NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Chapter 12 Villa for Sale
NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Chapter 12 Free PDF Download
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Q. If you could buy your dream house today, what are some specific features you would want for your house? Write them in the bubbles below.
Ans: Do it yourself.
Q.Discuss with your partner the similarities and differences between your dream houses.
Ans:Do it yourself.
Note: Read the drama, Villa For Sale, given in the book.
Q. Complete the following paragraph about the theme of the play using the clues given in the box below. Remember that there are more clues given than required
[sell, buying, house, enthusiastic, comes, 200 thousand francs, taking, favour, get, sleeps, money, 300 thousand francs, unhappy, in-laws, walks in, strikes, keep]
Juliette, the owner of a Villa wants to __________ it as she is in need of ___________ . Moreover, she isnot in __________ of the house. Jeanne and Gaston, a couple visit her with the aim of _________ the Villa. While Jeanne is _________ about buying, Gaston detests the idea as he does not want his __________in that house. Also, he finds the asking price of the __________ to be expensive. When Jeanne and Juliette go around the house, another customer __________ and starts talking to Gaston __________ him to be Juliette’s husband. Gaston ___________ a deal with the customer by which he is able to give __________ to the owner and __________ one thousand francs for himself.
Ans. Juliette, the owner of a Villa wants to sell it as she is in need of money. Moreover, she is not in favour of the house. Jeanne and Gaston, a couple, visit her with the aim of buying the Villa. While Jeanne is enthusiastic about buying, Gaston detests the idea as he does not want his in-laws in that house. Also, he finds the asking price of the 200 thousand francs to be expensive. When Jeanne and Juliette go around the house, another customer walks in and starts talking to Gaston taking him to be Juliette's husband. Gaston strikes a deal with the customer by which he is able to give 200 thousand francs to the owner and keep one hundred thousand francs for himself.
Q. Read the following extracts and answer the questions that follow by choosing the correct options.
(A) But the sign has been hanging on the gate for over a month now and I am beginning to be afraid that the day I bought it was when I was the real fool.
(i) Why is Juliette disappointed?
(a) she is unable to get the role of a cook in the films.
(b) her maid is leaving as she has got a role in the films.
(c) she is unable to find a suitable buyer for her villa.
(d) Gaston is offering a very low price for the villa.
Ans. (c) she is unable to find a suitable buyer for her villa.
(ii) Why does she call herself a fool?
(a) she has decided to sell her villa.
(b) there are no buyers for the villa.
(c) she had bought the villa for more than it was worth.
(d) the villa was too close to the film studios.
Ans. (b) there are no buyers for the vill.
(B) ‘But your parents would take possession of it, every year from the beginning of spring until the end of September. What’s more they would bring the whole tribe of your sister’s children with them.’
(i) What does Gaston mean by ‘take possession’?
(a) her parents would stay with them for a long time.
(b) Juliette’s sister has many children.
(c) Gaston does not like children.
(d) Juliette’s sister’s children are badly behaved.
Ans. (a) her parents would stay with them for a long time.
(C) ‘While you were upstairs, I have been thinking a lot about your Papa and Mamma.
(i) What is the discrepancy between what Gaston said earlier and what he says now?
(a) Earlier he did not want Juliette’s parents to stay with them but now he is showing concern for them.
(b) Earlier he wanted Juliette’s parents to stay with them but now he does not want them to come over.
(c) Earlier he wanted to buy a house for them but how he wants them to come and stay in their villa.
(d) Earlier he stayed in Juliette’s parents’ villa but now he wants them to stay with him and Juliette.
Ans. (a) Earlier he did not want Juliette’s parents to stay with them but now he is showing concern for them.
(ii) What does the above statement reveal about Gaston’s character?
(a) he is selfish.
(b) he is an opportunist.
(c) he is a caring person.
(d) he is a hypocrite.
Ans. (b) he is an opportunist
Q. Answer the following questions briefly :
(a) Why does Jeanne want to buy a villa?
Ans. Jeanne wants to buy a villa so that her parents and her sister with her family could come and stay there for part of the year.
(b) Why is Gaston not interested in buying the villa in the beginning?
Ans. Gaston does not want to spend money on a villa in which mainly his in-laws will spend more time than he and his family. So he does not want to buy a villa in the beginning.
(c) Mrs. Al Smith makes many statements about the French. Pick out any two and explain them.
Ans. Statement 1: You French people have a cute way of doing business! When she doesn’t find the price of the villa written on the sign outside, she puts it down to a trait that Frenchmen have not being open and forthright about everything.
Statement 2: Frenchmen usually have to consult about ten people before they get a move on. When she says this she means that the French people need to talk about their plans with multiple people before taking a decision unlike the Americans who are quick to decide what they want.
(d) Juliette says “................... now I have only one thought that is to get the wretched place off my hands. I would sacrifice it at any price”, Does she stick to her words? Why / Why not?
Ans. No, Juliet does not stick to her words. She quotes a price which was more than double the cost of the house to her. It was no sacrifice selling the villa at that price.
(e) Who is a better business person - Juliette or Gaston? Substantiate with examples from the text.
Ans. Gaston is a better businessman because he quickly seizes an opportunity to make money out of a situation he seems to be stuck in.
(f) The ending of the play was a win-win situation approach for Gaston, Juliette, and Mrs. AI Smith. Explain.
Ans. By the end of the play, everyone had the deals they desired. Juliette sold the villa at the price she asked, Gaston earned a huge profit without having to do much and Mrs. Al Smith got the land she wanted, near the Paramount studios.
Q Answer in detail:
(a) Listen carefully while your teacher reads out the description of a villa on sale mentioned on page 146. Based on the information, draw the sketch of the Villa being described.
Ans. The villa is situated in Nogent-sur-Marne, so it must be constructed in Parisian style. The villa has a yard at the front and a salon on the entrance which is furnished with Cretonne drapes and furniture along with a painting by Carot. Upstairs there were three bedrooms and two servants’ rooms. The bathroom had a bath in it and the villa was equipped with electricity, gas, water and fixtures.
(b) Social Satire is a style of fictional representation that uses humour, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people’s behaviour, particularly in a social context. Substantiate how Villa for Sale reflects this style.
Ans. Sacha Guitry uses social satire to expose the varying aspects of humans in his play. Juliette, the owner ofthe villa, is going through difficult times and gets ridiculous offers by her maid to earn money by acting. Gaston, the shrewd businessman, is quick to change his stance on the villa the moment he sees profit in it. And Mrs. Al Smith is the epitome of obnoxiously rich who can throw away as much money to get whatever she wants.
(c) Passive characters are often considered ‘weak’ and ‘uninteresting,’ but can also be the true driving force of a story. Do you feel that the maid and Jeanne were the driving force of this play? Rationalise with evidence from the play.
Ans. The maid helps in setting the conversation at of the opening of the play, exposing the weak points and desperation of Juliette to get rid of the villa as quickly as possible. The maid provides a humour relief by pitching hilarious ideas of earning money to her madame. Jeanne on the other hand can be stated as the driving force in Gaston’s deal because it was her who dragged him in to see around the villa in the first place.
Q. Select words from the box to describe the characters in the play as revealed by the following lines. You may take the words from the box given on the next page
| Lines from the Play | Speaker | Quality revealed |
| (a) One hundred thousand francs if necessary and that's only twice what it cost me. | greedy | |
| (b) If you don't want the house, tell me so at once and we'll say no more about it. | ||
| (c) No! I am very fond of your family, but not quite so fond as that. | Gaston | |
| (d) Quite so. I have, but you haven't. | ||
| (e) I have never cared such a damned little about anybody's opinion | ||
| (f) On the principle of people who like children and haven't any can always go and live near a school | ||
| (g) The garden is not very large, but you see, it is surrounded by other gardens. | Juliette | |
| (h) I will be philanthropic and let you have it for two hundred thousand | ||
| (i) I have been thinking a lot about your Papa and Mamma. You see, I am really unselfish. | clever |
Ans:
| Lines from the Play | Speaker | Quality revealed |
| (a) One hundred thousand francs if necessary and that's only twice what it cost me. | Juliette | greedy |
| (b) If you don't want the house, tell me so at once and we'll say no more about it. | Jeanne | practical |
| (c) No! I am very fond of your family, but not quite so fond as that. | Gaston | disapproving |
| (d) Quite so. I have, but you haven't. | Gaston | cunning, haughty |
| (e) I have never cared such a damned little about anybody's opinion | Gaston | boastful |
| (f) On the principle of people who like children and haven't any can always go and live near a school | Gaston | witty, humorous |
| (g) The garden is not very large, but you see, it is surrounded by other gardens. | Juliette | tactful |
| (h) I will be philanthropic and let you have it for two hundred thousand | Juliette | smart |
| (i) I have been thinking a lot about your Papa and Mamma. You see, I am really unselfish. | Gaston | clever |
Listening Task:
Q. You are JEANNE. After coming home you realise that the Villa was not actually bought and your husband has fooled both you and the landlady of the Villa. You are filled with rage, disgust and helplessness because of your husband’s betrayal. Write your feelings in the form of a diary entry.
Ans. Do it yourself.
Q. Now dramatise the play. Form groups of eight to ten students. Within each group, you will need to choose.
• a director, who will be overall incharge of the group’s presentation.
• the cast, to play the various parts.
• someone to be in charge of costumes
• someone to be in charge of props.
• a prompter
Within your groups, do ensure that you
• read both scenes, not just your part within one scene if you are acting.
• discuss and agree on the stage directions.
• read and discuss characterization.
• hold regular rehearsals before the actual presentation.
Staging
The stage can be very simple, with exits on either side representing doors to the outside and to the rest of the house respectively
Ans. Do it yourself.
