CBSE Class 9

Here we are providing If I Were You Extra Questions and Answers Class 9 English Beehive, Extra Questions for Class 9 English was designed by subject expert teachers.

If I Were You Extra Questions and Answers Class 9 English Beehive

If I Were You Extra Questions and Answers Short Answer Type

Question 1.
Briefly describe Gerrard’s appearance.
Answer:
Gerrard is a man of medium height and wears horn-rimmed glasses. When the play opens, he is dressed in a lounge suit and a great coat. He talks in a cultured voice and his demeanour is confident.

Question 2.
Who was the Intruder in Gerrard’s house? Why did he break into his house?
Answer:
The Intruder, who broke into Gerrard’s house, was a criminal. He had murdered a cop and was being chased by the police. He broke into Gerrard’s house with the intention of murdering him and taking on his identity to evade the police.

Question 3.
How did Gerrard behave on seeing a gun-toting stranger in his cottage?
Answer:
Gerrard kept his cool and remained absolutely unruffled when he saw the gun-totting stranger in his cottage. There was neither any panic nor any ring of tension in his voice. He remained his normal self and talked to him casually.

Question 4.
Why does the Intruder intend to kill Gerrard?
Answer:
The Intruder is a criminal who is being chased by the police for having murdered a cop. As per his plan, the Intruder intends to kill Gerrard in order to take on his identity and escape capture by the police. In this way, he can lead a peaceful life without living in constant fear of arrest and punishment.

Question 5.
Why does the Intruder not kill Gerrard immediately?
Answer:
The Intruder does not kill Gerrard immediately because he first wants to get all the necessary information from him. Without this information, his plan to take on Gerrard’s identity will not succeed.

Question 6.
What impression do you form of the Intruder as he comes in? Give examples to illustrate.
Answer:
The Intruder is similar in build to Gerrard enters from the right silently – revolver in hand. He is flashily dressed in an overcoat and a soft hat. He seems to be a dangerous person as he is carrying a pistol and threatens Gerrard. He claims to have killed a cop. He is mean, heartless and crafty, for he plans to kill Gerrard and assume his identity in order to escape the police. He is over-confident because he claims that Gerrard is no match for him.

Question 7.
“You’ll soon stop being smart.” Why did Intruder think that Gerrard was being smart?
Answer:
The Intruder thought that Gerrard was being ‘smart’ or clever and facetious because he did not show any fear at the sight of an armed man enter his house and threaten him. To the contrary, he was giving the Intruder smart answers to his questions.

Question 8.
How did the Intruder threaten Gerrard?
Answer:
The Intruder threatened Gerrard by saying that he would soon stop being smart. He would make Gerrard crawl.

Question 9.
“I want to know a few things, see.” What sort of information did the Intruder want from Gerrard?
Answer:
The Intruder wanted personal details from Gerrard like whether he lived alone, what his Christian name was, whether he had a car and whether people visited him. All this information was necessary for the execution of his plan to dodge the police by killing Gerrard and taking on his identity.

Question 10.
Why did the Intruder say, “They can’t hang me twice?”
Answer:
The Intruder said this because he was already wanted for having murdered a cop. If he managed to kill Gerrard, as per his plan, and was later arrested, it would not matter as the punishment for this murder, too, would be a hanging. They could not hang him for the two murders twice.

Question 11.
How did Gerrard convince the Intruder that he was also wanted by the police?
Answer:
When Gerrard came to know about the Intruder’s plan, he kept his cool. He cooked a story to outwit him. He said he is also a murderer who was in hiding and that is why he was a mystery man who never met anyone including the tradespeople. So, if the Intruder took on his identify, he would not gain anything. He would anyway be accused of murder.

Question 12.
Why has the Intruder chosen Gerrard as the man whose identify he wants to take?
Answer:
Gerrard is of the same height and build as the Intruder. There is some similarity in their Appearance. Moreover, Gerard was something of a mystery man who lived alone in the house and very few people visited him. He phoned in his orders, did not meet any tradespeople, and had irregular hours and habits, going away suddenly and coming back just the same. So, the Intruder thought if he killed Gerrard and took on his identity, he would not get caught. He would gain his freedom and would be free to go places. He could live without the fear of cops.

Question 13.
What did Gerrard tell the Intruder about his childhood and his present life? Was he telling the truth? Why/Why not?
Answer:
Gerrard told the Intruder that as a child, he was stolen by the gypsies and now in his thirties he was all alone in life. He was not telling the truth; he was just being funny as he wished to make it clear that he was not afraid of a gun-totting criminal. In fact, Gerrard had already started concocting stories about himself.

Question 14.
What made Gerrard ask the Intruder, “Are you an American”?
Answer:
Gerrard asked the Intruder if he were an American as he had told him to ‘Put those paws up! ’ and had called him a ‘wise guy’. ‘Paws’ for hands and ‘guy’ for a man are colloquial American expressions. Hence, the usage of these words by the Intruder made Gerrard ask him this question.

Question 15.
The Intruder announced, “I’m going to kill you”. Was Gerrard nervous? How would you describe Gerrard’s reactions?
Answer:
Confident of his presence of mind and his ability to keep his cool in a difficult situation, Gerrard remained unruffled on being threatened by the Intruder. He remained so calm and nonchalant that the Intruder was irritated. His sense of humour also enraged the Intruder. Thus, Gerrard reacted in a calm and composed way.

Question 16.
Where did Gerrard live? Why was it a suitable place for the Intruder’s plan?
Answer:
Gerrard lived in a lonely cottage in a secluded place in the wilds of Essex. With hardly any population around, it was easy for one to commit a crime without getting detected. In addition, the place was visited by only a few people. Therefore, it was suitable for the Intruder to carry out his plan successfully over here.

Question 17.
The Intruder calls himself ‘a poor hunted rat’. Why does he do so?
Answer:
The Intruder describes himself as ‘a poor hunted rat’ because he is being chased by the police for having killed a cop and he has to keep dodging them to escape punishment. He feels he is like a rat being chased by a cat.

Question 18.
Why has the criminal been called an Intruder all through the play
Answer:
An Intruder is a who enters a place without permission in order to commit a crime. The Intruder is called an Intruder throughout the play as he has forced his way into Gerrard’s cottage, with criminal intent. He has come to murder Gerrard and to steal his identity.

Question 19.
Bring out the contrast between the Intruder and Gerrard.
Answer:
The Intruder is flashy, coarse, crude, boastful and an irritable egoist. He is overconfident and thinks that he is very smart. On the other hand, Gerrard is pleasant, cool-headed, cultured, witty and very intelligent. Despite . all this he is a modest and humble person. Although Gerrard does not brag, he proves to be much smarter and more intelligent than the Intruder and is able to outwit him.

Question 20.
Why did very few people come to Gerrard’s house? Who were the few people who visited him?
Answer:
A playwright, Gerrard needed his solitude and congenial surroundings. So, he lived all alone in a secluded place. His theatrical performances made his schedule irregular and he would go away suddenly and come back just the same. Moreover, very few people came to his house. He was visited only by his regular suppliers like the baker, the greengrocer and the milkman, but he did not meet them.

Question 21.
Gerrard tells the Intruder “A mystery I propose to explain.” What is the mystery that he proposes to explain?
Answer:
The Intruder has just told Gerrard that the people in Aylesbury refer to him as a “mystery man”. Gerrard proposes to explain the mystery about his mysterious life, his sudden comings and goings, his irregular routine, and his refusal to see the tradesmen. Gerrard has already concocted a story attributing his strange behaviour to his being a criminal wanted in many, cases of crime.

Question 22.
“This is your big surprise”. Who says these words in the play? What and where? What is the surprise?
Answer:
Gerrard says these words when the Intruder asks him to clarify how he could still be hanged after assuming Vincent Charles Gerrard’s identity. This is a surprise for the Intruder who never suspected Gerrard of being a criminal. According to his information, Gerrard seemed to be the perfect person who could be easily eliminated and then impersonated. However, Gerrard has just turned the tables on him by claiming to be a criminal on the run.

Question 23.
Why and how did Gerrard persuade the Intruder to get into the cupboard?
Answer:
Gerrard concocted a story about his own criminal background. He gave the Intruder the impression that the police were looking for him and he expected a telephone call from a friend, posted as a lookout, informing him of the police’s arrival. So when the telephone rang, he hurried the Intruder into the cupboard and told him that it was connected to the garage which was an escape route.

Question 24.
How does Gerrard propose to use the Intruder’s episode?
Answer:
Being a playwright, Gerrard is amused at being able to turn the tables on the Intruder. He finds the episode of outwitting a criminal by a clever but an innocent man amusing enough to use it as a plot for his next play.

Question 25.
Gerrard describes this encounter with the Intruder as ‘an amusing spot of bother’? What light does this attitude reflect on Gerrard?
Answer:
Any other person in Gerrard’s place would have been paralysed with fear when faced with a gun-totting stranger who has entered one’s house to kill him and steal his identity. But Gerrard finds it ‘a amusing spot of bother’ as his cool and unflappable approach makes him handle the situation comfortably and outwit the Intruder with ease.

Question 26.
What is Gerrard’s profession? Quote the parts of the play that support your answer.
Answer:
Gerrard is associated with theatre as a writer, producer and director. He also supplies props and make-up materials to other theatre agencies. The following facts reveal his profession clearly.

• He tells the Intruder that his actions are ‘melodramatic’ but not ‘very original’.
• He welcomes the Intruder as a ‘sympathetic audience’.
• He comments on the Intruder’s ‘inflection of voice’.
• He tells someone over the phone that he cannot deliver the props in time.
• He also tells that person that he had ‘an amusing spot of bother’ which he might put into his next play.

Question 27.
Why was Gerrard’s schedule so irregular?
Answer:
Having a theatrical background, Gerrard devoted time to writing, producing and directing the plays. He also supplied other theatre companies with props and make-up items. Therefore, his schedule was irregular as it had to suit the requirements at the theatres.

Question 28.
Gerrard said, ‘You have been so modest’. Was Gerrard being ironical or truthful?
Answer:
Gerrard’s remark ‘you have been so modest’ was ironical. The Intruder had been boasting of his intelligence and smartness. Hence, Gerrard ironically commented on his modesty and asked him to say something about himself.

Question 29.
What information has the Intruder gathered about Gerrard?
Answer:
The Intruder only knows Gerrard by his last name. He has learnt that, he is the owner of the house in the wilds of Essex. Also, he is a kind of mystery man, who keeps to himself and does not meet anyone. Not many people know about him or visit him.

Question 30.
How did Gerrard fool the Intruder with his false story?
Answer:
Gerrard told the Intruder that he, too, was a criminal on the run. One of his recent crimes had gone wrong and one of his men had been caught. The things which should had been burnt had been found. So, due to that he expected trouble that night. That’s why, he wanted to clear off at the earliest.

Question 31.
How did Gerard lock the Intruder in the cupboard?
Answer:
Having convinced the Intruder that he himself was being wanted by cops and that police could any time break into his home, Gerrard advised the Intruder to escape in his car. When he saw that the Intruder was ready to come with him in his car, Gerrard opened the door of his cupboard and, as the Intruder stepped into the cupboard thinking it was an exit door, Gerrard gave him a push and locked the door from outside.

Question 32.
What precautions did Gerrard take while calling the police?
Answer:
Gerrard was smarter than the Intruder. Having locked the Intruder inside the cupboard, he knocked the revolver out of his hand. To make sure that the Intruder would not break out of the cupboard, Gerrard went to the phone, where he stood with the gun pointed at the cupboard door.

If I Were You Extra Questions and Answers Long Answer Type

Question 1.
Why was Gerrard packing a bag at the beginning of the play? How did it help him to outwit and trap the Intruder?
Answer:
Gerrard was packing a bag in the beginning of the play as he had to deliver some props to some theatrical company for rehearsal. When the Intruder broke into his cottage and threatened to kill him and steal his identity, Gerrard did not lose his cool. He spontaneously concocted a story that he himself was a criminal and was trying to dodge the police. This story was supported by the aura of mystery that surrounded him, his reclusive lifestyle, the bag he had been packing, the disguise outfit, false moustaches etc.

All this misled the Intruder into believing that Gerrard was speaking the truth. He did not doubt Gerrard any longer and unsuspectingly got ready to escape along with him. When Gerrard indicates the door that leads straight to the garage, the Intruder walks into a trap. Hence, the bag played an important role in convincing the Intruder that Gerrard, too, was a criminal like him and was preparing to flee when he broke into his cottage.

Question 2.
Bring out Gerrard’s intelligence, presence of mind and sense of humour. How did these traits help him outwit the Intruder?
Answer:
An intelligent and level-headed person, Gerrard did not show even the slightest of nervousness at the sight of the gun-totting criminal enter his house and threaten to kill him. He knew that his wit and presence of mind would not only help him to manage the crisis but would also contribute towards unnerving the Intruder, and getting the better of him. Keeping the atmosphere light and lively with his sense of humour and funny remarks, Gerrard surprised the Intruder, who had expected him to be afraid.

Once he found out the Intruder was wanted for murder and had been on the run, and thus living in fear, he instantly cooked up a story about his own criminal background. Convincing the Intruder that police would arrive any minute to nab him, he impressed upon the Intruder that they would have to escape immediately. Cleverly, he made him peep into the cupboard saying that it was an escape route.

The moment the Intruder leaned forward to inspect it, Gerrard pushed him into the cupboard and knocked the revolver out of his hand. He closed and locked the door. Thus, his intelligence, sense of humour, and presence of mind turned the tables on the Intruder.

Question 3.
Why did the Intruder find Gerrard’s cooked up story of criminal background convincing?
Answer:
In the beginning, the Intruder suspected every move made by Gerrard. He snubbed him when Gerrard tried to begin a conversation regarding the Intruder’s identity and curtly told him to answer only what was asked. However, he was gullible enough to unsuspiciously walk into Gerrard’s trap because the latter did not lose his cool, and employed his presence of mind to cook up the story that he, too, was wanted by the police.

Actually, Gerrard supported his claim of being a criminal by showing the Intruder his bag, and his disguise outfits and false moustaches etc. The Intruder did not know about the theatrical background of Gerrard and he found his story convincing. He believed that Gerrard was actually trying to evade the police. Hence, the unsuspecting Intruder walked into Gerrard’s trap. This indicates that although he claimed to be the smartest person around, he was in fact not very intelligent. He was outwitted by a smart Gerrard who foiled his plan.

If I Were You Extra Questions and Answers Reference to Context

Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.

Question 1.
Why, this is a surprise, Mr— er—

(a) Who speaks these words and to whom?
Answer:
Vincent Gerrard speaks these words to the Intruder.

(b) Where are they at the time?
Answer:
They are in Gerrard’s cottage, in his sitting room, at the time. The Intruder, who is carrying a revolver has just entered Gerrard’s cottage.

(c) What is the speaker’s tone at the time?
Answer:
The speaker is speaking in a very pleasant tone.

(d) What does this tell you about the speaker?
Answer:
The speaker is a level-headed person. He should have been afraid of the Intruder who was holding a gun, but he was talking in a normal, pleasant manner.

Question 2.
I’m glad you ’re pleased to see me. I don’t think you ’ll be pleased for long. Put those paws up!

(a) Who is speaking these lines and to whom? Where is the conversation taking place?
Answer:
The Intruder is speaking to Gerrard. The conversation is taking place in Gerrard’s lonely cottage situated in the wilds of Essex.

(b) Why is ‘the speaker’ so sure that ‘his listener’ won’t be pleased for long?
Answer:
The speaker is sure that his listener, Gerrard, will not be pleased for long because the speaker plans to kill him and steal his identity.

(c) What does ‘paws’ mean here? Why does the Intruder use the expression?
Answer:
‘Paws’ here stands for ‘hands’. The Intruder wants to convey to Gerrard that he is an American gangster.

(d) Why is the speaker asking the listener ‘to put those paws up’?
Answer:
The Intruder asks Gerrard to put his ‘paws up’ to threaten and intimidate him. He wants to ensure that Gerrard is not able to use his hands for self-defence.

Question 3.
Thanks a lot. You ’ll soon stop being smart. I’ll make you crawl. I want td know a few things, see.

(a) Who is the speaker? Why is he thanking the listener?
Answer:
The Intruder is the speaker here. He is thanking the listener, Gerrard, as the latter had helped him while he was fumbling for a word and Gerrard had suggested the word ‘nonchalant’.

(b) Why does the speaker think that the listener is trying to be smart?
Answer:
The Intruder feels that Gerrard is trying to be smart because instead of displaying any signs of fear, he acts casual and helps the Intruder complete his sentence when the former fails to find the right word.

(c) Why does the speaker expect the listener to soon stop being smart?
Answer:
The speaker feels that Gerrard will be frightened out of his wits the moment he discloses his intention of killing him and will then forget all the witty retorts that he had been making till then.

(d) What does the speaker mean by ‘I’ll make you crawl’?
Answer:
The speaker means that he would bring the listener down on his knees and make him beg for mercy.

Question 4.
At last a sympathetic audience!

(a) Who speaks these words? To whom?
Answer:
Gerrard, the protagonist of the play, speaks these words. He is speaking to the Intruder.

(b) Why does he say it?
Answer:
He wants to throw the Intruder off course by showing him that he does not feel threatened by his presence.

(c) Is he sarcastic or serious?
Answer:
He is certainly sarcastic because he knows that the Intruder wants to gather information about him only to misuse it and he plans to give incorrect information.

(d) Why does the listener wish to know the story of the speaker’s life?
Answer:
The listener is a criminal who resembles Gerrard and wishes to impersonate him. So he wants to know more about him.

Question 5.
I’m sorry. I thought you were telling me, not asking me. A question of inflection; your voice is unfamiliar.

(a) Who is the speaker and who does he speak to?
Answer:
The speaker is Gerrard. He is speaking to the Intruder.

(b) What had the listener asked the speaker?
Answer:
The listener had asked the speaker if he lived in the cottage all by himself.

(c) What does ‘inflection’ mean here? What logic does the speaker give for misinterpreting the inflection of his voice?
Answer:
‘Inflection’ here means ‘tone of voice’. Gerrard says that since the Intruder’s voice was unfamiliar, he couldn’t know whether he was asking a question or telling something.

(d) What do these lines tell us about the speaker?
Answer:
These lines show that the speaker is a very cool-headed man who can think of many ways to elude a question.

Question 6.
That, ’s a lie. You ’re not dealing with a fool. I’m as smart as you and smarter, and I know you run a car. Better be careful, wise guy!

(a) Who is the speaker? Which Tie’ is he talking about?
Answer:
The Intruder is the speaker here. He is talking about the Tie’ that Gerrard told him about not running a car.

(b) Why did the speaker think he was smarter than the listener?
Answer:
The Intruder considered himself smarter because to succeed in his plan of taking on Gerrard’s identity, he had already gathered as much information about Gerrard as he could from the local people.

(c) Why did he warn the listener to be careful?
Answer:
The Intruder wanted to make it clear that Gerrard could not be fool him by telling a lie.

(d) What does the extract reveal about the Intruder?
Answer:
The extract reveals that the Intruder is over-confident about his abilities and that he also under-estimates Gerrard, who is not afraid of him.

Question 7.
You seem to have taken a considerable amount of trouble. Since you know so much about me, won’t you say something about yourself? You have been so modest.

(a) Who speaks these words and to whom?
Answer:
Gerrard speaks these words to the Intruder.

(b) What is his tone when he speaks these words?
Answer:
He is being sarcastic at the time.

(c) Why does he want to know more about the Intruder?
Answer:
He wants to find out more about the Intruder to see if he can get the better of him. He also wants to keep him talking till he receives his telephone call.

(d) What light does this throw on the speaker’s character?
Answer:
The speaker is a quick-thinking person, who does not give way to fear but is looking for a way out of the situation he finds himself in.

Question 8.
I could tell you plenty. You think you ’re smart, but I’m the top of the class round here. I’ve got brains and I use them. That’s how I’ve got where have.

(a) Who speaks these words to whom and in what context?
Answer:
These words are spoken by the Intruder to Gerrard. He utters these words when Gerrard asks him to tell him something about himself

(b) Why does the speaker say “I could tell you plenty”?
Answer:
The Intruder says so because he is over-confident and thinks that he is smart enough to get the better of Gerrard.

(c) What does he mean by ‘the top of the class round here’?
Answer:
The Intruder means to say that no one else is as smart as he is and thatbGerrard, too, is no match for him.

(d) What is his tone at the moment?
Answer:
There is a ring of pride in his words and his ego makes him over-estimate himself and his abilities.

Question 9.
My speciality’s jewel robbery. Your car will do me a treat. It’s certainly a dandy bus.

(a) What does the speaker do? Why does he call it his ‘speciality’?
Answer:
The speaker is a criminal who robs jewellery. He calls it his speciality because robbing jewellery was a pursuit or skill to which he had devoted much time and effort and in which he was an expert.

(b) What does he call ‘a dandy bus’? What does he mean?
Answer:
He calls Gerrard’s car a dandy bus. He means to say that it is a splendid or outstanding car. It will be useful for him and will suit his purpose very well.

(c) What do his words tell you about the speaker?
Answer:
The speaker has made his plans carefully and has found out information about the listener.

(d) What does the speaker intend to do?
Answer:
The speaker uses his brains by planning and committing crimes without getting caught by the police. He now intends to kill Gerrard and assume his identity to escape the law further.

Question 10.
I’m not taking it for fun. I’ve been hunted long enough. I’m wanted for murder already, and they can’t hang me twice.

(a) What ‘step’ is the speaker talking about taking? Why is he taking it?
Answer:
The speaker is talking about taking the ‘step’ of murdering Gerrard. He claims that he is not taking the step for fun but because of his need to escape the police.

(b) By whom has the speaker been hunted? Why?
Answer:
The speaker has been hunted by the police because he is a criminal. He killed a policeman when something went wrong with the job that he did in the town quite a while ago, but since then he is dodging the police.

(c) Why does he say “they can’t hang me twice”?
Answer:
The Intruder has just told Gerrard that he had murdered one man, and that he would not shy away from murdering him too. This is because the police could not hang him twice for two murders.

(d) What light do these lines reflect on the speaker’s state of mind?
The lines reveal that the Intruder does not have any conscience to prick him. He is in a desperate situation now as he fears the punishment he is likely to get if captured.

Question 11.
I’ve got freedom to gain. As for myself I’m a poor hunted rat. As Vincent Charles Gerrard I’m free to go places and do nothing. I can eat well and sleep and without having to be ready to beat it at the sight of a cop.

(a) Why is the speaker a ‘hunted rat’?
Answer:
The Intruder is being chased by the police for having killed a policeman. The fear of being arrested by the police keeps him on the run and he feels that his condition is as miserable as that of a rat being chased.

(b) Why has he chosen to take on Gerrard’s identity?
Answer:
He has chosen to take on Gerrard’s identity because the have a similar height and build and because Gerrard, being a loner, does not meet many people who may catch him out.

(c) Why does the speaker have to run at the sight of a cop?
Answer:
Having killed a cop, the Intruder lives in constant fear of being caught by the police. So, he has to run at the sight of a cop in order to avoid being caught.

(d) What advantage will the speaker have once he impersonates Gerrard?
Answer:
As Gerrard the Intruder will be able to dodge the police. This way he will be able to live in peace and without any fear of the cops.

Question 12.
It brought me to Aylesbury. That’s where I saw you in the car. Two other people saw you and started to talk.
I listened. It looks like you ’re a bit queer — kind of a mystery man.

(a) What is ‘it’? Where did it bring him?
Answer:
‘It’ here refers to the speaker’s dodging the police. While escaping the police he reached Aylesbury.

(b) What did the speaker overhear about the listener? From whom?
Answer:
He overheard two men discuss Gerrard. They referred to him as being strange and a mystery man about whom nothing much was known.

(c) What made the two men conclude that the listener was a mystery man?
Answer:
The two men concluded Gerrard was a mystery man because they did not know much about him. He kept to himself and ordered his supplies on the phone. He did not meet even the tradespeople who delivered the orders. He sometimes went away suddenly and came back just the same.

(d) How did this suit the Intruder’s purpose?
Answer:
This suited the Intruder’s purpose as no one knew Gerrard well enough to recognise him if the Intruder took on his identity. Also, the Intruder would be able to come and go suddenly as Gerrard did.

Question 13.
Don’t be a fool. If you shoot, you ’ll hang for sure. If not as yourself then as Vincent Charles Gerrard.

(a) Why did the speaker say that the listener will be hanged?
Answer:
The speaker said that even if he shot him and took on the speaker’s identity, the listener would be hanged as Gerrard because he was wanted by the police.

(b) What surprise did the speaker give to the listener?
Answer:
Gerrard surprised the Intruder by telling him that he was also a criminal and wanted for murder.

(c) What proof does the speaker give the listener about his being a criminal?
Answer:
Gerrard told the Intruder that he did not meet any trades people and was a bit of a mystery man here today and gone tomorrow because he was a criminal on the run.

(d) What do you think was the speaker’s tone as he spoke to the listener?
Answer:
The speaker’s tone was serious and confidential. The listener was taken in by the speaker.

Question 14.
This is your big surprise. I said you wouldn’t kill me and I was right. Why do you think I am here today and gone tomorrow, never see tradespeople? You say my habits would suit you. You are a crook. Do you think I am a Sunday-school teacher?

(a) What was the big surprise given by the speaker?
Answer:
Gerrard told that the Intruder that he too lived under the threat of being arrested as he too was involved in crime. The Intruder was naturally surprised at this revelation since he was not aware about this aspect of his victim.

(b) What was the speaker right about? Why was he right?
Answer:
Gerrard, the speaker here, was right about the statement that he had made earlier that the Intruder wouldn’t kill him. He was right because the Intruder intended to kill an ordinary person and impersonate him to evade the police. But Gerrard turned out to be a criminal like him. So, killing and impersonating a criminal would not serve the Intruder’s purpose,

(c) Explain the phrase Sunday school teacher? What does the speaker imply by his words?
Answer:
A Sunday school teacher is not just an instructor but is also the responsibility for the spiritual welfare of the students. As such, the Sunday school teacher is an important member of the church and one of high moral standing. By saying he is not a Sunday school teacher, the speaker implies he is a crook.

(d) What light does it throw on the character of the speaker and the listener?
Answer:
The speaker is a quick-thinking cool-headed person, who has retained his presence of mind and lays a trap for the Intruder. He is able to convince the listener. On the other hand, the listener is a gullible person and is taken in by Gerrard’s words.

Question 15.
“I said it with bullets and got away ”.

(a) Who says this?
Answer:
Gerrard, the protagonist of the play ‘If I Were You’, says this.

(b) What does it mean?
Answer:
Gerrard means that he committed a murder with a gun for his escape because things had gone wrong.

(c) Is it the truth? What is the speaker’s reason for saying this?
Answer:
No, it is not the truth. The speaker has concocted a story to befool the Intruder. He shows himself to be a wanted criminal on run from the police so that the Intruder should give up his plan of killing him and taking up his identity.

(d) How was he in imminent danger from the police?
Answer:
One of his men had been caught by the police with some documents.

Question 16.
I have got a man posted on the main road. He’ll ring up if he sees the police, but I don’t want to leave… (telephone bell rings,) Come on! They ’re after us. Through here straight to the garage.

(a) Whose call had Gerrard been expecting?
Answer:
Gerrard had told the person he was speaking to in the beginning to tell someone to call him at once. So, he had been expecting that call.

(b) Whose call had told the Intruder he was expecting?
Answer:
He told the Intruder he was expecting trouble, and had posted a man on the look out who would tell him if the police were coming.

(c) What did he show the Intruder to convince him that he was going to run away?
Answer:
He showed him the packed bag and disguise outfit; false moustaches and what not to show he was ready . to run away.

(d) What is his tone like as he says these words?
Answer:
He says these words in a tone of urgency.

Question 17.
For God’s sake clear that muddled head of yours and let’s go. Come with me in the car. I can use you. If you find it’s a frame, you’ve got me in a car, and you still have your gun.

(a) What does the speaker call the listener’s head “muddled”?
Answer:
The Intruder, who has come to Gerrard’s house to kill him and steal his identity, is told by Gerrard that he, too, is a criminal on the run. The Intruder is thus looking confused.

(b) Where does the speaker invite the other person?
Answer:
The speaker Gerrard is inviting the other person to accompany him in the car and help him escape

(c) What assurance does he give the listener?
Answer:
He tells the Intruder that he has the gun so he can over-power him whenever he feels he has been trapped.

(d) What is in the speaker’s mind?
Answer:
The speaker wants to get the Intruder into a trap where he can hand him over to the police.

Here we are providing Kathmandu Extra Questions and Answers Class 9 English Beehive, Extra Questions for Class 9 English was designed by subject expert teachers.

Kathmandu Extra Questions and Answers Class 9 English Beehive

Kathmandu Extra Questions and Answers Short Answer Type

Question 1.
Where did the writer stay in Kathmandu? Which two different places of worship did he visit? With whom?
Answer:
The writer, Vikram Seth, stayed in a cheap room in the centre of Kathmandu. He visited the Pushupatinath temple, sacred to the Hindus, and the Baudhnath stupa, the holy shrine of the Buddhists with his acquaintances Mr Shah’s son and nephew.

Question 2.
What is written on the signboard outside the Pashupatinath temple? What does it signify?
Answer:
Outside the Pashupatinath temple, the signboard announces: “Entrance for the Hindus only”. It signifies that the temple is rigid in the maintaining of its sanctity and holiness as a place of worship. This rule is practiced with inflexible strictness to prevent the temple from being treated like a tourist destination.

Question 3.
What does the author mean when he says “At Pashupatinath there is an atmosphere of febrile confusion”?
Answer:
The author makes this remark to imply there is hectic and chaotic activity around the temple. There is a huge crowd of priests, hawkers, tourists, and even animals like cows, monkeys and pigeons roaming through the grounds. Inside the temple, there are a large number of worshippers who jostle and elbow others aside to move closer to the priest. Together, they create utter confusion.

Question 4.
Why do devotees elbow others inside the temple?
Answer:
There is a large crowd of worshippers inside the temple, where everyone is trying to vie for the attention of the priests. As some people try to get the priest’s attention, they are elbowed aside by others pushing their way to the front.

Question 5.
How did the arrival of the princess change the situation?
Answer:
At Pashupatinath temple, worshippers were trying to get the priest’s attention and were elbowing and jostling each other as they pushed their way to the front. The situation changed as a princess of the Nepalese royal house appeared; everyone bowed and made way for her.

Question 6.
What did the saffron-clad Westerners want?
Answer:
The saffron-clad Westerners wanted to go inside the Pashupatinath temple. However, as entry to the temple is restricted to Hindus only, they claimed to be Hindus. But the policeman was not allowing them to enter.

Question 7.
Why did the policeman stop the Westerners wearing saffron-coloured clothes from entering the Pashupatinath temple?
Answer:
The policeman stopped the saffron-clad Westerners from entering the Pashupatinath temple as the entry of non- Hindus is banned in this temple and he didn’t believe that they were Hindus, despite their saffron clothes.

Question 8.
Describe the fight that breaks out between the two monkeys around the temple of Pashupatinath?
Answer:
The author describes the fight that breaks out between two monkeys in which one chases the other. The monkey being chased jumps onto a shivalinga, then runs screaming around the temples and finally goes down to the holy river, Bagmati.

Question 9.
What activities are observed by the writer on the banks of the Bagmati river?
Answer:
The writer observes some polluting activities on the banks of the river Bagmati. He notices some washerwomen washing clothes, some children taking a bath and a dead body being cremated on the banks of this sacred river. He also observes someone throwing a basketful of wilted flowers and leaves into the river.

Question 10.
Write a short note on the shrine on the stone platform on the riverbank?
Answer:
There is a small shrine on the banks of the holy Bagmati that flows below the Pashupatinath temple. Half part of this shrine protrudes from a stone platform. It is believed that when the shrine will emerge completely from the platform, the goddess in the shrine will escape and that will mark the end of the Kaliyug, or the evil period.

Question 11.
What is the belief at Pashupatinath about the end of Kaliyug?
Answer:
There is a small shrine that half protrudes from the stone platform on the river bank. People believe that when it emerges fully, the goddess inside will escape, and the evil period of the Kaliyug will end on earth.

Question 12.
The writer draws powerful sight and sound images of the activities in and around Pashupatinath temple. List the images.
Answer:
The poet draws images of mindless activity in and around Pashupatinath temple. Priests, hawkers, devotees, cows, pigeons and dogs roam here and there. Devotees elbow and jostle their way to the front as they try to catch the priest’s attention in an attempt to get preferential treatment. There is a fight between two monkeys, as one chases the other jumping on the shivlinga. A group of saffron-clad foreigners argue to be allowed entry into the temple, hawkers call out their wares. Animals also add to the noise as monkeys run around screaming, cows loo and dogs bark, a completely noisy situation.

Question 13.
How does the writer describe Baudhnath stupa?
Answer:
The author gives a brief but vivid picture of the Baudhnath stupa. He admires the serenity and calmness of this shrine. The stupa has an immense white dome with silence and stillness its distinctive features. There are no crowds even on the road surrounding the stupa. There are some shops run by the Tibetan immigrants.

Question 14.
The Baudhnath stupa ‘is a haven of quietness in the busy streets around’. Comment.
Answer:
The narrator observes a sense of stillness at the Buddhist shrine, the Baudhnath stupa. Its immense white dome is ringed by a road with small shops selling items like felt bags, Tibetan prints and silver jewellery.The quietness of the stupa stands out amidst the busy business activities that go around it. Thus, the narrator regards this place as a haven of quietness in the busy streets around.

Question 15.
How is the atmosphere at Pashupatinath temple different from that at Baudhnath Stupa?
Answer:
The atmosphere at Pashupatinath Temple is noisy and chaotic. People jostle with each other and animals mill around. Hawkers call out their wares. On the other hand, the atmosphere at Baudhnath stupa is calm and serene. There are some Tibetans shops but the huge crowds of Pashupatinath are missing there. There is calm as opposed to chaos near the Pashupatinath temple.

Question 16.
What are the author’s observations about the streets in Kathmandu?
Answer:
The author finds the streets in Kathmandu are ‘vivid, mercenary and religious’. Extremely narrow and busy, these streets have many small shrines and some images clad in flowers. There are a number of shops selling Western cosmetics, film rolls and chocolate or copper utensils and Nepalese antiques. Stray cows roam about mooing at the sound of the motorcycles. Vendors sell their wares shouting loudly and radios are played at a loud pitch. In addition, the horns of the cars and the ringing of the bicycle bells increase this din.

Question 17.
The writer says, “All this I wash down with Coca Cola”. What does‘all this’ refer to?
Answer:
‘All this’ refers to the eatables that the writer buys and eats on one of the busy streets of Kathmandu. It includes a bar of marzipan, a com-on-the-cob roasted in a charcoal brazier on the pavement (rubbed with salt, chilli powder and lemon). He finishes of his meal by drinking Coca Cola and a nauseating orange drink.

Question 18.
Which is the route from Kathmandu to Delhi that the writer had planned to take earlier? Which route does he opt for? Why?
Answer:
The writer had planned to travel from Kathmandu to Delhi by first reaching Patna by bus and train. Then he planned to sail up the Ganges past Benaras to Allahabad, then up the Yamuna, past Agra to Delhi. The shorter option taken by the author is to fly via air, straight from Kathmandu to Delhi. He changed his plans because he was tired and homesick.

Question 19.
Why does Vikram Seth decide to buy an air ticket directly for the homeward journey?
Answer:
Vikram Seth had travelled from China to Kathmandu via Tibet. It had been a long journey and he was feeling very exhausted and homesick. Though his enthusiasm for travelling tempted him to take a longer route to reach back home, his exhaustion and homesickness impelled him to buy an air-ticket directly for the homeward journey to Delhi.

Question 20.
What difference does the author note between the flute seller and the other hawkers?
Answer:
The author points out that while other hawkers loudly call their wares to attract the customers, the flute seller plays upon his flute softly and meditatively. He does not indulge in excessive display nor does he show any desperation to sell his flutes. Although the flute player does not shout, the sound of the flute is distinctly heard above the noise of the traffic and of the hawkers.

Question 21.
What does Vikram Seth compare to the quills of a porcupine?
Answer:
Vikram Seth found a flute seller in Kathmandu standing in a comer of the square near his hotel. He held a pole in his hand which had an attachment at the top around and fifty to sixty flutes were stuck into it that protruded in all directions. The author compares these protruding flutes to the sharp, stiff quills of a porcupine.

Question 22.
Name five kinds of flutes.
Answer:
As the author listens to the music of the flute being played by the flute seller, he is reminded of different kinds of flutes that he has seen and heard. He talks of the kinds of flutes like the ‘cross-flutes’, the reed neh, the recorder, the Japanese shakuhachi and the Hindustani bansuri. Other flutes are distinguished by their tonal quality like ‘the clear or breathy flutes’ of South America and the ‘high-pitched’ flutes of China.

Question 23.
What effect does the music of the flute have on Vikram Seth?
Answer:
The music of the flute has a hypnotic effect on Vikram Seth. So much so, that he finds it difficult to tear himself away from the square where this music is being playing by the flute seller. It has the power to draw him into the commonality of all mankind and he is moved by its closeness to human voice.

Question 24.
Why does the author describe the music of the flute as “the most universal and most particular of sounds”?
Answer:
The music of the flute, according to the author, is the most ‘universal’ because this musical instrument, made of hollow bamboo is found in every culture in the world. But at the same time, its sound is the most ‘particular’ because each flute, though played in almost a similar manner, produces a unique sound.

Kathmandu Extra Questions and Answers Long Answer Type

Question 1.
Compare and contrast the atmosphere in and around the Baudhnath shrine with the Pashupatinath temple.
Answer:
The Pashupatinath Temple, sacred to the Hindus, and the Baudhnath shrine of the Buddhists stand in contrast with regard to their ambience. The noisy confusion of the Hindu Temple is the opposite of the peace and tranquility that reigns supreme in the Baudhnath shrine. In the Pashupatinath temple, utter chaos is created by the large crowd of rowdy worshippers who push and jostle each other to reach closer to the priest and the deity.

At Baudhnath stupa, there aren’t many people inside the structure. Confusion is also created by some Westerners who wish to enter the temple and argue with the policeman. The atmosphere at Pashupatinath Temple is made noisy by the large crowds of priests, hawkers, devotees and tourists. Animals like cows and dogs freely move around and the pigeons too contribute to the confusion. Even monkeys play about and fight in the premises of the temple.

Question 2.
How does the author describe Kathmandu’s busiest streets?
Answer:
The author presents the busiest streets of Kathmandu as ‘vivid, mercenary and religious’. The streets are full of life with large crowds, shops and hawkers calling out their wares. There is a lot of religious activity going on all the time. Besides the well-known religious shrines like the Pashupatinath temple and the Baudhnath stupa, Kathmandu also has small shrines and flower-adorned deities that line the narrow, but busy streets of Kathmandu. It is ‘mercenary’ as it is a tourist place and a lot of business flourishes in the narrow streets.

One can find fruit sellers, flute sellers, and hawkers selling postcard photographs. As in any other tourist place, there are shops selling various things like cosmetics from western countries, rolls of film, chocolates, antique items of Nepal, and copper pots and pans. There is a medley of noises created by radios playing film songs, sounds of car-horns, bells of bicycles and vendors shouting to invite the customers. There are also the cows bellowing as they hear the sounds of motorcycles. Thus, the streets of Kathmandu are full of noise and din.

Question 3.
“To hear any flute is to be drawn into the commonality of all mankind.” Why does the author say this?
Answer:
The author hears the music of a flute played by a flute seller in a square near his hotel in Kathmandu and is reminded of the various kinds of music produced by various types of flutes found in various cultures. However, the flute is universal, because almost every culture has flutes, though each has a different tone and pitch.

Different cultures have given different names to the flutes such as the shakuhachi in Japan and the bansuri in India. Flutes from different cultures have different fingering methods and ranges of sound. The Indian bansuri has a deep sound, the South American flute emits clear, breathy sound and the Chinese flute gives out loud, high-pitched melodies.

Despite the variety of flutes and the variations in their music, the author emphasises that the music of all the flutes closely resembles human voice. To produce music, every flute needs pauses and breaths in the same manner in which phrases and sentences are uttered in human voice. These pauses and breaths are generated through fingering of the holes of a flute. This characteristic feature of the flutes gives the author a feeling of being “drawn into the commonality of mankind”, which gives him a sense of universality ahd harmony.

Question 4.
What idea do you get about the author from the extract “Kathmandu ”?
Answer:
The extract “Kathmandu” taken from Vikram Seth’s travelogue, ‘From Heaven Lake’, highlights certain traits of his personality. As a traveller, Seth displays a keen sense of observation, and as a person with a fine aesthetic sense, his ability to capture the vivid details of his surroundings. Vikram Seth draws vivid pictures of the temples of Kathmandu and its narrow, crowded streets. Though he doesn’t say it directly, but his admiration of the Baudhnath Stupa with its serene stillness and his calling it a ‘haven of quietness’ shows he prefers serenity and tranquility.

He also shows his concern as an environmentalist who does not approve of the polluting activities carried on the banks of Bagmati river. Vikram Seth’s fondness for travelling is obvious by the fact that although tired, he still contemplates taking a longer route back home to Delhi. His fondness for music is brought forth when we find him totally enchanted by the music of the flute. He is so fascinated that he has to tear himself away from the square where the flute is being played by the seller.

His choice about reading reveals that when tired, he prefers to read light and popular stuff like love comics and Reader’s Digest. Like a typical traveller, he indulges himself with the eatables he finds available in the bazaar of Kathmandu. Thus, the author emerges as a man with profound fondness for travelling, love for music, keen sense of observation, reflective mind, and an ability to portray places and people realistically.

Question 5.
Where does the author find the flute seller and what are his observations about him?
Answer:
The author finds a flute seller along with many other hawkers in a comer of the square near his hotel in Kathmandu. But the flute seller’s style of selling his ware differs from that of the other vendors. He does not shout to attract the customers nor does he show any kind of desperation to sell. He carries a pole with about fifty to sixty flutes attached at the top. The flute seller, instead of hawking loudly, places the pole on the ground every now and then, selects a flute and plays upon it slowly and in a meditative manner without ever resorting to excessive display.

The sound of the flute is distinct and clear and can be heard even above the noise created by the traffic horns and the shouts of the hawkers. He does not seem to run a very brisk business and it appears as if playing flute is his chief activity and selling of flutes is incidental to it. The mesmerising music of the flute draws the author to it. He is left spell-bound by its hypnotic notations. The impact is so deep that he has to force himself to leave the square where the flute is being played. This music is etched in his memory and he carries it with him to his home in India.

Kathmandu Extra Questions and Answers Reference to Context

Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.

Question 1.
I get a cheap room in the centre of town and sleep for hours. The next morning, with Mr. Shah’s son and nephew, I visit the two temples in Kathmandu that are most sacred to Hindus and Buddhists.

(a) Who does “I” refer to in the above lines?
Answer:
I refers to the writer of the travelogue, Vikram Seth.

(b) Where is he at the time?
Answer:
He is in a cheap room in a hotel in the centre of Kathmandu at the time.

(c) With whom does the author visit the two temples?
Answer:
The author visits the two temples with Mr. Shah’s son and his nephew.

(d) Which two temples in Kathmandu does he visit? With which religions are they associated?
Answer:
He visits the two famous temples of Kathmandu – the Pashupatinath, sacred to the Hindus and the Baudhnath Stupa, sacred to the Buddhists.

Question 2.
There are so many worshippers that some people trying to get the priest’s attention are elbowed aside by others pushing their way to the front.

(a) Which place of worship is the narrator describing here?
Answer:
The narrator is describing Kathmandu’s Pashupatinath temple, which is sacred to the Hindus.

(b) How do devotees behave inside the temple?
Answer:
The devotees at the temple push and jostle with others as they try to move ahead and get the priest’s attention. In this attempt, some people are elbowed aside.

(c) Why do you think some people are pushing their way to the front?
Answer:
Some people are pushing their way to the front to get a clear view of the deity and also to make their offerings through the priest.

(d) What sort of an atmosphere is being created by the crowd in the temple?
Answer:
The crowd in the temple is indisciplined and unorganized. They are creating chaos and confusion with their unruly behaviour, which is robbing the temple of its sanctity.

Question 3.
A princess of the Nepalese royal house appears; everyone bows and makes way. By the main gate, a party of saffron-clad Westerners struggle for permission to enter.

(a) Which place is being talked about in the above extract?
Answer:
The writer is talking about the Pashupatinath Temple at Kathmandu.

(b) How had the crowd of worshippers been behaving before the princess appeared? How is their behaviour different now?
Answer:
The crowd of worshippers were trying to get the priest’s attention and were jostling with each other and were elbowing others aside to push their way to the front, but as soon as the princess appeared, the worshippers bowed and made way for her.

(c) How are the Westerners trying to convince the policeman they are Hindus? Why?
Answer:
The Westerners were dressed in saffron and were claiming to be Hindus because only Hindus can enter the Pashupatinath temple.

(d) Which river flows next to the temple?
Answer:
The river Bagmati flows next to the temple.

Question 4.
By the main gate, a party of saffron-clad Westerners struggle for permission to enter.

(a) Which place is the author talking about here?
Answer:
he author is talking of the famous Hindu shrine – the Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu.

(b) Who are the saffron-clad Westerners at the main gate?
Answer:
The saffron-clad Westerners at the main gate are a group of tourists.

(c) Why do they struggle for permission to enter?
Answer:
They struggle for permission to enter because the temple allows entry only to Hindus.

(d) What does this show about the cultural practices of this place?
Answer:
It shows that the authorities who look after this shrine are very rigid about maintaining the sanctity of the temple as a place of worship. They do not want it to be treated like a tourist spot.

Question 5.
A fight breaks out between two monkeys. One chases the other, who jumps onto a shivalinga, then runs screaming around the temples and down to the river, the holy Bagmati, that flows below.

(a) What are the two monkeys doing?
Answer:
The two monkeys are fighting each other and chasing each other.

(b) Where are the two monkeys?
Answer:
The two monkeys are running around the shivalingas and then down to the river.

(c) What is the atmosphere at Pashupatinath Temple?
Answer:
At Pashupatinath there is an atmosphere of ‘febrile confusion’ as crowds of worshippers and animals jostle and elbow each other.

(d) What is the belief about the shrine that half protrudes from the stone platform on the river bank?
Answer:
People believe when the shrine emerges fully, the goddess inside will escape, and the evil period of the Kaliyug will end on earth.

Question 6.
A corpse is being cremated on its banks; washerwomen are at their work and children bathe. From a balcony a basket of flowers and leaves, old offerings now wilted, is dropped into the river.

(a) Which river is referred to in this extract?
Answer:
The river Bagmati that flows through Kathmandu and on the banks of which Pashupatinath temple is situated is referred to here.

(b) What is the significance of this river?
Answer:
The river Bagmati is significant as it is considered sacred by the Hindus. They worship it like a pious deity.

(c) How is the river being polluted and by whom?
Answer:
A basket of withered away flowers, leaves and old offerings is thrown into the river from the balcony of the Pashupatinath temple. Corpse are cremated on its banks, washerwomen wash clothes in the river and children bathe in it.

(d) What light does this polluting of the river throw on the people?
Answer:
Throwing of refuse into the sacred Bagmati river, or polluting it by bathing or washing clothes reflects that these people lack concern for environment. They pollute the very river which they consider to be sacred.

Question 7.
There are no crowds: this is a haven of quietness in the busy streets around.

(a) Which place is being talked about here?
Answer:
The writer is talking about the Baudhnath stupa here.

(b) How does this contrast with the other place of worship?
Answer:
While the Baudhnath Stupa is a quiet, still place, the crowded noisy Pashupatinath temple is a place of feverish activity.

(c) Who owns the shops on the ‘busy streets around’?
Answer:
Many of the shops outside are owned by Tibetan immigrants.

(d) What did the shops sell?
Answer:
They sold felt bags, Tibetan prints, silver jewellery etc.

Question 8.
Kathmandu is vivid, mercenary, religious, with small shrines to flower-adorned deities along the narrowest and busiest streets; with fruit sellers, flute sellers, hawkers of postcards; shops selling Western cosmetics, film rolls and chocolate; or copper utensils and Nepalese antiques.

(a) Explain the meaning of the word “mercenary”.
Answer:
The word “mercenary” means interested only in the amount of money that you can be made from a situation even at the expense of ethics. This implies sales in the shops of Kathmandu are not always above board.

(b) How does the author describe the streets of Kathmandu?
Answer:
The streets of Kathmandu are the narrowest and busiest streets that he has ever seen.

(c) What are the things that the author buys?
Answer:
The author buys a bar of marzipan, a com-on-the-cob roasted in a charcoal brazier on the pavement (rubbed with salt, chilli powder and lemon), a couple of love story comics, and a Reader’s Digest.

(d) Which things are sold in the market of Kathmandu?
Answer:
Nepalese antiques, Western cosmetics and film rolls are sold there.

Question 9.
Go home, I tell myself: move directly towards home. I enter a Nepal Airlines office and buy a ticket for tomorrow’s flight.

(a) What route had the writer thought of taking?
Answer:
The writer had thought of going by bus and train to Patna, then sailing up the Ganges past Benaras to Allahabad, then up the Yamuna, past Agra to Delhi.

(b) Why did he change his plan?
Answer:
The writer was tired as he had been travelling for many days. He was also homesick and wanted to travel home straight.

(c) How did he plan to travel now?
Answer:
He planned to fly by Nepal Airlines from Kathmandu to Delhi.

(d) When is he leaving Kathmandu?
Answer:
He is leaving Kathmandu the next day.

Question 10.
In his hand is a pole with an attachment at the top from which fifty or sixty bansuris protrude in all directions, like the quills of a porcupine. They are of bamboo: there are cross-flutes and recorders. From time to time, he stands the pole on the ground, selects a flute and plays for a few minutes.

(a) What attracts the writer in the market?
Answer:
A flute seller and the music being played by him attracts the writer.

(b) How is he different from other hawkers?
Answer:
He plays on the flute to entertain people. He does not cry out to attract buyers.

(c) Why does he sometimes break off playing flute?
Answer:
The flute seller sometimes breaks off playing his flute in order to talk to the fruit seller.

(d) What does Vikram Seth compare to the quills of a porcupine?
Answer:
The flute seller’s stock of flutes protruding in all directions from an attachment on the pole was looking like the quills of a porcupine.

Question 11.
I find it difficult to tear myself away from the square.

(a) Which square does the writer refer to?
Answer:
The writer, Vikram Seth, refers to the square near his hotel in Kathmandu.

(b) What was the writer doing in the square?
Answer:
The writer was tired and homesick and was going back to his hotel after having bought his air ticket to fly back to India the next day.

(c) Why does ‘he’ find it difficult to tear himself away from the square?
Answer:
‘He’ finds it difficult to tear himself from the square because he is mesmerised by the sweet notes of the flute-music being played there by the flute seller

(d) Explain the expression ‘tear myself away’. Why does the writer use the expression?
Question
‘Tear myself away’ means to separate forcibly. Hence the expression shows the effort on the part of the narrator to pull himself away from the enthralling music of the flute.

Question 12.
It weaves its own associations. Yet to hear any flute is, it seems to me, to be drawn into the commonality of all mankind, to be moved by music closest in its phrases and sentences to the human voice. Its motive force too is living breath: it too needs to pause and breathe before it can go on.

(a) What does ‘it’ refer to?
Answer:
‘It’ refers to the sounds produced by different flutes.

(b) How does ‘it’ weave its own associations?
Answer:
The expression means that each kind of flute produces a different and a unique type of music associated with some particular place

(c) Why is its music closest to the human voice?
Answer:
The music of the flute is closest to the human voice because pauses and breaths are needed to produce musical notes of the flute in the same manner in which words, phrases and sentences are uttered in human voice.

(d) Why does it draw the author in the ‘commonality of all mankind’?
Answer:
The flute draws the author in the “commonality of all mankind” because this instrument is found in all cultures and is played in a similar manner. Hence, it seems to connect the whole mankind.

Here we are providing The Bond of Love Extra Questions and Answers Class 9 English Beehive, Extra Questions for Class 9 English was designed by subject expert teachers.

The Bond of Love Extra Questions and Answers Class 9 English Beehive

The Bond of Love Extra Questions and Answers Short Answer Type

Question 1.
How did the author get the baby sloth bear?
Answer:
The author got the baby sloth bear in a freak accident. Once the author and his friends were passing through the sugarcane fields near Mysore, Bruno’s mother was wantonly shot dead by one of his companions. The cub was found moving on the body of his mother. It was in great shock and tried to flee but the author managed to capture it, and bring it home.

Question 2.
Why did the author not kill the sloth bear when she appeared suddenly?
Answer:
Being kind-hearted, the author did not kill any animals without any motive or provocation. As the sloth bear had not provoked or attacked him, he did not kill it. That is why he describes his companions shooting of her a wanton act.

Question 3.
Why did one of the author’s companions kill the bear?
Answer:
One of the author’s companions killed the bear wantonly, in a moment of impulsive rush of blood. He may have though the bear would attack them and he may have shot it as an impulsive act born of self-preservation.

Question 4.
How did the author capture the bear cub?
Answer:
When the bear cub’s mother was shot, it ran around its prostrate parent making a pitiful noise. The author ran up to it to attempt a capture. It scooted into the sugarcane field. Following it with his companions, the author was at last able to grab it by the scruff of its neck and put it in a gunny bag.

Question 5.
How did the author’s wife receive the baby sloth bear?
Answer:
The author’s wife was extremely happy to get the baby sloth bear as a pet. She put a coloured ribbon around his neck and named him Bruno.

Question 6.
How was Bruno, the baby bear, fed initially? What followed within a few days?
Answer:
Initially, the little Bmno was given milk from a bottle. But soon he started eating all kinds of food and drank all kinds of drinks. He ate a variety of dishes like porridge, vegetables, nuts, fruits, meat, eggs, chocolates etc., and drank milk, tea, coffee, lime-juice, buttermilk, even beer and alcoholic liquor.

Question 7.
“One day an accident befell him”. What accident befell Bruno?
Answer:
One day Bmno ate the rat poison (barium carbonate) kept in the library to kill rats. The poison affected his nervous and muscular system and left him paralysed. He rapidly became weak, panted heavily, vomited, and was unable to move.

Question 8.
How was Bruno cured of paralysis?
Answer:
Bruno had mistakenly consumed poison and had got paralysed. However, he managed to crawl to the author’s wife on his stumps. He was taken to the veterinary doctor who and injected 10 cc of the antidote into him. The first dose had no effect. Then another dose was injected which cured Bruno absolutely. After ten minutes of the dose, his breathing became normal and he could move his arms and legs.

Question 9.
Why did Bruno drink the engine oil? What was the result?
Answer:
Once the narrator had drained the old engine oil from the sump of his car and kept it to treat termites. Bruno, who would drink anything that came his way, drank about one gallon of this oil too. However, it did not have any effect on him.

Question 10.
What used to be Bruno’s activities at the author’s home?
Answer:
In the beginning, Bruno was left free. He spent his time in playing, running into the kitchen and going to sleep in our beds. As he grew older, he became more mischievous and playful. He learnt to do a few tricks, too. At the command, ‘Baba, wrestle’, or ‘Baba, box,’ he vigorously tackled anyone who came forward for a rough and tumble. If someone said ‘Baba, hold gun’, he would point the stick at the person. If he was asked, ‘Baba, where’s baby?’ he immediately produced and cradled affectionately a stump of wood which he had carefully concealed in his straw bed.

Question 11.
How did Bruno become attached to the family of the author?
Answer:
Bruno got lot of love in the family of the author and he grew very fond of them. It slowly got attached even to the two Alsatian dogs and to all the children of the tenants. But, above all, he loved the author’s wife and she loved him dearly too.

Question 12.
How did Bruno come to be called ‘Baba’?
Answer:
Bruno came to be called ‘Baba’ which in Hindustani means a ‘young boy’ after the narrator’s wife developed a special bond of affection for him. She loved him as she loved her son and started calling him ‘Baba’.

Question 13.
What kind of tricks did Bruno, the pet bear, do?
Answer:
Bruno was mischievous and played a lot of tricks. When he was called to wrestle, he would vigorously tackle anyone who came forward. When asked to hold the gun, he pointed a stick at the person. On being asked where the baby was, he brought out a stump of wood and cradled it as if it were a baby.

Question 14.
Why had Bruno to be kept in chains most of the time?
Answer:
Bruno had grown up very fast. Therefore, it was felt that it could be dangerous to let him move about freely around the children of the tenants. Therefore, it was decided to keep Bruno in chains.

Question 15.
Who advised the author’s wife to send Bruno to a zoo and why? What was her reaction?
Answer:
The narrator, his son and even some friends advised the author’s wife to send Bruno to a zoo because he was now too big to be kept at home. They felt he may become a danger to children. But she loved the pet bear so deeply that she could not accept the proposal readily. It took her three weeks to make up her mind and give her consent.

Question 16.
Bruno was a loving and playful pet. Why, then, did he have to be sent away?
Answer:
Bruno was certainly a loving and playful pet. He had developed affection for everyone around him and was particularly attached to the author’s wife. However, he had to be sent away to the zoo because he had grown too big to be kept at home. He could be a threat to the people in the neighbourhood, especially children.

Question 17.
How was the problem of what to do with Bruno solved?
Answer:
As he grew up and became larger in size, the author, his son and some friends felt that Bruno could no longer be kept at home. The problem of what to do with Bruno was solved when the narrator’s wife, though reluctantly, gave her consent to send Bruno to the zoo in Mysore. A letter was written to the curator of the zoo who replied in the positive. Bruno was put in a cage and sent away in a lorry that had been sent by the zoo authorities.

Question 18.
How did the narrator’s wife react when Baba was sent to Mysore zoo?
Answer:
When Baba was sent to Mysore zoo, the narrator’s wife felt so miserable that she could not be consoled. She wept and kept worrying about the bear. She refused to eat anything for some days. She wrote letters to the curator of the zoo to inquire about Baba’s well being.

Question 19.
What did the letters from the curator and the friends who visited the zoo report about Baba?
Answer:
The letters from the curator of the zoo reported that though Baba was well, he was sad and upset, and refused to eat. The friends who visited the zoo gave similar reports telling that he had grown very thin and kept fretting all the time.

Question 20.
When did the author take his wife to the Mysore zoo? Why?
Answer:
The author’s wife was deeply disturbed to hear reports of her dear Bruno was sad and refused to eat. She wanted to go to mysore and see him for herself. Though the author had managed to prevent her from going to the Mysore zoo for three months, one day she put her foot down and told him that if he was not ready to take her to the zoo by car, she would go by bus or train. So, the narrator took her to the zoo by car to see her Baba.

Question 21.
What had the author thought would happen when he took his wife to see Bruno?
Answer:
The author and his friends had conjectured that the bear would not recognise his wife to see him as three months had elapsed since Bruno had been sent to the zoo. However, contrary to their expectations, Bruno had not forgotten her. He was delighted to see her.

Question 22.
How did Baba behave when he saw the narrator’s wife in the zoo?
Answer:
Baba was overjoyed to see the narrator’s wife. He recognised her from a distance of some yards and howled with happiness. To express his pleasure at meeting her again, he stood on his head.

Question 23.
How did the author’s wife do when she met her ‘Baba’ at the zoo?
Answer:
At the zoo, the author’s wife rushed to the cage where Baba was been kept. She showed her love by stroking him affectionately through the bars and sat near the cage for three hours. She fed him tea, lemonade, cakes, ice-cream and what not.

Question 24.
Describe the scene at the time of the closing of the zoo when Bruno and the narrator’s wife had to separate again.
Answer:
As the closing time at the zoo drew near, the author’s wife was desolate. She cried bitterly at the thought of being parted from her Baba. He, too, cried bitterly. This touching scene saddened the curator and the keepers of the zoo.

Question 25.
What request did the narrator’s wife make to the curator? Did the curator grant the request?
Answer:
The narrator’s wife requested the curator of the zoo to allow her to take her pet sloth bear, Baba, back home. He refused initially, saying that Baba was a government property and he could not be given away. But afterwards, seeing how unhappy both she and Bruno were at being parted, he suggested that they should contact the Superintendent in Bangalore for permission to take Baba home.

Question 26.
How did Baba reach back home?
Answer:
At the request of the narrator’s wife, the Superintendent of the zoo agreed to permit her to have Baba back home. He wrote a letter to the curator and asked him to lend a cage so that the bear could be brought home safely. The cage was carefully put on the top of the car and Baba travelled back to his home in Bangalore.

Question 27.
What kind of a place was prepared for Baba at the narrator’s home and why?
Answer:
To prevent Baba from ever becoming a threat to the children of the tenants, an island measuring twenty feet long and fifteen feet wide was created in the compound by digging a six feet wide and seven feet deep moat around it. This island became Baba’s home.

Question 28.
Describe the house on the island in which Baba would sleep at night.
Answer:
A wooden box that was once used to keep the fowls was put on the island for Baba to sleep at night. Straw was placed inside to keep it warm and Bruno’s toys—his ‘baby’, the gnarled stump, and his ‘gun’, the piece of bamboo—were also placed there for him to play with.

Question 29.
How would the narrator’s wife reach the island where Baba was kept?
Answer:
The narrator had tied a rope to the overhanging branch of a mango tree with a loop at its end. To reach the island, his wife would put one foot in the loop and kick off with the other to cross the six-foot wide pit around the island. She would then spend hours sitting on a chair with Baba in her lap.

Question 30.
How does the story illustrate that animals love human beings just as humans love them?
Answer:
Bruno’s is a story of emotional bonding between a woman and a bear. The author’s wife loved her pet bear, Bruno deeply. In turn, Bruno performed many playful tricks which amused the lady. They enjoyed each other’s company. When Bruno was sent to a zoo, the parting was as painful for the author’s wife as it was for Bruno. Seeing their plight, Bruno was brought home again. The entire episode shows the mutual love between the two.

The Bond of Love Extra Questions and Answers Long Answer Type

Question 1.
How was Bruno brought to the author’s home? How did he become it member of the family?
Answer:
The baby bear was brought to the author’s home by chance. Once, when the author and his companions, were going to Mysore, they were passing through the sugarcane fields when they saw people driving away the wild pigs from the fields by shooting at them. Some of the animals were shot and some escaped. When the author thought that everything was over, suddenly a black sloth bear came out panting in the hot sun, and one of the author’s companions wantonly killed the bear.

The cub who was riding the back of his mother ran around its prostrate parent making a pitiful noise. Filled with pity, the author chased him and captured him. He brought the baby bear home and gifted it to his wife as a pet. The author’s wife accepted him with love and named him Bruno to mark that he was no longer a homeless, wild animal. Soon there developed a bond of love between Bruno and the author’s wife and Bruno came to be called ‘Baba’ which means a ‘small boy’. He had now become a true family member who enjoyed complete freedom and deep affection.

Question 2.
On two occasions Bruno ate/drank something that should not be eaten or drunk. What happened to him on these occasions?
Answer:
Bruno, the bear cub, was an inquisitive and playful one. Moreover, he enjoyed a variety of dishes and drinks in the author’s home. On the one hand, he was curious about things around him and on the other he had become very fond of eating and drinking. Once the narrator had kept some barium carbonate for killing rats in the library.

Bruno went there as he usually did and, seeing the poison that had been kept there, he consumed it. The poison had an immediate effect on him and, as paralysis set in, he could not stand on his feet. However, he managed to drag himself on his stumps to reach the author’s wife who at once called him.

Bruno began weakening rapidly, he was vomiting and breathing heavily, as his flanks heaved and mouth gaped. The author rushed to the veterinary doctor who, after consulting his book, gave Bruno an injection of 10 cc of the antidote for barium chloride. Since the first injection did not improve his condition, another injection of the same potency was given. After ten minutes, Bruno’s heavy breathing became normal.

After thirty minutes, he stood on his feet and ate a good meal.On another occasion, Bruno drank engine oil. It so happened that the author had emptied the sump of his car and about one gallon of the engine oil had been collected. The narrauthor had kept it to kill the termites. Bruno drank the whole of it. However, the engine oil did not have any effect on him.

Question 3.
Why was Bruno sent to the Mysore zoo and why was he ultimately brought back home?
Answer:
As months passed, Bruno, the cub bear, grew big in size. The author and his son felt it was not advisable to keep a fully grown wild animal at home, especially with the children of the tenants around. So, they felt Bruno should be sent to the zoo in Mysore. Their friends, too, offered the same advice. Although the author’s wife opposed the proposal for some time, she ultimately gave her consent after three weeks.

After her approval, they wrote a letter to the curator of the zooasking if he wanted a tame bear for his collection. Once they received a positive response from the curator of the zoo, Baba was sent to the Mysore zoo. However, the separation was unbearable both for the author’s wife and Baba.

Both were inconsolable and would not eat properly. Bruno, especially, grew very weak and fretted. After three months of separation, the narrator’s wife put her foot down and had to be taken to the zoo in a car. On seeing each other after so long, both the narrator’s wife and Baba expressed their joy and pleasure. He recognized her from a distance, howled with .delight and stood on his head in happiness.

She patted him through the bars of his cage and fed him a variety of food and drinks that she had brought. When it was closing time at the zoo both the narrator’s wife and Baba cried so bitterly that even the curator was moved. She requested the curator to send Baba back and he suggested to seek the Superintendent’s permission. The Superintendent, who was a kind fellow, agreed and at his recommendation, the curator had the bear sent back home to Bangalore.

Question 4.
How was Bruno transported back to Bangalore from the Mysore zoo? What special arrangements were made to keep him at home?
Answer:
Bruno, the pet bear, was transported back to Bangalore in a cage lent by the Mysore zoo authorities. The cage containing Bruno was hoisted on top of the car and tied securely. The vehicle was driven slowly and carefully, lest he was hurt. At the writer’s home in Bangalore, special arrangements were made to keep Bruno at a safe distance from the tenants’ children.

An island was made for Baba that was twenty feet long and fifteen feet wide, and was surrounded by a dry pit, or moat, six feet wide and seven feet deep. A wooden box that once housed fowls was brought and put on the island for Baba to sleep in at night. Straw was placed inside to keep him warm, his toys – the gnarled stump, his ‘baby’, and the piece of bamboo, which was his ‘gun’ – both of which had been sentimentally preserved by the author’s wife were put back for him to play with. After that the coolies hoisted the cage on to the island and Baba was released.

Question 5.
The author ends the story “The Bond of Love” with the rhetorical question: “But who can say now that a sloth bear has no sense of affection, no memory and no individual characteristics?” Discuss this statement in the light of Bruno’s character.
Answer:
The Bond of Love revolves around the mutual, sincere and selfless love of the narrator’s wife and her pet bear, Bruno. The young bear loved and brought up like a child by the author’s wife, proves that he richly deserves this love because he himself is capable of showing equally deep and faithful love.

He is treated like a member of the family and he himself proves that he is as much bound by loyal love to the members of the family as they are to him. The deep emotions of Bruno come to the fore when he is sent to the Mysore zoo. He is so pained by the separation from his mistress that he frets terribly and refuses to eat anything. He grows very lean and thin.

Even three months is not long enough a period for him to reconcile himself to the separation from the author’s wife. When she goes to see him, he recognizes her at once, even from a distance of some yards, and expresses his delight by howling and standing on his head. At the closing time of the zoo he cries bitterly at the thought of parting again from his mistress. His emotions move the hearts of the zoo curator and the keepers who agree to give Bruno back to the author’s family. This proves that animals too feel love and affection.

The Bond of Love Extra Questions and Answers Reference to Context

Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.

Question 1.
I got him for her by accident.

(a) Who says this?
Answer:
The author Kenneth Anderson says this.

(b) Who do ‘him’ and ‘her’ refer to?
Answer:
‘Him’ refers to the young sloth bear cub that the author had captured in the sugarcane fields in Mysore. ‘Her’ refers to the author’s wife.

(c) Why did the speaker take ‘him’ to ‘her’?
Answer:
The bear’s cub mother had been shot and wantonly killed by one of author’s companions.

(d) What did ‘she’ name ‘him’?
Answer:
She named him Bruno.

Question 2.
Some were shot and some escaped. We thought that everything was over when suddenly a black sloth bear came out panting in the hot sun

(a) Who does ‘we’ refer to in the above extract? Where were they at the time?
Answer:
We refers to the author of the story and his companions. They were near the sugarcane fields in Mysore.

(b) Who were shot at and why?
Answer:
The wild pigs who had entered the fields and were destroying the crops, were shot at to kill them or to make them run away.

(c) What does the author mean by his remark, “Everything was over”?
Answer:
The author means that the shooting had stopped and the animals had either been driven away or killed.

(d) What happened suddenly?
Answer:
Suddenly, a black sloth bear appeared on the scene panting in the hot sun.

Question 3.
As we watched the fallen animal we were surprised to see that the black fur on its back moved and left the prostrate body.

(a) Where was the ‘fallen animal’? Why had it fallen?
Answer:
The fallen animal was in some sugarcane fields near Mysore at the time. It had fallen after being wantonly shot dead by one of the author’s companions.

(b) What was the ‘black fur’ that moved on the animal’s back?
Answer:
The ‘black fur’ that moved on the animal’s back was its cub that had been riding her back at the time.

(c) What did the author do when he saw the little creature?
Answer:
The author ran up to the little creature to attempt a capture.

(d) What did the little creature do to the author when he grabbed it?
Answer:
As the author grabbed it by the scruff of its neck, it snapped and tried to scratch the author with its long, hooked claws.

Question 4.
The little creature ran around its prostrate parent making a pitiful noise.

(a) Who is the Tittle creature’ referred to in the above line?
Answer:
The little creature referred to is the young cub of the sloth bear who had been shot dead.

(b) Who lay prostrate and why?
Answer:
The little creature’s mother lay prostrate because she had been shot dead by one of the author’s companions.

(c) What did the little creature do?
Answer:
The little creature ran around the body of his mother which lay flat on the ground, making a pitiful noise.

(d) What did the speaker decide to do with the creature?
Answer:
The speaker decided to take the little creature home and give it to his wife to take care of.

Question 5.
She was delighted! She at once put a coloured ribbon around its neck, and after discovering the cub was a ‘boy ’ she christened it Bruno.

(a) Who is ‘she’?
Answer:
She is the author’s wife.

(b) Why was ‘she’ delighted?
Answer:
She was delighted because her husband presented her a young sloth bear cub as a pet.

(c) What does this extract reveal about her character?
Answer:
This extract reveals that she had a tender and affectionate heart that was full of love for animals.

(d) How did she take care of Bruno?
Answer:
Bruno was a little bear cub. The author’s wife fed him milk from a bottle and looked after him.

Question 6.
Bruno soon took to drinking milk from a bottle. It was but a step further and within a very few days he started eating and drinking everything else.

(a) How was Bruno fed in the beginning?
Answer:
In the beginning, Bruno was fed milk from a bottle.

(b) What did he start eating within a very few days?
Answer:
Within the next few days Bruno was eating everything including vegetables, fruit, nuts, meat (especially pork), curry and rice regardless of spices and chillies, bread, eggs, chocolates, sweets, pudding, ice . cream, etc.

(c) What did Bruno drink?
Answer:
Bruno drank all kinds of liquids including drink: milk, tea, coffee, lime-juice, aerated water, buttermilk, beer, alcoholic liquor.

(d) On two occasions Bruno ate/drank something that should not be eaten/drunk. What was it?
Answer:
Once Bruno ate the rat poison which was kept to get rid of rats from the library. On another occasion, Bruno drank the discarded engine oil which was kept in the garage.

Question 7.
Paralysis set in to the extent that he could not stand on his feet. But he dragged himself on his stumps to my wife, who called me. I guessed what had happened.

(a) Why did paralysis strike him?
Answer:
Paralysis struck him because he had consumed the rat-poison, barium carbonate kept in the library.

(b) What other symptoms did he suffer?
Answer:
He was paralysed and unable to move and soon he was breathing heavily and vomiting.

(c) How did ‘he’ manage to reach the author’s wife in spite of the paralysis?
Answer:
In spite of the paralysis, he dragged himself on his stumps to the author’s wife who then called the author.

(d) What light does this throw on his character?
Answer:
He was an inquisitive and playful creature. He entered the library and finding the rat-poison kept there, he ate it.

Question 8.
He promptly drank the lot. But it had no ill effects whatever.

(a) What was ‘it’ that ‘he’ drank?
Answer:
He drank the engine oil which the author had drained out from the sump of his car.

(b) What had the author kept ‘it’ for?
Answer:
The author had kept the engine oil to use against the termites if they attacked.

(c) What was its effect?
Answer:
It had no effect at all on Bruno, the pet bear.

(d) What similar incident had happened to him earlier?
Answer:
Earlier, he had found rat-poison lying in the library and had consumed that.

Question 9.
The months rolled on and Bruno had grown many times the size he was when he came. He had equalled the Alsatians in height and had even outgrown them.

(a) What happened to Bruno over the next few months?
Answer:
Over the next few months, Bruno grew large. In fact, he became bigger than the two dogs the author had.

(b) Which other pet did the author and his family have?
Answer:
The author and his family had Alsatian dogs as pets.

(c) What qualities did Bruno share with the other pets?
Answer:
Bruno was just as sweet, just as mischievous, just as playful as the Alsatians.

(d)
What new name did the author’s wife give Bruno?
Answer:
The author’s wife started calling Bruno Baba, a Hindustani word meaning little boy.

Question 10.
But was just as sweet, just as mischievous, just as playful. And he was very fond of us all. Above all, he loved my wife, and she loved him too! She had changed his name from Bruno, to Baba, a Hindustani word signifying ‘small boy ’.

(a) Who is Bruno being compared with here?
Answer:
Bruno is being compared with the two Alsatian dogs in the author’s home.

(b) Which of his traits are being compared to ‘theirs’?
Answer:
He is being compared to them for traits like sweet nature, playful temperament and mischievous behaviour.

(c) What kind of relationship was there between the author’s wife and Bruno?
Answer:
The author’s wife and the pet bear Bruno had a deep love for each other.

(d) Why did the author’s wife change his name from Bruno to Baba?
Answer:
In Hindustani language, ‘Baba’ is a name of endearment for a small boy in the family. For the author’s wife, Bruno was nothing less than a dear son. Therefore, she changed his name from Bruno to Baba.

Question 11.
After some weeks of such advice she at last consented. Hastily, and before she could change her mind, a letter was written to the curator of the zoo.

(a) What advice was given to her? By whom?
Answer:
She was advised that Bruno, the pet sloth bear should be sent to a zoo. This advice was given by the author, their son, and their friends.

(b) Why was she being advised to follow that course?
Answer:
She was being advised to follow that course because Bruno had become too big to be kept at home.

(c) Did ‘she’ readily agree to the advice? Why/Why not?
Answer:
No, the author’s wife did not readily agree to the advice. She was so affectionately attached to the bear that she could not think of parting from him. It took them weeks to convince her to give her consent.

(d) Why was the letter to the curator of the zoo written hastily?
Answer:
The author did not want to wait as he was afraid that his wife could change her mind about sending the bear to the zoo. Therefore, he hastily wrote a letter to the curator.

Question 12.
We all missed him greatly; but in a sense we were relieved.

(a) Who do ‘we all’ stand for?
Answer:
‘We all’ stands to the author, his wife, his son and the children of the tenants.

(b) Who did they miss? Why?
Answer:
They missed Baba, the bear who had been sent away to the zoo in Mysore.

(c) Why did they feel relieved?
Answer:
They felt relieved because Baba had grown very big and it could have been dangerous to keep him at home with the tenants’ children around him.

(d) How did the author’s wife react to his absence?
Answer:
When Bruno was gone, the author’s wife was inconsolable. She wept and fretted. For the first few days she would not eat a thing.

Question 13.
After that, friends visiting Mysore were begged to make a point of going to the zoo and seeing how Baba was getting along. They reported that he was well but looked very thin and sad. All the keepers at the zoo said he was fretting.

(a) What does the author mean by the phrase “after that”?
Answer:
By “after that” the author means after Bruno had been sent to the Mysore zoo.

(b) Who begged their friends to go to Mysore zoo? Why?
Answer:
The author, his wife and family begged their friends visiting Mysore to go to the zoo because they wanted news of Bruno and how he was faring at the zoo.

(c) What news did the friends bring?
Answer:
Their friends told the author and his wife that Bruno was well but looked very thin and sad. All the keepers at the zoo said he was fretting because he missed the author’s family.

(d) What lesson do you learn from this?
Answer:
We learn that even animals understand the language of love. They respond to love in equal measure and also feel the pangs of separation.

Question 14.
Friends had conjectured that the bear would not recognise her. I had thought so too. But while she was yet some yards from his cage Baba saw her and recognised her.

(a) What had the author and his friends thought about Bruno?
Answer:
They had thought Bruno would not recognise the author’s wife because of the passage of time.

(b) What did Bruno do to show he had recognised her?
Answer:
As soon as Bruno saw her he howled with happiness and he stood on his head in delight.

(c) What did the author’s wife do?
Answer:
She patted Bruno on the head. Then she sat down and fed him tea, lemonade, cakes, ice-cream and what not.

(d) What happened when it was time for the author and his wife to leave the zoo??
Answer:
When it was time for them to leave, the author’s wife and Bruno cried bitterly and even the hardened curator and the keepers at the zoo felt depressed. The author realised he would have to take Bruno back home.

Question 15.
“I cannot give away Government property. But if my boss, the superintendent at Bangalore agrees, certainly you may have him back. ”

(a) Who says these words? To whom?
Answer:
These words are spoken by the curator of the Mysore zoo to the author, Kenneth Anderson.

(b) Who is Government property? How had he become Government property?
Answer:
Bruno was Government property. He had become Government property when the author and his family had given him to the zoo three months ago.

(c) Who wanted him back? Why?
Answer:
The author and his wife wanted Bruno back because both had been desolate and fretting without each other and both had given up eating.

(d) Where was the Superintendent’s office? What did he say?
Answer:
The Superintendent’s office was in Bangalore. He readily agreed to let Bruno go.

Question 16.
Once home, a squad of coolies were engagedfor special work in our compound.

(a) Who returned home? From where?
Answer:
The author and his wife returned home after meeting Bruno at the Mysore zoo.

(b) Where had they gone? Why?
Answer:
They had gone to the Mysore zoo to see Bruno as they had heard reports that he was missing the author’s wife and was fretting and not eating.

(c) What was the “special work” that the coolies were engaged for?
Answer:
A squad of coolies was hired to make an island for Baba. The island was made for Baba.

(d) Why was the special work being done?
Answer:
The author wanted to keep Bruno at a distance from the children of the tenants as he was by now a folly- grown bear.

Question 17.
In a few days the coolies hoisted the cage on to the island and Baba was released. He was delighted; standing on his hind legs, he pointed his ‘gun’ and cradled his ‘baby

(a) What ‘island’ does the author talk about?
Answer:
The island was a piece of land in the author’s compound which was surrounded by a dry moat. This place was prepared to keep the bear, Bruno.

(b) Why was a separate island required to house Baba?
Answer:
Baba was quite grown up and could be dangerous for the children of tenants. Therefore, it was necessary that he should be kept on a separate island.

(c) Why was Baba delighted?
Answer:
Baba was delighted because he had come back home after three months in the zoo where he had terribly missed the family, particularly the author’s wife.

(d) What were Baba’s ‘gun’ and ‘baby’?
Answer:
Baba’s ‘gun’ was a piece of bamboo which he playfully used as a gun and the ‘baby’ was a piece of bamboo that he would cradle affectionately.

Here we are providing Reach for the Top Extra Questions and Answers Class 9 English Beehive, Extra Questions for Class 9 English was designed by subject expert teachers.

Reach for the Top Extra Questions and Answers Class 9 English Beehive

Reach for the Top Extra Questions and Answers Short Answer Type

Question 1.
What made Santosh Yadav achieve fame and greatness?
Answer:
Santosh Yadav is the only woman in the world who has scaled Mt Everest twice. Santosh Yadav scaled Mt Everest when she was barely twenty years of age, becoming the youngest woman in the world to achieve the feat. Within twelve months, Santosh scaled the Everest a second time as a member of an Indo-Nepalese Women’s Expedition. She thus set a record as the only woman to have scaled the Everest twice.

Question 2.
Why was the ‘holy man’, who gave Santosh’s mother his blessings, surprised?
Answer:
The holy man expected that like all other families in the villages, the family would also wish for the birth of a son. However, when he was told by Santosh’s grandmother that they wanted to have a daughter, he was surprised.

Question 3.
What kind of society was Santosh born in?
Answer:
Santosh was born in Joniyawas, a small village in the Rewari District in Haryana. The society in this region was very conservative and orthodox. People were rigidly patriarchal and gender-biased. The birth of a girl was generally unwelcome and people strictly adhered to conservative traditions.

Question 4.
The grandmother wished her daughter-in-law give birth to a daughter. What light does this throw on her character?
Answer:
Despite being the member of a conservative family, the grandmother wished to be blessed with a granddaughter. This was because there were already five boys in the family. Hence, the family now wished for a daughter. This also shows her as a woman of progressive views.

Question 5.
What do you know about Santosh’s family?
Answer:
Santosh was born into an affluent family of landlords in a village, Joniyawas, in the Rewari district of Haryana. She was the sixth child in a conservative family, the only sister to five brothers. Though financially well-off, her family was orthodox and conservative in matters related to the education and upbringing of girls.

Question 6.
Why was Santosh sent to the local school?
Answer:
Santosh’s parents were affluent and could afford to send Santosh to a school in Delhi. But they sent her to the local village school because they strictly followed tradition and it was customary in their society to send girls to the local school only.

Question 7.
How was Santosh different from the other girls of her village?
Answer:
Unlike other girls of her village, Santosh was not content with the traditional way of life. She used to wear shorts and went on to study further at Delhi. She did not get married at sixteen as most of the girls of her village did.

Question 8.
Why was Santosh Yadav not content with a traditional way of life? What path did she choose and why?
Answer:
Right from childhood, Santosh was not content with a traditional way of life and felt that if she chose a correct and a rational path, the others around her had to change, not she. She wanted to chart her own course in life, rather than following the age-old customs and traditions. She wore shorts instead of traditional attire, went to study in Delhi when girls in her village got married. When her parents refused to pay for her education, she got them to agree by informing them of her plans to earn money by working part time to pay. her school fees. She chose the path of excellence through education, rational thinking and hard work and achieved unparalleled success as a woman mountaineer.

Question 9.
When did Santosh leave home for Delhi, and why?
Answer:
Santosh left home for Delhi when she turned sixteen because her parents had begun to pressurize her to get married in keeping with the traditional practice in their community. She decided that it was the right moment to rebel and she quietly got herself enrolled in a school in Delhi to continue her studies.

Question 10.
Why did Santosh’s parents agree to pay for her schooling in Delhi? What mental qualities of Santosh are brought to light by this incident?
Answer:
At the age of sixteen, Santosh got herself enrolled in a school in Delhi. When her parents refused to pay for her schooling in Delhi, she politely informed them that she planned to work part time in order to pay her fees. Her parents realized that their daughter was independent, had a strong will-power and firm self-belief. She could take her decisions and also stand by them. They saw her strong sense of conviction and her passion for education. So, they agreed to pay for her schooling in Delhi.

Question 11.
In what ways did Santosh show her dissatisfaction with the traditional life in the family?
Answer:
Santosh Yadav always opposed traditional ways. She wore shorts rather than wearing traditional dresses. She refused to give up her studies and get married at the age of sixteen. Though her parents put great pressure on her, she left her home and came to Delhi for high school, informing her parents she would earn her own money by working part-time if they refused to pay her fees.

Question 12.
How did Santosh develop a liking for mountain climbing?
Answer:
From the window of her room in the Kasturba Hostel, Jaipur, Santosh used to watch the villagers going up the hills and then suddenly vanishing after a while. It inspired her to explore the hills. One day when she decided to check it out herself, she met a group of mountaineers. The mountaineers allowed her to join them and encouraged her to take up climbing. Thus, she developed liking for climbing.

Question 13.
Why did Santosh decide to take up mountaineering?
Answer:
Santosh Yadav began to climb mountains when she met some mountaineers in the Aravalli Hills, who not only let her join them but also motivated her to take up mountaineering.

Question 14.
What did Santosh do after being motivated by the mountaineers to take to climbing?
Answer:
Santosh saved money and enrolled herself in a course at Uttarkashi’s Nehru Institute of Mountaineering and after completion of her semester in the college, headed straight for the Institute to be able to reach for her training in time.

Question 15.
Why did Santosh write a letter of apology to her father?
Answer:
Santosh had got herself enrolled in the Uttarkashi Nehru Institute of Mountaineering without seeking her father’s permission. She had thought of talking to her family about this during her holidays. But because her college term was extended by a few days, there was hardly any time between the end of the semester and her reporting date at the Institute. Due to her inability to go home, she wrote a letter of apology to her father.

Question 16.
What is the secret of Santosh’s success as a mountaineer?
Answer:
Santosh had a strong will power, great physical endurance and an amazing mental toughness. The single- minded determination and dedication helped her overcome all hurdles to emerge as a winner. She possessed a remarkable resistance to cold and high altitude. Her climbing skills and hard working nature made it easy for her.

Question 17.
When did Santosh get an opportunity to scale Mt. Everest?
Answer:
Santosh got an opportunity to scale Mt. Everest in 1992, just four years after she had met the mountaineers climbing the Aravalli Hills. She was hardly twenty years of age at that time when she became the youngest woman in the world to scale the highest peak.

Question 18.
How did Santosh’s seniors and fellow climbers appreciate her?
Answer:
Santosh’s her climbing skills, physical fitness, and mental strength impressed her seniors, while her concern for others and desire to work together with them found her a special place in the hearts of fellow climbers.

Question 19.
What incidents during the Everest expedition show Santosh’s concern for her team-mates?
Answer:
During the 1992 Everest expedition, one of her team-mates lay dying at the South Col. Santosh made all efforts to look after him. Unfortunately, the climber could not be saved. However, she did succeed in saving the life of another fellow-climber, Mohan Singh. Santosh shared her oxygen with him and saved his life. These incidents show her concern for her team mates.

Question 20.
When did Santosh scale the Mt. Everest for a second time?
Answer:
Santosh was invited by an Indo-Nepalese Women’s expedition to scale Mt. Everest within a year of her first expedition in 1992. Santosh joined them to climb the Everest for the second time. Thus, she scaled the Everest twice setting a record as the only woman to have scaled the Everest two times.

Question 21.
Why is Santosh Yadav’s name recorded twice for climbing Mount Everest?
Answer:
When she scaled the Mount Everest for the first time in 1992, Santosh Yadav, at the age of twenty, earned the credit for being the youngest woman in the world to climb the peak. She then scaled the Everest a second time just a year later, thus setting a record as the only woman to have scaled the Everest twice.

Question 22.
How did the government of India honour Santosh Yadav?
Answer:
Santosh Yadav, by the age of twenty-two had climbed Mt Everest, the highest mountain peak in the world twice, the only woman in the world to have done so. In recognition of her achievements, the Indian government bestowed upon her one of the nation’s top honours, the Padmashri.

Question 23.
What shows Santosh’s concern for the environment?
Answer:
As a fervent environmentalist, Santosh showed her concern for the environment by collecting and bringing down as much as 500kg of refuse that littered the mountains.

Question 24.
How did Santosh feel when she found herself on the ‘top of the world’ at the summit of the Everest?
Answer:
While standing on the “top of the world,” Santosh Yadav was overwhelmed with emotions of patriotism and bliss. She felt proud as an Indian when she unfurled the tricolour on Mount Everest. She was so happy that she experienced a kind of spiritual bliss. She found it hard to articulate her feelings and termed them as “indescribable”.

Question 25.
How did Santosh Yadav get into the record books?
Answer:
Santosh Yadav got into the record books for the first time when she scaled Mt. Everest at the age of twenty. She became the youngest woman in the world to climb Mt. Everest. She scaled the Everest for the second time next year, thus becoming the only woman in the world to do so.

Question 26.
How did Santosh Yadav set records both the times when scaled Mount Everest?
Answer:
Santosh Yadav set records both the times when scaled Mount Everest. When she scaled the peak for the first time she was the youngest woman to scale the Everest and when she climbed it the second time she was the only woman to scale it twice.

Question 27.
Describe Santosh’s fight against the system?
Answer:
Santosh came from a family that was conservative and orthodox. The society was patriarchal and the birth of a daughter, though not considered a curse, was not generally welcome. Girls were educated at the local school, and married off at the age of sixteen. Right from the beginning Santosh had to fight the system to assert for her right to equality and education. She never lost her spirit and determination. She defied all the customs and traditions which limit the girls within the spheres of family, marriage and children. She ventured into a man’s domain to become a role model for others.

Reach for the Top Extra Questions and Answers Long Answer Type

Question 1.
Briefly write what you learn about Santosh Yadav’s parents.
Answer:
Santosh Yadav’s parents were affluent but conservative people. Her father was a wealthy landlord from Joniyawas village of Rewari District in Haryana. Though they lived according to the prevailing customs in the village, their love for their daughter made them often give in to her wishes. They yielded to their daughter’s demands because they loved her dearly, and knew that she was sensible enough to have chosen a correct and a rational path. Thus, Santosh got full support from her parents, which in the long run helped her reach to the top.

Question 2.
Write a brief note on Santosh’s journey from her local village school to the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering at Uttarkashi.
Answer:
Born in an affluent but traditional and conservative landowners’ family in a small village of Rewari district in Haryana, Santosh was a rebel from early childhood. The local village school, but when her parents insisted she get married at the age of sixteen, she refused as she wanted to get a proper education first.

She got admission in Delhi school, despite her parents’ reluctance to send her there and informed them politely that she would earn by working part time. Santosh persuaded her parents to send her to Jaipur for higher studies after finishing high school. She got admission in Maharani College, Jaipur. She got a room in Kasturba Hostel which faced the Aravalli hills. She used to see the villagers going up the hill and disappearing.

This aroused her curiosity about the mountains. One day, when Santosh went near the hills, she met some climbers. They encouraged her to take to climbing. This whetted her interest in climbing and she saved money and took admission in Nehru Institute of Mountaineering at Uttarkashi.

Question 3.
“If I chose a correct and a rational path, the others around me had to change, not me”, said Santosh Yadav. How does her life justify her words?
Answer:
Born to conservative parents, Santosh did not want to let the norms of the patriarchal, gender-biased and rigidly conventional society dictate her life. Though her name means contentment, Santosh was not always content with her place in a traditional way of life and wanted to live life on her own terms. In fact, she believed that if she chose a correct and a rational path, others would have to change and align themselves to her choices, not her.

She wore shorts instead of traditional dresses as a child. Santosh resisted the pressure to get married at the young age of sixteen, declaring that she would not marry at all if denied proper education. Defying tradition, she got enrolled in a school in Delhi.

When her parents refused to pay for her schooling, she informed them that she would work part-time to manage her school fees. Seeing their daughter’s determination, her parents had to give in. Taking up mountaineering as her career was also an independent decision. However, she tried her best not to hurt her parents and wrote a letter of apology to her father for not having sought his permission before joining the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering in Uttarkashi. Thus, despite all odds, Santosh chose for herself a path which was absolutely unthinkable and unheard of for girls in an orthodox society.

Question 4.
Santosh “decided to fight the system in her own quiet way when the right moment arrived”. Elaborate.
Answer:
Santosh was a very rational and progressive girl, who wished to shape her life herself. She says, “From the very beginning I was quite determined that if I chose a correct and a rational path, the others around me had to change, not me.” Though it was not easy for a girl who came from a rigid patriarchal and traditional environment, she decided to fight the system in her own quiet way when the right moment arrived. And the right moment came when she turned sixteen. At sixteen, most of the girls in her village used to get married.

Santosh, too, was under pressure from her parents to do the same. Instead of giving in, she opposed her parents’ decision to marry her off at the early age of sixteen and got herself enrolled in a school in Delhi. When her parents refused to pay for her education in the city, she told them politely that she would earn money for her fees by working part-time. She politely but firmly made it clear that she was determined to overcome all obstacles.

Finally, her parents had to surrender. Her decision to take up mountaineering as a career was also handled very boldly by her. She took admission in Uttarkashi’s Nehru Institute of Mountaineering without seeking the permission of her parents leaving them with no choice but to accept her decision. Thus, Santosh rebelled against the orthodox, conservative system in a quiet but firm way.

Question 5.
Santosh had all the qualities of a good mountaineer. Comment.
Answer:
Mountaineering is a challenging career which demands great physical and mental strength. It requires boldness, fearlessness, sturdiness and faith in one’s abilities. Equipped with an iron will, physical endurance and an amazing mental toughness, Santosh Yadav was, in fact, made for mountaineering. Just within a span of four years of her training in mountain climbing, Santosh successfully scaled Mt. Everest” setting a record for being the youngest woman to climb Mt Everest.

She repeated this feat in less than a year’s time again and became the only woman in the world to have scaled the Everest twice. All this was made possible with her climbing skills, physical fitness and mental strength. Her resistance to cold and altitude proved to be added advantages. All these qualities, coupled with her team-spirit and her concern for her fellow climbers made her not only a good mountaineer but also a very popular one among her superiors and her fellow climbers.

Question 6.
Santosh is not only a good mountaineer but also a genuinely good human being. Discuss.
Answer:
Santosh Yadav proved her mountaineering skills quite early in her career. She displayed an unflinching will and a fearless mind that fought a rigid, orthodox society to rise to the top. But the iron will and mental toughness did not overshadow her qualities of co-operation and concern for others. That Santosh is endowed with a caring heart is obvious from the fact that she took great care of a climber who lay dying at the South Col. Though, the climber could not be saved, Santosh’s concern for him was really commendable.

In another incident, she saved the life of a fellow climber, Mohan Singh, by sharing her own oxygen with him. This sense of sacrifice and team-spirit won for her the esteem of her team-mates. Moreover, Santosh’s heart overflowed with patriotism when she unfurled the national flag on the top of Mt. Everest. Her concern for the purity of the environment also proves that she is a good human being. Such is her love for nature that she brought down five hundred kilograms of rubbish from the Everest. Thus, Santosh is blessed with the human qualities of both head and heart.

Reach for the Top Extra Questions and Answers Reference to Context

Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.

Question 1.
The only woman in the world who has scaled Mt Everest twice was born in a society where the birth of a son was regarded as a blessing, and a daughter, though not considered a curse, was not generally welcome. When her mother was expecting Santosh, a travelling ‘holy man ’, giving her his blessing, assumed that she wanted a son. But, to everyone’s surprise, the unborn child’s grandmother, who was standing close by, told him that they did not want a son.

(a) Name the only woman in the world who has climbed Mt Everest twice.
Answer:
The only woman to climb Mt Everest twice is Santosh Yadav.

(b) What blessing did the holy man give her mother when she was expecting Santosh?
Answer:
The holy man blessed her mother that she give birth to a son.

(c) Why was the holy man, who gave Santosh’s mother his blessings, surprised?
Answer:
The holy man was surprised when the grandmother requested blessing for a girl.

(d) What does this show about her grandmother?
Answer:
Santosh’s grandmother was a progressive person who did not believe in conservative views.

Question 2.
The girl was given the name ‘Santosh ’, which means contentment. But Santosh was not always content with her place in a traditional way of life. She began living life on her own terms from the start.

(a) What was the girl named? How was she different from her name?
Answer:
The girl was named Santosh, which means contentment. She was not content with a traditional way of life.

(b) What kind of society was Santosh born in?
Answer:
Santosh was born in a society where the birth of a son was regarded as a blessing, and that of a daughter was not generally welcome.

(c) How did she began living her life from the beginning?
Answer:
Santosh lived her life on her own terms from the beginning.

(d) Give an instance of her unconventional behaviour from her childhood?
Answer:
While other girls wore traditional Indian dresses, Santosh preferred shorts.

Question 3.
“From the very beginning I was quite determined that if I chose a correct and a rational path, the others around me had to change, not me. ”

(a) Who speaks these words?
Answer:
Santosh Yadav, the mountaineer from Haryana, speaks these words.

(b) What kind of choices did the speaker make?
Answer:
Santosh Yadav always chose the correct and rational path.

(c) How was the speaker able to change those around her?
Answer:
Santosh Yadav was able to change those around her by making them yield to her firm decision through logic and rational argument.

(d) What light do these words throw on the speaker?
Answer:
These words show that right from her childhood, Santosh did not wish to follow conventions and tradition blindly, but had a logical and rational approach.

Question 4.
Santosh’s parents were affluent landowners who could afford to send their children to the best schools, even to the country’s capital, New Delhi, which was quite close by. But, in line with the prevailing custom in the family, Santosh had to make do with the local village school.

(a) What was Santosh’s family background?
Answer:
Santosh belonged to a wealthy landowning family of Haryana.

(b) Where did Santosh’s parents send their daughter to study? Why?
Answer:
Santosh’s parents sent their daughter to the local village school to study as it was customary to do so.

(c) What light does this throw on Santosh’s family?
Answer:
Santosh’s family members were conservative in their thought.

(d) At what age did Santosh begin to fight the prevailing customs?
Answer:
Santosh began to fight the system at the age of sixteen.

Question 5.
So, she decided to fight the system in her own quiet way when the right moment arrived. And the right moment came when she turned sixteen.

(a) Who is ‘she’ in this extract and which system did she decide to fight?
Answer:
‘She’ in the extract refers to Santosh Yadav, the famous mountaineer. She decided to fight the system of conservative traditions which blocked the progress of a person, especially a girl.

(b) How and why did she decide to fight the system?
Answer:
Santosh Yadav decided to fight the system in her quiet but firm way because she did not want to insult those who supported the traditions nor did she want to give in to the system.

(c) What was ‘the right moment’?
Answer:
The right moment was when she turned sixteen and was under pressure from her parents to get married like other girls of her village.

(d) What did’ she’ do at this moment?
Answer:
Santosh Yadav did not wish to get married at such a young age, so she threatened her parents that she would never marry if she was denied proper education.

Question 6.
A marriage as early as that was the last thing on her mind. She threatened her parents that she would never marry if she did not get a proper education. She left home and got herself enrolled in a school in Delhi.

(a) What is meant by “a marriage as early as that”?
Answer:
In Santosh’s village girls were married off at the age of sixteen.

(b) What did her parents want Santosh to do?
Answer:
Santosh’s parents wanted her to get married at the age of sixteen.

(c) What did Santosh do the escape parental pressure?
Answer:
Santosh Yadav left home and got herself enrolled in a school in Delhi.

(d) What light does this throw on Santosh’s character?
Answer:
Santosh was a person with a progressive way of thought and strong determination.

Question 7.
When her parents refused to pay for her education, she politely informed them of her plans to earn money by working part time to pay her school fees.

(a) Where did Santosh go for her education?
Answer:
Santosh decided to go to Delhi for her education.

(b) Why did her parents refuse to pay for her education?
Answer:
Her parents refused to pay for her education because Santosh did not follow the family tradition of getting married early and got herself enrolled in a school in Delhi against their wishes.

(c) What does this tell you about her parents?
Answer:
They were conservative and traditional in their thought and tried to pressurise their daughter into following the same path.

(d) How did she react to her parents’ decision?
Answer:
Santosh refused to give up her studies and told her parents that she would manage to pay her school expenses by working part time.

Question 8.
“I used to watch villagers from my room, going up the hill and suddenly vanishing after a while. One day I decided to check it out myself. I found nobody except a few mountaineers. I asked if I could join them. To my pleasant surprise, they answered in the affirmative and motivated me to take to climbing. ”

(a) From where did the speaker see people going up the hill?
Answer:
The speaker saw people going up the hill from her room in Kasturba Hostel, Jaipur.

(b) Where did she see the villagers going?
Answer:
She saw the villagers going up the hill.

(c) What did she decide to do one day?
Answer:
One day she decided check out climbing the hill for herself.

(d) How did this prove a turning point in her life?
Answer:
This climb up the hill with some mountaineers motivated her to take to mountaineering.

Question 9.
Then there was no looking back for this determined young girl. She saved money and enrolled in a course at Uttarkashi’s Nehru Institute of Mountaineering.

(a) What does the word ‘then’ imply?
Answer:
The word ‘then’ implies the point of time from when she took the decision to take up mountaineering.

(b) Why did she enrol herself at Uttarkashi’s Nehru Institute of Mountaineering?
Answer:
She enrolled herself at Uttarkashi’s Nehru Institute of Mountaineering to train for mountaineering.

(c) How did she pay for the course?
Answer:
She saved money and paid for the course.

(d) What light does this throw on Santosh’s character?
Answer:
This shows her strong determination and strength of purpose in her desire to pursue her goals.

Question 10.
I had to write a letter of apology to my father without whose permission I had got myself enrolled at Uttarkashi.

(a) Why did Santosh have to write a letter of apology to her father?
Answer:
Santosh Yadav had to write a letter of apology to her father because she had got herself enrolled for a mountaineering course without seeking his permission. Moreover, she did not have time to visit her parents as her course started immediately after her semester exams.

(b) Where had she enrolled herself and why?
Answer:
She had enrolled herself at the Uttarkashi’s Nehru Institute of Mountaineering in order to get proper training to pursue her interest in mountain climbing.

(c) Why didn’t Santosh seek her father’s permission before getting enrolled in the Institute?
Answer:
Santosh knew that her father would not allow her to pursue a career in mountaineering, so she decided to let her parents know about it after joining the institute.

(d) What light does this extract reflect on the speaker’s character?
Answer:
The extract shows that Santosh was adamant and determined to live life according to her choices. She did not mean to insult her parents in any way but at the same time did not wish to let go of her dreams and ambition.

Question 11.
Thereafter, Santosh went on an expedition every year. Her climbing skills matured rapidly. Also, she developed a remarkable resistance to cold and the altitude. Equipped with an iron will, physical endurance and an amazing mental toughness, she proved herself repeatedly.

(a) On what expedition did Santosh go every year?
Answer:
Santosh went on a mountaineering expedition every year.

(b) What skills did Santosh develop during her time at the Institute?
Answer:
At the Institute Santosh’s climbing skills matured rapidly. Also, she developed a remarkable resistance to cold and the altitude.

(c) What inherent skills did Santosh helped that helped her achieve success in mountaineering?
Answer:
Santosh possessed an iron will, an immense capacity for physical endurance and an amazing mental toughness that helped her achieve success in mountaineering.

(d) At what age did she climb Mt Everest for the first time?
Answer:
Santosh climbed Mt Everest in 1992, at barely twenty years of age, becoming the youngest woman in the world to do so.

Question 12.
If her climbing skills, physical fitness, and mental strength impressed her seniors, her concern for others and desire to work together with them found her a special place in the hearts of fellow climbers.

(a) Why were her seniors impressed with Santosh?
Answer:
Santosh’s seniors were impressed with her because of her climbing skills, physical fitness, and mental strength.

(b) What endeared her to her fellow climbers?
Answer:
Her team-spirit and her concern for her fellow climbers endeared her to them.

(c) Give an example of Santosh’s concern for others.
Answer:
Santosh Yadav tried her best to save the lives of two fellow climbers. She succeeded in saving the life of one, Mohan Singh, by sharing her oxygen with him.

(d) What great honour was given to Santosh by the Indian government in recognition of her achievements?
Answer:
In recognition of her achievements the Indian government bestowed upon her one of the nation’s top honours, the Padmashri.

Maria Sharapova

Reach for the Top Extra Questions and Answers Short Answer Type

Question 1.
Briefly describe Maria Sharapova.
Answer:
Maria Sharapova, the famous woman tennis player, won the women’s singles at Wimbledon in 2004 and attained the world number one position in women’s tennis in 2005. Though Russian by birth, she got tennis training in United States of America. She loves singing, dancing, reading novels and is very hardworking and dedicated.

Question 2.
How is Maria’s personality a mix of contrasts?
Answer:
The maturity, balanced mind and inner strength of Maria does not appear to be in accordance with her glamorous dress or her charming manner and ready smile. There seems to be some mismatch between her sophisticated outer appearance and her balanced inner-self.

Question 3.
Maria possesses some contradictory characteristics. What are they?
Answer:
Maria appears to be highly fashionable as far as her appearance is considered, but she possesses a charming nature that proves her to be friendly and simple. She appears to be sophisticated and yet warm and approachable. Her love for junk foods like pancakes with chocolate spread and orange drinks appears at odds with her fondness for evening gowns.

Question 4.
Explain: “all this happened in almost no time”.
Answer:
The phrase “all this happened in almost no time” means that Maria’s rose to the top in the world of tennis was very quickly and within a very short span of four years as a professional player she became the world number one in her chosen sport.

Question 5.
What does Maria declare to be her ‘mantra for success’?
Answer:
Maria works really hard to fulfill her dreams. She does not shy away from making any sacrifice. She does not allow herself to be emotional and sentimental. She is very competitive and works hard to be the best in whatever she does. She is driven by her hunger to succeed and the dream of becoming the world number one in women’s tennis. This is her mantra for success.

Question 6.
How was Maria different from other children?
Answer:
Maria was calmer and more composed, more confident and tolerant than the other children of her age. She also had inner strength that enabled her to make sacrifices – staying away from her mother, getting bullied by senior players in the hostel – that few children could think of making. Unlike most children, she did not buckle under hardships and adverse circumstances, but toiled hard to achieve success.

Question 7.
Why was Maria brought to Florida in the USA by her father? Why didn’t her mother go with her? How did Maria respond to this separation?
Answer:
Maria was brought to Florida, USA, by her father, Yuri, to get trained as a professional tennis player and reach great heights of success and stardom in this sport. Her mother, Yelena, did not go with her because of visa restrictions. This two-year separation was very painful for the young girl. But Maria endured this sacrifice to pursue her dreams.

Question 8.
How does Maria describe her journey from Siberia to United States?
Answer:
Maria was just nine years old when she had to leave her home, mother and her country to go to the United States. She had to make many sacrifices in a foreign land where she did not even speak the language. She was bullied by senior players and had to face a lot of humiliation and insults. But she did not give in. Her competitive nature and hard work helped her become the world number one in women’s tennis.

Question 9.
What important lesson did Maria learn during the first two years of her stay in the USA, away from her mother?
Answer:
During her first two years in USA, when she was living away from her mother Maria learnt that excellence comes at a price. Since she wished to reach the top in the field of tennis, she would have to make sacrifices and struggle hard. She endured the heart-wrenching separation from her mother for two years to attain her goal. Moreover, she also learnt how to put up patiently with adverse circumstances.

Question 10.
Maria’s father accompanied her to USA but why could he also not see her during her stay there?
Answer:
Maria’s father, Yuri, had brought his nine-year-old daughter to the USA to get her trained in tennis. U Unfortunately, he too could not see her frequently as he had to work very hard to earn to pay for her training.

Question 11.
How did some of the other pupils at the tennis academy trouble her? How did Maria cope with this?
Answer:
The other pupils at the tennis academy were much older than Maria and would return to the room around 11 pm when Maria was already asleep. They would wake her up and make her clean and tidy up the room. Maria coped with this trouble by not allowing it to depress her. Instead this strengthened her determination and mental toughness.

Question 12.
Why did Maria not retaliate against the humiliation at the hands of the other pupils?
Answer:
Maria was working hard to attain the world number one position in women’s tennis. She had no time to retaliate against others and their humiliation. She also had no time for sentiments. So, instead of retaliating against the humiliation at the hands of the other pupils, she took it as a challenge and worked harder to achieve success.

Question 13.
Despite being harassed by her seniors, why didn’t Maria think of quitting?
Answer:
Instead of letting the harassment by her seniors depress her and get her to quit, she became more quietly determined and mentally tough. She learnt how to take care of herself and never thought of quitting because she knew what she wanted. Her hunger for success and determination to achieve prompted her to put up with the humiliation and insults in order to steadfastly pursue her dream.

Question 14.
Describe Maria’s struggle to reach at the top of the world in the field of the women tennis.
Answer:
Maria started working to achieve her goal at a very young age, making any sacrifices required. She had to face separation from her mother and stay in completely unfamiliar and hostile surroundings for years. She also faced humiliation but never let it affect negatively. She took it as a challenge and with her mental toughness and competitive nature, she succeeded in achieving her goal.

Question 15.
What mental qualities of Maria are revealed by her decision not to quit and pack up on being harassed by her fellow-trainees?
Answer:
The torment and humiliation inflicted on Maria by her fellow trainees failed to demoralise her. This reveals that she had a firm determination and strong-will. She was much more mature than other girls of her age and knew the art of survival.

Question 16.
What makes Maria very hungry and determined?
Answer:
Maria came from a middle class background, where she had known deprivation. She didn’t want to miss any opportunity to succeed. She bore unfavourable and painful situations with forbearance. She lived apart from her mother, suffered bullying by older players, but never took it to heart. She said that if you came from nothing and you had nothing, it made you very hungry and determined.

Question 17.
What motivates Maria to keep moving ahead?
Answer:
Maria is motivated by her spirit of competitiveness to keep moving ahead. She works very hard once she has decided to achieve something. She considers it her job to excel despite severe hardships and demands.

Question 18.
Despite staying in America for years, Maria is a Russian at the core of her heart. Justify.
Answer:
Maria moved to Florida, USA, from Siberia at the young age of nine. Since then she has spent most part of her life here. Yet, she has remained a Russian through and through. She is proud of her Russian blood and Russian citizenship. She adds that she would play for Russia in the Olympics if given an opportunity.

Question 19.
Why does Maria call the US a big part of her life?
Answer:
Maria was trained for tennis in the US and attained the number one position in women’s tennis in the game as a result of the training. It was in the USA that she developed confidence, self-control, strength of will and endurance – qualities that are pre-requisites for a person to reach the top in any field. Since she gained all this in the US, she calls it a big part of her life.

Question 20.
In addition to tennis, what else is Maria fond of?
Answer:
Maria’s first love is tennis. Apart from this sport, she is fond of fashion, singing and dancing like any other young girl of her age. She also likes to read Arthur Canon Doyle’s novels, is fond of sophisticated evening gowns and enjoys pancakes with chocolate-spread and fizzy orange drinks.

Question 21.
What has lifted Maria Sharapova to the top of the world?
Answer:
Maria’s talent, her unwavering determination, her hunger for success, her willingness to work hard, her readiness to endure challenges, and her sacrifices have lifted her to the top of the world. In addition, monetary gains have motivated her to reach the top.

Question 22.
Why do her fans not grudge Maria her riches?
Answer:
Maria’s fans are aware of the immense hard work that has gone into making her attain the number one position in women’s tennis. The unparalleled sacrifices she made were investments that she is reaping the dividends of. Her earnest efforts and hard work have resulted in financial rewards that are well earned and well deserved. Therefore, nobody feels jealous of or grudges Maria her riches.

Question 23.
Why does Maria call tennis a business and a sport?
Answer:
Tennis is a competitive sport like any other and requires the player display stamina, nerve, determination, planning and strategizing. It is also a business because it is played professionally for money. Tennis tournaments involve millions of pounds being spent on sponsorship and prize money. Tennis generates a lot of business for media, drinks, clothes and sports companies too.

Question 24.
What makes How are Maria’s achievements significant?
Answer:
Maria exemplifies the success achieved through hard work and dedication. Her patience, determination, iron will and persistence and her hunger for success make her an ideal role model for the girls all over the world. Her winning Wimbledon and then becoming world’s number one woman tennis player also makes her achievement significant.

Question 25.
“Maria’s parents played an important role in her success? How? What other things motivated her?
Answer:
When Maria was only nine years old her training started. She moved to USA with her father, Yuri, leaving her mother, Yelena, behind in Russia as she had visa problems. In USA, her father had to work very hard to keep Maria’s tennis training going. Her mother stayed alone in Siberia without her husband and daughter to give her daughter the chance to succeed.

Reach for the Top Extra Questions and Answers Long Answer Type

Question 1.
What do you know about Maria Sharapova’s parents?
Answer:
Maria’s parents, Yuri and Yelena Sharapova, Maria Sharapova’s father and mother contributed to her success by identifing their daughter’s potential at a very young age and going all out to get her the best tennis training that could be had in the USA. They knew well that it was going to be expensive and difficult, still they extended their full support to their talented daughter.

Yuri worked very hard to pay for Maria’s training and Yelena tolerated the heart-wrenching separation from her dearly loved child for two years. As parents, they displayed unflinching faith in their child’s abilities which gave Maria the boost to keep going ahead and to overcome the challenges that came her way.

Question 2.
What problems did Maria face as a child while she trained at the tennis academy in Florida? What sustained her?
Answer:
As a young child Maria had to make many sacrifices and endure loneliness in her struggle to reach the top. She came to the U.S. at the young age of nine years without her mother, who could not accompany Maria and her father due to some visa restrictions. During the first two years of their heart-wrenching separation she missed her mother terribly.

Though her father had accompanied her to the USA, he too could not frequently visit her as he had to spend a lot of time to earn money to pay for Maria’s tennis training. Apart from it, the other trainees at the tennis academy in Florida bullied, tormented and humiliated her. They were inconsiderate to Maria who was much younger and woke her up late at night and made her tidy up and clean the room.

Yet, Maria never let these problems get the better of her. Her eyes firmly fixed on achieving her goal of becoming the number one player in women’s tennis, Maria endured the hardships without thinking of quitting. In fact, the problems she faced strengthened her will-power and made her even more determined to succeed.

Question 3.
One has to sacrifice something to achieve something good in life. Do you agree? Justify with reference to Maria Sharapova.
Answer:
Yes, I agree without sacrifice one can never achieve good things in life. Maria Sharapova is an example of the truth of this statement. Maria Sharapova had to sacrifice her childhood pleasures in order to become a tennis star. She left her home at a tender age to achieve her goal in life.

At the age of nine, she came to USA with her father. Her mother could not accompany her as she had some visa restrictions. Her father, who had accompanied her to USA, had to work very hard to pay for her tennis training. She was not able to meet him often. At the hostel, she was bullied by the older players, who woke her up late at night to clean and tidy up the room. If she had not sacrificed her childhood, she would not have become a star.

Question 4.
The lives of Santosh Yadav and Maria Sharapova have much in common to prove that determined and consistent hard work paves the way to success. Identify the points of comparison and contrast in the lives of these two great players.
Answer:
Santosh Yadav, the legendary mountaineer from India, and Maria Sharapova, Russia’s tennis sensation who trained in the USA, are living examples that single-minded determination and dedication and consistent hard work are the way to success. Both young women had to struggle against odds to reach the top. Santosh belonged to a small village in the Rewari district of Haryana while Maria came from the frozen plains of Siberia where she did not have adequate training facilities.

Although both girls were supported by their respective parents, Santosh, at times, had to struggle to make her conservative family agree to her decisions, while Maria’s parents were willing to make any sacrifice to help Maria succeed. However, both the young girls had to sacrifice the loving and protective environment of their homes in order to train for their passion.

Both the women had unwavering determination, physical and mental strength, and undivided focus on their goals. They both rose to the number one position in their respective areas within a short span of four years. While Sharapova moved from the frozen Siberia to the plains of Florida, Yadav moved from the plains of Rewari to the frozen Mount Everest. But both of them are devout patriots and their love for their country remains constant.

Reach for the Top Extra Questions and Answers Reference to Context

Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.

Question 1.
There is something disarming about Maria Sharapova, something at odds with her ready smile and glamorous attire. And that something in her lifted her on Monday, 22 August 2005 to the world number one position in women’s tennis. All this happened in almost no time.

(a) What contrast does Maria present?
Answer:
Maria Sharapova has a charming manner and is quick to smile. This spontaneous behaviour is at odds with her glamorous attire.

(b) What position did Maria achieve in 2005?
Answer:
She became world number one in women’s tennis.

(c) How long had it taken her to reach this position?
Answer:
It had taken her merely four years to reach this position.

(d) Where had Maria come from? How old was she then?
Answer:
Maria had come to USA from Siberia at the age of nine.

Question 2.
However, the rapid ascent in a fiercely competitive world began nine years before with a level of sacrifice few children would be prepared to endure.

(a) What does the phrase “rapid ascent” refer to?
Answer:
The phrase “rapid ascent” refers to the short period of time in which Maria Sharapova achieved so much success.

(b) What had happened nine years ago?
Answer:
Nine years ago Maria had come to USA from Siberia to receive training in tennis.

(c) What sacrifice did Maria have to make?
Answer:
Maria came to USA with her father while her mother had to stay back in Russia.

(d) What lesson did this teach the young Maria?
Answer:
Maria learnt that that tennis excellence would only come at a price, and she would need to pay that price.

Question 3.
Little Maria had not yet celebrated her tenth birthday when she was packed off to train in the United States. That trip to Florida with her father Yuri launched her on the path to success and stardom. But it also required a heart-wrenching two-year separation from her mother Yelena.

(a) How old was Maria when she came to the United States?
Answer:
Maria Sharapova came to the United States when she was just nine years old.

(b) From where did she make the journey to Florida and why?
Answer:
She came to Florida from the frozen plains in Russia with the purpose of taking training in tennis.

(c) What was the ‘heart-wrenching’ thing about the journey?
Answer:
The ‘heart-wrenching’ thing was that she had to part from her mother for two years.

(d) Why could her mother not accompany her?
Answer:
Her mother could not accompany her because of visa restrictions.

Question 4.
“I used to be so lonely, ” Maria Sharapova recalls. “I missed my mother terribly. My father was working as much as he could to keep my tennis-training going. So, he couldn’t see me either. ”

(a) What does the word ‘recalls’ in the passage imply?
Answer:
The word ‘recalls’ implies that Maria is sharing her memories with someone.

(b) Why was Maria lonely at the time?
Answer:
Maria was staying at the tennis academy at the time. She was only nine years old and did not speak English so could not communicate with the others. That is why she felt very lonely.

(c) Why did Maria’s father have to work so hard?
Answer:
‘ Maria’s father worked hard to earn enough money for paying the fees at the tennis training academy at Florida. ‘

(d) Where was Maria’s mother at the time? How long did it take for her to arrive in USA?
Answer:
Maria’s mother was still in Russia at the time due to visa restrictions. She joined her husband and Maria after two years.

Question 5.
Instead of letting that depress me, I became more quietly determined and mentally tough.

(a) Where was the speaker at the time?
Answer:
The speaker, Maria Sharapova, was at the tennis academy at Florida.

(b) What was ‘that’ which could not depress her?
Answer:
The senior trainees in the tennis training academy at Florida bullied and tormented Maria. They would wake her up late at night and order her to tidy up the room and clean it.

(c) What was the impact of ‘that’ on her?
Answer:
‘That’ – or – the bullying of her seniors made her more determined and mentally strong.

(d) What does the extract reveal about the speaker’s character?
Answer:
The extract reveals that the speaker had the ability to face difficult situations boldly and not yield to adverse circumstances.

Question 6.
The straight looks and the answers she gives when asked about her ambition make it amply clear that she considers the sacrifices were worth it. “I am very, very competitive. I work hard at what I do. It’s my job. ” This is her mantra for success.

(a) How does Maria show she is not a sentimental person?
Answer:
Maria shows she is not sentimental by not talking too much on her struggle and sacrifice.

(b) What does the writer mean by “straight looks”?
Answer:
The writer means that as she talks about herself, Maria looks boldly and steadily, and does not show much emotion or sentimentality.

(c) What helped Maria win the women’s singles crown at Wimbledon in 2004?
Answer:
Her ambition and desire to succeed, her toughness and her competitive spirit helped Maria win the women’s singles crown at Wimbledon in 2004.

(d) Why does the writer say there is no room for sentiment in her life?
Answer:
Sentiment would make her softer and less competitive.

Question 7.
“I’m Russian. It’s true that the U.S. is a big part of my life. But I have Russian citizenship. My blood is totally Russian. I will play the Olympics for Russia if they want me. ”

(a) What light does this statement throw on Maria’s character?
Answer:
Maria Sharapova takes immense pride in her nationality.

(b) What does she say about the US?
Answer:
Maria acknowledges the contribution of the USA where she took training in tennis and became the world number one tennis player.

(c) Why does the speaker say, ‘My blood is totally Russian’?
Answer:
Maria claims this because she was born to Russian parents in Russia. She did spend a large part of her life in the USA, but she proudly declares her Russian identity.

(d) Given a chance, what will Maria like to do for Russia?
Answer:
Being a Russian, and proud of her nationality, Maria would like to represent Russia in the Olympics and make them proud, if given an opportunity.

Question 8.
Few would grudge her the riches she is now reaping.

(a) How is she ‘reaping’ the ‘riches’?
Answer:
Maria has been declared the number one in women’s tennis. She earns a good deal of money from her game.

(b) Why would few grudge her the riches?
Answer:
Everybody is aware of the fact that Maria has reached the top by making a lot of sacrifices and by working extremely hard. Hence, the riches that she is earning from her game are well deserved and everybody readily agrees on this.

(c) Why has the word ‘reaping’ been used for riches?
Answer:
The word ‘reaping’ has been used metaphorically. Just as reaping the harvest is the reward for the hard work of the farmer, similarly earning money is the reward for Maria Sharapova’s labour and sacrifice.

(d) What according to her is the biggest motivation for her to do well?
Answer:
The biggest motivation for Maria to do well is to become the World number one in tennis.

Question 9.
Tennis is a business and a sport, but the most important thing is to become number one in the world.

(a) Why does Maria call tennis “a business”?
Answer:
For Maria, playing tennis as a professional game requires following rules and regulations and hard work just as running a business does. Also, as in business, tennis too brings profits in terms of name, fame and money.

(b) According to Maria, why is tennis also a ‘sport’ in addition to being a business?
Answer:
Maria calls tennis a sport, in addition to being a business, as it gives excitement and thrill just like other sporting events do. Every match is filled with expectations and anxiety both among the players and the spectators.

(c) What light does the extract throw on Maria’s personality?
Answer:
The extract shows that Maria is very practical and pragmatic in her views. She does not deny that winning at tennis is monetarily rewarding.

(d) Why did Maria wish to become number one in the world?
Answer:
Maria’s childhood dream was to become the number one tennis player in the world. She worked very hard and made a lot of sacrifices to train herself for this feat.

Question 10.
Like any number of teenaged sensations, Maria Sharapova lists fashion, singing and dancing as her hobbies. She loves reading the novels of Arthur Conan Doyle. Her fondness for sophisticated evening gowns appears at odds with her love of pancakes with chocolate spread and fizzy orange drinks.

(a) What are Maria’s hobbies?
Answer:
Maria’s hobbies include fashion, singing and dancing.

(b) What does Maria like to read?
Answer:
Maria likes to read the novels of Arthur Conan Doyle.

(c) What contrast does Maria present in her tastes?
Answer:
While Maria lists fashion as her hobby and likes to wear sophisticated evening gowns, she is also fond of junk food like pancakes with chocolate spread and fizzy orange drinks.

(d) What light does this throw on Maria’s character?
Answer:
She combines the sophistication of a fashionista with the simplicity of a teenager.

Here we are providing Packing Extra Questions and Answers Class 9 English Beehive, Extra Questions for Class 9 English was designed by subject expert teachers.

Packing Extra Questions and Answers Class 9 English Beehive

Packing Extra Questions and Answers Short Answer Type

Question 1.
How many characters are there in the narrative? Name them.
Answer:
Jerome, George and Harris are the three human characters in the narrative. Jerome is the narrator of the story. Their pet dog, Montmorency too is an important character, who participates as enthusiastically in the packing as his masters.

Question 2.
Why did the narrator have to pack for the journey?
Answer:
As soon as the narrator offered to pack for the journey, his two friends, George and Harris accepted the offer with readiness and sat back to let him do it all. He had expected his friends would work under his guidance and directions rather than doing the task himself.

Question 3.
Why did the narrator volunteer to do the packing?
Answer:
Jerome, the narrator, prided himself in his packing skills. He wanted to show off his skills to his friends so he volunteered to do the packing. However, he had expected that his friends would work under his guidance and directions. He expected that under his guidance even poor packers like Harris and George could accomplish this task with great efficiency.

Question 4.
The narrator took pride in his packing skills. Comment.
Answer:
The narrator felt that packing was one of those things that he felt he knew more about than any other person living. This made him develop a sense of superiority about his ability as the best packer and he took pride in his packing skills. However, he was disorganised and bungling. First, he forgot to pack the boots and had to reopen the bag. Then, his frantic search for his toothbrush resulted in a complete mess. Later, he had to reopen the bag to take out his spectacles.

Question 5.
How did George and Harris react to Jerome’s offer to do the packing? Did Jerome like their reaction?
Answer:
George and Harris, who were rather lazy, agreed readily to Jerome’s offer to do the packing because both – took it as an opportunity to sit back and relax while someone else did the work. George sprawled over the easy-chair while Harris cocked his legs on the table. Jerome did not at all like this reaction because he had actually wanted to supervise and instruct them on how to do the packing instead of doing it himself.

Question 6.
What did Harris and George do while Jerome was packing the bag? How did Jerome react to their behaviour?
Answer:
When Jerome told George and Harris to leave the job of packing to him, they accepted his suggestion at once. They settled themselves comfortably, George on the easy-chair and Harris with his legs on the table and watched Jerome packing the bag all by himself. As they watched, they smoked and found faults with Jerome’s packing and also made fun of him. They made him reopen the packing by inquiring about items he had forgotten to pack. All this irritated Jerome.

Question 7.
When he offered to pack Jerome’s real intention was not to do the packing himself. Elaborate.
Answer:
Jerome’s real intention was not to pack himself but to make his friends George and Harris work under his directions and supervision. He would guide and direct and, pushing them aside every now and then, showing them the right way of packing things in – really teaching them, as you might say.

Question 8.
What kind of a man did the narrator once live with?
Answer:
The narrator lived with a man once who used to annoy him. He would loll on the sofa and watch the narrator doing things by the hour together. He said it did him real good to look on at the narrator, messing about.

Question 9.
“I lived with a man once who used to make me mad that way.” How did he do that?
Answer:
The man, with whom the narrator once stayed drove him mad by lolling on the sofa and watching him constantly as he went about messing the tasks at hand. The man said he really enjoyed that sight and felt good.

Question 10.
‘Now, I’m not like that.’ What does the narrator intend to convey by this statement?
Answer:
By this statement, the narrator intends to convey his dislike for sitting idle and watching someone else work hard, like the man he lived with did. He prefers to walk around and supervise work in his natural energetic way. However, this actually means that he, too, was not interested in toiling but liked to boss over others.

Question 11.
What did Harris ask the narrator after the bag was shut and strapped? Why do you think he waited till then to ask?
Answer:
After the bag had been shut and strapped by the narrator, Harris asked him whether he wasn’t going to pack the boots. He waited till the completion of packing to say this because he either thought the narrator knew about them and would pack them as he wanted to, or more likely, he wanted to irritate the narrator and have fun at his expense.

Question 12.
What “horrible idea” occurred to Jerome a little later?
Answer:
After packing everything in the bag for the second time, the horrible idea that occurred to Jerome was that he had packed his toothbrush in the bag. He realised that he would need his toothbrush the next morning. So, he reopened his bag and turned everything out but he could not find it.

Question 13.
Where did Jerome finally find the toothbrush?
Answer:
Jerome finally found the toothbrush inside a boot that he had packed in the bag. He found it after having taken out all the items he had packed and searching thoroughly for the toothbrush leading to a terrible mess.

Question 14.
Why does the narrator say that the packing of his toothbrush drives him to a point of madness?
Answer:
The narrator says that the packing of his toothbrush drives him to a point of madness because he either packs it even before he has brushed his teeth or doesn’t pack it at all. In both the cases, he has to unpack everything to locate his brush. It drove him to a point of madness because he always had to undo his packing to check if he had packed it and then unpack once again, to use it. It was always left out and he had to search for it at the last moment and carry it wrapped up in his pocket-handkerchief.

Question 15.
Why did Jerome have to reopen the packed bag again and again?
Answer:
Jerome had to reopen the packed bag because he kept forgetting things. First, he forgot to pack his boots and then couldn’t remember having packed his toothbrush. After having spent a lot of time unpacking and packing, he packed his spectacles and spectacles in by mistake and had to reopen the bag yet again.

Question 16.
How many times did the narrator have to reopen the bag? Why?
Answer:
The narrator had to reopen his bag at least three times. First, he forgot to pack his boots. Then he was not sure if he had packed his toothbrush and had to reopen the bag to take it out as he needed it in the morning. Then he had to open it once again to take out his spectacles.

Question 17.
Why did it take the narrator longer than he had expected to pack the bag?
Answer:
It took the narrator much longer to pack the bag than he had expected because he was disorganised anf forgetful. First, he forgot to pack the boots and had to reopen the bag. Then, in his frantic search for his toothbrush he had to turn everything out and then repack the bag. Later, he had to reopen the bag to take out his spectacles. Thus, the packing of the bag took longer than expected.

Question 18.
Why did George and Harris offer to pack the hamper?
Answer:
George and Harris offered to pack the hamper because Jerome had already taken a lot of time packing the bag. It was late night and they were now left with less than twelve hours to leave.

Question 19.
Do you think George and Harris were experts at packing? Give reasons for your answer.
Answer:
No, George and Harris do not seem to have been experts, because they started by breaking a cup, and continued by squashing a tomato under the bottle of jam. They packed the pies at the bottom and thus squashed them, spilt salt over everything and as for the butter, they stepped on it, sat on it and put it all over themselves and the room.

Question 20.
Why did George and Harris have to pick out the tomato with a teaspoon?
Answer:
While packing the hamper, Harris packed a strawberry jam on top of a tomato and squashed it. So, they had to pick out the tomato with a teaspoon which was a messy and time-consuming task.

Question 21.
Who was better at packing – Jerome or George and Harris? Give reasons for your choice.
Answer:
George and Harris were, in fact, much worse than Jerome as they set about packing. They fumbled and blundered many times while packing the hamper. They broke a cup at the outset and then squashed a tomato which had to be scrapped off with a spoon and stepped on the butter. They jumbled up the items to be packed and crushed softer things like pies under heavy objects.

Question 22.
Who was Montmorency and how did he contribute to the packing?
Answer:
Montmorency was the pet dog of the narrator and his two friends. He made a complete nuisance of himself. He sat down on things which had to be packed, pushed his nose into Harris or George’s hand whenever they reached out for anything, put his leg into the jam, played with a teaspoon and pretended the lemons were rats. He chased the lemons inside the hamper till he ‘killed’ three of them, before he was hit by Harris with a frying pan.

Question 23.
What was the ‘highest aim and object’ of Montmorency, according to the narrator?
Answer:
According to the narrator, Montmorency’s highest aim and object was to get in people’s way and make them stumble over him. He aspired to get cursed by everyone and liked things to be thrown at him for his unbearable interference.

Question 24.
How did Harris and George fare at packing the hamper?
Answer:
Harris and George fared miserably at packing, the hamper. Salt flew all over while they packed. They put the things to be packed in the most disorganised manner. They damaged a lot of items by breaking, crushing or stepping on them.

Question 25.
The narrator says he was better than Harris and George in packing? Do you agree with him? Why/ why not?
Answer:
According to the narrator, he was the best packer in the world while George and Harris were the worst. I agree with him when he says he is better in packing as he packs the bag neatly and seriously while his friends pack the hampers carelessly while laughing, playing, fighting and breaking things.

Question 26.
Why did Harris tell Jerome that he encouraged the antics of Montmorency? What was Jerome’s defence?
Answer:
Harris blamed Jerome for encouraging Montmorency because Jerome did not prove effective in shooing away the dog. Jerome’s defence was that an ill-trained dog like Montmorency did not need any encouragement to misbehave. Indiscipline came naturally to him.

Question 27.
‘I never saw two men do more with one-and two pence worth of butter…’. Why did the narrator say so?
Answer:
Harris and George had a tough time packing the butter. First, George trod on it and it stuck to his slipper and had to be scrapped off. Then they tried to keep it in the kettle where it wouldn’t go in, and what was in wouldn’t come out. After they scraped it out at last, they put it down on a chair, and Harris sat on it, and it stuck to him, and they went looking for it all over the room. They searched for it for a long time and then they kept it in the teapot.

Question 28.
Why did the narrator place a bathtub beside George while he was sleeping?
Answer:
George went off to sleep when the narrator and Harris were still arguing over the time they wanted him to wake them up in the morning. To ensure that he would wake up fully, they placed the bath where he could tumble into on getting out in the morning.

Packing Extra Questions and Answers Long Answer Type

Question 1.
Who offered to pick the bag for the trip? Was he happy at his own offer
Answer:
The author and his friends decided to go on a holiday. The author, who saw himself as an expert in packing. “I rather pride myself on my packing. Packing is one of those many things that I feel I know more about than any other person living.” He told his friends, George and Harris that he would do the packing.

They readily agreed to his suggestion. George sat in an easy chair, while Harris put his legs on a table. The author had not intended this. He was unhappy with himself for having offered to pack. He had thought that Harris and George would pack and he would supervise them, teaching them how to do things better. When he worked and his friends relaxed, he was greatly irritated.

Question 2.
Briefly describe Jerome’s attempt at packing.
Answer:
Right in the beginning Jerome volunteered to pack, because, according to him, he was especially good at it and George and Harris agreed readily. What Jerome of course had meant was that he would supervise the packing while they packed. They of course meant he’d pack while they watched from lounging positions. Jerome packed all their personal belongings, from boots to toothbrushes. When he had finished, Harris pointed out whether he wanted to leave the boots out.

Once the boots were packed, Jerome realised he needed his toothbrush out for the morning, so the entire bag had to be unpacked and the toothbrush searched. It was found in a boot. The bag was again repacked when Jerome discovered he had packed his spectacles in. Once again, the bag was unpacked to take out the spectacles and then repacked. After going through several unpleasant rounds of unpack, repack, unpack, repack, the job was done, with only the soap (possibly) having been forgotten.

Question 3.
How did George and Harris fare with the packing of the hamper?
Answer:
After Jerome’s display of expert packing, George and Harris thought that, they’d better pack the foods and supplies. They had the “big hamper” to pack with these items. They started by breaking a cup, then squashing tomatoes with the jam. Then they packed the pies and “smashed the pies in” with heavy things on top. They spilled salt everywhere then, in turns, stepped on the butter, tried to cram it into the kettle, sat on the butter, hunted for the now missing butter (until George got a back view of Harris), and finally shoved it into the teapot.

Montmorency played his role during the packing incident by assuming his cold nose was what Harris’s and George’s hands were reaching for. He sat on the very item that was to be packed next, upset the spoons, put his leg into the jam and attacked the lemons in the hamper. Once the hamper was packed and closed, Harris sat on the lid of the hamper, and said he hoped nothing . “would be found broken,” to which George replied that “if anything was broken it was broken.”

Question 4.
Of the three, Jerome, George and Harris, who do you think is the best or the worst packer? Support your answer with details from the text.
Answer:
According to me, Jerome is the best in packing. Although Jerome, George and Harris are equally disorganised as packers, Jerome is not as clumsy as his two friends, Harris and George. While Jerome takes a lot of time to pack the bag, George and Harris damage a lot of things while packing the hamper. Jerome, who considers himself a skilled packer, is able to arrange the items to be packed in the bag neatly and in order.

However, there is a lot of delay because he first forgets to pack his boots and then forgets having packed his toothbrush. After unpacking twice, he again packs in his spectacles absentmindedly. On the other hand, both Harris and George messed up everything. They began by breaking a cup.

Then, Harris packed the strawberry jam on top of a tomato and squashed it. George stepped on the butter, then Harris sat on it. They spread salt all over the place. Of course, Montmorency constantly got in their way and made things worse. Once the hamper was packed and closed, Harris sat on the lid of the hamper, and said he hoped nothing “would be found broken,” to which George replied that “if anything was broken it was broken.” Thus, we can easily conclude that though Jerome and George and Harris bungled equally. However, Jerome did not cause as much breakage or chaos as George and Harris.

Question 5.
How did the butter episode in the story cause nuisance?
Answer:
The butter episode in the story caused a lot of nuisance as it brought out the bungling clumsiness of George and Harris. First of all, George stepped on the butter and it stuck to his slipper. After George had got it off his slipper, he and Harris tried to put it in the kettle. It wouldn’t go in, and what was in wouldn’t come out. They d narrator id scrape it out at last, and put it down on a chair. Then Harris sat on it, and it stuck to him, and they went looking for it all over the room.

“I’ll take my oath I put it down on that chair,” said George, staring at the empty seat. George finally noticed it behind Harris’s back from where it was removed and put inside the teapot. Hence, the butter episode created a lot of nuisance and became the funniest episode in the story.

Question 6.
Do you find this story funny? What are the humorous elements in it?
Answer:
The story is very funny with dry and slapstick humour. The chaos and confusion created by all the characters is very amusing. The gap between the self-assessment of Jerome, George and Harris and their actual capabilities is highly entertaining. Montmorency’s contribution to humour is no less significant.

Jerome’s sense of pride about his packing skills and the manner in which he packs the bag is very funny. He claims, “I rather pride myself on my packing. Packing is one of those many things that I feel I know more about than any other person living.” While Jerome expected to use the opportunity for bossing over his friends, of “pushing them aside every now and then with, “Oh, you!” “Here, let me do it.” “There you are, simple enough!” — really teaching them, as you might say.” They make him toil instead, lounging about and offering helpful suggestions. Jerome’s forgetfulness and the subsequent unpacking of the bag many times over is quite amusing.

The butter episode, in particular, generates a lot of laughter. First of all, George stepps on the butter and it sticks to his slipper. After George has got it off his slipper, he and Harris try to unsuccessfully put it in the kettle. They put it down on a chair and then Harris sits on it, and it sticks to him, and they go looking for it all over the room. George finally noticed it behind Harris’s back from where it is removed. Montmorency, the dog, too adds to the humour with his habit of getting in the way of things. His indiscipline and inquisitiveness earns him curses but he still manages to put his leg in the jam and chase lemons like rats till he is hit by Harris with a frying pan. All these instances lend humour to the story.

Question 7.
When did the “horrible idea” occur to Jerome? Why was it a “horrible idea”?
Answer:
The “horrible idea” that occurred to Jerome as soon as he had finished packing in his boots was whether he had packed in his toothbrush or not. He often forgot to pack his toothbrush, or, would pack it at night before using it in the morning. This would haunt him so much that at night he would dream that he had not packed the toothbrush. He would wake up in a cold sweat, get out of bed and hunt for it and pack it without using it in the morning, which meant that he would have to unpack it again.

And whenever he was looking for it, it would be the last thing to come out of the bag. After using it he would again forget to pack it and at the last moment would have to rush upstairs to fetch it. As a result he would carry it to the railway station, wrapped up in his pocket-handkerchief. Thus, the toothbrush was a constant source of horrible nightmares for Jerome.

Packing Extra Questions and Answers Reference to Context

Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.

Question 1.
I rather pride myself on my packing. Packing is one of those many things that I feel I know more about than any other person living. (It surprises me myself sometimes, how many such things there are.)

(a) Who is the speaker?
Answer:
The speaker is the narrator, Jerome.

(b) How many characters are there in the narrative?
Answer:
There are four characters in this narrative – the narrator, Jerome, his two friends, George and Harris, and their dog, Montmorency.

(c) Why was “I” going to pack?
Answer:
The narrator and his friends, George and Harris were going on a trip on the Thames. They needed to pack for it.

(d) What do you learn about the speaker from the above lines.
Answer:
The speaker is rather boastful and arrogant.

Question 2.
Their taking it in the way they did irritated me. There is nothing does irritate me more than seeing other _people sitting about doing nothing when I’m working.

(a) Who is the speaker here and whom is he talking about?
Answer:
The speaker here is Jerome, the narrator of the story. He is talking about his friends, George and Harris.

(b) What does the speaker mean by ‘it’?
Answer:
By ‘it’, the speaker means the response of his friends to his suggestion for packing. Both of them at once left the entire task to him and stretched themselves comfortably while he struggled alone.

(c) What is it that most irritates the speaker?
Answer:
The speaker is irritated the most when other people sit idle while he is working.

(d) What work did the speaker have to do?
Answer:
The speaker, Jerome, had to pack the bag for the trip that the three friends had to go on the next morning.

Question 3.
Now, I’m not like that. I can’t sit still and see another man slaving and working. I want to get up and superintend, and walk round with my hands in my pockets, and tell him what to do. It is my energetic nature. I can’t help it.

(a) What does the narrator refer to when he says ‘that’?
Answer:
The narrator had lived with a man who I lived with a man once who would loll on the sofa and watch him doing things by the hour together.

(b) How is the narrator do when he sees someone working?
Answer:
The narrator likes to superintend the one who is working and tell the person what to do.

(c) What does this tell you about the narrator?
Answer:
The narrator considers himself an expert and would much rather supervise work, offering helpful suggestions rather than work himself.

(d) What is the narrator’s tone in the extract?
Answer:
The narrator’s tone is dry and ridiculing about himself.

Question 4.
However, I did not say anything but started the packing. It seemed a longer job than I had thought it was going to be.

(a) Why did the narrator (Jerome) volunteer to do the packing?
Answer:
The narrator, Jerome, thought that he was the best packer in the world. He was proud of his ability and wanted to show it. So, he volunteered to do the packing for his friends.

(b) What had been his intention?
Answer:
The speaker had expected his friends – George and Harris – would do the packing under his supervision and direction.

(c) How did George and Harris react to this? Did Jerome like their reaction?
Answer:
Jerome offered to pack with an intention to superintend his friends. But George and Harris thought that Jerome would do the entire job while they sat idle. It irritated the narrator.

(d) Why did the job take longer than he had expected?
Answer:
The job took longer than expected as Jerome had to pack the bag for all three of them. In addition, he had to unpack and repack it over and over again to put in things he had left out or he thought he might not have packed.

Question 5.
“Ain ’tyou going to put the boots in? ” said Harris. And I looked round, andfound I had forgotten them.
That’s just like Harris. He couldn’t have said a word until I’d got the bag shut and strapped, of course. And George laughed-one of those irritating, senseless laughs of his. They do make me so wild.

(a) What made narrator “so wild”?
Answer:
Harris did not tell him about the boots till he had shut the bag and strapped it. George laughed at the narrator as he had forgotten to pack his boots before strapping the bag.

(b) When did Harris tell the narrator about the boots?
Answer:
Harris told the narrator about the boots after he had finished packing the bag and strapped it.

(c) Why did George laugh? How did it affect the narrator?
Answer:
George laughed at the narrator who had boasted about his skill in packing but had forgotten to pack the boots and would have to open the bag again. George’s laugh annoyed the narrator.

(d) What did the narrator have to do then?
Answer:
He would need to unpack the bag and fit his boots in.

Question 6.
My toothbrush is a thing that haunts me when I’m travelling, and makes’my life a misery. I dream that I haven’t packed it, and wake up in a cold perspiration, and get out of bed and hunt for it. And, in the morning, I pack it before I have used it, and have to unpack again to get it, and it is always the last thing I turn out of the bag; and then I repack andforget it, and have to rush upstairs for it at the last moment and carry it to the railway station, wrapped up in my pocket-handkerchief.

(a) Why does the narrator’s toothbrush haunt him when he is travelling?
Answer:
He is haunted by the idea that he has forgotten to pack his toothbrush.

(b) What does the narrator dream of? Why does he hunt for it?
Answer:
The narrator dreams he hasn’t packed his toothbrush. He gets up to look for it and pack it.

(c) Why does he have to unpack in the morning?
Answer:
He has to unpack it in the morning to use it.

(d) How does he end up carrying his toothbrush?
Answer:
He ends up forgetting to repack it, and then at the last minute carrying it wrapped in his pocket handkerchief.

Question 7.
Of course, I had to turn every mortal thing out now, and, of course, I could not find it. I rummaged the things up into much the same state that they must have been before the world was created, and when chaos reigned. Of course, Ifound George’s and Harris’s eighteen times over, but I couldn ’t find my own. I put the things back one by one, and held everything up and shook it. Then I found it inside a boot. I repacked once more.

(a) What was the author looking for?
Answer:
The author was looking for his toothbrush.

(b) Why was the author looking for ‘it’?
Answer:
The author did not want to pack his toothbrush in the bag just then but in the morning after he had used it.

(c) What did the author do as he searched for ‘it’?
Answer:
He reopened his bag to search for his toothbrush. He had to get everything out but did not find his toothbrush.

(d) Where did he find ‘it’?
Answer:
He found his toothbrush in one of his boots.

Question 8.
When I had finished, George asked if the soap was in. I said I didn ’t care a hang whether the soap was in or whether it wasn’t; and I slammed the bag shut and strapped it, andfound that I had packed my spectacles in it, and had to re-open it. It got shut up finally at 10.05 p.m., and then there remained the hampers to do.

(a) What had the narrator finished?
Answer:
The narrator had finished packing the bag finally.

(b) What two things that the narrator pack in the bag which he wanted out to use before leaving?
Answer:
The narrator wanted to use his spectacles and toothbrush before he left, but he found he had packed them and had to reopen his bag.

(c) When was the bag finally packed?
Answer:
The bag was finally packed by 10:05 pm.

(d) What did George and Harris start on then?
Answer:
George and Harris started packing the hampers.

Question 9.
Harris said that we should be wanting to start in less than twelve hours ’ time and thought that he and George had better do the rest; and I agreed and sat down, and they had a go.

(a) What was ‘the rest’ that Harris and George offered to do?
Answer:
‘The rest’ refers to the packing that remained after the bag had been packed. Jerome had packed the bag and now the hampers were left.

(b) Why did Harris and George offer to do ‘the rest’?
Answer:
Harris and George had seen Jerome’s clumsiness while packing the bag. So, they offered to take care of the rest of the packing, lest the task too long and their departure got delayed. ‘

(c) Why did Harris particularly mention that they had less than twelve hours’ time to start?
Answer:
Harris mentioned ‘less than twelve hours’ time as he felt that Jerome had taken so much time to pack the bag and that twelve hours might not be sufficient for him to complete rest of the packing.

(d) Why did the narrator agree to the proposal?
Answer:
He agreed to the proposal as he knew well how incompetent his friends were. He wanted to see them fumble as they went about packing the hamper.

Question10.
I made no comment; I only waited. With the exception of George, Harris is the worst packer in this world; and I looked at the piles ofplates and cups, and kettles, and bottles, and jars, and pies, and stoves, and cakes, and tomatoes, etc., and felt that the thing would soon become exciting.

(a) What was the narrator waiting for?
Answer:
The narrator was waiting for his friends to fumble and falter while packing the hamper.

(b) How does the narrator show there was an unending collection of articles to be packed?
Answer:
By using the word ‘and’ eight times in the passage the narrator wants to impress upon the reader that there was a never-ending collection of articles that had to be packed in the hampers.

(c) What does the word ‘thing’ here refer to? How would it become exciting for the speaker?
Answer:
The ‘thing’ here means the simple task of packing the hampers. The task would become exciting for the speaker due to the clumsiness of his friends George and Harris.

(d) What was the first accident George and Harris had as they started packing?
Answer:
The first accident George and Harris had as they started packing was that they broke a cup.

Question 11.
They did scrape it out at last, and put it down on a chair, and Harris sat on it, and it stuck to him, and they went looking for it all over the room.

(a) What does ‘it’ refer to?
Answer:
‘It’ refers to the butter.

(b) What had happened to ‘it’ earlier?
Answer:
George had trodden on it and the butter had stuck to his slipper.

(c) Why did they have to scrape ‘it’?
Answer:
They had to scrape the butter because they were neither able put it into the kettle nor pull it out. Left with no alternative they had to scrape it.

(d) Why did they go about looking for ‘it’ all over the room?
Answer:
When Harris sat on the butter, it had stuck to his back. However, both of them were unaware of this, and they looked for it all over.

Question 12.
If he can squirm in anywhere where he particularly is not wanted, and be a perfect nuisance, and make people mad, and have things thrown at his head, then he feels his day has not been wasted.

(a) Whom does ‘he’ stand for in these lines?
Answer:
In these lines, ‘he’ stands for Montmorency, the pet dog of the three friends George, Harris and Jerome.

(b) In what ways did he become a perfect nuisance?
Answer:
Montmorency became a perfect nuisance by finding his way to the spot where he would not be wanted at all.

(c) How would ‘he’ annoy people?
Answer:
Montmorency would irritate everyone immensely so much so that his activities would make people lose their heads and they would hurl things at his head to shoo him away.

(d) When did ‘he’ feel that his day was not wasted?
Answer:
Montmorency felt that his day was not wasted when he was allowed to irritate people and make them lose their temper by his annoying actions.

Question 13.
He came and sat down on things, just when they wanted to be packed; and he laboured under the fixed belief that, whenever Harris or George reached out their hand for anything, it was his cold damp nose that they wanted. He put his leg into the jam, and he worried the teaspoons, and he pretended that the lemons were rats, and got into the hamper and killed three of them before Harris could land him with the frying-pan.

(a) What is Montmorency’s ambition in life according to the author?
Answer:
According to the author, Montmorency’s ambition is to interfere with others and then get abused by them.

(b) What were the things ‘he’ sat on?
Answer:
He sat on the things George and Harris were packing in the hampers.

(c) Where did he put his leg?
Answer:
He put his leg in the jam.

(d) How did he play with the lemons?
Answer:
He pretended the lemons were rats and destroyed three of them.

Question 14.
Harris said I encouraged him. I didn ’t encourage him. A dog like that doesn ’t want any encouragement.

(a) What sort of encouragement is Harris referring to?
Answer:
Harris believes that Jerome encourages Montmorency to get in people’s way and be a perfect nuisance. He feels that it is Jerome who is responsible for the dog’s irritating behaviour.

(b) How did he annoy the packers?
Answer:
He sat on things, stepped into the jam, chased the lemons and whenever Harris or George reached out their hand for anything, he put his cold damp nose into their hand.

(c) What does the phrase “a dog like that” mean?
Answer:
A dog like that means a dog who has habits that are bound to annoy people.

(d) What impression do you form about ‘him’ from this extract?
Answer:
This extract suggests that Montmorency was a dog that had an inborn urge to trouble the people and make them lose their temper. He didn’t need anybody’s support to behave in such an annoying manner.