1) Kadambini, a widow, fostered her brother-in-law Saradasankar's child. She became unconscious and was presumed dead, being taken to the burning ghat. 2) When Kadambini regained consciousness at the burning ghat, she fled in confusion, believing herself to be dead. She went to stay with her childhood friend Jogmaya. 3) Jogmaya's husband grew suspicious of Kadambini's prolonged stay. Kadambini left, still convinced of her death. She returned to her brother-in-law's home, shocking the family who believed her dead.

1. LIVING OR DEAD
Rabindaranath Tagore
RS Nagar
Arts and Commerce College,
Kheda
15November2020
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2. 1. WHOSE CHILD DOES KADAMBINI FOSTER?
Ans.: The child of her brother-in-law
Saradasankar was her darling. For a
long time after his birth, his mother
had been very ill, and the widow,
Kadambini, his aunt, had fostered him.
# Kadambini fostered the child of her
brother-in-law, Saradasankar. She
liked her.
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3. 2. WHY DOSE THE BODY OF KADAMBINI
DISAPPEAR FROM THE BURNING GHAT?
Ans.: In fact, Kadambini was alive and
she just became unconscious. But she
was taken to the burning ghat. When
she got conscious, she tried to guess
the situation. She remembered the
last moments of her being
unconscious. She thought, she is
dead. She slowly got up and moved
away from the ghat.
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4. 3. WHY DID KADAMBINI DECIDE TO GO HER
FRIEND’S HOUSE?
Ans.: Kadambini thought that she was dead
not living.
“I am dead. How can I return home? That
would bring disaster on them. I have left
the kingdom of the living; I am my own
ghost!"
Surely she was no member of earthly
society! Surely she was a creature of
horror, of ill-omen, her own ghost!
Furthermore, she felt freedom. Hence,
instead of going to Saradasankar, she
decided to go to her friend’s house.
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5. 3. WHY DID KADAMBINI DECIDED TO GO HER
FRIEND’S HOUSE?
Ans.: She felt that she had marvellous
strength, endless freedom. She could
do what she liked, go where she
pleased.
Furthermore, she felt freedom. Hence,
instead of going to Saradasankar, she
decided to go to her friend’s house.
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6. 4. WHY DID JOGMAYA WANT KADAMBINI TO
LEAVE?
Ans.: Jogmaya thought that Kadambini
must leave because she stayed for a
long time at her home and it was
difficult for her to explain the
detention of a woman belonging to
another house. Sripati, Jogmaya’s
husband, believed that their guest had
deceived his wife all the time by a
pretended acquaintance, and Jogmaya
thought that she was a prostitute.
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7. 5. HOW DID THE HUSBAND AND WIFE FIND OUT
ABOUT KADAMBINI?
Ans.: Sripati went Ranihat and returned
perplexed with the information that she
was considered dead there.
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8. 6. HOW DID THE FAMILY REACT ON KADAMBINI’S
RETURN?
Ans.: The family was shocked on the
return of Kadambini. Her sister-in-
law could endure no longer, and fell into
a faint. Saradasankar himself entered
the zenana. With folded hands, he
asked piteously for mercy.
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9. 1. THE CHAIN OF EVENTS THAT FOLLOW
KADAMBINI’S SUPPOSED DEATH ?
Ans.: After the supposed death of
Kadmbini, four of the zemindar
Sardasankar’s brahmin servants took
away the body, without ceremony, to
be burned. But while they were waiting
for the wood, her consciousness
returned. The servants thought, she
became ghost and they ran away. She
was confused and wondered whether
she was dead or alive.
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10. 1. THE CHAIN OF EVENTS THAT FOLLOW
KADAMBINI’S SUPPOSED DEATH ?
Ans.: Hence, in stead of going to her
house, she decided to go to her
childhood friend, jogmaya’s house.
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11. 2. ROLE OF DEATH ?
Ans.: Living or Dead is a mysterious or
surreal story. By narrating a bizarre
incident of chance unconsciousness of
Kadambani, was taken by all the people
as dead, even she herself thouhgt that
she was dead, the writer highlighted
the plight of widows in the society of
Bengal during Tagore’s era. The ‘death’
was used to throw light on the
condition of ‘widow’ who lived a life of
‘shadow’, half alive; half dead.
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12. 2. ROLE OF DEATH ?
Ans.: The stark reality was mingled with a
‘bizarre’ situation when One night, in
Sraban, for some reason Kadambini’s heart
stopped beating and she was considered
dead. Instead of going to her in-laws,
thinking she is dead. She reached her
childhood friend Jogmaya’s house. For
almost one month she lived like a ‘shadow’,
feared of herself. A worried Jogmaya
couldn’t bear her stay. She left her home
and again came to her in-law’s house.
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13. 2. ROLE OF DEATH ?
Ans.: Her long and mysterious stay led
her to suspicion. Her husband found out
that she was ‘dead’ as per her in-laws.
Both husband and wife had a quarrel
about Kadambini’s ‘living or dead’
status. Ultimately, Kadambinni was to
leave Jogmaya’s house. Kadambini spoke:
"Friend, I am your Kadambini, but I am
no longer living. I am dead."
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14. 2. ROLE OF DEATH ?
Ans.: The word ‘aunty’ uttered by her
brother-in-law’s child, whom she
fostered made her realise that she was
not dead but alive. But the tragedy
was that all the family members took
her as dead and the ghost of herself.
Ironically, in order to prove herself
‘alive’ she plunged into the well and
died. Hence, her death proved that she
was alive.
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15. 3. JOGMAYA
Ans.: Jogmaya was Kadambani’s childhood
friend. They used to exchange letters. She
lived in Nisindapur with husband Sripati. She
lived with them. Kadambini had come, but she
was not at one with her friend: death was
between them.
She would think: "She has her husband and
her work, she lives in a world far away from
mine. She shares affection and duty with the
people of the world; I am an empty shadow.
She is among the living; I am in eternity."
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16. 4. KADAMBINI’S SEMI-CONSCIOUS STATE OF MIND
Ans.: When consciousness returned, Kadambini saw
dense darkness on all sides. It occurred to her that
she was not lying in her usual place. She called out
"Sister," but no answer came from the darkness. As
she sat up, terror-stricken, she remembered her
death-bed, the sudden pain at her breast, the
beginning of a choking sensation. Her elder sister-
in-law was warming some milk for the child, when
Kadambini became faint, and fell on the bed, saying
with a choking voice: "Sister, bring the child here. I
am worried." After that everything was black, as
when an inkpot is upset over an exercise-book.
Kadambini's memory and consciousness, all the
letters of the world's book, in a moment became
formless.
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17. 5. THE THEME OF THE STORY
Ans.: Basic theme of the story ‘Living or Dead’
was Life and Death as the title suggests along
with a parallel theme, the state of a widow in
the society. Kadambini, a widow, lives with her
brother-in-law,Saradasankar, his wife and
child. Her existence is trivial. She fosters
Sardasankar’s child and loves him. But her life
is ‘half living and half dead’ like shadow. Her
supposed death shows this. No family member
attend the last rites. Only four Brahmin
servants took the ‘dead’ body to the Burning
Ghat. At her childhood friend Jogmaya’s house
she stay as a ‘dead’ person afraid of herself.
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18. 5. THE THEME OF THE STORY
Ans.: Her real life and the life after the
supposed ‘death’ has many similarities.
At Jogmaya’s house she considers
herself ‘a shadow’ ‘no longer living but
dead’. At her in-laws’ house she tries
to prove that she was alive but they
believe her ‘dead’.
It is deeply tragic story of the social
status of the widows and the prevailing
superstitions.
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19. 1. HOW IS SARADASANKAR RELATED TO
KADAMBINI?
1. Father
2. Brother
3. Husband
4. Brother-in-law
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20. 2. WHERE DOES KADAMBINI’S HUSBAND’S
FAMILY LIVE?
1. Ranighat
2. Ranihat
3. Ranibagh
4. Ranipur
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21. 3. WHAT DID BANMALI WANT TO GO AND FETCH?
1. Water
2. Wood
3. Tobacco
4. lantern
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22. 4. WHAT DID THE FOUR MEN SEE OUTSIDE THE
HUT AT THE BURNING GHAT?
1. A jackal
2. A woman’s foot print
3. wood
4. nothing
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23. 5. WHERE WAS JOGMAYA’S HOME LOCATED?
1. Nisindapur
2. Nisandpur
3. Nisondpur
4. Nissanpur
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24. 6. JOGMAYA IS KADAMBINI’S ……………… ?
1. sister
2. mother
3. aunt
4. childhood friend
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25. 7. WHAT DID JOGMAYA THINK KADAMBINI HAD
BECOME ?
1. spinster
2. mad woman
3. mistress
4. Prostitute
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26. 8. WHAT WAS SARADASANKAR’S WIFE DOING
WHEN KADAMBINI RETURNED TO THEIR HOUSE ?
1. Attending to the child
2. Boiling milk
3. Playing cards
4. Sleeping
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27. 9. WHAT DID THE SERVANT DROP?
1. Milk
2. Kheer
3. Sago
4. Water
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28. 10. WHAT DID KADAMBINI HIT HER HEAD WITH ?
1. Brass pot
2. Glass
3. Knife
4. Spoon
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29. LIVING OR DEAD
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