RANJI’S WONDERFUL BAT
(Ruskin Bond)
Answer Set – 1
1. Who was Suraj?
Ans. Suraj was the captain of Ranji’s school cricket team. He was kind and encouraged Ranji
even when he failed.
2. Why was Ranji unable to score well?
Ans. He lacked confidence and felt nervous during important matches.
3. Who was Mr Kumar? Why was Ranji unwilling to meet him?
Ans. Mr Kumar was the owner of a sports shop. Ranji didn’t want to meet him because he felt
sad after losing the match.
4. Describe Mr Kumar’s character.
Ans. He was kind, encouraging, and believed in building confidence in young players.
5. What did Ranji do after his first match with Mr Kumar’s bat?
Ans. He bought two laddoos for Koki to share his happiness and success.
Answer Set – 2
1. Who was Suraj?
Ans. Suraj was the captain of Ranji’s school cricket team. He was friendly and supportive. After
Ranji got out without scoring, Suraj encouraged him by saying he would do better next time and
was just out of form.
2. Why was Ranji unable to score well?
Ans. Ranji was unable to score in the inter-school matches because he lacked confidence.
Though he practised regularly, he got nervous during important games and couldn’t perform
well under pressure, which made him fear losing his place in the team.
3. Who was Mr Kumar? Why was Ranji unwilling to meet him?
Ans. Mr Kumar was a kind, retired cricketer who ran a sports shop and supported young
players. Ranji was unwilling to meet him after his poor performance because he felt ashamed and
sad after losing the match without scoring any runs.
4. Describe Mr Kumar’s character.
Ans. Mr Kumar was wise, friendly, and encouraging. He motivated Ranji when he was upset and
helped him regain confidence by giving him an old bat. He believed that it was the player’s belief
and confidence that truly mattered.
5. What did Ranji do after his first match with Mr Kumar’s bat?
Ans. After scoring fifty-eight runs with Mr Kumar’s bat, Ranji happily shared the good news
with him. He felt so pleased that he stopped at the sweet shop and bought two laddoos for Koki
to celebrate his success.
Answer Set – 3 (Long Answers)
1. Who was Suraj? Give an instance from the story to show his attitude towards Ranji.
Answer: Suraj was the captain of Ranji’s school cricket team. He showed a strict attitude
towards Ranji when he warned him, “If you don’t make some runs this time, you’ll be dropped
from the team!” This shows that Suraj was focused on winning and expected Ranji to perform
well.
2. Why was Ranji unable to score well in the first few inter-school matches?
Answer: Ranji was unable to score well because he had lost confidence in himself. He started
doubting his abilities, which affected his performance on the field.
3. Who was Mr Kumar? Why was Ranji unwilling to meet him after his match?
Answer: Mr Kumar was a kind and experienced sports shop owner and a former cricketer.
Ranji was unwilling to meet him after the match because he was feeling sad and ashamed after
losing the game and scoring no runs.
4. Based on his interactions with Ranji, provide a brief description of Mr Kumar’s
character.
Answer: Mr Kumar was kind, encouraging, and wise. He motivated young players like Ranji and
helped them believe in themselves. He gave Ranji an old bat and told him it was lucky, helping
Ranji regain his confidence. He also taught Ranji that success comes from within, not from any
magical object.
5. What did Ranji do after his first match using Mr Kumar’s old bat? Why did he act in
such a manner?
Answer: After his first match with the old bat, Ranji visited Mr Kumar’s shop to share the good
news and thank him. He also bought laddoos for Koki on the way home. He acted this way
because he was happy and grateful. He believed the bat had brought him good luck and wanted
to celebrate his succe
SOME EXTRA QUESTIONS
1. Who was the youngest member of the team?
Ans: Ranji was the youngest member of the team.
2. What did Mr. Kumar give Ranji?
Ans: Mr. Kumar gave an old lucky bat to Ranji.
3. How many runs did Ranji score in the first match?
Ans: Ranji scored no runs in the first match.
4. Who was the captain of Ranji’s team?
Ans: Suraj was the Captain of Ranji’s team.
5. Why did Ranji buy two laddoos?
Ans: Ranji bought two laddoos for Koki as she was crazy about laddoos.
6. Why was everyone pleased with Ranji after the second match?
Ans: In the second match, Ranji scored 40 runs, so everyone was pleased.
7. How did Ranji lose the bat?
Ans: One evening, after a game, Ranji decided to catch a bus home. He forgot and left the bat in
the bus.
8. What did Ranji do after the last match of the season?
Ans: After the last match, he bought a dozen laddoos. Six for Koki and six for Mr. Kumar.
II. Answer the following questions in three or four sentences each:
1. Why was Ranji upset after the game?
Ans: After the game, Suraj asked him to play better next time, otherwise he will lose his place in
the side. So Ranji was upset.
2. How did Mr. Kumar help Ranji?
Ans: Mr. Kumar helped Ranji by giving an old bat and said that that is the luckiest of all his old
bats.
3. Ranji scored many runs with the new bat given by Kumar. What may be the reason?
Ans: Ranji believed Mr. Kumar’s bat was really lucky and gained confidence while playing. This
confidence made him score many runs.
4. How did Mr. Kumar console Ranji when he lost the bat?
Ans: Kumar told Ranji that he could score more run with any bat. A bat has magic only when
the batsman has magic. He advised him that he needed confidence.
5. What is the good quality you appreciate in Mr. Kumar?
Ans: Mr. Kumar was a kind hearted man. He inspired Ranji to gain confidence. That nature I
appreciate in Mr. Kumar.
6. If you were Mr. Kumar, how would you help the boy?
Ans: If I was Mr. Kumar, I would have accompanied Ranji to the maidan and cheered him while
playing.
7. What do we learn from the story?
Ans: Self-confidence is more important than anything else and we need best friend to get advise.
