Chapter 9 – A Bicycle in Good Repair Solutions
Question - 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.
Answer - 1 : -
“I got up early, for me.” It implies that he was a late riser.
Question - 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).
Answer - 2 : -
The bicycle “goes easily enough in the morning and a little stiffly after lunch”. The remark is humorous, sarcastic and enjoyable.
Question - 3 : - The friend shook the bicycle violently. Find two or three sentences in the text which express the author’s disapproval of it.
Answer - 3 : -
The sentences in the text which express the author’s disapproval of his friend shaking the bicycle violently are as follows:
(i) I said, “Don’t do that; you’ll hurt it.”
(ii) I did not see why he should shake it; it had not done anything to him.
(iii) Besides, if it wanted shaking, I was the proper person to shake it. I felt much as I should had he started whacking my dog.
Question - 4 : - “…if not, it would make a serious difference to the machine.” What does ‘it’ refer to?
Answer - 4 : -
When the little ball bearings of the bicycle fell off, the author’s friend told him to catch them. He said that if all the bearings of the bicycle were not present, it would make a serious difference to the bicycle. Hence, ‘it’ refers to the absence of even a single ball bearing of the bicycle.
Question - 5 : - Did the front wheel really wobble? What is your opinion? Give a reason for your answer.
Answer - 5 : -
No, the front wheel did not wobble. The author said that it did not wobble. There was nothing in it worth calling a wobble. However, after the author’s friend was done with it, it definitely started to wobble.
Question - 6 : - In what condition did the author find the bicycle when he returned from the tool shed?
Answer - 6 : -
When the author returned from the tool shed, he saw his friend sitting on the ground with the front wheel between his legs. He was playing with it, twiddling it round between his fingers, and the remnant of the machine was lying on the gravel path beside him.
Question - 7 : - “Nothing is easier than taking off the gear-case.” Comment on or continue this sentence in the light of what actually happens.
Answer - 7 : -
The author’s friend wanted to check the chain of the bicycle. For this, he began taking off the gear-case. The author tried to dissuade him from doing that by telling him that if anything does go wrong with the gear-case of a bicycle, then it is cheaper to sell the bicycle than set about repairing the damaged gear-case. However, his friend disagreed and said that nothing was easier than taking off a gear-case. The author notes with sarcasm that his friend was indeed right. In less than five minutes, he had the gear-case in two pieces, lying on the path.
Question - 8 : - What special treatment did the chain receive?
Answer - 8 : -
The author’s friend tightened the chain till it did not move. Then he loosened it until it was twice as loose as it was before.
Question - 9 : - The friend has two qualities — he knows what he is doing and is absolutely sure it is good. Find the two phrases in the text which mean the same.
Answer - 9 : -
“Cheery confidence” and “inexplicable hopefulness” are the two phrases which respectively show that the author’s friend knew what he was doing and was absolutely sure that it was good.
Question - 10 : - Describe ‘the fight’ between the man and the machine. Find the relevant sentences in the text and write them.
Answer - 10 : -
When the author’s friend doubled himself across the bicycle till he lost his balance and slid over on to his head, he lost his temper and tried bullying it. The bicycle showed spirit and there ensued a fight between him and the machine. One moment the bicycle was on the gravel path and he on top of it. The next moment the position was reversed. He became happy with his victory after the bicycle was firmly fixed between his legs. However, his triumph was short-lived. By a sudden, quick movement, the bicycle freed itself and hit him sharply over the head with one of its handles by turning upon him. After a while, he gave up, saying that. The bicycle looked as if it also had enough of it.