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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.
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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
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संबंधित प्रश्न
How sharp is your memory?
Take this five-minute memory test. The teacher will read out a series of 30 words, one by one. Some of them will be repeated. Whenever you hear a word for the first time, write ‘N’ (for New) in the corresponding box, and when you hear a repeated word write ‘R’. After completing this task, check your results. Compare it with your friends and see where you stand.
| 1 | N | 11 | 21 | ||
| 2 | 12 | 22 | |||
| 3 | 13 | 23 | |||
| 4 | 14 | 24 | |||
| 5 | 15 | 25 | |||
| 6 | 16 | 26 | |||
| 7 | 17 | 27 | |||
| 8 | 18 | 28 | |||
| 9 | 19 | 29 | |||
| 10 | 20 | 30 |
What does the author mean when he says the letter in his pocket leads an unadventurous life?
What are the articles the writer forgets most often?
Who are the citizens of ‘dreamland’? Why?
What made people wonder about the absentmindedness of their fellowbeings?
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.
How had the author managed the auction without getting involved in the deal?
What did the falling of the hammer indicate?
What made the friend laugh heartily?
How does the narrator describe the man who approached him?
How does the Narrator show the presence of mind in the sudden turn of events?
Barbizon refers to a ______.
The narrator had been a safe contributor at the auction, as ______.
Why did the narrator visit Christie’s?
What could have been the best way for the narrator, to get himself out of the tight corner?
Why did the narrator feel he could have welcomed a firing party?
What was the bidder’s offer to the narrator?
How did the narrator take advantage of the situation?
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.
As the narrator, make a diary entry about the tight corner you faced at Christie’s and how you were saved from the dire situation.
How can a graduate give back to his/her society?
How do Universities mould students apart from imparting academic education to them?
Often on formal occasions, we admire friends and strangers who appear elegant, who are pleasant to converse with, and who conduct themselves gracefully. At times, we also see people who are awkward, nervous, and doubtful about their next move. Recall a few examples of awkward actions that can cause discomfort or disturbance to others like spilling a cup of a hot drink on someone nearby.
Describe the fluttery cascade of things tumbling from the bag.
How did Bryson free himself from the crash position?
What did Bryson wish to avoid in his life?
Briefly describe the ‘accidents’ encountered on the flight by Bryson.
