Hansel and Gretel      Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm 

‘Hansel and Gretel’ is a fairy tale originally published in Germany by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm in 1812. It is the story about a poor woodcutter’s family and their struggle to make a living in the world.
According to the story, the woodcutter lived at the edge of the forest with his wife and children, Hansel and Gretel. They were so poor that they would find it hard to live in time of famine which threatened them with starvation. Once during the time of famine, he was obliged to leave his children in the forest. However, Hansel and Gretel managed to return home because they had overheard the conversation between their father and stepmother and then Hansel had his pockets filled with pebbles as a precaution to help them. They were able to return home even it was a dark night because the pebbles that had been dropped by Hansel as the markers guided their return. Although they lived together for sometime, the same fate was awaiting them for the next famine. So when the woodcutter’s family faced another famine, the woodcutter’s wife, stepmother of the children, compelled him as before for leaving the children in the dense forest. This time they failed to return home because Hansel couldn’t collect pebbles as before and he had to drop breadcrumbs on the way. Those breadcrumbs were all eaten by the birds.
So Hansel and Gretel started walking in the forest and on the third day with the help of a white bird they reached a gingerbread house. They had no idea that a witch lived there and she would eat children. At first she entertained them with delicious food and then put the boy in a shed to fatten so that she could eat him with a great delight. However, Gretel was clever enough to do away with the witch and save her brother. Later they returned home with pearls and precious stones which they found in the gingerbread house. On the way they crossed a stream by the help of a duck. They lived happily with their father who had lost his wife in the meantime.




Important Questions from Hansel and Gretel by Grimm Brothers
Short Answer Questions
1. What do the bird and the expanse of water symbolizes in the fairy tale ‘Hansel and Gretel’? [2057] 2. How did the witch receive the two children in their first night at the witch’s house? [2059] 3. How did Hansel and Gretel free themselves from the witch? [2060]


Long Answer Questions
1. Briefly narrate the story of Hansel and Gretel. [2062] 2. Narrate the story of Hansel and Gretel. [2066]
Glossary: [starvation: to suffer from hunger, dense forest: forest having large number of trees (घना जङ्गल), breadcrumbs: very small pieces of dry bread]