NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Drama Chapter 1 Villa for Sale
Summary for Class 9 English Drama Chapter 1 Villa for Sale
NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Drama Chapter 1 Villa for Sale
Question 4:
Complete the following paragraph about the theme of the play using the clues given in the box below. Remember that there are more clues given than required.
| sell, buying, house, enthusiastic, comes, 200 thousand francs, taking, favour, get, sleeps, money, 300 thousand francs, unhappy, in-laws, walks in, strikes, keep |
Juliette, the owner of a Villa wants to ____ it as she is in need of . Moreover, she is not in ______ of the house. Jeanne and Gaston, a couple visit her with the aim of the Villa. While Jeanne is __ about buying, Gaston detests the idea as he does not want his _______in that house. Also, he finds the asking price of the _______ to be expensive. When Jeanne and Juliette go around the house, another customer ____ and starts talking to Gaston _____ him to be Juliette’s husband. Gaston _ a deal with the customer by which he is able to give ____ to the owner and _ one thousand francs for himself.
Answer
1. sell 2. money 3. favour 4. buying 5. enthusiastic 6. in-laws 7. 200 thousand francs 8. walks in 9. taking 10. strikes 11. two hundred thousand francs 12. keep
NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Drama Chapter 1 Villa for Sale
Question 5:
Read the following extracts and answer the questions that follow by choosing the correct options.
(A) But the sign has been hanging on the gate for over a month now and I am beginning to be afraid that the day I bought it was when I was the real fool.
(a) Why is Juliette disappointed?
(i) she is unable to get the role of a cook in the films.
(ii) her maid is leaving as she has got a role in the films.
(iii) she is unable to find a suitable buyer for her villa.
(iv) Gaston is offering a very low price for the villa.
Answer
(iii) she is unable to find a suitable buyer for her villa.
(b) Why does she call herself a fool?
(i) she has decided to sell her villa.
(ii) there are no buyers for the villa.
(iii) she had bought the villa for more than it was worth.
(iv) the villa was too close to the film studios.
Answer
(ii) there are no buyers for the vill.
(B) ‘But your parents would take possession of it, every year from the beginning of spring until the end of September. What’s more they would bring the whole tribe of your sister’s children with them.’
(a) What does Gaston mean by ‘take possession’?
(i) her parents would stay with them for a long time.
(ii) Juliette’s sister has many children.
(iii) Gaston does not like children.
(iv) Juliette’s sister’s children are badly behaved.
Answer
(i) her parents would stay with them for a long time.
(C) ‘While you were upstairs, I have been thinking a lot about your Papa and Mamma.
(a) What is the discrepancy between what Gaston said earlier and what he says now?
(i) Earlier he did not want Juliette’s parents to stay with them but now he is showing concern for them.
(ii) Earlier he wanted Juliette’s parents to stay with them but now he does not want them to come over.
(iii) Earlier he wanted to buy a house for them but how he wants them to come and stay in their villa.
(iv) Earlier he stayed in Juliette’s parents’ villa but now he wants them to stay with him and Juliette.
Answer
(i) Earlier he did not want Juliette’s parents to stay with them but now he is showing concern for them.
(b) What does the above statement reveal about Gaston’s character?
(i) he is selfish.
(ii) he is an opportunist.
(iii) he is a caring person.
(iv) he is a hypocrite.
Answer
(ii) he is an opportunist
NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Drama Chapter 1 Villa for Sale
Question 6:
A. Answer the following questions briefly.
(a) Why does Jeanne want to buy a villa?
Answer
Jeanne wants to buy a villa for her old parents.
(b) Why is Gaston not interested in buying the villa in the beginning?
Answer
Gaston is not fond of his wife’s family. He believes that her parents would occupy the villa for quite some time and her sister would also visit there. He believes that buying the villa is a bad investment and has no desire to buy it.
(c) Mrs. Al Smith makes many statements about the French. Pick out any two and explain them.
Answer
Mrs. Al Smith makes the following statements about the French:
(i) “You French have a very cute way of doing business”.
(ii) “Frenchmen usually have to consult about ten people before they get a move on”.
Mrs Al Smith believes that French are not very business-minded and they don’t go into any details. Moreover, she also believes that the French are fickle-minded and they cannot make their own decisions.
(d) Juliette says “………………. now I have only one thought that is to get the wretched place off my hands. I would sacrifice it at any price”, Does she stick to her words? Why / Why not?
Answer
No, Juliet does not stick to her words. She quotes a price which was more than double the cost of the house to her. It was no sacrifice selling the villa at that price.
(e) Who is a better business person – Juliette or Gaston? Substantiate with examples from the text.
Answer
Gaston is a better businessman because he quickly seizes an opportunity to make money out of a situation he seems to be stuck in.
(f) The ending of the play was a win-win situation approach for Gaston, Juliette, and Mrs. AI Smith. Explain.
Answer
By the end of the play, everyone had the deals they desired. Juliette sold the villa at the price she asked, Gaston earned a huge profit without having to do much and Mrs. Al Smith got the land she wanted, near the Paramount studios.
NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Drama Chapter 1 Villa for Sale
6.B. Answer in detail
(a) Listen carefully while your teacher reads out the description of a villa on sale mentioned on page 146. Based on the information, draw the sketch of the Villa being described.
Answer
The villa is situated in Nogent-sur-Marne, so it must be constructed in Parisian style. The villa has a yard at the front and a salon on the entrance which is furnished with Cretonne drapes and furniture along with a painting by Carot. Upstairs there were three bedrooms and two servants’ rooms. The bathroom had a bath in it and the villa was equipped with electricity, gas, water and fixtures.
(b) Social Satire is a style of fictional representation that uses humour, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people’s behaviour, particularly in a social context. Substantiate how Villa for Sale reflects this style.
Answer
Sacha Guitry uses social satire to expose the varying aspects of humans in his play. Juliette, the owner ofthe villa, is going through difficult times and gets ridiculous offers by her maid to earn money by acting. Gaston, the shrewd businessman, is quick to change his stance on the villa the moment he sees profit in it. And Mrs. Al Smith is the epitome of obnoxiously rich who can throw away as much money to get whatever she wants.
(c) Passive characters are often considered ‘weak’ and ‘uninteresting,’ but can also be the true driving force of a story. Do you feel that the maid and Jeanne were the driving force of this play? Rationalise with evidence from the play.
Answer
The maid helps in setting the conversation at of the opening of the play, exposing the weak points and desperation of Juliette to get rid of the villa as quickly as possible. The maid provides a humour relief by pitching hilarious ideas of earning money to her madame. Jeanne on the other hand can be stated as the driving force in Gaston’s deal because it was her who dragged him in to see around the villa in the first place.
NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Drama Chapter 1 Villa for Sale
