NCERT Solutions For Class 9 English Moments Chapter 3 Iswaran the Storyteller(Short and Long Answer Questions)

Short Answer Questions (2 marks each)
(About 30-40 words each)

Question 1:
What impact did Iswaran’s story of a female ghost have on Mahendra? (SA-1,2014)

Answer:
Mahendra avoided looking out of the window when the moon was full. He went to bed with a certain unease and peered into the darkness to ensure no movement of dark shapes outside.

Question 2:
Why did Mahendra become fond of Iswaran? (Board Term 1,2012, ELI-013)

Answer:
Mahendra became fond of Iswaran because he was a very resourceful person and cared for him. He was a trained cook and could also arrange for things at a desolate place. In addition to this, he took very good care of Mahendra.

Question 3:
Why did Mahendra decide to leave the haunted place? (Board Term 1,2012, ELI-014)

Answer:
He was afraid of the haunted place after hearing and watching a ghastly experience at night. He found that he often dreamt of that woman ghost. Therefore, he wanted to leave the place.

Question 4:
What sets Iswaran apart from other domestic help? (Board Term 1,2012, ELI-016)

Answer:
Iswaran was a class in himself. He was highly resourceful and a big help to Mahendra. He was a trained cook and to top it he narrated captivating and interesting stories to Mahendra at night.

Question 5:
How did Iswaran tackle the elephant? (Board Term 1,2012, ELI-017)

Answer:
The elephant had caused much terror, children and teachers ran here and there to save their lives.
Iswaran dared it and hit it on the third toe with a rod. Thus, the mad elephant was controlled.

Question 6:
Why was Iswaran called Mahendra’s asset? (Board Term 1,2012, ELI-020)
                                                                   Or
How did Iswaran show his usefulness to the narrator?(Board Term 1,2012, ELI-031)

Answer:
Iswaran was a trained cook and very attached to his master, Mahendra, as he followed him everywhere he was posted. He not only took care of him by washing his clothes and cooking food but also gossiped with him in the night and told him various modified folk tales.

Question 7:
What did Mahendra decide after he had seen the ghost? (Board Term 1,2012, ELI-025)

Answer:
Mahendra was convinced that there were ghosts around his house. He was scared and did not want to live there any longer and so, he resigned from his job.

Question 8:
Who was Iswaran? What all he did for his master? (Board Term 1,2012, ELI-026)

Answer:
Iswaran was Mahendra’s cook, he was an asset to him. He cooked for him, washed his clothes, and chatted away with his master at night. He often narrated very convincing stories.

Question 9:
What impact did Iswaran’s story of a female ghost have on Mahendra?
(Board Term 1,2012, ELI-027)

Answer:
Mahendra avoided looking out of the window when the moon was full. He went to bed with a certain unease and peered into the darkness to ensure no movement of dark shapes outside.

Question 10:
How does Iswaran describe the story of the elephant? Does it appear to be plausible?(Board Term 1,2012, ELI-028)

Answer:
One day an elephant went mad, stamping on bushes, breaking fences, smashing fruit stalls, mud pots, and clothes. He even entered a school groundbreaking through the brick wall. Iswaran who was in the junior class whacked its third toenail with a rod and it collapsed. No, the story does not appear to be plausible.

Question 11:
What destruction did the elephant cause in the town? (Board Term 1,2012, ELI-030)

Answer:
The elephant caused a lot of destruction in the town. He broke branches, fences, and smashed stalls. He entered a school playground and broke a brick wall, pulled out a football goal post, tore down a volleyball net, and flattened a water drum.

Question 12:
Do you think the ghost Mahendra saw on the night of the full moon was a real ghost?(Board Term 1,2012, ELI-034)

Answer:
No, I think the ghost Mahendra saw was a creation of a weak mind. Iswaran had made Mahendra’s mind a little weak by telling him the ghost story. When Mahendra rebuked him for believing in ghosts, he felt offended. To prove that he was right he posed as a ghost. So, that is why Mahendra thought that he had seen a ghost on that full moon night.

Question 13:
Mahendra calls ghosts or spirits a figment of imagination. What happens to him on full moon night? (Board Term 1,2012, ELI-036)

Answer:
Mahendra never believed in ghosts and spirits but one night he had woken up from his sleep by a low moan near the window. He could not resist his curiosity and tried to lookout. To his horror, he saw a dark cloudy form clutching a bundle. Mahendra was in a cold sweat from top to bottom and fell back on the pillow panting.

Long Answer Type Questions (4 marks each)
(About 80-100 words)

Question 1:
What are the qualities of a good listener? Express your views in reference to Mahendra who would listen to Iswaran’s tales uncritically. (Board Term, Sept 1,2013 9KK73AP)

Answer:
Listening is an essential part of any storytelling. Being a good and patient listener helps you achieve not only the meaning of the story but also the expressions and the intentions of the storyteller. Iswaran was an amazing storyteller but Mahendra was an equally good listener, Iswaran used to create such a magnificent aura around the story that Mahendra used to listen to him with rapt attention he used to make eye contact with Iswaran to either depict awe or horror depending upon the story. Mahendra would let his own mind and imaginations see the story in reality. For example, during the narration of the tusker story, Mahendra could actually feel the tension and fear in his mind. Mahendra never spoke during the entire storytelling session, he would never interfere in Iswaian’s story, he would occasionally nod his head and only towards the end of the story show his compressions. Mahendra would listen to Iswaran uncritically.

Question 2:
How can you say that Iswaran was a fascinating storyteller? (Board Term 1,2012, ELI-015)

Answer:
Iswaran was a very fascinating and drama storyteller. He gave imaginative descriptions of various events. He used dramatic language and gestures to describe events and changed a simple event in suspense. His stories had surprise endings and unexpected narrations. He was influenced by thrilling novels and stories of Tamil authors. All stories had adventure, horror, and suspense. All these elements made him a fascinating storyteller and he could captivate any audience with his stories.

Question 3:
How was Iswaran, the cook, an asset to Mahendra? (Board Term 1,2012, ELI-028)

Answer:
Iswaran, the cook, was very attached to Mahindra. He followed Mahendra whenever Mahendra got a posting. He not only washed his clothes but also chatted with him at night. He was a trained cook and could cook delicious meals really fast. He could tidy the sheds as well as narrate unbelieving accounts with utmost conviction and mostly were true accounts.

Question 4:
Write a brief character sketch of Iswaran. (Board Term 1,2012, ELI-034)

Answer:
Iswaran, Mahendra’s servant, was very devoted to him. He was not only a very well-trained and wonderful cook but also a good storyteller. He was fond of reading thrillers and his narrations were influenced by those styles. He had to give up his job due to a practical joke played on Mahendra, his master. Life was not possible for Mahendra without him, as he was his asset, and he started living totally isolated.

Question 5:
“Iswaran was a good cook as well as a good storyteller “Elaborate with the help of an example.(Board Term 1,2012, ELI-042)

Answer:
Iswaran was Mahendra’s <Jook and wholesale caretaker of Mahendra. He had an amazing capacity to produce vegetables and cooked ingredients seemingly out of nowhere. He not only could cook delicious meals but he was a good storyteller. His descriptions were influenced by the Tamil authors he read. Even while narrating the smallest of incidents, he would try to make the account thrilling and full of suspense. Mahendra enjoyed listening to the stories told by Iswaran because of the way they were told. Thus, Iswaran was a real asset for Mahendra.

Question 6:
Iswaran was a fascinating storyteller. What other skills he had? How was he an asset to Mahendra? (Board Term 1,2012, ELI-060)

Answer:
Iswaran was a fascinating storyteller. He read a lot of storybooks and narrated incidents in a very vivid manner to Mahendra, his master. He could perform all kinds of actions and gestures to make the stories extremely interesting. Other than storytelling, he had excellent culinary skills. He was a trained cook and could cook delicious meals for Mahendra in very little time. He proved to be an asset for Mahendra. On the other hand, Mahendra also loved his stories and the excellent way of telling them.

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