Question 1.
With your partner, discuss and narrate an incident about a person who likes to show off.
Check whether your classmates agree with you.
You can be at peace with yourself when you are true to yourself. Showing off doesn’t pay in the long run. It may impress some for some’ time but not all, all the time. My friend Ramesh falls in this category. Whenever you see him, you would always find him with half a dozen books. In the class, he interrupts the teachers for one or the other reason. If the teacher says that the World War II was fought in 1940s, Ramesh does not tolerate this kind of generalisation. He stands up and says, “Sir, to be exact from 1939 to 1945.” This lean and thin spectacled pantaloon had faced many interviews including the N.D.A. It was not the Board that interviewed him but it was Ramesh who interviewed the Board. The result was obvious. Everytime he got a rejection letter.
Question 2.
The ‘Professor’ knew too much. How did he prove himself ? Fill up the space with suitable examples from the story, using the given clues :
(a) about muzzle velocity : _____
(b) after a thirty mile walk : _____
(c) his salute on payday : ______
(d) the loud sound of a high flying invisible aeroplane : _______
(e) about hand grenades : _______
(f) during cook house duties :. _______
The ‘Professor’ certainly knew too much. He had everything on the tips of his fingers. He borrowed training manuals and read them all at night. He troubled instructors with questions. He always tried to show that all others, including his instructors, knew much less than him.
(a) about muzzle velocity: When a Sergeant defines muzzle velocity or the speed at which the bullet leaves the rifle, the Professor interrupts, “Two thousand, four hundred and forty feet per second”.
(b) after a thirty mile walk: After a thirty mile walk he was not only wonderfully tireless but would display his terrible heartiness. He would say, “What about a song, chaps?”
(c) his salute on payday: His salute on payday was a model to behold. When officers in sight he would swing his skinny arms marching like a Guardsman.
(d) the loud sound of a high flying invisible aero plane: The ‘Professor’ could unmistakably identify it by the harsh engine note, due to the high tip speed of the airscrew.
(e) about hand grenades: The ‘Professor’ gave a very specific answer about the fragments of the outside of a grenade. He told, “Forty- Four”.
(f) during cook house duties: During cook house duties he protested against the unscientific and unhygienic method of peeling potatoes resulting in sheer waste of vitamin values.
Question 3.
Answer the following questions briefly:
(a) What is a ‘nickname’ ? Can you suggest another one for Private Quelch?
(b) Private Quelch looked like a ‘Professor’ when the author first met him at the training depot. Why?
(c) What does the dark, sun-dried appearance of the Sergeant suggest about him?
(d) How was Private Quelch’s knowledge exposed even further as the Sergeant’s classes went on?
(e) What did the Professor mean by “intelligent reading”?
(f) What were the Professor’s ambitions in the army?
(g) Did Private Quelch’s day to day practices take him closer towards his goal? How can you make out?
(h) Describe Corporal Turnbull.
(i) How did Private Quelch manage to anger the Corporal?
(j) Do you think Private Quelch learnt a lesson when he was chosen for cookhouse duties?
Give reasons for your answer.
(a) A ‘nickname’ is an informal, often humorous name given to a person. The name is connected with his real name, his personality or appearance or with something he has done. The nickname of Private Quelch was the ‘Professor’. Another nickname for him could be ‘Mr. Show Off’.
(b) Private Quelch looked like a ‘Professor’ when the author first met him at the training depot. He was lanky, stooping, frowning through his horn-rimmed spectacles. A five- minute-conversation would bring out his debating skills and abilities. All these traits are generally found in university professors,
(c) The Sergeant who was describing the mechanism of a service rifle to the soldiers was as dark and sun-dried as raisins. He was wearing North-West Frontier ribbons. The sun-dried appearance of the Sergeant suggested that he had served in British India. There, the scorching heat of the sun bake the skin and made it tanned like raisins.
(d) The Sergeant didn’t relish when Private Quelch interrupted him. He went on lecturing. When he had finished, he turned with his questions again and again to the Professor. But it only enhanced the Professor’s reputation and glory. He had all by heart, the parts of the rifle or its use and care. The Professor knew them all. His knowledge exposed even further as the Sergeant’s classes went on.
(e) The smart answers given by the Professor made the Sergeant ask if he had taken any training before. The Professor replied confidently, “No, Sergeant. It’s all a matter of intelligent reading.” The Professor meant that he had read everything thoroughly and with concentration.
(f) The Professor’s greatest ambition in the army was to get a commission. In pursuit of his ambition he worked hard reading the training manuals. He tried to impress the instructors and the senior officers by his knowledge, promptness and smartness. But he would go step by step. As a first step, he meant to get a stripe.
(g) Private Quelch’s day-to-day practices might have not won him a commission in the army but it was not the end for him. Whenever he spoke, the squad listened to him in a cowed, horrified kind of silence. Instead of being nominated for a commission, he was nominated for permanent cookhouse duties. But everybody believed that his nomination for the commission was just a matter of time.
(h) Corporal Turnbull was a smart youngman. But he was not a man to be fooled around or talked frivolously with. He had come from Dunkirk with all his equipment correct and accounted for. He was the hero of soldiers. They thought him so tough that they could hammer nails into him without his noticing them.
(i) Corporal Turnbull was explaining that the outside of a grenade was divided up into a large number of fragments. The Professor at once told that the correct number was forty four. The Corporal said nothing, but his brow tightened. He was the kind of man not to be trifled with. He didn’t like any interruption. He cut the Professor to size by sending him for permanent cookhouse duties.
(j) There is no indication that Private Quelch learnt any lesson when he was chosen for cookhouse duties. He didn’t stop exhibiting his knowledge. When he entered the kitchen he started finding fault with the working staff. He protested against the ‘unscientific’ and ‘unhygienic’ method of peeling potatoes. He considered it a ‘sheer waste of vitamin values’.
Question 4.
At first, Private Quelch was a hero in the eyes of his fellow soldiers. Support this observation with suitable examples from the story in about 100 words.
At first, Private Quelch impressed all his fellow soldiers with his profound knowledge about everything under the sun. He was nicknamed as the ‘Professor’. The lanky, stooping and frowning ‘Professor’ was almost a hero in the eyes of his fellow soldiers. He had earned a certain respect from his colleagues. He wanted to get on in life. He had a brain that had a flair for details. He was always to the point and specific. In the very first lesson in musketry, he left his mark on the fellow soldiers. He had no liking for generalisation. When it came to telling the velocity at which the bullet leaves the rifle, the Professor was there to correct to the last digit. The Sergeant in the hope of revenge turned his questions again and again to the Professor. But the Professor was prompt in answering all the questions. Similarly, the Professor irritated Corporal Turnbull by interrupting and correcting him. He was sent for permanent cookhouse duties. Later on, his fellow soldiers couldn’t stand him for exhibiting his knowledge. They fled away whenever they saw him.
Question 5.
Private Quelch knew ‘too much’. Give reasons to prove that he was unable to win the admiration of his superior officers or his colleagues in about 100 words.
No doubt, Private Quelch or the Professor knew ‘too much’. He wds a lanky and stooping man frowning through his hornrimmed spectacles. He was aptly nicknamed die Professor. But Private Quelch’s habit of exhibiting his knowledge irritated his fellow- soldiers as well as his superior officers. Each time when one of his colleagues made a mistake, he would publicly correct him. He was always very condescending. He tried to show how superior he was to all of them. He badgered (he instructors with questions. When a Sergeant instructor described the muzzle velocity well over 2000 feet per second, the Professor corrected him. He replied 2440 feet per second. The irritated Sergeant in the hope of revenge, turned his questions again and again to the Professor. Corporal Turnbull cut the Professor to size for interrupting him. He snubbed Private Quelch by nominating him for permanent cookhouse duties. Even his colleagues fled when the Professor was nearby to avoid his sermonising.
Question 6.
(a) Write down the positive and negative traits of Private Quelch’s character instances from the story.
| Positive traits | Instances from the story |
| (i) _____________________ | ______________ |
| (ii) _____________________ | ______________ |
| (iii) ____________________ | ______________ |
| (iv) ____________________ | ______________ |
| Negative traits | Instances from the story |
| (i) _____________________ | ______________ |
| (ii) ____________________ | ______________ |
| (iii) ____________________ | ______________ |
| (iv) ____________________ | ______________ |
(b) Now, share your notes with the class. Add details if you need to.
(c) Attempt a character sketch of Private Quelch using your notes in about 100 words.
| Positive traits | Instances from the story |
| (i) Knew ‘too much’ | All doubts on the subject lost after five minutes’ conversation with him. |
| (ii) Very specific | When a Sergeant told the trainees that a bullet leaves the rifle at the speed of over two thousand feet per second, the Professor immediately interrupted him. He corrected him by saying, “Two thousand, four hundred and forty feet per second.” |
| (iii) Meant to get on | ‘He was sure to get a commission, before long.’ |
| (iv) Diligent | Borrowed training manuals and stayed up late at night reading them. |
| Negative traits | Instances from the story |
| (i) Disturbing | ‘A voice interrupted.’ The Professor interrupted when a Sergeant was delivering his lesson. |
| (ii) Badgered the instructors | He irritated and badgered the instructors with questions. |
| (iii) Air of superiority | ‘…………….. how condescending he was’. |
| (iv) Exhibitionism | His fellow soldiers fled to avoid his exhibitionism. |
(b) Attempt yourself.
(c) Character Sketch of Private Quelch
Private Quelch was a soldier without a rank. He was a tall and stooping man. He appeared frowning through horn-rimmed spectacles. His appearance, his reading habit and his deep knowledge earned him a nickname of the Professor.
Private Quelch meant to get on in life. He had brains. He was sure to get a commission before long. But as on first step, he meant to get a ‘ V’-shaped stripe. Private Quelch was not only ambitious but also very diligent. Even his fellow soldiers gave him credit for that. He borrowed training manuals and read late at nights. He had a flair for details and hated vague generalisations. He was always correct to the last digit.
The great defeat in Private Quelch was his sense of exhibitionism. He utilised his “intelligent reading” only to badger the instructors with questions. He irritated a Sergeant by his interruption during the lesson. In the hope of revenge, he turned with his questions again and again to the Professor. Similarly, he annoyed Corporal Turnbull hying to correct him publicly. He was punished and nominated for permanent cookhouse duties. Private Quelch was too showy. He always tried to show that he was much superior to all his fellow soldiers. He was always condescending. In the end his colleagues tried to avoid him. They feared his sermonising and fled when he was nearby.
Question 7.
You are the ‘ProfessornWrite a diary entry after your first day at the cookhouse, describing the events that led to this assignment, also express your thoughts and feelings about the events of the day in about 175 words.
Army Training Depot, Liverpool.
20th July, 1948 Dear Diary,
Corporal Turnbull was certainly not fair to me today. Perhaps he had taken his revenge. What was my fault? I don’t like vague generalisations. When it came to counting the fragments of the outside of a grenade, he should have been very specific. ‘Large number’ was a vague explanation. I gave the answer that was correct to the last digit—44 segments. I was expecting a nomination for the commission. He shocked me when he nominated me for permanent cookhouse duties.
My first day at cookhouse was quite a disgusting one. There is no system there. I protested against the unscientific and unhygienic method of peeling potatoes. Quite ridiculous and disgusting! Who should tell these fools that they are only wasting vitamin values by doing so. I will have to educate that gang of louts. They think that I am showy. But what can I do? I love knowledge and love to show it. And this is my fault. I can’t help it.
Question 8.
“That’s right,” the Sergeant said without enthusiasm, and went on lecturing. When he had finished, he put questions to us; and, perhaps in the hope of revenge, he turned with his question again and again to the Professor. The only result was to enhance the Professor’s glory.
(a) On which subject was the Sergeant giving lecture?
(b) Why did he put questions again and again to that Professor?
(c) Find a word in the passage similar in meaning to ‘zeal’.
(a) The Sergeant was giving lecture on musketry. .
(b) He put questions again and again to that Professor to take revenge.
(c) Enthusiasm.
Question 9.
The Professor answered with a phrase that was to become familiar to all of us. “No, Sergeant. It’s all a matter of intelligent reading.” (Page 23)
(a) What was the name of the Professor?
(b) Why was he called the Professor?
(c) Write the noun form of ‘intelligent’.
(a) Private Quelch was the name of the Professor.
(b) He was a very knowledgeable person.
(c) Intelligence.
Question 10.
In pursuit of his ambition he worked hard. We had to give him credit for that. He borrowed training manuals and stayed up late at nights reading them. He badgered the instructors with questions. (Page 23)
(a) What was his ambition?
(b) How did he trouble the instructors?
(c) Find a word in the extract opposite in meaning to ‘lent’,
(a) His ambition was to become an army officer.
(b) By asking so many questions to them he troubled and vexed the instructors.
(c) Borrowed.
Question 11.
And day in and day out, he lectured to us in his droning, remorseless voice on every aspect of human knowledge. At first we had a certain respect for him, but soon we lived in terror of his approach. We tried to hit back at him with clumsy sarcasms and practical jokes. (Page 23)
(a) Why did they show respect to Private Quelch in the beginning?
(b) What made them stop giving respect to him?
(c) Find a word in the extract similar in meaning to ‘unrelenting’. ,
(a) They showed respect to Quelch in the eginning because he had deep knowledge in every field!
(b) His exhibition of knowledge made them stop giving respect to him.
(c) Remorseless.
Question 12.
The Professor scarcely noticed; he was too busy working for his stripe. Each time one of us made a mistake the Professor would publicly correct him. Whenever one of us shone, the Professor outshone him. (Page 23)
(a) What did the Professor not notice?
(b) What did he do when any of his colleagues made a mistake?
(c) Explain: ‘the Professor outshone him’.
(a) The Professor did not notice sarcasms and practical jokes of his fellow soldiers.
(b) He publicly corrected them.
(c) He proved better than him. –
Question 13.
“for permanent cookhouse duties, I’ve decided that Private Quelch is just the man for the job.” Of course, it was a joke for days afterwards; a joke and joy to all of us. (Page 25)
(a) Who sent Quelch for cookhouse duties?
(b) ‘It was a joke’, for whom?
(c) It was a ‘joke and joy’ to all. Why?
(a) Corporal Turnbull sent Quelch for cook-house duties.
(b) It was a joke for Quelch’s colleagues.
(c) Quelch was snubbed publicly. It was a ‘joke and joy’ to all.
Question 14.
“Really. I must protest against this abominably unscientific and unhygienic method of peeling potatoes. I need to only draw your attention to the sheer waste of vitamin values ” We fled. (Page 25)
(a) Who is ‘I’ in the above lines?
(b) What was unscientific and unhygienic?
(c) Find a word in the extract similar in meaning to ‘hatefully’.
(а) Private Quelch
(b) The method of peeling potatoes was unscientific and unhygienic.
(c) Abominably.
ABOUT THE STORY
‘The Man Who Knew Too Much’ brings home the idea that self-pride and overconfidence, together with tactlessness, often prove to be harmful. It depicts an encounter between the narrator and Private Quelch, a soldier at the training depot. For his too much sermonizing Private Quelch has come to be named ‘Professor’. He had great knowledge but he was in the habit of interrupting even his seniors. He interrupted his Sergeant about muzzle velocity. Once he interrupted and corrected Corporal Turnbull about the structure of a hand grenade. The Corporal being vindicative sent him to the kitchen on a permanent duty where he continued sermonizing.
CHARACTERS
(i) Private Quelch
Private Quelch or ‘Professor’ is a good-intentioned but tactless fellow. He is a storehouse of awesome knowledge which he continues to display. He will interrupt and correct even his seniors in public, most of whom feel irritated and humiliated. He has great ambitions regrading his career. He has passion to surpass others. He is innocent to a point of fault. His habit of interrupting others in a rude manner proves to be harmful. His dreams are shattered when he is sent to kitchen on permanent duty. Ironically, he continues sermonizing even in the kitchen.
Question 15:
The Sergeant asked, “You had any training before ?”
The Professor answered with a phrase that was to become familiar to all of us. “No, Sergeant. It’s all a matter of intelligent reading.”
(а) Why did the Sergeant put this question ?
(b) What was the Sergeant’s purpose in putting the Professor so many questions ?
(c) Give the meaning of ‘intelligent reading’.
(a) The Sergeant put this question because the Professor had answered all the questions put to him by the Sergeant.
(b) The Sergeant put so many questions to belittle the Professor.
(c) It means ‘complete understanding of what is read’.
Question 16:
remember the first lesson we had in musketry. We stood in an attentive circle while a Sergeant, a man as dark and sun-dried as raisins, wearing North-West Frontier ribbons, described the mechanism of a service rifle.
(a) What is the meaning of musketry ?
(b) Describe the Sergeant.
(c) What does the phrase ‘North-West Frontier Ribbons’ convey about the person mentioned?
(a) It means the art of using musket, a type of gun.
(b) The Sergeant was a dark-complexioned, experienced soldier.
(c) It means that the Sergeant had won an honour fighting on the North-West Frontier.
Question 17
When, after a hard morning’s work cleaning out our hut, we listened in silence to the Orderly Officer’s praise, the Professor would break out with a ringing, dutifully beaming, “Thank you, sir!” And how superior, how condescending he was. It was always, “Let me show you, fellow,” or “No, you’ll ruin your rifle, that way, old man.”
(a) Give the meaning of the word ‘condescending’.
(b) Why did Private Quelch behave in this manner with his superiors ?
(c) Which expression tells us that Private Quelch was always cheerful ?
(a) The word ‘condescending1 means behaving in a polite manner but showing as if one were obliging somebody.
(b) Private Quelch behaved in an over-confident manner because he wanted to show off his knowledge.
(c) The phrase is ‘break out with a ringing, dutifully beaming’.
Question 18
A voice interrupted, ‘Two thousand, four hundred and forty feet per second.’
(а) Who spoke this line and to whom ?
(b) In which context did he speak ?
(c) Give the meaning of the word ‘interrupted’.
(а) Private Quelch spoke this line to the Sergeant.
(b) He spoke when the Sergeant was telling about the speed of the bullet.
(c) It means ‘stopped someone to say or do something’.
Question 19
What could a gang of louts like us do with a man like that ?
(а) Who utters these sentiments ?
(b) Which ‘gang of louts’ is referred to here ?
(c) What do you mean by ‘louts’ ?
(a) The narrator, one of the trainees, utters these sentiments.
(b) ‘The gang of louts’ refers to the group of trainees who are quite mischievous and aggressive.
(c) ‘those who behave rudely and aggressively’.
Question 20
He was our hero, and we used to tell each other that he was so tough that you could hammer nails into him without his noticing it.
(a) Who is ‘he’ referred to here ?
(b) What kind of person was he ?
(c) What does ‘tough’ mean ?
(а) ‘He’ is Corporal Turnbull.
(b) He was a young man, very serious and tough-minded.
(c) ‘mentally strong’.
Question 21
The Corporal said nothing, but his brow tightened. He opened his mouth to resume.
(а) What made the Corporal feel irritated ?
(b) What did he resume ?
(c) Give the meaning of‘resume’.
(a) Private Quelch’s interrupting his lecture made him feel irritated.
(b) He was lecturing to new recruits.
(c) ‘begin again’.
Question 22
I met Private Quelch at the training depot. A man is liable in his first week of army life-together with his uniform, rifle and equipment-a nickname.
(a) What was the nickname of Private Quelch ?
(b) Why was he called ‘Professor’ ?
(c) Give the meaning of the word ‘liable’.
(a) The nickname of Private Quelch was ‘Professor’.
(b) He was called Professor because of his habit of sermonizing to one and all.
(c) ‘likely to have/get’.
Question 23
“Really. I must protest against this abominably unscientific and unhygienic method of peeling potatoes. I need to only draw your attention to the sheer waste of vitamin values ”
(a) ho is ‘I’ here ?
(b) Where is the speaker ?
(c) What does he want to say ? Why ?
(а) T is here Private Quelch.
(b) Private Quelch, the speaker, is in the kitchen.
(c) He is trying to tell his co-workers the best way of peeling potatoes. He wants to show that he has better knowledge about the task than they do.
Question 26
“Thank you, Private Quelch. Fall in with the others now”.
(a) Who thanked Private Quelch ?
(b) What task was entrusted to Private Quelch ?
(c) What does ‘fall in’ mean ?
(а) Corporal Turnbull thanked Private Quelch.
(b) Private Quelch was asked to lecture on the characteristics of the grenade.
(c) ‘form lines’.
Question 27
So this was the great moment.
(а) Why was that moment considered the great ?
(b) What duty was assigned to Private Quelch ?
(c) Use another word for ‘moment’.
(а) The ‘moment’ was great as the trainees thought that the Corporal was going to nominate one of them for a big job or for a stripe.
(b) Private Quelch was assigned kitchen duties permanently.
(c) ‘instant’.
Question 28
Of course, it was a joke for days afterwards; a joke and joy to all of us.
(a) What was the ‘joke’ ?
(b) Why were the trainees happy ?
(c) What do you mean by ‘all of us’ here ?
(a) The ‘joke’ was the assigning of kitchen duties to Private Quelch quite unexpectedly.
(b) The trainees were happy because Private Quelch would no longer be with them to browbeat them with his superior knowledge.
(c) ‘all trainees including the narrator’.
Question 29
He had brains. He was sure to get a commission, before long. As a first step, he meant to get a stripe.
(a) Who is ‘he’ referred to ?
(b) What made him so confident ?
(c) What do you mean by ‘stripe’ ?
(а) ‘He’ is referred to Private Quelch, ‘Professor’, who was one of the trainee soldiers.
(b) His knowledge and intelligence made him confident.
(c) ‘a V-shaped band to indicate the rank of a soldier’.
Question 30
“What about a song, chaps ?” is not greeted politely at the end of thirty miles.
(а) Who would suggest singing a song ?
(b) Why was this suggestion resented by his fellow trainees ?
(c) What do you mean by ‘chaps’ ?
(a) Private Quelch would suggest singing a song.
(b) The suggestion was resented because all the trainees, except perhaps Quelch, were dead tired at the end of a long thirty-mile route march.
(c) ‘boys’.
Question 31
We tried to hit back at him with clumsy sarcasms and practical jokes.
(а) Who is ‘him’ referred to here ?
(b) Why was he ‘attacked’ ?
(c) Give the meaning of ‘sarcasms’.
(а) ‘Him’ is here referred to Private Quelch.
(b) He was ‘attacked’ for browbeating his fellow trainees with his vast knowledge,
(c) ‘remarks that are intended to hurt someone’.
Question 32
The Professor scarcely noticed; he was too busy working for his stripe.
(а) What did the Professor scarcely notice ?
(b) What impression do you form of him ?
(c) Give the meaning of ‘scarcely’.
(а) The Professor scarcely noticed the sarcasm in the remarks of his fellow trainees.
(b) He was simple-minded, though he sounded rude and aggressive.
(c) ‘hardly’.
Question 33
Each time one of us made a mistake the Professor would publicly correct him.
(a) Who was called the Professor ?
(b) What tells you that he was a tactless fellow ?
(c) Give the meaning of ‘publicly’.
(a) Private Quelch was called Professor in jest.
(b) His habit of correcting others in public showed that he was tactless.
(c) ‘when other people, especially strangers are present’.
Question 34
“Forty four”.
“What’s that ?” The Corporal looked over his shoulder.
(а) Who spoke ‘forty four’ ? What did he mean ?
(b) What was the Corporal’s reaction ?
(c) What do you mean by ‘looked over’ ?
(а) Private Quelch spoke ‘forty four’. He meant to say that a grenade is divided into forty four fragments.
(b) The Corporal was baffled at this sudden, unexpected remark.
(c) ‘inspected/examined’.
Question 35
The Professor was speaking again. “Shouldn’t you have started off with five characteristics of the grenade ? Our instructor at the other camp always used to, you know.’
(а) Who was being addressed to by the Professor ?
(b) What was the most tactless remark he made ?
(c) Give the meaning of ‘characteristics’.
(а) The Corporal was being addressed to by the Professor.
(b) The most tactless remark was : “Our instructor at the other camp always used to…”.
(c) ‘features/qualities’.
Question 36
The squad listened in a cowed, horrified kind of silence.
(а) What do you mean by ‘the squad’ here ?
(b) What made them horrified and silent ?
(c) Give the meaning of‘cowed’.
(a) A small group of trainee soldiers.
(b) They were horrified and silent at the humiliating comments made by the Professor for the Corporal.
(c) ‘frightened’.
Question 37
Who was Private Quelch ? Where did the narrator meet him ?
Private Quelch was a trainee soldier. He was a bespectacled, lanky person. He was serious-minded person. He looked frowning all the time. He was in the bad habit of sermonising and philosophising. The narrator met him at his training depot as he himself was a trainee there.
Question 38
Why was Private Quelch labelled as the ‘Professor’ ?
Private Quelch, a trainee soldier, was a bespectacled, serious-type of person. He had a great knowledge in his field. He was in the habit of sermonizing and finding fault with others. Se he was labelled as the Professor by his fellow trainees.
Question 39
Who is an Orderly Officer in lesson ‘The Man Who Knew Too Much’ ? How did the Professor behave in front of him ?
An Orderly Officer in the lesson is an officer of the day. The Professor wanted to please him. So he cleaned his hut so thoroughly that the officer could not help praising him. In this task he outshone his fellow trainees.
Question 40
Describe Private Quelch.
Private Quelch was a young trainee soldier. He was lanking, stooping and serious. He wore horn-rimmed spectacles. He had awesome knowledge in his field. Everyone was jealous of him. He earned the label of the Professor.
Question 41
Aircraft recognition was a matter of pride for the narrator and his friends in the lesson “The Man Who Knew Too Much”. How did the Professor humiliate them ?
One day the trainee fellows of the Professor, among whom was the narrator, heard the sound of an aircraft. The aircraft was not visible in the sun. The Professor at once said on hearing the drone of the plane that it was a North American Harvard Trainer, while no one could recognize the plane. It was something humiliating for the narrator and his friends.
Question 42
How did Private Quelch respond to mistakes made by his colleagues in the army training camp in the lesson ‘The Man Who Knew Much’ ?
In the army training camp Private Quelch would at once respond to the mistakes made by his colleagues. He would intervene to show how the rifle is handled properly and used to fire a bullet. His habit of correcting others in public was not liked by anyone.
Question 43
What was Private Quelch’s attitude to his juniors ? Give examples to support your answer.
Private Quelch’s superior attitude to his juniors was resented by one and all. Once he intervened to tell someone to handle the rifle properly. At the end of a long, tiring march he angered others by suggesting, “What about a song, chaps ?”
Question 44
What was Private Quelch’s attitude to his seniors ? Give examples to support your answer.
Private Quelch’s attitude to his seniors was irritating. He interrupted the Sergeant and told him the exact speed of the bullet. Then he interrupted Corporal Turnbull to tell him that a grenade has exactly forty four fragments.
Question 45
What was Tumbull’s reaction to Private Quelch’s answer ?
Corporal Turnbull became angry on listening to Private Quelch’s answer. His brow tightened. He asked him to give a lecture on the grenade in place of him. In order to teach him a lesson, he nominated him for permanent cookhouse duties.
Question 46
What was the announcement made by Corporal Turnbull in the lesson The Man Who Knew Too Much’ ? Why did he make the announcement ?
Corporal Turnbull announced that he was nominating Private Quelch on permanent cookhouse duties. He made this announcement to take revenge on Private Quelch for humiliating and correcting him before others.
Question 47
Why was everybody happy when Private Quelch was shifted to the cookhouse ?
When Private Quelch was shifted to the cookhouse, everybody was happy. He had become a nuisance for them by finding faults with one and all in the public. Everyone felt that it was a good riddance.
Question 48
What was the Professor teaching his colleagues in the cookhouse ?
Even in the cookhouse, the Professor did not stop sermonizing. He told his colleagues how to peel potatoes to preserve their hygienic value. He protested against the way they were peeling potatoes.
Question 49
Which characteristics of Private Quelch do you like most ?
Private Quelch was not a narrow-minded or evil-minded person. We appreciate his simple-mindedness and his desire to be helpful to others. His hard working nature and intelligence are really appreciable.
Question 50
What made Private Quelch unpopular ?
Private Quelch was in the habit of finding faults with others. He would flaunt his knowledge by correcting even his seniors in the public. This habit of his made him unpopular in the army camp.