The hermit is the speaker. A bearded man who had a deep wound in his stomach was coming.

He came running because he somehow escaped from the shackles of the Tsar’s bodyguard, who otherwise would have killed him.

The bearded man was the Tsar’s enemy, who swore to take revenge from the Tsar because the Tsar executed his brother and seized his property. In an attempt to kill the Tsar, he came out from his ambush to find the Tsar. Instead of finding the Tsar, he came upon the Tsar’s bodyguard who recognised him and wounded him. 

The man was badly wounded. He held his hands pressed against his stomach and blood was flowing from under them. As soon as he reached the Tsar, he fell fainting on the ground moaning feebly.

The wounded man was received with sympathy at the hermit’s cottage. He was nursed with great care. The hermit and the Tsar did their best to stop the blood flow by washing and bandaging the wound again and again. Finally, blood ceased flowing and the man was saved.

“I am that enemy of yours who swore to revenge himself on you.”-Who was the speaker? To whom was it spoken? How did he become enemy of the person spoken to? Why did he confess so before him?

The wounded man was the speaker. It was spoken to the Tsar.

The Tsar had ordered to kill the wounded man’s brother and had captured the property of the wounded man’s brother. These incidents made the wounded man become an enemy of the Tsar. 

In an attempt to kill the Tsar, the bearded man was recognised and was wounded by the Tsar’s bodyguard. Somehow, he escaped and reached near the hermit’s hut. There, he was nursed by the Tsar and the hermit. Since the Tsar played a big role in saving his life, the wounded man was grateful to him. He confessed his plan of killing the Tsar, to the Tsar out of gratitude and shame on himself. He even offered to serve the Tsar as his most loyal slave all his life.

“Now rest awhile and let me work a bit.”-Explain with reference to the context.

The above-mentioned line is taken from the story Three Questions’ by Leo Tolstoy where the hermit is the speaker and the person spoken to is the Tsar.

The Tsar went to meet the hermit, in disguise, to get the answers of his three questions. When he came to the hermit’s hut, he found the hermit, digging the earth in front of his hut. The Tsar helped the hermit in his work and told him to take rest. While doing the hard work, the Tsar became tired after some time so the hermit told him to take rest and requested the Tsar to let him take over for the moment.

“I resolved to kill you …” – Why did the speaker want to kill the Tsar? How was the man wounded? Was he successful in his mission?

What was the first question? How did the learned men give answers to this question? | Why had the bearded man requested the Tsar to forgive him?

What was the second question? What answers did the learned men give to that question?

What was the third question? How did the learned men answer the question? | Why was the Tsar not satisfied with the answers of the learned men?

Why did the Tsar not agree with the answers of the learned men? Who did the Tsar decide to consult again? What was this person famous for? How did the Tsar go to visit this person?

Why did the Tsar decide to meet the hermit? After meeting him, how did the Tsar assist him in his work | Describe the meeting of Tsar with the hermit?

Why did the bearded man become an enemy of the Tsar? What did the man swear and resolve to do? Why did he ask forgiveness of the Tsar and what did he promise him?

 “You do not know me, but I know you” – Who said this to whom? What else did the speaker say? How did the other person react to these words?

How did the Tsar nurse the wounded man?

“You have already been answered” – Who said this and to whom? How had the person referred to been answered?

How did the enemy of the king become friend with the king in Leo Tolstoy’s “Three Questions? 

Why do you think the Tsar forgive the bearded man instead of his attempt to kill the Tsar?

Why do you think that the hermit did not give the Tsar answers to the Tsar’s questions till the end?

Do you agree with the hermit’s answers to the Tsar’s three questions? If yes, state why giving examples from the text to support your argument. If not, state three reasons why you do not agree.

“For the last time, I pray you to answer my questions.”-Who was the speaker? Whom did he speak to? What were the questions? Why did the speaker ask for the last time?

The hermit spoke only to common people, so the Tsar ‘put on simple clothes’ -Do you think the Tsar hoped to be mistaken for a common man? Do you think that the hermit knew the person to be the Tsar? Justify your answer.

Though the hermit did not say anything to the king for some time, he did not ignore the king, or treat him rudely in anyway’-Do you agree? What evidences of his politeness can you point out in the text?

How could you apply the answers to the three questions in your life?

What is the moral message embedded in the short story ‘Three Questions’?

Choose any one of the three characters of the story and write a diary entry of about 300 words explaining the day’s events from the perspective of that character.

Imagine that you were present at that time of that event and write a blog post explaining the lessons you indirectly learned or were taught, using details from the story.