Refund by Fritz Karinthy || Exercise
Understanding the text
Answer the following questions.
a. Why does Wasserkopf demand a refund of his tuition fees from the school?
Ans: Wasserkopf demands a refund of his tuition fees from the school because he was quite broke and was wondering how he could get hold of some cash. When he meets his friend Leaderer, who suggests him to go back to his former school and get his tuition fees back, he gets convinced to do the same.
b. Why does Wasserkopf consider himself good for nothing?
Ans: Wasserkopf considers himself good for nothing because he thinks he cannot do anything that the school should have taught him. He believes that the school took his money but did not teach anything worthy. He cannot keep a job because he cannot do things he ought to. Therefore, he is convinced that he is not good at anything.
c. What did the teachers decide to do when Wasserkopf asked for a refund?
Ans: When Wasserkopf asked for a refund, the teachers decided to take the reexamination, as he insisted, but they planned not to let him fail by framing easy questions and marking his answers correct whatever they are.
d. Why did Wasserkopf give ridiculous answers? Why did the teachers accept these answers?
Ans: Wasserkopf gave ridiculous answers because he sought to prove that he did not learn anything from the school, and wanted to fail by hook or crook to get a refund from the school. The teachers accepted these answers because they had planned beforehand to stall Wasserkopf from getting the refund by marking his answers correct whatever they would be.
e. How does the Mathematics Master describe Wasserkopf’s character?
Ans: The Mathematics Master describes Wasserkopf’s character as a person who understands the patriarchal manner that the school has been imposing upon everybody. According to him, Wasserkopf regards teachers and pupils to be equal like in the days of medieval humanists and approves of their customs. Although he praises Wasserkop’s character in front of him, he perceives him as a sly and crafty person.
f. How did the teachers outwit Wasserkopf?
Ans: The teachers outwitted Wasserkopf by working in unity and marking his answers correct whatever they were. Firstly, they worked in unity and posed him easy questions with embedded answers. When Wasserkopf deliberately responded with illogical answers then they validated his responses with the same kinds of logic and marked him pass in every subject. Finally, the Mathematics Master tricked him by asking about the total amount of the refund, which Wasserkopf calculated accurately. In this way, the teachers outplayed Wasserkopf.
g. What is the final judgment on Waserkopf’s demand of a refund?
Ans: The final judgment on Wasserkopf’s demand of a refund is made against his appeal that he does not get anything. He is marked with distinction in every subject and his demand gets rejected. At last, he is forced to leave the school after a huge insult.
Reference to the context
a. Read the extract from the play given below and answer the questions that follow:
“It’s possible I’ve changed. What the hell…! Your class records will show I’ve
got a right to come here.”
i. Who is the speaker? Who is he speaking to?
Ans: Wasserkopf is the speaker and he is speaking to the principal of the school which he attended 18 years earlier.
ii. Why does the speaker say these words?
Ans: The speaker says these words when the principal denies recognizing him.
iii. Where is the speaker at this moment?
Ans: The speaker is in the principal’s cabin at this moment.
b. Read the extract dialogue given below and answer the questions that follow:
“THE STAFF: (bowing, heartily) How do you do?
WASSERKOPF: Who the hell are you? Sit down, you loafers! (He grins,
waiting to be thrown out)
THE PRINCIPAL: How dare you –”
i. What is to be the response to ‘How do you do?’
Ans: “Well, thank you. How about you?” or any similar positive remarks is to be the response to the question “How do you do?”
ii. Is Wasserkopf’s response polite enough to the staff?
Ans: No, Wasserkopf’s response is not even a bit polite to the staff because he uses derogatory language to address them. However, they cunningly receive it positively.
iii. How does Wasserkopf rebuke the staff?
Ans: Wasserfopf rebukes the staff by posing an offensive question who the hell he is. He also calls all the attendees "loafers", including the staff.
iv. What does the principal mean by ‘How dare you -’?
Ans: The principal tries to counter Wasserkopf by threatening him back. So, he asks how he dares to speak such offensive words. It means that he tries to warn Wasserkopf to be gentle while talking to his teachers.
c. Explain the following line of the play:
“Because I didn’t get my money’s worth, that’s why!”
Ans: Wasserkopf, a man of 40, returns to his former school which he attended 18 years back and demands a refund of the tuition fees that he paid to the school. When the principal asks why he wants it back, then Wasserkopf responds with the given line. He wants a refund because he didn’t get his money’s worth from the education that he had received from the school. It shows that Wasserkopf is a cunning but stupid person who solicits a refund from his own teachers and also rebukes them.
d. What is the theme of the play?
Ans: “Shrewdness with Unity” is the major theme of this play. When Wasserkopf presents himself bluntly to ask for a refund of the tuition fees that he paid to the school 18 years ago, the teachers turn up to be polite and patient. With their wit and solidarity, they outsmart Wasserkopf.
“The Failure of the Education System” is the secondary theme of this play. It portrays how the education system is manipulative and impractical for real-life problems. Wasserkopf, despite being a well-educated person, terribly fails in life and goes broke. Lacking alternatives for his livelihood, he is obliged to return to his former school and ask his fees back.
e. Sketch the character of Wasserkopf.
Ans: Wasserkopf is a sly and crafty man of 40 who returns to his former school to ask for a refund. He tries to deceive his former teachers by demanding a re-test and failing deliberately. However, the teachers outwit him with their intellect and unity. He presents himself bluntly and also rebukes the teachers by calling them “asses”, “loafers”, “numskull”, “cannibal”, “hypocrite”, “nitwit”, and “old stick-in-the-mud”. He is an uncivilized personality who has failed terribly in his life. He cannot hold a job properly because of his behaviour and tries to make money through deception. He tries to be cunning, however, he turns out to be someone who is good for nothing.
Reference beyond the text
a. The play is a satire on the present day education system. Do you think that our education system does not prepare students for life? Discuss.
Ans: I think our education system does not prepare students for life because it prioritizes academic achievement over real-world skills. In many cases, students spend a significant amount of time memorizing facts and concepts for standardized tests, without necessarily learning how to apply that knowledge in practical settings. While academic achievement is undoubtedly essential, students may struggle to navigate the complexities of the real world if they lack the skills to do so.
Likewise, our education system does not teach crucial life skills. Life skills such as financial literacy, emotional regulation, and interpersonal communication are critical for success in adult life, yet they may not be adequately addressed in the traditional education system. Some argue that schools should focus more on teaching these skills to prepare students for the challenges they will face after graduation.
Furthermore, it hardly addresses the real-world issues that students will face. Many students will face significant challenges in their lives, such as poverty, inequality, discrimination, and environmental degradation. While some schools do address these issues, others may not provide students with the tools to understand and address them effectively.
b. Our education system focuses on memorisation rather than creative thinking. Do you think the knowledge imparted by education may not have practical relevance in one’s day-to-day life? Who do you blame for this?
Ans: Indeed, our education system focuses on memorisation rather than creative thinking which may not have practical relevance in day-to-day life. It is because the current education produces labourers rather than innovators. It hardly inspires students to come up with creative ideas and solve everyday problems and focuses more on theoretical knowledge. Traditional education systems have emphasized memorization as a primary way of learning for centuries. As a result, it can be challenging to change long-held beliefs about the value of memorization. Exam-based evaluation is another cause for the dominance of memorisation over critical thinking.
I blame the policymakers, governments, and entire human society for this because they are not ready to come out of the traditional pattern and reform the current education system.
c. Most of the students want to learn just for examination rather than knowledge.
Do you think that certificate will help them in their future career?
Ans: Most students want to learn just for examination rather than knowledge because the current market system evaluates manpower on the basis of certificates. Therefore, many students are motivated by the desire to do well in exams by hook or crook, however, in the modern context only a certificate does not help in professional development.
Certification may be useful to get jobs in some fields, such as medicine, law, and engineering, that essentially require certification and licensure. Likewise, in other fields, such as business, IT and finance, certifications can be useful to demonstrate experience and knowledge to potential employers. However, it should be noted that a certificate or qualification alone is not enough to ensure career success. Employers often value technical skills, soft skills and work experience. So while certifications and qualifications can be helpful, they should be considered part of a larger career development strategy.
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