MVM Kovilambakkam

Grade 7 - Short Answers - Worksheet Answer key

Short answers

1) What, according to the narrator, was Montmorency’s ambition in life and how did
he demonstrate this as the three friends were packing? (Packing)
Correct Answer: 1. According to the narrator, Montmorency the dog’s ambition was
to get in the way and have abuses hurled at him. He considered the achievement of
this goal so satisfying that it would make him quite conceited. On the night of the
packing, he amply demonstrated this by getting in the way, making the men trip over
him, sitting on things just as they about to be packed, putting his cold wet nose into
people’s hands when they reached for things, and also chasing and worrying items
like the lemons and the spoons.

2) Why did Jerome say that he had never seen two men do as much with one-and
two-pence worth of butter in his whole life? (Packing)
Correct Answer: Jerome said that he had never seen two men do so much with a stick
of butter as a humorous comment on the many difficulties George and Harrs faced
while trying to pack the butter. First George stepped on the butter and had to get it
off his slipper. Then they tried to put it into the kettle, and when it wouldn’t fit they
had to scrape it out.Then they placed it on a chair and Harris sat on it. Then they
spent a lot of time looking for it because it was stuck on Harris’s back. Finally they
got it off Harris and packed it in the teapot.

3) What did Harris and Jerome quarrel about before going to bed? How did they
resolve their quarrel? (Packing)
Correct Answer: Harris and Jerome quarreled about what time to wake up the next
morning, as Harris wanted to wake up at 7 and Jerome wanted to wake up at 6 to
write some letters. They resolved their quarrel by agreeing to be woken at 6.30,
however by the time they agreed this, George, who was supposed to wake them up,
had already fallen asleep.

4) How many characters are there in this play? (Michael)

Correct Answer: There are a total of nine characters in the play. They include Simon,
Matryona, Michael, Aniuska, a Russian nobleman, nobleman’s servant, a woman and
her two children.

5) Where does the first scene take place? How does it begin? (Michael)
Correct Answer: The first scene takes place in a poor peasant’s hut and it begins with
a peasant woman, Matryona, entering with a pail of water.

6) What does Matryona instruct her daughter Aniuska to do? Why? (Michael)
Correct Answer: She asks Aniuska to bring in the sticks she gathered for the fire and
to light them up because Simon, the father, would soon be back from town.

7) How does Matryona get herself involved in the meanwhile? (Michael)

Correct Answer: In the meanwhile, Matryona gets herself involved in mending a very
ragged shirt.

8) Why has Simon gone to town? (Michael)

Correct Answer: Simon has gone to town to buy a warm sheepskin for the winter.

9) According to Matryona, why doesn’t Simon go to town more often? (Michael)

Correct Answer: Matryona says that whatever Simon earns, goes on food and so
there is little use of one’s going to town with no money to spend.

10) Describe the person whom Simon has brought along. (Michael)
Correct Answer: Simon’s companion is a young man of about eighteen years, has a
beautiful face, but just with a piece of coarse material like a mat tied around him.

11) When does Scene 2 take place? (Michael)

Correct Answer: Scene 2 takes place one year later.

12) What are the activities that Simon and Matryona are busy in, at the beginning of
Scene 2? (Michael)
Correct Answer: At the beginning of the scene, Simon is busy in making shoes while
Matryona is busy in sewing.

13) Does Michael wait for Simon to give him the measure? What does he do instead?
(Michael)
Correct Answer: No, Michael does not wait for Simon to give him the measure but
folds the leather and cuts it boldly into two pieces.

14) Why does Simon react to this? (Michael)

Correct Answer: He laments that Michael has spoilt the leather and boots cannot be
made from it now; only slippers are possible. And all this implied that everyone
would have to go to prison.

15) Which news is conveyed to them soon after? (Michael)

Correct Answer: Soon after this, the nobleman’s servant, Fedka, bursts in and tells
them that his master died soon after carriage started rolling and so, the boots need
not be made any longer. The leather should be utilised to make slippers instead.

16) Describe the setting of Scene 3. (Michael)

Correct Answer: The setting of the third scene is on an evening. Michael and Simon
are at work; Aniuska is playing with her toys; and Matryona is busy with the
household chores.

17) Who was the real identity of Michael? (Michael)

Correct Answer: Michael was an angel, who had disobeyed God and was sent to
earth to learn the three truths as a punishment.

18) When did the incidents in the story take place? (The Night We Won the Buick)
Correct Answer: The incidents in the story took place just before World War II.

19) What was so distinctive about the author's family? (The Night We Won the Buick)
Correct Answer: The author's family was the only one in New York that did not own a
car.

20) What did the author consider to be 'disgraceful'? (The Night We Won the Buick)
Correct Answer: Owning no car was considered disgraceful to the author.

21) How were the daily shopping trips of the family made? (The Night We Won the
Buick)
Correct Answer: The daily shopping trips of the family were made in a small two-
wheeled basket cart made drawn by 'an ancient pony'.

22) What was the name of the pony? Who gave it? From where? (The Night We Won
the Buick)
Correct Answer: The author's mother had named the pony Barkis after a character in
David Copperfield.

23) How did the author's mother succeed in making the poverty tolerable? (The
Night We Won the Buick)
Correct Answer: By providing charm to it.

24) What had happened, by the time, the author reached the platform? (The Night
We Won the Buick)
Correct Answer: By the time the author reached the platform, the Mayor had
presented the keys to his father and he had driven off.
25) 'How can there be a question?' Why does the author say so? (The Night We Won
the Buick)
Correct Answer: The author says so because his father's name as the winner was
announced over the mike downtown.

26) What did the author's mother show him in response to the question? (The Night
We Won the Buick)
Correct Answer: The author's mother showed him two raffle tickets on the table
bearing the numbers 348 and 349.

27) Of these two tickets, which was the winning one? (The Night We Won the Buick)
Correct Answer: Of these two, the winning ticket was 348.

28) What difference did the author notice on holding up the ticket against the light?
(The Night We Won the Buick)
Correct Answer: The author noticed that in one corner of the ticket, the letter 'K' was
written dimly with pencil.

29) What did 'K' stand for? (The Night We Won the Buick)
Correct Answer: 'K' stood for the name, Jim Kendrik, the author's father's boss.

30) 'At last we heard Dad's step on the front porch'. What did the author's father
finally do? (The Night We Won the Buick)
Correct Answer: The author's father stepped into the front porch, went straight to the
phone in the dining room and dialled Kendrick's number. After a long time, a servant
answered and the author's father insisted that Kendrick be roused up. This annoyed
Kendrick very much but the author's father explained to the latter the whole thing
from the beginning.

31) How did Kendrick respond to the situation? (The Night We Won the Buick)
Correct Answer: Next afternoon, Kendrick sent two chauffeurs in a station wagon,
who drove away with the Buick after presenting to him a box of cigars.

32) When did the author's family finally get a car? (The Night We Won the Buick)
Correct Answer: They finally got a car, when the author had grown up.

33) What was the author's mother's aphorism? (The Night We Won the Buick)
Correct Answer: The author's mother's aphorism was, 'If you have character, you have
the better part of wealth'.

34) What was the duration of the vacation that the four sisters were supposed to
enjoy? (Experiments)
Correct Answer: The duration of the vacation would be three months.
35) How did Meg, Jo and Amy intend to spend the time? (Experiments)
Correct Answer: Meg intended to sleep till late and do nothing, Jo had a heap of
books which she intended to read on her perch in the old apple tree and Amy
intended to play and rest all the time.

36) How did the girls begin their experiment? (Experiments)

Correct Answer: The girls began their experiment by lazing for the rest of the day.

37) At what time did Meg appear? (Experiments)

Correct Answer: Meg did not appear till 10 o’clock.

38) How did Meg feel after getting up? (Experiments)

Correct Answer: Meg felt that her solitary breakfast did not taste nice and the room
seemed lonely and untidy because Jo had not filled the vases, Beth had not dusted
and Amy’s books lay scattered about.

39) What was the thing that nobody wanted to say? (Experiments)
Correct Answer: Nobody wanted to say that they were tired of the experiment.

40) What did Mrs. March do to impress the lesson more deeply? (Experiments)
Correct Answer: She gave Hannah, the cook, a holiday.

41) What did the girls find on waking up on Saturday morning? (Experiments)
Correct Answer: When they got up on Saturday morning, there was no fire in the
kitchen, no breakfast in the dining room and their mother could not be seen
anywhere.

42) What report did they get about their mother? (Experiments)
Correct Answer: Meg went upstairs and then came back with the news that their
mother was not sick but only a little tired because the week had been hard. So she
intended to spend the entire day in her room and so the girls were not to grumble
but do whatever they wanted to do.

43) What was Jo’s observation on this? (Experiments)

Correct Answer: Jo observed that it would be easy enough to look after the
housekeeping because she intended to do something and so liked the idea.

44) How did the girls start their housekeeping tasks? (Experiments)
Correct Answer: There was plenty of food in the larder and while Beth and Amy set
the table, Meg and Jo got breakfast ready, wondering as they did, why servants ever
talked about hard work. Soon a tray was laid out, and taken up for their Mother.
45) What did Mrs March receive with thanks and why did she laugh heartily after Jo
was gone? (Experiments)
Correct Answer: Mrs. March received with thanks the breakfast that Jo had taken up
for her and laughed heartily because the boiled tea was bitter, the omelette was
scorched and the biscuits were burnt.

46) Who cooked breakfast and what was the result of her endeavour? (Experiments)
Correct Answer: Breakfast was cooked by Meg and there were many complaints
against her abilities.

47) Who offered to prepare dinner? (Experiments)

Correct Answer: Jo offered to prepare dinner.

48) What did Meg’s wisely tell Jo? (Experiments)

Correct Answer: Meg told Jo wisely that she should get the advice of Mrs. March.

49) Why did Jo hurry to the parlour and what did she see there? (Experiments)
Correct Answer: Feeling very harassed, Jo hurried into the parlour only to find Beth
sobbing.

50) Describe Miss Crocker. (Experiments)

Correct Answer: She was thin, with a sharp nose and inquisitive eyes that saw
everything she and gossiped about all that she saw.

51) When did Jo ring the dinner-bell and what was she thinking while doing so?
(Experiments)
Correct Answer: Jo rang the dinner-bell half an hour later and she was thinking that
they could eat some meat, bread and butter, if they were hungry, but it was only
disappointing to have spent the whole morning for nothing.

52) How did Jo feel while surveying the feast laid out before her? (Experiments)
Correct Answer: She stood hot, tired, and disheartened, surveying the feast spread
before her. She was certain Miss Crocker’s sharp tongue would report them far and
wide.

53) What mistake had Jo made with the fruit cream? (Experiments)
Correct Answer: She had put salt in place of sugar in it.

54) What was the unanimous response when Mrs. March asked whether they wanted
another week of vacations? (Experiments)
Correct Answer: All of them agreed that they did not want to take another week of
vacation.
55) What did the girls call Miss Crocker? (Experiments)
Correct Answer: They called her Croaker.