1. Chapter Introduction
Hello students! Welcome to the notes for the final chapter of your Class 9 English Moments book: “The Beggar” by the famous Russian writer Anton Chekhov. This is a beautiful story about the transformation of a drunkard beggar into a respectable and hardworking man. It shows two different approaches to reforming a person: one through strict discipline and work, and the other through unconditional empathy and self-sacrifice. The story leaves us with a profound message that true compassion can melt even the hardest of hearts.
2. Characters Detail
- Lushkoff (The Beggar): A middle-aged man who ruins his life due to alcoholism. He lies to people to get money. However, a woman’s kindness eventually transforms him into a successful notary.
- Sergei: A wealthy advocate (lawyer) who believes in hard work. He catches Lushkoff’s lies and offers him a job chopping wood instead of giving him free money.
- Olga: Sergei’s cook. Outwardly, she is grumpy and constantly scolds Lushkoff. Inwardly, she is deeply compassionate and secretly chops all the wood for him to save him from starving.
3. Full Summary: The Beggar Class 9
The Beggar’s Lies
A ragged beggar named Lushkoff approaches a wealthy advocate, Sergei, asking for money. He claims he was a village school teacher for eight years but lost his job due to scheming. Sergei looks at the beggar closely and realizes he had seen him just the other day in another street. At that time, the beggar had claimed to be an expelled student. Sergei gets angry and threatens to call the police for cheating people.
Sergei Offers Work
Caught in his own lies, Lushkoff confesses the truth. He reveals that he used to sing in a Russian choir but was fired because of his drunkenness. Since no one would give him money if he told the truth, he had to lie. Sergei tells him that instead of begging, he should work. He offers Lushkoff the job of chopping wood for him. Although Lushkoff is weak and unwilling, he agrees out of shame and pride.
Olga and the Wood-Chopping
Sergei calls his cook, Olga, and tells her to take Lushkoff to the woodshed. Lushkoff is physically weak, wearing torn clothes, and shivering in the cold. Sergei watches from his window as Olga glares at the beggar angrily, pushes him into the shed, and throws an axe at his feet. After a while, the wood is chopped. Sergei pays Lushkoff half a rouble. From then on, Lushkoff comes on the first of every month to do odd jobs like shoveling snow, beating dust out of rugs, and arranging firewood.
A New Job and Reformation
When Sergei moves to another house, he hires Lushkoff to help pack and haul furniture. This time, Lushkoff doesn’t drink and works silently. Pleased with his progress, Sergei decides to give him better work. Knowing Lushkoff can write, Sergei gives him a letter to a friend who will offer him some copying work. Sergei feels proud that he has successfully “pushed” a man onto the right path.
The Final Encounter and the Real Truth
Two years pass. One day, Sergei spots Lushkoff at a theatre ticket window. Lushkoff is well-dressed in a coat with a fur collar. He tells Sergei that he is now a notary, earning a handsome salary of 35 roubles a month. Sergei is delighted and takes credit for saving Lushkoff from the pit of ruin.
However, Lushkoff reveals the real truth. He thanks Sergei for the opportunity, but confesses that he never chopped a single piece of wood in Sergei’s yard. It was Olga, the cook, who chopped all the wood for him. She would scold him, cry for his miserable state, and then do his work so he could get paid. Her tears, selfless empathy, and sacrifice touched his heart so deeply that he stopped drinking and changed his life completely.
4. Multiple Choice Questions (10 MCQs)
Q1. Who is the author of “The Beggar”?
(a) O. Henry | (b) Anton Chekhov | (c) Ruskin Bond | (d) R.K. Laxman
Answer: (b) Anton Chekhov
Q2. What was the real reason Lushkoff lost his job in the choir?
(a) He was old | (b) He was deaf | (c) He was a drunkard | (d) He stole money
Answer: (c) He was a drunkard
Q3. What was Sergei’s profession?
(a) Doctor | (b) Advocate (Lawyer) | (c) Teacher | (d) Businessman
Answer: (b) Advocate (Lawyer)
Q4. What did Lushkoff lie about being initially to Sergei?
(a) A village school teacher | (b) A sick farmer | (c) A retired soldier | (d) A blind man
Answer: (a) A village school teacher
Q5. Who was Olga?
(a) Sergei’s wife | (b) Sergei’s daughter | (c) Lushkoff’s sister | (d) Sergei’s cook
Answer: (d) Sergei’s cook
Q6. What work did Sergei offer to Lushkoff at his house?
(a) Cleaning the house | (b) Chopping wood | (c) Cooking food | (d) Driving his car
Answer: (b) Chopping wood
Q7. Where did Sergei meet Lushkoff after two years?
(a) At a restaurant | (b) In the court | (c) At a theatre ticket window | (d) On a train
Answer: (c) At a theatre ticket window
Q8. What had Lushkoff become when Sergei met him after two years?
(a) A teacher | (b) A notary | (c) A singer | (d) An advocate
Answer: (b) A notary
Q9. How much did Lushkoff earn as a notary?
(a) 25 roubles | (b) 30 roubles | (c) 35 roubles | (d) 40 roubles
Answer: (c) 35 roubles
Q10. Who actually chopped the wood for Lushkoff?
(a) Sergei | (b) Olga | (c) Lushkoff himself | (d) Sergei’s servant
Answer: (b) Olga
5. Short Answer Questions (30-40 Words)
Q1. Why did Sergei threaten to call the police on Lushkoff?
Ans. Sergei threatened to call the police because he caught Lushkoff lying. That day, Lushkoff claimed to be an unemployed school teacher, but a few days earlier, Sergei had seen him begging by claiming to be an expelled student.
Q2. Why did Lushkoff agree to chop wood for Sergei if he didn’t want to?
Ans. Lushkoff was physically weak from drinking and didn’t want to work. However, he agreed to chop wood because his pride and shame were challenged. He had been trapped by his own words when Sergei offered him honest work instead of charity.
Q3. How did Olga treat Lushkoff initially?
Ans. Outwardly, Olga treated Lushkoff with immense anger and disgust. She glared at him, shoved him into the shed, and threw an axe at his feet. She constantly scolded him and called him a miserable drunkard.
Q4. What new job did Sergei give Lushkoff and why?
Ans. When Sergei moved houses, he saw that Lushkoff helped pack the furniture soberly. Knowing Lushkoff could write, Sergei gave him a letter to a friend, recommending him for an easier and more respectful job of copying documents.
Q5. How did Sergei react when he saw Lushkoff at the theatre?
Ans. Sergei was delighted to see Lushkoff well-dressed and working as a notary earning 35 roubles a month. He felt very proud of himself, believing that his strict discipline and offer of work had successfully reformed the beggar.
6. Long Answer Questions (60-80 Words)
Q1. Give a brief character sketch of Olga.
Ans. Olga is the cook in Sergei’s house. She appears to be an angry, grumpy, and harsh woman from the outside. She scolds Lushkoff, glares at him, and calls him names. However, beneath this tough exterior lies a very tender, empathetic, and compassionate heart. She pities Lushkoff’s miserable condition. Knowing he is too weak to chop wood, she secretly chops all the wood for him while crying for his ruined life. Her selfless sacrifice and genuine concern ultimately transform Lushkoff.
Q2. Sergei says, “I am happy that my words have taken effect.” Why does he say so? Is he right in saying this?
Ans. Sergei says this when he meets Lushkoff at the theatre ticket window and finds out that he is now a respectable notary earning a good salary. Sergei believes that his scolding, his threat to call the police, and his offer of hard work (chopping wood) were the reasons Lushkoff stopped begging and reformed. He is only partially right. While Sergei provided the opportunity for work, he was completely unaware that it was actually Olga’s empathy and physical help that truly changed Lushkoff’s heart.
Q3. Compare Sergei and Olga’s methods of reforming Lushkoff.
Ans. Sergei believed in strict discipline and the value of hard work. He scolded Lushkoff for lying and forced him to earn his money by chopping wood. His approach was logical and practical. On the other hand, Olga’s approach was deeply emotional and compassionate. She scolded him out of concern, cried for his ruined life, and did his hard labor for him because he was too weak. While Sergei provided the path, it was Olga’s unconditional empathy and selfless sacrifice that actually triggered Lushkoff’s inner transformation.
Q4. How did Olga save Lushkoff? What is the moral of the story?
Ans. Olga saved Lushkoff by taking pity on his weak, drunken state. Instead of just letting him fail or starve, she chopped all the wood for him so he could earn money. She shed tears of sorrow seeing him destroy his life. Her pure empathy and selfless actions made Lushkoff realize his mistakes, giving him the emotional strength to quit drinking and rebuild his life. The moral of the story is that while strictness can guide a person, it is true compassion, love, and empathy that can truly reform a fallen soul.
