Who is Kalua in the story "Chandni"?

Question

Accepted Answer

The correct option is 2:
The story "Chandni" is a heartwarming tale about a lonely old man named Abbu Khan, who loved keeping goats as pets. However, all his goats eventually ran away to the freedom of the hills and were killed by a wolf. Before Chandni, Abbu Khan had another pet goat named Kalua. Kalua, like the previous goats, was confined to Abbu Khan's small compound but longed for the freedom of the mountains. Kalua represents the innate desire for freedom that all of Abbu Khan's goats possessed. The name "Kalua" is significant in the narrative because her fate—escaping to the hills only to be killed by the wolf—is a direct parallel to the fate that Chandni, the main protagonist, later chooses. When Abbu Khan acquired Chandni, he constantly worried about her running away, drawing lessons from his tragic experience with Kalua. Thus, Kalua is essentially Chandni's predecessor or "sister" in the context of being Abbu Khan's pet goat who valued liberty over safety, setting up the central conflict and theme of the story, which is the tension between security and freedom. By identifying Kalua as Chandni's sister in the context of their relationship with Abbu Khan and their shared destiny, we grasp the cyclical nature of the goats' desire for freedom in the story.

The incorrect option is 1:
The option "another name for Chandni" is incorrect because Chandni is the name of the white, young goat who is the main subject of the story. Kalua was a separate goat, a previous pet of Abbu Khan's, whose memory serves as a lesson for Abbu Khan regarding Chandni.

The incorrect option is 3:
The option "the wolf's name" is incorrect. While a wolf is a major character in the story, responsible for the deaths of Abbu Khan's goats, the wolf is referred to simply as 'the wolf' and is not given a proper name like Kalua in the text.

The incorrect option is 4:
The option "name of the wise old bard" is incorrect. The story does not feature a character named Kalua who serves as a wise old bard. The story primarily focuses on Abbu Khan, the goats (Kalua and Chandni), and the wolf.