Chapter 2: The Night the Ghost Got in

INTEXT [PAGES 30 - 34]

Samacheer Kalvi solutions for English Class 10th SSLC Tamil Nadu State Board Chapter 2 The Night the Ghost Got in Intext [Pages 30 - 34]

Intext | Q 1 | Page 30

Where was the author when he heard the noise?

SOLUTION

The author had just stepped out of the bathtub, when he heard the noise.

Intext | Q 2 | Page 30

What did the narrator think the unusual sound was?

SOLUTION

At first, he thought it was his father or his brother Roy. Next, he suspected that it was a burglar. Later on, he thought that it was a ghost.

Intext | Q 3 | Page 31

What were the various sounds the brothers heard when they went downstairs?

SOLUTION

The brothers heard like a man running and started up the stairs towards them. They thought that they were coming two at a time. They saw nothing, but only heard the steps.

Intext | Q 4 | Page 31

Who were the narrator neighbours?

SOLUTION

The narrator’s neighbours were a retired engraver named Bodwell and his wife.

Intext | Q 5 | Page 32

How did the Bodwells react, when a shoe was thrown into their house?

SOLUTION

Mr. Bodwell was shouting, frothing a little, and shaking his fist. Mrs. Bodwell wanted to sell their house and go back to Peoria. For some years, he had been in a bad way and was subjected to mild attacks.

Intext | Q 6 | Page 32

What did the Bodwells think when they heard the mother shout.

SOLUTION

Bodwell thought that there were burglars in his house when they heard the mother shout.

Intext | Q 7 | Page 33

What was the grandfather wearing?

SOLUTION

The narrator’s grandfather was wearing a long flannel nightgown over long woollen pants, a nightcap, and a leather jacket around his chest.

Intext | Q 8 | Page 33

What conclusions did grandfather jump to when he saw the cops?

SOLUTION

His grandfather was going through fits where he believes he is in the war. He thinks that General Meade’s men are deserting under fire from Stonewall Jackson.

Intext | Q 9 | Page 34

Were the policemen willing to leave the house?

SOLUTION

No, the policemen were not willing to leave without getting their hand on somebody besides grandfather.

Intext | Q 10 | Page 34

What made the reporter gaze at the author?

SOLUTION

The author had put on one of his mother’s dress, as he couldn’t find anything else. The reporter looked at him with mingled suspicion and interest.

EXERCISE [PAGES 34 - 48]

Samacheer Kalvi solutions for English Class 10th SSLC Tamil Nadu State Board Chapter 2 The Night the Ghost Got in Exercise [Pages 34 - 48]

Answer the following questions in a sentence or two.

Exercise | Q A.1 | Page 34

Why was the narrator sorry to have paid attention to the footsteps?

SOLUTION

The imagination of the ghost getting into his house lead to a commotion. It caused his mother to throw a shoe through a window of the neighbouring house. It ended with his grandfather shooting a policeman. So the narrator was sorry to have paid attention to the footsteps.

Exercise | Q A.2 | Page 34

Why did Herman and the author slam the doors?

SOLUTION

Herman and the author slammed the doors because they thought that someone was coming up their stairs. They were scared as they heard the steps of someone.

Exercise | Q A.3 | Page 34

What woke up the mother?

SOLUTION

The slamming of the doors had awakened their mother.

Exercise | Q A.3 | Page 47

Read the following line from the poem and answer the question given below.

Nothing goes right with the folks you meet.
Down on that gloomy Complaining street.

a. What is the opinion about the folks you meet down the street?

b. What does the word 'gloomy' mean here?

SOLUTION

Everything goes wrong with the folks you meet down the street.
The word ‘gloomy’ means to appear depressing or frightening.

Exercise | Q A.4 | Page 34

What do you understand by the mother’s act of throwing the shoe?

SOLUTION

His mother enormously fancied the thrill of throwing a shoe through a glass window of her neighbour. She is a highly excitable woman.

Exercise | Q A.5 | Page 34

Why do you think Mrs. Bodwell wanted to sell the house?

SOLUTION

Mrs. Bodwell wanted to sell the house, as she wanted to go back to Peoria, due to the frequent mild attacks.

Exercise | Q A.5 | Page 48

Read the following line from the poem and answer the question given below.

And so it were wisest to keep our feet From wandering into Complaining Street;

a. What is the wisest thing that the poet suggests?

b. What does the phrase ‘to keep our feet from wandering’ refer to?

SOLUTION

The poet suggests that the wisest thing is to keep our feet away from going into the complaining street.
The phrase ‘to keep our feet from wondering’ refers to avoid stepping into the complaining street.

Exercise | Q A.6 | Page 35

How did the cops manage to enter the locked house?

SOLUTION

The cops managed to enter the locked house by breaking the glass of the front door.

Exercise | Q A.6 | Page 48

Read the following line from the poem and answer the question given below.

Let us learn to walk with a smile and a song,
No matter if things do sometimes go wrong;

a. What does the poet expect everyone to learn?

b. What should we do when things go wrong sometimes?

SOLUTION

a. The poet expects everyone to live a happy life by smiling and singing all the time.

b. We should not bother ourselves if things go wrong sometimes.

Exercise | Q A.7 | Page 35

Why were the policeman prevented from entering grandfather's room?

SOLUTION

The policemen were prevented from entering into grandfather’s room because the narrator realized that it would be bad if they do so. His grandfather was going through a phase, in which he believed that General Meade’s men were beginning to retreat. They were under the control of Stonewall Jackson.

Exercise | Q A.8 | Page 35

Who used the zither and how?

SOLUTION

Zither was used by the guinea pig to sleep on it. It would never sleep anywhere except on the zither.

Exercise | Q A.9 | Page 35

Mention the things that the grandfather imagined.

SOLUTION

His grandfather imagined that the cops were deserters from Meade’s army. He thought that they were trying to hide away in his attic.

Exercise | Q B.1 | Page 35

Answer the following question in about 100-150 word.

Describe the funny incident that caused the confusion in the house.

SOLUTION

Introduction:

James Grover Thurber was an American cartoonist. He is the best known for his cartoon and short stories. The extracts of this lesson are from his auto-biography.

A strange sound:

The incident took place in the author’s house. It was about a quarter past one o'clock in the morning. The author came out of the bath. He heard the footsteps of someone. He was scared. He thought it was a burglar or a ghost. So, he went to his brother Herman’s room. He woke up his brother.

Call for the police:

Both of them heard the noise and were afraid. They went to the back staircase to listen to the footsteps. Their mother woke upon hearing the sound. She believed that there were burglars in the house. She threw a shoe at her neighbor's door to seek help. Mr. Boldwell called the police.

Entry of the police:

The policemen arrived with some reporters. They searched all over, but they found nothing. Then they rushed to attic. The narrator’s grandfather thought that the cops were deserters, so he grabbed the gun and started shooting at them. The policemen left their house.

Secret behind the chaos:

The policemen were full of confusion. Next morning, grandfather told that he came to the dining room for water, the previous night.

Conclusion:

It finally becomes clear that it was the narrator’s mistake. Their imagination rewarded them a sleep less night of disorderly activities.

Exercise | Q B.2 | Page 35

Answer the following question in about 100-150 word.

Narrate the extensive search operation made by the policemen in the house.

SOLUTION

Introduction:

James Grover Thurber was an American cartoonist, story writer, journalist, etc. The story “The Night the ghost got in” is extracted from his auto-bio-graphy.

Unusual things:

The incident took place in the narrator’s house. He heard strange sound as he takes a bath. He heard footsteps circling the dinning room table. He thought that it was burglar or ghost. He rushed to his brothers room. They both looked down. There were none but they heard foot steps.

Arrival of Police:

The brothers slammed the doors. The mother woke up. She called the police by throwing a shoe into neighbours house. The neighbour called the police. The police arrived. They broke open the door. They ransacked the floor. They gleamed flash lights. They told that there were none. The police returned home empty-handed.

Screen behind the confusion:

The next morning the grandfather of the narrator told that he only came to the dinning room for water. Then only the narrator tame to know all the confusions.

Conclusion:

The narrator realised that it was his mistake. The imagination of thinking his grandfather as a ghosts created a lot of confusion in the house.

Exercise | Q C | Page 35

Look at the following expressions from the text. With the help of your teacher rewrite them in standard English. One has been done for you.

1. ‘Musta got away – whatt’d he like?	Must got away - what was he like?’
2. ‘Looky here, Joe
3. ‘No sign o’ nothing’
4. ‘Back t’ the lines ye goodaam
5. ‘What was the idea of all them cops tarryhootin’ round the house last night.

SOLUTION

1.	‘Musta got away-whatt’d he like	Must got away – what was he like
2.	‘Looky here, Joe	Look here, Joe
3.	‘No sign o’ nothing’	No sign of nothing
4.	‘Back t’ the lines ye goodaam’	Back to the lines you good men
5.	‘What was the idee of all them cops tarryhootin’ round the house last night.’	What was the idea of all the cops working up round the home last night

Exercise | Q D | Page 35

Complete the given tabular column with the suitable plural forms.

chair	-
box	-
Eskimo	-
lady	-
radius	-
formula	-
child	-
deer	-
loaf	-
hero	-

SOLUTION

chair	-	chairs
box	-	boxes
Eskimo	-	eskimos
lady	-	ladies
radius	-	radii
formula	-	formulae
child	-	children
deer	-	deer
loaf	-	loaves
hero	-	heroes

Exercise | Q E.1 | Page 36

The rich man was from...

Nagaland
Thailand
Finland

SOLUTION

The rich man was from - Thailand

Exercise | Q E.2 | Page 36

Where did Chulong catch the bird?

SOLUTION

Chulong caught the bird in a garden.

Exercise | Q E.3 | Page 36

Why did Chulong catch the bird?

SOLUTION

Chulong caught the bird to make money.

Exercise | Q E.4 | Page 36

What will happen to the bird in imprisonment?

SOLUTION

The bird will lose its beauty and sweet voice.

Exercise | Q E.5 | Page 36

What did the bird suggest Chulong, in exchange for its freedom?

SOLUTION

The bird suggested to teach him three simple and useful rules in exchange for its freedom.

Exercise | Q E.6 | Page 36

Does Chulong want to earn money honestly?

SOLUTION

No, Chulong doesn’t want to earn money honestly.

Exercise | Q E.7 | Page 36

What were Chulongs plans for the bird?

SOLUTION

Chulong’s plans were to kill the bird and eat its meat.

Exercise | Q E.8 | Page 36

Who is wise according to you?

SOLUTION

According to me, the bird is wise.

Exercise | Q E.9 | Page 36

Is the bird a crow?

SOLUTION

No, the bird was not a crow.

Exercise | Q E.10 | Page 36

What are the three rules given by the bird?

SOLUTION

1. Never believe everything others say.

2. Never be sad about something you do not have.

3. Never throw away what you have in your hand.

Exercise | Q 6 | Page 36

Who am I?

Who Am I? is a guessing game where players use ‘yes’ or ‘no’ questions to guess the identity of a famous person. Questions are based upon the traits and characteristics of a person everyone will be able to identify.

Divide the class into groups. One group should decide the personality while the other group should ask ‘yes’ or ‘no’ type questions. To win the game, a team needs to find out the person within 10 clues.

Sample questions to ask. Answers must be ‘yes’ or ‘no’ only.

Are you a male (female)?
Are you a famous personality?
Are you a singer (dancer, actor)?
Are you a historical figure?
Are you young (old)?
Are you alive now?
Does your name start with ‘___’?
Is he/she ____ ?

SOLUTION

Exercise | Q 7 | Page 36

Use this passage to play the game. You can collect information on other famous personalities and play too.

Charlie Chaplin was born on April 16, 1889, in London England. His birth name was Charles Spencer Chaplin, though he had many nicknames growing up such as Charlie, Charlot, and The Little Tramp. His father, Charles Chaplin, and his mother, Hannah Chaplin, were inducted into the music hall of fame, leading the way to his exposure even as a young boy. His first onstage moment was when he was 5 years old; he sang a song that was intended to be sung by his own mother; she had become ill at the time of the performance, so little Charlie Chaplin stood instead and performed for his mother.

Charlie Chaplin came to the United States in 1910, at the age of 21. He was brought to New York, which was known to be a great place to start out for anyone trying to become a professional actor. Two years later, in 1913, Chaplin signed his very first contract at Keystone and it was no time before he headed to Hollywood. His first movie premiered in 1914, “Making a Living,” and went on to make over 35 movies total in that year alone. Charlie Chaplin grew to become one of the most popular and successful actors of all time. The moment that really kicked off his long career was in 1921 when he starred in, and produced, his first full-length film called “The Kid.” From then on, most people all over the world knew Charlie Chaplin and loved his movies. He had a great career and life, dying on December 25, 1977, in Vevey, Switzerland. He had apparently died of natural causes in his sleep from old age.

SOLUTION

Was Charlie born in India?
Do you know his birth name?
Do you know his nick names?
Did Charlie Chaplin come to Russia in 1910?
Did Chaplin sign his first contract at keystone ¡n 1913?
Was the film ‘The Kid’ produced by Charlie Chaplin?
Did people love his movies?
Did his first movie premiere in 1915?
Had he a great career and life?
Did he die at his young age?

Exercise | Q H.1 | Page 38

Read the following incident carefully to answer the question that follow.

The tie that does not bind

“Oh, so you’re going abroad? Can you bring me back…..?” I’ve been asked to bring back a vaccine for a course. Once I searched the suburbs of Paris for two days for a special brand of ceramic paint. Having spent a lot of money for Cartier lighter refills, I had them confiscated at the airport just before boarding because the gas might be dangerous in the air.

Now, two months before a trip, I stop talking to people so they won’t suspect I’m about to travel. But someone always catches me.” I’ve heard you’re going to New York, and I want you to get something for me. It’s just a little thing you can find anywhere. I don’t know exactly how much it costs, but it shouldn’t be much. We’ll settle up when you get back”.

What Gilson asked me to buy was, in fact, a little thing: a tie. But not just any tie. He wanted a tie with a small embroidered G. Any colour would do, as long as it had his initials. Look, this is a special flight, I explained. We are only staying Saturday through Tuesday. On the day we arrived I didn’t have time to think about the tie, but strolling around on Sunday I did see ties bearing various letters in more than one shop window. They were cheap, just a dollar, but all the shops were closed.

On Monday, lunch lasted the whole afternoon. Then it was Tuesday morning, time to leave. It was only when I saw our airport bus waiting outside the hotel that I remembered the tie.

I told the group to go on. I would get a taxi to the airport. And so I went in search of a nearby shop where I had seen ties.

But I couldn’t find it. I walked further down the street-one, two, three blocks - all in vain. Back at the hotel, a bit anxious now, I took my suitcase, got a taxi and asked the driver to rush to the street where I had seen them.

The driver stopped at each shop we passed so I could look from the window. The stores had all sorts of ties, but not the kind I was looking for.

When I finally thought I had located the right shop, I decided to go in and check. The driver refused to wait. Parking was prohibited, he said. I promised to double the fare, jumped out and ran into the shop. Was I going to miss the plane just for a damned tie?

The salesman was unbearably slow. When I realized that the smallest change I had was a ten dollar note , I grabbed ten ties of different colours so I wouldn’t have to wait for change. I rushed out with the ties in a paper bag.

On the street I looked around. The taxi had vanished, taking my suitcase. What is more, I was going to miss the plane.

I ran to the corner, and hope flared up again: the taxi was waiting in the next street. Quick to the airport! As I settled down inside the taxi. I sighed with relief. Gilson was going to have enough initialized ties to last him a lifetime.

When I reached the airport, I paid the taxi driver the double fare and grabbed my suitcase. Panting, I boarded the plane under the reproachful gaze of the other passengers, all primly seated with their seat belts fastened. Ready to take off. Departure had been delayed because of me.

“At least I hope you found your tie”, said one who knew the story.
“I did”, I answered triumphantly.

After making myself comfortable, I reached for the paper bag to show the ties.
I had left it behind; in the taxi.

Fernando Sabino.