Answer the following.
1. One day last summer the author was travelling to Pittsburgh by chair car. What does he say about his co-passengers?
Ans. One day last summer, the author was travelling to Pittsburgh by chair car on business. The chair car was well-filled with the people one usually sees on chair cars. Most of the passengers were ladies. They were in brown-silk dresses cut with square yokes, laces and doted veils. There were men who looked as if they might be in almost any business. However, his attention was drawn by the black, bald-spotted head just visible above the back of seat No. 9.
2. Who was the passenger of chair No. 9? What did he suddenly do?
Ans. John A. Pescud was the passenger of chair No.9. Suddenly he hurled a book to the floor between his chair and the window. The book was named “The Rose Lady and Trevelyan”. It was one of the best-selling novels of the present day.
3. What was John A. Pescud’s opinion about best sellers? Why?
Ans. John A. Pescud didn’t hold a very high opinion about best sellers. The fiction writers are not consistent with their scenes and characters. They are far removed from reality. Their account is highly unreal, exaggerated and romantic. Sometimes the American hero falls in love with a royal princess from Europe and follows her to her father’s kingdom. But in real life people choose life-partners belonging to their own status.
4. What did John say about himself since his last meeting with the author?
Ans. The author asked John how he was getting along with the company. John replied that he was getting on pretty well. He had his salary raised twice since they met last time. He got a commission too. He had bought a neat slice of real estate. The firm was going to sell him some shares of stock. He was in ‘on the line of General Prosperity’. He also broke the news that he got married eighteen months ago.
5. How did John’s first meeting with Jessie’s father go? What did the author tell him?
Ans. John met Jessie’s father at his ancestral house. At eleven sharp, he rang the bell. After about three quarters of an hour an old man about eighty showed up and asked what he wanted. John showed him his business card. First, he got nervous but soon he got his nerves back and told him how he followed his daughter from Cincinnati, his business, salary and prospects. Then the old man related anecdotes and humorous occurrences. The Colonel expressed that he had never been so fortunate as he felt after meeting him.
6. Why did John get off at Coketown?
Ans. John got ready to get off at Coketown. The author was surprised as the place didn’t hold much prospect for selling plate-glass. However, John told that while coming back from Philadelphia, Jessie saw some petunias in a pot in one of the windows there. She used to raise such flowers in her old Virginia home.
So he thought of getting off there to dig up some of
the cutting or blossoms for her.
7. John is a hypocrite. Do you agree with this statement? Substantiate your answer.
Ans. John is a hypocrite. What he says, he does the opposite. He expresses his uncharitable views regarding the best-sellers as they are far removed from reality. They are too romantic. One can find an American hero falling in love with a royal princess from Europe. But in real life people marry somebody in the own station. A fellow usually picks up a girl who went to the same high-school and belonged to the same singing society that he did. But John is another Trevelyan. He is just a commercial traveller but runs after Jessie whose father is a lineal descendent of belted earls.
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