Advertisements
Advertisements
प्रश्न
Trace the thoughts that went on in the mind of the narrator when picture after picture was put up and sold at the auction.
Advertisements
उत्तर
The author was enthusiastically participating in the bid at Christie with very little money on him. He sailed smoothly for a long time raising the stakes on many paintings and carefully staying behind other competitors. It was fun watching till he got trapped in a net, set by his own tongue. When one particular painting was offered for 4000 guineas, the bidders maintained an uncomfortable silence when the author heard himself foolishly saying “and fifty”. The auctioneer banged the hammer finalizing the deal in the narrator’s favor.
It was then the narrator realized with alarm that he had no money on him. Suddenly he lost interest in fun bidding. He started thinking fast for a way out of the tight comer he had created for himself. Many small and big paintings were offered and sold out fast. The Barbizon pictures were selling fast like hot cakes for 2000 to 3000 guineas. The author was running over the names of friends, relatives, and even money lenders who might bail him out of the tight comer. He even speculated on the possibility of confessing his poverty to the staff of Christie and request them to put up the picture again for sale. Such a genuine mistake could have been rectified at the early stages of the auction. As he had enthusiastically participated in the bid for many paintings,
the auctioneers wouldn’t buy his justification for the “genuine mistake”. As bidders stood in a queue to hand in their cheques/cash to collect their paintings, the narrator stood deliberately at the end. He never felt such a fool or had colder feet all his life.
“People do not wish to appear foolish; to avoid the appearance of foolishness, they are will to
remain actually fools but wait in patience for the right time
APPEARS IN
संबंधित प्रश्न
We use various sports equipment to play different indoor and outdoor games. Now, associate the following sports equipment with their corresponding sports or games.
|
spear, racket, pawns, puck, stump, bow & arrow, club, oar, striker, sabre, dice, baton |
Have you won any medals? What are the levels to be accomplished to become an international sportsperson?
What is the commonest type of forgetfulness, according to Lynd?
What is common about the ‘angler’ and the ‘poet’?
Why, according to Lynd, should taking medicines be one of the easiest actions to remember?
What kind of absent-mindedness is regarded as a virtue by Lynd?
You have borrowed a branded cricket bat from your reluctant friend for an outstation match. After returning home you realize you have absent-mindedly left it in the hotel room. Write a letter of apology and regret to your friend.
Many of us have unused, old but valuable items at home. If we wish to get rid of them, we can sell them at an auction. Items like paintings, jewels, household articles, vehicles, even houses can be auctioned.
The flowchart below will help you understand how an auction is conducted.
What can you say about the author’s attitude when he high-handedly participated in the auction?
What made the author ignore his friend’s warning?
What kind of excuses did the narrator think he could make?
The narrator had been a safe contributor at the auction, as ______.
What is a tight corner? What happens when one finds oneself in a tight corner?
Why did the narrator visit Christie’s?
Form a meaningful summary of the lesson by rewriting the numbers in the correct sequence:
| a) The narrator had only 63 pounds with him and did not know how to manage the situation. | |
| b) The narrator thought of all his relations from whom he could borrow. | |
| c) Unfortunately he had made the highest bid. | |
| d) The narrator entered Christie’s as his friend persuaded him to visit the saleroom. | |
| e) Every time someone else made a higher bid and the narrator was not caught. | |
| f) The narrator on a sudden impulse added 50 more guineas, to the amount offered. | |
| g) His friend joined him then but left immediately unable to control his laughter. | |
| h) He even thought of borrowing from moneylenders and considered the possibility of confessing the truth to the staff at Christie’s. | |
| i) The picture was declared sold to the narrator. | |
| j) After some time a picture was put up and a bid for 4000 guineas was raised. | |
| k) A sudden stroke of luck befell the narrator when he heard that the gent who had made the bid of 4000 guineas would offer him the additional 50 guineas and buy the picture. | |
| l) The narrator kept bidding just for fun. | |
| m) The picture was given away to the other bidder and the narrator was saved from humiliation. | |
| n) His friend had left the place roaring with laughter at the narrator’s predicament. | |
| o) The narrator was quite happy at the offer but demanded 100 guineas instead of the 50. Now there was no need for him to make any payment. |
Explain how the narrator got out of the tight corner that he was in.
Discuss this aspect with your partner and share your views on how students can give back to society.
Why are universities necessary for a society?
In what ways have universities improved the society?
Students are instilled with some of the essential values and skills while at the universities. Enumerate them.
How does the speaker highlight the importance of giving back to the society?
What did Bryson wish to avoid in his life?
How would staying away from liquid mischief benefit Bryson?
What was the reaction of Bryson’s wife to his antics?
‘… But, when it’s my own - well, I think hysterics are fully justified’ – How?
Can a clumsy person train himself/ herself to overcome shortcomings? How could this be done?
As a fellow passenger of Bill Bryson on the flight, make a diary entry describing his clumsy behaviour during the trip and the inconveniences caused to others as a result of his nervousness.
