The Treasure Within

Textual Questions and Exercises

Q1. What did Hafeez contractor have nightmares about?

 Ans. Hafeez Contractor got nightmares about appearing for a mathematics examination in which he did not know anything.
Q2. What did the Principal say to him, which influenced him deeply?

 Ans. The principal said to him how his mother toiled hard to bring him up inspite of his father’s death. She further said that he was grown up and should start taking care of himself. That he should start giving top priority to his study instead of sports.
Q3. “… that year I did not step out onto the field.” What was he busy doing that  year?

Ans. He was busy studying that year. He went for prayers, and just ate and studied.
Q4. What “distraction” did Hafeez Contractor create one day? Would you have liked to participate in the “distraction” had you been with him?

Ans. He played chor-police for an hour and even school boy loves distractions very much. Had I been with Hafeez Contractor, I would have definitely liked to particulate in the distraction.
Q5. Hafeez Contractor wanted to join the police force. Why didn’t he?

Ans. Hefeez Contractor did not join the police force because his mother told him not to. His mother told him to do his graduation.
Q6. In the architect’s office, Hafeez Contractor was advised to drop everything and join architecture. Why?

Ans. In the architect’s office somebody was making a technical drawing of a window. Hafeez observed some lacunae in the drawing and convinced that person. Then Hafeez was asked to make a drawing for a house which Hafeez did surprisingly well. They were stunned to see Hafeez’s natural talent and advised him to join architecture.
Q7. What was Mrs Gupta’s advice to Hafeez contractor? What made her advise him so?

Ans. Mrs. Gupta, who was Hafeez Contractor’s teacher in the second and third grades, advised him to become an architect when he grew up. She always said to him that he was quite useless in everything, except for his sketches, which were always very good. Therefore, she advised him to take up architecture.
Q8. How did he help fellow students who had lost a button?

Ans. When his fellow students lost a button, he helped them by cutting a button from chalk, by using a blade.
Q9. Which rules did he break as a school boy?

Ans. He broke many rules when he was a school boy. He would copy in class during Examination. Playing jobs and pranks on others. He would have gang fights and plan strategies. He was most interested in funny pranks. So he often created distractions. He also became a street Romeo.
Q10. What is Hafeez contractor’s definition of mathematics? How would you want to define mathematics? Do you like the subject?

Ans. He said that putting design, construction, psychology and sociology together, and making a sketch from all that is ‘mathematics’. I would like to define mathematics as the science of numbers, quantity and space. Arithmetic, algebra, geometry and trigonometry are some of its branches.
Q11. Is it likely that someone who is original and intelligent does not do very well at school? Should such a learner be called a failure? If not, why not?

Ans. It is likely that someone who is original and intelligent does not do very well at school. Such a learner should not be called a failure as everyone has his or her own strengths and weaknesses. Those who are academically brilliant do well in other fields. Hafeez Contractor was not a very good student. However, he had the talent for construction, and he is now one of the leading architects. Each individual has his or her own individual talents, which may or may not be visible in the academic report. That is why students should be encouraged to showcase their talents, and work on them. They should not be called failures.