The Three Questions
– Leo Tolstoy
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The three questions leo tolstoy questions and answers.
COMPREHENSION
I. Read the following extract and answer the questions given below.
Remember then: there is only one time that is important – Now! It is the most important time because it is the only time when we have any power. The most necessary man is he with whom you are, for no man knows whether he will ever have dealings with anyone else: and the most important affair is, to do him good, because for that purpose alone was man sent into this life!
a. What does the passage emphasise as the single most important time for action?
Ans – The passage emphasizes that the present moment ‘Now’ is the single most important time for action. It highlights that the present is the only time when we truly have the power to act and make a difference.
b. According to the passage who is the most important person to interact with?
Ans – According to the passage, the most important person to interact with is the one you are with at the present moment. This is because no one can be sure if they will ever have any interaction with another person in the future.
c. What does the passage suggest is the most important thing a person can do in life?
Ans – The passage suggests that the most important thing a person can do in life is to do good to the person they are with. It emphasizes that helping others is the true purpose for which humans are sent into this life.
d. The passage emphasises helping others. Does this necessarily mean neglecting your own needs entirely?
Ans – No, the passage does not necessarily mean neglecting your own needs entirely.
Helping others builds a kinder and supportive community. It can inspire others to do the same creating a chain of goodwill. It builds trust, empathy and stronger bonds between people.
While helping others is important, we should also respect our own boundaries. We should not help others to the point of harming ourselves or neglecting our own needs entirely. Because real kindness includes self-respect and balance. Our dreams, mental health and personal life are just as important as anyone else’s.
We should help others not because they are helpless, but because we know what it means to be human.
II Answer the following questions in a sentence each.
a. Why did the injured man want to kill the king?
Ans – The injured man wanted to kill the king because the king had executed his brother and seized his property.
b. Who according to the story, are the most important people to consult before undertaking a task?
Ans – According to the story the people you are with at the present moment are the most important people to consult before undertaking a task.
People present with you in the moment are the ones whose needs and perspectives you should attend to when making decisions or taking action.
c. What single action does the story suggest is most important to do at all times?
Ans – The story suggests that the most important action to do at all times is to do good to the person you are with, because that is the true purpose of life.
d. Does the king ultimately find the answers to all three questions?
Ans –Yes, the king ultimately found the answers to all three questions.
III) Answer the following questions in about 20-40 words each.
a. What were the three questions the king thought learning the answer to was crucial to succeeding at everything in life?
Ans – The king believed that if he could find the answers to the following three questions, he would never fail in anything he undertook.
a) What is the right time to begin something?
b) Who are the right people to listen to?
c) What is the most important thing to do?
b. What did the king do in order to learn the answer to his questions?
Ans – In order to learn the answer to his questions, the king did the following things –
He offered a great reward for anyone who could answer his questions wisely and announced this across his entire kingdom. Learned men came to the king but they all answered his questions differently and the king agreed with none of them and gave reward to none.
However, the king still wished to find the answers to his questions. So he decided to consult a hermit, widely renowned for his wisdom.
The king disguised himself as a common man. He put on simple clothes and before reaching the hermit’s cell he dismounted from his horse, left his bodyguard behind and went on alone because the Hermit received none but common folk and he never quitted the wood where he lived.
Instead of asking questions directly the king showed humility and patience. He helped the old hermit by digging his garden.
During his stay he saved a wounded man’s life unknowingly, gaining an enemy’s forgiveness through his act of kindness.
In short, to get answers to his questions the king asked wise men in his kingdom, offered reward, visited a wise hermit in the forest, helped the hermit, and cared for a wounded man. Through these actions and experiences he found the answers to his questions.
c. What happened when the king visited the hermit?
Ans – When the king visited the hermit he saw that the hermit was digging the ground in front of his hut. He greeted the king and went on digging.
The hermit was frail and weak. He breathed heavily while he worked.
The king asked him his three questions but he did not receive any answers from him. The king offered to help him and began digging in his place. While the king was working he asked again for the answers but he received none.
Suddenly a wounded man appeared, bleeding heavily. The king helped bandage his wounds and stayed with him through the night. The next morning the man revealed who he was and why he had come. He came to kill the king, but was saved by him instead. He felt grateful and made peace with the king.
Later the hermit helped the king reflect on what he had learned by explaining the true answers to his three questions based on the king’s own actions and experiences. And he guided the king to learn through experience.
d. Why did the king fall asleep as the hermit’s threshold?
Ans – The king fell asleep on the hermit’s threshold because he was tired and exhausted after working hard all day.
The king had spent hours digging the ground to help the old hermit hoping to receive an answer to his question. He dug the ground for several hours. He started digging in the morning to help the weak and tired hermit, and he continued until sunset. He was a king and not used to such labor. On the top of that he had also cared for a wounded man cleaning and bandaging his injuries and staying with him through the night.
The physical effort, emotional stress and lack of rest made the king so tired that he eventually fell asleep on the hermit’s threshold.
IV) Answer the following questions in about 150 words each.
a. What answers does the king receive to his questions from the learned men?
Ans – The learned men came to the king but they all answered his questions differently.
In response to the first question about the right time to begin any action, the learned men gave different opinions.
Some believed that everything should be planned in advance using a timetable of days, months, and years, and should follow this strict schedule and act accordingly.
Others said it’s impossible to plan everything beforehand. Instead, one should stay alert to the present moment and do what is most necessary at the time.
Others believed that however attentive the king might be, a single person can’t decide everything, so the king should have a Council of wise men to help determine the right time for each action.
Still others said some decisions can’t wait for a council. To act at the right time, one must know the future, so the king should consult magicians.
In reply to the second question, regarding who the most necessary people are, there were again varied answers.
Some believed the king’s councillors were most important, while others said the priests were essential. Some thought doctors were the most needed to ensure health, while others felt warriors were the most necessary to defend the kingdom.
Finally to the third question, about the most important occupation, also received conflicting answers.
Some claimed that science was the most important activity, as it brings knowledge and progress. Others argued that military skill was most crucial to protect the kingdom. Yet others believed that religious worship was the highest and most important duty.
b. Describe the events of the king’s day with the hermit.
Ans – The king wanted answers to three important questions about the right time to act, the most necessary people, and the most important task in life.
He had heard of a wise hermit who lived in the forest and only received common people, so the king dressed simply, left his guards behind, and approached the hermit on foot.
When the king arrived, the hermit was digging in front of his hut, weak and breathing heavily with each effort. He greeted the king and went on digging.
The king respectfully asked his three questions, but the hermit did not reply and continued digging.
Seeing the hermit was tired, the king offered to dig in his place, and the hermit agreed.
The king dug two garden beds and then repeated his questions, but the hermit still gave no answer.
The hermit asked to take the spade back, but the king refused to rest and kept working.
Hours passed, and as the sun began to set, the king once again asked for his answers. At that moment, the hermit pointed out a wounded man running toward them from the forest.
The man had a severe stomach wound and collapsed in front of the king.
The king and the hermit treated the man’s wound. The king repeatedly washed and bandaged it until the bleeding stopped.
The wounded man eventually revived and asked for water, which the king brought him.
As night fell and it had become cool, the king and hermit carried the man into the hut and laid him on the bed.
Tired from his long walk, hard digging, and tending to the wounded man, the king finally sat down at the threshold and fell asleep, sleeping through the entire summer night.
This day was filled with hard work, compassion, and patience, which would later help the king find the true answers to his three questions – through action, not words.
c. Describe the character of the king’s attacker.
Ans – the king’s attacker is a man driven by past pain, but ultimately shows honesty, remorse, and the ability to change when treated with compassion. His transformation highlights the story’s theme of forgiveness and doing good to others.
The king’s attacker is portrayed as a man who undergoes a powerful transformation, revealing a complex and ultimately redeemable character. Here’s a detailed description of his characte
At the beginning, he is filled with hatred toward the king. He had sworn revenge because the king had executed his brother and seized his property. His anger leads him to plan an ambush and murder.
The attacker is determined and Secretive. He carefully followed the king’s movements, knowing he had gone to the hermit alone, and waited in hiding to attack him on the way back. This shows he was serious about his revenge and had carefully made a plan.
He was helpless when he got wounded.
His plan fails when he is discovered and wounded by the king’s guards. Injured and bleeding, he becomes weak and vulnerable, and in a twist of fate, he is saved by the very man he wanted to kill.
When he wakes up, he admits the truth to the king and confesses his plan to murder him. His honesty shows he feels guilt and realizes the kindness and mercy shown to him. His actions shows he was honest and regretful.
He is deeply moved by the king’s compassion and says, “Forgive me!” twice, asking for the king’s pardon. He is even willing to serve the king as a faithful servant, showing genuine repentance. This shows that he was humble and grateful.
Most importantly, the attacker shows he is capable of change. From a bitter enemy, he becomes a grateful and loyal friend, willing to devote his life to the king’s service.
The attacker begins as a bitter and vengeful man, driven by anger and a desire for revenge.
However, when he is wounded and saved by the very person he intended to kill, he undergoes a deep transformation.
His honesty, remorse, and willingness to serve the king reflect a sincere change of heart.
In the end, he is no longer an enemy but a humbled and grateful man, proving that even the most hostile individuals can be redeemed through compassion and forgiveness.
d. What answer does the hermit give to the king’s three questions?
Ans -The hermit’s answer to the king’s three questions is profound and deeply philosophical. He doesn’t respond in the form of direct answers, but instead helps the king understand the answers through his own actions and experiences.
The King asked him Three Questions –
1. What is the right time to begin everything?
2. Who are the right people to listen to?
3. What is the most important thing to do?
The Hermit’s Answer for every question was as follows –
For the first question i.e what is the right time to begin everything, the hermit says, “There is only one time that is important — Now! It is the most important time because it is the only time when we have any power.”
The king, while digging the beds and while caring for the wounded man, was doing the right thing at the right time, although he didn’t realize it.
The hermit emphasizes the importance of the present moment. He tells the king that the present is the only time we can act, help, change, or make decisions. It means at present moment we have power to take any action. The past is gone, and the future is uncertain.
Therefore, whatever you want to do, do it now, whether it is helping someone, making peace, or doing good.
To the second question i.e. Who are the right people to listen to? Hermit answers, “The most necessary man is he with whom you are, for no man knows whether he will ever have dealings with anyone else ”
The hermit says that the most important person is the one who is with you at the moment, because you can only help or interact with people in the present, not in some distant future or past.
Whether it was the hermit or the wounded man, they became the “right and important people” for the king, because he had the chance to help and learn from them.
So, whoever is with us right now deserves your attention and care.
For the final question, what is the most important thing to do? The hermit answers, “The most important affair is to do him good, because for that purpose alone was man sent into this life.”
The hermit teaches that the most important task is to do good to the person you are with.
The king helped the hermit by digging the beds, and later he saved the wounded man’s life. These acts of kindness became his most important deeds, because they were opportunities to help and show compassion.
The hermit says that, to do good to others is the real purpose of life.
The hermit’s lesson is that the answers to the king’s questions are not found in theories or faraway places, but in our everyday actions.
The hermit’s answers teaches to live in the present, pay attention to the person in front of you and use your time to do good.
It short the hermit answers : right time? Now, right person? The one you are with now, most important thing? To do good to that person.
e. A parable is a story which tries to impart a moral lesson through an analogy. Is this story a parable? Justify your answer.
Ans – Yes, this story is a parable. A parable is a simple, short story that uses characters and events to teach a moral or spiritual lesson – often through symbolism or analogy.
Analogy means a comparison between two things that are different but have similar features, often used to explain or clarify an idea.
Justification –
This story is a parable because of the following reasons –
The questions are answered through analogy and action:
In Leo Tolstoy’s “The Three Questions,” the analogy lies in how the king’s experiences serve as a symbolic answer to his questions – using real-life actions to explain deeper truths.
It means the king’s three questions weren’t answered directly. Instead, situations (actions and events) are created that act as analogies to teach the lessons.
the King’s real-life actions (like digging for the hermit and helping the wounded man) are used to explain deeper lessons about life.
These actions represent the answers to the King’s questions – that’s what makes them analogies. This is typical of a parable, it doesn’t preach directly but lets the reader draw lessons from the story.
It teaches a Moral Lesson. The central idea of the story is to answer three philosophical questions through experience rather than direct instruction. Moral in the story is Shown, not told.
The story teaches us that the present moment is the most important time, the person you are with now is the most important person and doing good to him is the most important action in life.
A parable uses common people (like kings, farmers, or travelers) and real-life situations to make the lesson relatable, so does this story.
The story makes use of simple characters and Setting. The characters are symbolic. The King represents someone in power searching for wisdom. The Hermit symbolizes spiritual insight and simplicity. The wounded man brings in a twist that shows the importance of forgiveness and kindness.
The setting of the story is basic (forest, hut, garden) and doesn’t distract from the core message of the story.
The story has a symbolic or deeper message behind the simple events. Readers must think to understand the full meaning.
The story is brief and easy to understand, with a clear message. There are no complicated plots or characters in the story.
It follows a straightforward path: A king asks questions → meets a hermit → helps a wounded man → learns the answers.
This story has all the features of a parable: teaches a lesson, uses simple characters, has a deep meaning, uses analogy. Therefore this story is definitely a parable.
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