NCERT Solutions Class 8, English, It So Happened (Supplementary Reader), Chapter "The open window".
Comprehension Check
1. Why had Framton Nuttel come to the “rural retreat”?
Solution:
Framton Nuttel had come to the “rural retreat” to undergo a nerve cure.
2. Why had his sister given him letters of introduction to people living there?
Solution:
His sister had given him letters of introduction to people living there as he did not know anyone there. She knew that he would not speak to anybody and his nerves would be worse from moping. That is why she gave him letters of introduction to all the people she knew there.
3. What had happened in the Sappleton family as narrated by the niece?
Solution:
The niece played a practical joke on Sappleton when she came to know that he was a total stranger. She said that her aunt’s husband, two brothers and a dog had gone for hunting through the window three years ago. They never returned. But the aunt was still hoping to see them back through the open window.
Comprehension Check
1. What did Mrs Sappleton say about the open window?
Solution:
Mrs Sappleton said that she hoped Framton did not mind the open window. She told him that her husband and her brothers would be coming home directly from their shooting, and they always came that way.
2. The horror on the girl’s face made Framton swing around in his seat. What did he see?
Solution:
When Framton turned around, he saw a silhouette of three men and dog in the evening light. Then a hoarse voice was heard shouting at the dog.
Comprehension Check
1. Why did Framton rush out wildly?
Solution:
Framton rushed out wildly because he was in a “chill shock of nameless fear”. He was scared and shocked to see the three men, who he thought were dead, walking towards the open window.
2. What was the girl’s explanation for his lightning exit?
Solution:
The girl said that the spaniel was the reason for his lightning exit. She said that he had a horror of dogs. She explained that he was once hunted into a cemetery somewhere on the banks of the Ganges by a pack of dogs. He had to spend the night in a newly dug grave, with the creatures snarling, grinning and foaming just above him.
Exercise
Discuss in Small groups.
1. Is this a mystery story? Give a reason for your answer.
Solution:
While explaining the mystery behind the open French window, theevents narrated by Mrs Sappleton's niece manage to create a sense of foreboding. Later, when the three men approach the open window, the reader (like Framton) can only logically conclude that they were ghosts. Hence, one can say that this story does contain elements of the mysterious.
2. You are familiar with the ‘irony’ of the situation in a story. (Remember the cop and the Anthem in Class VII Supplementary Reader!) Which situations in The Open Window’ are good examples of the use of irony?
Solution:
Irony is an expression of one’s saying the direct opposite of what one is thinking. Irony is a significant part of most of the stories. In the story “The Open Window’ to keep the window open for the arrival of the dead persons who were stuck in the mud is an example of irony in this story.
3. Which phrases/sentences in the text do you find difficult to understand? Select a few and guess the meaning of each. Rewrite a simple paraphrase of each.
Solution:
I think the following phrases/sentences are difficult to understand :
- ‘Suggest masculine habitation. It means the room belonged to a man.
- My aunt will be down presently’. It means she will come downstairs.
- ‘Without unduly discounting the aunt: It means to think the aunt unimportant.
- Whirl of apologies : It means apologies in quick succession
- Rattled on : It means continued.
- Romance at short notice : It means finding occasion for fun and enjoyment, wherever possible.
