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

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

The second question, asked by the Tsar, was about his association with his men. The Tsar wanted to know who were the right people to listen to and whom to avoid. The learned men were divided in their opinion. Some of them recommended for the role of the councillors whereas others gave their verdict on priests who might advise the Tsar in need. Some support went in favour of the doctors who were supposed to keep the Tsar sound and hale. The warriors also came to be mentioned for their bravado. But as the answers were quite different from each other, the Tsar consented none. Thus, the second question remained unanswered.

What was the third question? How did the learned men answer the question?

The Tsar’s third question was, what was the most important thing to do or the most important occupation. The Tsar thought that if he could always determine which work was the most important one then without wasting any time he could attain success.

Some of the learned men suggested that the most important thing in the world was science. Some opined that it was skill in warfare and others said that it was religious worship. The Tsar was confused with the different answers, so he did not reward anyone and became very upset.

Why was the Tsar not satisfied with the answers of the learned men?

The Tsar was not at all satisfied with the answers of the learned men because they all gave contradictory answers. None of them agreed with the other. They could not come to a common conclusion. The Tsar was confused with the conflicting and contradictory answers which the learned men gave and found it difficult to determine which was the most appropriate one. Moreover, all the answers seemed to lack accuracy and consulting a magician to know the right time for every action was the particular answer that sounded weird and stupid.