One Centimetre by Bi Shu-min

 One Centimetre by Bi Shu-min

Q1. Describe the things that reveal that Tao Ying was educated.

Answer: Tao Ying measured her son at home and decided to have a communication with the administration of the temple. She wrote a letter to them; it shows that she was educated.

Q2. Why was Tao Ying very careful about spending money?

Answer: Tao Ying was very careful about spending money because it was difficult for her to make both ends meet. She worked as a cook in the canteen of a factory and her husband was also a blue collar worker.  

Q3. Did Tao Ying truly mean to cheat at the temple?

Answer: Tao Ying was damn sure that her son’s height was less than 1 metre 10 centimetres. She could not present a bad example in front of her son. She did not mean to cheat the at the temple at all.

Q4. Why was Tao Ying not allowed to enter the temple without one more ticket?

Answer: The guard insisted that Tao Ying’s son was taller than one metre and ten centimetres, so she had to buy one more ticket.

Q5. Why did everybody look at the mother with suspicion at the temple gate?

Answer: Everybody looked at the mother with suspicion at the temple gate as they thought Tao Ying was trying to cheat. They believed that she had not purchased another ticket intentionally. They began to feel that she was trying to fool the guard.

Q6. What made Tao Ying decide whether to buy a ticket or not when she rode a bus alone?

Answer: Tao Ying had her own justification for not buying ticket. She believed that without her, the bus would still be stopping at every stop, a driver and a conductor would still have to be employed, and the same amount of petrol used. If the bus conductor looked like the vigilant and responsible, she would purchase a ticket otherwise she did not bother to have a ticket.

Q7. Why did she insist on buying tickets for herself and her son that day?

Answer: She had promised her son earlier that she would buy a ticket for him the next time. The boy reminded her it. She suddenly realised that it was a question of pride for her son, so she purchased a ticket for her son also to make him happy.

Q8. Why did Tao Ying change her idea of purchasing another ticket?

Answer: The guard at the temple gate was trying to prove that Tao Ying had been trying to fool him by not purchasing a ticket for her son. She was damn sure that her son had not reached the height required to buy a ticket. If she had purchased a ticket, she would have been proved wrong and she would have never been able to explain herself to her son.

Q9. Why did Tao Ying refuse the compensation offered by the temple officials?

Answer: Tao Ying did not complain the temple authority to demand a compensation. She wanted to explain her stance to her son. So she refused to accept the compensation.  Instead she requested the officials to explain her son what exactly happened the day when they visited the temple. She urged them to clarify her son that she had not done anything wrong.

Q10. Why did Tao Ying feel nervous and depressed when the temple officials visited her house?

Answer: Tao Ying felt nervous and depressed when the temple officials visited her house because they came without prior intimation. That time her house was very messy, and she had got no time to tidy up. Moreover, she was apprehensive whether the officials could be reasonable or not. She thought how could they favour her instead of the guard whom they themselves had employed.

Q11. Bi Shu-Min in this story portrays the relationship of a mother with her young son. Describe any one situation from the story that highlights that Tao Ying, the mother would like to maintain an ideal image of a mother.

Answer: Tao Ying knew that children are the best imitators in the world. She wanted her son to behave as if he were the product of a cultured home, so she always concentrated and never failed in her own example. For her this was like ‘shooting down aeroplanes with a small gun’. He made her life more focussed and more challenging to set a good example in front of her son. Her fight at the temple gate proves her guts to show her son that his mother was not wrong. She took the matter to the authority and when she was found to be right, she refused to take the compensation. She requested the officials to explain her stance to her son. It shows that she was very conscious of maintaining an ideal image in front of her son.

Q12. Comment on the significance of the title ‘One Centimetre’.

Answer: The title of the story ‘One Centimetre’ is significant as this small unit of measurement reveals the struggle of a section of the society. Tao Ying tries to save every single penny she can so that she can buy grocery or ration with the saved money. Both she and her husband are blue collar workers. She argues with the guard at the temple gate not only because she is damn sure of the height of her son but also buying a ticket of five dollar means she cannot buy a couple of watermelons.

‘One Centimetre’ also signifies Tao Ying’s spirit to fight to prove herself correct. It is a matter of just one centimetre but she takes the matter to the authority. She refuses to take the compensation. Instead she asks the official to explain her son that she is right.

‘One Centimetre’ stands for the honour and pride of the section of society to which Tao Ying belongs.