King John and The Abbot Of Canterbury | Question Answers

Question Answers Of "King John and The Abbot Of Canterbury". "King John and The Abbot Of Canterbury" is a poetic story written by an unknown/anonymous English man before 1965.

The poem is narrative one and it mentions the two central characters: King John and the Abbot (Bishop) of Canterbury. The king is infamous for his wrong deeds among his people at the one side and on the other side Abbot of Canterbury is popular among people due to his popular deeds and behaviors. The king John becomes very jealous to the Abbot because of increasing rate of popularity of Abbot among English people. The popularity of the Abbot becomes so unbearable to the king that he makes a cruel plot to kill Abbot. He calls Abbot and blame him that he wants to dethrone or kill the king. And thereby, knowingly the king asks to solve the three none sense/stupid questions within three weeks, if not answered the Abbot has to accept his death. The questions are:-
1. What is the price of King John?
2. How long would the king take to travel around the world?
3. What is King thinking at the time?

King John and The Abbot Of Canterbury | Short | Question Answers:

Question No. 1: Who was the king of England at the time of story and when did he resign? (यो कथाको समयमा इङ्गल्याण्ड का राजा को थिए? उनले कहिले सम्म शासन गरे?) 
Answer: King John was the ruler of England at the time of story. He ruled the country from 1199 to 1216 A.D. He was not a good ruler because he ruled with power and unfair manners. He did great wrong and maintained right.

Question No. 2: What was an Abbot? (Abbot के हो?)
Answer: Abbot means bishop. An Abbot is the highest official of a local church. As here in this poem Abbot of Canterbury means the bishop of Canterbury in a country of England.

Question No. 3: Why was the King John hostile to the Abbot of Canterbury? (King John ले Abbot of Canterbury लाई किन शत्रु/प्रतिद्वन्दी बनायो?)
Answer: When the king heard about the Abbot of Canterbury that he was leading a life superior than him he felt hostility against him and called him in a court, and put an accusation of treason (षडयन्त्र ) against him.

Question No.4: What had the Abbot to do in order to save himself from being behead? (टाउको काटिन बाट जोगिनका लागि Abbot ले के गर्नु पर्यो?)
Answer: The Abbot was asked three questions by the king. He was given a space of two weeks to answer the questions, and warned that if he failed to give the answers he would be headed. So, he went to Cambridge and Oxford to inquire of the answers of the asked three questions.

Question No. 5: When the Abbot met the shepherd how many days had passed since the king had given him the three riddles to answer? (Abbot ले Shepherd लाई भेट्दा तीन प्रश्नको उत्तर दिने दीन कति बाँकी थियो?)
Answer: The Abbot had wasted most of the given time and when he met the shepherd only three days were left to give the answers of the questions.

Question No. 6: What did the shepherd propose to? (Shepherd ले के प्रस्ताव राख्यो?)
Answer: The shepherd suggested to the Abbot he would go to answer the dispute because he not only knew the answers of the queries but he also resemble with the Abbot so no one in the whole London town would be able to identify him, even father pop will not be able to recognize him.

Question No. 7: In answering the riddle, how did the shepherd justify valuing the king at twenty nine pence? (प्रश्नहरुको उत्तर दिँदा राजालाई जम्मा उनन्तिस पेन्स पर्छ भनेर Shepherdले कसरी सफाई दिए?)
Answer: The shepherd told the king that it is said that Jesus Christ was sold among the Jews for thirty (30) pence. The value of the king should not be more or equal to the Christ. So, if he is evaluated as only one penny less, then his worth will be twenty nine (29) pence.

Question No. 8: How did he know the answer to the third riddle? {तेस्रो riddle (गाउँ खाने कथा) को उत्तर Shepherd ले कसरी दिए?}
Answer: The shepherd knew that the king must be under the impression that the Abbot was not able to answer the questions. He must be surprised that how the Abbot was answering, so he answered the third riddle.

Question No. 9: How did king John behave on finding out that he have been deceived? (राजालाई धोका दिइएको फेला परेकोमा राजा जोनले कस्तो व्यवहार गरे?)
Answer: Unexpectedly, when the king came to know that he was being deceived he was greatly amused and showed his joy after every answer to his question, rather he rewarded the Shepherd a life time pension of four nobles a week.

Question No. 10: How did the Shepherd excuse himself from being made Abbot in place of his master? (आफ्नो मालिकको सट्टामा Abbot बनेकोमा Shepherd ले कसरी माफी मागे?)
Answer: The Shepherd excuse himself by telling the king that he was an illiterate one and can neither read nor write. Therefore, he was not fit for the post of Abbot.
Question No. 11: "Wisdom" is god gifted thing, which could be bestowed upon anyone without education, support your answer in the light of the poem, King John and The Abbot of Canterbury. ("बुद्दी" भगवानको बरदान हो, जुन कसैलाई पनि विना शिक्षा आर्जन हुन्छ। 'King John and The Abbot of Canterbury' कविताको आधारमा आफ्नो उत्तरलाई समर्थन गर्नुहोस्।) 
Answer: Wisdom is no doubt a gift of God and can be bestowed to anyone without education. The same happened in the poetic story ""King John and The Abbot of Canterbury". No doctor and learned could be able to answer the question but an illiterate Shepherd with hos wit answered all questions and succeeded to pardon his master.

Extra Important Questions:

Question No. 12: "King John" recounts a conflict between the king and the Abbot. Describe this Conflict. (राजा जोनले राजा र पादरी बीचको द्वन्दलाई प्रस्तुत गर्छ। द्वन्दको व्याख्या गर्नुहोस्। )
Answer: As the king John heard of the fame and popularity of the Abbot, he got suspicious and jealous. He gave order to bring the Abbot in his palace. As the Abbot claimed himself innocent, the king got angry and made a plan to kill him anyway. King John asked him three none sense/silly questions to the Abbot which should be answered if he is to save his life and property. Being difficult questions, the Abbot could not find the answers but his Shepherd answered and saved his master's life.

Question No. 13: "King John" recounts a conflict between the king and the Abbot. Explain the reason for this Conflict. (राजा जोनले राजा र पादरी बीचको द्वन्दलाई प्रस्तुत गर्छ। द्वन्दको कारण बताउनुहोस्। )
Answer: However, there is no great reason of the conflict. I think that the king is too much jealous of the Abbot and his fame and popularity. King John is envy of the Abbot's housekeeping and high fame. As he wanted to kill the Abbot in any cost, he accused him of treason (षडयन्त्र ) against his crown. To entrap (जालमा पार्न) the Abbot, he asked three difficult questions. Therefore, the main cause of conflict is the jealousy of the king.

Question No.14:  "King John" recounts a conflict between the king and the Abbot. How is it resolved? (राजा जोनले राजा र पादरी बीचको द्वन्दलाई प्रस्तुत गर्छ। यो कसरी समाधान भयो ?)
Answer: The conflict is between the king and the abbot of Canterbury. Both of them are popular and powerful in their positions. The conflict arises between the king and abbot. When the king asks stupid questions, the Abbot cannot answer and goes home being sad. He searched answers for those three questions everywhere but not succeeded. At the last few remaining days, his shepherd promises to answer the questions. When the shepherd reaches the palace and in disguised form and gives the satisfactory answers to the king, the King being happy pardons the shepherd and the Abbot. In this way the conflict was resolved.

Question No. 15: Describe a similar conflict you may have had with a friend, stranger, child or parent. (तपाईको जीवनमा साथीसँग, अन्य मानिससँग, बच्चासँग या बाबाआमासँग भएको यस्तै द्वन्दको उल्लेख गर्नुहोस्।)
Answer: In our life, small conflicts arise time and again in our life. I also have had a conflict with my friends, relatives or others. Last month when I was travelling in a bus for Pokhara from Kathmandu, there was a conflict with the staff of the bus. When I booked my seat from the counter and sat in my seat, a stranger entered the bus and claimed the same seat. I at once called the helper and other staff of the bus. They convinced me that it will be my seat. But as the bus passed the Kalanki, the man again quarreled with me for the seat. At that time the staffs said me to leave the seat and to sit on the last one. I denied them and discussed long. They forced me to leave my seat but I was not in mind to do so. There went a long discuss till we reached Naubise. At Naubise, I asked the driver to stop the bus and entered the police post. I have complained against the bus staff. The chief of the post ordered the driver park the bus aside. Then the police warned the staff and said not to misbehave with any passengers on the bus. All they accepted his advise and the bus was freed. In this way, the conflict was resolved.

Question No. 16: Poets usually try to teach us a lesson, share with us a vision, make us see things their way. So, to understand literature, we must move beyond the literal meaning. State what, in your opinion, are the points the poet is trying to make in poem "King John and The Abbot of Canterbury". (साधारणतय कविहरु पाठकलाई केही सिकाउन चाहान्छन्, आफ्नो विचार बाँड्न चाहान्छन्, र उनीहरुका आँखाबाट हामीलाई चीजहरु देखाउछन्। त्यसैले साहित्य बुझ्न यसको सतही अर्थ भन्दा अलिक भित्र पस्नुपर्छ। तपाईको विचारमा राजा जोन कवितामा कविले कस्ता मान्यताहरु राखेका छन्। ) 
Answer: In my opinion, the poet in the poem "King John and The Abbot of Canterbury" is trying to make following point: generally people in higher positions are jealous and envious to others. They are always suspicious. To be envious of others' progress and popularity is human nature. Intellegence can be in both the literate as well as the illiterate. Worldly experience is more important than bookish knowledge. Sometimes, very small thing can be useful and most important.

Question No. 17: Poets usually try to teach us a lesson, share with us a vision, make us see things their way. So, to understand literature, we must move beyond the literal meaning. Explain the reasons which lead you to believe that these are the points he or she is trying to make in poem "King John and The Abbot of Canterbury". (साधारणतय कविहरु पाठकलाई केही सिकाउन चाहान्छन्, आफ्नो विचार बाँड्न चाहान्छन्, र उनीहरुका आँखाबाट हामीलाई चीजहरु देखाउछन्। त्यसैले साहित्य बुझ्न यसको सतही अर्थ भन्दा अलिक भित्र पस्नुपर्छ। तपाईलाई त्यस्तो लाग्नाको कारण दिनुहोस्। )
Answer: As I read this poem, it gave me an impression of these things. For example, the king is envious and suspicious of the Abbot of Canterbury. As soon as he heard of the popularity of the Abbot, he thought of killing him. The Abbot of Canterbury was famous for his housekeeping and popular deeds and good behaviors. That is why King John was envious of him. As the Abbot tried to find the answer from learned persons of universities and could not find any one, his illiterate shepherd helped him. The shepherd was illiterate, but he answered the King's questions and saved his master (Abbot)'s life. The Oxford and Cambridge scholars and the Abbot himself could not answer the questions but the shepherd could. These reasons made me believe these points.

Question No. 18: Retell the plot of "King John" in one paragraph. (राजा जोनको कथावस्तु एक अनुच्छेदमा भन्नुहोस्।)
Answer: In the poetic story "King John and The Abbot of Canterbury", John is a king and the head of monastery is the Abbot of Canterbury. The poem revolves around the conflict of these two persona. Abbot of Canterbury is rich and popular by his good deeds and behaviors and keeps hundreds of servants and fifty of them wearing gold chain and velvet coats. This wealth and popularity seemed a challenge to King John who was not just a king and hence not popular at all. The king felt that Abbot might be doing plot against him. So, the king called him and tricked him by giving stupid three questions which he must answer within three weeks and if got no answers to be ready for beheading. The questions are (1) What is the value of King John?, (2) How fast can the king travel around the world? and (3) What the king is thinking now? Having heard those difficult questions Abbot got much confused. The Abbot of Canterbury went to Oxford in Cambridge but returned without solution. One his way back, he met his poor shepherd who promised him to answer the questions before the king and Abbot allowed him. Shepherd appeared before the king as the Abot of Canterbury and answered all the questions. The king was happy that the Abbot had kept his promise and put before him all satisfactory answers. To the first question the shepherd told that our Christ was sold for thirty penny and the King might be given for twenty nine as he was one penny less than the Lord Christ. To the second question he said that if he got up with the sun rise and rode on till next sunrise, within twenty four hours he would have traveled around the world. To the third question he said the king was taking him as the Abbot which he was not and that his poor shepherd who had come to beg pardon from the king. All the answers were quite amusing to the king and he got really impressed by the performance shepherd as Abbot. He decided to make the shepherd as the Abbot of Canterbury but the shepherd did not like the idea as he was quite illiterate and only had some common sense which often worked. The King awarded four gold coins a week to the shepherd and pardoned the Abbot of Canterbury.