Standing Up for Yourself
Standing Up for Yourself
Summary, Think It Out Answers & 30 MCQs
📖 Summary of “Standing Up for Yourself”
“Standing Up for Yourself” is an autobiographical excerpt by the Russian poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko. The extract describes an important incident from his childhood in Moscow in 1941.
After his parents' divorce, Yevtushenko lived alone in an empty flat. His father was in Kazakhstan with his new family, while his mother, who had been a geologist, was working as a singer and performing for troops at the front.
As he was largely left without parental guidance, Yevtushenko says, “My education was left to the street.” The street taught him habits such as smoking and swearing and made him ready to defend himself.
The street was ruled by a sixteen-year-old bully called Red. He was a big, broad-shouldered boy who frightened everyone. Red had a group of followers called his “lieutenants.” He collected money from other boys by force and used a metal knuckle-duster to threaten those who resisted.
Yevtushenko wanted to conquer his fear of Red. He wrote a satirical poem about him. The poem became popular throughout the street, and people enjoyed mocking Red through it. However, Red discovered that Yevtushenko had written the poem and severely beat him.
The beating made Yevtushenko ashamed of his own cowardice. Instead of continuing to fear Red, he decided to prepare himself. He exercised on parallel bars and with weights and studied a textbook on ju-jitsu, which he obtained by exchanging his ration card. He trained for three weeks.
Finally, he confronted Red while Red and his gang were playing cards. Using what he had learned, Yevtushenko managed to disarm Red and defeat him. Red was left crying, and his control over the street came to an end.
The experience taught Yevtushenko an important lesson: we should not live in fear of people who appear stronger than us. He also realized that being a poet meant not only writing poems but also having the courage to stand up for one's work.
🌟 Key Message of the Lesson
“Standing Up for Yourself” teaches us that fear can be overcome through courage, determination and self-confidence. We should not allow powerful or intimidating people to control us. True courage lies in facing our fears and standing up for what is right.
📝 Think It Out – Answers
Unit I
Answer: The narrator is an adult reflecting on his childhood experiences. This is clear because he recalls his childhood from a later point in his life.
Answer: No. His childhood was lonely and difficult. He lived in an empty flat while his parents were away.
Answer: His relationship with his father was distant. His parents were divorced, and his father lived in Kazakhstan with his new family and rarely wrote to him.
Answer: His mother had been a geologist, but she became a singer and performed concerts for soldiers at the front.
Answer: It means that he learned practical lessons about life, survival and dealing with people from the street rather than from his family.
Answer: The two habits were keeping his fists ready and not being afraid of anyone or anything.
Answer: The best lesson was to overcome his fear of people who were stronger than him.
Unit II
Answer: Red was unusually big and broad-shouldered for his age. He was only sixteen but looked older and stronger.
Answer: He walked masterfully up and down the street with a slightly rolling gait, like a seaman walking on his deck.
Answer: He wore a cap whose peak was always turned towards the back of his head.
Answer: Yes. His manner of dressing and walking helped him create an image of power and authority.
Answer: They copied Red's style to show their loyalty to him and their membership in his gang.
Answer: A dog comes to mind because a dog often follows closely behind its master.
Answer: Red simply demanded “money,” while his lieutenants emptied the boy's pockets. Those who resisted were beaten.
Answer: He ruled the street through fear, violence and force.
Answer: Yes. The narrator openly admits that everyone was afraid of Red and that he was also afraid of him.
Unit III
Answer: He wrote a satirical poem about Red.
Answer: The whole street learned the poem by heart and enjoyed the feeling of triumph over Red.
Answer: It means that the people hated Red but felt victorious because the poem mocked and ridiculed him.
Answer: Red mockingly called him “the poet” and asked about his verses while smiling crookedly.
Answer: Red attacked the narrator with his knuckle-duster. The narrator was knocked unconscious and had to remain in bed for several days.
Answer: No. It was a sarcastic expression. His first “payment” as a poet was a severe beating from Red.
Answer: Overcoming his fear of Red was harder for him than recovering from the physical injury.
Answer: The narrator became frightened and ran away. Later, he felt deeply ashamed of his cowardice.
Unit IV
Answer: He exercised on parallel bars and used weights to make himself physically stronger.
Answer: He exchanged a week's ration card for a textbook on ju-jitsu.
Answer: He trained for three weeks.
Answer: The final encounter took place on the lawn in their yard while Red and his gang were playing cards.
Answer: He kicked and scattered the playing cards and then made a quick jabbing movement when Red reached for his weapon.
Answer: Red was surprised and then howled with pain after the narrator used his ju-jitsu skill.
Answer: He caught Red's wrist and squeezed it until Red dropped the knuckle-duster.
Answer: Red fell down sobbing and smeared tears across his pock-marked face.
Answer: He learned that we need not fear people who are stronger than us if we have the courage and ability to face them.
Answer: He prepared himself to be a poet who could also stand up for his work.
Answer: The narrator was initially paralysed by fear and ran away from Red. Later, he trained himself, faced Red and overcame his fear. Thus, his experience shows that courage means conquering fear.
📝 30 Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQs)
Instructions: Choose the correct answer from the four options.
1. Where was the narrator living in 1941?
A. Kazakhstan
B. Moscow
C. Osaka
D. Berlin
Answer: B. Moscow
2. Why was the narrator's father in Kazakhstan?
A. He was a soldier.
B. He was living with his new family.
C. He was a singer.
D. He was a teacher.
Answer: B. He was living with his new family.
3. What was the narrator's mother's profession before the war?
A. Singer
B. Teacher
C. Geologist
D. Nurse
Answer: C. Geologist
4. Who provided the narrator's primary “education”?
A. His mother
B. His father
C. His teacher
D. The street
Answer: D. The street
5. What was the nickname of the bully who ruled the street?
A. Long
B. Red
C. Black
D. Jack
Answer: B. Red
6. How old was Red?
A. Thirteen
B. Fourteen
C. Sixteen
D. Eighteen
Answer: C. Sixteen
7. What weapon did Red carry?
A. A knife
B. A gun
C. A metal knuckle-duster
D. A stick
Answer: C. A metal knuckle-duster
8. How did Red's gang usually collect money?
A. By asking politely
B. By playing cards
C. By emptying boys' pockets
D. By borrowing money
Answer: C. By emptying boys' pockets
9. What was the narrator's first “remuneration” as a poet?
A. Money
B. Fame at school
C. A beating from Red
D. A new book
Answer: C. A beating from Red
10. Why did the narrator feel ashamed?
A. Because he had fled from Red in fear.
B. Because he lost his book.
C. Because he lost his ration card.
D. Because he failed at school.
Answer: A. Because he had fled from Red in fear.
11. How did the narrator obtain the ju-jitsu textbook?
A. He bought it with money.
B. He exchanged a week's ration card for it.
C. His mother sent it.
D. He found it on the street.
Answer: B. He exchanged a week's ration card for it.
12. How long did he train before confronting Red?
A. One week
B. Two weeks
C. Three weeks
D. One month
Answer: C. Three weeks
13. What was Red doing when the narrator confronted him?
A. Playing football
B. Reading a book
C. Playing cards
D. Sleeping
Answer: C. Playing cards
14. What did the narrator do to begin the final confrontation?
A. He shouted at Red.
B. He kicked and scattered the cards.
C. He showed Red his poem.
D. He called the police.
Answer: B. He kicked and scattered the cards.
15. What animal was Red compared to during the attack?
A. A cat
B. A maddened bull
C. A lion
D. A snake
Answer: B. A maddened bull
16. What was the immediate result of the narrator's ju-jitsu move?
A. Red punched him.
B. Red dropped his knuckle-duster and howled with pain.
C. The narrator ran away.
D. The lieutenants attacked him.
Answer: B. Red dropped his knuckle-duster and howled with pain.
17. What happened to Red after the fight?
A. He was left sobbing.
B. He laughed.
C. He challenged the narrator again.
D. He praised the narrator.
Answer: A. He was left sobbing.
18. According to the narrator, a poet must not only write poems but also:
A. Read philosophy
B. Win medals
C. Stand up for his work
D. Forget the past
Answer: C. Stand up for his work
19. What physical feature of Red's face is mentioned?
A. A scar
B. A beard
C. A pock-marked face
D. A long nose
Answer: C. A pock-marked face
20. What did the narrator believe existed for every strong man?
A. A better weapon
B. A group of friends
C. A special ju-jitsu
D. A hidden treasure
Answer: C. A special ju-jitsu
21. What did the narrator write about Red?
A. A letter
B. A story
C. A satirical poem
D. A newspaper article
Answer: C. A satirical poem
22. What effect did the poem have on the people of the street?
A. They became afraid of the narrator.
B. They learned it by heart and enjoyed mocking Red.
C. They ignored it.
D. They complained to the police.
Answer: B. They learned it by heart and enjoyed mocking Red.
23. What did Red call the narrator?
A. The teacher
B. The fighter
C. The poet
D. The coward
Answer: C. The poet
24. What happened when Red first attacked the narrator?
A. The narrator defeated him.
B. The narrator was knocked unconscious.
C. Red ran away.
D. The police arrived.
Answer: B. The narrator was knocked unconscious.
25. What did the narrator use to strengthen his body?
A. Running only
B. Swimming
C. Parallel bars and weights
D. Cycling
Answer: C. Parallel bars and weights
26. What did the narrator sacrifice to obtain the ju-jitsu book?
A. His shoes
B. His watch
C. A week's ration card
D. His school uniform
Answer: C. A week's ration card
27. What did Red drop during the final fight?
A. His cap
B. His cards
C. His knuckle-duster
D. His shoes
Answer: C. His knuckle-duster
28. What happened to Red's rule after the final encounter?
A. It became stronger.
B. He moved to another city.
C. His reign over the street ended.
D. His gang became larger.
Answer: C. His reign over the street ended.
29. What is the central message of the lesson?
A. Physical strength is everything.
B. Poetry is useless.
C. We should overcome fear and stand up for ourselves.
D. Street life is better than education.
Answer: C. We should overcome fear and stand up for ourselves.
30. What important lesson did Yevtushenko learn as a poet?
A. A poet should avoid society.
B. A poet should never fight.
C. A poet should remain silent.
D. A poet should have the courage to stand up for his work.
Answer: D. A poet should have the courage to stand up for his work.
Standing Up for Yourself
Study Material • Summary • Think It Out • MCQs
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