Text Book Solutions All Class

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.

Answer the following questions in detail:

Q1. What does Jim say about the China Dog and other such objects?

Ans. Jim shows his philosophical view on man’s attitude towards the treasure of art. He says that things priced and looked at with awe today are nothing but commonly used articles of common people of three or four hundred years ago. He shows his love for history and nature and reveals a reality that present will become past. He talks of the China dog showpiece lying in his furnished lodging which is an ordinary piece of art work disliked by the writer as well as his land lady. He thinks after two hundred years, when this ordinary China dog would be dug up, people would admire it and praise the use of colours. He claims that it is human nature to prize what is rare and overlook what is common and easily accessible to man.

Q2. What was special about shopkeeper’s house? What changes were made by him in it?

Ans. There was a superb carved oak staircase in the shopkeeper’s house. Its walls were oak-panelled with exquisite carvings. The drawing room was decorated with blue wall paper because the shopkeeper felt that oak gave a gloomy and awful look to the whole house, so he covered it with bright blue wall paper. The writer says that other people have to spend a lot to give their homes a look of carved oak but this man having it in plenty did not care a little for it.

Q3. What happened to Harris in the maze?

Ans. Harris felt it was quite easy to come out of the maze at Hampton where he had gone to guide one of his cousins. He studied the map but found it misleading. He met some people in the maze who could not find their way out. Harris confidently asked them to follow him. They thought him as a great saviour and followed him. He planned to keep on turning to the right but reached the someplace again. People realised their folly and called him and impostor. Finding no way out people shouted out for the keeper but the newly employed keeper did not know the way out. At last and old keeper rescued them.

Q4. Why wouldn’t writer like to live actually at Hompton Court?

Ans. Though the writer admires the peacefulness of Hampton Court, but he would not like to live there as he was bred in a city and was accustomed to its din, population, commotion and noise. The serenity of nature, the rustling of trees seem to be pleasant during the day but ghostly and eerie in the night. They present a strange, dull and mysterious stillness all around. So he would like to live in a place where there are gas-lit streets echoing with human voice and throbbing with life.

Q5. What is writer’s opinion about the “art treasures of today”?

Ans. The writer has described his view about the art treasures. In his opinion things priced highly and looked at with awe today are nothing more than commonly used articles by common people three or four hundred years ago. He wonders if this trend will be followed in future also. Then he talks of the China dog showpiece lying in his lodgings which everybody disliked. He thinks after two hundred years when this ordinary China piece would be dug up in 2228 people would admire it and would be wonder-struck by the use of colours. The author comments that it is the human tendency to prize what is rare.

Q6. Who broke Jim’s reverie and Why?

Ans. An old bald-headed man broke Jim’s reverie intervening by asking him if he wanted to see the tombs whereas Jim was lost in imagination of a pious life free from all sins and absurdities on seeing the lovely landscape. But the old man’s shrill voice upset him.

Q7. Explain the beauty of riverside as narrated by the writer.

Ans. The sunny river is flanked by the inhabitants of Hampton and Mousley who dress themselves up in their finest boating costumes. People wearing colourful costumes and sitting in the boats look fascinating. The riverside becomes the venue for people to flaunt their taste in colours and attractive attires. People with their dogs come here. They flirt, smoke and watch the boats. The hats, pretty coloured dresses of ladies and jackets of men make the river a confluence of amazing and fascinating colours. Pretty girls, excited dogs, moving boats, white sails, the pleasant landscape and the sparkling water produce the gayest sights of the river.

Q8. What experience the writer has to face when he accompanied two ladies on a boat-trip?

Ans. Once Jim accompanied two ladies who were in silky stuff, flowers and ribbons, dainty shoes and light gloves. Jim thought that they were dressed for a photographic studio and not for a river picnic. They found the boat quite dirty and felt it might spoil their lovely dresses. When the writer sculled the boat, the oars splashed a few drops of water on their dresses and left stains. The writer tried his best to avoid flickering of water from falling over their dresses. But the oarsman splashed a good amount of water on them. The ladies covered themselves with rugs to save their clothes from staining. Every time a drop touched them, they visibly shrank and shuddered. Though it was a noble sight to see them suffering silently, but the writer felt nervous as he is too sensitive. During the lunch the ladies were reluctant to sit on dusty grass. They were always apprehensive that somebody might spill the curry on their dresses. They thought only of their dresses and could not enjoy the picnic.

Q9. How do you enjoy the humour in dressing sense of the three men?

Ans. The dressing sense of the three friends is quite humorous. Jim likes red and black that match his golden brown hair. He feels that a light blue necktie goes well with it. A pair of Russian shoes and a red silk hanky round the waist give the combination a push. Harris likes shades of orange and yellow but that does not suit him as his complexion is too dark for yellow dress. The writer advises him to have a combination of blue and white but he refuses. The writer concludes that the less taste a person has in dress, the more obstinate he is. George has brought new things for the trip. His blazer is gaudy and showy. Jim thinks that it does not suit him but George is adamant. He says people should wear such dresses with can bear onslaughts of water.

Q10. Give your own examples to show that people are not contended with what they have got, they always long for what they don’t have.

Ans. There are people who crave for new art pieces and they are ready to pay any price for that. Through this anecdote the writer presents bitter fact of human nature that people are not contended with what they have but crave for what they don’t have. For example a man, maintaining a bike, is not satisfied with it rather he craves for a car which may be out of his reach and impossible to maintain. Yet another craves for a big house which he does not have. The writer tries to prove that it is a human nature that the more he has the more he desires.

Q11. Experience counts much, a novice may go wrong. Justify this statement in the light of the troubles faced by Harris in maze.

Ans. Experience has its own importance in human life. An experienced person is always good at every task whereas a novice generally may go wrong. As in the maze episode, Harris is an inexperienced man who in spite of trying again and again failed to come out of the maze. The same is the case with the newly appointed Keeper. He goes to rescue the people who lost their way out but he himself was lost in the maze. It is the experienced man like the old keeper who succeeds and rescues the people along with Harris. Though Harris is confident of himself but he has no experience of the job that is why he wandered in the maze without finding a way out.

Q12. Writer has commented upon two traits of Harris’s character in this chapter. What are they?

Ans. The writer takes a dig at Harris and tells us that there was hardly any pub which Elizabeth had not visited as shown by the signs displayed there. This reminds him of his friend Harris who frequently visited pubs in search of drinks. The writer imagines if Harris becomes the Prime minister and dies, the pubs he had never entered would become famous. Secondly the writer mocks at his boastful and over confident attitude. He braggs about knowing the ins and outs of the maze but soon he is awarded with the title of ‘an imposter’ by the people stranded there and his chains get exposed. Thus his two traits are– he is fond of drinking and he is over confident.

Answer the following questions in detail:

Q1. Who landed on George with a slipper and why?

Ans. Harris landed George one with a slipper. George had promised to wake Jim and Harris at 6:30 in the morning, but he did not wake them as he himself kept on sleeping up to 9:30. Mrs Poppets woke them up at 9 in the morning. At first both Harris and Jim involved in hot exchange blaming one another for not waking them. Later they remembered that it was George who had the responsibility to wake them up. But seeing him still sleeping they angrily slung the clothes off him and Harris landed him with a slipper and Jim shouted in his ear to wake him.

Q2. Why does Jim think barometer to be useless?

Ans. Jim considers that the barometer is as misleading as the newspaper forecast. He shares his observations about the barometer hanging up in a hotel at Oxford where he stayed last spring. It pointed at ‘set fair’ but on the contrary it rained the whole day. The writer tapped it and it jumped up and pointed to ‘very dry’. He tapped it the next day and it went up higher but it rained the whole day. On Wednesday he hit it again and the pointer went round towards ‘set fair’, ‘very dry’ and ‘much heat’, until it was stopped by the peg and could not go any further. It was in a mood to forecast drought, water famine, sun stroke and dust-laden storm but the peg prevented it. The writer wants to prove that barometer is useless and forecasts are not be trusted upon as they generally prove false.

Q3. Why the crowd had collected and why people were making fun of three men?

Ans. When the three men put their luggage on to the doorstep and waited for a cab, a crowd of people gathered to see what the matter was. It was so because their luggage consisted of some odd things such as a big bag, small hand bag, two hampers and a large roll of rugs, four or five over coats, a few umbrellas, a bulky melon in a bag, a couple of pounds of grapes and also a Japanese paper umbrella. A frying pan wrapped round with a brown paper looked conspicuous as it was too long to pack. The young boys in the crowd conjectured it was a wedding and Harris was the bridegroom. The older people whispered it was a funeral and Jim looked to be the brother of the dead. Thus the crowd made fun of them as they looked odd and strange.

Q4. How did three men get their boat?

Ans. The three men reached Kingston by the London and South-Western Railway but they came to know later that it was really the Exeter mail. Their boat was waiting there just below the bridge. They stored their luggage in it. They sat on it and moved slowly on their way.

Q5. Describe the confusion at waterloo station.

Ans. When the three men reached waterloo railway station, they were unable to find which train starts from which platform. They had no idea of the platform where their train was to leave from. They inquired the Porter, the Station Master and the Traffic Superintendent but nobody had the least idea about their train. Ultimately they met an Engine driver who too gave a confused reply to their quarry. Finally unable to find no clue about their train, they bribed the Engine driver and requested him to take them to Kingston.

Analysing the Characters:

Q1. Who is Biggs? What is his reputation regarding the boys he hires for work?

Ans. Biggs is the writer’s greengrocer. He is perfectly good at employing the most notorious, uncouth and untamed boys to run errands for him. When the three men waited for a cab, their luggage and weird packets attracted the Biggs’ boy who stood there, stared at them and tried to guess what the matter was. The three men were unable to deter him from his mission. The boy monitored them from close quarters and hailed other boys to join him. Soon a small crowd gathered there which made all kinds of conjectures and also made fun of them. The Biggs boy has a talent in securing the services of the most unprincipled errand boys that civilization has yet produced.

Q2. Why was Montmorency unhappy and deeply suspicious as he sat in the prow of the boat?

Ans. The three friends finally reached Kingston where they found their boat waiting for them under a bridge. They stored their luggage and took their position in different convenient places of the boat. Montmorency had no choice but to sit in the prow. He did not enjoy solitude but liked noise and action. He felt there lonely and that he was on a journey devoid of adventures. So he looked unhappy and suspicious.

Answer the following questions in detail:

Q1. What excuse did the narrator give in order to avoid keeping cheese with him?

Ans. The writer went to his friend’s wife to deliver the cheese to her. The cheese had got rotten and so it gave away very bad and unbearable smell. His friend’s wife was not ready to keep it with her and she requested the writer to keep it with him till her husband returns. The writer was also troubled by the hateful smell of the cheese, so he pretended that his landlady who was a widow and an orphan would object keeping it in her house. So he avoided to keep it with him.

Q2. Do you think Jim was successful at packing? Why/why not?

Ans. Jim generally boasted of his packing skills but he was really an unskilled packer. When he finally strapped the bag, he was told that he had forgotten to put the boots in. He unstrapped the bag and packed the boots in, but he was not sure if he had packed his tooth brush or not. He had to turn everything out of the bag to look for it which was eventually found in a boot. Once again he had to open the bag for his tobacco pouch. Jim, who so proudly declared his fine packing skill, is exposed as an unskilled and clumsy packer. He does not know where and how should pack the things in a travel bag. He has just stuffed everything roughly in the bag and strapped it.

Q3. Were George and Harris better than Jim at packing? Give reasons to support your answer.

Ans. Jim was quite bad at packing while George and Harris proved worse than him. They made a mess of it. They began by breaking a cup. Harris smashed the tomatoes by packing the bottle of jam on top of them. George trod on the butter. They smashed the pies by putting heavy things on them. They upset salt over everything and tried to put the butter in a kettle. They, like Jim, proved awful at packing. They seem to be untidy, unplanned and inexperienced at packing.

Q4. Would you like to own a dog like Montmorency? Why/ Why not?

Ans. Montmorency, though a dog, has a personality of his own. We cannot expect him to be docile and dumb fellow who barks, eats or sleeps as per his master’s wishes. It would be great fun having Montmorency as a pet. His noble looks belie his real character. His skills as a gang leader, his hunting excuses for fights and his habit to irritate those who know nothing but pretend they can do everything, are really amazing. His independent opinion on the idea of boat-riding and consent for sleeping arrangements during the boat-riding, make the readers impressed.

Analysing the Characters:

Q1. “I want to get up and superintend and walk around with my hands in my pockets, and tell him what to do. It is my energetic nature. I can’t help it.” Who said this? Explain the significance of the words.What traits of speaker’s character are reflected in these lines?

Ans. The writer is reminded of a man with whom he used to stay. His habit was to roll on the sofa and watch him doing things which irritated the writer. The writer claims that he (writer) is different. He does not like to sit idle when others are working hard. He wants his hands to put in his pockets and move around to inspect the work being done. He also wants to give his valuable suggestions to those who are actually doing the work. The writer is proud of this trait. He claims that monitoring others is also on important work and he is able to do this because he belongs to the class which believes in instructing others rather than sitting and doing the work. It is Jim, the writer, who said it.

Q2. What conclusion have you drawn regarding three men’s attitude towards work by the time you reach at the end of the chapter?

Ans. After reading the chapter we conclude that all the three friends are clumsy and unorganised, but each of them thinks that he can do a job in a better way than others. The writer’s patience to bear the scorn and pain for a cheese-loving friend and his overconfidence in packing skill, disappears when he actually sits down to pack the things. He is upset when he sees his friends sitting idly and teasing and troubling him. George and Harris laugh at him when he forgets to put the boots in the bag. But when they themselves sit down to pack, they prove to be worse than the writer. They smash several items and break a cup. They are irritated at the way the writer sits and looks at them. They blame him of exciting Montmorency to trouble them. Thus all the three pretend to be experts but neither have they known nor do anything satisfactory.