1 English ( Three Men in a Boat ) for Class 9

Answer the following questions in detail:

Q1. What does the writer say about fishing in the river Thames?

Ans. The writer described that the neighbourhood of streatley and Goring was a great fishing centre. One could do excellent fishing there. The river abounded in different kinds of fish such as pike, roach, dace, gudgeon and eel. One could fish there all the day. Some people stayed there for a month, others even for a year but they never caught them. The writer also tried to become a good fisherman but he was advised by some old fishermen to give it up as he lacked imagination to become a Thames angler. They said it is quite necessary to have an ability to tell lies easily with a blush to become a good fisherman. The writer lacked this quality.

Q2. Where had the old man caught the fish and how much did it weigh in his story?

Ans. One day George and the writer visited a parlour where they saw a dusty old glass case, fixed very high up above the chimney-piece, containing a trout. It was a monstrous fish. When an old man saw them looking at the fish, he told them that it was eighteen pounds and six ounces in weight and that he had caught it sixteen years ago from below the bridge over the river Thames.

Q3. How many people claimed to have caught the fish? Describe the stories told by them.

Ans. The old man told them that he had caught that fish sixteen years ago and went away. After that a series of people came in the parlour and they all claimed to have caught that fish (in the glass case) and each time the size became bigger. Local carrier, the third man, a stolid solemn working middle-aged individual and finally the landlord, all claimed that they have caught that fish. The local carrier told them that he had caught it nearly five years ago and it weighed twenty-six pounds. The third man told them that it was the most remarkable thing to catch it and that they were right to say it was he who caught it. It took him half an hour to land it and it had broken his rod. He took it home and weighed thirty-four pounds. Finally the land lord told them that he caught it when he was a boy and was saved from a whacking for being a truant at school, by this fish.

Q4. Why do you think these five people had the courage to tell such a lie?

Ans. All these five people were fishermen who lived around streatley and Goring. They were expert at telling lies and their ability to catch fish is a lie as well. The entire fishing fraternity has a powerful imagination. They are able to invent and tell story with utter conviction and an air of absolute truthfulness. The place was full of fish but mostly nobody caught fish. As the place was famous as a fishing place and people came there to fish so they never doubted their ability to catch fish. When they heard others telling stories of handsome catches, they exaggerated their own haul and thus they were encouraged to tell such lies.

Q5. How and what truth did the friends discover about the trout?

Ans. When the landlord went out of the room, George kept on gazing at the trout with surprise. He was so excited that he climbed up on the back of a chair to have a close look at it. But the chair slipped and he clung to the trout-case and tried to save himself. The trout came down with a crash and shattered into thousand pieces as it was made of plaster of Paris. Thus the truth was discovered.

Q1. Sketch the character of the narrator as a fisherman.

Ans. The writer is a great story teller. He tells us various humorous stories related to fishing fraternity. In this chapter he tells us how expert the fishermen are at telling whopping lies about their prowess in catching big fish. In fact the writer laughs at their powerful imagination, the ability to invent, to tell a story with utter conviction and an air of absolute truthfulness. The writer himself wants to become a good fisherman. But some old hands tell him that a good imagination and ability to tell a lie with a blush are necessary to become a good fisherman. But the writer admits that he lacked these qualities. Thus he comes out as a great observer of human nature and an admirer of natural beauty.

Q2. Imagining yourself to be present in the parlour along with George and the writer, make a diary entry about the stories told by different people.

Ans. 
20th June, 2014                                                                                  
Wednesday
9.20pm

Once I happened to be at a country parlour at Streatley. There was a large glass-case containing a trout up above the chimney-piece which attracted me as well as everyone in the room. Two strangers were eager to know about the giant trout. An old gentleman who was smoking a pipe told them that he had caught it sixteen years ago and that it weighed more than eighteen pounds and went out. After that a series of people came and each claimed he had caught it. finally the landlord came and told then the real story. He claimed he had caught it years ago when he was a boy. He had bunked school and this trout had saved him from whacking. As he went out, George tried to have a close look of it. He climbed up a chair but slipped and while and while trying to save himself clung to the glass case. He fell down on the ground along with the case. The trout lay shattered into a thousand fragments as it was made of plaster of Paris.

Q1. What is the historical importance of Reading?

Ans. The town of Reading was itself a famous old place since the dim days of King Ethelred, when the Danes anchored their warships in the Kennet and started from Reading to destroy all the land of Wessex. Here Ethelred and his brother Alfred fought and defeated them, Ethelred doing the praying and Alfred the fighting.  Afterwards Reading became a handy place to run down to. When matters became unpleasant in London, Parliament generally rushed off to Reading. During the parliamentary struggle Reading was besieged by the Earl of Essex and after a quarter of century the Prince of Orange defeated King James’s troops there. Henry first lies buried in Reading. John Gaunt was married to the Lady Blanche here.

Q2. Narrate the story of the woman in your own words.

Ans. George noticed something black floating on the water. It was the dead body of a woman. Later the writer knew about her and described that she was deceived by her lover or she deceived herself. She had sinned and had a child. Her family and friends had closed their doors against her. She worked hard for twelve hours and earned twelve shilling a week. But she could not maintain herself and her baby on this petty amount. No one helped her and so she was forced to abandon her child and leave the town. Unable to bear the pain and poverty she committed suicide by drowning herself into the river.

Q3. Describe the beauty of Streatley and Goring as described by the writer.

Ans. Streatley on the right bank and Goring on the left bank of the river were both charming places to stay at for a few days. The beautiful stretches down to Pangbourne attract everybody for a sunny sail or for a moonlight\ row and the country round about is full of natural beauty. Attracted by the beauty. Three friends left the boat at the bridge and went up into Streatley and lunched at the Bull. Streatley is an ancient place dating back to British and sexton times. Goring is not so pretty as Streatley but it is passing fair enough in its way and it is nearer to the railway.

Q4. The writer calls the woman as a “sinner” in both living and dying. Why does he think that way? Do you also agree with him? Why or Why not?

Ans. Actually the writer does not condemn the woman as a sinner because it is not his personal view rather he brings out the views of a society as a whole. He is simply stating the age old custom of propriety, moral code, sin and the consequences as prevalent in a society where young unwed mothers are looked down upon as a sinner, where religion condemns both immorality and the sin of taking their own lives. It has generally been the custom to condemn such practices by society and religion. It is indeed a sad story. It is not the story of one age, one people, one society or of one religion. It is the same in every age, every society and every religion. The writer views the event through the eyes of the society and religion.

Q5. The writer condemns the “wretched small boats.” Is there something humorous in it? How had he described his boat earlier in connection with the steam launch? Explain what it tells you about him.

Ans. The description of boats and launches is full of humour. The way the writer gives an account of the small boats on two occasions is quite contradictory. At first he upholds the dignity of small boats and condemns the fast moving, snobbish steam launches while later he considers small boats as nuisance calling them ‘wretched small boats’ that continually got in their way. The reason is quite simple. In the first instance the three friends had been slogging and labouring, sculling their boat and they resented the fast moving steam launches as the people on them had not to labour. They just stood on the deck smoking their pipes and ordering small boats out of their way. In the second instance their boat was being towed by a steam launch. Now they enjoyed moving rapidly on the water effortlessly. They felt the small boats were hurdles troubling them by coming in their way. The description how he feels and becomes irritated shows that he is concerned about his own self, his boat and their journey and not about the boats or steam launches.

Answer the following questions in detail:

Q1. Describe the encounter with Joskins.

Ans. The writer has described an event that took place when George was sixteen. George and eight other gentlemen of about the same age had an idea of hiring a boat at Kew and pulling it to Richmond and back. Joskins, a shock-headed youth among them who had once or twice taken out a boat on the Serpentine, told them that it was jolly fun, boating. They hired an eight-oared racing outrigger. They took off their coats and prepared to take their seats. A particularly nervous boy was appointed cox and he was told by Joskins how to steer. Joskins himself took stroke. When they started they received a violent blow in the small of the back from the buttend of number five’s scull, his own seat disappeared from under him and he fell on board, number two also was lying on his back at the bottom of the boat with his legs in the air. They passed under Kew Bridge at the rate of eight miles an hour. George, on recovering his seat, tried to help him but his oar disappeared under the boat. The cox threw both rudder lines over board and began to weep. It was a disastrous experience for them. They were saved by an old fisherman.

Q2. Describe any one incident at punting given in the Chapter.

Ans. Once the writer went for punting with a boy. The boy was over confident who was walking up and down the punt working his pole carelessly. He took one stop more than was necessary and walked off the punt altogether with the pole firmly fixed in the mud with him clinging to it while the punt drifted away. The writer was left alone in the punt without any pole and drifted midstream unable to stop himself or steer to safety. Then he was helped by two old fishermen who lent him a pole as they met him midstream in their fishing punt.

Q3. What happened to the writer when he went sailing with a young boy called Hector? How did it prove to be costly adventure?

Ans. They hired a boat from a man who advised them “to take in a reef and luff sharp” when they get round the bend. They did not understand what it meant. When they were on a wide stretch of waler, out of sight of the town, they felt it was the time to begin that operation. Hector went on pulling while the writer unrolled the sail. It seemed a complicated job. They didn’t know which was the top end. They finally got the sail up, upside down. It did not work. Hector advised the writer to wet the sail. At last they got the sail up the two of them together. Why the boat did not upset was an enigma. They had to cling to the gunwale as the boat sped and so they managed to keep inside the boat. The boat travelled upstream for about a mile at a speed he had never sailed, and don’t want to sail again. At last a mud bank saved them. The boat stuck, they cut off the sail and tried the sculls with broke down. After three house they were saved by an old fisherman.

Q1. What do you learn about the writer’s character as revealed by himself in this chapter?

Ans. The writer reveals quite a lot about his own character. He claims that he loves work, work fascinates him. He insists that he does more work than he should do. He says that you cannot give him too much work as it is his passion to accumulate work. He boasts that he is careful of his work. He has been keeping his work in his possession for years, he just keeps the work and does not do it and has not done if for years. He says he does not want more than his share of work. All this gives us quite an insight of his character. He is a great story teller, works magic with words, has a deep insight of human nature, evaluates Harris and George by saying that they eat and sleep most of the time. He also points to the cunningness of old and witty fishermen. He peeps into the boyish nature of youngsters.

Q2. Give examples to illustrate that experience wins over youth and inexperience.

Ans. That experience always wins over youth and inexperience– is a proved fact from the two stories given in this chapter. The first example is that of a young boy who goes for punting. At first he does quite well, becomes confident and then careless. He walks up and down the punt, works his pole with carelessness that looked quite fascinating, he took a step more than was necessary and walked off the punt altogether. The pole fixed firmly in the mud and he was left clinging to it while the punt drifted away. The writer went on drifting alone midstream as he had no pole to stop it. Two fishermen fishing in a punt saw him and helped him by landing him a pole. The second example is that of the writer when he goes for sailing with a young boy called Hector. On a wide stretch of water they put up their sails. Being inexperienced they put up the sail upside down. Their boat picked speed violently. They had to cling to the gunwale and somehow managed to keep inside the boat. Fortunately they were saved by a mud bank. The boat stopped and they cut down the sails. An old experienced fisherman saved their lives.

Answer the following questions in detail:

Q1. Describe the village scene at Sonning.

Ans. The village Sonning is a fairy-like little nook on the river. It is more like a stage village than one built of bricks and mortar. Every house is smothered in roses and in the early June they burst forth in clouds of dainty splendour. The “Bull” is a village inn behind the church and in the writer’s words it is a genuine picture of an old country with green, square courtyard in front where groups of old people sit under the trees in the evening and they drink their ale and gossip over village politics. The houses have low, quaint rooms and latticed windows, awkward stairs and winding passages.

Q2. Describe the reaction of society against the people who wish to learn music.

Ans. Learning a musical instrument is quite a disheartening work. We would think that society could assist a man to acquire the art of playing a musical instrument. But it never helps anybody. The writer is reminded of a young fellow who was studying to play the bagpipes. He was opposed so vehemently not only by the neighbours but also by his family members that we would be surprised. His father opposed it and spoke unfeelingly on the subject. He used to get up early in the morning to practise, but gave it up because of his sister who was religious minded and thought it was an awful way to begin the day. He began to practise in the night after his family had gone to bed, but people going home late at night rebuked him and spread the tale that a murder had been committed at the Jefferson’s for they had heard the victim’s shrieks and the brutal oaths and curses of the murderer. Thus everybody including the whole society cursed the boy who wanted only to learn music.

Q3. Explain the experiences of the writer and Harris in pealing and scrapping the potatoes.

Ans. George suggested his friends to prepare an Irish stew when they were staying at Shiplake island. It seemed to them a fascinating idea. George gathered wood and made a fire. Harris and the writer started to peel the potatoes. The writer had never thought that peeling potatoes was such an undertaking. The job turned out to be the biggest thing of its kind that he had ever been in. They felt that the more they peeled, the more peel there seemed to be left on. They kept on peeling till no potato was left-it looked about the size of a peanut. George advised to scrap them and then they felt it harder work than peeling as the potatoes had extraordinary shapes–all bumps and warts and hollows. They worked steadily for five-and-twenty minutes and did only four potatoes. They felt tired and wanted rest. Then they just washed and without peeling put half-a-dozen potatoes in the stew.

Q4. Narrate Harris’s battle with swans as told by him.

Ans. Harris had a sad expression on him. When the writer and George noticed it and asked him the reason, Harris said “Swans!” He boasted that he had a fight with two swans and he defeated them with courage and skill. But after half-an-hour they returned with eighteen other swans and there had been a fearful battle. The swans had tried to drag him and Montmorency out of the boat. He had defended himself like a hero for four hours and had killed many of them. When George asked him about the number of swans, he replied “Thirty two” and then told they were twelve as he could not count them. We think his stomach was upset with stew and whisky he had consumed. His brain became foggy and confused. In the morning he could not even remember talking about swans and said “What swans?”

Q5. What did Montmorency do to the kettle and how was he rewarded?

Ans. Throughout the trip, Montmorency had manifested great curiosity concerning the Kettle. He sat and watched it, as it boiled, with a puzzled expression. He tried and roused it every now and then by growling at it. When it began to splutter and steam, he regarded it as a challenge and wanted to fight it. He wished to catch his prey before someone would take it. He advanced towards it growling in a threatening attitude and seized it by the spout and got hurt and burnt his nose. His reaction to the boiling kettle reveals his fighting nature. From that day whenever he saw it, he growled and ran away at a rapid speed and when it was upon the stove, he climbed out the boat and sat on the bank.

Q1. Do you feel sorry for George when he was forced to sell the Banjo?

Ans. To some extent we feel sorry for George as he was forced to sell his banjo. We agree that everyone has a right to learn and enjoy their hobbies but not at the cost of other’s comforts. It would have been better if he had at first acquainted himself with the basics of playing a banjo. He should have joined a good institution, coaching centre or a music teacher and learnt to play on it regularly. Then he would have been able to produce some good musical notes and not the blood-curdling shrieks to terrarise and disturb others. Actually he is very bad at playing it and so everybody feels annoyed and disturbed by the displeasing odd tunes he produced.

Q2. Do you think Harris’s encounter with swans was a real story or not?

Ans. We regard the story not real. We feel Harris was a bit foxed due to his upset stomach after eating the Irish stew and consuming whisky on top of it. His brain become more foggy and confused. He seems to create the story for he gave different accounts of the swans saying that they were thirty two, then eighteen and then twelve. He claimed that the swans had tried to drag him and Montmorency out of the boat and drown them in the river. He told that with courage and skill, he had defended himself for four hours and killed a lot of them. In the morning he could not even remember talking about swans in the night. He is also boastful by nature and good at creating fake stories.

Q3. Describe the character of three friends as lovers of food.

Ans. The three friends loved good food. Throughout the chapter we see that they are very fond of tasty foods. In this chapter we come across the first evidence of making Irish stew. The way it is described, the way they prepare it, the names of food items and the nourishment it could give them-everything shows they love food. The taste being piquant and appetising with a sharp taste liable to increase the desire to eat and all ready with their plates in hands show how eager they are to relish the new food item. While walking around Henley, they long to be back in their boat and indulge in talking of supper, whisky, cold meat and chunks of bread. Again after returning to their boat they have a hearty supper and wish to have some toddy which they could not find as Harris had no idea where it was.

Q1.Describe the event that took place in the lobby of Hay-market stores.

Ans. One day, in the Hay-market stores lobby, different types of dogs were waiting peacefully and patiently for their owners who were busy in shopping. A lady came and tied up her fox-terrier between a bull dog and a poodle. The fox-terrific bit the fore leg of the poodle. The puddle cried loudly and suddenly all the dogs started fighting. There was a pandemonium and terrific din all around. When the situation became more grim police was called. Montmorency had a fight with a long and strong tom cat. After that day Montmorency fears cats.

Q2.Describe the humour in the friends shopping before they left Marlow.

Ans. They did their shopping after breakfast and stored up the boat for three days. On the advice of George they bought vegetables– ten pounds of potatoes, a bushel of peas and a few cabbages. Then they got a beefsteak pie, a couple of gooseberry tarts, a leg of mutton, fruits and cakes, bread and butter, jam, bacon and eggs. They had insisted all the shops they had been, to send the things with them then and there. By the time they finished, they had a fine collection of boys with baskets following them to the river. It looked like a procession. The three friends and several boys were going towards their boat loaded with baskets, hamper, bag, coats, rugs, hats bulged out Gladstone bag and bottle of lime-juice etc. The scene looked very funny and humorous procession.

Q3. Describe the event that happened with Harris when he was carving the beefsteak pie.

Ans. When Harris was carving the beefsteak, George and Jim were waiting with their plates ready. Harris asked them for a spoon to help the gravy with. They both turned to the hamper for a spoon. After five seconds when they looked round again, Harris and the pie were gone. They found him invisible and imagined about various places where he might have gone or what might have happened to him. Actually he had been sitting, without knowing it, on the very verge of a small gully, the long grass hiding it from view; and in leaning a little back, he had fallen into it with pie. Harris believed that George and Jim had done it deliberately.

Q4. What advice did the friends get at Hambledon Lock? What difficulty they found in admitting it?

Ans. The three friends found themselves short of water at Hambledon lock, so they took their jar and went up to the lock keeper’s house to beg for some water. The lock keeper said that they could have as much as they wanted. They thanked him and asked where it was, then he replied, in the same place just behind them. They turned and saw the stream an  realized that he meant the river water. But they were reluctant and so they got some water from a cottage. Still they thought it too might be river water. They were not ready to admit the lock keeper’s advice for fear of falling ill by drinking river water.

Q 5.How was the small boat of three friends more annoying and aggravated then steam launches or all other crafts on the river put all together?

Ans. The writer and his friends did not like steam launches. They disliked the blatant confidence of a steam launch that arouses jealousy in their minds. The writer disliked seeing the man standing with his hands in his pocket, by the stern, smoking a cigar. He feels insulted by their lordly whistle for smaller boats to get out of their way. He says that their small boat (during that week) caused more annoyance and delay to the steam launches than all the other crafts put together. The writer wishes their boat to be directly in the way of the launch. The launch would whistle like a mad, people on board would shriek but for nothing. Then  with one final shriek of a whistle, the launch would swing around and get aground.

Q1.  Give a brief character sketch of Jim as you read this chapter.

Ans. Jim, the writer, becomes poetic while passing through the historical places. He also gives us a brief of anecdotes about important places. We realise that he is a lover of scenery. He says that ‘God has made this sweet spot so bright’. His love for nature and pleasure is revealed when he passed an adverse comment on the life of monks who lived in the abbey “a grim life.” He disapproves their way of life as they remained silent waiting for a voice from heaven whereas God speaks to us in myriad tones through nature which the monks did not hear. The writer has an indulgent attitude towards the antics of Montmorency and puts the entire blame on his breed– the fox-terries. He describes Montmorency’s encounter with the tom cat with a great sense of humour. He is always ready with a story to support his views.

Q2. What does the behaviour of two friends on the event of Harris’s disappearance show about their character?

Ans. George and Jim behave in a manner that arouses laughter and humour. They seem not even the slightest worried about Harris rather they are bent on making fun of him when he fell into the gully. George and Jim gazed all around them but could not find Harris. The writer was surprised–could he have been snatched up by Heaven? To which George replied that they would hardly have taken the pie too and thought there must have been an earthquake. Their shocked eyes came up Harris’s head– sticking bolt upright among the tall grass, the face very red and indignant. George cried, “Speak and tell us whether you are alive or dead-and where is the rest of you?” Actually Harris had been sitting, without knowing it, on the very verge of gully hidden with long grass, and in leaning a little back he had fallen into it along with pie.

Q1. What do you learn about George’s character in this chapter?

Ans. George has been shown as a sensible and practical person except for what happened to him when he tried to open the pineapple tin. He keeps the tin with him and brings it down to show to people and telling them the old story with fresh exaggeration. It shows his attachment and sentimentality. When Jim barges his boat into another fishing boat knocking three old men into the boat, George said that he would steer it himself as the writer with a mind like his ought not to be expected to give itself away in steering boats. It would save them all from being drowned. This shows he is out spoken and does not mince words. His decision to go back to the stag shows that his approach is practical.

Q2. What does the way the three old men cursed the friends tell us about human nature?

Ans. Jim, while steering his boat, knocked down the three old men into their boat by ramming his boat into theirs. They were just fishing sitting on chairs. They got hurtled and started cursing the three friends, not with a common cursory curse but with long, carefully thought out and comprehensive curses that embraced the whole career of the three friends and went into the distant future and included all their relations and covered everything connected with them. We get at once aggressive upon such incidents and abuse and curse the person responsible for that without knowing the actual reasons for the happening. This is a common human nature to abuse others in such a situation.

Q3. Throw a light on Harris’s character as emerged in this chapter.

Ans. Harris is a humourous character not in his thinking but also in his actions. He rejects the second hotel because he doesn’t like the hair of the men leaning at the front door. He is annoyed of his boots. How he falls on the boy who offered them lodgings, creates a humorous scene. How he leaves George and the writer to carry the luggage is quite humorous. His attempts at opening the pine apple tin and his comments on the language of the three old men all reveal his humorous and jolly character. Though he is grieved by the language of the old men still he feels grateful to them for providing some excitement. Thus we find him quite laughing and humorous throughout the chapter.

Long answer type question

Q1. What problems did the three friends face in making the camp?

Ans. The three friends thought putting up the tent was an easy job but it turned out to be quite tedious. They struggled hard to put the hoops into sockets but they put them into wrong sockets. They had to take them out and during the process they hurted themselves. After fixing them they tried to cover over them. George unrolled the canvas and fastened one end, Harris stood in the middle to pass it on to the writer who stood on the other side. Harris bungled it and got himself wrapped in it and knocked over George who too got entangled in it. They had to struggle hard to disentangle themselves. Finally with Jim’s kind support they were able to disentangle themselves.

Q2. What makes the writer feel happy and contented?

Ans. The writer feels happy and contended when his stomach is full i.e. when he is satisfied with proper meal. He says that after a good meal we feel happy and contented. We feel so forgiving and generous after a hearty and well-digested meal– so noble minded and so kind-hearted that the whole world seems to us to be happy.

Q3. What were the feelings of the writer and his two friends after supper?

Ans. After the supper all the three friends felt satisfied, happy and contented. Before the supper they were quarrel some and ill-tempered. They felt irritated even while talking to each other. But after the supper, they became quiet, civilized and humble and they behaved humbly and politely. Harris, while moving about, trod on George’s corn but George did not react and Harris apologized for it. For the writer, it was quite amazingly pleasant to watch the two man behave so politely. So the writer said, “It was pleasant to hear them.”

Q4. Narrate the story of George’s father in your own words.

Ans. One night, George’s father had to stay at an inn along with his friend where they met a few more people and spent their evening with them. Then they took a candle to reach the room where there were two beds for them. But the candle went out and it was totally dark. Due to darkness they both landed on the same bed with one’s head on the pillow and the other’s legs on it. After sometime they told each other that there was someone lying in their bed and decided to fight him out. They both hit each other thinking they were hitting the strangers and fell down on the floor with a loud thud. Actually they both were on the same bed but because of darkness and drinks they had taken, they could not understand it and took each other to be a stranger.

Q5. What were the observations and feelings of the writer when after supper he walked on the bank of the river?

Ans. As the writer felt restless and uncomfortable in the boat, he could not sleep and came out of it and walked on the river-bank. He found the night to be a loving mother. Who lays her hand upon our favered head. She turns our sad faces to smiles. Without speaking a word she places our tormented cheek against her bosom and relieves us of our pains. Our day remains full of fret and care. Our hearts remain full of evil and bitter experiences. We moan, we cry and we groan but night, like a\ mother, understands our emotions of grief. Her heart melts as she cannot bear to see us tossing in pain. She soothes our emotions, she checks our lurking tears and makes us understand that pain and sorrow are but the angels of God. We are blessed with rest and peace of mind in the lap of night.

Q6. “We are but the veriest, sorriest slaves of our stomach.” What do these words signify? How do they reveal the character of the writer?

Ans. Man is the slave of his stomach. Morality and righteousness come later on. All human and worldly activities depend on the stomach. If our stomach is empty, we cannot work, we cannot think. Our stomach directs us to emotions and passions. After breakfast it says work, after lunch it says take rest and after supper it says sleep. After a stimulant it says to the brain, now rise and show your strength, be elegant, deep and tender. Search nature and soar up high and reach the gates of eternity. A full stomach makes us noble, benevolent, friendly and polite. Here the writer becomes philosophical and justifies the old Indian philosophy which says– one cannot meditate or sing in praise of God, if one’s stomach is empty.

Q7. Describe the character of the writer as a lover of nature.

Ans. The writer could not sleep in the boat. He woke up and got lost in the beauty of nature. He paints the beauty of the night and concludes that there is something greater present in nature that takes away pain and suffering. The writer becomes poetic and philosophical in his mood. The night, adorned with stars, provided him comfort and solace. He felt in its presence all sorrows creep away and like a mother, it embraces his tear stained face in its comforting lap. The pleasant star-lit might had great soothing effect on the writer. Thus we come to know that besides his humorous narration of events, he has a great love for nature. He seems to exaggerate the events in order to produce humour, at the same time he seems to be true and real while narrating beauty of nature.

Q8. What does the writer say about pain and sorrow?

Ans. The writer says that pain and sorrows have no language but only a moan. He regards the night as a caring mother who embraces our tear-stained faces in her comforting arms and relieves us of our sorrows. It takes our pained hearts into its fold and takes us to the Almighty where our sorrows appear to be too small to be felt. He feels that our pains and sorrows are the twin angels of God. Those who have undergone real sufferings, feel the glorious light but never speak of the mystery behind it.

Answer the following questions in detail:

Q1. What was the Boveney incident? Narrate in your own words.

Ans. The writer describes an interesting incident that took place at Boveney. As they came round the bend they saw two men on the bank. They looked confused and had a miserable expression. They had a long towline between them on asking they told that their boat had drifted off. When they were busy in disentangling the tow-line their boat was gone. It went down a mile further and was held by some rushes. Jim and party brought it back to the two bewildered men.

Q2. “When girls tow, there is never a dull moment.” Explain.

Ans. The writer says that to see girls towing is much enjoyable. He suggests never to miss the opportunity to see them towing a boat. As the ladies begin by getting themselves tied up. They first wrap it round their legs and sit down to undo it and then they would wrap it round their necks and get nearly strangled. Eventually when they get it straight, they pull the boat so fast that they run out of breath and so sit down to rest but their boat drifts out in the river. Thus their attempts at towing the boat evoke laughter and humour.

Q3. The sound of accordian was the sweetest music he had ever heard. With What does the writer compare it?

Ans. The writer compares the sweet sound of the accordion with heavenly melody, a soul-moving harmony. The wheezy sound of the accordion was something singularly human and reassuring. It was far, far more beautiful than the voice of orpheus or the lute of Apollo.

Q4. What happened to the boat being towed by a small boy on a powerful barge horse?

Ans. The three men saw a small boat being towed through the water at a tremendous pace by a powerful barge horse, on which a small boy was sitting, five other fellows were lying in the boat in dreamy and reposeful attitude. George said that he wanted to see the man (towing it) pull the wrong line. Suddenly the man did it and the boat rushed up the bank with a noise like the ripping up of forty thousand linen sheets. Two men fell down on the starboard side, two men disembarked from the\ starboard and sat down among boat-hooks and sails. The fifth went on twenty yards further and then got out on his head. The boat got lighten and went on much easier. The boy kept on shouting and urging his steed into a gallop. All the five men realised what had happened and began to shout lustily for the boy to stop. But the boy did not hear them, so the men flew after him.

Q5. “We thanked them over and over again.” Who are “We” here? Whom are they thanking and Why?

Ans. Here “We” are the writer and the young lady– a cousin from the side of writer’s mother. They thanked those attractive and lovable people who were the part of the party of provincial ‘Arrys and’ Arriets, out for a moon light sail. They thanked for telling them that there was no Wallingford lock the writer was looking for and that he was close to cleave.

Q6. What do you understand about the characters of three friends from this chapter? Explain with examples.

Ans. This chapter does not reveal much about the characters of three friends as it is more devoted to the stories about tow-lines. However we come to know that George is lazy and wants to avoid work but the writer and Harris are bent on making him do it. Harris is a bit blunt and not prone to pity. The writer, while narrating his experiences at dealing with towlines, does not miss any chance to seek humour in each story. Besides being lazy, George is mischievous also as he makes the young couple tow their heavily laden boat. The writer becomes a bit philosophical in the description of towing.

Q7. Why do you think writer tells so many stories about towing? How do these stories help in the progress of plot and explaining human foibles?

Ans. In the beginning of the Chapter, the writer declares that towing is not a simple business. It is a matter of dealing with a world of knots, loops and tangles. In order to prove himself right and to tell the readers how the business of towing could cause a number of humorous incidents, he relates some interesting stories. The tow-line and the towing business give the writer an opportunity to talk of a variety of people and their attitude. The reader is thoroughly entertained by the interesting and\ humorous episodes related to towing.

Answer the following questions in detail:

Q.1. How could Harris and Jim escape from being blackmailed?

Ans. Harris and Jim stopped under the willow by Kingston Park and were enjoying their lunch when and old bald-headed man told them that they were trespassing the park and that it was his duty to remove them. Jim and Harris were not worried of it and Harris who well built and strong asked him how he would remove them. The man retreated from there. Actually he wanted some money by blackmailing them. He said that he would through them in the river after consulting his owner but when they both rebuked him angrily and threatened to kill him and his owner, the man disappeared and did never return.

Q.2. What are the views of Jim and friends of Harris regarding the singing talent of Harris?

Ans. Harris is confident that he can sing comic songs very well but his friends did not believe so. They say he will never be able to sing nor he should be allowed to try. Once in a party he got up to sing a comic song. After a long lecture on the qualities of a comic song, he sang the Judge’s song out of Pinafore. The nervous pianist tried to follow him but failed miserable. When he knew from his friends that he was singing the Admiral’s song from Pinafore, the over confident Harris argues a lot and takes a general roar of laughter as a compliment. He could not sing a single line properly but believed that he had really entertained his audience and assures that he will sing again after supper. Jim knows that he had made a fool of himself and dragged himself in a fix.

Q.3. Describe the intention of two young men behind the singing of German Professor.

Ans. The two young men intended to take revenge on the German singer for insulting them. These young men who had just returned from Germany seemed restless and uncomfortable in a fashion party. The polished conversation and the high-class tastes of the people were beyond their understanding. They brought a German professor to sing in the party. They announced that he was going to sing one of his most famous comic song. The prelude of the song was tragic, sullen and gloomy. When he sang these two young men laughed and roared. The audience not knowing German language, followed them and created a scene of comedy. The professor felt deeply insulted. They had done it knowingly to insult the German professor and make him a laughing stock. They took their revenge and left the other people heart-broken.

Q.4. Why German Professor was upset and felt insulted?

Ans. The German Professor had not imagined even in his wildest dreams that he would have to bear such insult during his performance. Though he sang the most tragic song in German language, but the audience sniggered and laughed at his song considering it to be a comic one. The professor tolerated their behaviour for some time but when he could not bear it anymore, he stopped and abused them with all the words he knew of English language.

Q.5. Describe the tragic and pathetic reasons behind the song sung by German professor.

Ans. The song was tragic and pathetic, the most famous song written and sung by the German professor. Once he sang it before the German Emperor who became so sad to hear it that tears fell from his eyes. Actually this song was related to the story of a young girl who sacrificed her life for her lover. When he died he met her spirit in the heaven but later on he left her spirit for the spirit of another girl. Thus the song contained a tragic, gloomy and pathetic touch.

Q.6. What surprised the two friends when they met George at Weybridge?

Ans. When Jim and Harris reached Weybridge, they were surprised to see George’s blazer on one of the lock gates. They suspected something unhappy has happened with George. But closer inspection showed that George was inside it. Montmorency barked furiously, Harris roared and Jim shrieked. George waved his hat and yelled back. Due to this commotion the lock-keeper rushed out thinking someone had fallen into the lock. George showed them a curious oilskin parcel. He told them that it was not a frying pan but a banjo which was very easy to play on as he had brought a instruction book.

Q.7. Blackmailers thrive because people do not oppose them. Give your opinions.

Ans. When Jim and Harris were enjoying their lunch in the park, an old man approached them and told them that they had trespassed into a private property. He also told them that his duty was to remove such people from the park and threatened to throw them into the river. Actually he wanted to get some money by blackmailing them. But the friends were bold and they did not succumb to his tactics and put up a brave encounter which made the man retreat quietly. The writer claimed that people in order to avoid any trouble, encourage them by giving into their demands. That was the reason the blackmailers thrived. He suggests people should oppose and question such people which can curb on such practices.

Q.8. Can language be a hurdle in getting the tone and theme of a song? What do you say?

Ans. Language can be a hurdle in understanding the wordings of a song but one can clearly get the tone and theme of a song when sung in some foreign language. We can understand whether the tone is tragic or comic. In the opisode of the German singer, the prelude of his song was tragic and pathetic. But people were confused by the two young men who laughed and pretended to show by their appearances that it was a comic song. People did not know the German so they were deluded by the expressions of the young men and they followed them and presented a comic scene. Had they been able to understand the German language, they would have never behaved in that manner.

Q.9. Write a diary entry from Herr Boschen’s side about how he felt after the party is over.

Ans. 
Monday,
March 25, 2017                                                                                                       
10 p.m

While singing that tragic song which was full of sentiments and emotions, I felt very sad. I expected pin drop silence and people to shed tears. But I was puzzled to see people laughing and roaring as if I was singing a comic song. I could not understand why people behaved in such a way. Emotions and sentiments are universal and language can be no barrier in grasping the soul and spirit of a song even if it is sung in an alien language. Tears lurked in my eyes but stopped them from rolling down my cheeks. Now I feel that I was foolish when I shook my fists and murmured nasty words to the listeners. How could I stoop so low and be a pedestrian. Fie on me. How can I call them uncivilized when I behaved like a denizen of a jungle. I should have told the audience about the song before hand or presented the theme through gestures. So I am to blame. I would like to be cautious in future.

Herr Slossenn Boschen

Long answer type question

Q1. What happened when Harris tried to pick a bottle from the hamper?

Ans. Harris wanted to go to a pub for a drink. Jim told him that there was no pub for miles around and suggested to take out the bottle of concentrated lemonade lying in the bottom of the hamper. Harris with one hand searched for it and bent down. He also had to steer the boat at the same time. Mistakingly he pulled the wrong line and sent the boat into the bank. The shock upset him and he dived right into the hamper and stood there on his head holding on the sides of the boat, his legs sticking up into the air. Jim held his legs and hauled him back. This made him mad and furious.

Q2. Mention the reason of fleeing the writer from village church.

Ans. One golden morning of a sunny day, the writer visited the country church where he was so much impressed by the beautiful landscape that he became idyllic, poetical and it inspired him to imagine, to lead a blame less, noble and pious life free from sins and absurdities. But an old bald-headed man broke his reverie and asked him if he wanted to see the graves. The writer was disturbed as he was lost in the imagination and was not least desirous to see them. He got angry with the old man who again and again asked him to see the graves or sculls. The writer angrily said, “When you yourself are buried, I will come and see yours.” Troubled by the old man he fled from the village church.

Q3. Bring out the humour in the conversation between the old feeble hobbling sexton and the writer.

Ans. When the writer was brooding over life, friends, forgiveness and sin in the peaceful and charming landscape of a village churchyard, an old sexton disturbed him when he come shouting, ‘I am coming sir’. He repeatedly pleaded the writer to follow him, if he wanted to see the graves, if he was eager to see the sculls. The writer was maddened and he threatened him to kill the old fool. But the old man kept calm and his tone became softer. The writer went harsher and harsher but the old\ man coolly insisted on him to see the graves. The writer said angrily that he had a family graveyard and that he was not desirous to see the graves of strangers. The way the writer discourages the old man and the way he pleads to the writer to see the graves make the episode truly humorous. The writer flees at the mention of sculls.

Q4. “The less taste a person has in dress, the more obstinate he always seem to be.” What does the statement reveal about the speaker’s nature?

Ans. Jim, the writer, makes this statement when he talks about Harris’s taste of colours. He finds that Harry is poor at choosing the right colours of dress for himself. Harris likes orange and yellow but according to the writer his complexion was too dark for yellow coloured costumes. The writer attributes his obstinate nature to his choice of colours. The writer is somewhat more sophisticated in his attitude towards dress and likes red and black that match his golden brown coloured hair.