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At first, Chubukov suspected that Lomov had come to borrow money. He was not sincere when he told Lomov that he had always loved him and that he was like his own son. He had decided that he would not give Lomov any money if he tried borrowing from him. If he truly meant what he had said, then he would not have thought of not giving him money He said so only because Lomov had come with the proposal to marry his daughter.

All the characters in the play are argumentative, full of pride and possessiveness. They are always ready to argue for petty things.

Natalya asked her father to fetch Lomov at once as she had come to know that Lomov had come to propose her. She accused Chubukov of driving Lomov out of their home.

Lomov wanted to get married as he was already 35 years old. Moreover, he was suffering due to a weak heart and sleep-sickness and wanted company of someone to look after him.

Lomov came to Chubukov’s house in the evening dress with gloves on. He comes to propose to his daughter Natalya. He is received with all the respect by Chubukov.

When Lomov says that he has come to ask for the hand of his daughter, Chubukov gets off balanced with joy. He embraces and kisses Lomov, sheds a tear of joy and calls for God’s blessing for Lomov and Natalya.

1. (ii) Natalya is the 'madam' in the above lines.

2. (i) The speaker got infuriated with Natalya for having called him a land grabber.

3. (iii) He will not allow anybody to accuse him of having grabbed anyone’s land.

4. (i) Natalya accuses Lomov of grabbing Oxen Meadows. So, Lomov says that he is not a land grabber.

5. (iv) Lomov threatened to take the matter to the court.

When Lomov is in an excited state his heartbeat increases, lips tremble and there is a twitch in his right eyebrow. When he goes to sleep in such a ‘state something pulls him from his left side and he jumps like a lunatic.

In the play The Proposal Anton Chechov has presented three characters. Stephen Chubukov is one of them. He was a land owner who had a daughter named Natalya. He was a very quarrelsome man but had a habit of speaking politely to everyone initially. He welcomes Lomov in a polite manner and is happy when he says he has come to propose to his daughter. Chubukov was a man to be carried away easily and so when Natalya and Lomov had an argument he too joined in and insulted Lomov. Chubukov is projected as a loving father but a greedy man who is looking for a good match for his daughter.

1. (i) He refers to 'Guess', the dog.

2. (ii) Lomov is the speaker of these lines.

3. (iii) Squeezer belongs to Chubukov.

4. (i) The handsome price to pay for Squeezer would be twenty-five roubles.

5. (ii) Lomov was wearing his evening dress to ask for Chubukov’s daughter’s hand in marriage.

1. (i) The speaker is giving his blessing to Natalya and Lomov.

2. (ii) Lomov and 2atalya both are willing to marry each other and Chubukov agrees to it as well.

3. (ii) Chubukov is giving his blessing.

4. (iv) She is willing for her marriage with Lomov.

5. (iv) Chubukov called "lovesick cat" to Natalya.

1. (i) Natalya is the speaker of the line.

2. (ii) The dispute is over the 'Oxen Meadows'.

3. (iv) Ivan Lomov has come for the marriage proposal.

4. (iii) The meaning of the word under control is 'restrain'.

5. (i) Anton Chekhov is the writer of the play "The Proposal".

Lomov was a thirty five-year-old unmarried man. He anxiously waited to get married because he had reached a critical age. He proposed a girl named Natalya in his neighbourhood. Lomov was a strange man. He went to propose Natalya but quarrelled over petty issues like the Oxen Meadows and pet dogs. He also abused Natalya and her father.

Natalya was a young girl of twenty-five. She lived in the neighbourhood of Lomov and could do all the household work. She yearned for love and was quarrelsome by nature. She too quarrelled with Lomov over meadows and their pet dogs as to which one was a better breed.

1. (ii) The speaker lent their threshing machine last year.

2. (ii) After that, they had to put o9 their own threshing till November.

3. (iii) They lent their threshing machine to 3omov the previous year that delayed their own threshing till 2ovember.

4. (i) Lomov and Natalya were fighting about Oxen Meadows.

5. (i) Natalya was arguing about the land because she can’t stand unfairness.

The title of the play is ‘The proposal’ and it is a very apt one because the whole play is about Lomov proposing Natalya. Right from the beginning to the end of the play, the story revolves round a marriage proposal. Lomov comes to Natalya’s house to propose to her but even before he does it, they both start fighting. As a result, Lomov becomes sick and leaves. Natalya’s father informs her about the intention of Lomov and she starts lamenting over the loss. Lomov is called back and once again an argument ensues before proposing. Hence, we can say that the title is perfect for the play.

1. (i) Natalya is the speaker of these lines.

2. (i) Lomov is making fun of Natalya.

3. (ii) They had the land for nearly 300 years.

4. (i) The land that the speaker has had for nearly 300 years have been told that it isn’t theirs.

5. (iii) Lomov was shouting due to his palpitations.

1. (i) The speaker of the above lines is Ivan Lomov.

2. (i) The meadows were given by my aunt’s grandmother for the temporary and free use of your grandfather’s peasants.

3. (ii) Peasants have used the land for forty years.

4. (iii) The antonym of the word 'permanent' temporary.

5. (iv) Squeezer had an overshot.

Lomov and Natalya meet and .rather than proposing her he gets off the point. He tells her how he inherited his land and how he respects her father. He also tells Natalya that his Oxen meadows touch Natalya’s Birchwood. On hearing this, Natalya says that Oxen Meadows are theirs. They start arguing about it. Lomov clarifies that he is talking about the Oxen Meadows that are between her Birchwoods and Burnt marsh. Natalya again insists that they are theirs.

Lomov refuses it. He tells her that his aunt’s grandmother gave those meadows to her father’s grand father. The peasants used the land for forty years and started regarding it as their own. Natalya’s father comes and also starts quarreling with Lomov. They get into a heated argument and resort to name-calling. After some time, Lomov leaves their house.

1. (ii) Lomov is the speaker of these lines.

2. (i) The speaker is speaking to Natalya.

3. (i) The peasants made bricks for the grandmother of Lomov’s aunt.

4. (iii) They had a cordial relationship as they were neighbours.

5. (ii) The play is set in Russia.

1. (ii) Natalya is the speaker of the above lines.

2. (i) The speaker is talking to Lomov.

3. (iii) Lomov had come to propose to Natalya. Chubukov considered 'Lomov' as 'merchant' and 'Natalya' as 'his goods'.

4. (i) Natalya was shelling peas when Lomov called her.

5. (ii) Natalya offer lunch to Lomov.

1. (i) Natalya is speaking to Lomov.

2. (ii) The speaker lent her threshing-machine to her neighbour, Lomov.

3. (iv) She had helped her neighbour by lending the threshing machine.

4. (iii) They had to put off their own threshing till November.

5. (i) Lomov and Chubukov are neighbours.

Natalya repeatedly insisted that Oxen Meadows are theirs and told Lomov that up to now she considered Lomov as a good neighbour and friend. This excited Lomov to the point of verbal fighting.

1. (ii) Lomov is the speaker of these lines.

2. (i) The speaker is speaking to Natalya.

3. (iii) The ownership of Oxen Meadows was the subject of dispute.

4. (ii) The peasants worked for forty years, making bricks for them.

5. (iv) The topic for the second argument was the dogs.

Lomov reacts by saying that Chubukov thinks that he is a fool. He says that he cannot talk to him calmly and How does politely as he is making a false claim to his property. He further accuses Chubukov of being a grabber.

Chubukov thought that Lomov was a good marriage prospect for his daughter. He had been waiting for this proposal. When Lomov expressed his doubt regarding Natalya’s consent to the proposal, Chubukov immediately told him that she was in love with him. However, this was not true. Natalya did not seem to be in love with Lomov at any point in the play. It seemed like she was more attached to her land, meadows and dogs than to Lomov. In fact, the way they kept getting into arguments about trivial matters suggests that neither Lomov nor Natalya? was in love with each other.