Question Bank — The Adventure

Section A — MCQs (10 questions, 1 mark each)

1. What did Professor Gaitonde plan to do first upon reaching Bombay to understand the changed history?
   (a) Meet Khan Sahib (b) Visit the Asiatic Society library (c) Search for his son (d) Attend a lecture at Azad Maidan

2. The East India Company continued to exist in the parallel world because:
   (a) The Marathas were defeated at Panipat (b) The Marathas won the Battle of Panipat (c) The British defeated the Mughals (d) The Peshwas supported the British

3. Assertion (A): Gangadharpant found the presidential chair unoccupied at the Azad Maidan lecture.
   Reason (R): In that world, public lectures had long abolished the custom of having a chairperson.
   (a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
   (b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A
   (c) A is true but R is false
   (d) A is false but R is true

4. Which book provided Gangadharpant the vital evidence about Vishwasrao’s narrow escape?
   (a) His own five-volume history (b) Bhausahebanchi Bakhar (c) A journal on the East India Company (d) The Peshwa records at Town Hall

5. Assertion (A): The Marathas established supremacy in northern India after the Battle of Panipat in the parallel world.
   Reason (R): Vishwasrao and Madhavrao combined political acumen with valour.
   (a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
   (b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A
   (c) A is true but R is false
   (d) A is false but R is true

6. The phrase “de facto rulers” in the story refers to:
   (a) The Mughal emperors in Delhi (b) The Peshwas from Pune (c) The East India Company officials (d) The democratically elected bodies

7. Why did Gangadharpant decide never to preside over meetings again?
   (a) He lost interest in history (b) He had already delivered his thousandth address in the parallel world (c) Rajendra advised him against it (d) The library closed early

8. The “tiny Union Jack” on the GBMR carriages symbolised:
   (a) Maratha victory (b) British territory (c) Greater Bombay Metropolitan Railway (d) The lease of Bombay

9. According to Rajendra, the transition between worlds became possible because of:
   (a) Time travel (b) Catastrophe theory and lack of determinism in quantum theory (c) The East India Company’s expansion (d) The librarian’s permission

10. The lease of Bombay to the British was to expire in:
    (a) 1857 (b) 1908 (c) 2001 (d) 1780

Section B — Reference to Context (3 extracts, 4 marks each)

Extract 1

“This is where the British Raj begins. You are going for the first time, I presume?” Khan Sahib asked.
(i) Who is the speaker and to whom is he speaking?
(ii) What does the line reveal about the political situation in this world?
(iii) Identify the literary device used in “British Raj begins”.
(iv) What does the word “presume” mean in this context?

Extract 2

“… And then Vishwasrao guided his horse to the melee where the elite troops were fighting and he attacked them. And God was merciful. A shot brushed past his ear.”
(i) From which source is this extract taken and who is reading it?
(ii) How does this event differ from the account in Gangadharpant’s own copy of the Bakhar?
(iii) Identify the literary device in “God was merciful”.
(iv) What inference can be drawn about the importance of Vishwasrao’s survival?

Extract 3

“An unchaired lecture is like Shakespeare’s Hamlet without the Prince of Denmark.”
(i) Who spoke these words and on what occasion?
(ii) Why did the speaker use this analogy?
(iii) Name the literary device used in the comparison.
(iv) How did the audience react to the speaker’s statement?

Section C — Short Answer (5 questions, 3 marks each)

1. Why did Gangadharpant feel that history had taken a different turn before 1857?
2. How did the victory at Panipat affect the position of the East India Company in the parallel world?
3. What role did catastrophe theory play in Rajendra’s explanation of Gangadharpant’s experience?
4. Why did Gangadharpant shove the Bakhar into his pocket? What was its significance later?
5. How does the story show that “facts can be stranger than fantasies”?

Section D — Long Answer (2 questions, 6 marks each)

1. Draw a character sketch of Professor Gangadharpant Gaitonde in 100–120 words.
2. “A single event may change the course of the history of a nation.” Discuss this statement with reference to the Battle of Panipat as presented in the story (100–120 words).

Section E — Language and Writing (2 questions, 4 marks each)

1. From the unit, fill in the blanks with the correct phrases:
   (a) The Marathas _ their supremacy after the victory.
   (b) Gangadharpant _ his views at the meeting despite opposition.
   (c) The East India Company finally _ its match in Vishwasrao.
   (d) Dadasaheb was _ the background.

2. Write a diary entry (80–100 words) from the point of view of Professor Gaitonde on the evening he returned from the parallel world, expressing his thoughts about the two realities he had experienced.