English (Core) · Class 12 Languages
Ch 18On the Face of It — Class 12 English (Core), concept-first.
'On the Face of It' is the work of Susan Hill, an English writer known for fiction and drama that probes the inner lives of lonely, wounded or overlooked people. Her writing often gives voice to those who feel set apart from ordinary society — the isolated, the grieving, the disabled — and treats them with sympathy and…
20
Q&A
1
Concept
40m
Section weightage
Section C · Literature Textbooks (Flamingo & Vistas) · across all 19 lessons
Key concepts
Hover a concept to preview it and jump to its most relevant Q&A.
Theme Analysis Literature
Think of the last story that really stayed with you — not the plot details, but the feeling or idea it left behind.
Most relevant Q&A
- What is it that draws Derry towards Mr Lamb inspite of himself?Free
- In which section of the play does Mr Lamb display signs of loneliness and disappointment? What are the ways in which Mr Lamb tries to overco…Free
- The actual pain or inconvenience caused by a physical impairment is often much less than the sense of alienation felt by the person with dis…Preview
- Will Derry get back to his old seclusion or will Mr Lamb's brief association effect a change in the kind of life he will lead in the future?Preview
- using your imagination to suggest another ending to the above story.Preview
Chapter contents
The NCERT structure, section by section. Open a section to see its questions, then read the concept-first solution.
About the Playwright and the Play
'On the Face of It' is the work of Susan Hill, an English writer known for fiction and drama that probes the inner lives of lonely, wounded or overlooked people.
The Story / Scene Summary
The play opens in Mr Lamb's garden, with the occasional sound of birdsong and rustling leaves. Derry, a withdrawn and bitter fourteen-year-old, climbs over the wall and moves tentatively through the l…
Character Sketches
The play has essentially two characters, and its whole meaning grows out of the contrast between them.
Mr Lamb
Mr Lamb is an elderly man who owns the garden Derry wanders into. His real leg was "blown off, years back" by a bomb in the war, so he now walks with an artificial tin leg, and because of it local chi…
Derry
Derry (his full name is Derek, which he hates) is a fourteen-year-old boy whose face has been badly disfigured on one side by an acid burn — he says he will "still only have half a face," and is convi…
Themes
The short play carries several interwoven themes, all of them arising naturally from the meeting of a scarred, embittered boy and a cheerful, disabled old man.
Title and Message
The title and the message of 'On the Face of It' are closely bound together, because Susan Hill has chosen a phrase that names the very idea her play sets out to challenge — the habit of judging peopl…
The Significance of the Title
The title 'On the Face of It' is a common English expression that means 'judging by appearances' or 'as it seems at first glance.' Something that is true only 'on the face of it' looks a certain way o…
The Message of the Play
Several connected lessons flow from the play, and together they form its message.
Summary
- Situation Plot: Susan Hill's radio play 'On the Face of It', part of the CBSE Class 12 English NCERT Vistas reader, is set mainly in Mr Lamb's garden.
Read and Find Out
As you read this Vistas lesson, the NCERT textbook stops you at a few points with short boxed questions — the "Read and Find Out" questions — that check whether you have followed the story so far.
Reading with Insight
+−Reading with Insighti4 questions
- Q1What is it that draws Derry towards Mr Lamb inspite of himself?Free
- Q2In which section of the play does Mr Lamb display signs of loneliness and disappointment? What are the ways in which Mr Lamb tries to overco…Free
- Q3The actual pain or inconvenience caused by a physical impairment is often much less than the sense of alienation felt by the person with dis…Preview
- Q4Will Derry get back to his old seclusion or will Mr Lamb's brief association effect a change in the kind of life he will lead in the future?Preview
How about...
+−How about...i1 question
Additional Practice
Extra exam-style practice questions written by us on this lesson — beyond the NCERT textbook's own exercises — for more CBSE board-exam preparation.
+−Additional Practicei13 questions
- Q1Who is Derry, and why is he so withdrawn and bitter? (Answer in 30–40 words.)Free
- Q2Who is Mr Lamb, and how does his attitude to life differ from Derry's? (Answer in 30–40 words.)Free
- Q3How does Mr Lamb try to change the way Derry sees himself? (Answer in 30–40 words.)Free
- Q4Why is Mr Lamb called 'Lamey-Lamb', and how does he respond to such taunts? (Answer in 30–40 words.)Preview
- Q5What makes Derry decide to return to Mr Lamb's garden? (Answer in 30–40 words.)Preview
- Q6How does the play end? (Answer in 30–40 words.)Preview
- Q7What is the significance of Mr Lamb's garden in the play? (Answer in 30–40 words.)Preview
- Q8Discuss the theme of physical disability and the loneliness and prejudice it brings in 'On the Face of It'. (Answer in 120–150 words.)Preview
- Q9Compare and contrast the characters of Derry and Mr Lamb. (Answer in 120–150 words.)Preview
- Q10How does Mr Lamb help Derry overcome his sense of being an outcast? (Answer in 120–150 words.)Preview
- Q11What is the message of the play about outward appearance and inner worth? (Answer in 120–150 words.)Preview
- Q12Attempt a character sketch of Mr Lamb. (Answer in 120–150 words.)Preview
- Q13Comment on the significance of the ending of 'On the Face of It'. (Answer in 120–150 words.)Preview