The Captive Questions and Answers Class 11 alternative English book Seasons AHSEC Assam Board along with textual questions solution and summary of the chapter written by Harekrishna Deka.


Summary

In this story, there are two main characters: the captive and the captor, Captive is a high official who has been kidnapped, and Captor is a young man who is a member of the militant outfit responsible for the kidnapping. They stop to rest after a long afternoon of cycling. The young man carries a gun in his bag, but when he goes to bathe in a stream, he leaves the bag behind, symbolizing a silent understanding between the two.

During their time together, the captive sees a pretty blue bird and wonders if it's a "free bird" because of the unseen bond between the bird and the fish in the stream. The captive starts to adapt to his new life of hardships, despite being used to a life of comfort. He realizes that questions of identity and freedom mean different things to different people, including the captor and his outfit, who also struggle with their own notions of freedom.

Despite the violence and capture, an unexpected bond develops between the captor and the captive. However, the story takes a tragic turn when the army closes in on them and kills the captor, ultimately releasing the high official. Witnessing the death of the young man he spent time with becomes a deeply impactful experience for the captive.

The writer delicately handles the emergence of a natural relationship in an unnatural situation—a strange bond between a kidnapped official and his young insurgent captor. The story explores the complexities of violence and identity in Assam, leaving the reader unsure about whom to sympathize with.

Textual Question Answer

Comprehension

I. Answer these questions in one or two words.

1. Where is the place which is described at the beginning of the story?
Ans: Highlands

2. Who took a dip in the water?
Ans: The youth 

3. What were they traveling by?
Ans: Bicycle

4. In whose house was the captive kept?
Ans: The village headman's

5. Which bird does the captive think of?
Ans: Kingfisher

II. Answer these questions in a few words.

1. What is referred to as the 'object' by the captive?
Ans: The gun was referred to as "the object" by the captive.

2. What is the food offered to the captive in the headman's house?
Ans: The captive was offered parboiled rice and chicken curry at the headman's house.

3. How did Captive Batra offer his respects to the boy?
Ans: Captain Batra offered his respects to the boy by touching the cap on his lifeless body with his hand.

4. What did the boy say he would do if the circumstances change?
Ans: The boy said that he would have to execute the captive if circumstances changed.

5. How did the captive know that the boy was highly educated?
Ans: The captive realized that the captor was well-educated from their conversations about famous authors and their works.

III. Answer these questions briefly.

1. What is the nature of the relationship between the captive and the young man?
Ans: The story tells about a unique connection that forms between a kidnapped senior official and a young rebel who is responsible for holding him captive. Despite the unusual and possibly violent circumstances, they develop a strong, unspoken bond between them.

2. How does the captive come to understand the meaning of 'Freedom Fighters'?
Ans: The captive comes to know the meaning of "freedom fighters" when the youth had told him that several of their freedom fighters would stand guard over him. Freedom fighters here referred to the warriors of the outfit, who were fighting for freedom against the nation-state of India.

3. How did the captive record his movement in captivity?  
Ans: The captive recorded his movement in captivity in a diary which he kept. Out of the seven months of his captivity, he had managed to record in detail the activities of the last three months. This diary was brought to him by the youth when he had requested one.

4. How did his abductors treat the captive?
Ans: In the beginning, the abductors were somewhat harsh towards the captive, but once the young man took charge of him, their treatment changed. As time passed, their behavior towards the captive became kind, considerate, and possibly even affectionate. They developed a different relationship as they spent more time together during their journey.

5. Why does the captive feel that his abductor is also not free?
Ans: The captive realizes that the abductor is not truly free either. The abductor fights for freedom, but not in the same way as a citizen of a free nation. Instead, he is fighting against an imperialist nation-state that has tried to control and oppress his community. So, both the captive and the abductor have different perspectives on what freedom means to them, and they both yearn for their own kind of freedom in their unique circumstances.

III. Answer these questions in detail.

1. Comment on the significance of the title of the story. Does it refer only to the abducted?
Ans: The story's title is fitting because it revolves around the theme of captivity, not only in the physical sense of the boy being kidnapped but also the captor feeling trapped in a nation-state that seeks to dominate their people forcefully. The captive is a high official taken by a militant group, and the captor is a young man assigned to hide him from the authorities. The prisoner adapts to the hardships despite being accustomed to a life of comfort. Both the captor and his group struggle with questions of freedom and identity. The story shows that freedom means different things to different people, and the captor and the captive develop an unexpected bond. Eventually, the army closes in on them, resulting in the death of the captor, leaving a profound impact on the captive.

2. Write about the journey undertaken by the captive and the young man.
Ans: The story has two parallel strands: one is the present narration, and the other comes from the captive's diary entries from the last three months of his captivity. The man was kidnapped from his car by four armed youths and initially treated harshly, but their treatment changed over time. The young captor was in charge, and they traveled extensively to avoid capture, often moving under the cover of darkness. They started their journey before the events of the story, and at the beginning, they were seen traveling on bicycles. They had no fixed place to stay and would change shelters daily, wandering through fields and dense forests to reach the next safe location. Towards the end of the story, they end up in a village, and the captive is held at the headman's house. This brief description gives an overview of the journey they went through together.