Introduction

Q.NO. l: Who is the writer of the novel?: 

Answer: James Hilton is the writer of this master-piece, “Good-bye Mr. Chips.” He was a famous commentator and novelist of twentieth century.

Q.NO.2:What type of novel is “Good-bye Mr. Chips?

Answer: It is a biographical novel by James Hilton. It is the life history of Mr. Chipping. He was a teacher at Brookfield school. This novel has been divided in 18 chapters. It was written in 7 days.

Q.No.3: What is the significance of the title “Good-bye Mr. Chips?”

Answer: The words “Good-bye Mr. Chips” were spoken by Katherine on the night before their marriage. Later on, a boy spoke these words to Chips. This second good bye was said just before his death.

CHAPTER NO.1

Q.NO.1: What was the real name of Mr. Chips? 

Answer: The real name of Mr. Chips was Mr. Chipping. Chips was his nick name.  The people gave him this name out of love.

Q.NO.2: When was Mr. Chips born?

Answer: Mr. Chips was born in 1848.

Q.NO.3: When did Chips graduate?

Answer: Chips graduated in 1868.

Q.NO.4:How did Chips measure time?

Answer: Like some old sea-captain, Chips still measured time by the signals of the past. He set his schedule according to the bells of the school and spent his life according to them.

Q.No.5: What did doctor Merivale say about Chips’ health? OR Who was Merivale?

Answer: Merivale was Chips’ doctor. He came to see Chips every fortnight. He said that there was nothing wrong with Chips. Chips was fitter than he. He would certainly die a natural death.

Q.NO.6: Why did Mr. Chips leave Melbury Public School?

Answer: Mr. Chips taught at Melbury Public School for one year. However, he left it because he was badly teased by the boys there. He was unable to maintain discipline there.

Q.NO. 7: Why could Chips not join any better school than Brookfield? 

Answer: Chips could not join any other school better than Brookfield because he was just a Cambridge graduate. Second, he had no private means and family connections of great significance.

Q.NO.8:When did Mr. Chips join Brookfield?

Answer: After teaching for one year at Melbury Public School, Chips left it and joined Brookfield in 1870. He was just 22 at that time.

Q.NO. 9: Who was the headmaster of school when Chips joined school? 

Answer: Mr. Wetherby was the headmaster of school when Chips joined school. He was a devoted headmaster. During his headship, Brookfield got great popularity. He served the school for thirty years.

Q.NO. 10: What advice did Mr. Wetherby give to Mr. Chips? 

Answer:Wetherby advised Chips to be strict from the beginning in his dealing with the students. He also advised him to give his enthusiasm to Brookfield and Brookfield would give him something in return.

Q.No.11: Why was Chips afraid of taking his first class at Brookfield?

Answer: He was afraid of taking his first class at Brookfield school because his first experience was very bitter at Melbury Public School. There, the boys badly teased him. He couldn’t maintain discipline there.

Q.NO.12: What happened when Mr. Chips took his first class? OR Describe Chips’ first day experience at Brookfield?

Answer: On the very first day of his class at Brookfield, someone dropped the desk lid in the class. Chips punished that guy and made a great impression of strict discipline in the class.

Q.NO.13: What was Mr. Chips like when he took his first class?

Answer:When Chips took his first class at Brookfield school, he was a young man of 22. He was high-collared, fresh complexioned and having side-whiskered.

Q.NO.14: Who was Colley? What story was attached to him? OR What did Chips say to the third Colley?

Answer: It was Colley whom Chips punished. Later, his son and grandson became his students. Chips told the grandson that his father and grandfather were fools but he was the biggest fool of all.

Q.NO.15: What was the punishment given to Colley?

Answer: Colley was the boy who dropped the desk lid in the first class of Chips. Chips asked Colley to write 100 lines as a punishment. He was the first boy whom Chips had punished.

Q.NO.16: What did the first Colley become later in life?

Answer: Colley became a prominent member of his society later in life. He became an alderman of London, a baronet and had so many various things.

Q.No.17:  Who was Sir Richard? 

Answer: Sir Richard was the father of Colley.

Q.No. 18: Write a note on Mr. Wetherby. OR When did Mr. Wetherby join Brookfield?

Answer: Wetherby joined Brookfield as headmaster in 1840. He was a devoted headmaster. During his headship, Brookfield got great popularity. He served the school for thirty years. He died in 1870.

Q.NO.19: How did Chips go to sleep?

Answer: He took a detective novel to bed. Rarely did he read more than a page of it, sleep came to him swiftly and peacefully like a mystic and he went to the lap of sleep.

Q.No.20: Trace out the similarities between Chips and Brookfield?

Answer: Many things were common in Chips and Brookfield school. Both were old- fashioned. They were not brilliant outwardly but inwardly they were full of grace, honour and dignity.

Q.No.21: Why 1870 was easy to remember for Chips?

Answer: It was easy for Chips to remember this period because it was the year in which he got a job at Brookfield. It was also the period of Wetherby’s death and Franco-Prussian war.

Q.NO.22: Why did Mr. Chips call growing old “A sad joke?”

Answer: He called it a great joke as well as sad one. The happy memories of the past brought so many pleasures for him but they also made him sad and he often cried.

Q.NO.23: What were Mr. Chips’ feelings when he remembered his past?

Answer: He felt sad to remember his past. He had tears in his eyes but there was smile on his lips.   Sometimes, he couldn’t feel whether he was laughing or crying.