The Proposal by Anton Chekhov Questions and Answer: ‘The Proposal’ is a play that is included in the syllabus of West Bengal Higher Secondary. Here, we have given some important notes. If you read and understand these notes you can definitely answer any questions asked in the board final exam. You will get an idea of The Proposal summary.
Dear Students, read the following descriptive notes and try to understand the meaning of every line. If you can do this, you can answer notes from the play in the exam because these are common notes.
Q. Describe the character of Chubukov as a sensible father.
Ans: Chubukov is a sensible father of a marriageable daughter. In the play ‘The Proposal’ , Natalya is a twenty five years old girl. She is beautiful and well educated housekeeper. She has to be get married in no time. But the groom is to be a wealthy person so that the prestige of Chubukov’s family is kept up in the eye of the society. So, Chubukov is earnestly looking for a wealthy groom for his daughter. When Lomov comes to his house with a proposal to marry his daughter, Chubukov finds him to be the match for his daughter. After many a turmoil the marriage finally materialises and Chubukov gets relief.
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Q. Describe the character of Natalya.
Ans: In the play ‘The Proposal’ Natalya is a twenty-five years old girl. She is the daughter of Chubukov. Natalya lives with her father who is a wealthy man. Natalya looks after the property of her father. When Lomov first comes to Chubukov’s house, she welcomes him and starts talking about the weather and agriculture. It seems that she is a good homemaker and well behaved. But when the issue of the possession of land or dog comes, she appears assertive and argumentative. She eagerly intends to marry Lomov when she hears from her father that Lomov had come with a proposal to marry her.
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Q. Discuss the reasons why the marriage proposal is important to all the characters.
Ans: In the play ‘The Proposal’ , the marriage proposal is equally important to all the three characters of the play – Lomov, Chubukov and Natalya for various reasons. First, Chubukov, being an old father of an aged daughter wants to get his daughter Natalya married with a wealthy person. Secondly, Lomov, being a mid thirty person, desperately looks for a caring wife for himself and vast property. Thirdly, Natalya is also looking for a groom. She is also desperate to get herself married.
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Q. Describe the social life that you have seen in the play.
Or
Draw a picture of social life as you have seen in the play.
Ans: In the play ‘ The Proposal’, Anton Chekhov gives a vivid description about the social economic conditions of Russia in the nineteenth century. In the play Lomov, Chubukov and Natalya represent the upper class land owning society of Russia. That society used to consider property and wealth as the essential criteria for a marriage. Little importance to feelings, emotion and love was paid. Presenting the example of Lomov Chubukov family, Chekhov shows how that land owning class used to enjoy their life by possessing wealth and hunting.
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Q. Why did Lomov think about taking a decision about getting married? Whom did he went to marry? Why?
Ans: Lomov thinks of marrying as he is already 35 and suffers from palpitations. He weds a wife to maintain a regular life and to look after his health and property. So, he comes to propose Natalya who is the daughter of neighbor Chubukov.
Lomov also considers Natalya a suitable match for him as she is a good housekeeper and we’ll manages her parental property. Moreover, she is the daughter of a wealthy person and after of her father’s death she will be the owner of this vast property.
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Q. Describe the character of Ivan Vassilevitch Lomov.
Ans: In the play ‘ The Proposal’ Lomov has been presented as a young, unmarried man of thirty-five. He also suffers from palpitations. He becomes desperate to marry as he has already reached thirty-five. He wants to marry Natalya, Chubukov’s daughter. He thinks that Natalya may be his best match as she is a very caring, educated and beautiful girl. To him wealth and taking care of his property is the essential criteria for marriage. To Lomov marriage is a business deal.
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