THREE QUESTIONS

                       THREE QUESTIONS

                                                 Leo Tolstoy

1. What is the theme of the story 'Three Questions'?

Or

Justify the title of Tolstoy's story 'Three Questions'.

Or

What were the three questions? What did the Tsar do to find their answers? 

Leo Tolstoy's short story presents three questions which are sometimes encountered by people. In this story a Tsar seeks answers to three questions. What is the most productive time to start any work? Who are the most important people? And what are the essential duties? The moment these three questions began to torment him, he announces that those who will be able to answer will be rewarded. But the Tsar is not satisfied with any scholar's answer as different scholars answer differently of that questions.

At last he meets a wise hermit who gives him a satisfactory answer, thus the title captures the subject and lends its validity.

2. What was the first question of the Tsar ? What answers did the learned men suggest ?

The question that first arose in the Tsar's mind was - What should be the ideal time to start any work? Since the number of scholars in that place was very large, the answers came in abundance.  

First some suggested to him that he should draw up a draft of his duties arranged in a table of hours, days, months, and years, and strictly obeyed to it. Some said that since it was impossible to know the future in advance, the king should consult with the magicians. Some also suggested that the king may form a council of some wise men and take their opinions. 

The answers of the learned men were different, which instead of allaying the Tsar's curiosity made him more perplexed.

3. What answers did the hermit give to the Tsar's question? 

The hermit explained his experience in answering the Tsar's three questions. According to hermit, the present time is the most important to the Tsar. The Tsar was digging for the hermit and that was the most important thing for the Tsar. That was what saved him because that was when his enemy was waiting to kill the Tsar. This was the answer to Tsar's first question. And the most important people were those who were close to the Tsar. Therefore helping the hermit or serving the wounded man was important to the Tsar. In response to the third question, the hermit explained that the most important task in human life is to help others. The Tsar was saved from death by helping the hermit or the wounded man.These answers given by the hermit satisfied the Tsar. 

4. "Forgive me," said the bearded man___Why did the man ask forgiveness of the Tsar? Was he forgiven? How do you know it?

In the story 'Three Questions' by Leo Tolstoy, the bearded man came to settle an enmity with the Tsar. The Tsar executed his brother and confiscated his property. But the Tsar's bodyguards attacked him and he got a serious injury in the stomach. When he was about to die from bleeding, the Tsar took the help of the saint and bandaged his wound. They brought him to the cottage and kept him in bed until he recovered. Thus the bearded man's life was saved by his enemy. For this reason he begged forgiveness from the Tsar. 

Yes, the Tsar pardoned him.

It is clear that because of this incident, the Tsar said that he would send his own doctors and servants to serve him. He returned his possessions. Certainly the Tsar was very happy to see that his enemy had easily turned into a friend. 

5. "You have already been answered" - Who said this and to whom? How had the person referred to been answered?

In the story 'Three Questions' the hermit said this to the Tsar.

The Tsar asked the hermit several times to answer his questions but the monk believed that experience is the best teaching. So Tsar got the answer from his real life experience. The hermit told the Tsar that if the Tsar had not dug the ground out of pity for the hermit because of his weakness, the Tsar would have walked his way and been attacked by the man and regretted not staying with the hermit. So when the Tsar was digging the soil was the most important time for him and the person for whom he was digging the soil was the most important person and doing good to the hermit was the most important thing for the Tsar.The hermit also told the Tsar that the time when he was tending the wounded man was the most important time, the wounded man was the most important person and caring for the wounded man was the most important work. All these examples made the hermit realise to the Tsar and were able to convey that the real purpose of life is to help others.