NCERT Textbook: Chapter 9 - A Bicycle in Good Repair, English, Class 7 Notes - Class 7

 Page 1


9
A
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man I knew proposed one evening we
should go for a long bicycle ride
together on the following day, and I agreed. I got
up early, for me; I made an effort, and was pleased
with myself. He came half an hour late; I was
waiting for him in the garden. It was a lovely day.
He said, “That’s a good-looking machine of yours.
How does it run?”
“Oh, like most of them!” I answered; “easily
enough in the morning; goes a little stiffly after
lunch.”
He caught hold of it by the front wheel and the
fork, and shook it violently.
I said, “Don’t do that; you’ll hurt it.”
I did not see why he should shake it; it had
not done anything to him. Besides, if it wanted
Before you read
If you wish to go on a long bicycle ride, the bicycle should
be in good condition. If possible, an expert mechanic
should overhaul it. But what happens if the machine has
a will of its own and the mechanic knows next to nothing?
   A Bicycle in Good
   Repair
          I
©NCERT
not to be republished
Page 2


9
A
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________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
man I knew proposed one evening we
should go for a long bicycle ride
together on the following day, and I agreed. I got
up early, for me; I made an effort, and was pleased
with myself. He came half an hour late; I was
waiting for him in the garden. It was a lovely day.
He said, “That’s a good-looking machine of yours.
How does it run?”
“Oh, like most of them!” I answered; “easily
enough in the morning; goes a little stiffly after
lunch.”
He caught hold of it by the front wheel and the
fork, and shook it violently.
I said, “Don’t do that; you’ll hurt it.”
I did not see why he should shake it; it had
not done anything to him. Besides, if it wanted
Before you read
If you wish to go on a long bicycle ride, the bicycle should
be in good condition. If possible, an expert mechanic
should overhaul it. But what happens if the machine has
a will of its own and the mechanic knows next to nothing?
   A Bicycle in Good
   Repair
          I
©NCERT
not to be republished
A BICYCLE IN GOOD REPAIR/127
whacking:
beating;
striking
wobble: move
unsteadily
from side to
side
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
twiddling:
turning
remnant:
remaining
parts
bearings:
ball-bearings
________________
________________
shaking, I was the proper person to shake it. I felt
much as I should had he started whacking
my dog.
He said, “This front wheel wobbles.”
I said, “It doesn’t if you don’t wobble it.” It didn’t
wobble, as a matter of fact—nothing worth call-
ing a wobble.
He said, “This is dangerous; have you got a
hammer?” I ought to have been firm, but I thought
that perhaps he really did know something about
the business. I went to the tool shed to see what I
could find. When I came back he was sitting on
the ground with the front wheel between his legs.
He was playing with it, twiddling it round
between his fingers; the remnant of the machine
was lying on the gravel path beside him.
He said, “It looks to me as if the bearings were
all wrong.”
I said, “Don’t you trouble about it any more;
you will make yourself tired. Let us put it back
and get off.”
©NCERT
not to be republished
Page 3


9
A
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
man I knew proposed one evening we
should go for a long bicycle ride
together on the following day, and I agreed. I got
up early, for me; I made an effort, and was pleased
with myself. He came half an hour late; I was
waiting for him in the garden. It was a lovely day.
He said, “That’s a good-looking machine of yours.
How does it run?”
“Oh, like most of them!” I answered; “easily
enough in the morning; goes a little stiffly after
lunch.”
He caught hold of it by the front wheel and the
fork, and shook it violently.
I said, “Don’t do that; you’ll hurt it.”
I did not see why he should shake it; it had
not done anything to him. Besides, if it wanted
Before you read
If you wish to go on a long bicycle ride, the bicycle should
be in good condition. If possible, an expert mechanic
should overhaul it. But what happens if the machine has
a will of its own and the mechanic knows next to nothing?
   A Bicycle in Good
   Repair
          I
©NCERT
not to be republished
A BICYCLE IN GOOD REPAIR/127
whacking:
beating;
striking
wobble: move
unsteadily
from side to
side
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
twiddling:
turning
remnant:
remaining
parts
bearings:
ball-bearings
________________
________________
shaking, I was the proper person to shake it. I felt
much as I should had he started whacking
my dog.
He said, “This front wheel wobbles.”
I said, “It doesn’t if you don’t wobble it.” It didn’t
wobble, as a matter of fact—nothing worth call-
ing a wobble.
He said, “This is dangerous; have you got a
hammer?” I ought to have been firm, but I thought
that perhaps he really did know something about
the business. I went to the tool shed to see what I
could find. When I came back he was sitting on
the ground with the front wheel between his legs.
He was playing with it, twiddling it round
between his fingers; the remnant of the machine
was lying on the gravel path beside him.
He said, “It looks to me as if the bearings were
all wrong.”
I said, “Don’t you trouble about it any more;
you will make yourself tired. Let us put it back
and get off.”
©NCERT
not to be republished
128/HONEYCOMB
He said, “We may as well see what is the mat-
ter with it, now it is out.” He talked as though it
had dropped out by accident.
Before I could stop him he had unscrewed
something somewhere, and out rolled all over the
path some dozen or so little balls.
“Catch ‘em!” he shouted; “catch ‘em! We
mustn’t lose any of them.” He was quite excited
about them.
We grovelled round for half an hour, and found
sixteen. He said he hoped we had got them all,
because, if not, it would make a serious differ-
ence to the machine. I put them for safety in my
hat. It was not a sensible thing to do, I admit.
Comprehension Check
1. “I got up early, for me.” It implies that
(i) he was an early riser.
(ii) he was a late riser.
(iii) he got up late that morning.
Mark the correct answer.
2. The bicycle “goes easily enough in the morning and a
little stiffly after lunch.” The remark is .
(i) humorous.
(ii) inaccurate.
(iii) sarcastic.
(iv) enjoyable.
(v) meaningless.
Mark your choice(s).
3. The friend shook the bicycle violently. Find two or
three sentences in the text which express the author’s
disapproval of it.
4. “...if not, it would make a serious difference to the
machine.” What does ‘it’ refer to?
________________
_______________
________________
________________
________________
grovelled:
crawled on
the ground
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
________________
©NCERT
not to be republished
Page 4


9
A
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
man I knew proposed one evening we
should go for a long bicycle ride
together on the following day, and I agreed. I got
up early, for me; I made an effort, and was pleased
with myself. He came half an hour late; I was
waiting for him in the garden. It was a lovely day.
He said, “That’s a good-looking machine of yours.
How does it run?”
“Oh, like most of them!” I answered; “easily
enough in the morning; goes a little stiffly after
lunch.”
He caught hold of it by the front wheel and the
fork, and shook it violently.
I said, “Don’t do that; you’ll hurt it.”
I did not see why he should shake it; it had
not done anything to him. Besides, if it wanted
Before you read
If you wish to go on a long bicycle ride, the bicycle should
be in good condition. If possible, an expert mechanic
should overhaul it. But what happens if the machine has
a will of its own and the mechanic knows next to nothing?
   A Bicycle in Good
   Repair
          I
©NCERT
not to be republished
A BICYCLE IN GOOD REPAIR/127
whacking:
beating;
striking
wobble: move
unsteadily
from side to
side
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
twiddling:
turning
remnant:
remaining
parts
bearings:
ball-bearings
________________
________________
shaking, I was the proper person to shake it. I felt
much as I should had he started whacking
my dog.
He said, “This front wheel wobbles.”
I said, “It doesn’t if you don’t wobble it.” It didn’t
wobble, as a matter of fact—nothing worth call-
ing a wobble.
He said, “This is dangerous; have you got a
hammer?” I ought to have been firm, but I thought
that perhaps he really did know something about
the business. I went to the tool shed to see what I
could find. When I came back he was sitting on
the ground with the front wheel between his legs.
He was playing with it, twiddling it round
between his fingers; the remnant of the machine
was lying on the gravel path beside him.
He said, “It looks to me as if the bearings were
all wrong.”
I said, “Don’t you trouble about it any more;
you will make yourself tired. Let us put it back
and get off.”
©NCERT
not to be republished
128/HONEYCOMB
He said, “We may as well see what is the mat-
ter with it, now it is out.” He talked as though it
had dropped out by accident.
Before I could stop him he had unscrewed
something somewhere, and out rolled all over the
path some dozen or so little balls.
“Catch ‘em!” he shouted; “catch ‘em! We
mustn’t lose any of them.” He was quite excited
about them.
We grovelled round for half an hour, and found
sixteen. He said he hoped we had got them all,
because, if not, it would make a serious differ-
ence to the machine. I put them for safety in my
hat. It was not a sensible thing to do, I admit.
Comprehension Check
1. “I got up early, for me.” It implies that
(i) he was an early riser.
(ii) he was a late riser.
(iii) he got up late that morning.
Mark the correct answer.
2. The bicycle “goes easily enough in the morning and a
little stiffly after lunch.” The remark is .
(i) humorous.
(ii) inaccurate.
(iii) sarcastic.
(iv) enjoyable.
(v) meaningless.
Mark your choice(s).
3. The friend shook the bicycle violently. Find two or
three sentences in the text which express the author’s
disapproval of it.
4. “...if not, it would make a serious difference to the
machine.” What does ‘it’ refer to?
________________
_______________
________________
________________
________________
grovelled:
crawled on
the ground
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
________________
©NCERT
not to be republished
A BICYCLE IN GOOD REPAIR/129
II
He then said that while he was about it he would
see to the chain for me, and at once began taking
off the gear-case. I did try to dissuade him from
that. I told him what an experienced friend of mine
once said to me solemnly: “If anything goes wrong
with your gear-case, sell the machine and buy a
new one; it comes cheaper.”
He said, “People talk like that who understand
nothing about machines. Nothing is easier than
taking off a gear-case.”
I had to confess he was right. In less than five
minutes he had the gear-case in two pieces, lying
on the path, and was grovelling for screws. He
said it was always a mystery to him the way screws
disappeared.
Common sense continued to whisper to me:
‘Stop him, before he does any more mischief. You
have a right to protect your own property from
the ravages of a lunatic. Take him by the scruff of
the neck, and kick him out of the gate!’
But I am weak when it comes to hurting other
people’s feelings, and I let him muddle on.
He gave up looking for the rest of the screws.
He said screws had a knack of turning up when
you least expected them, and that now he would
see to the chain. He tightened it till it would not
move; next he loosened it until it was twice as
loose as it was before. Then he said we had better
think about getting the front wheel back into its
place again.
I held the fork open, and he worried with the
wheel. At the end of ten minutes I suggested he
see to the
chain: check
or examine
the chain
_______________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
ravages:
damages
lunatic:  mad
person
muddle: mix
up things
________________
_______________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
©NCERT
not to be republished
Page 5


9
A
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
man I knew proposed one evening we
should go for a long bicycle ride
together on the following day, and I agreed. I got
up early, for me; I made an effort, and was pleased
with myself. He came half an hour late; I was
waiting for him in the garden. It was a lovely day.
He said, “That’s a good-looking machine of yours.
How does it run?”
“Oh, like most of them!” I answered; “easily
enough in the morning; goes a little stiffly after
lunch.”
He caught hold of it by the front wheel and the
fork, and shook it violently.
I said, “Don’t do that; you’ll hurt it.”
I did not see why he should shake it; it had
not done anything to him. Besides, if it wanted
Before you read
If you wish to go on a long bicycle ride, the bicycle should
be in good condition. If possible, an expert mechanic
should overhaul it. But what happens if the machine has
a will of its own and the mechanic knows next to nothing?
   A Bicycle in Good
   Repair
          I
©NCERT
not to be republished
A BICYCLE IN GOOD REPAIR/127
whacking:
beating;
striking
wobble: move
unsteadily
from side to
side
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
twiddling:
turning
remnant:
remaining
parts
bearings:
ball-bearings
________________
________________
shaking, I was the proper person to shake it. I felt
much as I should had he started whacking
my dog.
He said, “This front wheel wobbles.”
I said, “It doesn’t if you don’t wobble it.” It didn’t
wobble, as a matter of fact—nothing worth call-
ing a wobble.
He said, “This is dangerous; have you got a
hammer?” I ought to have been firm, but I thought
that perhaps he really did know something about
the business. I went to the tool shed to see what I
could find. When I came back he was sitting on
the ground with the front wheel between his legs.
He was playing with it, twiddling it round
between his fingers; the remnant of the machine
was lying on the gravel path beside him.
He said, “It looks to me as if the bearings were
all wrong.”
I said, “Don’t you trouble about it any more;
you will make yourself tired. Let us put it back
and get off.”
©NCERT
not to be republished
128/HONEYCOMB
He said, “We may as well see what is the mat-
ter with it, now it is out.” He talked as though it
had dropped out by accident.
Before I could stop him he had unscrewed
something somewhere, and out rolled all over the
path some dozen or so little balls.
“Catch ‘em!” he shouted; “catch ‘em! We
mustn’t lose any of them.” He was quite excited
about them.
We grovelled round for half an hour, and found
sixteen. He said he hoped we had got them all,
because, if not, it would make a serious differ-
ence to the machine. I put them for safety in my
hat. It was not a sensible thing to do, I admit.
Comprehension Check
1. “I got up early, for me.” It implies that
(i) he was an early riser.
(ii) he was a late riser.
(iii) he got up late that morning.
Mark the correct answer.
2. The bicycle “goes easily enough in the morning and a
little stiffly after lunch.” The remark is .
(i) humorous.
(ii) inaccurate.
(iii) sarcastic.
(iv) enjoyable.
(v) meaningless.
Mark your choice(s).
3. The friend shook the bicycle violently. Find two or
three sentences in the text which express the author’s
disapproval of it.
4. “...if not, it would make a serious difference to the
machine.” What does ‘it’ refer to?
________________
_______________
________________
________________
________________
grovelled:
crawled on
the ground
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
________________
©NCERT
not to be republished
A BICYCLE IN GOOD REPAIR/129
II
He then said that while he was about it he would
see to the chain for me, and at once began taking
off the gear-case. I did try to dissuade him from
that. I told him what an experienced friend of mine
once said to me solemnly: “If anything goes wrong
with your gear-case, sell the machine and buy a
new one; it comes cheaper.”
He said, “People talk like that who understand
nothing about machines. Nothing is easier than
taking off a gear-case.”
I had to confess he was right. In less than five
minutes he had the gear-case in two pieces, lying
on the path, and was grovelling for screws. He
said it was always a mystery to him the way screws
disappeared.
Common sense continued to whisper to me:
‘Stop him, before he does any more mischief. You
have a right to protect your own property from
the ravages of a lunatic. Take him by the scruff of
the neck, and kick him out of the gate!’
But I am weak when it comes to hurting other
people’s feelings, and I let him muddle on.
He gave up looking for the rest of the screws.
He said screws had a knack of turning up when
you least expected them, and that now he would
see to the chain. He tightened it till it would not
move; next he loosened it until it was twice as
loose as it was before. Then he said we had better
think about getting the front wheel back into its
place again.
I held the fork open, and he worried with the
wheel. At the end of ten minutes I suggested he
see to the
chain: check
or examine
the chain
_______________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
ravages:
damages
lunatic:  mad
person
muddle: mix
up things
________________
_______________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
©NCERT
not to be republished
130/HONEYCOMB
should hold the fork, and that I should handle
the wheel; and we changed places.
At length we did get the thing into position;
and the moment it was in position he burst out
laughing.
I said, “What’s the joke?”
He said, “Well, I am an ass!”
It was the first thing he had said that made me
respect him. I asked him what had led him to
the discovery.
He said, “We’ve forgotten the balls!” .
I looked for my hat; it was lying topsy-turvy in
the middle of the path.
He was of a cheerful disposition. He said, “Well,
we must put back all we can find, and trust
to providence.”
________________
_______________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
topsy-turvy
upside down
________________
________________
________________
©NCERT
not to be republished