Important Questions for CBSE Class 7 English An Alien Hand Chapter 4 - The Cop and The Anthem

A. Very Short Answer Questions                                                                     1 Mark

1. Who is soapy in the story “The Cop and the Anthem”?

Ans: The homeless, jobless man is called Soapy in the story, “The Cop and the Anthem”.

2. Where does Soapy live?

Ans: In Madison Square, there is a park which is a living residence of Soapy.

3. What does Soapy do for a living?

Ans: As Soapy is jobless, so he does nothing for his living.

4. Which season is mentioned in the story “The Cop and the Anthem”?

Ans: The season which is described in the story is the winter season.

5. What was Soapy doing on his seat?

Ans: In a very restless way, Soapy was moving in his seat.

B. Short Answer Questions                                                                             2 Marks

1. Why was Soapy moving restlessly on his seat?

Ans: The reason behind the restless behaviour of Soapy was that winters were approaching and it became imperative for him to get a roof to live under.

2. How did Soapy know winter was approaching?

Ans: Soapy watched the things nearby such as the people demanding new warm clothes, flying off the birds to the South. These signs made Soapy think that winters are approaching.

3. What did Soapy realise seeing the signs?

Ans: Soapy realised that he has to take care of himself in this cold weather. The signs of birds flying in the South etc. indicated to him that Winters are approaching.

4. What are things Soapy couldn’t do?

Ans: The poverty of Soapy has restricted his hopes. As he couldn’t think of sailing on a boat or moving to the Bay of Naples or moving to the Southern Skies.

5. How did the riches of New York spend their winters?

Ans: Riches in the month of winters reach the shores of the Mediterranean Sea or Florida City.

C. Short Answer Questions:                                                                            3 Marks

1. Where did Soapy plan to go for winters?

Ans:  Due to his poverty, he decided to move to Prison on Blackwell’s Island for three months. The reason behind this is that there he would timely get food to eat and also a bed to sleep in this harsh season.

2. How did Soapy survive the summers?

Ans: Soapy used to sleep on a seat in Madison Square in the summer months. He used three big newspapers for the purpose. He kept some of it under his coat and some under his legs. But the same idea wouldn’t work in the winters. 

3. Did Soapy have any other choice other than the prison?

Ans: The other choice could have been wandering from building to building in search of food. This made him bear the winters under proper care.

4. Why didn't Soapy prefer to go to other places?

Ans: The other places would ask for the repayment of the favours. That's why Soapy was too high spirited to go to prison instead of other places. In Prison, they would not ask for the money and only wanted to know his identity and also make Soapy wash his entire body.

5. Why did Soapy want to go to the prison specifically?

Ans: Despite knowing the fact that in Prison he would have to obey their rules and regulations, he chose Prison only as a winter destination. This is because of the privacy which he wanted in his life, as his life would still be his own.

D. Long Answer Questions:                                                                           5 Marks

1. What was the first way in which Soapy tried to get arrested?

Ans: At the very first moment Soapy thought about getting arrested by having a meal at an extravagant restaurant and during the payment of the bill he would refuse to pay, telling them he has no money. At this, cops would be called to arrest him and then a judge would order to keep him in prison. But he was unsuccessful in his attempt because the waiter didn’t entertain him after seeing his dirty and torn shoes and clothes.

2. What was the second idea that popped into Soapy’s mind to go to prison? Did it work?

Ans: The second idea that struck him was to commit some mischievous activity. So, he saw a shop at the corner of a sixth avenue, he took a stone and threw it on the glass panes of the shop.  The cop and the people nearby gathered around it. He approached the cop that he had done it but the cop didn’t arrest him because the one who would have done it would run away after it. So, they started chasing a running man nearby. This made his second plan fail also.

3. What was Soapy’s third and fourth move to go into prison?

Ans: Soapy’s third move was like his first plan. He entered a mediocre restaurant and ate the food full stomach. At the time of the bill, he told the waiters that he doesn’t have money. Instead of calling the cops, the two waiters just threw him outside the restaurant. His fourth and last action was to steal a man's umbrella and ask him to call the cops. When cops arrived, the old man said that he found this umbrella in the restaurant and it is Soapy’s umbrella. In this way, all his attempts to go to prison failed.

4. Why was Soapy looking inside a house from outside? What flashbacks does he get?

Ans: After numerous failed attempts Soapy was stopped by a house at the corner of a lane. He recognised this house as his childhood home where he used to play. The light was coming from his living room and very sweet music was also playing in the room. He remembered his life which was having his mother, hopes, flowers, dirt-free clothes etc.

5. What happened after Soapy decided to change his life and make it better?

Ans: Just after Soapy made his mind come out of the mud and become a man again, he felt a hand on his arm. The cop asked him the reason for standing in front of the house. Soapy said nothing but it wasn’t believed by cops. As Soapy gathered all his strength to start a new life, started arguing with the New York Cop. The cop arrested him and presented him in front of a judge. The judge ordered his imprisonment of three months on Blackwell’s Island.

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