The party began shortly after nine. Mr. Wood, who lived in the flat below, sighed to
himself as he heard the first signs: The steady tramp of feet on the stairs; the sound of
excited voices as the guests greeted one another; and the noise of the gramophone,
which was turned full on.
Luckily, Mr. Wood had brought some work home from the office, with which he
occupied himself for a couple of hours, thus managing to ignore with some success the
party which was going on over his head. But by eleven o’clock he felt tired and was
ready to go to bed, through from his experience of previous parties he knew it was
useless trying to go to sleep. He undressed and lay for a while on the bed, trying to read but the noise from above his head did not allow him to concentrate on what he was
reading the same page over and over again. He then switched off the light and buried
his head in the pillow, in desperate attempt to go to sleep. But even so he could not shut
out the noise. Finally. After what seemed like hours, he switched on the light and
looked at his watch: it was just after midnight.
But now his patience was quite exhausted. He leaped out of bed and putting on his
dressing gown over his pyjamas, marched resolutely up the stairs to his neighbour’s
flat. He rang the bell several times but the door remained shut in his face. This did not
improve his temper. Just then one of the guests came out and went off down the stairs,
leaving the door open. Mr. Wood went in. In spite of his odd dress, nobody took any
notice of him. Then he caught sight of the owner of the flat and managed to attract his
attention. The man whose name was Black, came across the room, smiling cheerfully,
and before Mr. Wood could open his mouth to complain, said, “My dear fellow, come
in and join us. I know our parties must bother you. I meant to send you an invitation.”
Mr. Wood’s ill-temper vanished at once. “I’d better go and get properly dressed,” he
said. As Mr. Wood left the room, Black turned to one of the guests and said, “As soon
as I set my eyes on him, I knew he had come to make trouble. That’s why I asked him
to join us. Did you see how pleased he was? He went off at once to get changed. What
a pity the party is nearly over!”
Question: Explain briefly the temperament and nature of Mr. Black on the basis of
his comments to one of his guests.
Answers
Explanation:
Mr.Black was a backbiter and personality changer like he spoke politely with Mr.Wood and started backbiting him as soon as he left and also a very rude man as he finished the party as soon as Mr.Wood came .
From the text, it is clear that Mr Black is a social and friendly person who enjoys hosting parties. He is aware of his neighbour, Mr Wood, who lives in the flat below, and seems to be concerned about him, as he apologizes for not sending him an invitation. When Mr Wood comes upstairs to complain about the noise, Mr Black's immediate reaction is not defensive but rather inviting him to join the party, showing that he is willing to make an effort to resolve any issues and make everyone feel welcome.
Furthermore, Mr Black's perceptive nature is demonstrated by his ability to sense Mr Wood's irritation and quickly understand the reason for it. He is quick to respond to the situation, showing that he has the social intelligence to navigate interpersonal dynamics and ensure that his guests are comfortable.
Overall, Mr Black's temperament and nature seem to be very outgoing and accommodating. He enjoys entertaining and being around people, and his ability to navigate social situations and make everyone feel welcome is a testament to his likeable and friendly personality.
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