NCERT Solutions For Class 12 English Flamingo Chapter 6 Poets And Pancakes

Class 12 English Flamingo Chapter 6 poets and pancakes explains about the Gemini Studios. The author tells the students how the actors and actresses face the trouble. Students can check for NCERT Solutions For Class 12 English Flamingo subject.  Here we have provided you the Class 12 NCERT Solutions For chapter 6 Flamingo English Poets and Pancakes in this article. Our expert teachers have provided you the NCERT Solutions For Class 12 English. The students who are in Class 12 can study these NCERT Solutions to score good marks in their school as well as in their class 12 board exams.

Class 12 English Flamingo Chapter 6 NCERT Solutions

Notice these words and expressions in the text. Infer their meaning from the context.

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  • Blew Over: Make a long, vehement critique or accusation speech
  • Catapulted Into: To launch or send forth
  • Played into their hands: To act or behave in a way that benefits someone else
  • Heard a bell ringing: Affecting an often hazy memory
  • Was struck dumb: Become mute as a result of surprise or shock
  • A coat of mail: Chain mail, interconnected rings, or overlapping metal plates are used to create an armored coat
  • The favourite haunt: A popular tourist destination

Think As You Read (Page 59)

Q1. What does the writer mean by ‘the fiery misery’ of those subjected to make-up?

Answer: Fiery misery refers to the discomforts faced by the actors and actresses due to the heat produced by the incandescent lights in the make-up room. This trouble is described as ‘Fiery misery’.

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Q2. What is the example of national integration that the author refers to?

Answer: The author refers to the make-up department of Gemini Studios as an example of national integration. Because different people from different places and the religious group worked in the same department. The make-up department was first headed by a Bengali and later by a Maharashtrian. A dharwar Kannadiga, an Andhra, a Madras Indian Christian, an Anglo-Burmese, and the usual local Tamils assisted him.

Q3. What work did the ‘office boy’ do in the Gemini Studios? Why was he disappointed?

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Answer: The ‘office boy’ would apply make-up on the faces of crowd players on the crowd shooting days. He joined the studios years ago in the hope of becoming a star actor or a top screenwriter, director, or lyrics writer. He was disappointed because his dreams were unfulfilled.

Q4. Why did the author appear to be doing nothing at the studios?

Answer: The author appeared to be doing nothing at the studios because his job was to tear up important news clippings from the newspaper. This gave the impression to the others that the author’s work was easier than theirs.

Think As You Read (Page 61)

Q1. Why was the office boy frustrated? Who did he show his anger on?

Answer: He was frustrated because he could not become what he aspired to after having joined the Gemini Studios. He remained only an office boy. He showed his anger at Kothamangalam Subbu. He taught that Subbu was behind all his woes, ignominy, and neglect.

Q2. Who was Subbu’s principal?

Answer: Mr. S.S. Vasan who was the founder of the Gemini Studios was Subbu’s principal.

Q3. Subbu is described as a many-sided genius. List four of his special abilities. 

Answer: The four special abilities of Subbu are:

  1. He could look cheerful at all times even after having had a hand in a flop film.
  2. Subbu always worked for somebody.
  3. He was an amazing actor and poet.
  4. He was a charitable and improvident man.

Q4. Why was the legal adviser referred to as the opposite by others?

Answer: The legal advisor was referred to as the opposite by others because his action brought a brilliant actress’s career to an end by recording her voice without being informed her.

Q5. What made the lawyer stand out from the others at Gemini Studios?

Answer: Some facts made the lawyer stand out from others.

  1. He wore pants and a tie, while others wore a khadi dhoti and a khadi shirt.
  2. He was only the man with logic among dreamers and creatives.
  3. He looked alone and helpless.

Think As You Read (Page 64)

Q1. Did the people at Gemini Studios have any particular politician affiliations?

Answer: People at Gemini Studios did not have any particular political affiliations, although they work khadi and worshipped Gandhiji.

Q2. Why was the Moral Rearmament Army welcomed at the Studios?

Answer: The Moral Rearmament Army was welcomed at the Studios because it was a kind of counter-movement to international communism. Their two plays were widely acclaimed Studios boss played into their hands, and people at the Studios had aversion to communism.

Q3. Name one example to show that Gemini Studios was influenced by the plays staged by MRA.

Answer: Gemini Studios was influenced by the two plays ‘Jotham Valley’ and ‘The Forgotten Factor. Gemini’s family of 600 saw those plays over and over again. The staff of Gemini Studios had a nice time hosting two hundred people of at least twenty nationalities.

Q4. Who was the Boss of Gemini Studios?

Answer: Mr. S.S. Vasan was the Boss of Gemini Studios.

Q5. What caused the lack of communication between the Englishman and the people at Gemini Studios?

Answer: The accent of the Englishman caused the lack of communication between the Englishman and the people at Gemini Studios. They were unable to distinguish words and understand each other.

Q6. Why is the Englishman’s visit referred to as an unexplained mystery?

Answer: The Englishman’s visit was referred to as an unexplained mystery because people could not understand the identity and purpose of his visit. The Englishman’s work and the field were different from theirs. People at Gemini Studio could not decipher the Englishman’s accent also.

Think As You Read (Page 65)

Q1. Who was the English visitor to the studios?

Answer: Stephen Spender, an English poet essayist was an English visitor to the studios.

Q2. How did the author discover who the English visitor to the studios was?

Answer: ‘The Hindu’ published an announcement that ‘The Encounter’ was organizing a storytelling contest, in which the author was interested to contest. He went to the British Council Library to discover “The Encounter”. He found the copies of the periodical and discovered that its editor was Stephen Spender, the poet that had once visited the studio.

Q3. What does ‘The God that failed’ refer to?

Answer: ‘The God that failed’ refers to a book consisting of essays by six eminent authors Andre Gide, Richard Wright, Ignazio Silone, Arthur Koestler, Louis Fischer, and Stephen Spender who wrote about their journey into Communism, one of them being Stephen Spender.

Understanding The Text

Q1. The author has used gentle humor to point out human foibles. Pick out instances of this to show how this serves to make the piece interesting.

Answer: The author describes the work and culture of Gemini Studio. he humorously points out the weakness of the people working there without hurting with his language. Some instances are given below.

  1. He describes the make-up men as the ‘gang’ who turn any decent-looking person into a ‘monster’.
  2. The office boy prepared the paint in a giant vessel and slapped it over the faces of the crowd of actors.
  3. Subbu could look cheerful at all times even after having had a hand in a flop film. He always had many alternative ideas about the scene if one idea got rejected.
  4. He satirically describes the legal advisor. Others thought of him as the illegal advisor who ended up a bright actress career.

Q2. Why was Kothamangalam Subbu considered No. 2 in Gemini Studios?

Answer: Subbu was considered No. 2 in Gemini Studios because he seemed so close and intimate with the Boss. His sense of loyalty made him identify himself with his principal completely and turn his entire creativity to his principal’s advantage. The boss used to take his opinion on all trivial or important problems.

Q3. How does the author describe the incongruity of an English poet addressing the audience at Gemini Studios?

Answer: The author describes the addressing of the English poet at Gemini Studios as incongruous. Most of the people working at Gemini Studios were not interested in literature or poetry. They were baffled to find an English poet in a film studio that makes Tamil films for the simplest sort of people. They were not familiar with the English poet’s accent, so they did not understand what he was saying.

Q4. What do you understand about the author’s literary inclinations from the account?

Answer: The account shows that the author had literary inclinations. He wanted to send a story to “The Encounter” story contest. He was a prose-writer and presented the most obvious things in Gemini Studios in a satirical and humorous way.

Talking About The Text

Discuss in small groups taking off from points in the text.
Q1. Film production today has come a long way from the early days of the Gemini Studios. 

Answer:  Nowadays film production is more specialized. In the olden days, only 5% of the shooting was done outdoor. But nowadays it is not possible to do at that percentage. All the cameras and other equipment are updated. Advanced cameras are allowing for more quality, varied and accurate presentation. The quality of the makeup has developed many folds from the days of Gemini Studios. The people who work in different departments are very experts in their fields whether it can be the Director, producer, scriptwriter, lyricist, performer, etc. The quality of the film is dynamic and outstanding.

Q2Poetry and films.

Answer: Poetry and Films are interlinked in India. All the people at Gemini Studios were not educated or knowledgeable enough to be poets. They all claimed their talents as a poet. The main reason behind it was the leisurely and monotonous life at the studios. The poetry and films can be enjoyed by the people with little resources who cannot afford to cultivate a taste for poetry and literature

Q3. Humour and Criticism. 

Answer: In a film or a story is explored with all the cases dipped in subtle humour. The humorous scenes however make the story interesting and make relevant comments on the behavior of general people. The humorous story attracts more readers and a humorous film gets more viewers. Because they give us entertainment and gives us relaxation from the tedious existence. Humor is more effective than criticism. Hence all the writers and filmmakers use humor items in their works and make comments and criticism.

Noticing Transitions

This piece is an example of a chatty, rambling style. One thought leads to another which is then dwelt upon at length.

Read the text again and mark the transitions from one idea to another. The first one is indicated below.
Make-up department          Office-boy             Subbu

(a) Pancake ——–>  Robert Clive –> make-up room

(b) Writer’s cubicle ———>  lecture by office ‘boy’ ————> Subbu

(c) Subbu ———> story department———>  lawyer ———> actress’s career

(d) Poets ———> Communism ———>  visitors

(e) Announcement in The Hindu ——–>  The Encounter ———> Spender

Things To Do

Collect about twenty cartoons from newspapers and magazines in any language to discuss how important people or events have been satirised. Comment on the interplay of the words and the pictures used.

Answer: Classroom Activity