Quick revision
- Supplementary 3 · The Three Questions by Leo Tolstoy (1885).
- A king seeks the right time, the right people and the most important thing to do.
- Unsatisfied by his wise men, he visits a hermit and digs the ground for him until sunset.
- Answers: the most important time is now; the most important person is the one you are with; the most important thing is to do good.
- Theme: live in the present and do good to those around you.
