Jerome Klapka Jerome (1859-1927), English novelist and playwright, was born
in the borough of Walsall. Jerome was financially supporting himself by the
age of 14, as his family had little money. After clerking, teaching, and acting, he
turned his attention to writing and editing. Two books, Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow
(1886) and Three Men in a Boat (1889), represent his greatest success as a writer.
Reminiscent of Mark Twain’s travel writings, these works combine wit and anecdote
with common sense and compelling description. Jerome had his greatest success
in the theatre with ‘The Passing of the Third Floor Back’ (1908) .The present passage
has been taken from Three Men in a Boat , Not to Speak of a Dog.
Glossary:
uncanny = strange or mysterious;
cock= to lift or raise a part of the body
potter about (v): =to do unimportant things
slave (v) = to work very hard at something
superintend = to be in charge of something
haunt= here, to cause somebody unease, worry, or regret by continual presence in his life
rummage = to search for something by moving things around
carelessly
chaos = a state of total confusion and lack of order
slam = close forcefully
hamper= a large basket with a cover that is used for carrying food,
especially in picnics
trod = past tense of tread, to walk slowly
smash = break into pieces, destroy
indignant = angry because of something which is wrong or not
fair
conceit = when you are too proud of yourself and your actions
squirm = to move from side to side in an awkward way because
of nervousness or pain.
stumble (n) = fall
row = dispute
split the difference= agreed at the midway timing of 6:30
Thinking about the Text
I. Discuss in pairs and answer each question below in a short paragraph (30 − 40 words).
1. How many characters are there in the narrative? Name them. (Don’t forget the dog!).
Answer: There are four characters in the narrative. They are Jerome (the narrator), George,
Harris and Montmorency (the dog).
2. Why did the narrator (Jerome) volunteer to do the packing?
Answer: The narrator volunteered to do packing because he thought he was the best
packer. He felt proud of his packing and wanted to show it.
3. How did George and Harris react to this? Did Jerome like their reaction?
Answer: George and Harris readily accepted Jerome’s suggestion. George smoked a pipe
and “spread himself over the easy-chair”, while Harris put his legs on the table and lit a
cigar.
No, Jerome irritated by their reaction.
4. What was Jerome’s real intention when he offered to pack?
Answer: When Jerome offered to pack, his real intention was to supervise the work. He
wanted to show his ability through the supervision.
5. What did Harris say after the bag was shut and strapped? Why do you think he waited
till then to ask?
Answer: After the bag was shut and strapped, Harris mentioned that Jerome had not
packed the boots.
He had waited till then to ask because he wanted to make Jerome realise his mistake and
ridicule his packing skills.
6. What “horrible idea” occurred to Jerome a little later?
Answer: The “horrible idea” that occurred to Jerome a little later was whether he had packed
his toothbrush or not. Whenever he travelled he could never remember if he had packed his
toothbrush or not. This thought haunted him and made his life a misery.
7. Where did Jerome finally find the toothbrush?
Answer: Jerome finally found the tooth brush inside a boot when he was putting the things
back one by one after turning them out of the bag.
8. Why did Jerome have to reopen the packed bag?
Answer: Jerome had to reopen the packed bag twice owing to his forgetfulness. Once he
had to reopen the bag as he had forgotten to pack the boots. The next time, he unpacked
when he realised he had packed his spectacles in.
9. What did George and Harris offer to pack and why?
Answer: George and Harris offered to pack the hampers because It was getting late and
they thought that Jerome had taken too much of time. They also wanted to show their skill
to Jerome
10. Answer: Statements (i), (iii), (iv), (vi) and (vii) are true.
II. What does Jerome say was Montmorency’s ambition in life?
What do you think of
Montmorency and why?
Answer: Jerome says Montmorency’s ambition in life was to get in the way and he sworn at.
Montmorency was a mischievous little dog who loved creating troubles for others. I think
that Montmorency was a perfect nuisance because whenever he found people busy with
their work, he might feel bored and wanted to get involved. He meant no trouble
intentionally. But when people shouted at him or threw things at his head, he got
discouraged and then went away to sit silently, which the narrator calls as the fulfilment of
his conceit.
III. Discuss in groups and answer the following questions in two or three paragraphs (100
−150 words)
1. Of the three, Jerome, George and Harris, who do you think is the best or worst packer?
Support your answer with details from the text.
Answer: Of the three, Jerome is the best packer He knew how to arrange things in order.
Both Harris and George messed everything. Harris packed the strawberry jam on top of a
tomato and squashed it. George stepped on the butter. They were getting constantly
irritated by Montmorency. Till the time Jerome packed, although he took his time, the job.
They even kept things behind them and then kept searching for it. They made everything
such a mess.
2. How did Montmorency ‘contribute’ to the packing?
Answer: The packing escapade was already a messy job and Montmorency’s contribution made it even more tiresome. He did his level best to be a “perfect nuisance”.
He came and sat down on things, just when they were wanted to be packed. He put his leg
into the jam and worried the teaspoons. He also pretended that the lemons were rats. So he
got into the hamper and killed three of them before Harris could land him with the frying pan.
3. Do you find this story funny? What are the humorous elements in it?
(Pick out at least three, think about what happens, as well as how it is described.)
Answer: Yes, this story is definitely funny. Not only is the way in which the three friends
pack for their trip quite mirthful, but the way the author narrates all the incidents is also
entertaining.
The first humorous element is that he offered to pack, George and Harris leaves the whole
matter to him. Consequently, he has to do packing though his real intention was to boss the
job.
The second humorous element is that George placed the butter on the chair and Harris sat
on it and it stuck at his back. When they searched it for packing it was missing. They walk
and walk round the room. At last, George saw it at Harris’s back.
The third humorous element is that Montmorency squirms in where he is not wanted. He
wants somebody stumble over him and curse him steadily for an hour. He pretends that
lemons were rats.
Page No: 90 Thinking about Language
Answer: 1 – (viii)
2 -(vi)
3 – (v)
4 – (ii)
5 – (vii)
6 – (iv)
7 – (iii)
8 – (i)
II. Use suitable words or phrases from Column A above to complete the paragraph given
below.
Answer: During power cuts, when traffic lights go off, there is utter chaos at crossroads.
Drivers add to the confusion by getting into a row over their right of way, and nearly come
to blows. Sometimes passers-by, seeing a few policemen slaving at regulating traffic, step in
to help. This gives them a feeling of having accomplished something.
III.2. Answer:
(iii) Look Before you leap.
Don’t make a mountain out of a mole hill.
(iv) Live and let Live.
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.
(v) Mind your own business.
Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.
(vi) Be first at the feast and last at the fight.
Don’t count the days, make the days count!
