A Basketful of Sea Trout Summary And Questions

A Basketful of Sea Trout

Questions And Answers


Question No.1 The atmosphere is eerie and makes even the judge jumpy. Let us see how the eerie atmosphere is built up.

(i) The wind: Does it moan or does it blow gently?
(ii) The lodge: Is it in the heart of a village or is it isolated?
(iii) Servants: Do servants live in the lodge or not?
(iv) Glen: Is it silent or is it full of strange sounds?
(V) Time of the day: Does the action take place at twilight or when there is pitch dark outside?

Answer:- (i) The wind is moaning. It blows hard and then dies down and again blows hard and so on, making a sound as if someone moans i.e. cries in pain.
(ii) The lodge is situated far away from human habitation in an isolated and a solitary place. It is rather desolate, bleak and deserted and creates awe and insecurity.
(iii) No, there are no servants in the lodge. It is a shooting and fishing lodge, located in an isolated and desolate area. It presents a terrible atmosphere. Itโ€˜s so frightening that servants shriek to stay there.
(iv) The glen is full of strange sounds which make the atmosphere quite eerie. Strange and terrifying sounds are heard from the glen during the night.
(v) The action takes place when thereโ€˜s pitch dark outside. Being terribly dark and full of strange moans of wind the night is jumpy.

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Question No.2 Nellie Salter โ€œrejoiced in evilโ€. Was Mrs Lomond justified in summing up Nancyโ€™s character in these words? If so, why?

Answer:- Nellie Salter was an extremely beautiful and buxom woman. She added to her glamour by frequent use of cosmetics. Her charming beauty made young men mad and crazy. She was a lecherous lady and wanted to prove the power of her beauty by making men lose their reason and kill each other for her. She rejoiced in doing so. So, Mrs Lomond is absolutely justified in summing up Nelliesโ€™ character in the words she does.

Question No.3 โ€œI have lost my sonโ€. Why did Mrs Lomond make this statement?

Answer:- Actually, it was not Mrs Lomond but her ghost that was in conversation with the judge. She had drowned herself in the afternoon and her son had sailed away to Canada. She virtually lost her son, the moment she committed suicide. She made this statement to confess that she had committed suicide to atone for her crime. She wanted her son to be absolved from any sort of involvement in the murder.

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Question No.4 The judge did not believe that Hector was tracking Nellie. Why?
Answer:- Brodie suspected Lomond Hectorโ€™s involvement in Nellieโ€™s murder. He thought that after tracking Nellie and killing her, he might have informed his mother about it. But the judge did not agree with Brodie. He did not believe that Hector used to track Nellie because he thought that Hector was decent and unimaginative. He could not have guessed what Nellie Salterโ€˜s gestures meant. Only Mrs Lomond being a woman could have understood that. Further, he believed that Hector was too daring to think of harming, not to talk of killing anybody.

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Question No.7 Why was the play given the title โ€œA basketful of sea troutโ€?
Answer:- The play might have been given many titles like โ€œThe Ghostโ€, โ€œA Murder Mysteryโ€, or โ€œThe Strange Confessionโ€ but the title โ€œA basketful of sea troutโ€ has a great significance and appropriation. Mrs Lomond had been feeling on tenterhooks regarding her son. Though acquitted on not being found guilty, she strangely feared that her son would be re-arrested as the murder was shrouded in mystery. To save her son from being re-arrested Mrs Lomond visited the judgeโ€˜s lodge one dark night to confess her crime. She pretended to have come to thank the judge for having freed her son from the gallows. She had brought a basketful of sea trout as evidence of her gratitude. But the weather was too good to catch fish as she said that she had caught them herself. Later it was confirmed that the lady had died before the fall of night in the afternoon. So, it could only have been her ghost. But strangely enough, at the end of the story, the basketful of sea trout was found under the arch near the door. So, it again created a mystery quite difficult to be untangled. Was the basketful of sea trout real or fake? Had the judge and Brodie seen Mrs Lomond or the ghost? Had they experienced the whole episode in a dream or in senses? So, the basketful of sea trout plays the most important role in creating and solving the mystery. Hence, it is given the same title.

B. Answer the following questions in about 250 words each.

Question No.1 How did the judge and Brodie deduce that Mrs Lomond had killed Nellie Salter?
Answer:- Nellie Salterโ€˜s murder was shrouded in mystery. No clear evidence as to who was involved in the murder had been found. Mrs Lomondโ€˜s son, a lover of Nellie was arrested for interrogation. But he was later acquitted on not being found guilty by the court. Mrs Lomond was also suspected but she evaded the issue on a perfect alibi. In the court, she said that on the day of the murder, she had been on the beach from dawn to dusk and had no information about Nellieโ€˜s movements on that day. The last person who had seen Neilie Salter alive was the farmer at the Dykes Farm. The farmer had seen her walk on the road only up to a spot 100 yards away from the farm. At that spot, the road divided into two paths, one path going by the side of the loch, the other, going up the hill. But no one knew which path Nellie had taken. Her dead body was found 200 yards from the junction of the two roads. Mrs Lomond came to the judgeโ€™s lodge during a pitch-dark night with a basketful of seatrout as a gift for the favour, she thought, he had shown favour in Hectorโ€˜s acquittal. During her conversation with the judge and Brodie, she gave a detailed description of Nellieโ€™s movements before her murder which was unexpected of her as in the court, she had totally denied having any information about Nellieโ€™s movements on the day of her murder. She unveiled such facts about Nellieโ€™s movements which were quite unknown to anyone else. Nellie is getting ready to meet an airman, her dressing for the occasion, her going up on the hillside, applying paint and powder, looking around on the hills and the lake was heard for the first time. She gave an accurate description of even the slightest movements of Nellie. She could also recall the words that Nellie uttered. The judge and his guest, Brodie were stupefied and surprised how she knew all that. Thus, they concluded that she must have followed Nellie Salter and then killed her.

Question No.2 Why did Mrs Lomond come to the judgeโ€s lodge? Give two reasons?
Answer:- Mrs Lomond being a mother had a great concern for the safety and happiness of her son Hector Lomond. She had killed Nellie Salter to save her son from the latterโ€™s false love-trap. She had committed suicide after killing Nellie. However, this painful story had been haunting Mrs Lomond even after her death. It was her perturbed and anxious ghost that visited the judge during the night. She came to the judge to confess before him that she had murdered Nellie. She, during her conversation with the judge and Brodie, made so clear statements that helped them deduce/conclude unambiguously that she had been after Nellie and murdered her in cold blood. She did it only to save her own son as well as other credulous lads from the butcherous snares of Nellie. Secondly, Mrs Lomond had also come to get an assurance from the judge that her sonโ€™s case will not be reopened. She was afraid that her son could be rearrested and punished as he was a suspect. However, the judge assured her that her sonโ€™s case once finished would not be reopened.

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