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Extract from the Play
KING
:
(To Shiv Datt)
And what of you? What did you
discern
about this camel?
SHIV DATT
:
I observed that the camel was blind in its right eye, Your Majesty.
KING
:
How did you arrive at this conclusion?
SHIV DATT
:
It had nibbled only on the
foliage
to the left of the road, leaving the right side untouched. The leaves on the right hung undisturbed, as if unseen. From this, I deduced it could not see with its right eye.
KING
:
(Smiling)
Well-reasoned indeed. Such detail is not easily noticed by a casual traveller.
(To Har Datt)
And your finding?
Summary in Bullet Points
- Shiv Datt tells the King that the camel was blind in its right eye.
- He had noticed that the camel ate leaves only from the left side of the road.
- The leaves on the right side were untouched, so he understood that the camel could not see them.
-
The King again praises the clear connection between the clue and the answer.
discern
= notice something
foliage = green leaves and plants
nibbled = ate in small bites
undisturbed = not touched or moved
Board Pattern
Questions Mapped to Exam Format
Short Answer
2 marks
What clue showed Shiv Datt that the camel was blind in the right eye?
2 Marks
How to answer:
State which side it ate from and which side was untouched.
View Answer
Answer: The camel ate only the leaves on the left side of the road, while the leaves on the right remained untouched.
Longer Short Answer
3 marks
Why does eating only from the left side suggest blindness in the right eye?
3 Marks
How to answer:
Connect what the camel could see with the side it chose.
View Answer
Answer: A camel that could see both sides would notice leaves on both sides of the road. This camel nibbled only the left-side foliage and left the right side untouched. Shiv Datt therefore reasoned that it could not see with its right eye.
