THE ACCIDENTAL TOURIST
EXTRACTS FOR COMPREHENSION
Read the following extracts and answer the questions that follow in one or two lines.
(I)
The zip on the bag was jammed. So I pulled on it and yanked at it, with grunts and frowns and increasing consternation. I kept this up for some minutes but it wouldn’t budge, so I pulled harder and harder.
1.Which bag is being referred to in this extract?
Ans: The carry-on bag that was hanging around Bryson’s neck when he reached the Logan Airport in Boston on way to Europe along with his family is being referred to here.
2. What had happened to the zip on the bag?
Ans: The zip on the bag had got jammed and could not be opened in spite of hard efforts of Bryson.
3. Why did Bryson want to open the bag?
Ans: Bryson wanted to open the bag to take out his frequent flyer card and avail its benefits.
4. What happened when Bryson pull harder and harder at the zip?
Ans: When Bryson pulled harder and harder at the zip, the bag gave way abruptly and its entire contents spilt over, creating a mess.
(II)
I would love, just once in my life, to rise from a dinner table without looking as if I have just experienced an extremely localized seismic event, get in a car and close the door without leaving 14 inches of coat outside, wear light-coloured trousers without discovering at the end of the day that I have at various times sat on chewing gum, ice cream, cough syrup and motor oil.
1.Who makes this wish and why?
Ans: Bill Bryson, the accidental tourist, makes this wish because he desires to behave like other normal people whom he sees carrying out routine actions with ease.
2. Explain: ‘extremely localized seismic event’.
Ans: The phrase, in a literal sense, means a kind of earthquake that affects a very small area. This is Bryson’s way of humorously describing the mess that he left behind after eating dinner.
3. How does the speaker wish to sit in a car?
Ans: The speaker, Bryson, wishes to sit in a car without leaving out any part of his coat while closing the door.
4. What does the writer find on his light-coloured trousers at the end of the day? What does this show about his character?
Ans: The writer finds stains of chewing gum, ice cream, cough syrup and motor oil on his light-coloured trousers at the end of the day. This shows that he is very clumsy in his manners and very careless in using public places.
(III)
Of course, this is only when I am flying with my family. When I am on my own, I don’t eat, drink or lean over to tie my shoelaces, and never put a pen anywhere near my mouth.
1.What is ‘this’ as mentioned by Bryson?
Ans: ‘This’ here means the instruction given by Bryson’s wife to his children. According to this instruction, his children would open the lids of food for Bryson when travelling.
2. Why doesn’t Bryson lean over to tie his shoelaces when he is on his own?
Ans: Bryson had once got trapped in a crash position while tying his shoelace on an aeroplane. He doesn’t lean over to tie his shoelaces in order to avoid his earlier mistake.
3. Why does Bryson avoid putting a pen near his mouth?
Ans: Bryson had once put his pen in his mouth while talking to a charming female co-passenger. He discovered 20 minutes later that the pen had leaked and his entire face was navy blue. He avoided a pen near his mouth after that to save himself from further embarrassment.
4. Why wouldn’t Bryson eat or drink when travelling alone?
Ans: Bryson wouldn’t eat or drink when travelling alone because he was clumsy and prone to accidents. While lifting a glass of soft drink or any other food item, he would create a mess all over.
(IV)
Everyone I know – everyone – is forever flying off to Bali first class with their air miles. I never get to collect anything. I must fly 100,000 miles a year, yet I have accumulated only about 212 air miles divided between twenty-three airlines.
1.According to Bryson, what is everyone doing?
Ans: According to Bryson, everyone he knows is forever flying off to Bali first class with their air miles.
2. Is there an exaggeration in this statement?
Ans: Identify it. The exaggeration in this statement is that ‘everyone is forever flying’. This is an expression to emphasize the difference between the flying patterns of others with that of Bryson. In reality, everyone cannot fly forever.
3.Why ha: Bryson accumulated only about 212 air miles?
Ans: Bryson has accumulated only about 212 air miles because he either forgets to ask for the air miles when he checks in or the airlines fail to record them due to the mismatch of names on his card and tickets.
4. How do if e above lines support the fact that Bryson flies a lot?
Ans: The above lines mention that Bryson flies 100,000 miles a year via twenty-three airlines. This shows that he travels a lot.
Short Answer Type Questions (30 to 40 words)
Q.1. What does Bill Bryson tell us about his habit of getting confused?
Ans. Bill Bryson says that he gets easily confused at the things which the other people enjoy performing them. He says that he can’t remember the things for long. He forgets them again and again. He gives an example that when he is staying at some hotel he has to come to the reception counter two or three times to ask the number of his room.
Q.2. What happened at London Airport when the author was going to England on a long journey with family?
Ans. When the author was going to England on a long journey, he got in a troublesome situation at the London Airport. He had put his visiting card in the carry-on bag. When he tried to open it, it would not open because its zip got jammed. When he pulled it hard, it broke and all the contents of the bag disgorged on the ground.
Q.3. Narrate briefly the incident of spilling a soft drink on to a co-passenger in a plane by the author.
Ans. During one of his air flights, the author spilt the soft drink on to the lap of a sweet lady sitting beside him. The flight attendant came and cleaned her up. The attendant brought him a replacement drink and he knocked it into the woman again. The lady looked at him with the stupefied expression.
Q.4. What two reasons does Bill Bryson give for the absence of air miles cards with hint?
Ans. He says that he is a frequent flyer. He must fly one lac miles a year. But he does not have more air miles cards. It is so because he forgets to ask for the air miles when he buys a ticket. And sometimes the clerk at the air-station makes an excuse of non-availability of the air miles cards.
Q5. What is the ‘most outstanding thing’ that the writer, Bill Bryson, thinks he is not good at? What does this reveal about Bryon’s traits?
Ans: The writer, Bill Bryson, thinks that the ‘most outstanding thing’ he is not good at is living in the real world. This reveals that he is so lost in his own thoughts that he fails to conduct himself like a normal person and ends up causing accidents.
Q6. Bill Bryson says, “I am, in short, easily confused”. What examples has he given to justify this?
Ans: Bill Bryson supports his tendency to get confused easily by giving examples like his failure to look for a lavatory in a cinema. Instead, he ends up standing in the alley on the wrong side of a self-locking door. Another example is about his returning to hotel desks two or three times a day and enquiring about his room number.
Q7. Which two things did Bryson remember at the Logan Airport in Boston?
Ans: At the Logan Airport in Boston, Bryson remembered that he had recently joined the British Airways’ frequent flyer programme. He also remembered that he had put the card in the carry-on bag that was hanging around his neck.
Q8. What started the trouble for Bryson at the Logan Airport in Boston?
Ans: The jammed zip of Bryson’s carry-on bag started trouble for him at the Logan Airport in Boston. He tried to open it using force and as a result, it gave way abruptly. Hundreds of items in the bag spilt over and created a mess.
Q9. What happened when Bryson pulled hard at the zip on his bag?
Ans: Bryson’s side of the bag opened abruptly and its contents got scattered all over when he pulled hard at its zip. Newspaper cuttings, loose papers, tobacco tin, magazines, passport, English money, film – everything inside the bag spread over an area about the size of a tennis court.
Q10. How did the contents of Bryson’s bag spill away at the Logan Airport? What was his reaction to it?
Ans: Hundreds of contents in Bryson’s bag spilt away when the side of the bag opened up abruptly. The coins tinkled as they bounced noisily. The lid of the tobacco tin came off and the tobacco got ejected when the lidless tin rolled. Bryson was dumbstruck to see his belongings rolling away.
Q11. “My tobacco!” I cried in honour. Why does Bryson say so?
Ans: Bryson says so because tobacco was many times costlier in England, especially after the recently passed budget. He was horrified at his monetary loss when he saw the tobacco getting ejected from the lidless tin.
Q12. Why is Bryson’s finger bleeding? What is his wife’s reaction?
Ans: Bryson’s finger is bleeding because he has gashed it on the zip of his carry-on bag while attempting to open it. His wife’s reaction is of plain wonder, devoid of any anger or exasperation. She couldn’t believe he did such clumsy things.
Q13. ‘Why did Bryson’s hair go into panic mode?
Ans: Bryson’s hair went into panic mode because he was confused and unable to help himself in controlling the situation that resulted after he ripped open his carry-on bag. All the contents of his bag were on the floor and his finger was bleeding.
Q14. How does Bill Bryson end up in a ‘crash position’ in the aircraft?
Ans: Once on an aeroplane, Bryson had leaned over to tie a shoelace. At this time the person in the seat ahead of him threw back his seat into full recline, pinning Bryson helplessly in a crash position.
Q15. How did Bryson drench his lady co-passenger twice?
Ans: Once, Bryson accidentally knocked off a soft drink onto the lap of a sweet little lady, a nun, sitting beside him. The flight attendant cleaned her up and brought a replacement drink for Bryson. The accidental tourist as Bryson was, he knocked it off again thus drenching his co-passenger twice.
Q16. What was the worst experience of Bryson while on a flight?
Ans: Bryson’s worst experience while on a flight was when his teeth and gums turned navy blue. This happened because the end of the pen on which he had been sucking thoughtfully, had leaked. The worst part was that he discovered this only after twenty minutes of conversation with an attractive lady in the seat next to him.
Q17. Bill Bryson “ached to be suave”. Is he successful in his mission?
List his ‘unsuave’ ways.
Ans: Bill Bryson was a person prone to accidents. Whenever he tried to be suave, he would cause yet another accident. His unsuave ways included littering food at the dinning-table, getting his coal trapped while closing the car door, and smudging his light-coloured trousers.
Q18. Why do you think Bill Bryson’s wife says to the children, “Take the lids off the food fordaddy”?
Ans: Responding humorously to her husband’s accidental tendencies, Bryson’s wife tells her children to take the lids off the food for their daddy. She knew from experience that Bill was likely to topple the food and create a mess if he would be allowed to unpack it himself.
Q19. What measures did the writer adopt when he travelled alone?
Ans: The writer, Bill Bryson, would not drink or lean over to tie his shoelaces and never put a pen near his mouth when he travelled alone. He would just sit very quietly and control his hands from accidentally spilling over things.
Q20. Why could Bryson not get his frequent flyer miles?
Ans: Bryson could not get his frequent flyer miles because either he forgot to produce the card when required or forgot to ask for air miles when he checked in. Besides, the airline failed to record his account because his name on the card and ticket did not match.
Q21. Why was Bryson refused air miles when on a flight to Australia?
Ans: Bryson was refused air miles when on a flight to Australia because his card was in the name W. Bryson while the ticket was for B. Bryson. This mismatch in names made his claim to air miles invalid.
Q22. Why does Bryson not feel bad about flying to Bali first class?
Ans: Bryson does not feel bad about flying to Bali first class because he had decided, as a precaution, not to eat anything when flying alone. The flight to Bali was a long distance and he knew he could never go that long without eating.
Q23. Why does Bryson find it difficult to do even the most routine things?
Ans: Bill Bryson is a careless and unorganised person. He is also clumsy in his manners and hence finds it difficult to do even the most routine things. Besides, he does not take these shortcomings seriously. He laughs at himself and does not even try to correct his mistakes.
EXTRACTS FOR COMPREHENSION
Read the following extracts and answer the questions that follow in one or two lines.
(I)
The zip on the bag was jammed. So I pulled on it and yanked at it, with grunts and frowns and increasing consternation. I kept this up for some minutes but it wouldn’t budge, so I pulled harder and harder.
1.Which bag is being referred to in this extract?
Ans: The carry-on bag that was hanging around Bryson’s neck when he reached the Logan Airport in Boston on way to Europe along with his family is being referred to here.
2. What had happened to the zip on the bag?
Ans: The zip on the bag had got jammed and could not be opened in spite of hard efforts of Bryson.
3. Why did Bryson want to open the bag?
Ans: Bryson wanted to open the bag to take out his frequent flyer card and avail its benefits.
4. What happened when Bryson pull harder and harder at the zip?
Ans: When Bryson pulled harder and harder at the zip, the bag gave way abruptly and its entire contents spilt over, creating a mess.
(II)
I would love, just once in my life, to rise from a dinner table without looking as if I have just experienced an extremely localized seismic event, get in a car and close the door without leaving 14 inches of coat outside, wear light-coloured trousers without discovering at the end of the day that I have at various times sat on chewing gum, ice cream, cough syrup and motor oil.
1.Who makes this wish and why?
Ans: Bill Bryson, the accidental tourist, makes this wish because he desires to behave like other normal people whom he sees carrying out routine actions with ease.
2. Explain: ‘extremely localized seismic event’.
Ans: The phrase, in a literal sense, means a kind of earthquake that affects a very small area. This is Bryson’s way of humorously describing the mess that he left behind after eating dinner.
3. How does the speaker wish to sit in a car?
Ans: The speaker, Bryson, wishes to sit in a car without leaving out any part of his coat while closing the door.
4. What does the writer find on his light-coloured trousers at the end of the day? What does this show about his character?
Ans: The writer finds stains of chewing gum, ice cream, cough syrup and motor oil on his light-coloured trousers at the end of the day. This shows that he is very clumsy in his manners and very careless in using public places.
(III)
Of course, this is only when I am flying with my family. When I am on my own, I don’t eat, drink or lean over to tie my shoelaces, and never put a pen anywhere near my mouth.
1.What is ‘this’ as mentioned by Bryson?
Ans: ‘This’ here means the instruction given by Bryson’s wife to his children. According to this instruction, his children would open the lids of food for Bryson when travelling.
2. Why doesn’t Bryson lean over to tie his shoelaces when he is on his own?
Ans: Bryson had once got trapped in a crash position while tying his shoelace on an aeroplane. He doesn’t lean over to tie his shoelaces in order to avoid his earlier mistake.
3. Why does Bryson avoid putting a pen near his mouth?
Ans: Bryson had once put his pen in his mouth while talking to a charming female co-passenger. He discovered 20 minutes later that the pen had leaked and his entire face was navy blue. He avoided a pen near his mouth after that to save himself from further embarrassment.
4. Why wouldn’t Bryson eat or drink when travelling alone?
Ans: Bryson wouldn’t eat or drink when travelling alone because he was clumsy and prone to accidents. While lifting a glass of soft drink or any other food item, he would create a mess all over.
(IV)
Everyone I know – everyone – is forever flying off to Bali first class with their air miles. I never get to collect anything. I must fly 100,000 miles a year, yet I have accumulated only about 212 air miles divided between twenty-three airlines.
1.According to Bryson, what is everyone doing?
Ans: According to Bryson, everyone he knows is forever flying off to Bali first class with their air miles.
2. Is there an exaggeration in this statement?
Ans: Identify it. The exaggeration in this statement is that ‘everyone is forever flying’. This is an expression to emphasize the difference between the flying patterns of others with that of Bryson. In reality, everyone cannot fly forever.
3.Why ha: Bryson accumulated only about 212 air miles?
Ans: Bryson has accumulated only about 212 air miles because he either forgets to ask for the air miles when he checks in or the airlines fail to record them due to the mismatch of names on his card and tickets.
4. How do if e above lines support the fact that Bryson flies a lot?
Ans: The above lines mention that Bryson flies 100,000 miles a year via twenty-three airlines. This shows that he travels a lot.
Short Answer Type Questions (30 to 40 words)
Q.1. What does Bill Bryson tell us about his habit of getting confused?
Ans. Bill Bryson says that he gets easily confused at the things which the other people enjoy performing them. He says that he can’t remember the things for long. He forgets them again and again. He gives an example that when he is staying at some hotel he has to come to the reception counter two or three times to ask the number of his room.
Q.2. What happened at London Airport when the author was going to England on a long journey with family?
Ans. When the author was going to England on a long journey, he got in a troublesome situation at the London Airport. He had put his visiting card in the carry-on bag. When he tried to open it, it would not open because its zip got jammed. When he pulled it hard, it broke and all the contents of the bag disgorged on the ground.
Q.3. Narrate briefly the incident of spilling a soft drink on to a co-passenger in a plane by the author.
Ans. During one of his air flights, the author spilt the soft drink on to the lap of a sweet lady sitting beside him. The flight attendant came and cleaned her up. The attendant brought him a replacement drink and he knocked it into the woman again. The lady looked at him with the stupefied expression.
Q.4. What two reasons does Bill Bryson give for the absence of air miles cards with hint?
Ans. He says that he is a frequent flyer. He must fly one lac miles a year. But he does not have more air miles cards. It is so because he forgets to ask for the air miles when he buys a ticket. And sometimes the clerk at the air-station makes an excuse of non-availability of the air miles cards.
Q5. What is the ‘most outstanding thing’ that the writer, Bill Bryson, thinks he is not good at? What does this reveal about Bryon’s traits?
Ans: The writer, Bill Bryson, thinks that the ‘most outstanding thing’ he is not good at is living in the real world. This reveals that he is so lost in his own thoughts that he fails to conduct himself like a normal person and ends up causing accidents.
Q6. Bill Bryson says, “I am, in short, easily confused”. What examples has he given to justify this?
Ans: Bill Bryson supports his tendency to get confused easily by giving examples like his failure to look for a lavatory in a cinema. Instead, he ends up standing in the alley on the wrong side of a self-locking door. Another example is about his returning to hotel desks two or three times a day and enquiring about his room number.
Q7. Which two things did Bryson remember at the Logan Airport in Boston?
Ans: At the Logan Airport in Boston, Bryson remembered that he had recently joined the British Airways’ frequent flyer programme. He also remembered that he had put the card in the carry-on bag that was hanging around his neck.
Q8. What started the trouble for Bryson at the Logan Airport in Boston?
Ans: The jammed zip of Bryson’s carry-on bag started trouble for him at the Logan Airport in Boston. He tried to open it using force and as a result, it gave way abruptly. Hundreds of items in the bag spilt over and created a mess.
Q9. What happened when Bryson pulled hard at the zip on his bag?
Ans: Bryson’s side of the bag opened abruptly and its contents got scattered all over when he pulled hard at its zip. Newspaper cuttings, loose papers, tobacco tin, magazines, passport, English money, film – everything inside the bag spread over an area about the size of a tennis court.
Q10. How did the contents of Bryson’s bag spill away at the Logan Airport? What was his reaction to it?
Ans: Hundreds of contents in Bryson’s bag spilt away when the side of the bag opened up abruptly. The coins tinkled as they bounced noisily. The lid of the tobacco tin came off and the tobacco got ejected when the lidless tin rolled. Bryson was dumbstruck to see his belongings rolling away.
Q11. “My tobacco!” I cried in honour. Why does Bryson say so?
Ans: Bryson says so because tobacco was many times costlier in England, especially after the recently passed budget. He was horrified at his monetary loss when he saw the tobacco getting ejected from the lidless tin.
Q12. Why is Bryson’s finger bleeding? What is his wife’s reaction?
Ans: Bryson’s finger is bleeding because he has gashed it on the zip of his carry-on bag while attempting to open it. His wife’s reaction is of plain wonder, devoid of any anger or exasperation. She couldn’t believe he did such clumsy things.
Q13. ‘Why did Bryson’s hair go into panic mode?
Ans: Bryson’s hair went into panic mode because he was confused and unable to help himself in controlling the situation that resulted after he ripped open his carry-on bag. All the contents of his bag were on the floor and his finger was bleeding.
Q14. How does Bill Bryson end up in a ‘crash position’ in the aircraft?
Ans: Once on an aeroplane, Bryson had leaned over to tie a shoelace. At this time the person in the seat ahead of him threw back his seat into full recline, pinning Bryson helplessly in a crash position.
Q15. How did Bryson drench his lady co-passenger twice?
Ans: Once, Bryson accidentally knocked off a soft drink onto the lap of a sweet little lady, a nun, sitting beside him. The flight attendant cleaned her up and brought a replacement drink for Bryson. The accidental tourist as Bryson was, he knocked it off again thus drenching his co-passenger twice.
Q16. What was the worst experience of Bryson while on a flight?
Ans: Bryson’s worst experience while on a flight was when his teeth and gums turned navy blue. This happened because the end of the pen on which he had been sucking thoughtfully, had leaked. The worst part was that he discovered this only after twenty minutes of conversation with an attractive lady in the seat next to him.
Q17. Bill Bryson “ached to be suave”. Is he successful in his mission?
List his ‘unsuave’ ways.
Ans: Bill Bryson was a person prone to accidents. Whenever he tried to be suave, he would cause yet another accident. His unsuave ways included littering food at the dinning-table, getting his coal trapped while closing the car door, and smudging his light-coloured trousers.
Q18. Why do you think Bill Bryson’s wife says to the children, “Take the lids off the food fordaddy”?
Ans: Responding humorously to her husband’s accidental tendencies, Bryson’s wife tells her children to take the lids off the food for their daddy. She knew from experience that Bill was likely to topple the food and create a mess if he would be allowed to unpack it himself.
Q19. What measures did the writer adopt when he travelled alone?
Ans: The writer, Bill Bryson, would not drink or lean over to tie his shoelaces and never put a pen near his mouth when he travelled alone. He would just sit very quietly and control his hands from accidentally spilling over things.
Q20. Why could Bryson not get his frequent flyer miles?
Ans: Bryson could not get his frequent flyer miles because either he forgot to produce the card when required or forgot to ask for air miles when he checked in. Besides, the airline failed to record his account because his name on the card and ticket did not match.
Q21. Why was Bryson refused air miles when on a flight to Australia?
Ans: Bryson was refused air miles when on a flight to Australia because his card was in the name W. Bryson while the ticket was for B. Bryson. This mismatch in names made his claim to air miles invalid.
Q22. Why does Bryson not feel bad about flying to Bali first class?
Ans: Bryson does not feel bad about flying to Bali first class because he had decided, as a precaution, not to eat anything when flying alone. The flight to Bali was a long distance and he knew he could never go that long without eating.
Q23. Why does Bryson find it difficult to do even the most routine things?
Ans: Bill Bryson is a careless and unorganised person. He is also clumsy in his manners and hence finds it difficult to do even the most routine things. Besides, he does not take these shortcomings seriously. He laughs at himself and does not even try to correct his mistakes.
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