NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English (First Flight) Chapter 9: The Proposal

Complete solutions for Class 10 English First Flight Chapter 9 – “The Proposal” by Anton Chekhov: an original summary, theme and message, word meanings, and every textbook exercise (Thinking about the Play, Thinking about Language and Speaking) answered in full. The questions are reproduced exactly as in the NCERT book; the answers are written originally in exam-ready style.

Class: 10 Subject: English Book: First Flight Type: Prose – One-act Play (Farce) Author: Anton Chekhov Session: 2026–27
On this page

About the author

Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (1860–1904) was a celebrated Russian short-story writer and dramatist, widely regarded as one of the greatest writers of short fiction in literary history. Trained as a doctor, he once remarked that medicine was his lawful wife and literature his mistress. Chekhov is famous for one-act comedies and full-length plays such as The Cherry Orchard, Uncle Vanya and The Seagull. “The Proposal” (originally titled “A Marriage Proposal”) is a one-act farce written in 1888–89, in which he gently mocks the habit of wealthy landowning families who arrange marriages for material gain rather than love.

Summary

Ivan Vassilevitch Lomov, a nervous and excitable landowner of about thirty-five, calls on his wealthy neighbour Stepan Stepanovitch Chubukov. Dressed formally in an evening jacket and gloves, Lomov has come to ask for the hand of Chubukov’s twenty-five-year-old daughter, Natalya. Chubukov first suspects he has come to borrow money, but on hearing the real purpose he is overjoyed and rushes off to fetch his daughter, blessing the match.

While Lomov waits, he frets about his weak heart, his sleeplessness and his palpitations. When Natalya enters, Lomov begins his proposal indirectly by recalling the long friendship between their families and happens to mention his “Oxen Meadows.” Instantly, Natalya insists the Meadows belong to her family. The two plunge into a furious quarrel, each claiming ownership, until Chubukov returns and sides with his daughter, hurling insults at Lomov. Clutching his thumping heart, Lomov staggers out of the house.

Only then does Chubukov reveal that Lomov had come to propose. Natalya is horrified to have driven away a suitable husband and screams for him to be brought back. Lomov returns, exhausted, and Natalya hastily admits the Meadows are his. But within moments a second quarrel erupts — this time over whose hunting dog is better, Lomov’s Guess or Chubukov’s Squeezer. Lomov nearly faints, and Chubukov, desperate to be rid of the matter, joins the couple’s hands and gives his blessing. Even as they are declared engaged, Natalya and Lomov begin squabbling again about the dogs, while Chubukov calls for champagne. The farce ends with the proposal accepted but the quarrelling far from over — suggesting a stormy married life ahead.

Theme & message

The play satirises marriages of convenience among the wealthy landed gentry, where the union of estates matters more than love or compatibility. Through three quarrelsome, petty and self-centred characters, Chekhov shows how trivial issues — a strip of meadow, a hunting dog — can balloon into furious disputes. The deeper message is that the proposal goes ahead not out of affection but out of practical, economic good sense; the constant bickering hints that money-driven marriages are built on shaky foundations. The play also pokes fun at hypochondria, false pride and human stubbornness.

Word meanings

Word / PhraseMeaning
proposal(here) an offer of marriage
farcea comedy based on ridiculous, exaggerated situations
palpitationsrapid, irregular beating of the heart
excitableeasily agitated or worked up
suspiciousinclined to doubt or mistrust others
meadowsfields of grass, especially for hay or grazing
birchwoodswoods of birch trees
in perpetuityforever; for all time
dessiatinsan old Russian unit of land area (about 2.7 acres)
roublesthe unit of Russian currency
pettifoggera person who quarrels or argues over petty, trivial matters
landgrabberone who seizes land that is not his own
embezzlementtheft of money placed in one’s trust
thoroughbred(of an animal) of pure or pedigree breed
overshot(of a dog) having a lower jaw shorter than the upper
blackcocka black grouse; a game bird that is hunted
verstan old Russian unit of distance (about 1.07 km)
intriguera scheming, plotting person
imploreto beg earnestly
maliciousintending to do harm; spiteful
negligeinformal, casual house clothing
coming roundregaining consciousness

Thinking about the Play

1. What does Chubukov at first suspect that Lomov has come for? Is he sincere when he later says “And I’ve always loved you, my angel, as if you were my own son”? Find reasons for your answer from the play.

ANSWERWhen Lomov, dressed formally, says he has come with a request, Chubukov suspects (in an aside) that Lomov has come to borrow money — “He’s come to borrow money. Shan’t give him any!”No, he is not entirely sincere. His warm words are largely driven by self-interest. The moment he learns Lomov wants to marry Natalya, he is delighted because the match will join two wealthy estates. His true nature is exposed soon after, when he abuses Lomov bitterly during their quarrels — calling him a “pettifogger”, “malicious, doublefaced intriguer” and saying his family had “lunacy.” Such insults show that his earlier affection was exaggerated flattery, not genuine love.

2. Chubukov says of Natalya: “… as if she won’t consent! She’s in love; egad, she’s like a lovesick cat…” Would you agree? Find reasons for your answer.

ANSWERNo, one cannot fully agree. There is little evidence in the play that Natalya is genuinely “in love” with Lomov in any romantic sense. The moment he mentions the Oxen Meadows, she forgets all warmth and quarrels fiercely with him. However, when Chubukov tells her Lomov had come to propose, she becomes hysterical and screams for him to be fetched back — revealing that she is eager to be married and unwilling to lose an eligible, wealthy suitor. So she is anxious for the marriage out of practical concern, not the lovesick devotion her father describes.

3. (i) Find all the words and expressions in the play that the characters use to speak about each other, and the accusations and insults they hurl at each other. (For example, Lomov in the end calls Chubukov an intriguer; but earlier, Chubukov has himself called Lomov a “malicious, doublefaced intriguer.” Again, Lomov begins by describing Natalya as “an excellent housekeeper, not bad-looking, well-educated.”)

ANSWERInsults Chubukov hurls at Lomov: “pettifogger”, “malicious, doublefaced intriguer”, “You Lomovs have had lunacy in your family”, “Boy! Pup!”, “Boy! Milksop! Fool!”, “the villain”, “the scarecrow”, “blind hen”, “turnip-ghost”, “stuffed sausage”, “wizen-faced frump”; he also says Lomov is “under the slipper of your house-keeper.”Insults Lomov hurls at Chubukov: “grabber”, “intriguer”, “Old rat! Jesuit!”; he says Chubukov’s grandfather was tried for embezzlement, his late wife “used to beat” him, and accuses him of trying to bribe before the elections.About each other’s families: Lomov says Chubukov’s mother “was hump-backed”, his father a “guzzling gambler”; Chubukov says Lomov’s grandfather was a drunkard and his aunt Nastasya ran away with an architect, and Natalya adds that Lomov’s aunt was a great “backbiter.”About the dogs: Lomov calls Squeezer “overshot” and worthless; Natalya calls Guess “old and as ugly as a worn-out cab-horse” and “half-dead.”

(ii) Then think of five adjectives or adjectival expressions of your own to describe each character in the play.

ANSWERLomov: hypochondriac, nervous, quarrelsome, suspicious, fault-finding.Natalya: stubborn, short-tempered, argumentative, eager-to-marry, sharp-tongued.Chubukov: hot-tempered, scheming, exaggerating, money-minded, abusive.

(iii) Can you now imagine what these characters will quarrel about next?

ANSWERGiven their quarrelsome nature, they could fight about almost anything — the date or expenses of the wedding, the size of the dowry, which fields or property belong to whom, whose servants are better, where the couple will live, or once again about whose dog is superior. The play’s closing lines, where Natalya and Lomov are still arguing over Guess and Squeezer even after the engagement, suggest their bickering will never truly end.

Thinking about Language

I.1. This play has been translated into English from the Russian original. Are there any expressions or ways of speaking that strike you as more Russian than English? For example, would an adult man be addressed by an older man as my darling or my treasure in an English play? Read through the play carefully, and find expressions that you think are not used in contemporary English, and contrast these with idiomatic modern English expressions that also occur in the play.

ANSWERYes, several modes of address sound distinctly Russian (and old-fashioned) rather than like modern English. Chubukov repeatedly addresses Lomov — an adult man — with endearments such as “my darling”, “my treasure”, “my angel”, “my beauty”, “my precious”, “my beloved” and “my dear fellow.” The frequent tag “and so on” and the use of full patronymics (“Ivan Vassilevitch”, “Stepan Stepanovitch”) also feel Russian. These contrast with the everyday idiomatic modern English expressions in the play, such as “Spit it out!”, “I can’t make head or tail of it”, “go round and round it”, “my foot’s gone to sleep”, “be hanged to your Squeezer” and “coming round”, which are still in common use today.

I.2. Look up the following words in a dictionary and find out how to pronounce them. Pay attention to how many syllables there are in each word, and find out which syllable is stressed, or said more forcefully.

ANSWERpalpitations – 4 syllables (pal-pi-TA-tions); stress on the 3rd syllable.interfere – 3 syllables (in-ter-FERE); stress on the 3rd syllable.implore – 2 syllables (im-PLORE); stress on the 2nd syllable.thoroughbred – 3 syllables (THOR-ough-bred); stress on the 1st syllable.pedigree – 3 syllables (PED-i-gree); stress on the 1st syllable.principle – 3 syllables (PRIN-ci-ple); stress on the 1st syllable.evidence – 3 syllables (EV-i-dence); stress on the 1st syllable.misfortune – 3 syllables (mis-FOR-tune); stress on the 2nd syllable.malicious – 3 syllables (ma-LI-cious); stress on the 2nd syllable.embezzlement – 4 syllables (em-BEZ-zle-ment); stress on the 2nd syllable.architect – 3 syllables (AR-chi-tect); stress on the 1st syllable.neighbours – 2 syllables (NEIGH-bours); stress on the 1st syllable.accustomed – 3 syllables (ac-CUS-tomed); stress on the 2nd syllable.temporary – 4 syllables (TEM-po-ra-ry); stress on the 1st syllable.behaviour – 3 syllables (be-HAV-iour); stress on the 2nd syllable.documents – 3 syllables (DOC-u-ments); stress on the 1st syllable.

I.3. Look up the following phrases in a dictionary to find out their meaning, and then use each in a sentence of your own.(i) You may take it that   (ii) He seems to be coming round   (iii) My foot’s gone to sleep

ANSWER(i) You may take it that – meaning “you may assume / be sure that.”
Sentence: You may take it that the school will remain closed if the heavy rain continues.(ii) He seems to be coming round – meaning he is regaining consciousness (or changing his opinion to agree).
Sentence: After the cold water was sprinkled on his face, the fainted player seems to be coming round.(iii) My foot’s gone to sleep – meaning the foot has become numb because of poor blood flow after staying in one position.
Sentence: I had sat cross-legged for so long that my foot’s gone to sleep and I could hardly stand.

II. Reported Speech

In the following sentences fill in the blanks to list the changes that have occurred in the above pairs of sentences. One has been done for you.

ANSWER1. To report a question, we use the reporting verb asked (as in Sentence Set 1).2. To report a statement, we use the reporting verb said (that).3. The adverb of place here changes to there.4. When the verb in direct speech is in the present tense, the verb in reported speech is in the past tense (as in Sentence Set 3).5. If the verb in direct speech is in the present continuous tense, the verb in reported speech changes to the past continuous tense. For example, am getting changes to was getting.6. When the sentence in direct speech contains a word denoting respect, we add the adverb respectfully in the reporting clause (as in Sentence Set 1).7. The pronouns I, me, our and mine, which are used in the first person in direct speech, change according to the subject or object of the reporting verb such as he, him, his or their in reported speech.

III. Here is an excerpt from an article from the Times of India dated 27 August 2006. Rewrite it, changing the sentences in direct speech into reported speech. Leave the other sentences unchanged.

ANSWERLaughing, 90-year-old A. K. Hangal, one of Hindi cinema’s most famous character actors, asks why we want to know his age, adding that if people know he is so old, he won’t get work. For his age, he is rather energetic. We ask him what the secret is. He replies that his intake of everything is in small quantities, and that he walks a lot. He says that he joined the industry when people retire, that he was in his forties, and so he does not miss being called a star. He adds that he is still respected and given work, when actors of his age are living in poverty and without work, and that he does not have any complaints, adding that, yes, he has always been underpaid. Recipient of the Padma Bhushan, Hangal never hankered after money or materialistic gains. He regrets that there is no doubt he is content that day, but money is important, and that he was a fool not to understand the value of money earlier.

Speaking

1. Anger Management: As adults, one important thing to learn is how to manage our temper. Some of us tend to get angry quickly, while others remain calm. Can you think of three ill effects that result from anger? Note them down. Suggest ways to avoid losing your temper in such situations. Are there any benefits from anger?

ANSWERThree ill effects of anger: (1) it harms health, raising blood pressure and causing stress, headaches and a racing heart (much like Lomov’s palpitations); (2) it damages relationships, leading to hurtful words and broken friendships; (3) it clouds judgement, so we make wrong decisions and may later regret them.Ways to avoid losing your temper: take a few deep breaths and count to ten before reacting; walk away from the situation for a while; speak slowly and listen to the other person’s point of view; and try to see the lighter, humorous side of a small problem.Benefits of anger: controlled, healthy anger can sometimes be useful — it can motivate us to correct an injustice, set firm boundaries, and express genuine feelings honestly rather than bottling them up.

2. In pairs, prepare a script based on the given excerpt from The Home and the World by Rabindranath Tagore. You may write five exchanges between the characters with other directions such as movements on stage and way of speaking, etc.

SAMPLE SCRIPT[A busy office room. Bimala enters, dressed up, fingers toying nervously with her bangles. The husband stands, looking enquiringly at her.]Bimala [abruptly, with feeling]: Look here! Is it right that ours should be the only market in all Bengal that allows foreign goods?Husband [calmly, looking up]: What, then, would be the right thing to do?Bimala [firmly]: Order them to be cleared out!Husband [shaking his head]: But the goods are not mine. It is much more theirs who use the market for trade.Bimala [insistently]: Let them trade in Indian goods, then.Husband [rising, picking up his papers]: To tyrannise for the country is to tyrannise over the country. I am very busy this afternoon and cannot stop to argue. [He walks away. Bimala watches him go, troubled.]

3. In groups, discuss the qualities one should look for in a marriage partner. You might consider the following points. (Personal qualities – appearance, attitudes and beliefs, sense of humour; Value system – compassion and kindness, tolerance and ambition, attitude to money and wealth; Education and professional background.)

ANSWER (discussion points)A good marriage partner should ideally have warmth and kindness, honesty, patience and a good sense of humour rather than mere good looks. Shared attitudes and beliefs and mutual respect make a relationship lasting. A strong value system — compassion, tolerance, ambition and a sensible attitude to money — matters far more than wealth alone. Education and a settled profession add stability, but understanding, trust and the willingness to compromise are the most important qualities. (As the play shows, two short-tempered, stubborn people make a poor match!)

4. Are there parts of the play that remind you of film scenes from romantic comedies? Discuss this in groups, and recount to the rest of the class episodes similar to those in the play.

ANSWERYes, several moments resemble scenes from romantic comedies. The exaggerated quarrels between two people who are clearly meant to end up together, the comic fainting and reviving of Lomov, Natalya’s hysterical demand to “Bring him back!” the instant they are about to lose him, and the engagement that takes place even while the couple keep bickering — all are stock features of the “love-hate” comedy. Many films show a couple who argue constantly yet finally unite, with relatives eagerly pushing the match. (Recount your own favourite such film scene in class.)

Extra questions

Short answer (30–40 words)

1. Why does Lomov come to Chubukov’s house?

ANSWERLomov, a wealthy neighbour, comes formally dressed to Chubukov’s house to ask for the hand of Chubukov’s twenty-five-year-old daughter, Natalya, in marriage, since he feels it is the right age and sensible thing for him to do.

2. What is the Oxen Meadows quarrel about?

ANSWERLomov claims the Oxen Meadows, wedged between Natalya’s birchwoods and the Burnt Marsh, are his. Natalya insists they have belonged to her family for nearly three hundred years. Neither will yield, and a furious argument breaks out.

3. What second quarrel breaks out after Natalya accepts that the Meadows are Lomov’s?

ANSWERThey quarrel about whose hunting dog is superior — Lomov’s dog Guess or Chubukov’s dog Squeezer. Each insists their own dog is far better, and the argument grows just as heated as the first.

4. How does the play end?

ANSWERChubukov hastily joins Lomov’s and Natalya’s hands and blesses them. The two are declared engaged, but they at once start arguing again over the dogs, while Chubukov shouts for champagne to drown out the noise.

5. Why is the play called a farce?

ANSWERIt is a farce because it uses ridiculous, exaggerated situations and characters for comic effect — petty quarrels over a meadow and a dog, Lomov’s comic fainting fits, and an engagement reached amidst endless squabbling.

Long answer (100–120 words)

6. “The proposal in the play is more about property than about love.” Discuss.

ANSWERChekhov makes it clear that the marriage is a practical arrangement, not a love match. Lomov decides to marry because he is thirty-five, suffers from palpitations and wants a settled, regular life; he describes Natalya merely as “an excellent housekeeper, not bad-looking, well-educated.” Chubukov welcomes the proposal chiefly because it joins two wealthy neighbouring estates. The lovers themselves never speak of affection; instead they quarrel bitterly over the Oxen Meadows and their hunting dogs. Even at the very moment of engagement they are squabbling. All this shows the union is driven by property, land and convenience rather than genuine love — exactly the materialistic attitude the playwright sets out to satirise.

7. Draw a character sketch of Lomov.

ANSWERIvan Vassilevitch Lomov is a wealthy, thirty-five-year-old landowner and Chubukov’s neighbour. He is a confirmed hypochondriac, forever complaining of palpitations, a twitching eyebrow, a numb foot and sleeplessness. Though he comes with the sensible aim of proposing to Natalya, he is so nervous and excitable that he keeps getting distracted. He is also quarrelsome and obstinate, refusing to give up his claim to the Oxen Meadows or admit that Squeezer is the better dog, even on a day meant for romance. His exaggerated suffering and fault-finding make him a comic figure. Yet his materialistic, practical approach to marriage reflects the very social class Chekhov gently mocks.

8. How does Chekhov use the two quarrels to drive the action and humour of the play?

ANSWERThe entire comedy is built around two trivial disputes. Just as Lomov is about to propose, the Oxen Meadows quarrel erupts, dragging in Chubukov and ending with Lomov storming out — postponing the proposal. When he returns and Natalya yields the Meadows, a second quarrel about the hunting dogs Guess and Squeezer immediately breaks out, nearly causing Lomov to faint. These quarrels create the play’s suspense and laughter: the proposal is repeatedly endangered by petty issues, and we wonder whether it will ever be made. Their absurdity also reveals the characters’ stubborn, hot-tempered natures, and hints that their married life will be one long argument.

MCQs & Assertion–Reason

1. Who is the author of ‘The Proposal’?

(a) Leo Tolstoy   (b) Anton Chekhov   (c) Rabindranath Tagore   (d) Maxim Gorky

2. What kind of play is ‘The Proposal’?

(a) A tragedy   (b) A one-act farce   (c) A history play   (d) A musical

3. Why does Lomov visit Chubukov?

(a) To borrow money   (b) To buy land   (c) To propose to Natalya   (d) To sell a dog

4. What does Chubukov at first think Lomov has come for?

(a) To propose   (b) To borrow money   (c) To quarrel   (d) To invite him to a ball

5. The first quarrel between Lomov and Natalya is about:

(a) the dogs   (b) money   (c) the Oxen Meadows   (d) the wedding date

6. The names of the two hunting dogs in the play are:

(a) Guess and Squeezer   (b) Harness and Chisels   (c) Guess and Mironov   (d) Squeezer and Volchanetsky

7. What illness does Lomov repeatedly complain about?

(a) Fever   (b) Headache only   (c) Palpitations and a numb foot   (d) Toothache

8. How old is Natalya Stepanovna?

(a) Twenty   (b) Twenty-five   (c) Thirty   (d) Thirty-five

9. How does Chubukov finally settle the matter?

(a) He throws Lomov out   (b) He joins the couple’s hands and blesses them   (c) He calls a lawyer   (d) He gives away the Meadows

10. At the very end of the play, Natalya and Lomov are still arguing about:

(a) the Meadows   (b) the wedding   (c) whose dog is better   (d) money

Answer key: 1-(b)   2-(b)   3-(c)   4-(b)   5-(c)   6-(a)   7-(c)   8-(b)   9-(b)   10-(c)

Assertion–Reason – choose: (a) A and R true, R explains A; (b) A and R true, R does not explain A; (c) A true, R false; (d) A false, R true.

1. Assertion (A): Chubukov is delighted when he learns the real reason for Lomov’s visit.

Reason (R): The marriage would join two wealthy neighbouring estates.

2. Assertion (A): Lomov decides to marry Natalya out of deep romantic love.

Reason (R): He is thirty-five, suffers from palpitations and wants a quiet, settled life.

3. Assertion (A): Natalya screams for Lomov to be brought back.

Reason (R): She realises he had come to propose and does not want to lose an eligible suitor.

4. Assertion (A): The proposal in the play is made smoothly and without any interruption.

Reason (R): Lomov and Natalya quarrel twice — over the Oxen Meadows and over their dogs.

5. Assertion (A): ‘The Proposal’ satirises money-driven marriages among the landed gentry.

Reason (R): The characters care more about property and dogs than about love.

Answer key: 1-(a)   2-(d)   3-(a)   4-(d)   5-(a)
Note: In 2, A is false (he marries out of practical convenience, not love) while R is true. In 4, A is false (the proposal is repeatedly interrupted) while R is true.

Exam tips

Score better in ‘The Proposal’

  • Remember the play is a one-act farce by Anton Chekhov, written in 1888–89 — a favourite for “type of play / author” questions.
  • Keep the two quarrels straight: first the Oxen Meadows (land), then the dogs Guess vs Squeezer.
  • For character questions, support every adjective (quarrelsome, hypochondriac, money-minded) with a short example or quotation from the text.
  • Stress the theme — marriage of convenience and the comic, never-ending squabbling — in value-based and long-answer questions.
  • For the reported-speech grammar exercise, change tense, pronouns and the adverbs of place/time correctly (here→there, this→that).

FAQs

Who wrote ‘The Proposal’ and what type of play is it?

‘The Proposal’ was written by the Russian writer Anton Chekhov in 1888–89. It is a one-act play and a farce, originally titled ‘A Marriage Proposal’.

Why does Lomov visit Chubukov in ‘The Proposal’?

Lomov, a wealthy neighbour, comes to ask for the hand of Chubukov’s twenty-five-year-old daughter, Natalya, in marriage. Chubukov at first suspects he has come to borrow money.

What are the two main quarrels in the play?

The first quarrel is over the ownership of the Oxen Meadows, and the second is over whose hunting dog is better — Lomov’s Guess or Chubukov’s Squeezer.

What is the main theme of ‘The Proposal’?

The play satirises marriages of convenience among the wealthy landed gentry, where property and material gain matter more than love, shown through three quarrelsome, petty characters.

Questions are taken verbatim from the NCERT First Flight textbook; summaries and answers are written originally by ClearStudy.

Scroll to Top