NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Literature Chapter 5 Best Seller
3. A. Based on your reading of the story, answer the following questions by choosing the correct option.
(a) “Bully,” said Pescud brightening at once. He means to say that he was
A. being intimidated by his boss.
B. harassing his subordinates.
C. doing very well at his job.
D. meeting all the sales targets.
(b) The narrator says that life has no geographical boundaries implying that
A. human beings are essentially the same everywhere.
B. one can travel freely to other countries.
C. boundaries exist only on maps.
D. one should work towards the good of mankind.
(c) Classify (1) to (4) as fact (F) or opinion (O), based on your reading of the story.
(1) Pescud had hurled the bestseller to the floor.
(2) People in real life marry somebody in their own station.
(3) Pescud got an opportunity to meet Jessie all alone two evenings after he met her father.
(4) Pescud believed that plate-glass was the most important commodity.
A. F-1, 3, 4; O-2
B. F-1, 3; O-2, 4
C. F-1, 2, 4; O-3
D. F-2; O-1, 3, 4
(d) Select the suitable option for the given statements, based on your understanding of the story.
(1) The author’s description of Coketown brings out the ugly face of industries that operated there.
(2) Pescud got off at Coketown as it had good business prospects for a plate-glass salesman.
A. (1) is false but (2) is true.
B. (1) is true but (2) is false.
C. (1) is the cause for (2)
D. (2) is a fact but unrelated to (1)
3.B. Read the extracts and answer the questions by selecting the correct options.
I contrived to keep out of her sight as much as I could, but I never lost track of her. The last station she got off at was away down in Virginia, about six in the evening. There were about fifty houses. The rest was mud, mules, and speckled hounds. A tall old man, with a smooth face and white hair, looking as proud as Julius Caesar was there to meet her. His clothes were frazzled but I didn’t notice that till later. He took her little satchel, and they started over the plank walks and went up a road along the hill. I kept along a piece behind ‘em, trying to look like I was hunting a garnet ring in the sand that my sister had lost at a picnic the previous Saturday.
(i) The extract tells us that Virginia was a _ populated town.
A. densely
B. highly
C. sparsely
D. hardly
(ii) Choose the option that uses the word ‘frazzled’ in the same way as the extract.
A. I feel pretty frazzled most weeks these days.
B. The cuffs of his brown shirt looked frazzled.
C. Father finally arrived home, tired and frazzled.
D. Mother was frazzled looking after all the guests had left.
iii) Read the statements (1) & (2) given below, and choose the option that correctly
evaluates the statements.
(1): The speaker pretended that he was searching for a lost ring.
(2): The speaker wanted to hide the fact that he had been following her.
A. [1] is true but [2] is false.
B. [2] is contradictory to [1].
C. [1] is the reason for [2].
D. [2] is the result of [1].
iv) Select the option that displays the characteristics of the speaker.
1. discreet 2. vain 3. ambitious 4. observant finicky 6. cautious
A. 1, 4 and 6
B. 2, 3 and 5
C. 1, 3 and 6
D. 2, 4 and 5
2. For about nine seconds he had me rattled, and I came mighty near getting cold feet and trying to sell him some plate-glass. But I got my nerve back pretty quick. He asked me to sit down, and I told him everything. I told him how I followed his daughter from Cincinnati, and what I did it for, and all about my salary and prospects, and explained to him my little code of living -to be always decent and right in your home town. At first, I thought he was going to throw me out of the window, but I kept on talking.
Well, that got him to laughing and I’ll bet that was the first laugh those ancestors and horsehair sofa had heard in many a day.
i) Select the option that matches the expression with the meaning correctly.
A. I-c, II-b, III-a
B. I-d, II-a, III-b
C. I-a, II-c, III-d
D. I-b, II-d, III-c
ii) Select the option that lists the statements which can be a part of one’s ‘code of living’.
1. Keep your word.
2. Never quit on yourself or your family.
3. Think about the future and ignore the present.
4. Focus on materialistic possessions.
5. Stay true to yourself.
6. Look back and wonder about your decisions.
A. 1, 3 and 6
B. 2, 4 and 5
C. 2, 5 and 6
D. 1, 2 and 5
iii) “I’ll bet that was the first laugh those ancestors and horsehair sofa had heard in many a day.” The tone of the speaker is
A. satirical.
B. ironical.
C. humorous.
D. sarcastic.
iv) Which option best describes the sequence of the speaker’s emotions in the given extract.
A. nostalgia-friendliness-jitters-disappointment
B. curiosity-nostalgia-fear-mild sadness
C. jitters-confidence-apprehension-delight
D. shyness—friendliness-excitement-nostalgia
4. Answer the following questions briefly.
a) One day last summer the author was travelling to Pittsburg by chair car. What does he say about his co-passengers?
b) What was John A. Pescud’s opinion about best sellers? Why?
c) What does John say about himself since his last meeting with the narrator?
d) How did John’s first meeting with Jessie’s father go? What did John tell him?
e) Why did John get off at Coketown?
f) John is a hypocrite. Do you agree with this statement? Elucidate.
g) Do you think Colonel Allyn enjoyed Pescud’s company? Why/ Why not?
h) Describe John A. Pescud with reference to the following points:
o His physical appearance ………………………………………………………………………
o His philosophy on behaviour ………………………………………………………………….
o His profession ……………………………………………………………………………………..
o His first impression of his wife ……………………………………………………………….
o His success ………………………………………………………………………………………….
‘Irony’ refers to the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite to
their literal meaning. Working in pairs, bring out the irony in the following :
a) The title of the story, “The Bestseller”.
b) Pescud’s claim, “When people in real life marry, they generally hunt up somebody
in their own station. A fellow usually picks out a girl who went to the same highschool
and belonged to the same singing-society that he did.”
c) The name Trevelyan.
6. Answer in detail.
(a) Pescud had the qualities of a good salesman. Justify this statement by citing examples from the text.
(b) Imagine you are Andrew Smith, the author of the bestseller, ‘The Rose Lady and Trevelyan’. You happen to meet Pescud during one of your train journeys and realise he is one of your biggest critics. Write down the possible conversation.
You may begin like this :
Pescud: Hello sir! It’s a pleasure to have this chance meeting with you. I have read your book, ‘The Rose Lady and Trevelyan’ but I must say that I beg to differ with your idea of romance. I feel it is far from reality.
Andrew: Hello Mr Pescud! I am glad that you are candid in your opinion about my book. So, tell me what’s your notion of an ideal romance?
7. Working in groups of four, write an article on the following :
The elderly seek attention and company from younger members of their family. They are eager to listen and long to share their life experiences. John A Pescud is not only respectful but also very patient with Colonel Allyn, Jessie’s father.
As a reporter, write an article for a newspaper, on the importance of the elderly in our lives.
