DAV Class 8 English Literature Book Solutions Chapter 6 The Luncheon

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DAV Class 8 English Literature Chapter 6 Question Answer – The Luncheon

Pre-Reading Task

Question 1.
Prepare an ideal diet chart for a teenager. Does it match with the actual diet you are taking?
Answer:
Children of the age group of 12-18 years are called teenagers. It is also called adolescent age or the growing period when a child needs proper nourishment and calories. Balanced diet comprises carbohydrates, minerals, fats, vitamins, etc.

Teenager’s diet should consist

• Vegetables and fruits such as green vegetables, apples, orange, grapes etc.
• Roots and tubes like potatoes, rich in carbohydrates.
• Cereals such as wheat, rice, etc.
• Milk and dairy products such as cheese, butter, paneer etc.
• Poultry and eggs.

My diet, which I consume daily does not match with this. I avoid potatoes and other items rich in carbohydrates as I am conscious of my weight. I also do not take fatty items.

Question 2.
What could be the possible consequences of not taking a balanced diet? Discuss with your partner.
Answer:
There could be several consequences of not taking balanced diet. Several health hazard problems may arise i.e. weak bones, low weight, malnutrition. Due to low calories in diet, working capacity reduces. In long term, it may cause severe diseases.

Question 3.
Work with your partner and prepare a list of the etiquettes and table manners one must observe during a formal lunch in the family.
Answer:
During a formal lunch in the family we must observe the following etiquettes and table manners:

• The guests must be served first.
• We must ask our guests to start the lunch and serve them again. Always ask if they need some more thing.
• The environment must be ideal. Sitting arrangements must be proper.
• Never munch aloud while eating.
• Making of noise with cutlery such as plates and forks must be avoided.
• Hands must be tidy.
• If you finish first, always say ‘excuse me’ before leaving the table.

I. Understanding the Story

A. Tick (✓) the correct answers from the options given below.

Question 1.
Did I remember?’The narrator means that:
(i) he did not remember.
(ii) he could not forget.
(iii) he was not sure.
Answer:
(ii) he could not forget.

Question 2.
The narrator is by profession:
(i) a writer.
(ii) a musician.
(iii) an artist.
Answer:
(i) a writer.

Question 3.
He had never been to Foyot’s before because:
(i) it was meant only for the French senators.
(ii) it was very expensive.
(iii) he had not heard of it.
Answer:
(ii) it was very expensive.

Question 4.
He did not order champagne for himself because:
(i) he did not like it.
(ii) his doctor had forbidden him to drink it.
(iii) he could not afford it.
Answer:
(iii) he could not afford it.

Question 5.
He did not give an adequate tip to the waiter because:
(i) he was mean.
(ii) he was miserly.
(iii) he had no more money.
Answer:
(iii) he had no more money.

B. Give two pieces of evidence from the story to justify each of the following statements.

Question 1.
The narrator was still a struggling writer.
Answer:
(i) He was living in a tiny apartment in Latin Quarter.
(ii) He was earning money enough to keep his body and soul together.

Question 2.
He promptly said “yes’ to the woman’s proposal for lunch at the Foyot’s.
Answer:
(i) He was too young to have learned to say no to a woman.
(ii) He felt highly flattered.

Question 3.
The woman did not approve of the narrator’s choice of eating meat.
Answer:
(i) It may overload her stomach.
(ii) She said it was unwise to eat meat.

Question 4.
The narrator planned ways to face a bill beyond his means.
Answer:
(i) He did not order champagne for himself.
(ii) He selected the cheapest dish mutton chop to save money.

Question 5.
The asparagus were tempting and difficult to resist.
Answer:
(i) He had seen asparagus in the shops.
(ii) His mouth had often watered at it’s sight.

Question 6.
The narrator was shocked to see the head waiter carrying a basket full of peaches.
Answer:
(i) The narrator said that a terrible thing had happened.
(ii) Peaches were not in season.

C. Answer the following questions in about 30 words each.

Question 1.
How did the woman know the narrator? Why did she want to meet him?
Answer:
The woman read the book of the writer. She knew him as a writer. As she was passing through Paris so she wanted to meet him.

Question 2.
What impression did the narrator gather of the woman when he met her?
Answer:
The narrator gathered the following impression when he met her.

1. The lady was very talkative in nature.
2. Her appearance was imposing rather than attractive.

Question 3.
Why was the narrator panic-stricken while they were waiting for the asparagus to be cooked?
Answer:
The narrator was panic-stricken while they were waiting for the asparagus to be served. He was calculating whether he would be able to pay off the bill after that.

Question 4.
Why did the narrator order coffee for himself also?
Answer:
The narrator ordered coffee for himself also because he did not eat in luncheon but had only a cup of coffee. Also he was now not caring for money.

Question 5.
What is the waiter’s contribution in allowing the woman to have a gorgeous meal?
Answer:
The writer allows her to eat delicious meal. She eats asparagus, salmon, caviare, ice cream with coffee and peaches. She drinks champagne also. All the dishes were beyond the limit of the writer. The narrator himself takes nothing for himself. He does not order all the dishes for himself. At the end, he found his pocket without money as he has spent his money in paying the bill.

II. HOTS

A. The narrator’s meeting with the woman begins with his being flattered and hospitable and ends with being mortified and disgusted. Discuss his different states of mind.
Answer:
The narrator’s meeting with the woman begins with his being flattered and hospitable and ends with being mortified and disgusted. That’s true in every sense of the word, as we see in the beginning of the story when the narrator is not so well off and earns his bread and butter through his writing. He lived in a very small apartment. The lady wants to meet him at one of the most expensive restaurant in Paris, as a good host he offers her the best of food available at the restaurant. He is not aware of the fact that the lady would eat much toe her heart’s desire and she order’s all the expensive dishes on the platter. The narrator ends up paying the huge bill with repentance. He had to spend the rest of the whole month penniless.

B. The woman calls the narrator ‘a humorist’. Who do you think actually contributes to the humour in the story? How?
Answer:
The entire story is based upon the fact that the woman who is invited for a dinner by the narrator does not even realise that he is a struggling writer. The humour content in the story is certainly provided by her because she eats like a gobbler. She orders the most expensive dishes and enjoys the food. The result is when author meets her after a span of 20 years he finds her obese and overweight. This way he is able to take his revenge.

III. Life Skills

If you come across such a guest at home, how will you behave?
Answer:
If I come across such a guest at home, I would certainly make her feel comfortable and at ease. So that she can relish the dishes I have prepared for her. But if she eats like a greedy person and is not ready to mend her ways, then very firmly I will tell her that eating too much is not good for one’s health and she should control her eating habits.

IV. Values

A. Observe the following remarks made by the woman during the luncheon.
‘I never eat anything for luncheon.’
‘I never drink anything for luncheon.’
‘I never eat more than one thing for luncheon.’
Discuss these statements in the light of her behaviour during the luncheon.
Answer:
For self-attempt.

B. Was the woman considerate or self-centred?
Answer:
The woman was self-centred as she did not consider the over expenses of the food eaten by her and the condition of the narrator.

V. Writing Skills

Imagine that you are the narrator.
(a) Write a diary entry expressing your plans on how you hope to manage the budget of the entire month.
Answer:

10:00 p.m.

6th June, 20XX
Wednesday
Nowadays, I am keeping my body and soul together through my writing. I have to invite a lady who is an admirer of my writing. She wants to meet me at Foyot.
I know it is a costly restaurant but I think the luncheon will not cost more than fifteen Francs. I hope that I shall manage it just cutting coffee for two weeks. Definitely, I have money. If I make budget properly, the luncheon will be modest.
For this I shall have to spend a little money. I wish to have nice time with her. Over all she is my admirer and thinks to meet me personally.

(b) Write a diary entry expressing your satisfaction on observing the woman put on a lot of weight in the second meeting.
Answer:

11:00 p.m.

25th July, 20XX
Monday
What a contentment I got today on seeing the lady after 20 years in the form of a sausage bag! The same lady gave me a terrible experience when I went for
luncheon at Foyot. She made me penniless by ordering expensive dishes firstly.
I had to live the entire month without money. Today when I saw her obese and overweight that made me happy. It gave me immense satisfaction and this way I took revenge.

DAV Class 8 English Literature Chapter 6 Solutions – The Luncheon

Question 1.
Do you think the narrator is wise in entertaining her guest? Comment.
Answer:
Being hospitable is a good habit. One must entertain one’s guest warmly. But too much hospitality is never good. One must spend according to one’s pocket. I don’t think the narrator is wise in inviting her guest at an expensive hotel. Being flattered, he forgot his capacity and this unwise act gave him miserable life for entire one month as the money for that month’s budget was swallowed by his hospitality.

Question 2.
What are the qualities of a good guest?
Answer:
Good guest must be noble by nature. He must be given warm welcome in host’s family. It should not be a criterion whether the guest is rich or poor. He should be given warm welcome. A good guest must take into consideration the financial condition of the host. Additional facility must not be demanded at any cost.

Question 3.
You are the narrator. Write a letter to your friend describing the lady who met you at the hotel Foyot’s.
Answer:
25th, Latin Quarter
Broad Way
Paris
25th June, 20XX
Dear Moris
I hope you will find this letter in good spirit. In my last letter, I told you about the lady who admired my writing. Yesterday the same lady expressed her desire to meet me as she was passing through Paris. Being excited, I invited her at hotel Foyot’s at luncheon. I thought the luncheon would cost me 10 to 15 Francs and I would manage that. But to my surprise my hospitality made me penniless. The lady was talkative and always exposing that she ate all the expensive dishes and always said that she ate only one thing for luncheon. I hope this terrible experience would make you laugh.
Now, I don’t know, how will I manage my monthly budget. Because I have already spent a lot on such things.
Yours
Maugham

Word Power
(A) Find words from the story which are the antonyms of the words given below.
(a) extravagant : m _______________
(b) miserly : g _______________
(c) permitted : f _______________
(d) cheap : e _______________
(e) lend : b _______________
(f) wicked : i _______________
Answer:
(a) extravagant meagre
(b) miserly generously
(c) permitted forbidden
(d) cheap expensive
(e) lend borrow
(f) wicked innocent

(B) Look at the following words associated with eating. Match them with their meanings.

Column A	Column B
(a) gobble	allow to go down one’s throat
(b) nibble	cut with the teeth
(c) bite	eat food too fast
(d) devour	pick up with the beak, nip
(e) peck	eat greedily, eat until you are unable to eat any more
(f) gorge	eat quickly and noisily
(g) swallow	take small quick bites
(h) munch	eagerly and in large amounts so that nothing is left

Answer:

Column A	Column B
(a) gobble	eagerly and in large amounts so that nothing is left
(b) nibble	take small quick bites
(c) bite	cut with the teeth
(d) devour	eat food too fast
(e) peck	pick up with the beak nip
(f) gorge	eat greedily, eat until you are unable to eat any more
(g) swallow	allow to go down one’s throat
(h) munch	eat quickly and noisily

The Luncheon Summary in English

The narrator met a lady at a play. She was familiar with him as he met her twenty years ago when he wrote a book. The lady wrote him about his book.
Twenty years ago, the narrator was poor enough. It was hard for him to earn even his bread and butter through his writing. He lived in a very small apartment in the Latin Quarter. The lady was passing through Paris and wanted to meet him. They decided to meet at Foyot’s which was one of the most expensive restaurants in Paris.

The narrator had eighty Francs and a lunch could not cost more than fifteen Francs. They met at Foyot’s, on Thursday, at half past twelve. The lady was about forty years old. She was very talkative.

The lady said that she never had anything for luncheon. When the narrator insisted she said that she did not take more than one thing. She ordered heavy dishes one by one which were all expensive. She took salmon, caviare, champagne and asparags one by one. At the end, she ordered ice cream with coffee. The bill was worth the poet’s whole pocket.

After 20 years when the narrator saw the lady again, he felt happy. Not because he met her again but to see her overweight. It was his revenge for that day when he had to spend his entire money on her and the whole month he passed in very miserable state without money.

The Luncheon Summary in Hindi

लेखक एक महिला से नाटक में मिला था। वह उससे पूर्व परिचित था। वह उससे बीस वर्ष पूर्व तब मिला था जब उसने एक पुस्तक लिखी थी। उस महिला ने उसकी पुस्तक के विषय में लिखा था।
बीस वर्ष पहले, लेखक बहुत गरीब था । उस समय लेखक अपने लेखन कार्य से केवल अपने जीवन यापन के लिए पैसे कमा पाता था। वह लैटिन क्वार्टर के एक छोटे से अपार्टमेण्ट में रहता था। महिला पेरिस से होकर जा रही थी और उससे मिलना चाहती थी। उन्होंने फोयोट्स में जलपान पर मिलने का निश्चय किया जो अत्यन्त महँगे होटलों में से एक था।

लेखक के पास 80 फ्रेंक थे और उसका अनुमान था कि जलपान में 15 फ्रेंक से अधिक खर्च नही होंगे। वे गुरूवार को फोयोट्स में 12:30 बजे मिले। महिला लगभग चालीस वर्ष की थी। वह बहुत बातूनी थी।

महिला ने कहा कि वह दोपहर के जलपान में कुछ नहीं लेती थी। लेखक के बहुत आग्रह करने पर उसने एक चीज से अधिक न लेने की बात कही। परन्तु जब उसने खाना मँगाना आरम्भ किया तो उसने एक के बाद एक कीमती पकवानों का आर्डर दिया। उसने सैल्मन, मछली, केवियेअर, शैम्पेन और एसपेरेगस जैसी महँगी चीजें मँगवाई और लगातार अपनी बात को दुहराती रही कि वह एक से अधिक चीजें नहीं खाती। अंत में उसने कॉफी के साथ आइसक्रीम खायी। जब बिल आया तो बिल चुकता करने के बाद लेखक की जेब खाली हो चुकी थी ।

बीस वर्ष के बाद जब लेखक ने महिला को पुनः देखा तो वह बहुत प्रसन्न हुआ। इसलिए नहीं कि उनकी मुलाकात काफी लम्बे समय के बाद हुई थी परन्तु यह देखकर कि उसका वजन बहुत अधिक बढ़ गया था। उसके मोटापे को उसने उस दिन का प्रतिशोध माना जब उसे अपने सारे पैसे खर्च करने के बाद, पूरा महीना खाली जेब गुजारना पड़ा था।

• Beckoning – signalling by the motion of the head or hand – इशारे से पास बुलाना;
• Beside – at the side of – बगल में;
• Luncheon – light refreshment between breakfast and dinner – दोपहर का भोजन;
• Cemetery – graveyard – कब्रिस्तान;
• Senators – members of the Senate – सीनेट के सदस्य:;
• Modest – humble – विनम्र;
• Imposing – impressive – प्रभावशाली;
• Startled – surprised – चौंका देने वाला;
• Anticipated – hoped – आशा किया;
• Salmon – a large fish with pinkish flesh – एक प्रकार की मछली;
• Caviare – a salty relish made from the eggs of large fish – केवियेअर;
• Effusive – enthusiastic – उत्साहजनक;
• Asparagus – a plant whose shoots are used as vegetable;
• Mortifying – humiliating – अपमानित करना;
• Succulent – juicy – रसीला;
• Humorist – a man of joyful fancy – विनोदशील व्यक्ति;
• Inadequate – not enough – अपर्याप्त;
• Reported – replied sharply – विवरण दिया