Class 9 English Extra Question Answers - Best Seller

Q1. "I contrived to keep out of her sight as much as I could, but I never lost track of her. The last station she got off at was away down in Virginia, about six in the evening." 
(a) Who is the speaker here? Identify 'her'. 
(b) Why was he following her?

Ans. (a) John A Pescud is the speaker of the above lines.
(b) He was following Jessie because he was attracted to her at first sight.

Q2. "Yet, I am a man and I have a heart to do and dare. I have no title save that of an uncrowned sovereign, but I have an arm and a sword that yet might free Schutzenfestenstein from the plots of traitors." 
(a) Who is There? 
(b) What can he do for his beloved? 
(c) Who was his beloved?

Ans. (a) There refers to Trevelyan' who is the character of the 'Best Seller.'
(b) He had no title, he was neither a king nor a prince of any country, but he had an arm and a sword that yet might free Schutzenfestenstein from the plots of traitors.
(c) Princess Alwyna was his beloved.

Q3. "A tall old man, with a smooth face and white hair, looking as proud as Julius Caesar was there to meet her. His clothes were frazzled but I didn't notice that till later." 
(a) Who has been described as a 'tall old man'? 
(b) Who is the speaker here? 
(c) Who was 'her'? 
Ans. (a) Colonel Allyn has been described as a 'tall old man'.
(b) John A Pescud is the speaker here.
(c) Jessie, Colonel Allyn's daughter is 'her'.

Q4. "They went in a gate on top of the hill. It nearly took my breath away when I looked up. Up there in the biggest grove, I had ever seen was a huge house with round white pillars about a thousand feet high and the yard was so full of rose-bushes and box-bushes and lilacs that you couldn't have seen the house if it hadn't been as big as the Capitol at Washington." 
(a) Who went in a gate on top of the hill? 
(b) Who is the speaker here? 
(c) Why was he so stunned?

Ans. (a) Colonel Allyn and his daughter Jessie went in a gate on top of the hill.
(b) John A Pescud speaks these lines.
(c) He was stunned to see the mansion of the Colonel. He had never seen such a huge house. It was as big as the Capitol at Washington.

Q5. I've had my salary raised twice since I saw you and I get a commission, too. I've bought a neat slice of real estate. Next year the firm is going to sell me some shares of stock. Oh, I'm in on the line of General Prosperity. 
(a) Who is the speaker here? 
(b) What does it show about the speaker? 
(c) Describe General Prosperity.

Ans. (a) John A Pescud is the speaker of the above lines.
(b) It shows that John was doing well in his job and he is a hard-working and an honest man.
(c) General Prosperity means that everything along with his job was going very well and he got commission and an increment in his salary. It shows his prosperity.

Q6. "She looks at me as cool as if I was the man come to see about the weeding of the garden, but I thought I saw just a slight twinkle of fun in her eyes." 
(a) Identify the speaker here. 
(b) Who is 'She' here? 
(c) Why was there a twinkle of fun in her eyes?

Ans. (a) John A Pescud speaks these lines.
(b) 'She' is Jessie.
(c) There was a twinkle of fun in her eyes because she knew that John was following her and wanted to talk to her. But She did not express it to John. Due to this reason, there was a twinkle of fun in her eyes.

Q7. "And then I told her why I had come, as respectful and earnest as I could. And I told her everything about myself and what I was making and now that all I asked was just to get acquainted with her and try to get her to like me. 
(a) Identify 'I' in the above extract. 
(b) What did he want to tell her? 
(c) Who is 'She'?

Ans. (a) T refers to John A Pescud.
(b) He wanted to tell her that he had started liking her since he saw her for first time. And he wanted to tell her about his profession and whatever he was feeling about her.
(c) She is Jessie, the daughter of Colonel Allyn.

Q8. "Men are very clumsy", she said. 'I know you were on every train. I thought you were going to speak to me and I am glad you didn't." 
(a) Who is 'she'? 
(b) To whom does 'You' refer? 
(c) Why was she glad?

Ans. (a) She refers to Jessie.
(b) 'You' refers to John A Pescud.
(c) She was glad because she was noticing  John on every train and was expecting that he might talk to her but he didn't. That's why she was glad, knowing that he was not a wrong type of man.

Q9. "I was on the south-bound, going to Cincinnati, about eighteen months ago, when I saw, across the aisle, the finest looking girl I'd ever laid eyes on. Nothing spectacular, you know, but just the sort you want for keeps". 
(a) Who is speaking to whom? 
(b) Where was T going? 
(c) What kind of a girl did he come across?

Ans. (a) John A Pescud is speaking to the author.
(b) There refers to John A Pescud.
(c) He came across a girl of the finest looks from whom the eyes cannot be kept away for long.

Q10. "For about nine seconds he had me rattled and I came mighty near getting cold and trying to sell him some plate-glass. But I got my nerve back pretty quick. He asked me to sit down and I told him everything."
(a)Identify'!'. 
(b) Why he was getting so nervous? 
(c) Who is 'he'?

Ans. (a) I here refer to John A Pescud.
(b) He was getting so nervous because he was going to meet Colonel Allyn at his mansion and was there to tell him everything about his feelings for Jessie.
(c) He refers to Colonel Allyn, Jessie's father.

Q11. "We talked for two hours. I told him everything I knew and then he began to ask questions and I told him the rest. All I asked was to give me a chance. If I couldn't make a hit with the little lady, I'd clear out and not bother anymore." 
(a) Who talked for two hours? 
(b) What did John tell Colonel Allyn? 
(c) Who has been described as the 'little lady'?

Ans. (a) Colonel Allyn and John A Pescud talked for two hours.
(b) John told Colonel Allyn that he liked his daughter very much and told him everything about his profession honestly.
(c) Jessie, Colonel Allyn's daughter, has been described as 'the little lady'.

Q12. 'He's coming', says she. 'He's going to tell you, this time, the story about the old African and the green watermelons'. 
(a) Who is coming? 
(b) Who said these lines to whom? 
(c) How is 'she' related to the one who is coming?

Ans. (a) Colonel Allyn is coming.
(b) Jessie said these lines to John.
(c) She (Jessie) is the daughter of Colonel Allyn, who was coming.
 

Q13. "I married her a year ago, "said John, "I told you I built a house in the East end. The belted-I mean the Colonel- is there, too," 
(a) Who is the speaker here? 
(b) Who married whom? 
(c) To whom is he talking?

Ans. (a) John A Pescud is the speaker.
(b) John married Jessie.
(c) John was talking to the author.

Q14. We are a proud family. Look at that mansion. It has fifty rooms. See the pillars and porches and balconies. The ceilings in the reception rooms and the ballroom are twenty-eight feet high. 
(a) Who is the speaker here? 
(b) To whom is the speaker speaking? 
(c) What does the above description of the house show about the speaker?

Ans. (a) Jessie is the speaker of these lines.
(b) She speaks to John A Pescud.
(c) The above description of the house describes that she belongs to a royal family who lives in a mansion which is as big as the Capitol at Washington.

Q15. 'Good-night," says I, "and it wasn't Minneapolis. What's your name, first, please?" 
(a) Who is the speaker? Or Who is wishing good night? 
(b) To whom is he wishing good night? 
(c) Where did T belong to?

Ans. (a) John A Pescud wishes goodnight.
(b) He is wishing goodnight to Jessie.
(c) T is John, who belonged to Pittsburg.

Q16. But I got my nerve back pretty quick. He asked me to sit down and I told him everything. 
(a) Who is the speaker here? 
(b) Who asked him to sit down? 
(c) What does 'everything' imply?

Ans. (a) John A Pescud is the speaker.
(b) Colonel Allyn asked him to sit down.
(c) John told the Colonel, Jessie's father, everything about his feelings towards Jessie and told him honestly about his profession also.

Q17. glanced out of the window. Coke town was nothing more than a ragged hillside dotted with a score of black dismal huts propped up against dreary mounts of slag and clinkers.
(a) Who is There? 
(b) How is coke town described? 
(c) Where was he going?  

Ans. (a) I here refers to the narrator.
(b) Coke town is described as a hillside having a rough surface and is looking scattered all around.
(c) The narrator was going to Pittsburg by the chair-car.
  

Q18. Where was the narrator going and whom did he meet in the chair-car?

Ans. The narrator was going to Pittsburg for business purpose by the chair-car which was well-filled with people of the kind one usually sees on chair-cars. He was sitting on chair no 7. Suddenly when he leaned back, he saw that the person on the chair no 9 hurled a book on the floor and it was 'The Rose Lady and Trevelyan', one of the best selling novels of those days. When he looked at that person, he remembers him at once; he was his old acquaintance, John A Pescud, whom he had seen after two years.

Q19. Who was sitting on the chair no 9 and what was he reading? What sort of views were exchanged between him and the narrator?

Ans. John A Pescud was sitting on the chair no 9. He was reading The Rose Lady and Trevelyan', one of the best selling novels of that time. When the narrator saw him, he recollects his memories with him. John was his old acquaintance and he was the travelling salesman for a plate-glass company. After some time, they both shake hands and exchanged their views on the topics-rain, prosperity, health, residence and destination.

Q20. What does the narrator describe about John's looks and his views on the plate-glass company when he met him?

Ans. The narrator describes John as a small man with a wide smile and an eye that seems to be fixed upon that little red spot on the end of his nose. Earlier, he had never known his views on life, romance, literature, and ethics but after meeting him, he think of him as the stuff that heroes are not often lucky enough to be made of. Moreover, he believed that 'our' plate-glass is the most important commodity in the world and the Cambria Steel Works is the best company for him.

Q21. What was John A Pescud's opinion about best sellers? Why?

Ans. John's opinion was that all the best sellers were of the kind where the hero was a wealthy American man who loves a royal princess from Europe. The man also travelled under a false name to the girl's father's kingdom. He strongly felt that these novels are away from reality and purely fictional because he had a different experience in his life.

Q22. What did John say when the narrator asked him about his company and his work?

Ans. John feels very proud when he explains to the narrator about his work. He told him that he is doing very well in his company and had his salary raised twice since he saw him and also gets a commission too. And maybe next year, the firm is going to sell him some shares of stock. He considered himself on the line of general prosperity.

Q23. What does John say about himself since his last meeting with the author?

Ans. John told about himself that his salary had been raised twice and he had also gets a commission. He had bought himself some property also. He would also get his company's share next year. He had built a house at the East End and had married too.

Q24. What did John describe about the mansion when he first saw it to the author?

Ans. The mansion was on top of a hill. It nearly took John's breath away when he looked at the mansion. It was such a huge house with round white pillars about a thousand feet high. The yard was so full of rose-bushes and box-bushes and that house was as big as the Capitol at Washington.

Q25. How did John's first meeting with Jessie's/other go?

Ans. John's meeting with Jessie's father for the first time went quite well. He honestly told him how he followed his daughter and asked to marry her. He felt that the Colonel will throw him out of the window. But soon they became comfortable and they kept on talking for two hours.

Q26. Why did John get off at Coke town?

Ans. John A Pescud got down at Coke town because he wanted cuttings and blossoms of Petunia flowers for his wife. She wanted them because she liked them a lot and wanted to grow them in her garden.

Q27. John is a hypocrite. Do you agree with this statement? Substantiate your answer.  

Ans. I think John is a hypocrite. He criticises the plot of Best Sellers' and called it unrealistic and fictional. However, he had demonstrated the same thing in his own life. The Best Seller, 'The Rose Lady and Trevelyan' has the same plot as the life of Pescud. In away, he himself is Trevelyan'. He thinks that a man will always marry the girl of the same class and status. But he himself married a rich girl.

Q28. Give a character sketch of John A Pescud.

Ans. John A Pescud is a travelling salesman of a plate-glass company. He is a good salesman and got his salary raised twice in the last two years and also got a commission too. He is a small man with a wide smile'. He was proud of his company and its product. He is the critic of The Rose Lady and Trevelyan', one of the best selling novels. He was of the opinion that in real life a man should marry a girl of his own status. And he believes that when a man is in his hometown, he ought to be decent and law-abiding. Being a critic of The Rose Lady and Trevelyan', on the one hand, he turns out to be a hypocrite on the other and fell in love with a girl of royal background and married her and lived with her in a small house later.

Q29. Give a character sketch of Jessie Allyn.

Ans. Jessie Allyn was the daughter of Colonel Allyn, the richest man in Virginia. She belonged to a royal background. Jessie was a fine girl whose job was to make this world prettier just by residing in it. Although she was a princess, she used to wear simple and ordinary clothes and used to travel in trains from place to place. When John A Pescud followed her everywhere, she knew it and noticed each and every step of John. John started liking her since he first saw her and she knew it very well. She was very soft-spoken and possessed all the qualities of a princess.

Q30. Give a character sketch of Colonel Allyn.

Ans. Colonel Allyn was the richest man in Virginia, He was a tall old man with a smooth face and white hair. He had a stern and strict face. He was an angry-looking man who rarely laughed but had the habit of amusing people by telling stories to them. He was a man of royal descent but still he used to wear shabby clothes and his personality was such that John feels that in his presence the place seemed to light up. 

Q31. Compare and contrast the characters of John to that of the narrator in the best seller.

Ans. John, a small man with a wide smile was not particularly a good looking man but he was of the opinion that a man should be decent and law abiding in his hometown. John is a travelling salesman of a plate-glass company. He was very proud of his work. When he met the narrator in the chair car, both exchanged their views on certain topics like rain, prosperity, health, residence, and destination. It can be seen from their conversation that the narrator does not have an interest in politics. The one thing strange about John is that while he was reading The Rose Lady and Trevelyan', one of the best selling novels, he criticised it saying that it is totally unrealistic, as he says that in real life a man should marry a girl of his own station. But he himself was in love with a princess of a royal family and also married her. The narrator and John were old acquaintances but the narrator did not know much about John. When they both started the conversation, the narrator got a chance to explore John's views on love, romance and literature too. At the end of their meeting, he mocked John by calling him Trevelyan, a character from a best seller.

Q32. Consider yourself as John A Pescud and express your views when you first saw Jessie and what did you say when you met her. How did you manage to convince her father for marriage? Write a diary entry in about 180-200 words.  

Ans. Thursday, July 19. 2015 2:00 PM
Dear Diary
When I was going to Cincinnati, I saw a girl of the finest looks. She was so beautiful that I could not manage to keep my eyes away from her. I kept on looking at her. She was reading a book. I did not miss a single chance to look at her. I contrived hard to keep out of her sight as much as I could, but all in vain. When she got off the train, I saw a tall old man was waiting for her and she went with him. After some time, somehow, I managed to talk to her pretending to be there to meet Mr. Hinkle. She surprised me by saying that she was noticing me following her everywhere. Finally. I decided to talk to her father. When I went to meet Colonel Allyn, I got very nervous. But controlling my nerves, I told him everything about my profession and my standard of living and that how I followed his daughter and started liking her. At last, I asked him to give me a chance. He got convinced and got ready for my proposal and after some time. we got married.