The guru and his disciple wandering through the empty, sunlit streets of the city, looking astonished and confused. They should appear puzzled by the unusual scene.

THINK ABOUT IT

1. What are the two strange things the guru and his disciple find in the Kingdom of Fools?

2. Why does the disciple decide to stay in the Kingdom of Fools? Is it a good idea?

3. Name all the people who are tried in the king's court, and give the reasons for their trial.

4. Who is the real culprit according to the king? Why does he escape punishment?

5. What are the Guru's words of wisdom? When does the disciple remember them?

6. How does the guru manage to save his disciple's life?

THINK ABOUT IT ANSWERS:

1. Two Strange Things in the Kingdom of Fools:

   • The first strange thing is that the day is night, and night is day. The people sleep during the day and work at night.

   • The second strange thing is that everything in the kingdom costs the same amount, one duddu, regardless of what it is.

2. The Disciple’s Decision:

   • The disciple decides to stay in the Kingdom of Fools because everything is cheap, and he can eat as much as he wants. He believes he can enjoy a good life without spending much money.

   • It is not a good idea because the kingdom is run by fools, making it unpredictable and dangerous, as the guru warns.

3. People Tried in the King’s Court:

   • The merchant: Accused of building a wall that killed the thief.

   • The bricklayer: Accused of building the weak wall.

   • The dancing girl: Accused of distracting the bricklayer.

   • The goldsmith: Accused of delaying the dancing girl’s jewelry, causing her to distract the bricklayer.

   • The merchant again: The goldsmith accuses the original merchant’s father, who is dead, but the current merchant is held responsible.

4. The Real Culprit According to the King:

   • The king believes the original merchant’s father is the real culprit because he ordered the jewellery, causing the sequence of events leading to the thief’s death. The current merchant escapes punishment initially but is later deemed too thin to be executed properly.

5. Guru’s Words of Wisdom:

   • The guru warns that the kingdom is dangerous because it is run by fools and that unpredictable things could happen. The disciple remembers these words when he is chosen to be executed.

6. Guru Saves His Disciple’s Life:

   • The guru creates a ruse by insisting that he should be executed first, followed by the disciple, claiming that whoever dies on the stake first will become the king in the next life. The king and minister, not wanting to lose their positions in the next life, decide to die on the stake themselves, thereby saving the disciple’s life.

TALK ABOUT IT

In Shakespeare's plays the fool is not really foolish. If you have read or seen Shakespeare's plays such as King Lear, As You Like It, Twelfth Night, you may talk about the role of the fool.

Do you know any stories in your language about wise fools, such as Tenali Rama or Gopal Bhar? You can also read about them in Ramanujan's collection of folk tales.

TALK ABOUT IT ANSWERS:

• The Role of the Fool in Shakespeare’s Plays:

  • In Shakespeare’s plays, the fool is often a character who provides wisdom and insight under the guise of foolishness. For instance, in "King Lear," the Fool offers profound truths about Lear’s actions and the nature of human folly. In "As You Like It," Touchstone uses his wit to reveal the absurdities of the other characters and society. In "Twelfth Night," Feste the clown is both humorous and wise, often commenting on the foolishness of the other characters while providing entertainment.

• Stories of Wise Fools:

  • Stories of wise fools like Tenali Rama and Gopal Bhar are popular in Indian folklore. Tenali Rama was a poet and jester in the court of King Krishnadevaraya of the Vijayanagara Empire, known for his wit and cleverness. Gopal Bhar was a similar figure in the court of Raja Krishnachandra of Bengal, using his intelligence and humour to solve problems and outsmart others. These tales often highlight the wisdom hidden in apparent foolishness, much like the role of the fool in Shakespeare’s works.

    
    

    
    

Here are five assertion and reasoning questions based on the story "In the Kingdom of Fools":

Assertion (A): The guru decided to leave the Kingdom of Fools shortly after arriving.

Reason (R): The guru found the kingdom’s economic system, where everything cost the same, highly advantageous.

Answer Choices:

a. If Both 'A' and 'R' are true and 'R' is the correct explanation of 'A',

b. If Both 'A' and 'R' are true but 'R' is not the correct explanation of 'A',

c. If 'A' is true but 'R' is false,

d. If 'A' is false but 'R' is true, and

e. If Both 'A' and 'R' are false.

Assertion (A): The king and the minister chose to die on the stake themselves.

Reason (R): They believed dying on the stake would grant them rebirth as the king and minister in the next life.

Answer Choices:

a. If Both 'A' and 'R' are true and 'R' is the correct explanation of 'A',

b. If Both 'A' and 'R' are true but 'R' is not the correct explanation of 'A',

c. If 'A' is true but 'R' is false,

d. If 'A' is false but 'R' is true, and

e. If Both 'A' and 'R' are false.

Assertion (A): The disciple remembered the guru’s warning when he was chosen for execution.

Reason (R): The disciple realized that the kingdom’s economic benefits were not worth the risk of staying in a land ruled by fools.

Answer Choices:

a. If Both 'A' and 'R' are true and 'R' is the correct explanation of 'A',

b. If Both 'A' and 'R' are true but 'R' is not the correct explanation of 'A',

c. If 'A' is true but 'R' is false,

d. If 'A' is false but 'R' is true, and

e. If Both 'A' and 'R' are false.

Assertion (A): The people of the Kingdom of Fools decided to make the guru and the disciple their new king and minister.

Reason (R): The people respected the guru’s wisdom and wanted a change in the kingdom’s laws.

Answer Choices:

a. If Both 'A' and 'R' are true and 'R' is the correct explanation of 'A',

b. If Both 'A' and 'R' are true but 'R' is not the correct explanation of 'A',

c. If 'A' is true but 'R' is false,

d. If 'A' is false but 'R' is true, and

e. If Both 'A' and 'R' are false.

Assertion (A): The bricklayer was punished for building a weak wall.

Reason (R): The king believed the bricklayer was directly responsible for the thief’s death.

Answer Choices:

a. If Both 'A' and 'R' are true and 'R' is the correct explanation of 'A',

b. If Both 'A' and 'R' are true but 'R' is not the correct explanation of 'A',

c. If 'A' is true but 'R' is false,

d. If 'A' is false but 'R' is true, and

e. If Both 'A' and 'R' are false.

……………………………………………………………………………………………..

Here are the answers and explanations for the given assertion and reasoning questions:

1. Assertion (A): The guru decided to leave the Kingdom of Fools shortly after arriving. Reason (R): The guru found the kingdom’s economic system, where everything cost the same, highly advantageous.

Answer: c. If 'A' is true but 'R' is false.

Explanation: The guru did decide to leave the Kingdom of Fools shortly after arriving (true), but it was not because he found the economic system advantageous. In fact, he found the economic system to be foolish and potentially dangerous, which is why he wanted to leave (false).

1. Assertion (A): The king and the minister chose to die on the stake themselves. Reason (R): They believed dying on the stake would grant them rebirth as the king and minister in the next life.

Answer: a. If Both 'A' and 'R' are true and 'R' is the correct explanation of 'A'.

Explanation: Both the assertion and reason are true. The king and the minister did choose to die on the stake because they believed the guru's story that it would grant them rebirth as the king and minister in the next life.

1. Assertion (A): The disciple remembered the guru’s warning when he was chosen for execution. Reason (R): The disciple realized that the kingdom’s economic benefits were not worth the risk of staying in a land ruled by fools.

Answer: a. If Both 'A' and 'R' are true and 'R' is the correct explanation of 'A'.

Explanation: Both the assertion and reason are true. The disciple remembered the guru’s warning when he was chosen for execution, and he realized that the economic benefits were not worth the risk of staying in a land ruled by fools.

1. Assertion (A): The people of the Kingdom of Fools decided to make the guru and the disciple their new king and minister. Reason (R): The people respected the guru’s wisdom and wanted a change in the kingdom’s laws.

Answer: a. If Both 'A' and 'R' are true and 'R' is the correct explanation of 'A'.

Explanation: Both the assertion and reason are true. The people did decide to make the guru and the disciple their new king and minister because they respected the guru’s wisdom and wanted a change in the kingdom’s laws.

1. Assertion (A): The bricklayer was punished for building a weak wall. Reason (R): The king believed the bricklayer was directly responsible for the thief’s death.

Answer: b. If Both 'A' and 'R' are true but 'R' is not the correct explanation of 'A'.

Explanation: Both the assertion and reason are true, but the reason is not the correct explanation for the assertion. The bricklayer was initially held responsible and questioned, but he wasn't ultimately punished because the blame shifted to the dancing girl and then the goldsmith. The king did believe that the bricklayer was initially responsible for the thief’s death, but the final decision on punishment went beyond just the bricklayer’s responsibility.