The Purple Jar by Maria Edgeworth: Summary, SSC Questions & Answers
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Rosamond was a seven-year-old girl who went shopping with her mother in London. She saw many beautiful things in different shops and wanted to buy them, although she did not know whether they were useful or not.
At a chemist's shop, Rosamond saw a beautiful purple jar and wanted to buy it. At the same time, she had a serious problem with her shoes because one of them had a hole. Her mother told her that she could buy only one thing because she did not have enough money for both the jar and the shoes.
Rosamond knew that she needed new shoes, but she liked the purple jar very much. Finally, she chose the purple jar instead of the shoes. Her mother allowed her to make her own choice.
When they reached home, Rosamond opened the jar and found a black substance with a bad smell inside. She poured it out and discovered that the beautiful purple colour disappeared. The jar was actually an ordinary white glass jar. Rosamond became very disappointed because she had been attracted only by its beautiful appearance.
Meanwhile, her old shoes became worse. The hole grew larger, and she suffered whenever she walked. She could not run, dance or jump properly and could not even go shopping comfortably with her mother.
Thus, Rosamond suffered for a whole month because of her foolish choice. She learned that we should not choose something simply because it looks beautiful. We should think carefully about its usefulness and our real needs before making a decision.
Moral: We should think carefully before making a choice and should give priority to our needs over our unnecessary desires.
Questions with Answers for SSC 2027
1. Who was Rosamond?
Answer: Rosamond was a little girl of about seven years old. She was fond of beautiful and attractive things. However, she was not mature enough to understand the difference between her needs and her desires.
2. Where was Rosamond walking with her mother?
Answer: Rosamond was walking with her mother through the streets of London. They were passing by different shops and looking at the things displayed in the shop windows.
3. What attracted Rosamond at the milliner's shop?
Answer: The ribbons, lace, and artificial flowers displayed in the window attracted Rosamond. She especially liked the beautiful artificial roses and wanted her mother to buy them.
4. Why did Rosamond want to buy the jewellery?
Answer: Rosamond wanted to buy the jewellery because it looked very beautiful and colourful. She liked the earrings, necklace, and pendants without thinking about whether she really needed or could use them.
5. How did Rosamond's mother react to her daughter's demands?
Answer: Rosamond's mother remained patient and sensible. She did not simply buy the things her daughter wanted. Instead, she asked Rosamond to think about their usefulness before buying them.
6. Why did Rosamond think that the buckles were useful?
Answer: Rosamond thought that buckles were useful because she believed they could be used in some way. She wanted her mother to buy them, although her mother already had a pair.
7. What did Rosamond see at the chemist's shop?
Answer: Rosamond saw several beautiful jars of different colours at the chemist's shop. Among them, a bright purple jar attracted her most.
8. Why did Rosamond want the purple jar?
Answer: Rosamond wanted the purple jar mainly because of its beautiful purple colour. She thought she could use it as a flower pot, although she already had one.
9. What problem did Rosamond have with her shoes?
Answer: Rosamond's shoes were old and worn out. One of them had a hole, through which stones entered and hurt her foot. As a result, she often had difficulty walking.
10. Why could Rosamond buy only one of the two things?
Answer: Rosamond could buy only one thing because her mother did not have enough money to buy both the purple jar and a new pair of shoes. Her mother therefore asked her to choose one.
11. Why was Rosamond's choice difficult?
Answer: Rosamond's choice was difficult because she needed new shoes but strongly desired the beautiful purple jar. Her practical need and her attraction to the jar were in conflict.
12. What did Rosamond think about her old shoes before choosing the jar?
Answer: Rosamond thought that her old shoes were not very bad except for the hole. She convinced herself that she could continue using them until the end of the month so that she could buy the purple jar.
13. Why did Rosamond's mother allow her to choose the jar?
Answer: Rosamond's mother allowed her to choose the jar because she wanted her daughter to learn through her own decision. She did not force Rosamond to choose the shoes.
14. What happened to Rosamond's foot on the way to the chemist's shop?
Answer: Another stone entered Rosamond's broken shoe on the way to the chemist's shop. She had to stop and remove it, and she often limped because of the pain.
15. Why did Rosamond fail to discover the real nature of the jar?
Answer: Rosamond was too excited about getting the beautiful jar. She did not examine it carefully before buying it. Her desire for its attractive appearance prevented her from thinking carefully.
16. What did Rosamond find inside the purple jar?
Answer: Rosamond found a dark or black substance inside the jar. It also produced a terrible smell. She did not want the substance because she had bought the jar for its beauty.
17. Why did the jar lose its purple colour?
Answer: The jar appeared purple because there was coloured liquid inside it. When Rosamond poured out the liquid, the purple colour disappeared. The jar was actually an ordinary white glass jar.
18. How did Rosamond react after discovering the truth about the jar?
Answer: Rosamond became very disappointed and cried. She realized that the beautiful jar was not what she had imagined. She understood that she had made a foolish choice.
19. How did Rosamond suffer because of her decision?
Answer: Rosamond suffered because her old shoes became worse. The hole grew larger and walking became painful. She could not run, dance, or jump comfortably and could not even go shopping with her mother.
20. What is the main conflict in The Purple Jar?
Answer: The main conflict is between need and desire. Rosamond needed a new pair of shoes, but she desired the beautiful purple jar. She chose her desire over her actual need and later suffered for it.
এসএসসি ২০২৬-এ সকল বোর্ডে আসা প্রশ্নোত্তরসমূহ
- Why do you think Rosamond wanted to buy all the things she saw?
Answer: Rosamond wanted to buy everything because she was a little girl who was easily attracted to bright and beautiful things. She did not think about whether the things were actually useful or not.
- How was the milliner's shop decorated in the story "The Purple Jar"?
Answer: The windows of the milliner's shop were decorated with pretty ribbons, lace, and beautiful artificial flowers.
- 'But I would rather find out the use first.'—Who said this and why?
Answer: Rosamond’s mother said this because she wanted to teach her daughter to be wise. She believed people should only buy things when they know how to use them.
- Why did Rosamond persuade her mother to buy her a pair of shoes?
Answer: Rosamond wanted new shoes because her old shoes were worn out and had holes in them. Also, a sharp stone had got into her shoe and was hurting her foot.
- Why didn't Rosamond examine the purple jar well before buying it?
Answer: Rosamond did not examine the jar because she was too excited to buy it. She only cared about its beautiful purple colour and did not look inside.
- What does the purple jar symbolize in the story?
Answer: The purple jar symbolizes that appearances can be deceiving. It teaches us that something beautiful on the outside might be completely plain and useless on the inside.
- What lessons did Rosamond learn from her sufferings and disappointment?
Answer: Rosamond learned not to judge things by their outer beauty and to think carefully before spending money. She also realized that useful things like shoes are far more valuable than fancy items
The Full Story:
The Purple Jar
Maria Edgeworth
Rosamond, a little girl of about seven, was walking with her mother through the streets of London. As they walked, she looked into the windows of different shops and saw many beautiful things. She wanted to stop at every shop and buy everything she saw, although she did not know their names or what they were used for.
First, they stopped at a milliner's shop. Its windows were decorated with ribbons, lace and bunches of artificial flowers.
“Oh, Mamma, what beautiful roses! Won't you buy some of them?”
“No, my dear.”
“Why?”
“Because I don't want them. They are not real flowers.”
They walked a little farther and came to a jeweller's shop. There were many beautiful and brightly coloured ornaments of little value, all nicely displayed behind the glass.
“Mamma, will you buy some of these?”
“Which ones, Rosamond?”
“Which? I don't know. Look at those earrings, that necklace and those pendants! Any of them will do because they are so pretty!”
“Yes, they are all pretty, but what use would they be to me?”
“I am sure you could find some use for them if you bought them first.”
“But I would rather know their use first.”
Although she was a little disappointed, Rosamond continued looking at the shops and tried to persuade her mother to buy different things.
“Mamma, buckles are very useful. Please buy some.”
“I already have a pair of buckles. I don't need any now.”
Saying this, her mother continued walking.
Rosamond was now really disappointed because her mother did not want to buy anything. But when they passed a chemist's shop, she saw several beautiful jars of different colours: blue, green, red, yellow and purple. She became especially attracted to a beautiful purple jar.
“Mamma, what about that purple jar?”
Her mother gave the same reply, “What use would it be to me, Rosamond?”
“Oh, Mamma, I would use it as a flower pot.”
“But you already have a flower pot, and the jar you want is not a flower pot.”
“But, Mamma, I like it so much!”
Suddenly Rosamond cried out, “Ouch! A stone, Mamma! A stone has got into my shoe. It hurts!”
“Oh! How did it get there?”
“Look, there is a hole in my shoe, Mamma. My shoes are really worn out. Would you please buy me a new pair?”
“But, Rosamond, I don't have enough money to buy shoes, jars, jewellery, buckles and all the other things you want.”
Rosamond became sad again. She began thinking about all the beautiful things she had seen that morning.
“But, Mamma, I like the purple jar very much. And now my foot hurts. Could you buy only these two things, the jar and a pair of shoes?”
“No, Rosamond. You can buy only one thing now. You may buy the other thing next month. So you must decide which one you want now.”
“I badly need the shoes,” Rosamond thought, “but I love that beautiful purple jar.”
Then she looked at her shoes and said to her mother, “These shoes are not so bad, except for the hole in one of them. I think I can use them until the end of the month, can't I, Mamma?”
“I want you to decide for yourself, dear.”
“Then, please, I would like to have the purple jar.”
“Very well. You shall have it.”
Rosamond and her mother went back to the chemist's shop. On the way, Rosamond had to stop again to remove another stone from her broken shoe. She often limped because of the pain.
When they reached the shop, her mother asked her to examine the jar carefully before buying it. But Rosamond was so excited that she bought it without properly checking what was inside.
She happily returned home with her mother. She quickly brought some flowers from the garden and was going to put them into the jar. But when she removed the top, she saw something dark inside. It also gave off a bad smell.
“What is this, Mamma? I didn't want this black thing or this terrible smell.”
“Neither did I, my dear.”
“But what shall I do with it?”
“I cannot tell you that.”
“Then I will pour it out and fill the jar with fresh water.”
She emptied the jar. But to her great disappointment, she discovered that it was no longer purple. It was just a plain white glass jar. After the coloured water was removed, the jar no longer looked beautiful.
Rosamond cried with disappointment. She also cried because she realized that she had made a foolish choice. Her shoes became worse and worse every day. She could no longer run, dance or jump comfortably, and she could not even go shopping with her mother.
Thus, Rosamond suffered for a whole month. She learned a hard lesson from her mistake and hoped that she would make wiser choices in the future.
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