NCERT Solutions for Class-9 English Chapter 3 ISWARAN THE STORYTELLER | English Moments
ISWARAN THE STORYTELLER
NCERT Solutions for Class-9 English Chapter 3 ISWARAN THE STORYTELLER | English Moments
Summary: The story was written by the famous story writer R.K. Laxman. This story was narrated to Ganesh by a young man, Mahendra. He was a junior supervisor in a firm. He used to supervise construction sites in factories, bridges, dams, and so on. He is a bachelor and his needs were simple. He was able to adjust himself to all kinds of situations.
Mahendra had a cook named, Iswarna who was quite attached to him. Mahendra would be up early in the morning and leave for work after breakfast, carrying some prepared food with him. After that Iswaran performed other household work. After lunch, he would read some popular Tamil thrillers. The descriptions that he narrated were greatly influenced by these very novels. When he was narrating even the smallest of incidents, he would try to work in suspense and surprise.
Once Iswaran told Mahendra a story of a mad elephant. He told him how the elephant was coming while kicking and flattening everything and uprooting the shrubs. This whole drama was being watched by Iswaran from the rooftop. Then Iswaran grabbed a stick and whaoked its third toenail on the quick. The beast looked stunned for a moment ; then it shivered from head to foot—and collapsed.
Another day Iswaran told Mahendra that the entire factory area was once a burial ground and even now he came across a number of skulls and bones. Then Iswaran told that sometimes he had seen ghosts ; specially a horrible ghost of a woman which appears off and on at midnight during the full moon. After listening all such descriptions Mahendra was not able to sleep properly. After some days, one night when Mahendra was woken up from his sleep by a low maon close to his window, he could not resist himself from looking outside. He saw a ghost as described by Iswaran. Iswaran told mahendra that he himself had seen that ghost as he had told him. After this, mahendra hurried away to his office and submitted his resignation in order to leave that haunted place.
NCERT Solutions for Class-9 English Chapter 3 ISWARAN THE STORYTELLER | English Moments
TEXTUAL QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
THINK
ABOUT IT
Q. 1. In what way is Iswaran an asset to Mahendra?
Ans. Iswaran was an obedient person. He was Mahendra's cook. He was very caring and hardworking. He did all the jobs such as cooking meal, washing clothes and chatting with Mahendra at night. He obeyed his master with full dedication. So, he was an asset to Mahendra.
Q. 2. How does Iswaran describe the uprooted tree on the highway ? What effect does he want to create in his Iswaran?
Ans. Iswaran was greatly influenced by the Tamil authors. He was in the habit of creating suspense. He had the quality of narrating even the smallest incident in impressive way. He presented the incident related to the uprooted tree on the highway in a dramatic way. He presented the incident related to the uprooted tree on the highway in a dramatic way. He was alone and the road was deserted. He saw
something that looked like an enormous beast lying across the road. But as soon as he came closer, he found there nothing but a fallen tree. His main purpose was to create suspense and surprise.
Q. 3. How dose he narrate the story of the tusker ? Dose it appear to be plausible?
Ans. Iswaran narrated the story of the tusker exaggeratedly. The Tusker, having escaped from the timber yard, stamped on bushes, tore up wild creepers and broke the branches at his will. The elephant became uncontrollable and entered the school ground. It created chaos there. Everyone in the school tried to escape. No one dared to face the tusker. In the meantume Iswaran grabbed a can from a teather and moved towards the elephant. He hit its third toenail and the beast collapsed. He claimed that he had used the Japanese art to control the tusker. But this story seems totally implausible as it is very difficult to believe that a child can control a mad elephant.
Q. 4. Why does the author say that Iswaran seemed to more than make up for the absence of a TV in Mahendra's living quarters?
Ans. Iswaran was an expert in telling adventurous and mysterious stories in a dramatic way. It was his daily routine to entertain Mahendra at night. Mahendra could listen to and watch the development of the story. Thus Iswaran seemed to more than make up for the absence of a TV.
NCERT Solutions for Class-9 English Chapter 3 ISWARAN THE STORYTELLER | English Moments
Q. 5. Mahendra calls ghosts or spirits a figment of the imagination. What happens to him on a full-moon night?
Ans. Manendra calls ghosts or spirits a figment of the imagination as he did not believe in ghost. One day Iswaran told him about ghosts he woke up from his sleep and looked outside the window. He got shocked to see the same figure and began to sweat profusely.
Q.6. Can you think of some other ending for the story?
Ans. The present story ends with Mahendra's resolve to leave the hunted place. But it is not the appropriate ending. Mahendra should not have d resolve to leave the haunted place. But it is with knowing the reality. The story could end like this : courageously Mahendra approached the woman and tried to know the reality. As soon as Mahendra caught the woman, it became the revelation of the mystery. It was none but Iswaran in the guise of a ghost of woman.
NCERT Solutions for Class-9 English Chapter 3 ISWARAN THE STORYTELLER | English Moments
TALK ABOUT IT :
Q. 1. Iswaran a fascinating storyteller? Discuss with your friends the qualities of a good storyteller.
Try to use these qualities and tell a story.
Ans. Undoubtedly, Iswaran is a fascinating story-teller. He is well-versed in story telling. Telling stories is an art. It is not everybody's cup of tea. He has the quality of making others realized the true spirit of story. He makes use of gestures and dramatic skills to give sound effect.
A good story-teller should be an epitome of t¥he below mentioned qualities :
1. Should have vivid imagination.
2. Should have good oratorical skills.
3. Should be able to act during narration.
4. Should use punctuation properly during narration.
5. Should have the ability vary the tone according to the situation.
6. Should have amusing personality.
7. Should be capable of creating and maintaining interest of the listeners. Students should tell their own stories in the class.
NCERT Solutions for Class-9 English Chapter 3 ISWARAN THE STORYTELLER | English Moments
ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
I. SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS
Q. Who was Iswaran? What, did he do? What was Iswaran's amazing capacity? Describe?
Ans: Iswaran was a cook who belonged to a place famous for timber. He served Mahendra was the sense of loyalty. He cooked food, washed clothes and did other household work. He was greatly interested in reading books and telling stories. A part from being a rook, he did certain productive activities. He could produce vegetables and cooking ingredients. There was shop all around, yet he could get cooking material quickly.
Q. 2. Why did Mahendra enjoy his stories? What was his reaction to the story relating to a ghost?
Ans. The way he told his stories was such that nobody couldn't help enjoying them. He presented his stories dramatically using gestures and movements. Listening to his stories was equal to watching movies. That is why Mahendra enjoyed his stories. Mahendra heard some sound of moaning near the window one full moon night. He got up at once and approached the window. Through the window he saw the female ghost. He began to sweat profusely and felt back on the pillow.
Q. 3. How did Iswaran build up his ghost story?
Ans. Iswaran did not give proper beginning to his stories. He was also in the habit of leaving the story incomplete in between. He prepared the background of the ghost story by saying 'he saw a human skull lying on the path'. After this he told the ghost story.
Q. 4. What was the condition of Mahendra when Iswaran told hint the ghost story? How did he react?
Ans. Mahendra started shivering with fear at the description. He interrupted Iswaran furiously and tried to make him understand his point. He did not believe in ghosts or spirits. So, he suggested to Iswaran to examine his digestive system and head.
Q. 5. Describe Iswaran's capability to make even the simplest incident interesting.
Ans. He had the capability to express his views storycally. He presented all things in a dramatic way. He added suspense and surprise to each moment. Instead of saying 'he saw an uprooted tree', he said, "he saw huge bushy beast lying across the road".
NCERT Solutions for Class-9 English Chapter 3 ISWARAN THE STORYTELLER | English Moments
Q. 6. How did Iswaran describe the uprooted tree?
Ans. Having the influence of Tamil stories, Iswaran was in a habit of creating suspense. He made the description of the tree lively by his extraordinary expression. He described the up-rooted tree as an enormous bushy beast lying across the road.
Q. 7. How did Iswaran describe the female ghost?
Or, What happened to Mahendra during the full moon night?
Ans. Iswaran told Mahendra that he had seen a female ghost one day. He further told that the ghost appeared off and on at midnight during the full moon. The ghost seemed an ugly creature with thick hair hair and a shrivelled face and it gave the impression of a skeleton holding a foetus in its arms.Mahendra called Iswaran a crazy fellow. But at night, he conjured up the ghost and was frightened. So he decided to leave the place.
Q.8. Why did Mahendra expect Iswaran to be angry?
Ans. One day Mahendra scolded Iswaran for telling the ghost story. He left the room expecting him to be angry for a couple of days. But Iswaran did not mind it and Mahendra was surprised at this cheerful and talkative behaviour next day.
NCERT Solutions for Class-9 English Chapter 3 ISWARAN THE STORYTELLER | English Moments
II. LONG ANSWER
TYPE QUESTIONS
Q. 1. Give a brief character sketch of Iswaran the story teller.
Ans. Iswaran was a cook who belonged to the place famous for timber. He served Mahendra with the sense of loyalty. He was a fascinating story-teller. He was well versed in story telling. He had the quality of making others realise the true spirit of the story. He made use of gestures and dramatic skills to give a sound effect. He told stories with action. His style of telling stories-gave the impression of TV. He was influenced by Tamil authors, Suspense and surprise were the chief qualities of his stories. He mastered in this art and made the scene live. He was in the habit of leaving stories in between. His stories left ever lasting impact on the listener.
Q. 2. Describe the horrible experience of Mahendra during the full-moon night.
Ans. Mahendra called ghosts and spirits a figment of the imagination. But when he saw a cloudy form through the window his condition was quite different. As soon as he heard the story of a female ghost he started feeling uneasy. He became restless and kept turning sides in his bed. During the full-moon night his sleep was disturbed by a moan. At first he did not pay much attention to it. But when it became louder and louder he got up and dared to see through the window. On seeing a cloudy form clutching a bundle, he was startled at once. He considered it the female ghost and started shivering with fear and fell back on the pillow.
NCERT Solutions for Class-9 English Chapter 3 ISWARAN THE STORYTELLER | English Moments
Q. 3. If you had been Mahendra, how would you have reacted when you saw the ghost?
Ans, If I had been Mahendra, I would not have moved from that place. Being an educated Person, never believe in ghosts and spirits. I could see that I might be anything else. I would have I gone outside the home to know the reality. I would have cried for help in case of fear. But would not have left the riddle unsolved. I would have discussed about it with Iswaran whether he had created any mischief next morning. It would have been my first job to go into the depth of the condition. It would have tried any other things kept in the room. It would have been my verity to know the fact.
Q. 4. Describe the ghost of Iswaran's story. What was, its impact on Mahendra,s mind?
Ans. Iswaran had some specific qualities of character. His way of story telling was unique. In his story, he made 'nil use of movements, pauses and gestures. He made the whole scene lively. The ghost in his story was a woman of wrinkled face. Her hair was matted and carried a bundle in her hands. The bundle gave the impression of a foetus. Her dark appearance made her more frightening. The whole scene was quite horrible. The ghost created fear in Mahendra's mind. Mahendra felt unrest and asked Iswaran to stop telling the story. He started thinking about the story and wanted to witness it. In that restless condition he kept turning, sides during
Q. 5. How did Iswaran tackle the elephant in the school building?
Ans. Iswaran narrated the story of an elephant. He said that he tackled me elephant when none dared to do this job. He was a junior class student at that time. The elephant became uncontrollable and entered the school ground. It created chaos there. Everyone in the school tried to escape himself. Iswaran grabbed a cane from a teacher and moved towards the elephant. He hit its third toenail and the elephant collapsed. He claimed that he had used the Japanese art to tackle the elephant. But it seems that if is very difficult to believe that a child can control a mad elephant. Iswaran prewuted himself as a brave fellow and faced the elephant boldly.