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Question
The author is a humorist
a. How does the story reflect his sense of humour?
b. What makes his lady friend remark - 'You are quite a humorist'?
c. Give instances of the author's ability to laugh at himself.
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Solution
a. The author is a humorist. Humour is a device which is employed to evoke laughter. The author has very deftly employed this device in the story The Luncheon from the beginning to the end. At the beginning of the story, the author brings out a humorous situation when he was tactfully suggested by a lady to offer her a little luncheon at a highly expensive restaurant Foyot. Given the economic condition of the author at that time, visiting Foyot was beyond his budget line. Driven by flattery, the author made all possible calculations and decided to go along with the lady to Foyot only to experience some embarrassing moments. These embarrassing moments are very humorous to the readers.
The author was taken aback at the very beginning after visiting the restaurant when the lady in the name of little luncheon ordered salmon, then caviare and champagne and asparagus. These situations are humorous and testify to the sense of humour of the author. The way he avoided placing orders for himself in order not to reveal his budget line is also very humorous. The way he describes the lady in the beginning as a woman of forty who was imposing rather than attractive is humorous.
In the end, when the lady recommended the author to follow her example of having a so-called little luncheon, the author humorously replied that he would do better than that by eating nothing for the night that day.
Thus, the story unfolds the author's sense of humour from the beginning to the end. Every situation depicted in the story amply expresses his sense of humour.
b. The story The Luncheon narrates how the author's lady friend tactfully managed to have lunch in a highly expensive restaurant Foyot from the author. The author with all his monetary constraints decided to visit the restaurant where senators usually go only to come across some embarrassing situations. The author carefully chalked out a plan to order for some items in the highly expensive restaurant which would not affect his monthly budget. However, the irony unfolded when he found his lady friend placing the order one after another without bothering about the budget of the author. In the end, when the author's lady friend recommended him to follow her path to have the so-called little luncheon, the author humorously replied that he would do better than that by not taking dinner that night. In this context, the lady friend made the quoted remark.
c. The story The Luncheon is full of instances to show the author's ability to laugh at himself.
At the beginning of the story, the author admits that he was flattered to visit Foyot by the lady. The author admits that as he was young he could not say no to the invitation of the lady. In the restaurant when the lady started ordering costly items one after another he could see the irony. He laughed at himself as to why he agreed to the proposal of having lunch in Foyot. In fact, from the beginning to the end the author shows his ability to laugh at himself.
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A1. Complete the table with the information from the passage : (2)
| Insects | Similarity | Difference |
| Bumblebee - Beefy | ||
| Wasp - Hoverfly |
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