NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Literature Chapter 5 Best Seller

NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Literature Chapter 5 Best Sellers are part of NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English. Here we have given NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Literature Chapter 5 Best Seller.

plank	CBSE
textbook	N c E r T
Class	class 9
Subject	English literature
Chapter	Chapter 5
Chapter Name	best seller
Number of questions solved	7
Social class	NCERT Solutions

NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Literature Chapter 5 Best Seller

lesson practice
(page 43)

Question 1.
Before reading the story, write down the answers to these questions.

1. What was the latest hook you read?
2. Who was the author?
3. who were the main characters ?
4. When did you read the book?
5. How long did it take you to read it all?
6. Which genre did it belong to?
7. Why would you/wouldn’t you recommend it?

Answer

1. This was Jude the Obscure.
2. Thomas Hardy.
3. Jude, Sue, Arabella, Phillotson.
4. One month ago.
5. 12-15 days.
6. Imagination.
7. I would recommend my friends to read it as it is an entertaining story. In this the hero struggles hard to fulfill his dreams. But the more he tries, the more he fails. It seems that his own natural tendencies and the pressures of life become a hindrance to him. Ultimately, he feels defeated at the hands of fate and material conditions. In the end he dies tragically.

Question 2.
Read the story now:
Answer
Reading stories to students.

Question 3.
Based on reading the story, answer the following questions by choosing the correct option.
(A) The narrator says that John was “___ one of those things that heroes aren’t often lucky enough to become.” “His tone is sarcastic because___

1. He hated John.
2. She felt that John was a threat to her.
3. John was not particularly handsome.
4. Nobody liked John.

(B) Pescud felt that best-sellers were not realistic because _____

1. American farmers had nothing to do with European princesses.
2. Men usually marry girls from similar backgrounds.
3. American men marry girls who study in America.
4. The Americans did not know fencing and were beaten by the Swiss guards.

(C) “Bully,” Pescud said, immediately brightening. What they mean to say is that _____

1. He is a scoundrel.
2. His manager was a scoundrel.
3. He was being bullied by his co-workers.
4. He was doing his work very well.

(D) The narrator says that life has no geographical limits which means that _____

1. Human beings are basically the same everywhere.
2. Borders exist only on maps.
3. One should work for the betterment of mankind.
4. He was happy traveling to other countries.

Answer
(A)3
(b) 1
(c) 4
(d) 1

Question 4.
Answer the following questions briefly.

1. One day last summer the author was traveling by chair car to Pittsburgh. What does he say about his fellow travelers?
2. Who was the passenger of chair number 9? What did he do suddenly?
3. About the Best Seller John A. What was Pescud’s opinion? Why ?
4. What does John say about himself since his last meeting with the author?
5. How did John first meet Jesse’s father? What did the author say to him? [V. Imp.]
6. Why did John land in Coketown?
7. John is a hypocrite. Do you agree with this statement ? Justify your answer. [V. Imp.]
8. With reference to the following points John A. Describe Pescad:
   • Physical Appearance ………………
   • His philosophy on behavior………….
   • His profession………….
   • His first impression about his wife…………..
   • His success…………

Answer
1. He says that most of the passengers were women. She was dressed in a brown-silk dress, cut from square rocks, laced and with a dotted veil. There were the usual number of men there. They could be in almost any business and going anywhere.

2. John A. Pescud was on chair number 9. He suddenly threw a book on the floor between his chair and the window. It was ‘The Rose Lady and Trevelyan’.

3. John Pescud’s opinion about best sellers was that they were the ones where the hero was an American rich man. He was in love with a royal princess of Europe. The man was traveling to the girl’s father’s kingdom under a false name.

4. John says about himself that his salary was increased twice. He was getting some commission. He had bought some real estate. Next year he was hoping to buy some shares of the company. He also built a house in East End and got married.

5. John’s first meeting with Jesse’s father went well. At first he felt very nervous and his feet became cold. He felt that the Colonel was going to throw him out of the window. But soon they became friendly and their conversation continued for two hours.

6. John A. Pescad landed at Coketown. He wanted petunia flower cuttings and flowers for his wife. She wanted them because she was growing them in her old Virginia home.

7. I think John is a hypocrite. He criticizes the plot of the best seller. But he himself (being the hero of the novel) has supported it by portraying it in his story. Their story is actually the same plot from the best seller ‘The Rose Lady and Trevelyan’ which he has been reading. In a way he is a ‘Trevelyan’ himself. The narrator finally refers to Pescad as such after he lands in Coketown.

8. John A. Pescad was made of something that heroes were not often lucky enough to be made of. He was a small man with a wide smile. He had one eye. It seemed as if it had settled on that little red spot on the end of his nose.

• His philosophy was that man should be civilized and law-abiding.
• Pescad’s profession was that of a traveling salesman. He was currently a traveling salesman for a plate-glass company called Cambria Steel Works.
• His first impression of his wife was that she was the best-looking girl he had ever laid eyes on. She wasn’t very wonderful. But she had qualities that would enable her to become an ideal wife.
• Pescad had made great progress. His salary had been increased twice since he last met the narrator. He got commission. He also bought a neat piece of real estate. Next year he was buying some shares of the company. They built a house in the East End and got married. He was living in his own house with his wife Jessie and her Colonel father.

Question 5.
Complete the flow chart in the correct order as it happens in the story.
prompt : It starts from the time John Pescud sees Jessie for the first time and up to their wedding.

1. Jessie takes the sleeper to Louisville.
2. Pescad sees a girl (Jessie) reading a book on the train.
3. Pescud talks to the girl (Jessie) for the first time.
4. Pescad pursues him but finds it difficult to keep up.
5. Pescad goes to the village to find out about the mansion.
6. Jesse arrives in Virginia.
7. Pescud meets Jesse’s father.
8. They get married after a year.
9. Pescud is immediately attracted to the girl (Jessie).
10. Jesse informs Pescud that his father will not approve of them meeting.
11. Two days later they meet alone.

Answer.
The correct sequence of events in the story would be as follows:
2 → 9 → 4 → 1 → 6 → 5 → 3 → 7 → 10 → 11 → 8
2. Pescud sees a girl (Jessie) reading a book on the train.

9. Pescad is immediately attracted to the girl (Jessie).

4. Pescad chases him but finds it difficult to keep up.

1. Jesse takes the sleeper to Louisville.

6. Jessie arrived in Virginia.

5. Pescad goes to the village to find out about the mansion.

3. Pescad talks to the girl (Jessie) for the first time.

7. Pescad meets Jesse’s father.

10. Jesse informs Pescud that his father will not approve of them meeting.

11. They meet alone after two days.

8. They get married after a year.

Question 6.
Irony refers to the use of words to convey a meaning that is opposite to their literal meaning. Working in pairs, bring out the irony in the following:

1. The story’s title, “Best Seller”.
2. Pescud claims, “When people marry in real life, they usually hunt for someone in their own station. A partner usually chooses a girl who went to the same high-school and has the same Be related to the singing society to which he belonged.
3. Trevelyan name.

Answer
Meant to work at class level and in pairs. The following prompts will enable couples to discuss the use of sarcasm in these situations.
1. What a best seller should be is John A. Pescud has defined well. It should be a story taken from real life situations. It should not be entirely imaginative and according to a set formula. But the story of the best seller Pescad does not fit this definition.

2. Pescud claims that in real life people usually marry within their own relatives and within their own community. They also perform marriages between people of similar social status. But Pescad, author of the best seller ‘The Rose Lady and Trevelyan’, Trevelyan himself, disagrees. He is a traveling salesman for a plate-glass company. But his wife is the daughter of Colonel Allin, a British nobleman.

3. ‘Trevelyan’ is the hero of the best seller ‘The Rose Lady and Trevelyan’ but he himself is Pescad.

Question 7.
A newspaper reporter hears about Pescud and Jessie’s wedding. He interviews them and writes an article for the newspaper titled: A Modern Romance.
Working in groups of four, write the article.
Answer
For grade level and working in groups of four. The article is given below.

a modern romance

‘Romance’ literally means an exciting relationship between two people who love each other. Modern romance knows no caste, creed, colour, status or tradition. But earlier such things had importance. The marriage of Pescad and Jessie is an apt example of modern romance. There is a touch of excitement and adventure in the entire story. Pescud sees Jessie for the first time and chooses her as his wife in a second. He forgets all about his plate glass business and follows her to her place of residence.

Not only this, he gathers courage to meet her and her father. His chasing Jessie from one station to another is no less than a filmy romance. The suspense remains intact throughout. He meets his father, the Colonel, who could throw him to the foxes. But he meets her and tells her his feelings. He is specialized in calling a spade a spade. He tells her that he will try to make Jesse like him. His conversation with the Colonel fascinates the Colonel. The Colonel and Jessie like Pescad.

For the colonel, humorous anecdotes strengthen the friendship. Both enjoy each other’s company. Soon Pescud marries Jessie. They build a house in the East End and live happily. The Colonel waits for Pescud to tell him another story.

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