The Chapter “The Wise Judge” from class 7 English Solutions is a comprehensive and updated guide prepared by well-experienced teachers for the students studying in BOSEm (Board Of Secondary Education Manipur).
Chapter Name: The Wise Judge
Subject: Modern English
Lesson: 16
Class: 7
Board: Board Of Secondary Education Manipur (BOSEM/BSEM)
Contents: Summary, Questions and Answers, Vocabulary.
Chapter Summary
“The Wise Judge” is a short play by R.M. Seaforth about Mustapha, the Caliph of Baghdad. He disguises himself to test the wisdom of his best judge by acting as a common person. The scene is set in a street in Baghdad. The play is divided into five scenes.
In Scene I, a lame beggar named Ali asks Mustapha for alms. After receiving the alms, Ali asks for a ride to the market. Mustapha agrees, but at the market, Ali claims the horse is his own. Mustapha refuses to give it to him, so Ali suggests taking the case to court, which Mustapha sees as an opportunity for his test and agrees.
Scene II is in the Judge’s court where three cases are presented: a dispute between a writer and a farmer over a slave, a conflict between a butcher and an oil merchant over money, and Mustapha’s case with Ali over a horse. The Judge postpones decisions on the first two cases until the next day.
In Scene III, the court reconvenes. The Judge rules in favour of the writer in the slave case and punishes the farmer for lying. He also decides the money belongs to the butcher and punishes the oil merchant. In Mustapha and Ali’s case, the Judge takes them to the stables to identify the horse.
Scene IV is at the stables where both Mustapha and Ali point out the correct horse.
In Scene V, back in court, the Judge declares Mustapha as the true owner of the horse and punishes Ali. Mustapha reveals his identity and praises the Judge’s wisdom. He asks how the Judge reached his decisions. The judge explained his methods, like testing the slave’s abilities and using a water test for the money dispute. Mustapha is impressed and suggests the Judge should hold the highest office in Baghdad after him.
BOSEM Solutions for class 7 English Chapter 18
Answer the following questions in a sentence each:
Q1. How did Mustapha help Ali over and above giving him alms?
Ans: Mustapha gave Ali a ride on his horse to the marketplace.
Q2. Why couldn’t the slave tell the judge who his master was?
Ans: The slave couldn’t tell the judge who his master was because he was deaf and dumb.
Q3. Who shouted ‘Robber’?
Ans: The oil merchant shouted ‘Robber’.
Q4. To whom did the slave belong?
Ans: The slave belonged to the writer.
Q5. What punishment did the oil merchant receive?
Ans: The oil merchant received two scores of lashes as punishment.
Q6. How did the horse behave when Ali approached him?
Ans: The horse laid back his ears and made as if to sidle away.
Q7. How did the Caliph reward the wise judge?
Ans: The Caliph rewarded the wise judge by appointing him to the highest office in Baghdad after himself.
Answer the following questions in about 20-25 words each:
Q1. Why was Ali sure the judge would give him the horse?
Ans: Ali was sure the judge would give him the horse because he had poor, crippled feet and needed it more than Mustapha, who could walk.
Q2. What was the farmer’s story about the slave?
Ans: The farmer told the judge that he bought the slave only last week, claiming the writer had stolen the slave from him.
Q3. What was the butcher’s story about the money
Ans: The butcher claimed the oil merchant tried to seize his money, which tempted the merchant when the butcher tried to pay for the oil.
Q4. What was Ali’s story about the horse?
Ans: Ali said he offered a tired traveller a ride to the marketplace, but the traveller refused to dismount and claimed the horse was his.
Q5. How was the judge able to find out that the money belonged to the butcher?
Ans: The judge soaked the money in water overnight; no oil surfaced, indicating it didn’t belong to the oil merchant whose hands would have made it greasy.
Q6. How did the horse behave when Mustapha approached him?
Ans: When Mustapha approached, the horse turned towards him, thrust his head forward, and looked at him with affection.
Answer the following questions in about 50-60 words each:
Q1. Write how Ali claimed the Caliph’s horse.
Ans: Ali saw a tired traveller in the marketplace and offered him a ride. When they arrived, the traveller refused to dismount and claimed the horse was his. This led Ali to seek the judge’s intervention, claiming the horse was his due to his need and the traveller’s deceit.
Q2. What was the case between the writer and the farmer?
Ans: The writer and the farmer both claimed ownership of a slave boy who was deaf and dumb. The farmer said he bought the slave last week, while the writer claimed the boy had been his slave for years, asserting that the farmer had stolen him from the market.
Q3. How did the judge decide the case between the writer and the farmer?
Ans: The judge had the slave boy put fresh ink into his inkstand, which he did promptly and skillfully, indicating he was familiar with the task. This convinced the judge that the boy had not been a farmer’s slave, but rather belonged to the writer.
Q4. Narrate the story of the butcher and the oil merchant to show that the judge was wise.
Ans: The judge tested the butcher’s and merchant’s claims by soaking the disputed money in water overnight. No oil surfaced, proving the money wasn’t the merchant’s since his hands would have made it greasy. This clever test revealed the true owner of the money, demonstrating the judge’s wisdom.
Q5. How did the judge decide the case between Ali and Mustapha?
Ans: The judge brought Ali and Mustapha to the stables separately to observe the horse’s reaction. The horse showed affection towards Mustapha but was indifferent to Ali. Based on the horse’s behaviour, the judge decided the horse belonged to Mustapha.
Q6. What were the Caliph’s feelings about the judge at the end?
Ans: The Caliph was greatly impressed by the judge’s wisdom, comparing him to Solomon. He declared that the judge’s wisdom was a divine gift and appointed him to the highest office in the land, second only to himself.
Vocabulary
Fill in the blanks
1. When I saw there was danger, I promptly left the place.
2. After twenty miles of walking, we were almost dead with fatigue.
3. The madman was muttering to himself that he was a rich man.
4. The shopkeeper tempted me to buy a second-hand shirt.
5. A mother’s affection for her children is beyond the limit.
6. The thief tried to befriend the rich man.
7. The accused tried to declare that he was innocent.
8. Seize the man’, the police shouted.
