Questions & Answers (Based on Exercise)
Q. No.1: What sorts of books British Public presented to soldiers?
Answer: The people sent old and ordinary books. These books included old magazines, guides to the Lake District and back numbers of Whitaker’s Almanacs. They were useless for the soldiers.
Q. No.2: Was it interest of soldiers that prompted their action? Or Was it the wish of the people to get rid of useless books?
Answer: No, it was not interest of soldiers that prompted their action. It was rather people’s own wish because they wanted to get rid of useless and bad books.
Q. No. 3: Why should bad books be destroyed?
Answer: Bad or useless books should be destroyed. It will make room for new books. It will also save one’s heirs from the trouble of preserving or destroying these books.
Q. No. 4: Why is it difficult to destroy books?
Answer: It is difficult to destroy books because we do not have proper place to destroy them. We cannot burn them leaf by leaf or throw into the river easily.
Q. No.5: Why could not the writer burn the unwanted books? OR What two alternatives were faced by the writer when a large number of unwanted books accumulated in his flat.
Answer: The writer could not burn the unwanted books because he had no gas cooker to burn them. He could not burn them leaf by leaf in his small study fire.
Q. No. 6: How did the writer decide to get rid of them? OR Why did the writer throw the useless books into the river? Why did he not consider other options?
Answer: He pondered over many ways to get rid of his useless books but found them discouraging. In the end, he decided to put the books in a sack and to throw it into the river.
Q.No.7: Describe the writer’s midnight venture to throw the books into the river and the suspicious which his actions were likely to arouse?
Answer: The writer came across a policeman and a pedestrian and also heard step. Every time, he feared that he would be caught for being suspicious but nothing happened. At last, he reached the river and threw the books into the river.
Q.No. 8: How did the writer muster up courage at last to throw the books into the river?
Answer: After a lot of contemplation, he cursed himself for being coward. Then, at last, he gathered his courage and threw the sack of books into the river.
Q. No. 9: Did he come to have feelings for those books once he had got rid of them?
Answer: He felt sorry for the books and called them “Poor innocent books.” He felt sorry to think that he had treated them badly. They did not deserve this treatment.
Q.No.10: He pities their lot, but says he wouldn’t have sent them to the soldiers. Why?
Answer: Actually, he thought that these books had no value for the soldiers. That’s why, he was satisfied to think that he had not sent them to the soldiers.
MORE IMPORTANT QUESTIONS (PAST PAPERS)
Q.No.1: What did the writer think when he saw a policeman? (FB-2008)
Answer: The writer thought that the policeman would suspect him that he had stolen books from somewhere but the policeman did not take any notice of him.
Q.No.2: Why did the people want to get rid of useless books? (FB-2008)
Answer: The people wanted to get rid of old books because these books were unreadable and useless for them. These books had no practical value for them.
Q.No.3: What sort of books did the writer get accumulated in J.C. Squire’s flat? OR What sort of books had piled up in J.C. Squire’s room? (FB-2010)
Answer: The books of inferior minor verse had piled up in his room. They had no practical value for the writer. That’s why, he decided to get rid of them.
Q.Mo.4: What were the fears of Squire about the possible splash to be produced in water? (FB-2015) Answer: The writer feared that there would be splash in the water if he threw the books into the river. The people near him would think that he had thrown a baby into the river. They would come and catch him.