tell) the teacher and so he (have, chase) ht and she (have, fall) down and (have, tear) her dress. Underline the verbs and arrange them in two columns, Past and Eari past.what did he do next
Answers
1. What did the author find in a junk shop?
Answer
The author found a very old 19th century roll-top desk in a junk shop. It was made of oak. It was in a very bad condition. The roll-top was broken into several pieces. One of the legs was clumsily mended and there were scorch marks down one side.
2. What did he find in a secret drawer? Who do you think had put it in there?
Answer
In a secret drawer of a roll-top desk, the author found a small tin box. There was a piece of lined note paper sello-taped to its top. It had, ‘Jim’s last letter, received January 25, 1915. To be buried with me when the time comes” written on it.
Most likely, it was put there by Mrs. Jim Macpherson, who was Jim’s wife. Her name and address were on the envelope inside the box.
NCERT 8th English Chapter 1, class 8 English Chapter 1 solutions
Page No: 14
1. Who had written the letter, to whom, and when?
Answer
Jim Macpherson had written the letter to his wife Connie Macpherson on December 26, 1914.
2. Why was the letter written-what was the wonderful thing that had happened?
Answer
Jim wrote the letter to tell his wife about a wonderful thing that had happened on Christmas day. The British and the Germans were engaged in a war, yet on this day, both the troops met in no man’s land. It was a thing of wonder because right in the middle of a war, the warring soldiers were making peace.
3. What jobs did Hans Wolf and Jim Macpherson have when they were not soldiers?
Answer
Hans Wolf was from Dusseldorf. He played the cello in the orchestra. Jim Macpherson was a school teacher from Dorset.
4. Had Hans Wolf even been to Dorset? Why did he say he knew it?
Answer
No, Hans Wolf had never been to Dorset. He had learned all about England from school and from reading books in English.
5. Do you think Jim Macpherson came back from the war? How do you know this?
Answer
No, it is most likely that Jim Macpherson did not come back from the war.
In the sellotaped notepaper it was written that the letter was Jim’s last letter. Connie Macpherson did not receive any more letters from him. It indicates Jim Macpherson’s demise. The incident took place around the earlier part of the World war I in which the Germans had been victorious which implies the defeat of the British and the demise of Jim Macpherson.
NCERT 8th English Chapter 1, class 8 English Chapter 1 solutions
Page No: 15
1. Why did the author go to Bridport?
Answer
The author went to Bridport because that was the address where Mrs. Macpherson lived. The address on the letter read “Mrs Jim Macpherson, 12 Copper Beeches, Bridport, and Dorset. He wanted to give that letter back to her.
2. How old was Mrs. Macpherson now? Where was she?
Answer
Mrs. Macpherson was a hundred and one year old. She was in a nursing home in Burlington house, on the Dorchester road, on the other side of town.