Question 1: I. Discuss in pairs and answer each question below in a short paragraph (30– 40 words).
1. How many characters are there in the narrative? Name them. (Don’t forget the dog!).
2. Why did the narrator (Jerome) volunteer to do the packing?
3. How did George and Harris react to this? Did Jerome like their reaction?
4. What was Jerome’s real intention when he offered to pack?
5. What did Harris say after the bag was shut and strapped? Why do you think he waited till then to ask?
6. What “horrible idea” occurred to Jerome a little later?
7. Where did Jerome finally find the toothbrush?
8. Why did Jerome have to reopen the packed bag?
9. What did George and Harris offer to pack and why?
10. While packing the hamper, George and Harris do a number of foolish and funny things. Tick the statements that are true.
(i) They started with breaking a cup.
(ii) They also broke a plate.
(iii) They squashed a tomato.
(iv) They trod on the butter.
(v) They stepped on a banana.
(vi) They put things behind them, and couldn’t find them.
(vii) They stepped on things.
(viii) They packed the pictures at the bottom and put heavy things on top.
(ix) They upset almost everything.
(x) They were very good at packing.
Answer:
(I): 1. There are mainly four characters in this narrative. They are Jerome, George, Harris and Montmorency.
2. The narrator volunteered to do packing because as he thought that he was the best packer. He was very proud of his packing and wanted to show it to everyone.
3. George and Harris fully accepted jerome’s suggestion by their will. George smoked a pipe and ‘’spread himself over the easy- chair’’ , while Harris put his legs onto the table and lit a cigar. No, Jerome wasn’t very happy and felt irritated by both of their reactions.
4. The real intension of Jerome was that when he offered to pack was to show his capability through his supervision skills.
5. After the bag was closed and strapped, Harris found that Jerome had not packed the boots. He waited till then to ask about the boots because he wanted Jerome to make realize his mistake and ridicule his packing skills for which he was very proud.
6. The worst idea that happened to Jerome a little later was that whether or not he packed his toothbrush. Whenever he travelled he always forgot whether he had packed his toothbrush or not. This thought haunted him to the core and made his life a mess.
7. While things were turning upside down out of the bag and putting the things back one by one Jerome finally found the tooth brush inside a boot.
8. Jerome had to open again the packed bag because of his habit of forgetting things. As he reopens the bag, he had forgotten to pack the boots. He again unpacked the bag when he realized he had packed his tobacco- pouch in.
9. George and Harris both offered to pack the hampers because Jerome was talking too much at that time and was also getting late. Both of them also wanted to show their packing skill to jerome.
10. (i) true
(ii) false
(iii) true
(iv) true
(v)false
(vi) true
(vii) true
(viii) false
(ix) true
(x) false
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