Keeping it from Harold Extra Questions and Answers Class 9 English Literature

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Keeping it from Harold Extra Questions and Answers Class 9 English Literature

Keeping it from Harold Extra Questions and Answers Short Answer Type

Answer the following questions briefly.

Keeping It From Harold Question And Answers Ncert Question 1.
What kind of a boy was Harold?
Answer:
Harold was an intelligent boy with a deep interest in academics. He was self-absorbed and did not show much interest in his parents. In fact, his parents were in awe of him and wondered how such a child had been bom to them. Later on however we find that he has an interest in boxing and has in-depth knowledge about it as well.

Keeping It From Harold Question 2.
Who was Major Percy Stokes? What kind of a man was he?
Answer:
Major Percy Stokes was the brother of Mrs Bramble. He was a troublemaker who did not seem to be involved in any constructive work. He was the person to instigate Mr Bramble into quitting boxing before the big fight.

Question 3.
How did the Major instigate Mr Bramble to give up boxing?
Answer:
Major Percy had written letters and pamphlets giving him reasons why he should give up boxing before the scheduled big fight. He scared Mr Bramble by telling him that his secret would be out if he fought because it was going to be covered extensively by the reporters and there was every chance of his photograph being plastered in the newspapers.

Question 4.
Mr Bramble had already decided to quit after the big fight, then why does his decision to quit before the fight upset his wife?
Answer:
His wife was upset because by quitting before the fight they would not be able to get the large amount of money that he would have otherwise got, irrespective of the fact whether he lost or won. The money would have helped in paying for Harold’s education.

Question 5.
Why did Percy keep a safe distance from Mr Fisher when he arrived at the Brambles’ house?
Answer:
Percy kept a safe distance because Mr Fisher held him responsible for Mr Bramble’s decision to quit before the big fight. He was afraid that in his anger and frustration, Mr Fisher might beat him up.

Question 6.
Pick out sentences from the lesson which show that Jerry Fisher was burning with anger.
Answer:
“Jerry Fisher’s face was a study in violent emotions. His eyes seemed to protrude from their sockets like a snail’s.”

Question 7.
Why did Fisher tell Harold the truth about his father’s boxing profession?
Answer:
Fisher was so angry with Mr Bramble at backing out from the professional fight scheduled to be held on Monday that he felt he had been treated badly and was desperate to take revenge. So he told Harold the truth, knowing that the Brambles had not wanted this.

Question 8.
Was Harold’s reaction expected by his parents? Give reasons for your answer.
Answer:
No, they had not expected Harold to be so happy to have a father who was a professional boxer. They had expected him to be embarrassed and look down upon him but the opposite happened.

Keeping it from Harold Extra Questions and Answers Long Answer Type

Question 1.
Harold writes a letter to his friend on the day that he finds out the truth, telling him about his father’s profession and expressing his pride in his achievements. Write the letter.
Answer:
11 January 20xx
XYZ
Dear Sam,
I am writing to give you an extremely exciting bit of news. Remember we had laid a bet on Young Porky to win the fight on Monday? Well rest assured, we are going to win! You may wonder how I can be so sure of this; well the truth is that Young Porky is my father! Surprised? Well so was I when I got to know of this. I was kept in the dark because my parents thought I would be embarrassed at the thought of having a boxing champion as my father! Really it is so difficult to understand adults sometimes! How could I be embarrassed? I am jumping with joy. I can hardly wait to tell the whole class about it! At last they will behave in a respectful manner with me and stop calling me “Goggles”! Gosh, how I hate that name!
Well, see you in school. By the way, would you like to get some passes for the fight?
Your friend
Harold

Question 2.
What does Major Percy stokes mean when he said the scales have fallen from his eyes. Do you think he was the one who convinced his brother in law not to participate in the big fight?
Answer:
Major Percy Stokes was the one of the few who advised both Mr & Mrs Bramble that they should keep Mr Bramble’s profession from his son, Harold. He had always disliked his brother in law’s profession and when he managed to convince Bill Bramble from fighting on Monday, he declared to Mrs Bramble that Bill, her husband had finally realized the error of his ways. The realization is what he referred to as the scales falling, from his eyes.Yes, he was the one who convinced Bill to stop fighting. He had been sending letters to Bill and he mentioned how his fight was going to affect Harold. This made Bill change his mind.

Question 3.
After returning from Mr Bramble’s house, Jerry Fisher writes a diary entry about the events that had just taken place and how he tried to ensure that Bramble would take part in the big fight on Monday. Write the diary entry, mentioning the role played by the Major and his reasons for telling the truth to Harold.
Answer:
15 January 20xx
Just returned after saving a potentially dangerous situation! I don’t know how I kept my hands off that Major Percy Stokes! He was the creator of all my stress. Imagine forcing a star performer to quit days before one of the biggest boxing fights seen in this part of the world? How could he be so irresponsible? He is such a trouble maker I should have kept a closer watch on him. Bill, our young Porky is such a simple man.

He may have a mean left hook in the ring but he is so meek and docile in real life. Thank God the secret of his profession is finally in the open. I still see no reason for all this cloak and dagger stuff. A boy should be brought up to respect his father’s profession. After all he is paying all his bills! Thank God the boy has more intelligence than his parents.

He was so excited to learn that his father was the real Young Porky! Really, Mrs Bramble and her fancy notions… what is wrong in being a professional boxer, especially if one is so talented as Porky? What an irony that the young boy has such deep knowledge about the boxing world. Anyway, the training has’restarted and I am hopeful of a great win on Monday!

Question 4.
Describe Mr Bramble as he has been described in the story.
Answer:
Mr Bramble is a successful professional boxer nicknamed “Young Porky” by his fans. He is a talented boxer and has an enormous fan following. Though he has a very effective left hook which has won him many boxing matches, he is a gentle soul, meek, mild, and submissive at home. He looks like a tough boxer with his square jaw and irregular shaped nose but at heart is a very sensitive man easily dominated by his wife. He is extremely proud of his son, Harold’s intelligence and brilliance in school. He is selfless and sacrificing and decides to give up his professional life as a boxer so that his son is not embarrassed by it. He is also very easy going and accommodating as he does not insist on naming his son after his idol as he had thought of before his birth.

Question 5.
Do you think Percy had ulterior motives? Be creative when you write your answer.
(Encourage the student to think creatively and formulate his own answer.)
Answer:
The way Percy is behaving makes one suspicious of his character. Not only does he depend on his sister Mrs Jane Bramble for money but he also manages to speak ill of them. It seems that Percy is green with envy for the success of his brother in law and does his best to convince him not to fight right till the eleventh hour.

The fight meant financial security for Bill and his family as well , as for Harold’s education but somehow Percy manages to convince Bill that his profession would embarrass Harold when in fact the opposite happened. The story also mentions how he likes to voice his opinions with disregard to other’s views. It can be conjectured that maybe he had an ulterior motive in making Bill opt out of the fight.

Keeping it from Harold Extra Questions and Answers Reference to Context

Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.

Question 1.
“Mrs Bramble looked up, beaming with a kind of amiable fat-headedness. A domestic creature, wrapped up iri Bill, her husband, and Harold, her son. At the present moment only the latter was with her. He sat on the other side of the table, his lips gravely pursed and his eyes a trifle cloudy behind their spectacles. ”

(a) Give two adjectives to define Mrs Bramble
Answer:
amiable; domestic.

(b) Why is Mrs Bramble called a domestic creature?
Answer:
Mrs Bramble has been called a domestic creature because she is totally devoted to her family and household affairs.

Question 2.
“At the moment only the latter was with her. He sat on the other side of the table, his lips gravely pursed and his eyes a trifle cloudy behind their spectacles. ”
(a) Who is “her”? Who is the person sitting with her?
Answer:
Here, “her” refers to Mrs Bramble. The person sitting with her is Harold.

(b) What does the word trifle mean?
Answer:
In this context, “trifle” means tiny or miniscule.

Question 3.
“Bill, we must keep it from Harold. ”
(a) Who is the speaker of these lines? What was the fact that must be kept from Harold?
Answer:
The speaker of these lines is Mrs Bramble. The fact that had to be kept from Harold was that his father was a boxer.

(b) What does the phrase “keep it from” mean in the extract?
Answer:
The phrase “keep it from” means that they want to conceal it from Harold.

(c) Why did they wish to keep it from Harold?
Answer:
They wished it be kept from Harold, as they thought the knowledge would be shocking and embarrassing to him as a boxing career was not thought to be respectable.

Question 4.
“Enemies said that he liked the sound of his own voice.”
(a) Who is “he”?
Answer:
In the extracted line “he” refers to Major Percy Stokes.

(b) What does “to like the sound of his own voice” mean?
Answer:
The turn of phrase “to like the sound of his own voice” means he liked to voice his opinion all the time; he liked to dominate all conversation.

Question 5.
“In private life he was the mildest and most obliging of men, and always yielded to everybody. ”
(a) Whom does “he” refer to and what was his profession?
Answer:
In the extracted line “he” refers to Mr Bramble. He was a professional boxer.

(b) What does ‘most obliging of men’ mean?
Answer:
It means that Mr Bramble was very accommodating and helpful.

(c) What aspect of his character does this line reveal?
Answer:
This line reveals that he was a good natured, meek and obedient man.

Question 6.
“You simply couldn’t take a boy like that aside and tell him that the father whom he believed to be a commercial traveller was affectionately known… as ‘Young Porky’.”
(a) Why is he being called “a boy like that”?
Answer:
In the extracted line Harold is referred to as “a boy like that” because the boy was brilliant academically and behaved with great dignity.

(b) Who is a “commercial traveller”?
Answer:
A “commercial traveller” is a travelling representative of a firm, getting orders for it.

(c) Why could the boy not be told the real identity of his fatlier?
Answer:
The boy could not be told the real identity of his father because they believed he would be embarrassed and it would upset him.

Question 7.
“Martha the general pattered along the passage and then came the sound of voices speaking in an undertone. Footsteps made themselves heard in the passage. The door opened. The head and shoulders of Major Percy Stokes insinuated themselves into the room. ”
(a) Who was Martha?
Answer:
Martha was the help who did all the work in the house.

(b) Who walked in behind Martha?
Answer:
Mr Bramble and Percy walked in behind Martha.

(c) Explain: “the head and shoulders of Major Percy Stokes insinuated themselves into the room.”
Answer:
Major Percy peeped into the room stealthily.

Question 8.
“Jerry Fisher’s a hard nut, ” said Mr Bramble apologetically. “He don’t like people coming round talking to a man he’s training, unless he introduces them or they ’re newspaper gents. ”
(a) Who is Jerry Fisher?
Answer:
Jerry Fisher is Mr Bramble’s manager, promoter and trainer.

(b) Why didn’t Fisher like people coming to meet the boxers?
Answer:
Fisher didn’t like anyone coming to meet the boxers because they disrupt the concentration of the boxer

Question 9.
“How about the money? Goodness knows I’ve never liked your profession.”
(a) Who is the speaker? Which profession is being discussed?
Answer:
The speaker is Mrs Bramble. They were discussing about boxing.

(b) What is a profession? Can you give some other examples of a profession.
Answer:
A profession means a job or a career. Some examples are teaching, construction, architecture, etc.

Question 10.
“It’s hard, I just wanted to break his neck for him. ”
(a) Who is the speaker?
Answer:
The speaker of the extracted line is Mr Fisher.

(b) Whose neck does the speaker wish to break?
Answer:
The speaker wishes to break Major Percy’s neck.

(c) Why does the speaker want to break his neck?
Answer:
The speaker wants to break his neck because he suspects that he had encouraged this star performer to give up boxing.

Question 11.
“The four adults surveyed the innocent child in silence. ”
(a) Why is the child being called innocent?
Answer:
The child is being called innocent because he was not aware of the truth about his father’s profession

(b) Why was there silence in the room?
Answer:
The people in the room were tense as they were not sure how much the child had overheard, thus there was silence in the room.

Question 12.
“How long do you suppose they ’d go on calling me, ‘Goggles ’ if they knew that you were my father? ”
(a) Who is the speaker?
Answer:
The speaker of the extracted line is Harold.

(b) Why did his friends call him “Goggles”?
Answer:
Harold’s friends called him “Goggle’s because he wore spectacles.

(c) In what way was the speaker’s reaction most unexpected?
Answer:
Harold’s reaction was unexpected because they had expected him to be embarrassed about his father’s profession but here he was proud of his father