NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Chapter 5 Best Seller

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Q. Before you read the story write down the answers to these questions.

Which was the latest book that you read?
Who was the author?
Who were the main characters?
When did you read the book?
How long did you take to complete reading it?
What genre did it belong to?
Why would/wouldn’t you recommend it?

Ans: Do it yourself.

Q. Note: Read the fiction, Best Seller, given in the book.

Q A. Based on your reading of the story, answer the following questions by choosing the correct option.

(i) "Bully", said Pescud brightening at once. He means to say that he was:

(a) being intimidated by his boss.
(b) harassing his subordinates.
(c) doing very well at his job.
(d) meeting all the sales targets.

Ans: (c) doing very well at his job.

(ii) The narrator says that life has no geographical bounds implying that ________.

(a) human beings are essentially the same everywhere.
(b) one can travel freely to other countries.
(c) boundaries exist only on maps.
(d) one should work towards the good of mankind.

Ans: (b) one can travel freely to other countries.

(iii) Classify (1) to (4) as fact (F) or opinion (O), based on your reading of the story.

(1) Pescud had hurled the bestseller to the floor.
(2) People in real life marry somebody in their own station.
(3) Pescud got an opportunity to meet Jessie all alone two evenings after he met her father.
(4) Pescud believed that plate-glass was the most important commodity.

(a) F-1, 3, 4; O-2
(b) F-1, 3; O-2, 4
(c) F-1, 2, 4; O-3
(d) F-2; O-1, 3, 4

Ans: (a) F-1, 3, 4; O-2

(iv) Select the suitable option for the given statements, based on your understanding of the story.

(1) The author’s description of Coketown brings out the ugly face of industries that operated there.
(2) Pescud got off at Coketown as it had good business prospects for a plate glass salesman.

(a) (1) is false but (2) is true.
(b) (1) is true but (2) is false.
(c) (1) is the cause for (2).
(d) (2) is a fact but unrelated to (1).

Ans: (b) (1) is true but (2) is false.

Q B. Read the extracts and answer the questions by selecting the correct options.

1. I contrived to keep out of her sight as much as I could, but I never lost track of her. The last station she got off at was away down in Virginia, about six in the evening. There were about fifty houses. The rest was mud, mules, and speckled hounds. A tall old man, with a smooth face and white hair, looking as proud as Julius Caesar was there to meet her. His clothes were frazzled but I didn’t notice that till later. He took her little satchel, and they started over the plank walks and went up a road along the hill. I kept along a piece behind ‘em, trying to look like I was hunting a garnet ring in the sand that my sister had lost at a picnic he previous Saturday.

(i) The extract tells us that Virginia was a _________ populated town.

(a) densely
(b) highly
(c) sparsely
(d) hardly

Ans: (c) sparsely

(ii) Choose the option that uses the word ‘frazzled’ in the same way as the extract.

(a) I feel pretty frazzled most weeks these days.
(b) The cuffs of his brown shirt looked frazzled.
(c) Father finally arrived home, tired and frazzled.
(d) Mother was frazzled looking after all the guests had left.

Ans: (b) The cuffs of his brown shirt looked frazzled

(iii) Read the statements (1) and (2) given below, and choose the option that correctly evaluates the statements.

[1] The speaker pretended that he was searching for a lost ring.
[2] The speaker wanted to hide the fact that he had been following her.

(a) [1] is true but [2] is false.
(b) [2] is contradictory to [1].
(c) [1] is the reason for [2].
(d) [2] is the result of [1].

Ans: (d) [2] is the result of [1].

(iv) Select the option that displays the characteristics of the speaker.

(1) discreet
(2) vain
(3) ambitious
(4) observant
(5) finicky
(6) cautious

(a) 1, 4 and 6
(b) 2, 3 and 5
(c) 1, 3 and 6
(d) 2, 4 and 5

Ans: (a) 1, 4 and 6

Q. For about nine seconds he had me rattled, and I came mighty near getting cold feet and trying to sell him some plate-glass. But I got my nerve back pretty quick. He asked me to sit down, and I told him everything. I told him how I followed his daughter from Cincinnati, and what I did it for, and all about my salary and prospects, and explained to him my little code of living -to be always decent and right in your home town. At first, I thought he was going to throw me out of the window, but I kept on talking.

(i) Select the option that matches the expression with the meaning correctly.

	Column A	Column B
I.	getting cold feet	(a) to be exhausted
II.	dead on my feet	(b) to become used to a new situation
III.	get your feet wet	(c) carried away by someone on an emotional level
		(d) feeling nervous about something

(a) I-(c), II-(b), III-(a)
(b) I-(d), II-(a), III-(b)
(c) I-(a), II-(c), III-(d)
(d) I-(b), II-(d), III-(c)

Ans: (b) I-(d), II-(a), III-(b)

(ii) Select the option that lists the statements which can be a part of one’s ‘code of living’.

(1) Keep your word.

(2) Never quit on yourself or your family.

(3) Think about the future and ignore the present.

(4) Focus on materialistic possessions.

(5) Stay true to yourself.

(6) Look back and wonder about your decisions.

(a) 1, 3 and 6
(b) 2, 4 and 5
(c) 2, 5 and 6
(d) 1, 2 and 5

Ans: (c) 2, 5 and 6

(iii) “I’ll bet that was the first laugh those ancestors and horsehair sofa had heard in many a day.” The tone of the speaker is

(a) satirical.
(b) ironical.
(c) humorous.
(d) sarcastic.

Ans: (c) humorous.

(iv) Which option best describes the sequence of the speaker’s emotions in the given extract.

(a) nostalgia-friendliness-jitters-disappointment
(b) curiosity-nostalgia-fear-mild sadness
(c) jitters-confidence-apprehension-delight
(d) shyness—friendliness-excitement-nostalgia

Ans: (c) jitters-confidence-apprehension-delight

4. Answer the following questions briefly :

(a) One day last summer the author was travelling to Pittsburg by chair car. What does he say about his co-passengers?

Ans: Most of his co-passengers were ladies in brown-silk dresses cut with square yokes, with lace insertion and dotted veils, who refused to have the windows raised. Then there was the men who looked as if they might be in almost any business and going almost anywhere.

(b) What was John A. Pescud’s opinion about best sellers? Why?

Ans: John believed that the best sellers were not at all realistic in creating liaisons between the aristocracy of Europe with the farmers of America and similar themes. He felt that in real life men chose women from a similar background and so these best sellers were nonsense.

(c) What does John say about himself since his last meeting with the narrator?

Ans: John says that he has had two salary raises and a commission. He has also bought a piece of real estate since his last meeting with the narrator.

(d) How did John’s first meeting with Jessie’s father go? What did John tell him?

Ans: John’s first meeting with Jessie’s father went well. He told the father straightaway his purpose and the father was amused enough to sit and talk with John for two hours. The author told him how he had followed his daughter from the train and how much he had come to like her.

(e) Why did John get off at Coketown?

Ans: Jessie had seen some beautiful petunias while crossing Coketown. John got off at Coketown to see if he could get some cuttings or saplings for
Jessie.

(f) John is a hypocrite. Do you agree with this statement? Elucidate.

Ans: Yes, I agree with the statement that John is a hypocrite. John tells the author that he detested the best sellers of those days as they always showed a meeting and liaison between two totally improbable classes of people but in his real life he has actually married a girl from the aristocracy. He
actually lives a life quite similar to what the best sellers show.

(g) Do you think Colonel Allyn enjoyed Pescud’s company? Why/ Why not?

Ans: Mr. Pescud was there to meet Colonel Allyn for the very first time in his life. So he had a cold feet. But then he gradually gained confidence and started talking to the Colonel, and honestly confessed to him why he came there. To this Mr. Pescud was anticipating that he must be thrown out of the house, but instead he saw that the Colonel was laughing, which proves that Colonel Allyn was enjoying Mr. Pescud’s company.

(h) Describe John A. Pescud with reference to the following points:

1. His physical appearance .....................................
2. His philosophy on behaviour ............................
3. His profession .......................................................
4. His first impression of his wife ..........................
5. His success ............................................................

Ans:

His Physical appearance: He is a small man with a wide smile, and an eye that seems to be fixed upon that little red spot on the end of the nose. He has a small, black, bald-spotted head.
His philosophy on behaviour: He believes that when a man is in his home town, he ought to be decent and law-abiding.
His profession: He believes that his plate glass is the most important commodity in the world and the Cambria Steel Works is the best company.
His first impression of his wife: She was the finest looking girl he had ever laid eyes on. She was nothing spectacular, but just the sort you want for keeps.
His success: He had been given a salary raise twice. He got a commission and was on his way to higher prosperity.

Q. ‘Irony’ refers to the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite to their literal meaning. Working in pairs, bring out the irony in the following :

(a) The title of the story, “The Bestseller”.

Ans: The title of the story is ironic as the main character rubbishes the best seller stories of the day where people belonging to totally different backgrounds interact and he is the one whose life story turns out to be just like a best seller.

(b) Pescud’s claim, “When people in real life marry, they generally hunt up somebody in their own station. A fellow usually picks out a girl who went to the same high school and belonged to the same singing-society that he did.”

Ans: Pescud always claimed that generally people marry someone from the same background as themselves. Whereas, he in real life had gone and done just the opposite by marrying a girl belonging to the aristocracy.

(c) The name Trevelyan.

Ans: The narrator refers to John Pescud as Trevelyan, who is the author of the best seller that John had thrown in disgust for writing a seemingly
improbable story. The narrator does so as John’s life story actually is just like the one in the best seller.

Q. Answer in detail.

(a)Pescud had the qualities of a good salesman. Justify this statement by citing examples from the text.

Ans: While having a conversation with the narrator, Pescud said that, “ l’m in on the line of General Prosperity.” which is evident of the fact that he has been very successful as a salesperson over the years. As a reason he also had his salary raised twice in two years. Pescud had an ability to convince people to buy his products and he also knew how to win over his customers. In fact, he used his skills to convince Colonel Allyn, and he was successful in sparking a smile in Colonel Allyn’s face who was a stern man by nature. Pescud said to himself, “I was wishing to myself that he was a customer. What a bill of glass, I’d sell him!” which again signifies his ability to win over the confidence of people. These are the qualities of a good salesman.

(b) Imagine you are Andrew Smith, the author of the bestseller, ‘The Rose Lady and Trevelyan’. You happen to meet Pescud during one of your train
journeys and realise he is one of your biggest critics. Write down the possible conversation. You may begin like this :
Pescud: Hello sir! It’s a pleasure to have this chance meeting with you. I have read your book, ‘The Rose Lady and Trevelyan’ but I must say that I beg to differ with your idea of romance. I feel it is far from reality.
Andrew: Hello Mr. Pescud! I am glad that you are candid in your opinion about my book. So, tell me what’s your notion of an ideal romance?

Ans: Pescud: Well Mr. Andrew I feel an ideal romance takes place only when real life people hunt for somebody in their own station where usually a fellow picks a girl who went to the same high school and belonged to the same society.
Andrew: I see, so Mr. Pescud, you want me to be consistent with the scenes and the characters?
Pescud: Yes, you got me right Mr. Andrew.

Writing Task:

Q. Write an article for a newspaper, on the importance of the elderly in our lives.

Ans: The importance of elderly in our lives
—By XXXX
Aging and growing is a natural process that is experienced by every individual. As we keep aging we encounter a range of positive and negative experiences which transforms our perception towards life. In nations like India, the elderly adults have always been revered by the people of the younger generation. The elderly adults which mainly constitute of the eldest member of the family, like our grandparents, are the ones who hold the family together and pass on the cultures and values to the younger generation. The diverse traditions, and cultures all would have been lost after the time of colonisation without them. Hence, elders can be said to be like the roots of the tree which establishes the fact that elderly people play a very crucial role in our lives. Thus, it can be concluded that we must take all the necessary efforts to respect and take care of our elders so that families are closely tied and traditions are preserved.