A Triumph of Surgery · Class 10 English · Footprints Without Feet: quick revision, 36 bites

The Dog in the Street

He stopped the car to look at him.

Takeaway. One accidental sighting sets the whole story going.

The Little Extras

'Nothing much really.'

He was **so listless** and **seemed to have no energy**, so she thought he must be suffering from **malnutrition**.

Takeaway. Everything listed is on top of his ordinary meals.

Malnutrition, or Greed?

Two diagnoses of the same dog.

Takeaway. The whole plot comes from that gap.

The Warning

He has told her before.

He **tried to sound severe**: unless the food was **cut right down** and the dog **given real exercise**, he said, Tricki would fall seriously ill.

Takeaway. She agrees with him entirely — and does not do it.

How Spoiled He Was

A wardrobe for a dog.

Takeaway. Not one of these things is used during his fortnight away.

Tricki Collapses

The call he had been expecting.

Takeaway. Herriot had watched them go 'with growing concern' and knew it was coming.

The Plan Made in Advance

Not a medicine — a change of address.

**He had settled on the remedy in advance: the only thing that would answer was to take Tricki out of that house for a while.**

Takeaway. The cure is separation from the household that is feeding him.

Taking Him Away

She was sure he would pine and die.

Takeaway. Firmness, not argument, is what finally moves her.

The Departure

The car could not hold it.

Takeaway. A comic scene played entirely straight.

'I Think I Know a Cure for You'

The line that ends the section.

On the road he glances at the **pathetic little animal gasping on the seat**, pats its head, and gets **a brave effort to wag his tail**.

Takeaway. A promise to the reader as much as to the dog.

Vocabulary

Words from the glossary.

Takeaway. Four glossary words that appear directly in questions.

Answering on This Section

The textbook's own four questions.

Takeaway. Always quote ''a bloated sausage' on four short legs'.

Arrival at the Surgery

Nobody was impressed.

Takeaway. The first medicine is being treated as nothing special.

The First Three Days

Water, and nothing else.

Takeaway. Recovery begins as curiosity, not appetite.

Joe the Greyhound

Rolled over, and accepted.

The door opened, Tricki **trotted out**, and **Joe the greyhound and his friends closed round him** at once.

Takeaway. Not sentimental, and exactly what he needed.

Feeding Time

The turning point of the story.

Takeaway. Appetite returns because food has to be earned.

'No Medicinal Treatment of Any Kind'

One sentence holds the whole story.

**From that point he mended quickly, and he was given no medicine of any kind.**

Takeaway. Quote this line in any answer about the title.

One of the Gang

A silky object among a shaggy crew.

Takeaway. The second sentence to quote in every answer.

The Bulletins

Twelve calls a day.

Mrs Pumphrey **kept anxiously in the background**, telephoning **a dozen times a day**.

Takeaway. One word in that sentence changes everything.

The Gifts

Eggs, wine, brandy — in that order.

Takeaway. Not a drop of it reaches the patient.

'Days of Deep Content'

The funniest sentence in the story.

**Those were contented days: an extra egg at breakfast, wine to carry the afternoon, and brandy by the fire at night.**

Takeaway. A dog is cured by losing everything; three men are spoiled by what is sent for him.

The Temptation

Why not keep him for ever?

**"It was a real temptation to keep the dog for good"** — the eggs, the wine and the brandy would have continued.

Takeaway. His honesty costs him his breakfast eggs — and he makes the call anyway.

Vocabulary

Words from the glossary.

Takeaway. Four words that appear directly in questions.

Answering on This Section

Four textbook questions live here.

Takeaway. Two quotations will carry most answers: 'no medicinal treatment of any kind' and 'he had never enjoyed himself so much'.

The Car Arrives

Thirty feet of it.

Takeaway. A fortnight of daily bulletins, and she still fears the worst.

The Transformation

Two weeks, two dogs.

Takeaway. The proof of the cure is put in front of us before the last line arrives.

The Leap

He did not look back.

When Tricki saw his mistress he **took off from Herriot's arms in a tremendous leap** and **sailed into Mrs Pumphrey's lap**.

Takeaway. Answer to a set question: yes, he was delighted to go home.

'None of Which Had Been Used'

Six words carry the whole story.

Herriot helps the chauffeur carry out the **beds, toys, cushions, coats and bowls** — **not one of them touched in a fortnight**.

Takeaway. Placed without comment, which is why it lands.

'A Triumph of Surgery'

The last line, and the title.

Tears in her eyes, lips trembling: **"Oh, Mr Herriot, however is she to thank him? This is a triumph of surgery!"**

Takeaway. She thanks him for a science he never used.

Why It Is Ironic

Name the device.

Takeaway. The title is the joke, and she never learns it.

Why He Doesn't Correct Her

He says nothing at all.

He has kept the truth from her all along: **dodging** the questions about cushions and coats, sending **honest but incomplete** bulletins.

Takeaway. Tact is a professional skill, not a weakness.

What Kind of Man the Narrator Is

Tactful, and full of common sense.

Takeaway. This is the textbook's first 'Think about it' question, answered.

An Ending That Solves Nothing

What happens next?

Takeaway. The reader is invited to predict a relapse, and the story does not deny it.

How Real Is It?

Fact, fiction, or both?

Takeaway. A question the textbook asks directly, so learn both halves.

The Discussion Questions

Silly — or harmful?

Takeaway. The story never makes that comparison itself, which is why it lands.

Answering on This Section

Four set questions live here.

Takeaway. Two quotations do most of the work: 'none of which had been used' and 'no medicinal treatment of any kind'.