NCERT Solutions For Class 9 English Beehive Chapter 7 Packing

NCERT Solutions For Class 9 English Beehive Chapter 7 Packing free PDF is given here. These Solutions contains answers to all questions provided in the textbook. Class 9th English Chapter 7 solutions are explained by the expert English teacher and as per NCERT (CBSE) guidelines.

Thinking about the Text

Question 1. How many characters are there in the narrative? Name them. (Don’t forget the dog!).

Answer: There are four characters in the narrative. They are Jerome (the narrator), George, Harris and Montmorency (the dog). 

Question 2. Why did the narrator (Jerome) volunteer to do the packing?

Answer: The narrator felt that he knew more about packing than any other person living. Moreover, he would get an opportunity to boss the job and George and Harris would do the job under his directions.

Question 3. How did George and Harris react to this? Did Jerome like their reaction?

Answer: George and Harris readily accepted Jerome’s suggestion. George smoked a pipe and “spread himself over the easy-chair”, while Harris put his legs on the table and lit a cigar.   No, Jerome irritated by their reaction.  

Question 4. What was Jerome’s real intention when he offered to pack?

Answer: Jerome’s real intention was to supervise the work. He wanted Harris and George to work under his guidance and instructions.

Question 5. What did Harris say after the bag was shut and strapped? Why do you think he waited till then to ask?

Answer: After the bag was shut and strapped, Harris mentioned that Jerome had not packed the boots.
He had waited till then to ask because he wanted to make Jerome realise his mistake and ridicule his packing skills.

Question 6. What ‘horrible idea’ occurred to Jerome a little later?

Answer: Jerome was going to close the bag after putting the boots in it. He suddenly thought of his toothbrush. While travelling, he must needed the toothbrush which he packed in the bag. Now he had to search for it in the bag.

Question 7. Where did Jerome finally find the toothbrush?

Answer: Jerome tried his best to find the toothbrush. He unpacked the bag but could not find it. He put the things back one by one, and held everything up and shook it. At last, he found it inside a boot.

Question 8. Why did Jerome have to reopen the packed bag?

Answer: Jerome had to reopen the packed bag twice owing to his forgetfulness. Once he had to reopen the bag as he had forgotten to pack the boots. The next time, he unpacked when he realised he had packed his tobacco-pouch in. 

Question 9. What did George and Harris offer to pack and why?

Answer: George and Harris offered to pack the hampers because it was getting late and they thought that they should do the rest of the packing. They also wanted to show off their packing skills to Jerome.

Question 10. While packing the hamper, George and Harris do a number of foolish and funny things. Tick the statements that are true.
(i) They started with breaking a cup.
(ii) They also broke a plate.
(iii) They squashed a tomato.
(iv) They trod on the butter.
(v) They stepped on a banana.
(vi) They put things behind them, and couldn’t find them.
(vii) They stepped on things.
(viii)They packed the pictures at the bottom and put heavy things on top.
(ix) They upset almost everything.
(x) They were very good at packing.

Answer: Statements (i), (iii), (iv) ,(vi), (vii) and (ix) are true.

Question II. What does Jerome say was Montmorency’s ambition in life? What do you think of Montmorency and why?

Answer: Jerome says Montmorency’s ambition in life was to get in the way and he sworn at. Montmorency was a mischievous little dog who loved creating troubles for others. I think that Montmorency was a perfect nuisance because whenever he found people busy with their work, he might feel bored and wanted to get involved. He meant no trouble intentionally. But when people shouted at him or threw things at his head, he got discouraged and then went away to sit silently, which the narrator calls as the fulfilment of his conceit. 

III. Discuss in groups and answer the following questions in two or three paragraphs (100 −150 words)

Question 1. Of the three, Jerome, George and Harris, who do you think is the best or worst packer? Support your answer with details from the text.

Answer: Of the three, Jerome is the best packer because he knew how to arrange things in order. Though, he often forgets to pack certain things or gets confused, he knows what to keep first and what to keep last. On the other hand, Harris and George create a mess all around. Harris packs the strawberry jam on top of a tomato and smashes it. George treads on the butter. He gets it off from his slipper and puts it in the kettle. He puts it down on a chair and Harris sits on it. It sticks to him and then they look for it all over the room. In this way they make everything such a mess.

Question 2. How did Montmorency ‘contribute’ to the packing?

Answer: The packing escapade was already a messy job and  Montmorency’s contribution made it even more tiresome. He did his level best to be a “perfect nuisance”.  

He came and sat down on things, just when they were wanted to be packed. He put his leg into the jam and worried the teaspoons. He also pretended that the lemons were rats. So he got into the hamper and killed three of them before Harris could land him with the frying-pan. 

Question 3. Do you find this story funny? What are the humorous elements in it?
(Pick out at least three, think about what happens, as well as how it is described.)

Answer: Yes, this story is definitely funny. Not only is the way in which the three friends pack for their trip quite mirthful, but the way the author narrates all the incidents is also entertaining. 

The first humorous element is that he offered to pack, George and Harris leaves the whole matter to him. Consequently, he has to do packing though his real intention was to boss the job. 

The second humorous element is that George placed the butter on the chair and Harris sat on it and it stuck at his back. When they searched it for packing it was missing. They walk and walk round the room. At last, George saw it at Harris’s back. 

The third humorous element is that Montmorency squirms in where he is not wanted. He wants somebody stumble over him and curse him steadily for an hour. He pretends that lemons were rats. 

Thinking about Language

I. Match the words/phrases in Column A with their meanings in Column B.

A	B
1. slaving	(i) a quarrel or an argument
2. chaos	(ii) remove something from inside another thing using a sharp tool
3. rummage	(iii) strange, mysterious, difficult to explain
4. scrape out	(iv) finish successfully, achieve
5. stumble over, tumble into	(v) search for something by moving things around hurriedly or carelessly
6. accomplish	(vi) complete confusion and disorder
7. uncanny	(vii) fall, or step awkwardly while walking
8. (to have or get into) a row	(viii) working hard

Answer:

A	B
1. slaving	(viii) working hard
2. chaos	(vi) complete confusion and disorder
3. rummage	(v) search for something by moving things around hurriedly or carelessly
4. scrape out	(ii) remove something from inside another thing using a sharp tool
5. stumble over, tumble into	(vii) fall, or step awkwardly while walking
6. accomplish	(iv) finish successfully, achieve
7. uncanny	(iii) strange, mysterious, difficult to explain
8. (to have or get into) a row	(i) a quarrel or an argument

II. Use suitable words or phrases from Column A above to complete the paragraph given below.

A Traffic Jam

During power cuts, when traffic lights go off, there is utter __________ at crossroads. Drivers add to the confusion by __________ over their right of way, and nearly come to blows. Sometimes passers-by, seeing a few policemen __________ at regulating traffic, step in to help. This gives them a feeling of having __________ something.

Answer:

During power cuts, when traffic lights go off, there is utter chaos at crossroads. Drivers add to the confusion by getting into a row over their right of way, and nearly come to blows. Sometimes passers-by, seeing a few policemen slaving at regulating traffic, step in to help. This gives them a feeling of having accomplished something.

III. 2. The table below has some proverbs telling you what to do and what not to do. Fill in the blanks and add a few more such proverbs to the table.

Positive	Negative
(i) Save for a rainy day.	(i) Don’t cry over spilt milk.
(ii) Make hay while the sun shines.	(ii) Don’t put the cart before the horse.
(iii) __________before you leap.	(iii) __________a mountain out of a mole hill.
(iv) __________and let live.	(iv) __________all your eggs in one basket.

 Answer: (iii) Look Before you leap.
Don’t make a mountain out of a mole hill.

(iv) Live and let Live.
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.

(v) Try try till you succeed.
Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today.

(vi) Be first at the feast and last at the fight.
Never judge a book by its cover.