The Man Who Fought Windmills (Adapted from ‘Don Quixote’ by Miguel De Cervantes)

About the passage

Understand and Answer

A. Answer these questions with reference to the context.

‘”I don’t see any giants!” Sancho said firmly, hoping to change the mind of his fanciful friend.’

1. Who was the ‘fanciful friend’?

Ans. Don Quixote was the ‘fanciful friend’.

2. Why couldn’t Sancho see any giants?

Ans. Sancho couldn’t see any giants because there were only windmills. But Don Quixote believed that the windmills were giants.  

3. Why did Sancho hope to change his friend’s mind?

Ans. This is so, because his head was so full of magic and adventures that he thought the windmills were giants.

B. Mark the statements as true (T) of false (F).

1. Don Quixote was a very adventurous person. T

2. He had a suit of armour made for himself. F

3. Knights in armour were common in Don Quixote’s time. F

4. Quixote was confident that he could make Sancho Panza a ruler. T

5. Sancho Panza knew that Don Quixote often imagined things. T

C. Answer these questions.

1. What did Don Quixote think the windmills were? Why did he think so?

Ans. Don Quixote thought the windmills were giants. He thought so because his head was full of magic and adventures.

2. Describe Don Quixote’s adventure with the windmill.

Ans. When Don Quixote charged forward on his horse, lowering his lance and came near the first windmill, the wind began to blow, and the great arms of the mill creaked slowly around. His lance stuck into one of the windmill’s blades, and he was swept up, off his horse and high into the air. He fell with a loud clang to the ground, and his helmet turned the other way on his head.

3. How did he explain to Sancho why he was fighting a windmill?

Ans. Don Quixote explains to Sancho that the windmills were really giants; he says that they were changed into windmills by magic.

4. Why did he ask Sancho for the magic bowl?

Ans. Don Quixote asked Sancho for the magic bowl to turn them back into giants as he believed that they were changed into windmills by magic.

5. What happened when Don Quixote put the bowl on his head? What did he think had happened to him?

Ans. The bowl was full of curd. When he put the bowl on his head, the curd began to drip all over his face. He thought that his brain had started melting all because of the spell cast upon him by those wicked giants.

6. When did Don Quixote say he would be ready for his next adventure?

Ans. Don Quixote thought that he would be ready for his next adventure as soon as his brain gets fixed.

Think and answer

Do you think Sancho believed Don Quixote would make him a ruler one day? Give a reason for your answer.

Ans. Sancho was squire of Don Quixote and he knew that Don Quixote lives in a dream world. Sancho was also laughing when Don Quixote asked him ‘Do you want me to make you the ruler of some distant land? This shows that Sancho did not believe that Don Quixote would make him a ruler one day.