Tyndale-Biscoe and Mallinson Society

Senior Department
Tutorial Unit-1 (Session 2020-2021)
CLASS IX SUBJECT: English

PACKING
Jerome K. Jerome
Thinking about the Text
Q1. How many characters are there in the narrative? Name them. (Don‟t forget the dog).
The three men characters that are found in the narrative are Jerome K. Jerome, the author and his two
friends, George and Harris. Along with them is their mischievous dog, Montmorency.
Q2. Why did the narrator volunteer to do the packing?
Jerome prided himself in his ability to pack. He felt that packing was one of those things that he felt he knew
more about than any other person living. Confident about this ability of his, he volunteered to do the packing
himself and told his two friends to leave the job entirely to him.
Q3. How did George and Harris react to this? Did Jerome like their reaction?
On hearing this magnanimous offer, both George and Harris fell into the suggestion with a readiness that
surprised Jerome. While George lit up a pipe and spread himself over an easy chair, Harris cocked up his
legs on a table nearby and lit a cigar. They literally left the job entirely for Jerome to take care of. No,
Jerome surely did not like this reaction of his two friends at all.
Q4. What was Jerome‟s real intention when he offered to pack?
When Jerome generously offered to do the packing himself, what he actually meant was that he wished to
merely superintend the job while George and Harris pottered about under his directions and in this way, he
would be teaching them the art of packing.
Q5. What did Harris say after the bag was shut and strapped? Why do you think he waited till then to
ask?
Thinking that he had finished packing, Jerome sat on the bag and strapped it. It was at that very moment that
Harris asked him whether he wished to put the boots in. On looking round, the author realized that he had
indeed forgotten to pack his boots. Harris purposely did this perhaps to prove to the author the fact that he
wasn’t as great a packer as he had earlier professed himself to be.
Q6. What “horrible idea” occurred to Jerome a little later?
The ‘horrible idea’ that occurred to Jerome a little later was that whether he had remembered to pack his
toothbrush or not. The thought of forgetting his toothbrush always haunted him whenever he was about to
start on a journey.
Q7. Why did Jerome had to reopen the packed bag?
Jerome had to reopen the bag for the third time because he had absent-mindedly packed his tobacco pouch
which he needed time and again, in the bag.
Q8. What does Jerome say was Montmorency‟s ambition in life? What do you think of?
Montmorency and why?
According to the author, Montmorency’s ambition in life was to get in someone’s way and be inevitably
sworn at. He would never miss a chance to push himself into places, particularly where he was not wanted
and be a perfect nuisance, making people mad and having things thrown at his head. Only then would he feel
satisfied that his day had not been wasted.
Q9. Off the three, Jerome, George and Harris, who do you think is the best or the worst packer? Support
your answer with details from the text?
I personally feel that among the three of them, each one is just as good as the other and therefore none of
them can be singled out as ‘best’ or ‘worst’ packers. Each of them very efficiently plays his humorous roles
in this hilarious narrative.
To begin with, the author himself shows his extreme carelessness not only with his actions but also with his words.
First of all, he fails to put into words what he actually means. Next, he shows his absent-mindedness in
forgetting to pack his boots, hunting for his toothbrush and then finally packing his tobacco pouch which he
requires from time to time, in the bag.
Following this, George and Harris began with the breaking of a cup. Next, Harris packs a jar of strawberry
jam on top of a tomato, smashing it beyond recognition. Then both of them unwilling to learn from their past
mistake, pack some pastries at the bottom putting heavy things on them and smashing them to smithereens.
As if this was not enough, they try to put some butter in a kettle and fail miserably in their intention. Finally,
the same butter which is carelessly placed on a chair, finds itself stuck to the back of Harris’ trousers when
he sits on it. This is the beginning of an amusing search for the missing butter.
In conclusion, I feel that the author Jerome proves himself to be nothing more than a figure among cyphers.
Q10. How did Montmorency „contribute‟ to the packing?
In all this confusion, one cannot overlook Montmorency’s contribution to the packing. He instinctively came
and seated himself on things just when they were to be packed. As a result, whenever George or Harris
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 reached out for anything, it was Montmorency’s cold and damp nose that came in the way. Further, he was
busily engaged in putting his leg into the jam, fiddling with the teaspoons and attacking the lemons
pretending they were rats. In fact, he got into the hamper and destroyed three lemons before Harris landed
him with a frying pan.
Q11. Do you find this story funny? What are the humorous elements in it? (pick out at least three; things
about what happens, as well as how it is described.)
The entire narrative is extremely humorous through and through. Each character, including the highly
mischievous dog Montmorency, contributes most generously to this comical story. George and Harris begin
with the breaking of a cup. Next, Harris packs a jar of strawberry jam on top of a tomato, smashing it beyond
recognition. Then both of them unwilling to learn from their past mistake, pack some pastries at the bottom
putting heavy things on them and smashing them to smithereens.
However, the most hilarious part is when George and Harris try to put some butter in a kettle. What they try
to insert does not go in and what is in does not come out. Finally, the same butter which is carelessly placed
on a chair finds itself stuck to the back of Harris’ trousers when he sits on it. This is the beginning of a long
and amusing search for the missing butter.
Instructions:
. Read to comprehend the story, and then share the events of the story with your family
. Read the passage (Language work, page no. 6), and complete the statements following the passage.
Summary of „The Adventures of Toto‟
Grandfather purchases Toto, a pretty little monkey, from a Tonga driver. The little monkey is tied to a
feeding-trough, looking out of place, fascinates the Grandfather to purchase it for five rupees. The
Grandfather decides to add it to his private zoo.
Toto has bright eyes which sparkle with mischief beneath his deep set eyebrows. His teeth are a pearly white
which he often displays in a smile. The skin of his hands is dry, as if they had been pickled in the sun for
years. His fingers were actively wicked and his tail which added to his good looks, served as a third hand. It
was for all these things that Toto has been described as ‘pretty’ by the author.
Since Toto proves himself to be a nuisance and does not allow the other animals in the cage to sleep during
night, Grandfather who is going to Saharanpur to collect his monthly pension decides he takes Toto with
him and carry him in a canvas kit-bag. The ticket collector insists on calling Toto a dog because there is no
separate rule for monkeys and decides on collecting the required fare from Grandfather. When given warm
water in a bowl for his bath, Toto would first of all test the temperature of the water with his finger and then
he would gradually enter the bowl one leg at a time. Once in the bowl, he would sit till he is neck deep in
the water. Next, he would reach for the soap either with his hands or tail, whichever is convenient. He has
learnt to do all this by observing the author when he would take his bath. One day the mischievous monkey
goes into a large kettle that is on a fire. He is fine as long as the water is warm. However, the water soon
begins to boil. Feeling the heat, he stands up but in the process finding it to be very cold out of the water,
sits down again. He keeps on doing this a few times till finally Grandmother notices him in this plight and
pulls him out of the kettle, nearly half boiled. One day, Toto finding a dish of pullao on the dining table and
no one around, resists the temptation of getting on the table and helping himself to the tasty food. When
Grandmother enters the dining room, Toto picks up the dish, makes a quick getaway through a window. He
then scampers up a jackfruit tree and setting himself on one of the topmost branches continues relishing the
pullao till he finishes every grain of rice. After finishing eating the food, he throws the dish down on the
ground. As the dish smashes into pieces on the ground, he begins to chatter with utter happiness. All these
actions of Toto annoy Grandmother to a great extent. Toto is a destructible animal. He loves to tear, break
and spoil things within reach. He not only breaks dishes, but loves tearing things like clothes, curtains and
wall paper etc. Hence, being a middle class family, they feel that Toto is the sort of pet they cannot afford to
keep for long.
„NO MEN ARE FOREIGN‟
‘No Men Are Foreign,’ written by James Kirkup, is a brilliant example of an anti-war poem. The poet
through beautiful lines of poetry attempts to teach us the lesson of the ‘universal brotherhood’ and therefore
begins his poem with the words, ‘No men are strange and no countries foreign’, which emphasizes that the
differences as seen in men are simply outward and superficial. However, the inner essence of man is
everywhere the same. No matter what kinds of clothes men may wear, the body in them is the same. Man
breathes the same air in the similar way all over the world. He is born, grows, moves and labours throughout
his life on the same earth. Even after death, man everywhere in the world, returns to the same earth. All over
the world, man enjoys the free gifts of Nature – the Sun, air and water. People all over the world find
themselves well enriched by the crops that are grown in the times of peace and similarly, have to face much
hardship and starvation during the times of war, aptly described by the poet as ‘long winter.’ The poet goes
on to explain that everywhere on earth, men have the same hands although the lines on their hands may be
different; they all have to labour in order to enjoy a good life. They also possess the same kind of eyes which
they use for similar purposes of sleeping and waking up every day. Man everywhere can achieve true strength
that can be won through love. Hence, it is plain to see that everywhere on the earth, one can understand and
recognize the pattern of life to be the same. The poet goes on to teach us that we must isolate ourselves from
all those who encourage us to hate others. He reminds us that by hating others we finally end up robbing,
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 deceiving and criticizing ourselves. By taking up arms against each other, we not only defile the earth but
ravage the ecological balance. Thus, the poet, citing all these reasons, desires us to remember that ‘no men
are strange and no countries foreign’. It is in this way that the poet attempts to give us the important message
of universal love and brotherhood.
Paraphrasing of stanzas:
Lines 1-4: Remember that no man is a stranger. No country is foreign.
Under all kinds of dresses, there is the same body like ours. All bodies
breathe the way our body breathes. The land on which all of us walk upon is
the same earth on which we move. We all shall lie under the same earth
when we die.

Lines 5-8: All others enjoy the same sun, air, and water that we enjoy.
They are all fed, like us, by harvests during times of peace.
And when there is a long of war, all have to starve equally.
All others have the same kind of hands that we have.
The labour they have to do in their life is no different from the
labour we have to do in our life!

Lines 9-12: Remember their eyes are like ours. Their eyes wake and
sleep like our eyes do. They have the same strength that we
have---a strength that can be won by love. In every land, the same kind of
life is lived. We can all recognize and understand that common pattern of life.

Lines 13-20: All men are our brothers. And when we are told to hate our
brothers, we should remember that by hating others, it will be only ourselves
that we shall rob (of their love). By hating others, we shall be deceiving and
criticizing ourselves only. Remember that when we take up arms against
each other, we defile the human earth only. The hells of fire and dust raised
during the war pollute that very air which is everywhere our own.
So we should remember that no men are strange and no countries are foreign.

QUESTION & ANSWERS/EXERCISES

Thinking about the Text
1. The word ‘uniforms’ has been used as an equivocal term partially referring to the different clothes men wear
across the world and also reflecting the fact that basically we all are same. The poet points out that man all
over the world has the same kind of body due to which he breathes the same air, sleeps and wakes up and
also eats in the similar way. These are the things, according to the poet that make all people alike on the
earth.
2. It is the fire of hatred and violence that outrages the innocence and beauty of the earth.
3. The poet in the most brilliant manner attempts to give out the message of universal love and brotherhood. He
says that all men are the same as they all possess the same body and breathe the same air in the similar way.
Thus, men are neither strange nor foreign to each other. He goes on to teach us saying that as we are all
brothers we should refrain from hating each other. By doing this, we only end up losing their love.

Learning about the literary devices:

1. The poet does not follow any rhyme scheme as the poem has been written in free verse.
2. In order to get his message clearly across to his readers, the poet most skillfully and innovatively uses the
techniques of repetition and plain and simple logic in this beautiful poem.
3. The poet uses images. some of them are suggestive of war and some of them of peace and prosperity.

THE ADVENTURES OF TOTO

RUSKIN BOND
Thinking about the Text
Q1. How did Toto come to grandfather‟s zoo?
Grandfather had purchased Toto, a pretty little monkey from a Tonga driver. Grandfather had seen the little
monkey tied to a feeding-trough and looked so out of place. Pitying the poor animal, he purchased it for five
rupees and decided to add it to his private zoo.
Q2. “Toto was a pretty monkey.‟‟ In what sense is Toto pretty?
Toto had bright eyes which sparkled with mischief beneath his deep set eyebrows. His teeth were a pearly
white which he often displayed in a smile that frightened elderly Anglo-Indian ladies to death. The skin of
his hands was dry, as if they had been pickled in the sun for years. His fingers were actively wicked and his
tail which added to his good looks, served as a third hand. It was for all these things that Toto has been
described as ‘pretty’ by the author.
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Q3. Why does grandfather take Toto to Saharanpur and how?
Since Toto proved himself to be a nuisance and did not allow the other animals in the cage to sleep all night,
Grandfather who was going to Saharanpur to collect his monthly pension decided he would take Toto with
him and carried him in a canvas kit-bag.
Q4. Why does the ticket collector insist on calling Toto a dog?
The ticket collector insisted on calling Toto a dog because there was no separate rule for monkeys and had
decided on collecting the required fare from Grandfather.
Q5. How does Toto take a bath? Where has he learnt to do this?
When given warm water in a bowl for his bath, Toto would first of all test the temperature of the water with
his finger and then he would gradually enter the bowl one leg at a time. Once in the bowl, he would sit till he
was neck deep in the water. Next, he would reach for the soap either with his hands or tail, whichever was
convenient. He had learnt to do all this by observing the author when he took his bath.
Q6. How does he almost boil himself alive?
One day the mischievous monkey got into a large kettle that was on a fire. He was fine as long as the water
was warm. However, the water soon began to boil. Feeling the heat, he stood up but in the process finding it
to be very cold out of the water, sat down again. He kept on doing this a few times till finally Grandmother
saw him in this plight and pulled him out of the kettle, nearly half boiled.
Q7. Which activity of Toto annoyed grandmother?
One day, Toto finding a dish of pullao on the dining table and no one around, could resist the temptation of
getting on the table and helping himself to the tasty food. When Grandfather entered the dining room, Toto
picking up the dish made a quick getaway through a window. He then scampered up a jackfruit tree and
setting himself on one of the topmost branches continued relishing the pullao till he finished every grain of
rice. Having finished eating the food, he threw the dish down on the ground. As the dish smashed into pieces
on the ground, he began to chatter with utter happiness. All these actions of Toto annoyed Grandmother to a
great extent.
Q8. Why does the author say, „‟Toto was not the sort of pet we could keep for long?
Toto was a destructible animal. He loved to tear, break and spoil thing within reach. He not only broke
dishes, but loved tearing things like clothes, curtains and wall paper etc. Hence, being a middle class family,
they felt that Toto was the sort of pet they could not afford to keep for long.
Use the following phrases in the sentences of your own:
Provide for Out of place Out of reach Provide for Taken for In vain
Make an exit Get hold Scoop up
Assignment: Think for a while, and answer:
1. Write a paragraph on, ‘Universal Brotherhood’.
2. How does packing make our outings enjoyable?
3. Suppose you have a pet like Toto, how would you handle him and seek pleasure from him?

GRAMMAR
Articles:
Articles are the determiners which help us to identify the noun in terms of number and person.

Articles

A
The
An
n

Indefinite Articles Definite

They don’t refer to any particular or definite They refer to a particular thing, place or a thing
person, place or thing. e.g. a pen, an E.g. 1. The ball you gave me. 2.The toy is
umbrella. beautiful.

Used with singular

countable nouns. Used with:
1. Singular/plural nouns
2. Countable/Uncountable nouns

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Uses of Articles:
A. The article „A‟ is used-
1. before a word beginning with a consonant; as a tiger, a table, a dozen etc.
2. before a word beginning with ‘U’ or ‘Eu’ giving the consonant sound of ‘you’; as a
European, a unique, a utensil etc.
3. before a word beginning with ‘O’ giving the consonant sound ‘Wa’; as a one eyed man, a one
rupee note.
4. before a word beginning with ‘h’ when this letter is sounded; as a hero, a hospital, a history, a
hundred etc.
B. The article „An‟ is used-
1. before a word beginning with a vowel sound; as an apple, an engine, an inkpot, an orange, an
umpire etc.
2. before a letter (used as a short form of a word) or abbreviation; as an M.L.A, an M.A, an
M.B.B.S etc.
3. before a word beginning with silent ‘H’; as an hour, an honest, an heir etc.
C. The article „The‟ is used-
1. before a word denoting a particular person or thing or one which is well known; as This is the
pen you gave me. We met the principal.
2. before a common noun in the singular to denote a class or kind; as The camel is the ship of
the desert. The pen is mightier than sword.
NOTE: No article is used before ‘Man or woman used in general sense; as Man is mortal.
3. before the names of the following:
(a) seas, rivers, gulfs, canals, deserts, straits, winds, bays, mountain ranges (but a single
mountain or peak), group of islands (but not a single island).
Examples: The Red sea, the Ganges, the Persian Gulf, the Suez Canal, the Sahara, the Strait of Malacca,
the Trade Winds, the Bay of Bengal, the Himalayas, the Andamans. But we say- Mount Everest.
(b) Ships, newspapers, journals, books, historical buildings; as The Raj Hans, the Hindustan
Times, the Koran, the Taj.
(c) Natural phenomena, seasons, directions, etc.; as The winter, the South, the East, the sky, the
hills, the Sun, the Moon, the Earth etc.
(d) Places or countries formed of compound words or derived proper names; the U.P, the U.S.A,
the Deccan etc.
(e) A nation or a community; the English, the French, the Hindus.
4. before proper Adjective followed by a Noun when the noun requires an article; as The Indian
soldier, The Madras government.
But we say Kashmir silk, Burma rice. Silk and rice are material nouns and ordinarily do not
require any Article.
5. before an adjective when the noun is understood; as The rich should help the poor.
Here the rich refer to the rich people, the poor refers to the poor people.
6. before the superlatives followed by a noun; as He is the best player.
7. before the Adjectives of Positive Degree having the force of the superlative; as This is the
way to do it. (best way)
8. before Adjectives of the comparative degree, when selection is meant. E.g. Rahim and Rashid
are friends; Rahim is the abler of the two.
9. before pairs of Comparative Adverbs. E.g. the more, the merrier-
The more he worked, the more intelligent he grew.
10. before a common noun to give it the meaning of an Abstract Noun; E.g. The Warrior (martial
spirit) in Alexander made him wage war after war.
11. before proper noun used as an adjective (quality); He is the Newton of our class.
12. before all sorts of nouns when they are used in a particular or special sense; as The water of
the Dal Lake is dirty.
13. before a common noun as a substitute for the possessive pronoun; as He gave me a blow on
the head. (my head)
14. before the adjective ‘same’ and ‘all’ and ‘both’; as This is the same boy that stole my pen.
Note: 1. When two or more Adjectives qualify the same noun, the Article is placed before the first
Adjective only. E.g. A black and white cow is grazing in the field.
2. When two or more nouns denote different persons or things, the article is placed before each
noun; as They felicitated a poet and a warrior.
OMISSION OF ARTICLES:
The Article is omitted before-
a) A common noun used in a general sense. e.g.; Man is mortal.
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 b) Proper, Abstract and Material nouns unless they are used in particular or special sense e.g.,)
Kolkata is the biggest city of India.
c) Gold is a precious metal.
d) Nouns preceded by ‘kind of’, ‘sort of’, ‘type of’ e.g. What type of person you are?
e) Plural nouns used in general sense; as Dogs are faithful animals.
f) Common nouns used as pairs; as Both husband and wife lived happily.
g) Nouns used as complements; e.g. He is made king.
h) Names of familiar persons; e.g. Mother gave me food.

COMMON ERRORS WITH ARTICLES

1. Don’t make noise. (say, a noise)
2. This is a news to me. (omit ‘a’)
3. He is a M.L.A. (say ‘an’)
4. Cloth is sold by a yard. (say, the)
5. Camel is ship of desert. (say, the camel is the ship of the desert.)
6. Germans do a lot of work. (say, the Germans)
EXERCISE:
1. Sixteen annas make________ rupee.
2. _____higher you go, _____ cooler it is.
3. This girl is wiser of _____ two.
4. ______ gold of this single is not pure.
5. Two of _____ trade seldom agree.
Summary of „Packing‟
There are three men characters in the story - Jerome K. Jerome, the author and his two friends, George and
Harris. Along with them is their mischievous dog, Montmorency.
Jerome believes that he is the best when it comes to packing abilities. Confident about this ability of his, he
volunteers to do the packing and suggests his two friends to leave the job entirely to him.
Both George and Harris fall into the suggestion with a readiness that surprises Jerome. While George lights up a
pipe and spreads himself over an easy chair, Harris cocks up his legs on a table nearby and lights a cigar. They
literally leave the job entirely for Jerome to take care of. Jerome does not like the reaction of his two friends.
When Jerome offers to do the packing himself, he means to supervise the job, George and Harris potter about
under his directions. After completing the packing Jerome straps the bag and sits on it. It is at that very moment
that Harris asks him whether he wishes to put the boots in. On looking round, Jerome realizes that he has indeed
forgotten to pack his boots. Harris purposely did this perhaps to prove to the author the fact that he wasn’t as
great a packer as he had earlier professed himself to be.
The ‘horrible idea’ that occurs to Jerome a little later is whether he has remembered to pack his toothbrush or not.
The thought of forgetting his toothbrush always haunts him whenever he is about to start on a journey.
Jerome reopens the bag for the third time because he absent-mindedly packs his tobacco pouch which he needs
time and again, in the bag.
According to the author, Montmorency’s (pet dog) ambition in life is to get in someone’s way and be inevitably
sworn at. He never misses a chance to push himself into places, particularly where he is not wanted and be a
perfect nuisance, making people mad and having things thrown at his head. Only then he feels satisfied that his
day had not been wasted.
Following this, George and Harris begin with the breaking of a cup. Next, Harris packs a jar of strawberry jam on
top of a tomato, smashing it beyond recognition. Then both of them unwilling to learn from their past mistake,
pack some pastries at the bottom putting heavy things on them and smashing them to smithereens. As if this was
not enough, they try to put some butter in a kettle and fail miserably in their intention. Finally, the same butter
which is carelessly placed on a chair, finds itself stuck to the back of Harris’ trousers when he sits on it. This is
the beginning of an amusing search for the missing butter.
In all this confusion, one cannot overlook Montmorency’s contribution to the packing. He instinctively comes
and sits on things just when they are to be packed. As a result, whenever George or Harris reach out for anything,
it is Montmorency’s cold and damp nose that comes in the way.
Instructions:
. Read to comprehend the story.
. Imitate any character of the story? Try and act out the actions of the character.
. Use the following phrases in your sentences:
Toss for Toss about Fall into Fall out Search for Scrape out Mess about

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