Tuesday 21 August 2018

9th Std Ishwaran the story teller

Ishwaran the story teller

Q.1. Who was Mahendra? What did he do?

Ans. Mahendra was a young man,recruited as a junior supervisor in a firm. His firm offered supervisors hire at different construction sites. His job was to keep an eye on the activities at the work site. Being a bachelor his needs were simple and he enjoyed a transferable job. He could adjust him-self to all conditions and any situations.

Q.2. Describe Iswaran’s ‘amazing capacity to produce vegetables, etc.

 Ans. Mahendra had a cook. His name was Iswaran. He was quite attached to Mahendra and went wherever Mahendra was transferred. Iswaran was a good cook. He had an amazing capacity to produce vegetables from nowhere and cook them. Even at a place where there were no shops visible for miles. he was able to cook vegetables. He would conjure up delicious dishes made with fresh vegetables within an hour ofreachingthat place.

Q.3. How did Iswaran manage to make even the simplest incident interesting ? Give an example.

 Ans. Iswaran was a master storyteller. He narrated even the smallest of incidents by creating a lost of suspense. For example, if he had to describe a fallen tree, he would not simply say that he saw an uprooted tree on the highway,Rather he would say that the road was deserted and he was all alone. Suddenly he spotted something that looked like an enormous bushy beast. But as he came closer ,he saw that it was only a fallen tree.

 Q.4. What did Iswaran do after Mahendra had left for office?

Ans. When Mahendra left for office, Iswaran would do his work and take a leisurely bath. While taking bath, he kept muttering a prayer. After lunchtime, he would read for a while before going to sleep. He read popular Tamil thrillers. The stories that he narrated were greatly influenced by these novels.

Q.5. How did Iswaran add a prologue to his story of an elephant?

  Ans. Before starting the story,.Iswaran gave a detailed description of the place. He said that the place was a richly wooded forest. The logs of wood were hauled by elephants on lorries. But sometimes, the elephants turned mad. When an elephant turned mad, not even a skilled mahout could control it. .

 Q.6. What did the elephant do before Iswaran controlled it?

Ans. A tusker escaped from the timber yard. It roamed here and there. Then the tusker reached the town. People ran here and there in terror. After sometime, the elephant entered a school ground where children were playing. All the boys ran into the classrooms and shut the doors. The elephant pulled out the football goalpost, tore the volleyball net and broke the drum kept for water. Everyone watched helplessly.

Q.7. Why did Mahendra resolve to leave the haunted place the very next day?

 Ans. Mahendra had almost forgotten the incident of the previous night. But in the morning, lswaran told Mahendra that he had also heard the moan at night. He had come to his room. He had seen that Mahendra was looking out of the window at the ghost of the woman. Mahendra was cold with fear. As soon as he reached office, he handed in his papers for transfer from that place

Q.8. Do you think the ghost seen by Mahendra was only a trick played by his cook, Iswaran? Give reasons for your answer.

 Ans. First, Iswaran created the background by telling Mahendra that the place used to be a burial ground. Then he told the story of a ghost. One night Mahendra saw a figure outside his window. The figure looked like the ghost described by Iswaran. The next morning, lswaran told Mahendra that he had seen Mahendra looking out of the window at the ghost. This shows that it was only a trick played by Iswaran.

9.Who was Mahendra ? What did he do ?

 Ans. Mahendra was a young man. He was a bachelor. He was a junior supervisor in a firm. Mahendra’s job was to keep an eye on the activities at the work-site .

10. Describe Iswaran’s ‘amazing capacity to produce vegetables etc.

 Ans. Iswaran could get vegetables from anywhere. He could cook them very easily. He made delicious dishes even though he could get nothing else for them.

11. How did Iswaran manage to make even the simplest incident interesting ? Give an example.

Ans.Iswaran could create a suspense round the simplest incident. Once he saw a fallen tree on the highway. He said he had seen a big beast lying across the road. On going closer, he had found that it was only an uprooted tree .

12. How did Iswaran tackle the elephant in the school building ? Does it appear to be likely ?

 Ans. Iswaran grabbed a cane from the hands of one of the teachers. He hit the elephant hard on its third toenail. The elephant collapsed. It is hard to believe that a huge elephant could be tackled by merely hitting on its toenail.

13. How did Iswaran describe the uprooted tree ?

Ans. Iswaran said that the road was deserted. Suddenly he noticed something like a big bushy beast spread out across the road. He went closer and found that it was a fallen tree.

14. ‘Iswaran would not pick up the thread of the story right away.’ How did Iswaran build up his ghost story ?

Ans. Iswaran would first build up the background of the story. He told Mahendra that the whole factory area used to be a burial ground. Then one day he built up his story on it. He started telling Mahendra a ghost story.

15. Mahendra did not believe in ghosts. What happened to him on the last full-moon night ?

Ans. On the last full-moon night, Mahendra heard a low moan close to his window. The moan became louder. He looked out of the window. He saw a dark, cloudy form clutching a bundle.

16. What part did Mahendra’s imagination play in his vision of the ghost ?

Ans. The ghost that Mahendra saw was only a thing of imagination. It was a trick played by Iswaran. Iswaran enjoyed reading Tamil thrillers. His stories and activities were all influenced by these thrillers.

17. Describe Iswaran’s daily routine after Mahendra left for work.

 Ans. After Mahendra left for work, Iswaran would clean the shed and wash the clothes. He would then have a bath. After taking lunch he read for a while. He then slept for some time.

18. What havoc did the elephant create in the school ground ?

Ans. The elephant broke through the brick wall of the school. It pulled out the football goalpost. It tore down the volleyball net. It kicked and flattened the drum kept for water. It uprooted the shrubs

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS

(to be answered in about 30 – 40 words each)

Q1. Describe Mahendra’s character.

 Ans:Mahendra was a simple man with simple needs. He was a junior supervisor in a firm which offered on hire supervisors at construction sites like factories, bridges, dams etc. His work involved moving from one site to another as per the orders by his head office, and keeping an eye on the activities at the work site. He was a devoted employee and a kind-master.

Q2. Who was Iswaran? What did he do for his master?

Ans: Iswaran was Mahendra’s cook and a master storyteller. He cooked and washed for his master. He also enjoyed chatting and narrating interesting and convincing stories to Mahendra in leisure time.

Q3. What type of life did Mahendra lead?

 Ans:Mahendra was an unmarried man with simple needs. He made his living by supervising construction work at different sites as per orders from his head office. He was always accompanied by his cook Iswaran who served him faithfully.

 Q4. In what way is Iswaran an asset to Mahendra?
 Ans:Iswaran was called Mahendra’s asset because of his complete dedication and devotion to his master. He followed Mahendra to all his postings uncomplainingly and looked after his needs.He cooked excellently by improvising material even at the remotest place, washed clothes and also chatted with his master at night, often narrating interesting anecdotes and stories.

Q5. What sets apart Iswaran from other domestic helps?

Ans:Iswaran was different from other domestic helps because in addition to cooking delicious dishes, tidying up their makeshift shed, and washing clothes, he would also entertain Mahendra like a TV by narrating interesting stories. He would chat with him at night and give him company thus making up for his lonely, bachelor life.

Q6. Why does the author say that Iswaran seemed to more than make up for the absence of T.V. in Mahendra’s living quarters?                                              
Ans:The author says so because Iswaran was a fascinating storyteller who entertained Mahendra more than a TV could. Every day he narrated a new story packed with drama, adventure, horror and suspense.

No comments:

Post a Comment