Textbook Comprehension I (with answers)
1. What qualities of the old man impressed the narrator? His eyes full of strange memories and native intelligence; his tall, strong figure; and the fact that he was a labourer, overseer and philosopher all in one. He also read the newspaper.
2. Is it significant that the old man came to the garden after walking hundreds of miles? Yes. It shows he had left his past completely behind - as Tammanna "gave up everything and started off". It is an early hint that he is Tammanna.
3. The owner of the garden became lethargic because: a. the income of the garden improved dramatically. b. he had become dependent upon the gardener. c. there was nothing much left for the owner to do. Answer: b. The old man did all the work, so the owner came to depend on him.
4. Why did the owner's wife start worrying about the strange ways of her husband? He became lazy, made many new friends, and acquired vices with his new wealth and clout. She feared his adultery and felt their life was getting out of hand.
5. When did the old man decide to narrate his story? One evening, when the wife was worried about her husband. As if he knew her plight, he offered her tender coconuts, sat by the well at sunset and began.
6. Tammanna considers his rival an important possession because: a. competition helps in the development of an individual. b. Sangoji/Basavaiah leads a more colourful life. c. rivalry offers new possibilities of life for him. Answer: c. The rivalry gave his life purpose and drive.
7. "No, his name was not Sangoji, but Basavaiah," told the old man because: a. he had really forgotten the name. b. he wanted to keep the identity of his rival a secret. c. he was fictionalizing his past. Answer: c.
8. What unique strategy did Tammanna conceive to annihilate Basavaiah? He composed his experiences as ballads and sang them, taking the rivalry into the world of art, where Basavaiah could not compete.
9. Why does Basavaiah start inviting scholars and musicians to his place? Visitors said his mansion looked dull and empty because Tammanna's books were not there. Inviting scholars, poets and musicians was his way of giving his home meaning.
10. What was Basavaiah's ray of hope in his attempts to outwit Tammanna? Tammanna's illness. "Health is wealth" - if Tammanna suffered, Basavaiah's spirits would revive. "Tammanna's disease was Basavaiah's health."
11. Tammanna decides to give up everything and leave the place because: a. he sees no purpose in living there. b. he wants to create an impression that he is dead. c. he wants to put an end to the rivalry. Answer: b. He thought only his "death" could destroy Basavaiah.
12. Tammanna forgets his songs and ballads because: a. he finds them futile. b. he doesn't need them anymore. c. he avenges himself. Answer: b. His songs were weapons against his rival; with Basavaiah dead, he no longer needed them. (He himself calls this his revenge - "Thus I avenged myself" - so c can also be argued.)
Textbook Comprehension II and III (model answers)
Q. How did the owner's lifestyle change after the arrival of the old man? (II-1) His income, wealth and social prestige rose and the farm grew far beyond ten acres. But he became lethargic, avoided hard work, made many friends in the town and the village, filled his life with colourful events and took to vices.
Q. What advice did Tammanna's supporters give for getting back his land? (II-2) They told him he could go to the court of law or to the police, or, if he did not want that, use the many men who were ready to attack Basavaiah.
Q. How did Tammanna react to Basavaiah's encroachment of his land? (II-3) He could not tolerate the invasion, but he did not go to court or use violence. He wanted to destroy Basavaiah completely, so he began composing and singing ballads about his experiences and Basavaiah's cruelty.
Q. How did Basavaiah try to overcome his humiliation? (II-4) He filled his life with material wealth: he built a palatial mansion, hired people to praise him, covered himself in gold and diamonds, and invited scholars, poets and musicians to his house.
Q. The rivalry keeps moving from the visible domain to the invisible. Comment. (III-1) It begins with visible things - land, friends and admirers. When the land runs out and Basavaiah seizes 200 acres, Tammanna shifts to songs and ballads, an invisible, abstract field of art and reputation. Finally he moves it further into the invisible by disappearing as if dead, leaving Basavaiah with no one to fight. Each shift gives Tammanna the upper hand.
Q. How does Tammanna adopt a counter-strategy to challenge Basavaiah's material wealth? (III-2) Instead of matching wealth with wealth, Tammanna uses art. His ballads bring him fame; scholars, folklorists and critics study his songs; he is honoured as the best poet of his times. Basavaiah's gold and mansion cannot buy this, and his house seems empty without Tammanna's books.
Q. Tammanna turns reflective in the course of his life. What does this tell us about human nature? (III-3) It shows that man needs a rival or challenge to give his life meaning. Man has wealth, education and art, yet lives for "some kind of unbearable vengefulness". When the rivalry ends, life loses its purpose - Basavaiah dies and Tammanna becomes a nonentity. Human nature is complicated; people go on living for one revenge or another till they die.
Q. How does the reference to Russia and America provide another dimension to the story? (III-4) It widens the story from two villagers to two nations. When Russia said it was no longer America's enemy, America must have felt the agony and boredom of losing its rival. The comparison shows that rivalry drives nations as it drives individuals - but while a nation can bear such strain, a human being may not.
Q. Observe how the story employs multiple narratives. How does this technique unveil the mystery of human relationships? (III-5) The narrator tells of meeting the old man; the old man tells the owner's wife a story; that story is about Tammanna and Basavaiah; and at the end the old man reveals he is Tammanna. Each layer keeps a secret that the next one reveals. This slow unveiling mirrors how human relationships hide motives such as rivalry and revenge, which come to light only gradually.
Exam-Pattern Questions and Answers
Two-mark questions
Q1. When, according to the narrator, does man lose his name in 'The Gardener'? After a particular age, man loses his name. His age becomes important and his name vanishes into thin air.
Q2. How did the old man improve the garden? He was well-versed in agriculture and understood the workers' problems. Petty thefts stopped and the income improved dramatically.
Q3. Why did Basavaiah's house look dull and empty? Because Tammanna's books were not there. That is what the visitors told him.
Three-mark question (about 60 words)
Q4. How did Tammanna use art to fight Basavaiah? Tammanna composed his experiences as ballads and sang them. His songs mentioned Basavaiah's cruelty and meanness. His fame spread; folklore scholars followed him and critics analysed and translated his songs. He was honoured as the best poet of his times. Basavaiah could not sing, so he had no answer to this.
Four-mark question (about 100 words)
Q5. A healthy competition between Tammanna and Basavaiah turning into rivalry is the reason for their own destruction. Elucidate. (asked in the 2025 board paper) At first the two competed healthily: if Tammanna bought four acres, Basavaiah did the same; if one had ten friends, the other had fifteen admirers. Soon no land was left - Tammanna had 1,000 acres, Basavaiah 800. Basavaiah seized 200 acres by force. Tammanna answered with ballads that made him famous, while Basavaiah piled up wealth and hired flatterers. When Tammanna fell ill, Basavaiah rejoiced. Finally Tammanna left as if dead; Basavaiah, with no rival, died within days. Tammanna then forgot his songs and became a nonentity. The rivalry that gave them purpose destroyed them both.
[Exam Tip] — This story has supplied the 2025 linkers question ("also, To begin with, However, that") and model-paper passive voice items ("A fence was built around Tammanna's land by Basavaiah").