The Enemy Important Questions Class 12 English

The Enemy Important Questions class 12

Short Answer Type Questions (3-4 Marks)

Question 1. Why did the General spare the American soldier? (All India 2009)

Answer: The General had his own selfish interest in sparing the American soldier. He knew Dr. Sadao was indispensable to him and did not want him to be arrested. He did not trust other surgeons. In his capacity as a General he should have had the American soldier arrested but he refrained from it in his personal self-interest.

Question 2. Why was Dr. Sadao not sent to the battlefield? (All India 2009)

Answer: Dr. Sadao was a skilled and reputed surgeon who was in the process of perfecting an invention of rendering wounds totally clean. Moreover, he was treating the old General who could need an operation. So he was not sent to the battlefield as his valuable services could be needed at any time in his hometown.

Question 3. Why did the messenger come to Dr. Sadao? What did Hana think about it? (All India 2010)

Answer: The uniformed messenger comes to Dr. Sadao to inform him that the old General was in pain again. Hana felt relieved to hear that the messenger had come only to inform Dr. Sadao about the General’s ill-health. She had earlier feared that the servants had informed the police who had sent the man in the uniform to their house.

Question 4.
What forced Dr. Sadao to be impatient and irritated with his patient? (All India 2010)

Answer:
His patient was badly wounded and this was a cause of worry, concern and vexation for Dr. Sadao. Saving him was a challenge for his skills as a doctor and harbouring him in his house could lead to Dr. Sadao’s arrest and his treatment was the ultimate test of the doctor’s patience.

Question 5.
In what context does Hana remember General Takima? What does she infer? (All India 2010)

Answer:
Hana remembers General Takima who at home used to beat his wife cruelly though no one now mentioned it ever since he had fought a victorious battle in Manchuria. She inferred that if a man like him could be so cruel to a woman in his power, he would be extremely cruel to the wounded American soldier.

Question 6.
How did Hana help Dr. Sadao while he operated upon the enemy soldier? (Comptt. Delhi 2010)

Answer:
First Hana washes the wounded man’s face and body with warm water till it was quite clean. She then assists Dr. Sadao during the operation even though she has never even witnessed an operation before. She brings in the towels and though she is not comfortable at the sight of the bleeding wound she gives anaesthesia to the patient.

Question 7.
What was the old gardener’s reaction when Dr. Sadao gave shelter to the enemy soldier? (Comptt. All India 2010)

Answer:
Like all the servants the gardener did not like Sadao’s efforts to save a wounded American
soldier. He felt it was unpatriotic to give shelter to a prisoner of war. He felt if his master healed what first the gun and then the sea did, they would be avenged.

Question 8.
How did Dr. Sadao ensure that the American sailor left his house but he himself remained safe and secure? (Delhi 2011)

Answer:
Dr. Sadao offered his personal boat with food and extra clothing to the American soldier when he left his house. He then advised the soldier to go to a nearby island where no one lived and escape from there by boarding a Korean fishing boat. Dr. Sadao then informed the General that the soldier had escaped.

Question 9.
Why did Hana wash the wounded soldier herself? (Delhi 2011)

Answer:
Hana had to wash the wounded soldier herself because Yumi, the maid, refused to wash a ‘dirty white man’. Moreover Hana felt necessary to help her husband. Her qualities of head and heart enable her to take a balanced view about the wounded soldier, even though he was an American.

Question 10.
How does the writer indicate that Dr. Sadao’s father was a very traditional and conventional man? (Delhi 2011)

Answer:
Though Dr. Sadao and Hana had fallen in love in America, he got married to her only after his father approved of her. His father always wanted Sadao to get married to a girl who was pure in her race. Dr. Sadao’s marriage to Hana was arranged by his father in the old Japanese way indicating that he was a traditional and conventional man.

Question 11.
How did Dr. Sadao plan the American prisoner’s escape? (Comptt. Delhi 2011)

Answer: Dr. Sadao made elaborate arrangements for the prisoner’s safe escape. The prisoner was made to row to a nearby island where no one lived. All the necessary things were given to him. He was told to signal two flashes if he ran out of food. When Dr. Sadao received no signal, he was convinced the prisoner had escaped safely.

Question 12.
Did Hana think the Japanese tortured their prisoners of war? Why? (Delhi 2012)

Answer:
When Hana noticed the deep red scars on the American soldier’s neck, she worriedly hoped that he had not been tortured by the Japanese. She knew it was a common practice for the Japanese to torture their prisoners of war in the most brutal manner.

Question 13.
Why had Hana to wash the wounded man herself? (Delhi 2012)

Answer:
Hana had to wash the wounded soldier herself because Yumi, the maid, refused to wash a ‘dirty white man’. Moreover Hana felt necessary to help her husband. Her qualities of head and heart enable her to take a balanced view about the wounded soldier, even though he was an American.

Question 14.
What help did Dr. Sadao seek from Hana while operating on the wounded white man? (Delhi 2012)

Answer:
Dr. Sadao sought Hana’s help while operating on the wounded white man. She assisted Dr. Sadao during the operation even though she had never even witnessed an operation before. She brought in the towels and though she was not comfortable at the sight of the bleeding wound she gave anaesthesia to the patient.

Question 15.
Who sent a messenger to Dr. Sadao? What for? (Comptt. All India 2012)

Answer:
The old General sent a messenger to Dr. Sadao to inform him the General was in pain again and needed Dr. Sadao’s immediate attention. The General preferred to be treated by Dr. Sadao who had the reputation of being thoroughly professional in his job.

Question 16.
What forced Dr. Sadao to be impatient and irritable with his patient? (All India 2013)

Answer:
Hana had never seen an operation and the sight of Dr. Sadao operating on the soldier made her sick and she rushed out to the garden to retch. Dr. Sadao knew how distressed Hana was and his inability to go to her made him impatient and irritable with his patient because of whom he could not be with his wife.

Question 17.
In what context does Hana remember the cruel nature of General Takima? (All India 2013)

Answer:
Hana remembers General Takima who at home used to beat his wife cruelly though no one now mentioned it ever since he had fought a victorious battle in Manchuria. She inferred that if a man like him could be so cruel to a woman in his power, he would be extremely cruel to the wounded American soldier.

Question 18.
What made a cool surgeon like Sadao speak sharply to his wife and what was her reaction? (All India 2013)

Answer:
While Sadao was operating on the American soldier, Hana, his wife choked on seeing so much blood. Dr. Sadao looked up and saw her sulphur coloured face. At that moment he retorted sharply to his wife telling her not to faint. Hana clapped her hands to her mouth and ran out of the garden to retch.

Question 19.
How nearly had Dr. Sadao missed marrying Hana? (Comptt. Delhi 2013)

Answer:
Dr. Sadao had met Hana literally by chance at an American professor’s house. He actually did not want to go there as the rooms of the house were small, the food was bad and the professor’s wife was rather voluble. But nevertheless he had gone and there he had found Hana.

Question 20.
In what condition was the American sailor when Dr. Sadao found him?(Comptt. All India 2013)

Answer:
When Dr. Sadao found the American sailor the latter was badly wounded and unconscious. Blood was flowing freshly when Dr. Sadao touched his wound. On the right side of the sailor’s lower back Dr. Sadao saw that the gun wound had reopened and the flesh was blackened with powder.

Question 21.
Do you think Dr. Sadao’s final decision was the best possible one in the circumstances? Why/Why not? Explain with reference to the story, ‘The Enemy’. (Delhi 2013)

Answer:
Dr. Sadao rose above narrow prejudices of race and country and not only saved the young American soldier from dying, but also helped him to escape. Basic human goodness overpowered Dr. Sadao and the final decision that he took was indeed the best possible one in the circumstances. He could not hand over a dying man, even if he was an enemy, to the police. The ethics of his profession had taught him to save a dying man. His essential love for humanity and his sincerity towards his duty as a doctor transcend all other narrow considerations. As a doctor, it was his duty to save a dying man and so he put aside all other options and respected the ideals and principles of his profession.

Question 22.
Why did Dr. Sadao treat the American soldier even though it was an unpatriotic act on his part? (Comptt. All India 2014)

Answer:
Dr. Sadao rose above narrow prejudices of race and country and treated the wounded American soldier. Basic human goodness overpowers him and he treats the American soldier. Being a doctor, it was his duty to save a dying man even though he belonged to the enemy’s camp.

Question 23.
Why did the General not order immediate arrest of Dr. Sadao who had sheltered a white man? (Comptt. All India 2014)

Answer:
After knowing that Dr. Sadao had operated on the white man with such success, the General realized how indispensable Dr. Sadao was to him. He was the only one who could save him. So he could not let Dr. Sadao be arrested lest he required Dr. Sadao’s medical expertise to save his own life.

Question 24.
How did Hana help Dr. Sadao? (Comptt. All India 2014)

Answer:
First Hana washes the wounded man’s face and body with warm water till it was quite clean. She then assists Dr. Sadao during the operation even though she has never even witnessed an operation before. She brings in the towels and though she is not comfortable at the sight of the bleeding wound she gives anaesthesia to the patient.

Question 25.
In what condition did Dr. Sadao find the American soldier at the seashore? (All India 2015)

Answer:
When Dr. Sadao first saw the American soldier at the sea shore, he was crawling on his hands and knees and then he fell on his face. He was badly wounded and lay motionless. Blood flowed freshly when Dr. Sadao touched his wound and the man moaned in pain.

Question 26.
What role did the American professor play in bringing Hana and Sadao together? (All India 2015)

Answer:
The American professor and his wife had been kind people who were anxious to do something for their few foreign students and the students, though bored, accepted this kindness. It was at the professor’s house that Dr. Sadao had met Hana, a new student, and had felt that he would love her if it were at all possible.

Question 27.
What was Sadao’s father’s dream for him? How did Sadao realise it? (All India 2015)

Answer:
Dr. Sadao’s father had spent infinite pains on his only son and his education had been his father’s chief concern. He had sent Dr. Sadao at the age of 22 to America to learn all that could be learned of surgery and medicine. Before his father’s death, Dr. Sadao ensured that he saw him not only as a surgeon but also as a scientist.

Question 28.
Dr. Sadao was a patriotic Japanese as well as a dedicated surgeon. How could he honour both the values? (Delhi 2015)

Answer:
Dr. Sadao was indeed a patriotic Japanese as well as a dedicated surgeon. An American run away prisoner in a badly wounded condition is washed ashore on Japanese doctor Sadao’s doorstep. The doctor is initially a little hesitant to save the prisoner’s life when he discovers the latter’s real identity. But being a dedicated surgeon he decides to treat the enemy soldier. He is able to save the prisoner’s life but being a patriotic Japanese he informs a superior Japanese Army General about the prisoner’s presence in his house and even agrees to have him killed by the General’s assassins. He waits for the assassins to carry out their job but when they do not arrive, he gives the prisoner his boat and helps him to escape safely thus honouring both the values that he was a patriotic Japanese as well as a dedicated surgeon.

Question 29.
Dr. Sadao faced a dilemma. Should he use his surgical skills to save the life of a wounded person or hand an escaped American P.O.W. over to the Japanese police? How did he re-solve this clash of values? (All India 2015)

Answer:
Dr. Sadao gives priority to his professional ethics over his patriotism and uses his surgical skills to save the life of a wounded man even though he belonged to the enemy’s camp. He rises above narrow prejudices and realizes his duty as a doctor. The surgeon in him instinctively inspires him to operate upon the dying soldier and save his life. But he is also a responsible and patriotic citizen of his country so he decides to inform a senior Japanese Army General about the prisoner’s presence in his house and even agrees to have him killed by the General’s assassins. He even spends three restless nights waiting for the assassins to carry out their job. But the assassins did not arrive. In this way, Dr. Sadao is able to resolve the clash of his values and appease his conscience of having done his duty as a responsible citizen of his country.

Question 30.
How did the arrival of the prisoner destroy the peace of Sadao’s home? (Comptt. Delhi 2015)

Answer:
The arrival of the prisoner does destroy the peace of Sadao’s home. At the onset Dr. Sadao and his wife are anxious and confused whether they should save the wounded soldier who they know is an American. The servants in Dr. Sadao’s house are against his decision of harbouring a soldier from the enemy’s camp. Yumi refuses to wash the American soldier as he was a white man. The cook and gardener criticise Dr. Sadao and threaten to leave the house. Finally all the servants leave Dr. Sadao’s home and Hana, Dr. Sadao’s wife stands by him but is in constant terror. The messenger from the General frightens Hana. She fears her husband will be condemned as a traitor. Dr. Sadao himself is in a dilemma. Being a patriotic Japanese citizen he doubts the rightness of his act. It is only after the prisoner leaves that things start getting normal in Dr. Sadao’s house.

Question 31.
What was his father’s chief concern about Dr. Sadao? (Delhi 2016)

Answer:
Sadao’s education was his father’s chief concern. For this reason he had sent Sadao to America to learn all that could be learned about surgery and medicine. Before his death he had seen Sadao become famous not only as a surgeon but as a scientist.

Question 32.
Why was Dr. Sadao not sent abroad along with the troops? (Delhi 2016)

Answer: Dr. Sadao was firstly perfecting a discovery which would render wounds entirely clean, so he had not been sent abroad with the troops. Moreover, there was a possibility that the old General might need an operation, and for this Dr. Sadao was being kept in Japan.

Question 33.
Where, when and how did Dr. Sadao meet Hana? (Delhi 2016)

Answer:
Dr. Sadao met Hana in America. He met her in the most casual way, literally by chance, at an American professor’s house. The hospitable Professor Harley and his wife were anxious to do something for the foreign students and thus had invited them over. Dr. Sadao had actually nearly decided not to go to Professor Harley’s house that night because of the bad food and the professor’s voluble wife, but finally he had gone and there he had met Hana.

Question 34.
Where and how did Sadao meet Hana in America? (Comptt. Delhi 2016)

Answer:
Dr. Sadao met Hana in America. He met her in the most casual way, literally by chance, at an American professor’s house. The hospitable Professor Harley and his wife were anxious to do something for the foreign students and thus had invited them over. Dr. Sadao had actually nearly decided not to go to Professor Harley’s house that night because of the bad food and the professor’s voluble wife, but finally he had gone and there he had met Hana.

Question 35.
What did Dr. Sadao understand more about the wound on peering into it? (Comptt. All India 2016)

Answer:
After peering into the American soldier’s wound Dr. Sadao understood that he had been shot some days ago and had not been tended to. The bullets were still there in his body, though they had not reached the kidney.

Question 36.
What dilemma did Dr. Sadao face? (Comptt. Delhi 2017)

Answer:
Dr. Sadao finds an unconscious wounded white soldier on a lonely coast near his house. Since Japan was at war with America Dr. Sadao faces a dilemma between national loyalty and his duty as a doctor. He is confused as to whether he should hand over the enemy to the Japanese authorities, or being a doctor do his foremost duty and attend to a wounded man and save his life.

Question 37.
Why did Dr. Sadao’s servants leave his service? (Comptt. Delhi 2017)

Answer:
Japan was at war with America. Dr. Sadao was nursing a wounded American soldier. The servants did not approve of Dr. Sadao’s generosity who was trying to give an American a new lease of life. They thought Dr. Sadao was doing a treacherous act by helping the enemy, so their patriotic feelings made them leave Dr. Sadao’s house.

The Enemy Important Questions Long Answer Type Questions (5-6 Marks)

Question 38.
How did Dr. Sadao rise above narrow prejudices of race and country to help a human being in need? (Delhi 2009)

Answer:
An American prisoner of war gets washed away to Japanese doctor, Sadao’s doorstep. Being a doctor, Sadao gives top priority to saving the life of a dying man despite the ongoing war between America and Japan and the fact that all Americans were considered to be their enemies. Being a doctor, Sadao’s duty was to save a dying man but saving an enemy would be an act of treachery. But the doctor not only saved him from dying but did not even hand him over to the police. He rose above narrow prejudices of race and country and helped the young soldier to escape. Basic human goodness overpowers Dr. Sadao and he helps the wounded soldier first by saving his life and then by arranging his escape, risking his own life and reputation in the process.

Question 39.
Describe the difficulties faced by Dr. Sadao when he decided to help the enemy soldier.(Delhi 2009)

Answer:
A wounded American soldier who was bleeding was washed away to Dr. Sadao’s doorstep. Japan was at war with America and giving shelter to a U.S. soldier was an anti¬national activity for which Dr. Sadao could be arrested. He could be severely punished on charges of harbouring an enemy. Dr. Sadao also had to face open defiance from his servants who refused to cooperate with him and his wife. They wanted that “the white man ought to die”. Dr. Sadao was in a fix. He could not hand over a dying man, even if he was an enemy, to the police and protecting him could lead to Dr. Sadao’s arrest. But the ethics of his profession had taught him to save a dying man irrespective of all things. So putting aside his dilemma he did what he ought to do as a doctor. He not only operated upon and saved the enemy soldier but also arranged for his escape.

Question 40.
Dr. Sadao was compelled by his duty as a doctor to help the enemy soldier. What made Hana, his wife sympathies with him in the face of open defiance from the domestic staff? (All India 2011)

Answer:
Hana embodies the concept of the perfect companion who joins hands with her husband and renders all possible help to him to save the American soldier. When her servants desert her she easily steps into their place and discharges the duties of a maid and a governess most gracefully. In spite of all the tension and anxiety, she displays a great sense of efficiency and knows how to conduct herself without losing her cool. She is a cooperative and understanding wife who renders all possible help to her husband to ensure that the operation is a success. The qualities of her goodness of head and heart enable her to take a humane view about the wounded soldier even though he is an American. She plays her role of a dutiful wife and the mistress of the house with a lot of dignity and it was due to her sympathy and cooperation that Dr. Sadao was able to save the dying enemy soldier.

Question 41.
What explains the attitude of the General in the matter of the enemy soldier? Was it human consideration, lack of national loyalty, dere-lition of duty or simply self-absorption? (All India 2011)

Answer:
The General is a self-absorbed man who is too involved with his own self. He being a General, his illness and his fear of death are his main concern. It is quite surprising that he fails to send his private assassins to kill the American soldier at Dr. Sadao’s house. But here too he fears for his own self because he does not want the assassins to even accidently cause any harm to Dr. Sadao and his wife as Dr. Sadao was indispensable for his well-being and survival. So he feigns to be forgetful and chooses not to send his assassins to eliminate the soldier. It is not neglect of duty or lack of patriotism which is responsible for the General’s irresponsible attitude towards the enemy soldier. It is simply his self-interest and self-absorption that make | the General take a lenient attitude towards the j presence and escape of the American soldier from Dr. Sadao’s house.

Question 42.
Draw a character sketch of the old General in the lesson, ‘The Enemy’. (All India 2011)

Answer:
The old General is a man whose personal considerations overweight all other considerations. Even though the Second World War was in progress and a doctor of the calibre of Dr. Sadao would have proved to be a blessing for the wounded soldiers on the front, he was retained in Japan because he was indispensable to the General’s health and well being. Despite knowing about the presence of the American soldier at Dr. Sadao’s house he refrains from sending his private assassins to kill the enemy soldier. He understands Dr. Sadao’s importance for his own survival and so does not want to take a chance in case the assassins accidently harm Dr. Sadao or his wife. The General, therefore, comes across as a strange and selfish person who is actually too preoccupied with his own self. He being a General, his illness and his fear of death outweigh all his other considerations, even those towards his country.

Question 43.
How did Dr. Sadao rise above narrow prejudices of race and country to help a human being in need? (Comptt. All India 2011)

Answer:
An American prisoner of war gets washed away to Japanese doctor, Sadao’s doorstep. Being a doctor, Sadao gives top priority to saving the life of a dying man despite the ongoing war between America and Japan and the fact that all Americans were considered to be their enemies. Being a doctor, Sadao’s duty was to save a dying man but saving an enemy would be an act of treachery. But the doctor not only saved him from dying but did not even hand him over to the police. He rose above narrow prejudices of race and country and helped the young soldier to escape. Basic human goodness overpowers Dr. Sadao and he helps the wounded soldier first by saving his life and then by arranging his escape, risking his own life and reputation in the process.

Question 44.
What impression do you form about Dr. Sadao as a man and as a surgeon on your reading the chapter, ‘The Enemy’? (All India 2012)

Answer:
An American prisoner of war gets washed away to Japanese doctor, Sadao’s doorstep. Being a doctor, Sadao gives top priority to saving the life of a dying man despite the ongoing war between America and Japan and the fact that all Americans were considered to be their enemies. Being a doctor, Sadao’s duty was to save a dying man but saving an enemy would be an act of treachery. But the doctor not only saved him from dying but did not even hand him over to the police. He rose above narrow prejudices of race and country and helped the young soldier to escape. Dr. Sadao’s basic human values give him the ability to rise above petty prejudices. His essential love for humanity and his sincerity towards his duty transcend all other narrow considerations. As a doctor it was his duty to save a dying man so he put aside all other options and respected the ethics of his profession.

Question 45.
Why did Sadao Hoki go to America? Narrate his experiences there. (All India 2012)

Answer:
Dr. Sadao was a dutiful son who was aware that his education was his father’s chief concern. So at the age of twenty-two Sadao’s father sent him to America to study surgery and medicine. He had met his wife, Hana in America. He had ‘found’ Hana casually and by chance at an American professor’s house. The professor and his wife were kind people anxious to help out their foreign students. Dr. Sadao had gone to the professor’s house most reluctantly and there he had found Hana. He had not married Hana heedlessly in America. The two had finished their work at school, had come home to Japan and when his father had approved of her, their marriage was arranged in the traditional Japanese way. Dr. Sadao had returned from America at the age of thirty as a full-fledged qualified surgeon.

Question 46.
Why did Sadao help the American soldier to escape? How did he do it? (All India 2012)

Answer:
After saving the life of the American soldier Dr. Sadao could not hand him over to the police and once again throw him into the jaws of death. If he did this his whole purpose of saving a dying man would be defeated. So, Dr. Sadao decided to help the soldier to escape. He made elaborate arrangements for the soldier’s safe escape. He was made to row the doctor’s own stout boat to a nearby island. All necessary things were provided to him and he was told to signal two flashes if he ran short of supplies. He was also instructed not to signal in darkness for it could be seen. He was to wait for a Korean fishing boat and not to take the help of any other boat for his escape. Finally when Dr. Sadao received no signal from him at the appointed hour he was convinced that the soldier had escaped safely.

Question 47.
Dr. Sadao was more a dutiful doctor than a loyal citizen. Substantiate the statement by quoting suitable evidence from the story,’The Enemy’. (Comptt. Delhi 2012)

Answer:
Dr. Sadao is a dutiful doctor and when it comes to commitment towards his profession even his obligation towards his country becomes secondary to him. He brings back to life a man who is on the verge of death without caring about the fact that the person whose life he is saving is a soldier of the enemy camp. It is Dr.Sadao’s conscience and professional ethics that supercede his patriotism and so he saves the American soldier. He rises above narrow prejudices as he realizes his job as a doctor is to save a life and not to take it away. Even after he told the General everything about the American soldier he felt restless for three consecutive nights at the thought that he was actually waiting for someone to be killed. Finally, he decided to help the soldier to escape so that he could be at peace with himself and put his mind to rest.

Question 48.
What was the General’s plan to get rid of the American prisoner? Was it executed? What traits of the General’s character are highlighted in the lesson ‘The Enemy’? (All India 2014)

Answer:
The General told Dr. Sadao that the best thing would be to kill the soldier quietly and volunteered to help Dr. Sadao in it. The General planned to send two of his own private assassins to Dr. Sadao’s house at night. Dr. Sadao need to know nothing about it. According to the General’s plan, Dr. Sadao should just leave the outer partition of the white man’s room open to the garden so as to enable the assassins to enter his room. The assassins would make no noise and they knew the trick of inward bleeding and the General would also ensure that they removed the white man’s body. But the General’s plan was not executed. The General is a selfish and cruel man with no human consideration. He comes across as a self-centred person who is solely preoccupied with his own interests. Despite being a General, his illness and his fear of death overweight all other considerations, even those of his country.

Question 49.
Explain the reactions of the servants in Dr. Sadao’s house when he decided to give shelter to an enemy in the house. (All India 2014)

Answer:
The servants in Dr. Sadao’s house were openly defiant to the fact that he had decided to give shelter to an enemy in the house. They did not even enter the American soldier’s room and did not want to stay in the same house where the enemy soldier was lodged. They doubted their master’s very loyalty towards his own country. Though they were mindful of their courtesies but their eyes were cold. Yumi refused to clean the enemy soldier. The old gardener was sore that Dr. Sadao had not let the young man bleed and die. He felt if his master healed what first the gun and then the sea did, they would be avenged. The cook too was most contemptuous of the fact that their master was so proud of his skill to save life that he saved any person’s life even though he was their enemy. Finally all the servants left Dr. Sadao’s house together.

Question 50.
What conflicting ideas arise in Dr. Sadao’s mind after he has brought the wounded American soldier home? How is the conflict resolved? (Comptt. Delhi 2014)

Answer:
An American prisoner of war gets washed away to Japanese doctor, Sadao’s doorstep. Being a doctor, Sadao gives top priority to saving the life of a dying man despite the ongoing war between America and Japan and the fact that all Americans were considered to be their enemies. Being a doctor, Sadao’s duty was to save a dying man but saving an enemy would be an act of treachery. It is Dr. Sadao’s conscience and professional ethics that supercede his patriotism and so he saves the American soldier. He rises above narrow prejudices as he realizes his job as a doctor is to save a life and not to take it away. Even after he told the General everything about the American soldier he felt restless for three consecutive nights at the thought that he was actually waiting for someone to be killed. But the doctor not only saved him from dying but did not even hand him over to the police. He rose above narrow prejudices of race and country and helped the young soldier to escape. Basic human goodness overpowers Dr. Sadao and he helps the wounded soldier first by saving his life and then by arranging his escape, risking his own life and reputation in the process.

Also Read: Poets and Pancakes Important Questions Class 12 English

Question 51.
A doctor is supposed to be gentle and humane. How did Sadao show these qualities in the story, “The Enemy”? (Comptt. Delhi 2016)

Answer:
Dr. Sadao is gentle and humane. When he came to know that the stranger was an American soldier, he wanted to throw him back into the sea but could not. So he took him to treat him although he belonged to the enemy’s camp. Then he decided to hand the soldier over to the police after he had operated upon him and saved his life, but in the end was unable to do so. Instead he gave him proper post-operative treatment. He risked his and his family’s life by giving the stranger shelter. He even risked the resentment and wrath of his servants who were so upset with him for harbouring a soldier from the enemy’s camp that they left his house. Finally, Dr. Sadao gave the soldier his own boat, food and clothing and told him to sail to a nearby island and save himself. Dr. Sadao was not a traitor but could not let someone, whom he had saved himself, die.

Question 52.
Describe how Dr. Sadao met his life partner in America. (Comptt. All India 2016)

Answer:
Dr. Sadao was a dutiful son who was aware that his education was his father’s chief concern. So at the age of twenty-two Sadao’s father sent him to America to study surgery and medicine. He had met his wife, Hana in America. He had ‘found’ Hana casually and by chance at an American professor’s house. The professor and his wife were kind people anxious to help out their foreign students. Dr. Sadao had gone to the professor’s house most reluctantly and there he had found Hana. He had not married Hana heedlessly in America. The two had finished their work at school, had come home to Japan and when his father had approved of her, their marriage was arranged in the traditional Japanese way. Dr. Sadao had returned from America at the age of thirty as a full-fledged qualified surgeon.

Question 53.
Good human values are far above any other value system. How did Dr. Sadao succeed as a doctor as well as a patriot? (Delhi 2017)

Answer:
Dr. Sadao is not only a good doctor but also a patriot. As a citizen of Japan Dr. Sadao was expected to be loyal to his country but as a doctor it was his foremost duty to save a life. Dr. Sadao was indeed a patriotic Japanese as well as a dedicated surgeon. An American run away prisoner in a badly wounded condition is washed ashore on Japanese doctor Sadao’s doorstep. The doctor is initially a little hesitant to save the prisoner’s life when he discovers the latter’s real identity. But being a dedicated surgeon he decides to treat the enemy soldier. He is able to save the prisoner’s life but being a patriotic Japanese he informs a superior Japanese Army General about the prisoner’s presence in his house and even agrees to have him killed by the General’s assassins. He waits for the assassins to carry out their job but when they do not arrive, he gives the prisoner his boat and helps him to escape safely thus honouring both the values that he was a patriotic Japanese as well as a dedicated surgeon.

Question 54.
How did Dr. Sadao face the dilemma he came across in his life? What light does it throw on his character? (Comptt. All India 2017)

Answer:
An American prisoner of war gets washed away to Japanese doctor, Sadao’s doorstep. Being a doctor, Sadao gives top priority to saving the life of a dying man despite the ongoing war between America and Japan and the fact that all Americans were considered to be their enemies. Being a doctor, Sadao’s duty was to save a dying man but saving an enemy would be an act of treachery. But the doctor not only saved him from dying but did not even hand him over to the police. He rose above narrow prejudices of race and country and helped the young soldier to escape. Dr. Sadao’s basic human values give him the ability to rise above petty prejudices. His essential love for humanity and his sincerity towards his duty transcend all other narrow considerations. As a doctor it was his duty to save a dying man so he put aside all other options and respected the ethics of his profession.

Question 55.
To choose between professional loyalty and patriotism was a dilemma for Dr. Sadao. How did he succeed in betraying neither? (All India 2017)

Answer: Dr. Sadao is not only a good doctor but also a patriot. As a citizen of Japan Dr. Sadao was expected to be loyal to his country but as a doctor it was his foremost duty to save a life. Dr. Sadao was indeed a patriotic Japanese as well as a dedicated surgeon. An American run away prisoner in a badly wounded condition is washed ashore on Japanese doctor Sadao’s doorstep. The doctor is initially a little hesitant to save the prisoner’s life when he discovers the latter’s real identity. But being a dedicated surgeon he decides to treat the enemy soldier. He is able to save the prisoner’s life but being a patriotic Japanese he informs a superior Japanese Army General about the prisoner’s presence in his house and even agrees to have him killed by the General’s assassins. He waits for the assassins to carry out their job but when they do not arrive, he gives the prisoner his boat and helps him to escape safely thus honouring both the values that he was a patriotic Japanese as well as a dedicated surgeon.