JKBOSE 9th Class English Solutions chapter – 1 Packing

The writer and his two friends, George and Harris, decided to go on a holiday. The writer said that he would do the packing. He thought nobody was so good at packing as he was. He told his friends to leave the whole job to him. They readily agreed. George spread himself on an easy chair. He started smoking a pipe. Harris put his legs on the table and lit a cigar. The writer had not intended this. He had meant to boss about and make his friends do the work. He enjoyed giving directions while others worked. However, he did not say anything and started to pack. It took him a long time to do the packing. But finally, he was able to finish it. He then strapped the bag.

Harris asked the writer whether he had put the boots in. The writer looked round. He found that he had forgotten to put the boots in. George laughed in his usual way. It irritated the writer. He opened the bag and put the boots in. Then it came to his mind whether he had packed his toothbrush or not. This was a thing which always troubled him while travelling. So he wanted to be sure whether he had put in the toothbrush or not. He took out everything from the bag. He could not find the brush in it. He found George’s and Harris’ brushes several times but not his own. He put the things back one by one. He shook each of the things while putting them back. Then he found the brush inside a boot. Now he had to repack the things once more.

When the repacking was finished, George asked him if he had put the soap in. Now the writer was feeling very irritated. He said that he didn’t care about the soap. Then he found that he had put his tobacco-pouch inside the bag. So he had to reopen it. He shut it up finally at 10:05 p.m. Only the articles of food remained to be packed. Harris and George offered to do the rest of the work. The writer agreed at once. He sat down at one side.

The two started in a light mood. There were piles of plates, cups, kettles, bottles, stoves, tomatoes, etc. to be packed. They started with breaking a cup. Then Harris put the strawberry jam on top of a tomato. The tomato got squashed. They had to pick out the tomato with a teaspoon. Then George put his foot on the butter. The writer kept sitting at the edge of the table and watched them. It made them more nervous. They put the pastries at the bottom and the heavy things on top. Thus the pastries got squashed. The butter got stuck to George’s slipper. He got it off from there and tried to put it in the kettle. It wouldn’t go in fully and what was in, wouldn’t come out. They managed to get it out at last. They put it on a chair. Now Harris sat on it and it stuck to him. They looked for the butter all over the room. Finally, they found it stuck to Harris’ back. They got it off and put it in the teapot.

Now their dog, Montmorency, added to their confusion. He came and sat down on the things they were going to pack. Whenever the two reached out for anything, the dog would put his nose in their way. He put his leg inside the jam. He spoilt the lemons that had been put in a basket.

The packing was completed by 12.50. They were all ready to go to bed. After some argument, they decided to get up at 6:30 in the morning. George was already asleep. They placed a bathtub near his bed so that he could tumble into it as soon as he got out of bed in the morning. Then both of them went to bed.

लेखक और उसके दो मित्रों, जार्ज और हैरिस, ने छुट्टियों में कहीं घूमने जाने का निश्चय किया। लेखक ने कहा कि वह सामान बांध देगा। वह समझता था कि सामान बांधने के काम में कोई भी इतना निपुण नहीं था जितना कि वह था। उसने अपने मित्रों को कहा कि वे पूरा काम उस पर छोड़ दें। वे तुरन्त मान गए। जार्ज एक आराम-कुर्सी पर पसर गया। उसने अपना पाइप सुलगाया और अपने मुंह में लगा लिया। हैरिस ने अपनी टांगे मेज़ के ऊपर रख ली और एक सिगार सुलगा लिया। लेखक ने ऐसा बिल्कुल नहीं चाहा था। उसके कहने का भाव यह रहा था कि वह आदेश देता रहेगा और उसके मित्र सामान बांधने का काम करते रहेंगे। उसे सदा ही आदेश देकर काम करवाने में आनन्द आता था। किन्तु अब वह बिना कुछ कहे सामान बांधने के काम में जुट गया। उसे इस काम में काफ़ी समय लग गया। किन्तु अंत में उसने इसे समाप्त कर लिया और बैग को कस कर बांध दिया।

हैरिस ने लेखक से पूछा कि उसने जूते बैग के अंदर रख दिए थे या नहीं। जब लेखक ने घूम कर देखा तो उसे पता चला कि वह जूते रखना भूल गया था। जार्ज अपने स्वाभाविक रूप में हंस दिया, जिससे लेखक खीझ गया। उसने बैग को खोला और जूते इसके अंदर रख दिए। फिर उसे विचार आया कि उसने अपने दांत – ब्रुश बैग में डाला था या नहीं। यह एक ऐसी चीज़ थी जो यात्रा के दौरान उसे हमेशा परेशान किया करती थी। उसने बैग से सब कुछ निकाल दिया किन्तु उसे ब्रुश कहीं न मिला। उसने सब चीज़ों को एक-एक करके वापस थैले में डाला। वापस रखते हुए वह प्रत्येक चीज़ को झटक-झटक कर देखता रहा। तब उसे ब्रुश एक जूते के अंदर पड़ा मिल गया। उसे सामान फिर से बांधना पड़ा।

दोबारा सामान बांधने का काम पूरा हो गया तो जार्ज ने पूछ लिया कि क्या उसने बैग में साबुन डाला था या नहीं। लेखक अब बहुत खीझ चुका था। उसने कह दिया कि उसे साबुन की कोई परवाह नहीं थी। तब उसे पता चला कि उसने अपना तंबाकू का पैकेट बैग के अंदर ही डाल दिया था। इसलिए उसे बैग को एक बार फिर खोलना पड़ा। अंत में, उसने दस बज कर पांच मिनट पर सामान बांधने का काम पूरा कर दिया। केवल खाने के सामान वाली टोकरियों को बांधना रह गया था। हैरिस और जार्ज ने बाकी का यह काम कर देने की पेशकश की। इस पर लेखक तुरन्त सहमत हो गया तथा एक ओर हट कर बैठ गया।

दोनों ने बहुत सहज भाव से काम करना शुरू कर दिया। वहां बांधने को अनेकों चीजें थीं प्लेटों और कपों का ढेर, केतलियां, बोतलें, स्टोव, टमाटर, इत्यादि । उनका काम एक कप तोड़ने से शुरू हुआ। फिर हैरिस ने एक टमाटर के ऊपर स्ट्रॉबेरी जैम रख दिया। इससे टमाटर पिस गया। अब उन्हें एक चम्मच से पिसे हुए टमाटर को वहां से निकालना पड़ा। तब जार्ज ने मक्खन के ऊपर अपना पांव रख दिया। लेखक मेज़ के किनारे बैठा रहा और उन्हें देखता रहा। इससे वे और भी घबरा गए। उन्होंने पेस्ट्रियां सब से नीचे रख दीं और भारी चीज़ों को उनके ऊपर रख दिया। इससे सभी पेस्ट्रियां कुचली गईं। मक्खन जार्ज की चप्पल से चिपक गया। उसे वहां से हटाने के बाद उन्होंने इसे एक केतली के अंदर रखने की कोशिश की। मक्खन पूरी तरह से अंदर नहीं जा पा रहा था और जो अंदर था, वह बाहर नहीं आ रहा था। आखिर वे उसे खुरच कर बाहर निकालने में सफल हो गए। उन्होंने इसे एक कुर्सी पर रख दिया। तब हैरिस उस पर बैठ गया और मक्खन उससे चिपक गया। वे पूरे कमरे में मक्खन को ढूंढते रहे। आख़िर यह उन्हें हैरिस के पीछे चिपका हुआ मिल गया। उन्होंने इसे वहां से हटाया और चायदानी के अंदर डाल दिया।

अब मोन्टमोरेन्सी नामक उनके कुत्ते ने उनकी गड़बड़ी को और भी बढ़ा दिया। जब चीज़ों को बैग के अंदर रखा जाना था तो वह आ कर उनके ऊपर बैठ गया। हैरिस या जार्ज जब भी किसी चीज़ के लिए हाथ बढ़ाते तो कुत्ते की ठंडी, गीली नाक उनके रास्ते में आ जाती। कुत्ते ने अपना पांव जैम में डाल दिया। उसने टोकरी में रखे हुए नींबुओं को चूहे समझ कर उन्हें बर्बाद कर दिया।

अंत में, 12.50 पर सामान बांधने का काम पूरा हो गया। वे सभी सोने के लिए बिस्तर पर जाने को तैयार हो गए। कुछ देर बहस करने के बाद उन्होंने निश्चय किया कि वे सुबह साढ़े छः बजे जाग उठेंगे। जार्ज अब तक सो चुका था। उन्होंने उसके बिस्तर के समीप पानी से भरा टब रख दिया जिससे सुबह वह बिस्तर से उठते ही इसमें लुढ़क सके। तब वे दोनों भी सोने के लिए लेट गए।

(Page 1) I rather pride myself on my packing. Packing is one of those many things that I feel I know more about than any other person living. (It surprises me myself, sometimes, how many such things there are.) I impressed the fact upon George and Harris and told them that they had better leave the whole matter entirely to me. They fell into the suggestion with a readiness that had something uncanny about it. George put on a pipe and spread himself over the easy-chair, and Harris cocked his legs on the table and lit a cigar.

1. Name the story and the writer.

2. What does the writer pride himself on ?

3. What does the writer feel about his skill at packing ?

4. What did he say to George and Harris ?

5. How did George and Harris react to the writer’s suggestion ?

6. How did George make himself comfortable ?

7. What did Harris do ?

8. Which word in the passage means ‘strange’ ?

 Answers

1. The name of the story is Packing’. The name of the writer is Jerome K. Jerome.

2. He prides himself on his packing.

3. He feels that he knows more about it than any other person,

4. He told them to leave the whole packing to him.

5. They agreed to it at once.

6. He lit a pipe and spread himself over an easy-chair.

7. He put his legs on the table and lit a cigar.

8. uncanny = strange.

(Page 1) This was hardly what I intended. What I had meant, of course, was that I should boss the job, and that Harris and George should potter about under my directions, I pushing them aside every now and then with, “Oh, you !” “Here, let me do it.” “There you are, simple enough!” – really teaching them, as you might say. Their taking it in the way they did irritated me. There is nothing that irritates me more than seeing other people sitting about doing nothing when I’m working.

(A) (i) What does ‘This’ in the passage refer to ?

(ii) What had the narrator intended ?

(iii) Who did the narrator want to teach and what ?

(B) Choose the most appropriate options:

(i) The word ‘hardly’ used in the passage mean ………….. .

(a) very hard (b) scarcely (c) not softly (d) with difficulty.

(ii) The word ‘potter’ has been used as ……….

(a) a noun (b) an adjective (c) a verb (d) an adverb.

(iii) The behaviour of Harris and George ………….. the writer.

(a) enjoyed (b) tickled (c) angered (d) irritated.

(C) What irritated the writer whenever he would be working?

(A) (i) When the writer offered his services for packing the things all by himself, his friends agreed readily. It was ‘this’ thing that irritated him.

(ii) He had intended that the packing job should be done by Harris and George under his supervision.

(iii) He wanted to teach the fine art of packing to his friends, George and Harris.

(B) (i) (b) scarcely (ii) (c) a verb (iii) (d) irritated.

(C) The writer used to feel most irritated when the other people sat about doing nothing when he himself was working hard on something.

(Page 2) And I looked round, and found I had forgotten them. That’s just like Harris. He couldn’t have said a word until I’d got the bag shut and strapped, of course. And George laughed – one of those irritating, senseless laughs of his. They do make me so wild.

I opened the bag and packed the boots in; and then, just as I was going to close it, a horrible idea occurred to me. Had I packed my toothbrush ? I don’t know how it is, but I never do know whether I’ve packed my toothbrush.

1. What had the narrator forgotten ?

2. What had he done with the bag?

3. What had Harris not said till then ?

4. Why do you think George had laughed ?

5. How does the narrator feel about George’s laughing ?

6. Why did the narrator open the bag ?

7. What was he going to do after putting his boots ?

8. What horrible idea came to him ?

1. He had forgotten to pack his boots in the bag.

2. He had shut it and strapped it.

3. He had not told the narrator about forgetting his boots.

4. He had laughed to see that the narrator was no good at packing.

5. He feels very angry.

6. He opened the bag to put his boots in.

7. He was going to close the bag.

8. He thought that he had forgotten to pack his toothbrush.

(Page 2) My toothbrush is a thing that haunts me when I’m travelling, and makes my life a misery. I dream that I haven’t packed it, and wake up in a cold perspiration, and get out of bed and hunt for it. And, in the morning, I pack it before I have used it, and have to unpack again to get it, and it is always the last thing I turn out of the bag; and then I repack and forget it, and have to rush upstairs for it at the last moment and carry it to the railway station, wrapped up in my pocket-handkerchief.

1. What is it that haunts the author ?

2. When does it haunt him ?

3. How does he feel then ?

4. What does he dream and what does he do then ?

5. What does he do in the morning ?

6. What does he forget when he repacks?

7. How does he carry his toothbrush to the railway station ?

8. Which word in the passage means ‘keeps disturbing ?

1. His toothbrush.

2. When he is travelling.

3. Very miserable.

4. He dreams that he has not packed his toothbrush. Then he wakes up and hunts for it.

5. He unpacks his bag to get the brush, but doesn’t find it there.

6. He again forgets to put in his toothbrush.

7. He carries it wrapped up in his pocket-handkerchief.

8. haunts = keeps disturbing.

(Page 2-3) When I had finished, George asked if the soap was in. I said I didn’t care a hang whether the soap was in or whether it wasn’t; and I slammed the bag shut and strapped it, and found that I had packed my tobacco-pouch in it, and had to reopen it. It got shut up finally at 10:05 p.m., and then there remained the hampers to do. Harris said that we should be wanting to start in less than twelve hours’ time and thought that he and George had better do the rest; and I agreed and sat down, and they had a go.

(A) (i) What had the narrator finished ?

(ii) What did George ask him ?

(iii) What did he find after he had shut and strapped the bag ?

(B) Choose the most appropriate options:

(i) The word ‘slammed’ in the passage means ……….. .

(a) forced (b) slim (c) closed (d) banged.

(ii) The word ‘reopen’ as used here is ……….. .

(a) an adjective (b) a conjunction (c) a verb (d) a noun.

(iii) In ‘I had finished’, the word ‘I’ refers to ………. .

(a) George (b) Harris (c) Montmorency (d) the writer.

(C) Why had the writer to reopen the bag ?

(A) (i) He had finished packing the things in the bag; at least that was what he thought.

(ii) George asked the writer, Jerome K. Jerome, whether he had packed the soap in the bag.

(iii) He found with dismay that he had absent-mindedly packed his tobacco

pouch also in the bag.

(B) (i) (d) banged (ii) (c) a verb (iii) (d) the writer.

(C) He had to reopen the bag to take out his tobacco-pouch which he had absentmindedly packed in the bag.

                                                                 PASSAGE – 6

(Page 3) And then it was George’s turn, and he trod on the butter. I didn’t say anything, but I came over and sat on the edge of the table and watched them. It irritated them more than anything I could have said. I felt that. It made them nervous and excited, and they stepped on things, and put things behind them. And then couldn’t find them when they wanted them; and they packed the pies at the bottom, and put heavy things on top, and smashed the pies in.

1. What did George do ?

2. What did the narrator say to George ?

3. What did he do sitting on the edge of the table ?

4. Who does ‘they’ in the passage refer to ?

5. What did the narrator feel when he was watching them ?

6. Why do you think they stepped on things ?

7. What could they not find and why ?

1. He trod on the butter.

2. He didn’t say anything to him.

3. He kept watching George and Harris.

4. The word ‘they’ here refers to George and Harris.oe osobedy tot bos ti

5. He felt that he was irritating them.

6. They did so because they were nervous and excited.

7. They could not find the things because they would forget wh had put the things behind them.

                                                                    PASSAGE – 7 

(Page 4) He came and sat down on things, just when they were wanted to be packed; and he laboured under the fixed belief that, whenever Harris or George reached out their hand for anything, it was his cold damp nose that they wanted. He put his leg into the jam, and he worried the teaspoons, and he pretended that the lemons were rats, and got into the hamper and killed three of them before Harris could land him with the frying-pan.

(A) (i) Who does the word ‘He’ in the passage refer to ?

(ii) What would ‘he’ think when Harris and George reached out their hand for anything ?

(iii) What did he pretend about the lemons ?

(B) Choose the most appropriate options:

(i) The word ‘laboured’ in the passage means ………….. .

(a) worked hard (b) wages (c) had no rest (d) misunderstood.

(ii) The word ‘fixed’ as used here means ……… .

(a) determined (b) unchangable (c) firm (d) all of these three.

(iii) He pretended that …….. were rats.

(a) bags (b) teaspoons (c) hampers (d) lemons.

(C) Why did ‘he’ get into the hamper ?

(A) (i) The word ‘He’ here refers to Montmorency, the pet dog of the friends.

(ii) He would think that they wanted nothing but his cold damp nose.

(iii) He pretended that the lemons were rats.

(B) (i) (a) worked hard (ii) (d) all of these three (iii) (d) lemons.

(C) Taking the lemons for rats, he got into the hamper to kill them.

Ans.— There are three men characters in the story. They are the author, Jerome K. Jerome, and his two friends George and Harris. There is also their dog named Montmorency.

Ans.— He thought that he knew more about packing than any other person. That was why he volunteered himself.

Ans.— They agreed to it at once. They sat down comfortably and began to smoke. Jerome did not like this at all. He had not intended this at all. He had only wanted to superintend the job and keep on directing them about how to do it.

Ans.— He never wanted to do the packing himself. He only wanted to superintend the job. He had wanted that he would keep directing George and Harris about how to do it.

Ans.— Harris asked the narrator if he didn’t want to put the boots in. He wanted to show that the narrator was no good at packing. That was why he waited till then.

Ans.— He didn’t know if he had packed his toothbrush or not. The thought of forgetting it always haunted him whenever he started for a journey.

Ans.— Jerome found that he had packed his tobacco-pouch in the bag. He had to bocreopen the bag to have the pouch.

Ans.— According to Jerome, Montmorency’s ambition in life was to get in the way of others and be sworn at. He would squirm in where he was not wanted. If he could be a perfect nuisance, and make people mad, and have things thrown at his head, he would feel his day had not been wasted. Montmorency was indeed a very unusual  dog.

Ans.— I think all three of them are no different from each other. Each of them plays his own part in adding to the confusion.

It is true that George and Harris show their inefficiency in packing. But the author also shows his carelessness. He forgets to pack the boots, then gets busy hunting for his toothbrush and finally packs in his tobacco-pouch by mistake.

George and Harris start with breaking a cup. Then Harris packs the cod) strawberry jam on top of a tomato and squashes it. They pack the pastries at the bottom, putting heavy things on top. The pastries are smashed. Then mothey try to put the butter in the kettle. It doesn’t go in and what was in, beman wouldn’t come out. At last they manage to get it out. They put it on the chair and Harris sits on it. Thus we can conclude that Jerome proves but a figure among cyphers.

Ans.—  Montmorency came and sat down on things just when they were wanted to be is packed. Whenever Harris or George reached d out for anything, his cold, damp nose came in their way. He put his leg into the jam. He fiddled with the teaspoons. He got into the hamper and spoiled three lemons.

Ans.— The story is indeed funny from the beginning to the end. Each of the characters in the story contributes to the humour.

George and Harris started with breaking a cup. Then Harris packed the on a tomato and it. They packed the pastries the bottom, putting heavy things on top. The pastries were smashed. Then they tried to put the butter in the kettle. It wouldn’t go in and what was in, wouldn’t come out. At last they managed to get it out. They put it on the obedchair and Harris sat on it. Their dog, Montmorency, too disturbed them while packing. He got into the hamper and spoiled three lemons.

The incident regarding the butter is the most amusing. When George and Harris tried to put it in the kettle, it wouldn’t go in and what was in, wouldn’t come out. At last they managed to get it out. They put it on the chair and on it. the whole room to dy for the butter while it remained all the time stuck behind Harris.

Ans.—1. The other names for papaya are Papaw and Mamao.

2. Though now found in every tropical country, papaya fruit originated in southern Mexico and neighbouring Central America.

3. One of the most important virtues of papaya is the protein digesting enzyme in the milky juice or latex.

4. Intestinal irritation can be overcome by papain in raw papaya.

5. Diseases cured by papaya are habitual constipation, bleeding piles and chronic diarrhea.

6. Throat disorders can be cured with juice of raw papaya mixed with honey.

7. Ringworm is cured by—

papaya juice / papaya seeds/papaya fruit / raw papaya. Tick mark the correct answer.

Ans.— Papaya seeds.

       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                          (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

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

1. Toss for : There is only one ticket left — I’ ll toss you for it.

2. Toss about :  I kept tossing about in bed all night.

3. Fall into : He fell into bad company and lost all his money.

4. Fall out : He has fallen out with his elder brother and doesn’t speak to him.

5. Search for : He is searching for his lost purse.

6. Scrape out : Scrape out the flesh of the melon with a spoon.

7. Mess about : Will you stop messing about and get on with some work ?

● You have seen how Jerome, George and Harris mess up their packing, especially of the hamper. From their mistakes you must have thought of some do’s and don’ts for packing. Can you give some tips for packing by completing the paragraph below ?

First pack all the heavy items, especially the ones you don’t need right away.

Then ………

Here are some words and phrases you can use to begin your sentences with : ●Then

● Next

● Now

● Remember

● Don’t forget

● At last / Finally

Ans.— First pack all the heavy items, especially the ones you don’t need right away. Then put in the lighter things and the ones you might need to use on the way. Next put in carefully such things as your ticket, your toothbrush and your reading material (magazines, journals, papers, etc.) if any. Remember to check that you have packed all the things that you would need during the journey and later. Don’t forget to carry with you your identity proof. It could be your driving licence or your ration card. And lastly, be sure you have your money in a safe and secret place.

● Have you ever seen a humorous movie ? Sketch your favourite character. (Left for the students to do of their own.)