Please refer to below Exam Question for Class 10 English Chapter 10 The Sermon at Benares. These questions and answers have been prepared by expert Class 10 English teachers based on the latest NCERT Book for Class 10 English and examination guidelines issued by CBSE, NCERT, and KVS. We have provided Class 10 English exam questions for all chapters in your textbooks. You will be able to easily learn problems and solutions which are expected to come in the upcoming class tests and exams for standard 10th.

Chapter 10 The Sermon at Benares Class 10 English Exam Question

All questions and answers provided below for Exam Question Class 10 English Chapter 10 The Sermon at Benaresare very important and should be revised daily.

Exam Question Class 10 English Chapter 10 The Sermon at Benares

Short Answer Type Questions : 

Question. What did the Buddha want Kisa Gotami to understand?
Ans. The Buddha wanted Kisa Gotami to understand that all men and women are mortals. And all mortals are destined to die. No lamentation and grieving can bring a dead person back to life. Therefore, she should stop lamenting and grieving on the death of her son. Overcoming the sorrows makes a person free from sorrows.

Question. Did Kisa Gotami get a handful of mustard seeds as directed by the Buddha?
Ans. Kisa Gotami — house to house — people pitied — a handful of mustard seeds — couldn’t find any house.

Question. When her son dies, Kisa Gotami goes from house to house. What does she ask for? Does she get it? Why not?
Ans. Kisa Gotami’s only son dies. She almost becomes mad in grief. She goes from house to house asking for a medicine that can ‘cure’ her dead son. No, she doesn’t get such a medicine. No medicine can bring a dead person to life.

Question. What were the sights that moved and shocked Gautama?
Ans. Prince Gautama had been deliberately shielded from all the sufferings of the world. One day, he chanced upon a sick man, then an aged man, and then a funeral procession. Finally, he saw a monk begging for alms. These sights moved him. He went out into the world to seek solution of all these sufferings. He wanted to seek enlightenment.

Question. How did Kisa Gotami go to the Buddha? What did Buddha ask Gotami to do?
Ans. A man advised Kisa Gotami to go to Sakyamuni, the Buddha. He was the physician who could cure her dead son. She went to the Buddha. He asked Kisa Gotami to bring a handful of mustard seeds from a house. The house must be such where no one had lost a child, husband, parent or friend.

Question. Describe the main message that the lesson ‘The Sermon at Benares’ gives to the readers.
Ans. The Buddha — wants us to understand — this world is full of sufferings, death and decay — Death spares none — Death — the ultimate truth of life — born — will die sooner or later. — lamentation or grieving — the dead to life again.

Question. Kisa Gotami again goes from house to house after she speaks with the Buddha. What does she ask for, the second time around? Does she get it? Why not?
Ans. — speaks with the Buddha — goes from house to house again — asks for a handful of mustard seeds — must get it from a house where no one has ever lost a child, husband, parent or friend — doesn’t get such a house — doesn’t exist such house in the world.

Question. Why did Kisa Gotami say, ‘How selfish am I in my grief!’ What did she realise about the fate of mankind?
Ans. Kisa Gotami became weary and hopeless. At last, the darkness of the night reigned everywhere. She realised that she had been very selfish in her grief. Death spares none. One who is born is destined to die sooner or later. No grieving or lamenting would bring a dead person to life.

Question. Can grieving and lamentation avoid death and decay in this world? What did the Buddha say in this regard?
Ans. This world — afflicted with death and decay — wise don’t grieve — No one will ever get peace of mind — weeping or grieving. Weeping or grieving — makes a person sick and pale — the person — overcome all sorrow — free from sorrow. He will then be blessed.

Question. What did Kisa Gotami do when her only son died? What did her neighbours think about her?
Ans. Kisa Gautami’s only son had died. She was overwhelmed with grief. She carried the dead child to all her neighbours. She asked them for medicine to cure her son. The neighbours thought she had lost her senses. A dead child could never be cured.

Question. Describe the early life of Gautama Buddha.
Ans. Gautama Buddha began life as a prince. He was named Siddhartha Gautama. He was sent away for schooling in the Hindu sacred scriptures at twelve. When he returned home, he was married to a princess. He lived in royal luxury, shielded from the sufferings up to the age of twenty-five.

Question. How do you usually understand the idea of ‘selfishness’? Do you agree with Kisa Gotami that she was being ‘selfish in her grief’?
Ans. One is selfish when he or she thinks only for himself or herself. One becomes subjective forgetting the universal truth. Kisa Gotami was selfish in grief. She forgot that all mortals are destined to die. Weeping for her dead son would not bring him back to life. No medicine or lamentation would bring a dead person back to life.

Question. What did Buddha say about the mortals of the world?
Ans. The Buddha said to Kisa Gotami that the life of mortals is troubled and brief in this world. Those who have been born can’t avoid dying. As ripe fruits are in danger of falling, so mortals are always in danger of death. All earthen vessels end in being broken.

Question. Why do you think Kisa Gotami understood this only the second time? In what way did the Buddha change her understanding?
Ans. Kisa Gotami — understood this universal truth only for the second time — realised that death spares none — Men and women are mortals — mortals are destined to die sooner or later. The Buddha changed her understanding — realised that she was selfish in grief. No amount of lamentation can bring the dead to life.

Question. How did Kisa Gotami realise that life and death is a normal process? 
Ans. Kisa found no house where some beloved had not died. She understood that death is common to all. So, she was being selfish in her grief.

Question. What does Kisa Gotami understand the second time that she failed to understand the first time? Was this what the Buddha wanted her to understand?
Ans. For the first time, Kisa Gotami goes from house to house asking for a medicine that can cure her dead son. She is told that no medicine can make a dead person alive. The second time she understands what the Buddha wanted her to understand. She understands that death is common to all, and no lamentation or grieving will make a dead person alive.

Question. How did Siddhartha Gautama get enlightenment? Why did he name the fig tree as the Bodhi tree?
Ans. Final solution — sufferings and pains afflicted the people of the world — Wandered — seeking enlightenment — under a fig tree — stay there until enlightenment — Enlightened after seven days — renamed the fig tree — as the Bodhi Tree or Tree of Wisdom — First sermon at the city of Benares on the River Ganges.

Long Answer Type Questions :

Question. What does the Buddha say about the life of mortals in this world? How can one obtain the peace of the mind?
Ans. The Buddha preached his first sermon at Benares. He preached that all men, women and children are mortals. And, all mortals are destined to die. Actually, death and decay is the fate of all mortals in this world. Death spares none. The life of mortals in this world is troubled and brief. It is combined with pain. Those who have been born, can’t avoid dying. Actually, there is no means of avoiding death and decay. The ripe fruits fall, so do the aged people of the world. One by one the mortals are carried off, like an ox that is led to the slaughter. Therefore, the wise do not grieve. No amount of lamenting or grieving can bring a dead man back to life. Weeping and grieving will never give anyone the peace of mind. On the other hand, they only compound miseries. He who has overcome all sorrows will become free from sorrows. He will become the blessed one.

Question. What did the Buddha ask Kisa Gotami to do? Why couldn’t Kisa Gotami succeed in getting a handful of mustard seeds from any family?
Ans. Kisa Gotami couldn’t get any consolation and cure from her neighbours. They realised that grief had made her almost mad. One of them directed her to the Buddha. He thought only the Sakyamuni, the Buddha was the most appropriate physician to cure her son. The Buddha wanted the grieving woman to learn a lesson. So, he asked her to bring a handful of mustard seeds from a family. The mustard-seed must be taken from a house where no one had lost a child, a husband or a friend. Poor Gotami went from house to house begging for a handful of mustard seeds. The people pitied her. They were ready to give a handful of mustard seeds to her. In short, there was no house where some beloved one had not died in it. So, Kisa Gotami didn’t succeed in her mission. She only realised that she had been selfish in grief.

Question. Why did Kisa Gotami go to every neighbour? Why did she say, ‘How selfish am I in my grief’?
Ans. Only son had died. — filled with grief. — carried the dead child to all her neighbours. — asked for medicine. — lost her senses in grief. medicine for her dead son.
— meeting the Buddha, followed his instructions. Couldn’t get a handful of mustard seeds she realised what the Buddha wanted her to understand realised that she was very selfish in her grief was grieving for her dead child death spares non no lamentation or grieving can bring a dead person back to life again.

Question. Describe the journey of Siddhartha Gautama becoming the Buddha.
Ans. Gautama Buddha began his life as a royal prince. He was named Siddhartha Gautama. At twelve, Gautama was sent away for schooling in the Hindu sacred scriptures. At the age of sixteen, he returned home to marry a princess. The prince was deliberately shielded from all sufferings of the world. But this attempt failed when the prince while out hunting, chanced upon a sick man. Then, he saw an aged man. He also chanced to see a funeral procession. Finally, he saw a monk begging for alms. These sights of suffering, sickness and decay shocked and moved the prince. He wanted to seek the final solution of all these sorrows and sufferings. He wandered for seven years in search of enlightenment. Finally, he sat down under a fig tree. He meditated there until he was enlightened after seven days. He renamed the tree the Bodhi Tree or the Tree of Wisdom. He became known as the Buddha or the Awakened or the Enlightened one. The Buddha gave his first sermon at Benares on the River Ganges.

Question. Describe the main teachings of the Buddha as highlighted in ‘The Sermon at Benares.’
Ans. shielded from the sufferings of the world — a sick man, an aged man and a funeral procession for the first time, moved and shocked at the sights — gave up his royal luxuries and went out in search of the permanent solution of all those sufferings and sorrows — got the enlightenment — became known as the Buddha or the Awakened one — first sermon at Benares — wanted to tell the world that death is the ultimate truth — mortals are destined to die sooner or later — no family in the world where no one has lost a child, husband, parent or friend — Lamenting for a son or a parent — like showing selfishness in grief — no lamentation or grieving can bring a dead man back to life — world is afflicted with death and decay — who has overcome all sorrow become free from sorrow — will be the blessed one.

Extract Based Questions :

1. Read the given extracts to attempt the questions that follow:

Gautama Buddha (563 B.C.–483 B.C.) began life as a prince named Siddhartha Gautama, in northern India. At twelve, he was sent away for schooling in the Hindu sacred scriptures and four years later he returned home to marry a princess. They had a son and lived for ten years as befitted royalty. At about the age of twenty-five, the Prince, heretofore shielded from the sufferings of the world, while out hunting chanced upon a sick man, then an aged man, then a funeral procession, and finally a monk begging for alms. These sights so moved him that he at once went out into the world to seek enlightenment concerning the sorrows he had witnessed.

Question. Why didn’t the prince see worldly sufferings before he was twenty-five?
Ans. The prince was shielded from the sufferings of the world before that age.

Question. How many years did Gautama spend of his married life?
Ans. Gautama had a son and spent his marriage for ten years with all luxuries that befitted royalty.

Question. What mission did Buddha set for his life?
Ans. Buddha decided to find out why human beings suffer in the world.

Question. How did the reality of sights imprint Buddha’s mind?
Ans. The reality of sight deeply imprinted Buddha’s mind. He was moved, and he decided to seek the cause of pain and suffering in human life.

Question. How did Gautama’s life begin?
Ans. Gautama’s life began as a prince of the royal family.

2. Read the given extracts to attempt the questions that follow: 

“Not from weeping nor from grieving will anyone obtain peace of mind; on the contrary, his pain will be the greater and his body will suffer. He will make himself sick and pale, yet the dead are not saved by his lamentation. He who seeks peace should draw out the arrow of lamentation, and complaint, and grief. He who has drawn out the arrow and has become composed will obtain peace of mind; he who has overcome all sorrow will become free from sorrow, and be blessed.”

Question. Name the lesson from which this extract has been taken.
Ans. This extract has been taken from ‘The Sermon at Benares’.

Question. Are the dead saved by lamentation?
Ans. No, the dead can’t be saved by lamentation and weeping.

Question. What condition of peace is spoken by Buddha in the extract?
Ans. Buddha says if we want peace, we have to forget the feelings of sorrow. Peace and sorrow don’t move together.

Question. Who speaks the above sentences and to whom?
Ans. The above sentences are spoken by Gautama Buddha to Kisa Gautami.

Question. Who will attain the peace of mind?
Ans. Only those who transcend lamentation and grief will attain the peace of mind.

3. Read the given extracts to attempt the questions that follow:

Kisa Gotami became weary and hopeless, and sat down at the wayside watching the lights of the city, as they flickered up and were extinguished again. At last the darkness of the night reigned everywhere. And she considered the fate of men, that their lives flicker up and are extinguished again. And she thought to herself, “How selfish am I in my grief! Death is common to all; yet in this valley of desolation there is a path that leads him to immortality who has surrendered all selfishness.”

Question. What did she consider about the fate of men?
Ans. She considered that men are born only to die in the end.

Question. How in this valley of desolation can one attain immortality?
Ans. In this valley of desolation one can attain immortality by surrendering all selfishness.

Question. Why did Gotami become weary and hopeless?
Ans. Gotami became weary and hopeless because she didn’t find a single house where no one had ever died.

Question. What is the universality of life expressed in the extract?
Ans. According to Buddha, death visits all. One who is born is destined to die some day. Our body is mortal.

Question. Who made her realise that death is common to all?
Ans. Gautama Buddha made her realise that death is common to all.