Birth Class 11 English Important Questions

Please refer to Birth Class 11 English Important Questions with solutions provided below. These questions and answers have been provided for Class 11 English based on the latest syllabus and examination guidelines issued by CBSE, NCERT, and KVS. Students should learn these problem solutions as it will help them to gain more marks in examinations. We have provided Important Questions for Class 11 English for all chapters in your book. These Board exam questions have been designed by expert teachers of Standard 11.

Class 11 English Important Questions Birth

Short Answer Type Questions :

Question. Dr Andrew had no idea that this particular night would influence his future career in Blaenelly. How did it do so?
Answer: When Dr Andrew accompanied Joe Morgan at midnight, he had no idea that this particular night was going to affect his whole future career. The doctor did his best to save Susan Morgan and revived the child. This was his first successful case and thus, a huge contribution to his medical career.

Question. Why was Dr Andrew in a state of conflict when the child was born?
Answer: Dr Andrew was in a state of conflict as he was torn between two desires. The dilemma before him was whether to save the mother first or her child. The dilemma was so urgent that he couldn’t solve it consciously.

Question. “Sometimes instincts play a vital role along with bookish knowledge.” Comment in reference to ‘Birth’.
Answer: Yes, it is true that sometimes instincts play a vital role over bookish knowledge. In the chapter, ‘Birth’, Dr. Andrew, a medical graduate, uses his instincts to get over the dilemma of saving the life of the mother or the child. Instincts help him resuscitate the child as well as save the life of his mother.

Question. Who was the old lady? Why was she afraid?
Answer: The old lady was Susan Morgan’s mother, a tall, grey-haired woman of nearly seventy. She was wise in experience. She realised that there must be a period of waiting before the delivery. She was afraid that the doctor might leave the case saying he would return later.

Question. What did the elderly midwife think of the young doctor in the beginning?
Answer: The midwife remained doubtful about the young doctor’s abilities and pessimistic about the child’s survival. Her act of keeping the child under the bed shows that she never believed that the doctor would be able to revive the child at any stage.

Question. Why was Dr Andrew in a conflicting state of mind?
Answer: Dr Andrew loved his girlfriend Christine and thought of leading a peaceful life with her by marrying her. But he had been thinking of many unsuccessful marriages.
People like Bramwell, Edward or Denny were all living unhappily due to problems in their marriages. So he was in a very conflicting state of mind.

Question. Describe the case that called all of Dr. Andrew’s attention.
Answer:The case that called all of Dr. Andrew’s attention is of the Morgan family. Joe and Susan Morgan are expecting their first child after 20 years of marriage. Consequently, the case was complicated. When the child was born, it was lifeless and the health of the mother was also bad. Dr. Andrew had to make a choice and save both their lives.

Question. What efforts did Dr Andrew make to save the lifeless-looking boy at birth?
Answer: When Dr Andrew saw the lifeless-looking boy, he realised that the boy’s whiteness meant that he was suffering from asphyxia pallida, which required a particular method of revival. So, he began a special method of respiration. So, he plunged the child into a basin of icy water followed by plunging him into very hot water repeatedly. Then, in one last desperate effort, he rubbed the boy, crushing and releasing his chest, trying to get breath into his limp body. Suddenly the child’s chest started going up and down, some mucus came out of its nose and finally the boy gave a cry.

Question. Who was Dr Andrew ? Where was he working?
Answer: Dr Andrew was a young graduate who had just passed from medical school.
He was working as an assistant to Dr Edward in the small Welsh mining town of Blaenelly.

Question. Who was Joe Morgan? Why was he waiting for the doctor when he returned at midnight?
Answer: Joe Morgan was a miner working as a driller.
He was waiting for the doctor because his pregnant wife needed medical attention. He was worried for her as she was going to deliver her first child after 20 years of marriage.

Question. How did Dr Andrew feel after saving the lives of Susan Morgan and her child? What was Dr Andrew’s reaction and why did he say so?
Answer: Dr Andrew made frantic efforts to save both the mother and her baby. It is really a very tough job to concentrate on anyone because he had to focus on both the lives. So, when he got success in it, he uttered, ‘‘I have done something; oh God! I’ve done something real at last.’’ He thanked God and felt a sense of relief. He was satisfied that as a doctor he did something strong and consequential.

Question. Dr Andrew was good enough to wait at Joe Morgan’s house till everything was over. Why did he decide this?
Answer: Dr Andrew had reached JoeMorgan’s home at midnight.
He was distressed and upset. He knew that if he went back home, he would not be able to sleep even for an hour though he needed much rest and sleep.Moreover, as the case was complicated and needed all his attention, he decided to remain there until everything was over.

Question. Why did Dr Andrew want to save the child?
Answer: The child looked lifeless when born. Dr Andrew realised, due to his medical knowledge, that the child suffered from an abnormal medical condition which made it look dead, but there was a chance of it being revived. So he made frantic efforts to save the child.

Question. Why did Dr. Andrew shiver with horror?
Answer: Dr. Andrew shivered with horror because, after a long harsh struggle, the child that was born was lifeless. He remembered the promise to keep the child and the mother safe, but the situation was not in his favour.

Question. Did the doctor accompany Joe Morgan? How do you assess the doctor here?
Answer: Yes, the doctor, without any complaint, accompanied Joe Morgan, though he was physically and mentally very tired due to his unhappy love life.
The doctor was thoroughly professional. For him duty came first and no personal problem could come in the way of attending his duty.

Question. What was the condition of the room after Dr Andrew had saved both the mother and the child?
Answer: The room was in a mess full of soiled newspapers, towels, blankets and soiled instruments. The floor was full of mud and water, as the doctor had used two basins full of water. The hypodermic syringe was stuck in the linoleum on the floor, the jug was knocked over and the kettle was on its side. On the huddled bed, the mother was lying unconscious.

Long Answer Type Questions : 

Question. “I have done something; oh, God! I’ve done something real at last.” Why does Andrew say this? What does it mean?
Answer: Dr Andrew utters these words after he was able to bring an almost stillborn child back to life, although it seemed impossible in the beginning. The child was born to Susan Morgan with a peculiar breathing problem called asphyxia pallida in medical terminology. After feverish efforts to revive the child with the known treatment for this condition, he brought the child to life.
He spoke these words out of a deep satisfaction on achieving the seemingly impossible task. He had been able to apply his medical knowledge and skill to revive a newborn child, which was a great achievement for him. He felt that God had used him as a medium to grant life to the child and Andrew acknowledged this with his words.
And also helped his career by successfully attempting his first case ever.

Question. There lies a great difference between textbook medicine and the world of a practising physician. Discuss.
Answer: For a long time, we have been hearing that there is a lot of difference between theory and practice. This is true.
Theoretical information gathered from books does not provide solutions to all problems. The medical textbook provides information about the treatment of various diseases but at times, doctors face a dilemma which cannot be solved by any theory.
In this chapter, Dr Andrew undergoes the same experience.
When the mother and son both needed his attention, he had to make a decision about who to take care of first. In this decision-making, no medical textbook could have helped him. In this case, Dr Andrew acted instinctively. He first saved the mother and then the child. He treated the mother with the traditional treatment and the child with a mixture of traditional and intuitive treatment. The net result was that both survived and his efforts were successful.
If Dr Andrew would have gone by the textbook, he might have not been able to save the mother as well as the child.
According to the textbook, the child was born lifeless.
But Dr Andrew was successful in reviving it. Hence, we see that there lies a great difference between textbook medicine and the world of a practising physician.

Question. “For doctors, the duty towards the patients is foremost, irrespective of their own personal affairs.”
Discuss with reference to the excerpt, ‘Birth’.
Answer: There is a saying that after God, it is the doctor only who can save the life of someone. A patient comes to a doctor with the hope that he would cure his illness. But we should not forget that a doctor himself is a human being. Troubles and miseries are part of his life also. He can also feel distressed and depressed. In spite of all these, a doctor has to give his duty the topmost priority.
We saw in the chapter how Dr Andrew made frantic efforts to save the lives of Mrs Susan Morgan and her child. Dr Andrew also used his intuition and medical knowledge to save the lifeless child when there was no hope.
Though he was really upset before coming to Joe Morgan’s house, Dr Andrew stayed there, as the case demanded all his attention. He could barely see his own future but was diligent enough to realise his call of duty. Hence, we can say that even though being preoccupied with his own personal affairs, he did not forget his duty and made sincere attempts to succeed.

Question. No matter what your profession is, moral values always play an important role in making you a complete human being. Explain with reference to the chapter ‘Birth’.
Answer: One of the most challenging and complex of life’s areas is the realm of moral issues and decisions. Every day of our life, in whatever profession we may be, we make moral choices and decisions that reflect our own moral orientation.
In the chapter ‘Birth’, Dr Andrew considered it his moral duty to attend to a patient inspite of his mental agony and tiredness. He spent the whole night in saving two lives. He used all his knowledge as well as instincts to revive the child and finally succeeded in making the family happy. In the end he emerged as a distinct human being who went all out to save precious lives not out of greed but because he considered it his moral duty to do his best. His efforts were applauded and he himself indulged in self-appraisal ‘on
doing something’ really good. His moral values helped him in achieving this feat.

Extract Based Questions :

Question. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.
‘‘The dilemma was so urgent he did not solve it consciously. Blindly, instinctively, he gave the child to the nurse and turned his attention to Susan Morgan who now lay collapsed, almost pulseless, and not yet out of the ether, upon her side. His haste was desperate, a frantic race against her ebbing strength. It took him only an instant to smash a glass ampule and inject the medicine. Then he flung down the hypodermic syringe and worked unsparingly to restore the flaccid woman. After a few minutes of feverish effort, her heart strengthened; he saw that he might safely leave her.
He swung round, in his shirt sleeves, his hair sticking to his damp brow.’’
(i) What dilemma is referred to in the extract?
(ii) What did the nurse do with the child?
(iii) “He swung round, in his shirt sleeves, his hair sticking to his damp brow.” Explain.
(iv) How was the doctor’s dilemma solved?
(v) What is the significance of the given lines?
Answer: (i) The dilemma referred to in the extract is the confusion between trying to resuscitate the lifeless child and the helping the mother whose health was deteriorating.
(ii) The nurse put the child beneath the bed in the middle of some newspapers.
(iii) The given line explains the condition of the author after he had saved the life of Susan Morgan who had just given birth.
(iv) The doctor’s dilemma was solved instinctively. He handed the child to the nurse and turned his attention to the mother who lay faint.
(v) The given lines are significant as they show how practical knowledge wins over theoretical or bookish knowledge.

Question. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.
‘‘A desperate sense of defeat pressed on him, a raging hopelessness. He felt the midwife watching him in stark consternation, while there, pressed back against the wall where she had all the time remained — her hand pressed to her throat, uttering no sound, her eyes burning upon him —was the old woman. He remembered her longing for a grandchild, as great as had been her daughter’s longing for this child.
All dashed away now; futile, beyond remedy… The floor was now a draggled mess. Stumbling over a sopping towel, Andrew almost dropped the child, which was now wet and slippery in his hands, like a strange, white fish. “For mercy’s sake, Doctor,” whimpered the midwife. “It’s stillborn.” Andrew did not heed her. Beaten, despairing, having laboured in vain for half an hour, he still persisted in one last effort, rubbing the child with a rough towel, crushing and releasing the little chest with both his hands, trying to get breath into that limp body.’’
(i) Why was there a raging helplessness in the situations?
(ii) What was the midwife’s reaction?
(iii) Why were the old woman’s eyes burning upon the author?
(iv) Why did the doctor not heed to the nurse’s comment?
(v) Did the doctor’s efforts become successful?
Answer: (i) There was a raging helplessness in the situation because the doctor’s efforts were not yielding any result.
(ii) The midwife was looking at the doctor and his efforts in fear.
(iii) The old woman’s eyes were burning upon the doctor because she wanted the doctor’s efforts to be successful for she was also hoping for her grandchild.
(iv) The doctor did not heed to the nurse’s comment because he wanted to give his every effort to save the child and the hopes of the Morgan Family.
(v) Yes, the doctor’s efforts became successful as the child started breathing soon.

Question. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.
‘‘It was a conclusion which, in his present state, made him wince. He wished to consider marriage as an idyllic state; yes, he could not otherwise consider it with the image of Christine before him.
Her eyes, shining towards him, admitted no other conclusion. It was the conflict between his level, doubting mind and his overflowing heart which left him resentful and confused. He let his chin sink upon his chest, stretched out his legs, stared broodingly into the fire. He remained like this so long, and his thoughts were so filled with Christine, that he started when the old woman opposite suddenly addressed him. Her meditation had pursued a different course.’’
(i) What does the author think about marriage?
(ii) Do you think the author’s wants to marry?
(iii) How does the author’s thought impact him?
(iv) How will you connote the dilemma faced by the author?
(v) ‘‘Her meditation had pursued a different course.’’ Explain.
Answer: (i) The author does not believe in marriages as the men around him didn’t have very successful marriages.
(ii) I feel that the author does want to marry his lover, Christine, but is dissuaded by the failure of marriage around him.
(iii) The author’s thoughts fill him with a dilemma because of which he is confused and resentful.
(iv) The dilemma faced by the author was between his heart and emotions that wanted to marry Christine and his brain which saw the failed marriages around him.
(v) The given line means that the old lady (Susan Morgan’s Mother) was worried about her daughter and her child’s safety which was much different from what the author had been thinking.

Extract Based MCQs :

1. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.
‘‘THOUGH it was nearly midnight when Andrew reached Bryngower, he found Joe Morgan waiting for him, walking up and down with short steps between the closed surgery and the entrance to the house. At the sight of him the burly driller’s face expressed relief. “Eh, Doctor, I’m glad to see you. I been back and forward here this last hour. The missus wants ye—before time, too.”
Andrew, abruptly recalled from the contemplation of his own affairs, told Morgan to wait. He went into the house for his bag, then together they set out for Number 12 Blaina Terrace. The night air was cool and deep with quiet mystery. Usually so perceptive, Andrew now felt dull and listless. He had no premonition that this night call would prove unusual, still less that it would influence his whole future in Blaenelly.”

Question. Despite feeling dull, Dr. Andrew decides to take the case. What does this highlight about him?
(a) He is dedicated
(b) He is underwhelmed
(c) He is patient
(d) He is boring

Question. Identify the literary device used in the last line of the passage.
(a) Metaphor
(b) Personification
(c) Foreshadowing
(d) Simile

Question. The contemplation referred to in the extract refers to
(a) Thoughts about his career
(b) Thoughts about a medical case
(c) Thoughts about his lover, Christine
(d) Thoughts about marriage

Question. Explain: “The missus wants ye—before time, too.”
(a) The pregnant lady went into labour before expected.
(b) The pregnant lady was awfully scared.
(c) The pregnant ladywanted assistance before labour aswell.
(d) It is unclear from the passage.

Question. What does the expression “walking up and down with short steps” signify about Joe Morgan’s feelings?
(a) He was stressed out
(b) He was more calm
(c) He was impatient
(d) He was angry

2. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.
Inside, a narrow stair led up to a small bedroom, clean but poorly furnished and lit only by an oil lamp. Here Mrs Morgan’s mother, a tall, grey-haired woman of nearly seventy and the stout, elderly midwife waited beside the patient, watching Andrew’s expression as he moved about the room.
“Let me make you a cup of tea, Doctor, bach,” said the former quickly, after a few moments. Andrew smiled faintly. He saw that the old woman, wise in experience, realised there must be a period of waiting that, she was afraid he would leave the case, saying he would return later.’
“Don’t fret, mother, I’ll not run away.”

Question. What is the meaning of ‘bach’ in this context?
(a) Baby
(b) Child
(c) Dear
(d) Love

Question. “Don’t fret, mother, I’ll not run away.” Why did Andrew say this?
(a) To reassure Mrs. Morgan’s mother
(b) To fulfill his obligations
(c) To break the silence
(d) To handle a critical situation well

Question. Choose the statement(s) that elaborate the description of the room.
I. The room is very bright and welcoming.
II. The room has dim lighting and a faint feeling.
III. The room is highly hygienic.
IV. The room is huge with poor furniture in it.
(a) I and II
(b) I and III
(c) Only II
(d) III and IV

Question. Why does Dr. Andrew focus on the room more than the pregnant Mrs. Susan Morgan?
(a) Because he is quickly assured that she does not need attention right away.
(b) Because he does not want to interrupt the midwife.
(c) Because the room is grand and beautiful to captivate him.
(d) Because he is bored and finds the details in the room more interesting.

Question. What are the old woman’s fears in the passage?
(a) That her daughter would not be healthy.
(b) That her grandchild would die.
(c) That the doctor was not interested in the case.
(d) That the doctor would leave.