CBSE Study Notes for Class 9 English Chapter 7 Packing and Poem The Duck and the Kangaroo

 

CBSE Class 9 English Chapter 7 : Packing Poem and The Duck and the Kangaroo – Download Free PDF Notes

NCERT Textbook Question

Thinking about the text
I. Discuss in pairs and answer each question below in
a short paragraph. (30-40 words)

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 including the
dog. They are the narrator, George, Harris and the fourth is the dog named Montmorency.

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 accepted the narrator’s suggestion
readily. But Jerome did not like it.

Question 4. What was Jerome’s real intention when he offered to
pack?
Answer: Jerome’s real intention was to boss the job. He wanted
that Harris and George should work under his guidance
and instructions. But they accepted the proposal and sat
idle on the chairs comfortably.

Question 5. What did Harris say after the bag was shut and strapped? Why
do you think he waited till then to ask?
Answer: Harris asked the narrator to put the boots in the bag after
strapping the bag. He did it with an intention to irritate the
narrator.

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 packed his spectacles in the bag. So he had to
reopen the packed bag.

Question 9. What did George and Harris offer to pack and why?
Answer: George and Harris offered to pack hamper because they
wanted Jerome to take some rest. They decided to pack
the rest of things themselves.

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:
The true statements are as follows:
(i),(iii),(iv),(vi),(vii),(ix)

Question 11. What does Jerome say was Montmorency’s ambition in
life? What do you think of Montmorency and why?
Answer: Montmorency’s ambition in life is to interfere with others
and be abused. He wants to be a perfect nuisance and
make people mad. If things are thrown at his head, he
feels his day has not been wasted. To get somebody to
stumble over him, and curse him steadily for an hour is his
highest aim and object. He came and sat on things, just
when they were going to be packed. He put his leg into the
jam and worried the teaspoons and pretended that lemons
were rats and got into the hamper and killed three of them.
It is the natural, original sin that is bom in him that makes
him do things like that.
III. Discuss in groups and answer the
following questions in two or three
paragraphs.

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, Harris is the worst packer in this world. But
none of them is the perfect packer. All of them are
confused and do not know what is to be placed and
where. So far as Jerome is concerned he unpacked the
bag to find his toothbrush in a boot. He also packs his
spectacles in the bag. Harris and George start their work
in a light hearted spirit. There are piles of plates, cups,
kettles, bottles, jars, pies, stoves, cakes and tomatoes.
They break a cup. Harris packs the strawberry jam on top
of a tomato and squashes it. They have to pick out the
tomato with a teaspoon. 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
created chaos in the room.

Question 2. How did Montmorency ‘contribute’ to the packing?
Answer: Montmorency’s contribution to the packing cannot be
forgotten. His ambition in life was to disturb others and be
abused by them. He came and sat on things, just when
they were going to be packed and he put his leg into the
jam. He disturbed everything. He pretended the lemons to
be rats and got into the hamper and killed three of them.
Montmorency wanted to be a perfect nuisance and make
people mad. If things are thrown at his head, he feels his
day has not been wasted. To get somebody to stumble
over him, and curse him steadily for an hour was his
highest aim and objective. When he got succeeded in
accomplishing it, his conceit became quite unbearable.

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: The story is really humorous and funny. Jerome’s episode
of packing, Harris’s and George’s way of packing and
Montmorency’s contribution have made the story funny
and interesting. Jerome was confused about his
toothbrush and found it in a boot. He also packed his
spectacles in the bag. The incident of butter makes the
reader laugh. George treads on the butter and it sticks to
his slipper. Later he puts it on the chair. Harris sits on the
chair and it sticks to his bottom. They squash the
tomatoes by putting the strawberry jam on them.
Montmorency’s pretention for the lemons to be rats is also
fascinating and funny.
These incidents are described in an orderly and perfect
way.
Thinking about language
(Page 90)

Question 1. Match the words/phrases in Column ‘A’ with their meanings in Column ‘B’.

Answers :

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

 

 

 

 

Question 2.
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.
Answers:
chaos, getting into a row, slaving, accomplished.

Question 3.
Look at the sentences below. Notice that the verbs
(italicised) are all in their bare form.
 Simple commands:
 Stand up!
 Put it here!
 Directions: (to reach your home) Board Bus No.
121 and get down at Sagar Restaurant. From
there turn right and walk till you reach a book
shop. My home is just behind the shop.
 Dos and don’ts:
 Always get up for your elders.
 on’t shout in class.
 Instructions for making a fruit salad:
Ingredients:
Oranges – 2; Pineapple – one large piece; Cherries – 250
grams; Bananas – 2; Any other fruit you like
Wash the fruit. Cut them into small pieces. Mix them well.
Add a few drops of lime juice. Add sugar to taste. Now add
some cream (or ice cream if you wish to make fruit salad
with ice cream.)

Question 1.
Now work in pairs. Give

1. two commands to your partner.
2. two do’s and don’ts to a new student in your class.
3. directions to get to each other’s houses,
4. instructions for moving the body in an exercise or
   a dance, or for cooking something.
   Answers:
5. Don’t waste time. Don’t spit here.
6. Do’s : (a) Respect your teachers, (b) Behave
   properly.
   Don’ts : (a) Don’t make a noise, (b) Don’t come
   late to the class.

Question 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:

Positive	Negative
(iii)Look before you leap.	(iii)Don’t make a mountain out of a mole hill.
(iv) Live and let live.	(iv) Don’t put all your eggs in one basket
(v) Morning shows the day.	(v) Don’t believe in all and sundry.
(vi) Keep all things in apple-pie order.	(vi) Don’t count your eggs before they are hatched
(vii) Tagore was a man of letters.	(vii) Don’t act before thinking.
(viii)Gandhi died in harness.	(viii)Don’t keep your father in the dark.

Writing

(Page 92)
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
Answers:
For self-attempt.
Speaking
(Page 92)
Look at this sentence.
“I told George and Harris that they had better leave the
whole matter entirely to me.”
The words had better are used
 in an advice or suggestion:
You had better take your umbrella; it looks like
rain.
 in an order
You had better complete your homework before
you go out to play.
 as a threat
You had better leave or I’ll have you arrested for
trespass !
When we speak, we say you ’d/I’d/he’d better, instead of
you had better, etc.

Question 1. Work in pairs to give each other advice, orders or
suggestions, or even to threaten each other. Imagine
situations like the following: Your partner

1. Hasn’t returned a book to the library.
2. Has forgotten to bring lunch.
3. hasn’t got enough change for bus fare.
4. has found out a secret about you.
5. has misplaced your English textbook.
   Answers:

 

1. You had better return the book to the library; the
   librarian charges fine for any delay.
2. You had better not to forget to bring your lunch.
3. You had better get change for bus fare or alight
   from the bus.
4. You had better keep your secrets or he will make
   them public.
5. You had better keep your English textbook; your
   brother will misplace it.
   Activity
   (Page 93)
   • Collect some examples of instructions, directions, etc.
   from notice boards and pamphlets. Bring them to class
   and display them, or read them out. (You can collect
   examples in English as well as other languages, Indian or
   foreign.) Here is an example for you:

Extra Questions and Answers CBSE Class 9
2 Marks Questions

Question 1 : What had happened when the narrator
offered to do the packing?
Answer : The narrator offered to do the packing with the
intention that he would supervise the job and the two
friends got it the wrong way and stretched themselves on
the sofa and table.

Question 2 : What was Jerome’s intention behind his
offer of packing? How was Jerome caught into his own
words in ‘Packing’?
Answer : Jerome offered to do the packing because he
wanted to supervise his friends while they packed, but they
didn’t realise his intention. On the other hand, they sat while
Jerome did the packing. This way Jerome was caught into his
own words in ‘Packing’

Question 3 : What did Jerome do to find his toothbrush?
Answer : During the packing, Jerome couldn’t find his
toothbrush and he wanted to make sure that he had packed
it. Jerome opened the bag to find his toothbrush and took
everything out but could not find it. Then, he put everything
inside one by one by shaking them and found it inside a boot.

Question 4 : What did George and Harris undertake to
do the rest of the packing?
Answer : Jerome did most part of the packing while the two
friends were stretched out. But, still the hamper was not
packed. George and Harris undertook to do the rest of the
packing because Jerome got irritated as he had to re-open
the bag so many times and none of them helped him.

Question 5 : What happened when George and Harris
started packing and how did it become ‘exciting’?
Answer : George and Harris were not good at packing so
they messed up everything. They broke up cups, squashed
tomatoes and stepped on things. The packing became
‘exciting’ as they didn’t have any idea of how to pack things.

Question 6 : Describe the incident related to the butter
in the story.
Answer : The butter caused great confusion while packing
because George walked over it and after putting it off the
slipper, they tried to put it in the kettle.
George put it on the chair and Harris sat on it due to which it
stuck on his back. They looked for it all over the room.

Question 7 : How did Montmorency, the dog, add to the
excitement and confusion in packing?
Answer : Montmorency, the dog of Jerome, created a great
confusion in packing as he sat on the things that were to be
packed. He put his leg into the jam, scattered the teaspoons
and squashed the lemons assuming them to be rats.

Question 8 : When did the three friends complete the
packing and what did they do after it?
Answer : The three friends completed the packing at 12.50
AM. After they got extremely tired and decided to sleep.
Before sleeping they had an argument regarding when to
wake up in the morning. Finally, they were agreed to a time
but one of the friends fell asleep before it did happen.

8 Marks Questions

Question 1 : What did Jerome intend to do while offering
his help to do packing? Do you think that he showed-off
while offering his help? What would you have done if
you were Jerome?
Answer : The three friends were going on a trip and they
intended to do the packing in advance. The narrator himself,
offered to pack with the intention that he would supervise
the proceedings. Jerome felt pride on his skill of packing and
thought that he knew about packing more than any other
person. But, they misunderstood him and made him to do
the entire packing. It is clear that Jerome showed-off his skill
when he offered his help to them. He wanted to act like a
boss before his friends but they were smarter enough. They
sat while Jerome packed and this irritated him. Finally, the
two friends agreed to put their contribution but they were
not very good at packing. In fact, they didn’t show-off their
packing skills. They did it like a novice (inexpert) and
created chaos during packing.
If I were Jerome, I would not have accepted the work just to
show-off my skill or to instruct my friends. I would have
accepted the work to help them without thinking of any
reward or words of praise.

Question 2 : How did George and Harris create confusion
in packing things? What was Jerome’s reaction? What
will you do if you have friends like them who make a
situation worse?
Answer : Basically there were two phases of packing in the
story. One was done by the author himself and the other was
completed by two of his friends. The first phase was exciting
but the second phase was even more exciting with George
and Harris doing the act together. Both of them did it in a
way that was quite arousing. George and Harris were
extremely lazy and not good at packing. When they
undertook to do the rest of the packing, they created a chaos.
They broke cups, squashed tomatoes and walked on things.
They put things behind them and couldn’t find them when
they were needed, Jerome sat and watched them excitedly
while they packed. There is an old wise saying ‘A wise enemy
is better than a foolish friend.” Such friends made the
situation worse than before. Though Jerome did a few
mistakes but he was not a bad packer. George and Harris
were childish in their packing attempts. They incurred more
losses than anything worth appreciable. If I have friends like
them, I will not leave them alone to do the task, but help
them till it gets completed.

Question 3 : Montmorency shares a special friendship
with the author. He adds confusion and chaos to the
atmosphere. It shows the company one keeps. What
values do we learn from good friendship?
Answer : Montmorency was the pet dog of Jerome and
shared a special friendship with the author. Definitely, he
adds to confusion and chaos. As a pet , it was very usual to be
at all the places where its master went. As Jerome was
packing the stuffs, the pet was roaming around and finding
nothing to do, it went all over causing endless troubles to the
ones doing the task of packing. He was a troublesome doing
the task of packing. He was a troublesome dog but loves the
author very much. He wanted to be a perfect nuisance and
make people mad.
When he saw George and Harris packing, he joined them and
added a great confusion and chaos to the atmosphere. He put
his leg into the ham, squashed lemons and sat on things. It is
natural for a god to create such problems, but Jerome shared
a healthy friendship with him. A good friendship teaches us
to support each other in every situation rather than being
angry. All of us have some weaknesses but friendship does
not get affected by them.
Friendship is a commonality where the drawbacks and vices
get compromised and corrected. It doesn’t matter whether
the friend is a dog or a human being. A good friendship must
always be inspiring and entertaining.

 Poem The Duck and the Kangaroo: