Chapter 13. Packing-NCERT Solution Beehive (English) Class 9 In English

Chapter 13. Packing 

NCERT Solution Textbook questions with Answer:

I. Discuss in pairs and answer each question below in a short paragraph
(30– 40 words).
Q1. How many characters are there in the narrative? Name them. (Don’t forget
the dog!).

Ans: There are four characters in the narrative including the dog. They are the narrator, George, Harris and the fourth is the dog named Montmorency.

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

Ans: The narrator felt that he knew more about packing than any other person living. Moreover, he would get an opportunity to boss the job and George and Harris would do the job under his directions.

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

Ans: George and Harris accepted the narrator’s suggestion readily. But Jerome did not like it.

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

Ans: Jerome’s real intention was to boss the job. He wanted that Harris and George should work under his guidance and instructions. But they accepted the proposal and sat idle on the chairs comfortably.

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

Ans: Harris asked the narrator to put the boots in the bag after strapping the bag. He did it with an intention to irritate the narrator.

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

Ans: Jerome was going to close the bag after putting the boots in it. He suddenly thought of his toothbrush. While travelling, he must needed the toothbrush which he packed in the bag. Now he had to search for it in the bag.

Q7. Where did Jerome finally find the toothbrush?

Ans: Jerome tried his best to find the toothbrush. He unpacked the bag but could not find it. He put the things back one by one, and held everything up and shook it. At last, he found it inside a boot.

Q8. Why did Jerome have to reopen the packed bag?

Ans: Jerome packed his spectacles in the bag. So he had to reopen the packed bag.

Q9. What did George and Harris offer to pack and why?

Ans: George and Harris offered to pack hamper because they wanted Jerome to take some rest. They decided to pack the rest of things themselves.

Q10. 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.

Ans: The true statements are as follows:
(i),(iii),(iv),(vi),(vii),(ix)

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

Ans: Montmorency’s ambition in life is to interfere with others and be abused. He wants to be a perfect nuisance and make people mad. If things are thrown at his head, he feels his day has not been wasted. To get somebody to stumble over him, and curse him steadily for an hour is his highest aim and object. He came and sat on things, just when they were going to be packed. He put his leg into the jam and worried the teaspoons and pretended that lemons were rats and got into the hamper and killed three of them.

III. Discuss in groups and answer the following questions in two or three paragraphs (100–150 words)

Q1. 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: Of the three, Harris is the worst packer in this world. But none of them is the perfect packer. All of them are confused and do not know what is to be placed and where. So far as Jerome is concerned he unpacked the bag to find his toothbrush in a boot. He also packs his spectacles in the bag. Harris and George start their work in a light hearted spirit. There are piles of plates, cups, kettles, bottles, jars, pies, stoves, cakes and tomatoes. They break a cup. Harris packs the strawberry jam on top of a tomato and squashes it. They have to pick out the tomato with a teaspoon. George treads on the butter. He gets it off from his slipper and puts it in the kettle. He puts it down on a chair and Harris sits on it. It sticks to him and then they look for it all over the room. In this way they created chaos in the room.

Q2. How did Montmorency ‘contribute’ to the packing?

Ans: Montmorency’s contribution to the packing cannot be forgotten. His ambition in life was to disturb others and be abused by them. He came and sat on things, just when they were going to be packed and he put his leg into the jam. He disturbed everything. He pretended the lemons to be rats and got into the hamper and killed three of them.

Montmorency wanted to be a perfect nuisance and make people mad. If things are thrown at his head, he feels his day has not been wasted. To get somebody to stumble over him, and curse him steadily for an hour was his highest aim and objective. When he got succeeded in accomplishing it, his conceit became quite unbearable.

Q3. 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 really humorous and funny. Jerome’s episode of packing, Harris’s and George’s way of packing and Montmorency’s contribution have made the story funny and interesting. Jerome was confused about his toothbrush and found it in a boot. He also packed his spectacles in the bag. The incident of butter makes the reader laugh. George treads on the butter and it sticks to his slipper. Later he puts it on the chair. Harris sits on the chair and it sticks to his bottom. They squash the tomatoes by putting the strawberry jam on them.

Montmorency’s pretention for the lemons to be rats is also fascinating and funny.