Table of Content
Word Meaning of 'A Pair of Mustachios'
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Nouveau riche: People who have recently gained wealth, often perceived as lacking the refinement of old-money families.
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Commercial bourgeoise: Middle-class people involved in business or trade, typically seen as focused on material wealth.
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Blue blood: People from noble or aristocratic families.
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The bluff of a rascal: A false or deceptive act by someone who is cunning or mischievous.
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Asked sourly: Asked in a rude or unpleasant way.
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Goods and chattels: Personal belongings or property, especially movable items.
SUMMARY OF 'A PAIR OF MUSTACHIOS'
Despite initial compliance, the moneylender cunningly manipulates Khan by leaving one tip of his mustache upturned. This drives Khan to pawn his possessions in exchange for Ramanand lowering the other tip. Ultimately, Ramanand outwits Khan, making him give up all his belongings while subtly mocking Khan's obsession with status.
Through this light-hearted narrative, Anand critiques the rigid social hierarchies and the absurdity of placing excessive importance on superficial symbols of class.
UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT
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What do you understand of the natures of Ramanand and Azam Khan from the episode described?
Ramanand, the grocer and the money lender, is quiet cunning and possess a servile nature that is fit for his business of selling groceries and money lending. He never gets angry but prevails on his customers like Azam Khan with cleverness and by provoking the so called pride. It is also evident that Ramanand regards his customers as always right at least in principle. So he always keeps his business first and pride secondary.
Azam Khan on the other hand is a victim of so called pride. He is still lost in the past glory of his forefathers. He is arrogant, full of anger and short sighted. He is ready to sell all his property for the sake of keeping Ramanand’s moustaches down, which was suitable to his(Ramanand) class. Obviously Azam Khan is living in his past. He is impractical, short tempered and doesn’t know what is good or bad for him.
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Identify instances in the story that show the business acumen of Ramanand.
Ramanand is a good businessman. His business acumen is evident from the fact that he readily agrees to lower his moustache on Azam Khan’s request. But he lowers only one tip of his moustache just to cleverly provoke Khan to bring in more of his property for mortgage. Unlike Khan he never gets angry and keeps his business interests above all his priorities.
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Both Ramanand and Azam Khan seem to have very fixed views. How does Ramanand score over Azam Khan towards the end of the story?
Ramanand and Azam Khan have a fixed view regarding themselves and each other. They are part of the social milieu that believes in the categorization of people on the basis of their moustaches. Ramanand belonged to goat class while Khan sahib belonged to tiger class moustache. They are both in harmony with the fact that they should not trespass into each other’s boundaries.
Ramanand scores over Azam Khan at the end of the story by turning up the tip of his goat moustache so that it looked like a tiger moustache. This enrages Azam Khan and he is tricked into selling all his property to Ramanand.
TALKING ABOUT THE TEXT
A1. The author ridicules the rigid social class distinctions and the exaggerated importance placed on symbols like mustaches to signify status. Mulk Raj Anand uses humor to highlight how vanity and obsession with appearance lead to absurd conflicts, pointing out the silliness of such conventions.
A2. The references to the English people and British monarchy underscore the influence of colonial rule on Indian society. They also serve as a parallel to highlight that, like the British, Indian society is similarly fixated on maintaining social hierarchies and formal distinctions, even under foreign rule.
A3. The story conveys a message about the futility of holding onto outdated social symbols and norms. By showing how a minor issue like mustache style can escalate into a major conflict, the author criticizes the irrational pride people attach to their social identity, suggesting the need to abandon such meaningless divisions.
APPRECIATION
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Comment on the way in which the theme of the story has been introduced.
The theme of the story-mustachios has been introduced in a scientific but light manner. The opening lines describe the rigid habit of various sections of Indian society regarding wearing moustaches according to their class.
The writer is actually ridiculing the social mores which force people to live within false pride and put their honor and property at stake for something that has no value in the modern world.
The writer then moves on to narrate a story from his own village about Azam Khan and Ramanand. Azam Khan represents that class of society which is still living in the world of yore. Whereas Ramanand is the representative of the business class, which is always bent upon leeching people out of their money and property by hook or crook.
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How does the insertion of dialogue in the story contribute to its interest?
Inclusion of dialogues in a story enables the writer to express things in their actual perspective. It allows him to include words and expressions which a writer normally would not write on his own. For example when Azam Khan gets angry he says to Ramanand: “You know what I mean, seed of a donkey!” or “I tell you, turn that tip down or I shall wring your neck.
Such dialogues add a dramatic effect in the story and make it more lively and interesting.
LANGUAGE WORK
Q1. Nouveau riche and bourgeoise are French words. Collect from
newspapers, magazines, and other sources some more French words or
expressions that are commonly used in English.
A1. Some commonly used French words and expressions in English include:
- Déjà vu (feeling of having already experienced something)
- Fiancé/Fiancée (engaged person)
- Cliché (an overused expression or idea)
- Bon appétit (enjoy your meal)
- Entrepreneur (a person who starts a business)
- Rendezvous (a meeting or appointment)
Q2. Locate expressions in the text which reflect the Indian idiom, for
example, the pride of the generations of his ancestors.
A2. Expressions from the text reflecting the Indian idiom include:
- "Seed of a donkey!"
- "The pride of the generations of his ancestors"
- "The insignia of my order"
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"Lentil-eating moneylender"
These expressions carry cultural significance and reflect common Indian linguistic habits.
Q3. We ‘draw up a deed’. Complete the following phrases with appropriate
words.
a. Keep one’s word
b. Make one’s will
c. Make ends meet
d. Take out a loan
e. Turn a deaf ear to
MCQs on "A Pair of Mustachios" by Mulk Raj Anand
1. What does the mustache symbolize in the story?
a)
Personal grooming
b) Social status
c) Religious beliefs
d) Age
of the person
2. What type of mustache does Khan Azam Khan wear?
a)
Goat mustache
b) Lion mustache
c) Tiger mustache
d) Sheep
mustache
3. Who is Seth Ramanand in the story?
a) A landlord
b)
A nobleman
c) A moneylender
d) A priest
4. Why is Khan Azam Khan offended by Ramanand's mustache?
a) It looks better than his own
b) It resembles a tiger mustache,
a symbol of nobility
c) It is not well-groomed
d) It is too long
5. What action does Khan Azam Khan take after seeing Ramanand's
mustache?
a) He compliments Ramanand
b) He walks away quietly
c) He
demands Ramanand to lower the tip of his mustache
d) He offers him money
6. What is the symbolic significance of Khan Azam Khan’s tiger
mustache?
a) His wealth
b) His noble ancestry
c) His profession
d)
His religious belief
7. How does Ramanand initially respond to Khan Azam Khan's demand?
a) He refuses outright
b) He insults Khan Azam Khan
c) He
agrees to lower one tip of his mustache
d) He laughs at the demand
8. What item does Khan Azam Khan first pawn to Ramanand?
a) A necklace
b) His ancestral house
c) His wife’s gold nose
ring
d) A family heirloom
9. How does Ramanand manipulate Khan Azam Khan after lowering one tip of
his mustache?
a) He raises the other tip
b) He increases the interest on the
pawn
c) He insults Khan Azam Khan
d) He refuses further dealings
10. What does Khan Azam Khan eventually offer to get both tips of
Ramanand's mustache lowered?
a) His entire property
b) More jewelry
c) His pride
d)
His son’s inheritance
11. What role do the villagers and elders play in the story?
a) They encourage Khan Azam Khan
b) They mock both Khan Azam Khan
and Ramanand
c) They act as witnesses to the agreement
d) They
remain silent
12. How does Khan Azam Khan feel after he pawns his possessions?
a) He is satisfied
b) He regrets his actions
c) He feels
victorious
d) He is indifferent
13. What is Ramanand's attitude toward Khan Azam Khan throughout the
story?
a) Submissive
b) Mocking but cunning
c) Fearful
d)
Sympathetic
14. What is the final outcome of the conflict between Khan Azam Khan and
Ramanand?
a) Khan Azam Khan gets his way
b) Khan Azam Khan loses all his
possessions
c) Ramanand is forced to leave the village
d) The elders
resolve the conflict peacefully
15. What does the story criticize through its use of humor?
a) The banking system
b) The British rule
c) The obsession
with social status
d) Religious intolerance
16. Who claims that Khan Azam Khan is an impostor?
a)
The peasants
b) The landlord and Ramanand
c) The village priest
d)
The five elders
17. What item is passed down through Khan Azam Khan’s family for seven
generations?
a) His ancestral home
b) A gold necklace
c) A tiger mustache
insignia
d) A family sword
18. What does Ramanand mutter as Khan Azam Khan walks away?
a) “My father was a Sultan.”
b) “I will never lose.”
c) “You
will regret this.”
d) “No one can defeat me.”
19. What is Khan Azam Khan's primary motivation throughout the
story?
a) To regain his lost wealth
b) To protect the honor of his
family’s mustache
c) To prove himself better than the landlord
d) To
become richer than Ramanand
20. How does the story end for Khan Azam Khan?
a) He
regains his wealth
b) He is ridiculed by the villagers
c) He loses
his possessions but keeps his pride
d) He reconciles with Ramanand
Answer Key:
- b) Social status
- c) Tiger mustache
- c) A moneylender
- b) It resembles a tiger mustache, a symbol of nobility
- c) He demands Ramanand to lower the tip of his mustache
- b) His noble ancestry
- c) He agrees to lower one tip of his mustache
- c) His wife’s gold nose ring
- a) He raises the other tip
- a) His entire property
- c) They act as witnesses to the agreement
- b) He regrets his actions
- b) Mocking but cunning
- b) Khan Azam Khan loses all his possessions
- c) The obsession with social status
- b) The landlord and Ramanand
- b) A gold necklace
- a) “My father was a Sultan.”
- b) To protect the honor of his family’s mustache
- c) He loses his possessions but keeps his pride
