The Rice Cakes | BOSEM Class IX English Literature Reader | Drama

 Board of Secondary Education Manipur (BOSEM)

Class - IX
English Literature Reader (Prose)
Chapter - 6

The Rice Cakes

P. Aung Khim

Summary of the Play

The play begins on a peaceful morning in a small Burmese village, where 8-year-old Ko Ko finds himself alone in his family's bamboo-walled house after his parents have gone to work in the fields. He discovers his favourite treat, four delicious rice cakes, left for him by his mother. Excited at the thought of having the cakes all to himself, he brings them to the table.

Just as he is about to indulge in the cakes, his friend Nyi Nyi knocks on the door. In an attempt to keep the cakes to himself, Ko Ko quickly hides them behind the radio, pretending that it is broken to deter Nyi Nyi from finding them. After Nyi Nyi leaves to find another radio, Ko Ko retrieves the cakes, only to be interrupted again by his friend Mi Mi, who brings hot banana fritters to share.

Fearing that his lie to Nyi Nyi will be exposed, Ko Ko hides the cakes in a vase before letting Mi Mi in. As Mi Mi enjoys the fritters, Ko Ko's hungry stomach gives him away, leading to an awkward moment. Soon after, their friend Tin Soe arrives with flowers for Ko Ko's mother's new vase. Ko Ko, desperate to keep the vase with the hidden cakes, fabricates another lie about his mother being allergic to the flowers.

The situation becomes more complicated when the People's Shop manager, U Ba Tun, arrives to exchange Ko Ko's mother's pink vase for the blue one she wanted. To Ko Ko's dismay, U Ba Tun unknowingly takes the vase containing the rice cakes, leaving the blue one behind. This chain of events leads to the loss of Ko Ko's cherished cakes, illustrating the moral that lies can lead to unintended consequences, and honesty is the best policy.

The play humorously portrays how even small lies can escalate and have significant repercussions, emphasizing the importance of honesty and the potential consequences of deceit.

Solved Textual Exercises

I. Answer the following questions in a sentence each.

1. What had happened to Nyi N yi's radio?

Ans.: - Nyi Nyi's radio was out of order.

2. Why did Ko Ko take sometimes in opening the door for Mi Mi.?

Ans.: - Ko Ko took some time to open the door for Mi Mi as he was hiding the rice cakes.

3. Why did Ko Ko not want Mi Mi to put the aster flowers in the vase?

Ans.: - Ko Ko did not want Mi Mi to put the aster flowers in the vase because the former had hidden the rice cakes inside it.

4. The visitors often heard a growling sound which they thought was made by a rat. What was it actually?

Ans.: - The growling sound was actually Ko Ko's stomach growling with hunger.

II. Answer the following briefly.

1. How did Ko Ko get rid of Nyi Nyi?

Ans.: -Ko Ko tricked Nyi Nyi by informing him that the former's radio was malfunctioning and could give the latter an electric shock if he attempted to use it. Ko Ko urged Nyi Nyi to hurry to avoid missing the news, and requested Nyi Nyi to share the news with him at a later time.

2. What lie did Ko Ko tell to Mi Mi for his delay in opening the door?

Ans.: - Ko Ko falsely told Mi Mi that he had just completed his breakfast and was in the process of rinsing his mouth to justify the delay in opening the door.

3. "Yes, good luck for you, but bad luck for me." Why does Ko Ko say so?

Ans.: - Ko Ko mentioned that Tin Soe and Mi Mi had already eaten one banana fritter each, and Mi Mi was about to have another. However, he realized that he couldn't even have one. This made him believe that it was good luck for them but bad luck for him.

4. Why did U Ba Tun visit Ko Ko's place?

Ans.: - U Ba Tun went to Ko Ko's place to swap a blue vase for a pink one that Ko Ko's mother had taken from his shop. This was because Ko Ko's mother wanted a pink vase, which wasn't initially available. However, U Ba Tun discovered a pink vase in the warehouse when he checked.

5. "...Goodbye RICE CAKES." Why did Ko Ko say so?

Ans.: - Ko Ko hid the rice cakes in the blue vase to prevent Mi Mi from finding them. U Ba Tun arrived to replace the blue vase with a pink one and took away the blue vase containing the hidden rice cakes. Consequently, Ko Ko remarked, "Farewell, RICE CAKES."

III. Answer the following questions in about 80 words each.

1. "Oh, how I have to lie to save my rice cakes!" said Ko Ko. Write how Ko Ko had to lie for his rice cakes?
Ans.: - Ko Ko had to tell multiple lies in order to protect his rice cakes. When Nyi Nyi approached him, he claimed that he had just finished his breakfast and was rinsing his mouth. Additionally, he informed Nyi Nyi that their radio was not functioning properly and could deliver a harmful shock if touched. Later, when Mi Mi came to him, he repeated the same story, stating that he had consumed all the rice cakes and was feeling very full. Furthermore, he lied to Tin Soe, stating that his mother was allergic to aster flowers, as he had concealed the rice cakes inside the vase, prompting Tin Soe not to attempt to place the flowers in the vase. In this manner, Ko Ko resorted to multiple lies in order to save his rice cakes.

2. Bring out the moral of the story.

Ans.: - The moral of the story is that those who tell lies will eventually face consequences or punishment. The narrative emphasises that greed and dishonesty are undesirable traits. It revolves around a boy who, driven by greed, resorts to lying. Throughout the story, Ko Ko repeatedly lies to his friends in order to keep his rice cakes, ultimately losing them without even tasting a single bite due to his deceit. This experience serves as a lesson, highlighting the negative outcomes of his lies.