God Sees the Truth but Waits Exercise Class 11 English : Summary & Questions Answers

God sees the truth but waits ia story by Leo Tolstoy that is in Class 11 English Stories Unit 3. This story gives the message that the truth and justice may be delayed in the short term, but eventually they will be revelead. God/the universe sees the truth of what really happened, even if humans pass the wrong judgement initially. This article will discuss about God Sees the Truth but Waits Exercise complete Question Answers Solution with indepth summary of this story along with a free PDF.

God Sees the Truth but Waits Exercise PDF

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God Sees the truth but waits Leo Tolstoy Summary

Leo Tolstoy's short story "God Sees the Truth, But Waits" is a popular story written in 1872. The setting is Valdimir, Russia. Ivan Dmitrich Aksionov, the main character in Leo N. Tolstoy's story titled "God Sees the Truth, But Waits," endures sufferings as a consequence of the acts of a 3rd person, but he maintains his faith in God to help him get through these difficult times.

Ivan Demitrich Aksionov is a wealthy businessman with two businesses and a residence. He's happily married. After marrying, he quit drinking. Consequently, people like him. He attends a Nizhny fair for business. As he is getting ready to leave, his wife tells him not to go because she had a bad dream the night before. Ivan ignores her superstition and leaves.

Midway, he meets a trader companion and they go on. They check into an inn, spend time together, have supper, and then go to bed separately. Next day, Ivan wakes up early and doesn't want to wake his friend, so he travels alone. 

Soldiers stop Aksionov about 25 miles down the road and accuse him of killing his friend because they saw him with the guy the night before he was killed and because his early morning departure seemed suspicious. They discover a bloodied knife as they go through Aksionov's things. Witnesses from Aksionov's hometown say that he is a kind guy, but that he used to drink heavily at past. Even Aksionov's wife is beginning to have doubts about his virility. As a result of his conviction, he will spend the next 26 years in a Russian jail.

While he is jailed, his wife visits him and begins to think that he is responsible for the murder. After 26 years in jail, Ivan gets respect from other prisoners and guards. The next day, a group of new prisoners arrives, and one of them is Makar Semyonich. Makar begins to socialise with other people and often shares his experiences with them. As Ivan begins to suspect him as the merchant's murderer, he has a strong feeling that it was him. Despite this, he keeps silent.

One day, guards notice someone making a tunnel to escape. Ivan is aware that the person responsible for digging the hole is none other than Makar Semyonich. Ivan remains quiet when cops enquire about the hole. After seeing this act of kindness, Makar goes to Ivan at twelve in the night and admits that he was the one who had assassinated the merchant earlier that night at the inn where they were staying. But Ivan forgives him and feels like a huge weight has been lifted off his shoulders. 

Makar provides the police with a full confession of his involvement in the crime, which allows them to begin the process of freeing Ivan from prison. At this point, Aksionov has given up on returning to his family and is content with being with the Lord. Ivan dies in jail before he's released. However, the truth was more significant than his demise. He wasn't a killer, therefore he probably died in peace.

Message of the story:

This is a story about the truth, and despite the passage of time—decades, even centuries—the truth can never be buried. Discoveries of the truth are a sign that God has done justice.

God Sees The Truth But Waits Questions Answers

a. What bad habits did Aksionov have before his marriage?

Ans: He used to drink before his marriage and was raucous when he drank too much.

b. What can be the meaning of his wife's dream?

Ans: Aksionov’s wife's dream is a foreshadowing of his tragic destiny.

c. Why did Aksionov think of killing himself?

The terrible circumstances Aksionov had experienced without committing any crimes haunted him, and he contemplated of doing suicide. A lot of things came back to him, including all the faced torture, the people who were around him when he was imprisoned (including other inmates), his old age, and the fact that he had spent 26 years in jail. He had a very unpleasant feeling of losing all dignity, power, prestige and even the respect from his family members as well as the ones from his community.

D. Why did Makar disclose that he had killed the merchant?

Makar disclosed the culprit of the merchant's murder, saying he did it because he was embarrassed of himself and he wanted to make Aksionov free from the prison. He was so embarrassed and confessed to his wrongdoing as a result of Aksionov's good deed to him. In his heart, he felt sorry for Aksionov.

E. Why doesn't Aksionov wish to return to his family at the end of the story?

The story ends with Aksionov refusing to return to his family because he has grown old, lost all dignity, power, prestige and even the respect from his family members as well as the ones from his community. He prefers to die in jail rather than be reunited with his loved ones. He's spent his whole life behind bars despite the fact that he's never committed a crime. At his age, he's weak as well.