A. OBJECTIVES (10)
(One-word / MCQ-type answers)
- Who wrote The Golden Touch?
Answer: Nathaniel Hawthorne
2) Who was the king in the story?
Answer: King Midas
3) What was King Midas’s greatest desire?
Answer: Gold
4) What special power did King Midas get?
Answer: Everything he touched turned into gold
5) What was the name of King Midas’s daughter?
Answer: Marygold
6) Who granted King Midas his wish?
Answer: A god (Bacchus / Dionysus)
7) Why could King Midas not eat food?
Answer: Food turned into gold
8) What happened when King Midas hugged Marygold?
Answer: She turned into gold
9) How was the golden touch removed?
Answer: By washing hands in the river
10) What is the main moral of the story?
Answer: Greed leads to destruction
B. SHORT NOTES (5)
(Each note now has about 8–9 simple sentences)
A) King Midas
King Midas was a very rich king who loved gold more than anything else. He believed that gold could bring him true happiness and satisfaction. He spent most of his time counting his gold and admiring golden objects. Slowly, his love for gold turned into greed. He stopped valuing people, emotions, and simple joys of life. When he got the golden touch, he felt proud and powerful. However, this gift soon became a curse. His suffering taught him an important lesson about life. In the end, he became a wiser and better person.
B) Marygold
Marygold was King Midas’s innocent, kind, and loving daughter. She loved nature, flowers, birds, and sunshine. Unlike her father, she did not care for gold or riches. She enjoyed simple things and lived happily. Marygold loved her father deeply and wanted to spend time with him. When she turned into a golden statue, it shocked King Midas deeply. This incident made him realize the value of love and family. Marygold represents purity and true happiness in the story.
C) The Golden Touch
The golden touch was the special power given to King Midas by the god. With this power, everything he touched turned into gold. At first, this power made him very happy and proud. He felt he was the richest man in the world. Soon, the golden touch became a problem. He could not eat food or drink water because everything turned into gold. The worst result was when his daughter turned into gold. Thus, the golden touch proved to be a curse, not a blessing.
D) The God (Bacchus / Dionysus)
The god appeared in King Midas’s palace in the form of a stranger. He was pleased with King Midas because of his past kindness. As a reward, he allowed Midas to ask for any wish. The god gently warned him about the wish. However, King Midas did not listen and asked for the golden touch. The god granted the wish to teach him a lesson. Later, when Midas repented, the god showed mercy. He helped him remove the curse.
5️⃣ Moral of the Story
The story teaches us that greed brings destruction and sorrow. King Midas thought wealth could give him happiness. Instead, it brought pain and suffering. Money and gold cannot replace love and family. True happiness comes from kindness, contentment, and simple living. The story warns us not to be greedy. It also teaches us to value human relationships. The moral lesson of the story is very strong and meaningful.
C. LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS (5)
A) Write a detailed character sketch of King Midas.
King Midas was a very wealthy king, but he was never satisfied with what he had. He loved gold more than anything else in the world. He believed that gold alone could give him happiness and peace. Because of his strong desire for gold, he ignored people, emotions, and relationships. He spent most of his time counting gold and admiring golden objects. When the god granted him the golden touch, he felt proud and powerful. At first, he thought himself to be the happiest man alive. However, his happiness was short-lived. Soon, he could not eat or drink because food and water turned into gold. His greed reached its worst point when his daughter Marygold turned into a golden statue. This incident shocked him deeply and broke his heart. He realized that gold was useless without love and family. He felt deep regret and prayed sincerely for forgiveness. His suffering changed his heart completely. In the end, King Midas became wiser, humbler, and kinder. He learned to value love, simplicity, and human relationships.
B) Describe the incident of the golden touch and its consequences.
King Midas wished that everything he touched should turn into gold. The god granted his wish, even after giving him a warning. As soon as the god left, King Midas began to test his new power. He touched a chair, and it turned into gold. He touched flowers, tables, and other objects, and all became golden. At first, he was filled with great joy and pride. He believed that his wish had brought him great happiness. Soon, however, the consequences appeared. When he tried to eat food, it turned into gold. Water also became gold, and he could not drink. Hunger and fear entered his heart. The worst consequence came when he hugged his daughter Marygold. She immediately turned into a golden statue. This tragic incident made him realize his terrible mistake. The golden touch, which seemed like a blessing, became a curse. Thus, the incident taught him a painful lesson about greed.
C) How did Marygold’s transformation change King Midas?
Marygold’s transformation was the most important turning point in the story. Marygold was King Midas’s only child and his greatest source of love. When she ran to comfort him, he hugged her without thinking. In that moment, she turned into a golden statue. This shocked King Midas completely. He felt helpless and broken. For the first time, he truly understood the cruelty of his wish. He realized that his greed had destroyed his own happiness. Gold, which he loved so much, had taken away his daughter. His heart filled with sorrow and regret. He hated gold now and wished to get rid of it forever. This incident opened his eyes to the true value of love and family. It transformed him from a greedy king into a repentant man. Marygold’s transformation taught him the most important lesson of his life.
D) Explain how the curse of the golden touch was removed.
After King Midas suffered greatly, the god appeared again before him. The god saw that King Midas had truly realized his mistake. He felt pity for the suffering king. The god told King Midas that the curse could be removed. He asked him to go to a nearby river and wash his hands in its water. King Midas immediately followed the god’s instructions. He rushed to the river without wasting time. As he washed his hands, the golden power slowly disappeared. The river water carried away the curse. When King Midas returned home, he found Marygold alive again. She was no longer a golden statue. King Midas felt great relief and happiness. The curse of the golden touch was completely removed. This incident showed that true repentance can bring forgiveness. It also proved that the god wanted to teach Midas a lesson, not punish him forever.
E) What moral lesson does The Golden Touch teach us?
The Golden Touch teaches us a very powerful moral lesson. The story shows that greed can destroy happiness and peace. King Midas believed that wealth was the key to happiness. However, his desire for more gold brought him pain and sorrow. He lost the joy of eating, drinking, and even family life. The story clearly shows that money cannot buy true happiness. Love, family, and relationships are more valuable than wealth. Simple living brings peace and satisfaction. The story also teaches us to be content with what we have. It warns us against selfish desires. Through King Midas’s suffering, we learn that greed leads to destruction. True happiness lies in love, kindness, and simplicity. This moral lesson is important for both children and adults.