EnglishCBSE Class 12 · Chapter 5

On the Face of It Class 12: Summary, Themes, Characters and Board Answers

Updated 14 October 2026 · Fact-checked

On the Face of It by Susan Hill, from Vistas, is a play about Derry, a fourteen-year-old boy with a face burnt by acid, and Mr Lamb, an old man with a tin leg. In Mr Lamb's garden, Derry learns to look beyond his disfigurement and want the world again. The board tests extracts, short and long answers.

What On the Face of It is about

On the Face of It is a play by Susan Hill in three scenes. Derry, a withdrawn, defiant fourteen-year-old whose face was burnt by acid, climbs into the garden of Mr Lamb, an old man who lost a leg in the war and wears a tin leg. Mr Lamb treats him not with pity or fear but as an ordinary visitor. Through talk of crab apples, weeds, bees, a man who locked himself in a room, and the idea that hatred burns you inside more than acid, he helps Derry see that his life need not be ruled by his face.

In Scene Two, Derry defies his mother, who forbids him to go back, saying that if he does not return he will never go anywhere in the world again. In Scene Three, Mr Lamb falls from his ladder while picking crab apples; Derry returns to find him lying still and begins to weep.

The title suggests that people judge 'on the face of it', by appearances, while the play shows what lies beneath.

What the board asks: a Vistas extract with four 1-mark parts (Q8); 40-50 word answers on what draws Derry to Mr Lamb, Mr Lamb's loneliness, the expected behaviour towards people with disabilities, and Derry's future (Q11); 120-150 word answers on alienation, friendship or an alternative ending (Q13).

Weightage: Section C (Literature) carries 40 of the 80 theory marks; Vistas is tested through a Vistas extract (4 x 1), two of three short answers (2 x 2) and one of two long answers (5).Source: CBSE English Core (301) syllabus and sample paper 2026-27

In real board papers: asked in 2 of the 2 board papers we hold (2026 to 2026), on average 4.5 marks per paper. See the questions

On the Face of It: summary

In our own words, in the order of the text. Read the NCERT text itself too: the board quotes from it.

Scene One. Derry climbs over the wall into what he thinks is an empty garden and is startled when Mr Lamb warns him to mind the crab apples. Mr Lamb tells him the gate is always open and everyone is welcome. Derry, defensive, says people are afraid of him because of his face, which was eaten away by acid. He hates being pitied or having people change the subject.

Mr Lamb neither pities nor fears him. He talks about his weed garden, asking why one plant is called a weed and another a flower when all are living things. He explains that his own leg was blown off in the war and that children call him 'Lamey-Lamb', which does not trouble him. When Derry recalls a woman saying his face was one 'only a mother could love', Mr Lamb asks whether that is the only thing he has ever heard. He tells a story of a man who locked himself in a room out of fear of the world and was killed when a picture fell on his head, and Derry laughs.

Mr Lamb says he has many friends who come to his house and garden, and that Derry is a friend too. When Derry says he hates some people, Mr Lamb warns that hatred would harm him more than any bottle of acid, which only burns the face; one can burn oneself away inside. Derry admits he wants something of his own, like this garden. Mr Lamb tells him he can find it by waiting, watching and listening. Derry calls him crazy, then quietly admits he likes it there, and runs off, promising to come back. Mr Lamb, alone, says sadly that people never do come back.

Scene Two. Derry's mother forbids him to return, having heard gossip about the old man. Derry says Mr Lamb talks about things that matter, that it has nothing to do with his face, and that if he does not go back he will never go anywhere in the world again. He leaves, wanting the world.

Scene Three. Mr Lamb, picking crab apples, falls from the ladder. Derry arrives saying he came back, finds Mr Lamb lying silent on the grass, kneels beside him and weeps.

Themes and message

Appearance versus reality

People judge Derry by his scarred face. Mr Lamb sees the person within and helps Derry see that what he thinks and feels matters more than how he looks.

From the text: Derry finally says, 'It's got nothing to do with my face and what I look like.'

Loneliness and alienation of people with disabilities

Both characters are physically impaired; Derry withdraws because of others' stares and pity, and Mr Lamb, though cheerful, is lonely.

From the text: Mr Lamb says to himself that people 'never do come back'.

Positive attitude to life

Mr Lamb accepts his tin leg and enjoys nature, books and company. He shows Derry that fear and hatred are worse than any disability.

From the text: Hatred 'd do you more harm than any bottle of acid'.

Friendship across age

An unlikely friendship between an old man and a teenager changes Derry's outlook in a single afternoon.

From the text: Derry promises, 'I'll come back,' and keeps his word.

Characters

Derry (Derek)

A fourteen-year-old boy whose face was burnt by acid.

Withdrawn and defensive at first
Sensitive to others' stares and remarks
Intelligent and perceptive
Changes: gains confidence and wants the world

He begins by saying he does not like being with people, and ends defying his mother to return to the garden.

Mr Lamb

An old man with a tin leg who lives alone in a big house with a garden.

Positive and wise
Welcoming: 'The gate's always open'
Curious about everything
Secretly lonely

He calls weeds and flowers all 'life', makes jelly and honey toffee, and sadly expects Derry not to return.

Derry's mother

Over-protective parent.

Anxious and influenced by gossip
Loving but limiting

She forbids Derry to go back to Mr Lamb's garden.

How it is written

Device	Example	Effect
Dramatic dialogue	The play is built almost entirely on conversation between Derry and Mr Lamb.	Reveals their feelings and gradual change.
Symbolism	The open gate (welcome), the house without curtains (openness), weeds vs flowers (all life is equal).	Expresses Mr Lamb's philosophy.
Anecdote	The man who locked himself in a room and was killed by a falling picture.	Shows humorously that hiding from life gives no safety.
Tragic irony	Derry returns, as he promised, just after Mr Lamb falls.	A moving, open ending.

Key quotations

Short lines worth knowing by heart: who says them, when, and why they matter.

The gate’s always open.
Mr Lamb: Repeated through Scene One.
Symbol of his welcome and openness to all.
That’d do you more harm than any bottle of acid.
Mr Lamb: When Derry says he hates some people.
Hatred damages a person more than physical injury.
People are never just nothing. Never.
Mr Lamb: On strangers.
Every person has value.
The world’s got a whole face, and the world’s there to be looked at.
Mr Lamb: When Derry says he will always have half a face.
Derry should look outward at the world, not at his own face.
Because if I don’t go back there, I’ll never go anywhere in this world again.
Derry: Scene Two, to his mother.
Shows his transformation and new desire for life.

On the Face of It in real life

Each concept, met in an everyday situation. Read the situation, answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

Treating people with disabilities as equals

Suppose a new classmate uses a wheelchair, and everyone either stares at her or speaks to her with exaggerated pity.

What would Mr Lamb's approach be? Answer in 40-50 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

No pity or fear.
Treat her normally.
Invite her into activities.

Answer: Mr Lamb would treat her as an ordinary friend, without pity or fear. He would talk about interesting things, include her in games and conversations, and let her take part as she chooses, just as he made Derry feel welcome in his garden.

Memory hook: See the person, not the condition.

Hatred harms the hater

Imagine a student who holds a grudge against a teacher for months and grows bitter and unhappy.

Which line from the play applies?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Hatred does more harm than acid.
It burns you inside.

Answer: Mr Lamb's warning that hatred would do more harm than a bottle of acid, which only burns the face.

Memory hook: Hatred is acid on the heart.

Hiding from life

Suppose someone stops going out after one embarrassing incident.

Which story from the play fits?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

The man who locked himself in a room.
Danger found him anyway.

Answer: The story of the man who locked himself away out of fear and was killed by a falling picture: hiding does not protect us from life.

Memory hook: Locked doors don't stop pictures falling.

Topics in this chapter

Derry and Mr Lamb: A Friendship Across Age

How the board asks On the Face of It

The question patterns to expect, and the method that works for each.

Question type	How it is asked	Method
Vistas extract (Q8, 4 x 1)	A speech or exchange from Scene One or Two.	Identify speaker and context; state the lesson or change shown.
Short answer (Q11, 40-50 words)	What draws Derry to Mr Lamb; Mr Lamb's loneliness; expected behaviour towards people with disabilities; Derry's future.	Two points from the play with a brief quotation.
Long answer (Q13, 120-150 words)	Alienation and acceptance; friendship; alternative ending; character sketch.	Use incidents from all three scenes and give a reasoned view.

Tricks to remember On the Face of It

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

Three scenes
Garden (meeting) → Home (mother) → Garden (fall).
Use it when: Structure of the play.
Mr Lamb's lessons: 'WHALE'
Weeds are life too; Hatred burns more than acid; All welcome (gate open); Locked-room man; Everyone's different, yet the same.
Use it when: What Derry learns.
Two impairments
Derry: acid, face. Mr Lamb: bomb, leg (tin leg, 'Lamey-Lamb').
Use it when: Comparing the characters.

On the Face of It: extract-based questions

Read the extract, answer every part on paper, then open the answers.

Extract 1: The man in the locked room

A bus might run him over, or a man might breathe deadly germs onto him, or a donkey might kick him to death, or lightning might strike him down, or he might love a girl and the girl would leave him,

(1) · 1 mark · Very short answer
Who speaks these lines and to whom?
(2) · 1 mark · MCQ
Mr Lamb tells Derry about a man who locked himself up in a room and never left it. What was the man in the story afraid of?
(a) only the dark (b) everything in the world (c) his neighbours only (d) the police
(3) · 1 mark · Very short answer
How did the man die in the end?
(4) · 1 mark · Very short answer
What lesson is Mr Lamb trying to teach Derry?

Show the answersAnswers

Mr Lamb, to Derry.
(b) everything in the world
A picture fell off the wall onto his head and killed him.
That hiding from the world out of fear gives no real safety; one must live and face life.

Extract 2: Derry stands up to his mother

It’s what I think and feel and what I want to see and find out and hear. And I’m going back there. Only to help him with the crab apples. Only to look at things and listen. But I’m going.

(1) · 1 mark · Very short answer
Where does Derry want to go back to?
(2) · 1 mark · MCQ
Derry begins: 'It’s got nothing to do with my face and what I look like.' What change in Derry does this extract show?
(a) He has become more fearful (b) He no longer lets his face define him (c) He hates Mr Lamb (d) He wants to stay home
(3) · 1 mark · Very short answer
What does Derry want to do at Mr Lamb's place?
(4) · 1 mark · Very short answer
Why had his mother forbidden him to go?

Show the answersAnswers

Mr Lamb's garden.
(b) He no longer lets his face define him
Help him with the crab apples and look at things and listen.
She had heard gossip and warnings about the old man.

On the Face of It: board-level solved questions

Ordered from board level to HOTS. Cover the solution, write your own, then compare step by step.

Example 1: What draws Derry · 2 marks · Short answerBoard level

What draws Derry towards Mr Lamb in spite of himself? Answer in 40-50 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

No pity or fear.
Talks of things that matter.
Treats him as a friend.

Answer: Mr Lamb neither pities Derry nor fears his face. He talks about bees, weeds, books and life, things nobody had said to Derry before. He treats him as an ordinary boy and a friend, which gives Derry a sense of acceptance and makes him want to return.

Example 2: Mr Lamb's loneliness · 2 marks · Short answerHarder board level

Where does Mr Lamb show signs of loneliness, and how does he try to overcome it? Answer in 40-50 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

After Derry leaves: 'They never do... come back.'
Keeps gate open; welcomes children; bees, books, garden.

Answer: At the end of Scene One, alone, he says sadly that people never do come back, revealing his loneliness. He overcomes it by keeping his gate open to all, welcoming children with apples and honey toffee, and filling his days with his garden, bees and books.

Example 3: Expected behaviour · 2 marks · Short answerHarder board level

What kind of behaviour does a person with a disability expect from others? Answer in 40-50 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Not pity or fear.
Not staring or changing the subject.
Normal treatment, acceptance.

Answer: Such a person wants to be treated normally, not with pity, fear or curiosity. Derry hates people staring, changing the subject or saying 'poor boy'. Like Mr Lamb, others should accept the person as an equal and value what they think and feel.

Example 4: Hatred and acid · 2 marks · Short answerHarder board level

What does Mr Lamb mean when he says hatred would do Derry more harm than acid? Answer in 40-50 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Acid harmed only the face.
Hatred destroys from within.
Like his leg: worse things exist.

Answer: Acid burnt only Derry's face, but hatred would poison his mind and heart, destroying him from within. Mr Lamb compares it to his own leg blown off by a bomb: physical loss is less serious than burning yourself away inside with bitterness.

Example 5: Derry's future · 5 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency

Will Derry return to his old seclusion, or will his brief friendship with Mr Lamb change his life? Answer in 120-150 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Before: withdrawn, angry.
Lessons from Mr Lamb.
Scene Two defiance.
Ending: grief but changed.
Judgement.

Answer: When Derry first enters the garden, he is withdrawn and bitter. He believes everyone fears or pities him and avoids people. In one afternoon, Mr Lamb changes this. He treats Derry as an equal and a friend, teaches him that weeds and flowers are all life, warns him that hatred burns more than acid, and shows him that hiding from the world brings no safety.

The change is clear in Scene Two. Derry defies his mother, saying that his face does not matter and that if he does not go back, he will never go anywhere in the world again. He keeps his promise to return.

Mr Lamb's fall is a shock, and Derry weeps. But he has already learnt to look outward, listen and want the world. It seems likely that he will carry Mr Lamb's lessons with him and not return to his old seclusion.

Example 6: Pain vs alienation · 5 marks · Long answerHarder board level

People with a physical impairment often suffer more from feeling cut off from others than from the impairment itself. Discuss with reference to 'On the Face of It'. Answer in 120-150 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Derry's real pain: stares, remarks.
Mr Lamb's tin leg hurts only in wet weather.
Society's role.
Conclusion.

Answer: Derry's burnt face no longer causes him physical pain. What hurts him is how people react. They stare, pity him, change the subject or whisper, like the woman who said his face was one only a mother could love. Even at home, he hears relatives wondering what will become of him. One person even says he would be better off in hospital with others like himself. This makes him feel like an outsider and keeps him away from people.

Mr Lamb's tin leg hurts only 'now and then', in wet weather. Children call him 'Lamey-Lamb', but because he is not afraid of them and keeps his gate open, they still come.

The play shows that the greater suffering comes from society's attitude, not the impairment itself. If people treat those with disabilities with acceptance rather than pity or fear, their sense of alienation can be greatly reduced.

Where the marks are

How a typical answer is marked: the value points the examiner looks for and the marks each earns.

What draws Derry to Mr Lamb? (40-50 words, 2 marks) (2 marks)

Step	Marks
Mr Lamb does not pity or fear him; treats him normally.	1
Talks of things that matter; makes him feel a friend; within word limit.	1

Long answer on Derry's future (120-150 words, 5 marks) (5 marks)

Step	Marks
Change in Derry with evidence.	2
Reasoned prediction.	1
Organisation.	1
Accuracy.	1

Where students lose marks in On the Face of It

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

Mistake: Saying Derry was burnt in a fire
Do this: Derry says it was not a fire; acid burnt his face.
Usually costs: 1 mark.
Mistake: Stating that Mr Lamb definitely dies
Do this: The play ends with Mr Lamb lying silent and Derry weeping; it implies but does not state his death.
Usually costs: Accuracy.
Mistake: Calling the play a story with a narrator
Do this: It is a play in three scenes, told through dialogue and stage directions.
Usually costs: 1 mark.
Mistake: Writing that Derry never returns
Do this: Derry keeps his promise and returns in Scene Three.
Usually costs: Central content mark.

On the Face of It: previous year questions

Asked in 2 of the 2 board papers we hold (2026 to 2026), on average 4.5 marks per paper; 2 questions in all, counting OR alternatives. In 1 of 3 sample papers.

Counted from the real papers on our previous year papers page, not estimated. Average marks are over every board paper we hold, with an OR pair counted once. Chapter tags are ours.

Every On the Face of It question, by year

For 2027

Sample paper 2026-27: Q8(A) (4 marks), Q13(A) (5 marks)

2026

Set 301/1/1: Q8(B) (4 marks)

Set 301/5/1: Q13(a) (5 marks)

Practice questions on On the Face of It

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

Q1 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level
How old is Derry?
(a) twelve (b) thirteen (c) fourteen (d) sixteen
Hint
He corrects Mr Lamb.
Answer
(c) fourteen
Q2 · 1 mark · Very short answerBoard level
How did Mr Lamb lose his leg?
Hint
War.
Answer
It was blown off by a bomb in the war.
Q3 · 2 marks · Short answerHarder board level
What does Mr Lamb's 'weed garden' teach Derry? Answer in 40-50 words.
Hint
Weed vs flower.
Answer
Mr Lamb asks why one green plant is called a weed and another a flower, when all are living and growing. He suggests that labels are unfair; just as weeds have value, people should not be judged as less worthy because of how they look.
Q4 · 2 marks · Short answerBoard level
Why does Derry's mother not want him to go to Mr Lamb's house? Answer in 40-50 words.
Hint
Gossip and protection.
Answer
Having lived there only three months, she has heard gossip and warnings about the old man who lives alone in a house without curtains. She is over-protective of her disfigured son and thinks he is best off at home, so she forbids him to go.
Q5 · 1 mark · Very short answerHarder board level
What is significant about Mr Lamb's house having no curtains?
Hint
Shutting in, shutting out.
Answer
It shows his openness: he does not want to shut things out or in, but likes light, darkness and the sound of the wind.
Q6 · 5 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency
Suggest a different ending to the play in which Mr Lamb survives his fall. Describe what happens and what it shows. Answer in 120-150 words.
Hint
Derry helps; friendship grows.
Answer
Derry runs into the garden, panting, and finds Mr Lamb lying in the grass beside the fallen ladder. He kneels and calls his name. After a moment, Mr Lamb opens his eyes and groans. 'I came back,' Derry says. 'So you did,' Mr Lamb whispers with a smile. Derry helps him sit up, runs to the nearest house for help and returns with a neighbour who calls a doctor. Mr Lamb has only a sprained arm.
Over the next weeks, Derry visits every day. He climbs the ladder to pick the crab apples, helps make jelly and learns to look after the bees. Children who come for toffee stare at his face at first, but soon they forget and play with him.
This ending shows the friendship growing in both directions: Mr Lamb gives Derry confidence, and Derry gives Mr Lamb the company he longed for.

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

1.Who wrote 'On the Face of It'?Show answer
Susan Hill.
2.What fruit does Mr Lamb want to pick?Show answer
Crab apples, to make jelly.
3.What do children call Mr Lamb?Show answer
'Lamey-Lamb'.
4.What does Mr Lamb say bees do?Show answer
They hum, which means 'sing'.
5.How far is Derry's home from the garden?Show answer
Three miles across the fields.
6.What is Derry's full name?Show answer
Derek.
7.What happens to Mr Lamb in Scene Three?Show answer
He falls from the ladder while picking crab apples.

Quick revision checklist

The night before the exam: can you do each of these without looking?

Can you summarise each scene?
Can you explain Mr Lamb's attitude to his tin leg?
Can you explain the weed garden and the locked-room story?
Can you explain 'hatred... more harm than acid'?
Can you describe Derry's change in Scene Two?
Can you write 120-150 words on alienation or Derry's future?

On the Face of It: frequently asked questions

What is the theme of On the Face of It?

How people with physical impairments suffer more from others' attitudes than from the impairment, and how acceptance and friendship can change a life.

What does the title mean?

'On the face of it' means judging by outward appearance; the play shows that people are more than how they look.

Why does Mr Lamb keep his gate open?

To welcome everyone; it shows his friendly, open nature and his need for company.

Is On the Face of It a play or a story?

It is a play in three scenes.

Based on: CBSE English Core (301) syllabus 2026-27; NCERT Vistas, Supplementary Reader in English for Class XII