Important Questions The Proposal Chapter 9 English Class 10 CBSE Board

Short Questions with Answers

Question 1: Who is the playwright of The Proposal?
Answer: Anton Chekhov.

Question 2: What is the name of Chubukov’s daughter?
Answer: Natalya Stepanovna.

Question 3: How old is Natalya?
Answer: Twenty-five years old.

Question 4: Who comes to propose to Natalya?
Answer: Ivan Vassilevitch Lomov.

Question 5: What land do Lomov and Natalya quarrel about?
Answer: Oxen Meadows.

Question 6: How old is Lomov?
Answer: Thirty-five years old.

Question 7: Name Chubukov’s pet insult for Lomov.
Answer: Intriguer.

Question 8: What is the name of Lomov’s dog?
Answer: Guess.

Question 9: What is the name of Natalya’s dog?
Answer: Squeezer.

Question 10: How does the play end?
Answer: Lomov and Natalya agree to marry but continue quarrelling.

Long Questions with Answers

Question 1: What is the central theme of Anton Chekhov’s play The Proposal?
Answer: The central theme is the materialistic approach of wealthy families who encourage marriages for economic benefits rather than love. It also highlights human weakness for quarrels over petty issues like land and dogs.

Question 2: Why does Lomov decide that he must marry?
Answer: Lomov feels he must marry because he is already 35, suffers from health problems like palpitations, and believes a quiet, settled life will suit him. He thinks Natalya is a good housekeeper, well-educated, and not bad-looking, making her a suitable choice.

Question 3: Describe the quarrel between Lomov and Natalya over Oxen Meadows.
Answer: Lomov insists that Oxen Meadows belong to him, citing old documents. Natalya strongly claims they are hers, as her family has used them for generations. The quarrel escalates, with both refusing to yield, and Chubukov joins in, supporting his daughter.

Question 4: How does Chubukov initially react to Lomov’s proposal?
Answer: At first, Chubukov suspects Lomov has come to borrow money. But when Lomov reveals his intention to marry Natalya, Chubukov becomes overjoyed, embraces him, and blesses the union enthusiastically.

Question 5: What role does Chubukov play in the quarrels between Lomov and Natalya?
Answer: Instead of calming them down, Chubukov worsens the quarrels by siding with his daughter, insulting Lomov, and hurling abuses. His behavior intensifies the conflict rather than resolving it.

Question 6: How is the quarrel about dogs similar to the quarrel about land?
Answer: Both quarrels show the characters’ stubbornness and pride. Just as they refuse to compromise over Oxen Meadows, they also argue heatedly over which dog—Guess or Squeezer—is superior, showing their tendency to fight over trivial issues.

Question 7: Why does Natalya break down in tears after learning about Lomov’s proposal?
Answer: Natalya bursts into tears and hysterics when she realizes that Lomov, whom she quarreled with, had actually come to propose to her. She regrets not knowing earlier and insists on bringing him back immediately.

Question 8: How does the play reflect human nature and weaknesses?
Answer: The play reflects human nature by showing greed, stubbornness, pride, and the tendency to quarrel over petty issues. Instead of focusing on love and harmony, the characters allow trivial disputes to dominate, revealing human folly.

Question 9: What does the character of Lomov reveal about his personality?
Answer: Lomov is nervous, excitable, and suffers from health problems, yet he is also proud and argumentative. He values property and principle over emotions, which makes him appear both comic and tragic at the same time.

Question 10: How is humor created in the play The Proposal?
Answer: Humor arises from exaggerated quarrels, the characters’ illogical arguments, sudden shifts from proposal to disputes, frequent insults, and the final irony where the marriage proposal succeeds but the quarrelling continues.