Jharkhand Board Class 9TH English Notes | PACKING
JAC Board Solution For Class 9TH English Prose Chapter 8
COMPREHENSION
■ Read the following passage and answer the questions the
follow :―
1. However, I did not say anything, but started the packing
seemed a longer job than I had thought it was going to be; but I
the bag finished at last, and I sat on it and strapped it.
"Ain't you going to put the boots in?" said Harris. And I
looked round, and found I had forgotten them. That,s just like
Harris. He couldnt have said a word until I'd got the bag shut and
strapped, of course. And George laughed - one of those irritating,
senseless laughs of his. They do make me so wild.
Q. (a) What was the narrator doing ?
(b) What did he forget to put into the bag ?
(c) What was Harris's habit?
(d) What made him so wild ?
(e) Give the noun forms of : irritate, laugh.
Ans. (a) The narrator, Jerome, was doing the packing for a
holiday tour.
(b) He forgot to put the boots into the bag.
(c) Harris's bad habit was to point out the lapse only after
the bag was shut and strapped.
(d) George's senseless laughter made the narrator very angry.
(e) irritation, laughter.
2. Of course I had to turn every mortal thing out now, and, of
course, I could not find it. I rummaged the things up into much the
same state that they must have been before the world was created,
and when chaos reigned. Of course, I found George's and Harris's
eighteen times over, but I couldn't find my own. I put the things
back one by one, and held everything up and shook it. Then I
found it inside a boot. I repacked once more.
Q. (a) Why did the narrator empty the bag?
(6) What was he looking for?
(c) What does he compare the mess to?
(d) Where at last did he find his tooth-brush?
(e) Give different meanings of the word 'state'.
Ans.(a) The narrator took everything out of the bag to find his
tooth-brush.
(b) He was looking for his tooth-brush.
(c) He scattered all things in the room. He compares the
disorder to the state of the world at the time of its creation.
(d) He finally discovered his tooth-brush inside a boot.
(e) 'State' means (i) condition and (ii) an organised political
unit, a country.
3. They began in a light-hearted spirit, evidently intending to
show me how to do it. I made no comment: I only waited. With the
exception of George Harris is the worst packer in this world; and
the thing would soon become exciting.
(a) Who are 'they' here? What kind of packers were they?
(b) How did they begin? Why?
(c) Why did the author wait for?
(d) What did the author feel and why?
(e) Find words which mean the opposite of the following
words, from the passage
(i) ely, (ii) best.
Ans. (a) Harris and George are they' here. They were the worst
kind of packers.
(b) They began in a light-hearted spirit to show the author
how to do the packing.
(c) The author waited for them to commit mistakes.
(d) The author felt that the packing would soon become
exciting because Harris and George had piled up the
things.
(e) (i) vaguely - evidently, (ii) best - worst.
4. And then it was George's turn, and he trod on the butter. I
didn't say anything, but I came over and sat on the edge of the
table and watched them. It irritated them more than anything I
could have said. I felt that. It made them nervous and excited, and
they stepped on things, and put things behind them, and then
couldn't find them when they wanted them; and they packed the
pies at the bottom, and put heavy things on top, and smashed the
pies in.
Q. (a) What was done by George during his turn?
(b) Who is the narrator and what did he do?
(c) How did George and Harris create confusion while
packing?
(d) How did they smash the pies?
(e) Find a word from the passage which means 'broke'.
Ans.(a) George trod on the butter while packing.
(b) Jerome is the speaker. He went on watching the packing
work.
(c) They stepped on things and put things here and there.
They failed to find them later.
(d) They put pies at the bottom and broke them with heavy
things on them.
(e) 'smashed".
Long Answer Type Quesions
■ Answer these questions in about 80-100 words each:―
Q. 1. or 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. Jerome was the first to offer his services for packing
things in the bag. And he was fairly good at the job. He did the
packing all right. he shut and strapped the bag. But he was a bit
forgetful and confused. He first forgot to put the boots in. Then he
wondered whether he had packed his tooth-brush also. He opened
the bag a second time but found the brush inside a boot. He
repacked the bag but unpacked it again to take out his tobacco
pouch. Harris and George came forward to pack the hampers. Jerome
found them the worst packers in the world. They made a mess of it
all. They broke a cup, squashed a tomato,walked on the butter,
misplaced things, and made a lot of noise.
Q. 2. How did Montmorency contribute to the packing?
Ans. Montmorency was their dog whose ambition in life was
to get in the way. He made packing all the more difficult. He was a
perfect nuisance. He loved to be scolded and cursed. He came and
sat down on things. He put his leg into the jam, disturbed the
teaspoons, got into the hamper to kill rat like lemons. Harris had to
hit him with the frying pan.
Q. 3. Describe the packing of George and Harris.
Ans. When George and Harris started with packing, they broke
a cup. Then Harris packed the strawberry jam on the top of a tomato
and squashed it. They took out the tomato with a teaspoon. Then
it was George's turn. He trampled the butter. The author remained
quiet. They felt irritated, nervous and excited.
They packed the pies at the bottom and put the heavy things
on it, pies were spoiled. They upset salt over everything. As for the
butter, George removed it from his slipper, tried to put it in the
kettle, but failed. After scraping it, they placed it one a chair.
Harris sat on it. It stuck to his hips. They began to search, but
failed. They circled round the room and again blaming each other
with arguments. At last, George saw it. They got it off and put it in
the tea-pot. Whatever was left was spoiled by Montmorency. Hence
the whole episode of their packing was full of chaos.
Q.4. What used to haunt the author? How?
Or, How was the author's forgetting his toothbrush a
horrible idea? Why?
Ans. If not packed properly, a toothbrush is the most
tormenting thing on a journey. The author was prone to forget his
toothbrush. He had to open everything packed to scarch it
Sometimes he used to pack it and then would to open it again to
use and again pack it The author could not do without it He was
afraid of leaving it at home, Sometimes he used to dream about
this incident and wake up in cold perspiration and had to search it
at night But often he used to leave it at home and had to rush
upstairs at the last moment and carry it to the railway station
wrapped up in his handkerchief. Thus losing it was the horrible
idea used to haunt the author.
Q.5. Describe the humour as given in the story 'Packing'.
Ans. 'Packing' is really a humorous story. The humour and fun
lies in the action of packing by the author and his friends George
and Harris. They pack, unpack and then pack thing. In doing so,
they create a disorder and smash things. What they do and how
they do is really very humorous. The author himself had forgotten
his tooth-brush. He also remembered that he had forgotten his
tobacco-pouch inside. So he unpacked and then packed. The butter
incident is the most humorous. George trod on it and it stuck to his
slipper. They put it on the chair but forgot it They then searched
but Harris sat on it. Yet they had searched it in the room. While
packing, both squashed strawberry and tomato. They also broke
cups and plates, Finally, Montmorency added humour to the
packing. He thought lemons to be rats and hunted for them. He
was landed by Harris with the frying-pan.
Q.6. Describe George and Harris's adventures with butter.
Ans. The author was watching them pack. It made them
nervous. They stepped on things. George trod on the butter. It
stuck to his sleepers. They could not get into a kettle. George put
in on a chair. Within a minute, Harris happened to sit on it. It stuck
to his back. They searched for it in the whole room. George saw it.
scraped in out and put it in the teapot. They had to work hard to
pack the butter. The author says so because he has seen people
applying it on the bread and leaves, but has never seen people
walking, sitting, sticking it on and running after the butter.
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