Key Concept: Basic Concepts

b) 5

[Solution Description]

To find the value of $2 + 3$, we simply add the two numbers together. Adding 2 and 3 gives us 5.

Key Concept: About the Author

b) The Times of India

[Solution Description]

R.K. Laxman’s cartoons were regularly featured in “The Times of India.”

Key Concept: Basic Concept

b) He resolved to leave the place the next day.

[Solution Description]

After handing in his resignation papers, Mahendra resolved to leave the haunted place the very next day.

Key Concept: Suspense and Drama

c) Creating suspense and surprise endings

[Solution Description]

Iswaran uses suspense and surprise endings to make his stories more engaging. For example, instead of simply stating that he saw an uprooted tree, he describes it as a “bushy beast” and builds tension by pretending to consider turning back. This method adds drama and keeps the listener hooked.

Key Concept: Concept: Claims the work site was once a burial ground

b) It was a burial ground in the past.

[Solution Description]

Iswaran claimed that the entire factory area they were occupying was once a burial ground. He mentioned seeing a human skull on the path and continued to encounter skulls and bones.

Key Concept: Behavior of the Elephant

a) Broke down fences

[Solution Description]

According to the story, the mad elephant broke down fences like matchsticks when it entered the outskirts of the town. This was its first action upon entering the town.

Key Concept: Humor, Irony

c) Verbal irony

[Solution Description] The statement is an example of verbal irony because the author says one thing but implies the opposite. The politician’s promise is impossible to fulfill under normal circumstances, which makes it seem like magic.

Key Concept: Exaggeration in Storytelling

b) To add suspense and surprise endings

[Solution Description]

Iswaran had the ability to weave suspense and surprise endings into even the smallest of incidents, making them dramatic and engaging.

Key Concept: Elephant Behavior

a) Broke through the brick wall and damaged sports equipment

[Solution Description]

The tusker broke through the brick wall, pulled out the football goal-post, tore down the volleyball net, kicked and flattened the water drum, and uprooted the shrubs. These actions are described in the story.

Key Concept: Foreshadowing

a) The mention of a female ghost during full moon nights

[Solution Description]

Iswaran mentions the appearance of a female ghost during full moon nights before Mahendra actually sees a dark cloudy form. This foreshadows the future event where Mahendra experiences a similar sight, creating a connection between Iswaran’s stories and real events.

Key Concept: Mahendra’s Belief in Ghosts

b) He thought it was a cat prowling for mice

[Solution Description]

Mahendra initially thought the low moan near his window was caused by a cat prowling around for mice. However, as the sound became louder and less feline, he could not resist the temptation to look out. This shows that he tried to rationalize the sound before eventually giving in to curiosity.

Key Concept: Iswaran’s Role

b) He cooks for Mahendra, washes his clothes, and tells him stories.

[Solution Description]

Iswaran is an asset to Mahendra because he cooks for him, washes his clothes, and keeps him entertained with his storytelling. Additionally, Iswaran can produce vegetables and cooking ingredients in desolate areas, making delicious meals wherever they are posted.

Key Concept: Iswaran’s Storytelling Style

b) He acted out the scenes by stamping his feet and jumping around.

[Solution Description]

While narrating stories about elephants, Iswaran would get so caught up in the excitement that he would act out the scenes, such as stamping his feet to imitate a mad elephant.

Key Concept: Understanding the Context

c) The elephant escaped from the timber yard and turned wild.

[Solution Description] In the story, Iswaran mentions that the elephant “escaped from the timber yard” and began to behave wildly. This indicates that the elephant was not under control and had turned wild due to its escape. The primary reason for its rampage was its escape from confinement.

Key Concept: Character Analysis

c) He was scared by the ghostly encounter and wanted to leave immediately.

[Solution Description]

Mahendra decided to leave his job because he was frightened by the incident he experienced the previous night, where he thought he saw a ghostly figure. Iswaran’s revelation that it was the same female ghost he had mentioned earlier added to Mahendra’s fear. This fear led him to resign and leave the place.

Key Concept: Character Traits

b) He was able to produce vegetables and ingredients from nowhere

[Solution Description]

Iswaran had the ability to produce vegetables and cooking ingredients even in desolate landscapes with no shops nearby. This made him an excellent cook as he could prepare delicious dishes under challenging conditions.

Key Concept: Types of Construction Sites

c) Railways and chemical plants

[Solution Description]

Mahendra had to supervise various types of construction sites, including factories, bridges, dams, coal mining areas, railway bridge construction sites, and chemical plants. This shows the diversity of his job responsibilities.

Key Concept: Iswaran’s Storytelling

b) By adding suspense and surprise endings

[Solution Description] Iswaran made his stories more engaging by adding suspense and surprise endings. He would narrate even small incidents with dramatic gestures and imaginative descriptions, influenced by the Tamil thrillers he read.

Key Concept: Ghostly Encounter

b) A dark cloudy form clutching a bundle

[Solution Description] Mahendra woke up to a low moan near his window. Initially, he thought it was a cat, but the sound became louder and less feline. When he looked out, he saw a dark cloudy form clutching a bundle, which terrified him.

Key Concept: Character Analysis

b) He is rational but prone to fear and imagination.

[Solution Description]

Mahendra’s initial reaction to the moaning sound reveals that he is a rational person who tries to explain unusual occurrences logically. He first attributes the sound to a cat, showing his tendency to seek natural explanations. However, when the sound becomes too guttural, he resists looking out, fearing something terrifying. This indicates his susceptibility to fear and imagination. His eventual conclusion that it was auto-suggestion further highlights his rational mindset, though it also shows he can be influenced by his subconscious.

Key Concept: Event Recall

b) A dark cloudy form clutching a bundle

[Solution Description] When Mahendra looked out of his window, he saw a dark cloudy form clutching a bundle.

Key Concept: Iswaran’s storytelling style

b) Exaggeration

[Solution Description]

Iswaran often uses exaggeration and dramatic gestures to make even the smallest incidents seem larger than life. He incorporates suspense and surprise endings into his narratives, which adds a humorous twist. For example, instead of simply mentioning an uprooted tree, he describes it as an enormous bushy beast.

Key Concept: Reasoning

b) He thought it was a cat prowling for mice.

[Solution Description]

Mahendra initially thought the moaning sound was made by a cat prowling around for mice. He ignored it because he assumed it was a common nocturnal animal noise and not something unusual or alarming.

Key Concept: Humor and Suspense

a) He was afraid of ghosts

[Solution Description]

After hearing Iswaran’s story about a female ghost appearing during full-moon nights, Mahendra became fearful and avoided looking out of his window to prevent seeing any dark shapes or supernatural entities. This fear was a result of Iswaran’s vivid storytelling.

Key Concept: Narrative Perspective

c) He miraculously conjures up ingredients out of nowhere.

[Solution Description]

Iswaran describes his ability to produce vegetables and cooking ingredients as miraculous, conjuring them up seemingly out of nowhere even in the middle of a desolate landscape with no shops visible for miles around. This reflects his resourcefulness and creativity.

Key Concept: Gestures, Expressions, Voice Modulation

c) It creates a vivid image and increases the dramatic effect

[Solution Description]

Iswaran enhances the description of the uprooted tree by arching his eyebrows and holding out his hands in a dramatic gesture. This visual representation, combined with his words, helps create a vivid image of the scene, making it more engaging and adding to the dramatic effect of the story.

Key Concept: Daily Routine

c) He read Tamil thrillers before dozing off.

[Solution Description]

After Mahendra left for work, Iswaran would tidy up the shed, wash clothes, take a leisurely bath while muttering prayers, eat lunch, read Tamil thrillers, and then doze off. This was part of his regular daily routine.

Key Concept: Ambiguous Presence

b) A cat prowling

[Solution Description]

When Mahendra heard the low moan near his window, he first thought it was a cat prowling around for mice. This is mentioned in the text where he “put it down to a cat prowling around for mice.”

Key Concept: Character Relationship

b) By cooking, washing clothes, and telling stories

[Solution Description]

Iswaran was Mahendra’s cook who also washed his clothes and chatted with him at night. He followed Mahendra uncomplainingly wherever he was posted and kept him engaged with stories.

Key Concept: Mahendra’s Job

b) A junior supervisor at construction sites

[Solution Description]

Mahendra was a junior supervisor in a firm that provided supervisors for various construction sites such as factories, bridges, and dams. His job was to monitor activities at these work sites and move from place to place as ordered by his head office.

Key Concept: Recall

b) Iswaran

[Solution Description]

Iswaran told Mahendra that he had seen a female ghost with a foetus. Iswaran mentioned this after hearing the moaning sounds coming from Mahendra’s room.

Key Concept: Character Analysis

b) A cook who prepared meals and told stories

[Solution Description]

Iswaran was Mahendra’s cook who also washed his clothes and entertained him with stories. He followed Mahendra uncomplainingly wherever he was posted.

Key Concept: Imagination vs. Reality

d) He decided to leave the place

[Solution Description]

Mahendra felt a chill down his spine and hurried away to his office, deciding to leave the haunted place the next day.

Key Concept: Mahendra’s Reaction

c) He resigned from his job and left the place

[Solution Description]

After hearing Iswaran’s explanation about the ghost, Mahendra felt a chill down his spine. He hurriedly left the place and decided to resign from his job the next day.

Key Concept: Mahendra’s Experience

c) A dark cloudy form clutching a bundle

[Solution Description]

Mahendra saw a dark cloudy form clutching a bundle outside his window, which frightened him greatly. This incident is detailed in the syllabus.

Key Concept: Supernatural Element

b) Mahendra had just complimented him on his cooking

[Solution Description]

After enjoying a delicious dinner, Mahendra was in a pleasant mood and not expecting a supernatural tale from Iswaran. This sudden shift from a positive experience to a spooky narrative made it unexpected.

Key Concept: Character Relationship

b) Cook

[Solution Description]

Iswaran was Mahendra’s cook. He was very attached to Mahendra and followed him uncomplainingly wherever he was posted. He cooked for Mahendra, washed his clothes, and chatted with him at night.

Key Concept: Work Locations

c) Shopping Mall

[Solution Description]

The story mentions Mahendra being moved to a coal mining area, a railway bridge construction site, and a chemical plant. A shopping mall is never mentioned as one of his work locations.

Key Concept: Humor and Fear

a) Karate or ju-jitsu

[Solution Description]

Iswaran claims to have used a Japanese art form, either karate or ju-jitsu, which temporarily paralyses the nervous system of the beast. This is mentioned in the text when Mahendra asks Iswaran how he managed to bring down the beast.

Key Concept: Elephant’s Behavior

d) All of the above

[Solution Description]

In Iswaran’s story, the elephant went wild and started roaming about, stamping on bushes, tearing up wild creepers, and breaking branches at will. It also smashed fruit stalls, mud pots, clothes stalls, entered a school ground, broke through the brick wall, pulled out the football goal-post, tore down the volleyball net, kicked and flattened the water drum, and uprooted shrubs.

Key Concept: Iswaran’s Skills

c) Producing fresh vegetables in desolate places

[Solution Description]

Iswaran had the amazing ability to produce fresh vegetables and cooking ingredients even in desolate places where no shops were visible for miles. This skill allowed him to conjure up delicious dishes within an hour of arriving at new workplaces.

Key Concept: Plot Development

b) He said he had seen the female ghost with a foetus

[Solution Description] The next morning, Iswaran revealed to Mahendra that he had seen the female ghost with a foetus in its arms just as he had described earlier. This revelation filled Mahendra with fear.

Key Concept: Humorous Storytelling

b) Mark Twain

[Solution Description]

Mark Twain is renowned for his humorous and satirical storytelling, making him the correct answer.

Key Concept: Character Analysis

c) A cook

[Solution Description]

Iswaran was Mahendra’s cook who was deeply attached to him and followed him wherever he was posted. He took care of Mahendra’s daily needs, including cooking, washing clothes, and engaging in conversations with him. Additionally, Iswaran was known for his storytelling skills, which provided entertainment and companionship to Mahendra.

Key Concept: Understanding the Action

c) Striking the elephant’s third toenail

[Solution Description]

Young Iswaran witnessed the elephant causing chaos and decided to act bravely. He grabbed a cane, approached the elephant, and struck its third toenail on the quick. This action stunned the elephant, causing it to collapse. Therefore, the key action was striking the elephant’s third toenail.

Key Concept: Storytelling Style

c) Entertained him with suspenseful tales

[Solution Description]

According to the syllabus, Iswaran’s storytelling was greatly influenced by Tamil thrillers, and he often added suspense and surprise endings to his narratives. His tales were packed with adventure, horror, and suspense, which made them enjoyable for Mahendra despite their credibility.

Key Concept: Indian Cartoonist and Writer

a) K. Shankar Pillai

[Solution Description]

K. Shankar Pillai, also known as Shankar, is the cartoonist who founded the magazine “Shankar’s Weekly”.

Key Concept: Plot Comprehension

c) It was some sort of auto suggestion

[Solution Description] After recovering from his initial shock, Mahendra reasons that his experience must have been a result of auto-suggestion or a trick played by his subconscious mind. He tries to rationalize the event rather than accepting it as a supernatural occurrence.

Key Concept: Imagery and Descriptive Writing

b) As an enormous bushy beast

[Solution Description]

Iswaran described the fallen tree as something that looked like an enormous bushy beast lying sprawled across the road. He added suspense by saying he was half inclined to turn back before realizing it was just a fallen tree.

Key Concept: Fear and Superstition

b) Mahendra thinks ghosts are a product of imagination.

[Solution Description]

In the story, Mahendra initially dismisses Iswaran’s belief in ghosts and spirits as nonsense. He says that such things are a figment of imagination and suggests that Iswaran needs to get his digestive system and head examined. This shows that Mahendra does not believe in the existence of ghosts or spirits at first.