Packing - Class 9th - English - Lesson 1

Packing | Prose 1 | English | Tulip Series | Class 9th |

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Lesson 1 – Packing (Jerome.K.Jerome)

Thinking About The Text

Q1. How many characters are there in the narrative? Name them. (Don't forget the Dog!)

Ans. There are four characters in the narrative. The names of these characters are:

1. Jerome Klapka Jerome, 2. Harris, 3. George, and 4. Montmorency, a Dog 

Q2. Why did the narrator (Jerome) volunteer to do the packing?

Ans. The narrator Jerome loved packing and was proud of his own packing. He was thinking to direct Haris and George for packing like a boss but as they knew nothing about the packing so he volunteered himself to do it.

Q3. How did George and Harris react to this? Did Jerome like their reaction?

Ans. George and Haris sat still watching Jerome while packing. That irritated Jerome because he did not like seeing other people sitting about doing nothing while he worked.

Q4. What was Jerome’s real intention when he offered to pack?

Ans. Jerome intended that he should boss the job and Haris and George would potter about under his directions.

Q5. What did Harris say after the bag was shut and strapped? Why do you think he waited till then to ask?

Ans. After the bag was shut and strapped Haris asked him whether he was not going to put his boots in the bag. They were trying to make him uncivilized and wild so that they could laugh on him.

Q6. What “horrible idea” occurred to Jerome a little later?

Ans. When Jerome was about to close his packing, a horrible idea occurred to him whether he had packed his toothbrush or not.

Q7. Why did Jerome have to reopen the packed bag?

Ans. Jerome had to reopen his packed bag because he had packed his tobacco-pouch in it.

Q8. What does Jerome say was Montmorency’s ambition in life? What do you think of Montmorency and why?

Ans. Montmorency’s ambition in life was to interfere in others' work and be cursed by them. His day was perfect only when he had been beaten on his head. Montmorency was the name of the dog. Montmorency in the lesson behaves like a mad dog that sits on the things when they are going to be packed but that is natural for a dog to do such things.

Q9. Of the three, Jerome, George, and Harris, who do you think is the best or worst packer? Support your answer with details from the text.

Ans. From the lesson, we can say that Gerome is the best packer although he forgot many things to pack and had to reopen it many times. The narrator, himself says that Haris is the worst packer. Harris and George did some odd things while packing. Haris packed a strawberry jam on top of the tomato and quashed it. George stepped on the butter. They packed pastries at the bottom and put heavy things on it.

Q10. How did Montmorency ‘contribute’ to the packing?

Ans. Montmorency made the packing more complicated for them. He sometimes, either sat down on the packing things or put his leg in the jam bottle. Anyhow, he increased their labor.

Q11. Do you find this story funny? What are the humorous elements in it? (Pick out at least three; think about what happens, as well as how it is described.)

Ans. The story is full of fun. There are many instances where humorous elements are used. Packing strawberry jam bottles on top of the tomato and quashing it and then removing the tomato juice with a spoon, is a funny instance. The second instance is putting slipper in the kettle and the third one is about the dog, who puts his leg in the jam bottle and pretends tomatoes as rats and kills them.

Language work

Papaya is the healthiest fruit with a list of properties that is long and exhaustive. Belonging to the family of Caricaceae fruit, it is commonly known as Papaw in Australia and Mamao in Brazil. It first originated in southern Mexico and neighboring Central America but is now available in every tropical and subtropical country. Papaya favors digestion as well as cures skin irritation and sunburns. You can munch on it as a salad, have it cooked or boiled or just drink it up a milkshake or juices. Modern science confirms the age-old beliefs that papaya has much to contribute to the health cause. The most important of these virtues is the protein-digesting enzyme in the milky juice or latex. The enzyme is like pepsin in its digestive action and is said to be so powerful that it can digest 200 times its own weight in protein. It assists the body in assimilating the maximum nutritional value from food to provide energy and body-building materials.

Papain in raw papaya makes up for the deficiency of gastric juice and fights excess of unhealthy mucus in the stomach, dyspepsia and intestinal irritation. The ripe fruit, if eaten regularly corrects habitual constipation, bleeding piles, and chronic diarrhea. The juice of the papaya seeds also assists in the above-mentioned ailments.

The juice used as a cosmetic removes freckles or brown spots due to exposure to sunlight and makes the skin smooth and delicate. The paste of papaya seeds is applied in skin diseases like those caused by ringworm. The black seeds of the papaya are highly beneficial in the treatment of cirrhosis of the liver caused by alcoholism, malnutrition, etc. a tablespoonful of its juice, combined with a mint of fresh lime juice, should be consumed once or twice daily for a month. The fresh juice of raw papaya mixed with honey can be applied over inflamed tonsils, for diphtheria and other throat disorders. It dissolves the membrane and prevents infection from spreading.

Complete the following 

The other names for papaya are ………….

Though now found in every tropical country, Papaya fruit originated in …………...

One of the most important virtues of papaya is ………….

Intestinal irritation can be overcome …………...

Diseases cured by papaya are………….

Throat disorders can be cured ……………

Ans. The other names for papaya are Papaw and Mamao.

Though now found in every tropical country, Papaya fruit originated in southern Mexico and neighboring Central America.

One of the most important virtues of papaya is the protein-digesting enzyme in the milky juice or latex.

Intestinal irritation can be overcome with the papain in raw papaya.

Diseases cured by papaya are ringworm, tonsils, diphtheria chronic diarrhea, bleeding piles, constipation, etc.

Throat disorders can be cured with the fresh juice of raw papaya mixed with honey

Ringworm is cured by Papaya juice/Papaya seeds/Papaya fruit/raw papaya. Tick mark the correct answer.

Ans. Papaya seeds

I. Match the words/phrases in Column A with their meanings in Column B.

Column (A)                                      Column (B)

1. Slaving                      (i) a quarrel or an argument

2. Chaos                        (ii) remove something from inside another thing using a sharp tool

3. Rummage                           (iii) strange, mysterious, difficult to explain

4. Scrape out                           (iv) finish successfully, achieve

5. Stumble over                      (v) search for something by moving things around hurriedly or carelessly

6. Accomplish                        (vi) complete confusion and disorder

7. uncanny                            (vii) fall, or step awkwardly while walking

8. (to have or get into) a row (viii) working hard

Ans.

Column (A)                    Column (B)

1. Slaving                      (viii) working hard

2. Chaos                        (vi) complete confusion and disorder

3. Rummage                 (v) search for something by moving things around hurriedly or carelessly

4. Scrape out                (ii) remove something from inside another thing using a sharp tool

5. Stumble over           (vii) fall, or step awkwardly while walking

6. Accomplish              (iv) finish successfully, achieve

7. uncanny                    (iii) strange, mysterious, difficult to explain

8. (to have or get into) a row (i) a quarrel or an argument

II. Use the following phrases in your own sentences.

Ans.

Toss for:     The three friends tossed for the beds to sleep.

Toss about: We tossed about the new plans for our business.

Fall into:    He has fallen into the swimming pool.

Fall out:     Some of the pages have fallen out of the book.

Search for: The student is searching for the lost pen.

Scrape out: He scraped out the skin of watermelon with a sharp spoon.

Mess about:        I spent hours messing about on my computer.