Class 9 English Solutions| Chapter 7: Packing| Textbook Solutions| SEBA

 

Chapter 7: Packing

Class 9 English Beehive — Summary, Word Meanings & Textbook Solutions

---

Summary (Assamese / সাৰাংশ)

'Packing' গল্পটো জেৰম কে. জেৰমৰ বিখ্যাত হাস্যৰসাত্মক উপন্যাস 'Three Men in a Boat' ৰ এটা আমোদজনক অংশ। ইয়াত লেখক জেৰম, তেওঁৰ দুই বন্ধু জৰ্জ আৰু হেৰিছ, আৰু তেওঁলোকৰ কুকুৰ মণ্টমৰেঞ্চিয়ে (Montmorency) এক যাত্ৰাৰ বাবে বেগ পেকিং কৰাৰ এক বিশৃংখল তথা ধেমেলীয়া অভিজ্ঞতা বৰ্ণনা কৰা হৈছে।

জেৰমে নিজকে পেকিঙৰ এজন বিশেষজ্ঞ বুলি ভাবিছিল, গতিকে তেওঁ কামটোৰ দায়িত্ব নিজে লয়। কিন্তু তেওঁৰ আচল উদ্দেশ্য আছিল জৰ্জ আৰু হেৰিছক কামত খটুওৱা আৰু নিজে বচ হৈ তদাৰক কৰা। কিন্তু বন্ধুদ্বয় সহজেই সন্মত হৈ আৰাম কৰিবলৈ বহিল, যাৰ বাবে জেৰমে নিজে কামটো কৰিবলগীয়া হ'ল। পেকিং কৰোঁতে জেৰমে টুথব্ৰাছ বিচাৰি নোপোৱা, বুট জোতা সোমাই থোৱা আদি খেলিমেলিৰ বাবে বেগটো বাৰে বাৰে খুলিবলগীয়া হয়।

ইয়াৰ পিছত জৰ্জ আৰু হেৰিছে খাদ্যৰ পাত্ৰ (hamper) পেক কৰিবলৈ লয়। তেওঁলোকে কাপ ভাঙি, বিলাহী পিটিকি, মাখনৰ ওপৰত ভৰি দি আৰু সামগ্ৰীবোৰ ওলট-পালট কৰি সম্পূৰ্ণ বিশৃংখলতাৰ সৃষ্টি কৰে। শেষত তেওঁলোকৰ পোহনীয়া কুকুৰ মণ্টমৰেঞ্চিয়ে লেবু বোৰক নিগনি বুলি ভাবি নষ্ট কৰে আৰু পেকিঙত সৰ্বাধিক আমোদজনক জঞ্জালৰ সৃষ্টি কৰে। অৱশেষত নিশা ১২:৫০ বজাত পেকিং সমাপ্ত হয় আৰু তেওঁলোক শুবলৈ যায়।

Word Meaning (English → Assamese)

English Word	Assamese Meaning (অৰ্থ)
Volunteer	স্বেচ্ছাই কামৰ দায়িত্ব লোৱা / আগভাগ লোৱা
Intention	উদ্দেশ্য / মনোভাৱ
Chaos	সম্পূৰ্ণ বিশৃংখলতা / খেলিমেলি
Rummage	খৰখেদাকৈ কোনো বস্তু ওলট-পালট কৰি বিচৰা
Uncanny	আচৰিত / অলৌকিক / বুজিবলৈ টান
Hamper	খাদ্য সামগ্ৰী নিয়া ডাঙৰ পাচি বা সঁজুলি
Squashed	হেঁচি বা পিহি চেপেটা কৰি পেলোৱা
Trod	ভৰিৰে গচকি দিয়া
Nuisance	অনিষ্টকাৰী বা আমনিদায়ক বিষয়/ব্যক্তি
Accomplish	সফলতাৰে সম্পূৰ্ণ কৰা

Exact NCERT Textbook Questions & Answers

Thinking about the Text

I. Discuss in pairs and answer each question below in a short paragraph (30 – 40 words).

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

Ans. There are four characters in the narrative. They are the narrator (Jerome), his friends George and Harris, and their pet dog named Montmorency.

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

Ans. Jerome volunteered to do the packing because he prided himself on his packing skills. He believed he knew more about packing than any other living person and wanted to show off his expertise.

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

Ans. George and Harris readily accepted Jerome's offer. George sat down in an easy chair and Harris cocked his legs on the table, leaving the work entirely to Jerome. Jerome completely disliked this reaction as he had intended to supervise them while they worked.

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

Ans. Jerome’s real intention was to boss over the job. He wanted Harris and George to do the actual manual labor under his expert directions and supervision.

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

Ans. After the bag was shut and strapped, Harris asked, "Ain't you going to put the boots in?" He waited until then to ask because he wanted to tease, irritate, and make fun of Jerome.

6. What “horrible idea” occurred to Jerome a little later?

Ans. The "horrible idea" that occurred to Jerome was whether he had packed his toothbrush or not. Jerome always forgets his toothbrush while travelling and gets terrible nightmares about it.

7. Where did Jerome finally find the toothbrush?

Ans. Jerome unpacked everything and rummaged through the items blindly. He finally found the toothbrush hidden inside one of his boots.

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

Ans. Jerome had to reopen the packed bag twice: first, to pack his forgotten boots, and second, because he discovered that he had accidentally packed his tobacco pouch inside it.

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

Ans. George and Harris offered to pack the food hampers. They did so because there were less than twelve hours left for their departure, and they felt Jerome had taken too much time and that they should demonstrate their own packing skills.

10. While packing the hamper, George and Harris do a number of foolish and funny things. Tick the statements that are true.

Based on the story, the following statements are True (✓):

• (i) They started with breaking a cup. TRUE
• (iii) They squashed a tomato. TRUE
• (iv) They trod on the butter. TRUE
• (vi) They put things behind them, and couldn’t find them. TRUE
• (vii) They stepped on things. TRUE
• (ix) They upset almost everything. TRUE

Note: Statements (ii), (v), (viii), and (x) are False according to the text.

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

Answer:

Jerome says that Montmorency’s ambition in life was to get in the way of others and be sworn at. He loved being a perfect nuisance and making people mad.

Montmorency is a highly mischievous but hilariously entertaining dog. Although he creates massive chaos by putting his leg into the jam and attacking lemons as if they were rats, he does not do it out of malice, but rather out of his natural, hyperactive canine instincts.

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

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.

Ans. All three friends are highly incompetent when it comes to packing, but George and Harris are undoubtedly the worst packers. Jerome is clumsy, disorganized, and repeatedly forgets items like his boots and toothbrush, which forces him to unpack the entire bag multiple times. However, he eventually manages to finish the job without breaking anything.

On the other hand, George and Harris turn the hamper packing into an absolute disaster. They begin by breaking a cup. Then Harris squashes a tomato by packing strawberry jam on top of it. George steps on the butter, and they both struggle to get it into and out of the kettle. They place heavy items on top of fragile pies, smashing them completely. They misplace items right behind their backs and create complete havoc, making them the absolute worst packers.

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

Ans. Montmorency, the dog, "contributed" significantly to making the packing process as chaotic and disastrous as possible. His main objective was to sit down on things exactly when they were about to be packed. He put his leg directly into the jam and scattered the teaspoons.

Furthermore, he mistook the lemons inside the hamper for rats. He jumped into the hamper and ruthlessly "killed" three of them before Harris could intervene and hit him with a frying pan. His presence magnified the confusion, turning an already bad packing session into a hilarious slapstick comedy.

3. Do you find this story funny? What are the humorous elements in it?

Ans. Yes, the story is exceptionally funny and filled with elements of situational and slapstick humor. The author uses brilliant descriptions to make ordinary blunders look incredibly hilarious.

Three major humorous elements in the story are:

1. The Toothbrush Hunt: Jerome's frantic search for his toothbrush, where he unpacks everything and repeatedly finds his friends' brushes but misses his own, eventually discovering it inside a boot.
2. The Butter Incident: George stepping on the butter, it sticking to his slipper, and then both George and Harris searching for it all over the room after they had already tried to put it in the kettle and left it on a chair.
3. Montmorency’s Rat Hunt: The dog attacking lemons inside the hamper, believing they were rats, which adds a frantic, chaotic animal comedy to the scene.

Thinking about Language

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

Column A	Column B (Correct Meanings)
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 chaos at crossroads. Drivers add to the confusion by having 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. Proverbs Table (Fill in the blanks)

Positive Proverbs	Negative Proverbs
(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) Look before you leap.	(iii) Don't make a mountain out of a molehill.
(iv) Live and let live.	(iv) Don't put all your eggs in one basket.

Writing (Packing Tips)

First pack all the heavy items, especially the ones you don’t need right away. Then organize your clothes by rolling them tightly to save space. Next, place your footwear along the sides of the bag in plastic covers. Now, place your toiletries inside a secure, waterproof pouch. Remember to double-check that your essential medicine and emergency kit are easy to access. Don’t forget to keep documents and electronic chargers in an outer pocket. Finally, zip the bag securely and ensure it's strapped properly before you head out.