[The Price of Flowers — Discourse Questions and Answers
✉️ 1. Letter
Question
Mr Gupta promises Maggie that he will visit Frank's grave at Fort Monroe and write to her. Imagine that he visits the grave after reaching India. Draft the letter Mr Gupta might write to Maggie.
Answer
Dear Maggie,
I hope you and your mother are keeping well. I am writing this letter to fulfil the promise I made before leaving London.
A few days ago, I got an opportunity to visit Fort Monroe near Dera-Ghazi-Khan. I found Frank's grave there. As you had requested, I bought some beautiful flowers with the shilling you gave me and placed them lovingly on his grave.
Standing there, I remembered you and your mother and the great love you had for Frank. I felt deeply moved. Though Frank is no longer with you, his memories will always remain in your hearts.
I hope this news gives you some comfort. Please convey my regards to your mother. Be brave and continue to work towards your dreams.
With affection,
Mr Gupta
💬 2. Conversation
Question
Maggie requests Mr Gupta to tell her seriously ill mother that Frank is alive and well. Prepare the likely conversation between Maggie and Mr Gupta.
Answer
Maggie: Mr Gupta, I have a request to make.
Mr Gupta: What is it, Maggie? Tell me.
Maggie: Mother is very ill. She is constantly worrying about Frank.
Mr Gupta: I am very sorry. Is there anything I can do?
Maggie: Mother still believes in the crystal ring. She thinks you may be able to see Frank in it.
Mr Gupta: But you know that I couldn't see anything the last time.
Maggie: I know. But could you please look into it once more?
Mr Gupta: Of course, Maggie. I can try again.
Maggie: And if you don't see anything, could you tell Mother that Frank is alive and well?
Mr Gupta: You want me to tell her that even if I don't see him?
Maggie: Yes. I know it is a lie. But Mother may not live if she continues worrying like this.
Mr Gupta: Don't cry, Maggie. I understand.
Maggie: Will you do it for her?
Mr Gupta: Yes. If my words can give her some peace, I will do it.
Maggie: Thank you, Mr Gupta. You are very kind.
📔 3. Diary Entry — Maggie
Question
Maggie is deeply shocked when she learns that her beloved brother Frank has been killed in battle. Imagine that she writes a diary entry that night. Prepare the likely diary entry.
Answer
Dear Diary,
Today is the saddest day of my life. Frank is no more. I still cannot believe that my dear brother will never return home.
Mother is heartbroken. For months we waited for a letter from him. Every day we hoped that he was safe somewhere in India. I even asked Mr Gupta to tell Mother that Frank was alive because I wanted to save her from her terrible anxiety.
Now all our hopes have disappeared.
I keep looking at Frank's photograph and the things he sent me from India. They remind me of the happy days we shared. How I wish I could see him just once more!
Frank may be far away from us, but he will always live in my heart. I will try to remain strong for Mother's sake.
Maggie
🖊️ 4. Diary Entry — Mr Gupta
Question
Mr Gupta learns that Frank had already been dead when he told Mrs Clifford that Frank was alive and well. He feels deeply disturbed. Prepare the diary entry Mr Gupta might have written that night.
Answer
Dear Diary,
I received painful news today. Frank has been killed while fighting on the Frontier.
What troubles me even more is that when I told Mrs Clifford that her son was alive and well, Frank had already been dead for several days.
I know that I told the lie only because Maggie begged me to comfort her seriously ill mother. My words gave Mrs Clifford hope, and she recovered. Yet I cannot escape a feeling of guilt.
Was I wrong to lie? I do not know. I only wanted to relieve the suffering of a helpless mother.
I had planned to visit Maggie and Mrs Clifford before leaving London, but now I do not have the courage to face them. Perhaps my lie was wrong, but it was born out of compassion. I hope they will forgive me.
Mr Gupta
📝 5. Write-up
Question
“True love is expressed through sacrifice.” Prepare a write-up based on Maggie's love for her family in The Price of Flowers.
Answer
Love and Sacrifice
The Price of Flowers presents Maggie as a beautiful example of love and sacrifice. Though she is only a young girl, she works as a typist to support her widowed mother.
Maggie dreams of becoming a secretary and earning more money. Her ambition is not selfish. She wants to take her mother away from their poor neighbourhood and provide her with a better life.
Her love for her brother Frank is equally deep. When no news comes from him, she becomes anxious. When her mother's health is affected by worries about Frank, Maggie even requests Mr Gupta to tell a compassionate lie so that her mother can find some peace.
The finest expression of Maggie's love comes after Frank's death. She gives Mr Gupta a shilling earned through her hard work and asks him to buy flowers and place them on Frank's grave. For a poor girl like Maggie, the shilling is precious. Yet she willingly gives it away.
Thus, Maggie shows that true love is not merely expressed through words. Love becomes meaningful when we are willing to make sacrifices for those we care about.
🎤 6. Speech
Question
Your school is organising a programme on “The Power of Kindness.” You are asked to deliver a speech connecting the theme with Mr Gupta's actions in The Price of Flowers. Prepare the speech.
Answer
Respected teachers and my dear friends,
Today I would like to speak about “The Power of Kindness.”
Kindness does not always require money or great deeds. Sometimes a few comforting words can change another person's life. We see this beautifully illustrated in The Price of Flowers.
Mr Gupta meets Maggie and her mother, Mrs Clifford, in London. Though they belong to a different country and culture, he understands their suffering and becomes their friend.
Mrs Clifford is seriously worried about her son Frank, who is serving as a soldier in India. Her anxiety eventually affects her health. When Maggie requests Mr Gupta to tell her mother that Frank is alive and well, he agrees because he wants to give the sick woman hope.
His comforting words bring peace to Mrs Clifford and help her recover.
The story teaches us that kindness crosses all barriers of nationality, culture and social position. A kind word, a helping hand or a little understanding can make a great difference in someone's life.
Let us therefore try to make kindness a part of our everyday lives.
Thank you.
🎙️ 7. Interview
Question
Imagine that a reporter meets Maggie after learning about her life and her relationship with Frank. Prepare six questions for an interview with Maggie and the likely responses.
Answer
Reporter: Maggie, could you tell us something about your family?
Maggie: I live with my widowed mother in Lambeth. My elder brother Frank was a soldier serving in India.
Reporter: Why did you start working at such a young age?
Maggie: Our financial condition was poor, and my mother was old. I wanted to help her.
Reporter: Were you happy with your job as a typist?
Maggie: Not really. It was mechanical work. I wanted to become a secretary and do work that would make me use my brain.
Reporter: Why were you so interested in meeting Mr Gupta?
Maggie: He was an Indian, and my brother was in India. Mother and I were worried about Frank, and we hoped Mr Gupta could tell us more about the country.
Reporter: Why did you ask Mr Gupta to tell your mother that Frank was alive?
Maggie: Mother was seriously ill because of her anxiety about Frank. I hoped that hearing he was safe would give her peace and help her recover.
Reporter: Why did you give Mr Gupta a shilling?
Maggie: I wanted him to buy flowers and place them on Frank's grave for me. It was the only way I could express my love for my brother from so far away.
📰 8. Newspaper Report
Question
Imagine that Frank's death on the Northwest Frontier is reported in a local newspaper. Prepare a brief newspaper report.
Answer
SOLDIER KILLED IN FRONTIER FIGHTING
London: Francis Clifford, a young British soldier serving in India, has been killed while fighting on the Northwest Frontier.
Clifford, known as Frank to his family, had been serving with his regiment in India for some time. His widowed mother and younger sister Maggie, who live in Lambeth, had been anxiously waiting for news from him.
According to information received by the family, Frank was killed during fighting on the Frontier and was buried at Fort Monroe near Dera-Ghazi-Khan.
His death has brought deep sorrow to his mother and sister, who had been hoping for his safe return.
📧 9. Email
Question
Imagine that Maggie has access to email. After Mr Gupta returns to India, she sends him a message reminding him of his promise to visit Frank's grave. Draft the email.
Answer
To: Mr Gupta
Subject: Remembering Frank
Dear Mr Gupta,
I hope you reached India safely and are doing well.
Mother and I often remember your kindness to us during our difficult days. Your friendship and comforting words meant a great deal to us.
I am writing to remind you of your promise to visit Frank's grave at Fort Monroe whenever you get an opportunity. I hope the shilling I gave you will be enough to buy some flowers. Please place them on his grave for me.
I would be very grateful if you could write to me after your visit and tell me about the place where my brother rests.
Please take care.
With gratitude,
Maggie
📖 10. Review
Question
You have read Prabhat Kumar Mukhopadhyay's The Price of Flowers. Prepare a review of the story.
Answer
Review of The Price of Flowers
The Price of Flowers by Prabhat Kumar Mukhopadhyay is a touching short story about love, compassion, sacrifice and human relationships.
The story centres on Mr Gupta, an Indian living in London, and his friendship with a poor English girl named Maggie and her widowed mother. Maggie's brother Frank is serving as a soldier in India. When the family receives no news from him, Maggie and her mother become extremely anxious.
Mr Gupta comforts them and gradually becomes close to the family. When Mrs Clifford becomes seriously ill, he tells her that Frank is alive and well, though he has no evidence for it. His compassionate words give her hope and help her recover. Later, however, they learn that Frank has been killed.
The most moving moment occurs when Maggie gives Mr Gupta a shilling from her hard-earned money and asks him to buy flowers for Frank's grave. Her small sacrifice expresses her immense love for her brother.
The characters, especially Maggie and Mr Gupta, are presented realistically and sympathetically. The simple language, natural dialogues and emotional ending make the story memorable.
The story conveys the message that love, kindness and compassion transcend differences of nationality, culture and wealth. The title is highly appropriate because the real “price” of the flowers is Maggie's love and sacrifice.
The Price of Flowers is therefore a deeply moving story that leaves a lasting impression on the reader.]
[Note Capsule Notes Storyboard Essays Paragraph Questions Character Sketches Malayalam Summary Grammar Discourse Questions ]
[Prepared By Sindhu.P,HSST English ,GGHSS Kallai]