Class 9 English Chapter 4 Extra Question Answers - Keeping It From Harold

Q1. 'My dear sir, do nothing hasty. Think before you speak. Don't go and be so silly as to act like a mutton-head. I'd be ashamed to be so spiteful. Respect a father's feelings.' 
(i) Who is speaking to whom? 
(ii)Explain ... 'to act like a mutton-head'. 
(iii) The statement Td be ashamed to be so spiteful' implies what?

Ans. (i) Bill Bramble is speaking to Jerry Fisher.
(ii) "To act like a mutton-head' means behaving like a fool.
(iii) He would be ashamed by causing an intentional injury to his son.
 

Q2. A chap takes the trouble to study form and saves up his pocket money to have a bet on a good thing and then he goes and gets let down like this. It may be funny to you, but I call it rotten. And another thing I call rotten is you having kept it from me all this time that you were, 'Young Porky', pa. 
(i) Who is speaking to whom?
(ii) 'It may be funny to you, but I call it rotten'. What does this statement imply?
(iii) What is the irony here?

Ans. (i) Harold is speaking to his father.
(ii) The statement implies that Harold studied hard and saved his pocket money to bet on boxers but he got let down because Bill was not fighting the bout now.
(iii) Here the irony is that he was fond of boxing celebrities and the fact that he himself was the son of a celebrity was kept a secret from him.

Q3. I was to have fought an American named Murphy at National Next Monday, but I am not going to now. Not if the king of England came to me on his bended knees. 
(i) Who is speaking to whom? 
(ii) Bill had to have a boxing match with whom? 
(iii) He was adamant not to fight and it is indicated when he says that_

Ans. (i) Bill Bramble is speaking to his son Harold.
(ii) Bill had to fight a boxing match with Murphy.
(iii) He would not fight even if he is approached on bended knees even by the King of England.

Q4. 'Yet Harold, defying the laws of heredity, had run to the intellect as his father had run to muscle. He had learned to read and write with amazing quickness. He sang in the choir. 
(i) Explain ......... 'Defying the laws of heredity'. 
(ii) Harold's intellect is known as by____ 
(iii) The difference between Harold and his father is____

Ans. (i) 'Defying the laws of heredity means that he became an intellectual, unlike his boxer father.
(ii) Harold's intellect is known by learning to read and write with amazing quickness, as well as his singing in the choir.
(iii) Harold loved studies and his father loved boxing. Harold was unaware of his father's ability while his father was aware of Harold's abilities.

Q5. One chap's got a snapshot of Jimmy Wilde. At least he says it's Jimmy Wilde, but I believe it's just some ordinary fellow. Anyhow, it's jolly blurred, so it might be anyone. Pa, can't you give me a picture of yourself boxing? I could swank like anything. And you don't know how sick a chap gets of having chaps call him. 'Goggles'. 
(i) Who is Jimmy Wilde in the extract? 
(ii) Why is Harold not sure that the person in the photograph is Jimmy Wilde?
(iii) Why does Harold want Bill's snap?

Ans. (i) Jimmy Wilde is a famous boxer.
(ii) Harold thought that snapshot was just an ordinary person because he could not imagine that it can be of a famous boxer, Jimmy Wilde, as it was very blurred.
(iii)Harold wanted his father's snap because he wants to boast of being the son of a boxing legend and he does not want to be called 'Goggles'.

Q6. He was a self-centered child and accepting the commercial traveller fiction, dismissed the subject from his mind and busied himself with things of more moment. 
(i)More moment here means ____ 
(ii)Explain ... 'accepting the commercial traveler fiction'. 
(iii)Which subject is regarded as trivial?

Ans. (i) Here 'more moment' means importance.
(ii) 'Accepting the commercial traveller fiction' means that Harold believed the story of Bill being a commercial traveller.

Q7. The subject which is regarded as trivial by Harold his father's profession. The spectacled child considered the point for a moment gravely. Then, nodding, he arranged his books in readiness for his return and went out. The front door closed with a decorous softness. 
(i) Which point was considered gravely by the spectacled child? 

(ii) Where did the child went out? 
(iii) Who asked the spectacled child to go out?

Ans. (i) The spectacled child never liked it when his mother talked to him in the third person, just like a small child. So, when she called him 'dearie' or precious, he started thinking gravely for a while and then moved on from there.
(ii) The child went out to the river.
(iii) Mrs. Bramble, asked the spectacled child to go out.

Q8. He sat on the other side of the table, his lips gravely pursed and his eyes a trifle cloudy behind their spectacles. Before him on the red table cloth lay an open book. His powerful brain was plainly busy. 
(i) Who is 'he' here? 
(ii) Explain '... his lips gravely pursed. 
(iii) What are the features which describe Harold as an intelligent boy?

Ans. (i) Here he refers to Harold, the spectacled child.
(ii) His lips gravely pursed describes that he contracted his lips seriously, trying to recall the poem he had memorised.
(iii) The features which describes Harold as an intelligent boy are that he has a powerful brain and he always remains busy in his studies.

Q9. It jarred upon him, this habit of his mother's of referring to herself in the third person as if she were addressing a baby, instead of a young man often who had taken the spelling and dictation prize last term on his head. 
(i) 'It' here refers to whom? 
(ii) How old is the guy mentioned in the extract?
(iii) What does 'jarred upon' mean?

Ans. (i) It here refers to the habit of his mother's referring to herself in the third person.
(ii) The guy mentioned in the extract is ten years old.
(iii) 'Jarred upon' means to have an unpleasant and disturbing effect.
 

Q10. Based on your reading of the story, answer the following questions by choosing the correct options. 
(i) Mrs. Bramble was a proud woman because 
(a) she was the wife of a famous boxer 
(b) she had motivated her husband 
(c) she was a good housewife 
(d) she was the mother of a child prodigy

Ans. (d) She was the mother of a child prodigy
 

Q11. Based on your reading of the story, answer the following questions by choosing the correct options.
The very naming of Harold had caused a sacrifice on his part.' The writer's tone here is...... 
(a) admiring 
(b) satirical 
(c) assertive
(d) gentle

Ans. (a) admiring.

Q12. Based on your reading of the story, answer the following questions by choosing the correct options. 
Harold felt that he was deprived of the respect that his classmates would give him as ... they did not know his father was the famous boxer 'Young Porky'. 
(a) they did not know his father was the famous boxer 'Young Porky'.
(b) his hero, Jimmy Murphy had not won the wrestling match. 
(c) he had not got Phil Scott's autograph. 
(d) Sid Simpson had lost the Lonsdale belt.

Ans. (a) they did not know his father was the famous boxer 'Young Porky'.

Q13. 'Goodness knows I've never liked your profession, Bill, but there is this to be said for it, that it's earned you good money and made it possible for us to give Harold as good an education as any duke ever had, I'm sure'. 
(i) Whose statement is this? 
(ii) To whom is it said? 
(iii) What does this statement indicate?  

Ans. (i) Jane Bramble speaks these words.
(ii) She said these words to her husband Bill Bramble.
(iii) This statement indicates that Mrs. Bramble is very much concerned about her son's education and for this reason, she doesn't want her husband to quit boxing.

Q14) Why was Harold called a prodigy'?

Ans. Harold, a ten year old boy, is rightly termed as 'a prodigy'. He was an extraordinary child at a very young age. He won many prizes at school competitions and also had an interest in singing. He sang in the choir. He was a multi-faceted child who excelled in academics in the same way as his father excelled in boxing.

Q15. What did Harold dislike of his mother?

Ans. Though Harold was a young boy of ten years old, he did not like it when his mother referred him like a small child. Whenever they talked, his mother addresses him 'dearie' or 'precious' due to her affection for him. But Harold never liked it and always wanted to be considered as a young man of ten years.
 

Q16. What was a constant source of amazement to Mrs Bramble?

Ans. The constant source of amazement to Mrs Bramble was that how Harold was so different from his father, who is a professional boxer and Harold did not possess any character trait of his father, who has been nationally acclaimed, 'Young Porky', the boxer. Unlike his father, he was a model student of his class.
 

Q17. Bill Bramble was a professional boxer. Why was it trouble for both Jane Bramble and Bill Bramble?

Ans. Undoubtedly, Mr Bramble was a very famous professional boxer and he was very proud of his name and fame. But when Harold was born and started growing up, both his parents were amazed to see his extraordinary skills and his overall development. Bill started having a complex due to this and finally decided to have his last fight and then retire. This is the only reason which becomes major trouble for both of them.
 

Q18. Who was "Young Porky'? Why did he hide his real identity from Harold?

Ans. "Young Porky' was Bill Bramble himself. He was affectionately known to a large section of the inhabitants of London, as 'Young Porky'. He was a professional boxer, but he wanted to hide his real identity from his son. Harold, who is an extraordinary child and a prodigy. Bill thought that Harold would be ashamed to know about his father's profession. So, due to this reason, Bill decided to hide his real identity and told him that he is a commercial traveller.

Q19. How did Harold come to know that his father was a professional boxer?

Ans.  Harold came to know this truth from Jerry Fisher, his father's trainer. He told Harold that his father was a famous boxer and known to everybody as 'Young Porky'.

Q20) How has Harold defied the laws of heredity?

Ans. Harold was such an amazingly extraordinary child. He was just ten years old but possess immense talent. Unlike his father, he excelled in academics and showed his interest in it. Apart from this, he also sang in the choir. On the other hand, his father was inclined towards boxing and was very proud of being a professional boxer. It can be concluded that Harold, defying the laws of heredity, had run to the intellect as his father had run to muscle.

Q21. When Mr. Bramble came to know that he was to become a father, what were some of the names he decided upon? Why?

Ans. Mr. Bramble wanted to name his child on the names of some famous personalities. He thought that if he had a boy, he would name him as John, after John L Sullivan, the American boxing legend. If they had a girl, he would name her as Marie, after Miss Marie Lloyd, the famous music hall artiste. 

Q22. Why was Mrs. Bramble not happy to see her husband's retirement from boxing?

Ans. Mrs Bramble never expected that her husband would quit his last match, scheduled to be held next week. When she saw her husband and Mr Jerry, his trainer, at home, she was surprised because they were expected to be at the White Hart for practice.
Though she did not like her husband's profession, this match would have given a large amount of money even if he would have lost the match. And from this money, she could give Harold a better education. This is the reason that she got angry to see her husband's coming back home from the White Hart.
 

Q23) Do you agree with Harold's parents, decision of hiding from him the fact that his father was a boxer? Why/why not?

Ans. I agree with Harold's parents' decision of hiding from him the real nature of his father's profession. Mr. Bramble was a father who did not want to hurt his son's feelings. But on the other hand, I feel that there was some miscommunication between the parents and the son. They never tried to know whether he would like it or not. They had a misconception. This could have been avoided.
 

Q24) Explain the title 'Keeping It From Harold'. Why was it to be kept from Harold?

Ans. The title 'Keeping It From Harold' clearly describes that there must be a secret that has been kept away from Harold. The secret was the real identity of Harold's father's profession. He was a professional boxer and it was a secret because of Harold's extraordinary skills and his intellectual ability. His father got afraid, thinking that Harold would be hurt to know about his father's profession.
 

Q25. Who was Jerry Fisher? What did he say to try and convince Bill to change his mind?

Ans. Jerry Fisher was Bill's trainer. He tried in all ways to convince Bill to fight. When he saw that Bill was not ready to fight because of his son, he told the truth to his son, Harold. He told Harold that his father was a professional boxer.
 

Q26) Explain the irony in the story 'Keeping It From Harold'?

Ans. The story 'Keeping It From Harold' is about the parents, Jane Bramble and Bill Bramble, who hide a secret of Bill being a professional boxer from Harold, their son, because of the fear that after knowing the truth, he would be hurt and would not like his father as a boxer. But the irony comes at the end of the chapter when Harold came to know about the secret and surprised everybody by saying that he used his pocket money for betting on the defeat of Murray, Bill's opponent. Harold always admired 'Young Porky'. It is ironical that he used to bet on the boxers without knowing that he himself was the son of a famous boxer.

Q27. Why was Harold upset that his father had not told him about his true identity? Give two reasons.

Ans. Firstly, Harold was upset that his father had not told him about his true identity because he was bullied by his friends by the name 'Googles'. He said if it would have been known to him earlier, nobody could ridicule him. Secondly, he had betted with his friends on the boxing event. He thought he would lose the bet if his father would not fight.
 

Q28. What did Harold's classmates called him? What makes him so jolly sick? 
Ans. Harold's classmates used to call him 'Goggles'. There was a fellow in his school who always showed off in the most rotten way because he had once got 'Phil Scott's autograph, who was a famous boxer and this irritates Harold a lot and made to feel him jolly sick.

Q29) Write a character sketch of Harold.

Ans.  Harold, a ten year old boy was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Bramble. He was considered a child prodigy and an exceptional child by all standards. He won many prizes in competitions. He was considered as a model of excellent behaviour by his parents and classmates. He had singing talent too. He sang in the choir. He blossomed in his school as a multi-faceted genius. Though he never showed his interest in boxing at home, he always used to bet on the boxers. At the end of the story, he reveals that he had used his pocket money on betting on the defeat of Murphy, an American boxer, who is the opponent of his father. He encouraged his father to play the match and to continue his career as a boxer and told him that he feels so proud to be the son of the famous boxer who was popularly known as 'Young Porky'.

Q30) Give the character sketch of Bill Bramble.

Ans. Bill Bramble, Harold's father, was a professional boxer, who was known as 'Young Porky'. He was very proud of his name, fame, and money. But when Harold was born and he started growing up with his extraordinary talent, Bill started feeling complexed with this and decided not to reveal his true identity as a professional boxer to his son. The reason was that Bill was thinking that if Harold got to know about his profession, he would get hurt and consider him a person who earned his livelihood by injuring people.
Thus he decided to fight his last match with an American Boxer, Jimmy and then retire. As a father, he was very conscious of his son's well being and made any sacrifice for him, even his profession as a boxer, which he was very proud.

Q31) Consider yourself Bill Bramble and give reasons why do you want to hide your real identity from your son, Harold and why you want to discontinue your boxing career. Write a diary entry in about 150 words to express your views.

Ans. Monday, July 12, 2015, 7:00 m Dear Diary I always feel proud to be a professional boxer. It gave me a name. fame and money. I was very passionate about my boxing matches before the birth of my son Harold. But as soon as he started growing up with his extraordinary abilities and multi-faceted talent, I started feeling quite insecure and complex. Now, I do not want to continue my boxing career because it can affect Harold in a negative way.
He might start- feeling ashamed. If he would get to know about my profession, he may feel ashamed to tell his friends about my profession, as he is such a multi-talented and versatile child. I told him that I am a commercial traveller and he easily believed my words because he always remained busy in his studies. So, for all these reasons. I decided to retire from this profession after having my last boxing match with an American. Jimmy Murphy, and after this fight there would be nothing to hide from Harold and everything will be fine afterwards.
 

Q32) Consider yourself as Harold and express your views about how felt when you got to know about your father's profession as a professional boxer. What was your reaction afterwards? Write a diary entry in about 200 words.

Ans. Saturday, July 13, 2013 6: 00 PM.
Dear Diary
Undoubtedly, I love my parents a lot as everybody does. gut sometimes I am not able to express my feelings to them. I really respect them too but due to my studies, I rarely have time to pay attention to other matters. I never liked it when my mother calls me in the third person as 'dearie' and precious', I always wanted her to call me by my name as I am a young man of ten years. Yesterday , when I returned home from a walk, a serious discussion was going  on. My uncle , Mr. Percy Stokes and Mr. Jerry Fisher, were present. Mr Fisher told me everything about my father's actual profession and why he wanted to quit his boxing just because of me.
When I heard this, I got very hurt because both my parents hid this truth from me for a very long time. Though I had an interest in boxing, I felt bad after knowing the truth that my father wants to quit his boxina because of me. I surprised him by telling that I had used my pocket money on the defeat of Jimmy Murphy. Then my father decided to continue his boxing matches. It pleased me a lot and today I feel very proud to be the son of the famous boxer who was known as 'Young Porky' among his f Now, I can also show my father's boxing photos to all my friends who always used to show me the photos of other boxers.

Q33. Write a character sketch of Mrs. Bramble.

Ans. Jane Bramble was Bill Bramble's wife and Harold's mother. She was a very caring wife as well as the mother. She remained busy all the time in catering to the needs of her husband and son. She was a proud mother and used to call Harold 'dearie' or 'precious'. She was very conscious of his studies and never compromised his studies for anything. Also, she was a proud wife, though she did not like boxing, she was proud of her husband and of his name, fame, and money. Though she was a truth-loving woman, she did not mind when her husband and she decided to hide the actual profession of being a boxer from their son. They did not want him to get embarrassed in front of his friends by telling them that his father is a professional boxer. She was a practical woman. This can be proved from the fact that she did not like boxing but she did not approve of Bill's idea of quitting his last contest. Because she knew that this match could give him a large amount of money either by losing or winning. And from that amount, they can provide better education to their son. She knew when to put her foot down. This can be proved as she snubbed her brother major Percy Stokes for persuading Bill too.