NCERT English Class 6 | Chapter 4 | The Old-Clock Shop | Question Answer |

QUESTIONS                                                                          PAGE 14

1. What made Ray think the visitor was not really a shopper?

Answer: Ray was visited by two men, one in his twenties and the other in his fifties. At the door, the younger man remained. With no hint of kindness in his gaze, the elderly gentleman approached the counter. In the man's right coat pocket, Ray noticed the outline of a gun and a restless hand. Ray's aged eyes told him the visitor wasn't a genuine shopper.

2. Why do you think he had come to the shop?

Answer: He'd gone to the shop as he had a hard luck along with the desperate need of cash.

3. How did Ray communicate with him?

Answer: Ray interacted with him by sliding a notepad and pencil across the counter to him. He gave the visitor a warm smile before pointing to his ears and shaking his head slightly, indicating that he was deaf. He then scribbled "May I help you" on the notepad.

4. What do you think the man said to his friend who waited at the door?

Answer: The man may have told his friend that Ray was deaf and that he didn't need to be concerned. He may have also discussed their next course of action with him.

5. Ray was not a pawnbroker. Why then did he lend money to people in exchange for their old watches and clocks?

Answer: Ray wasn't a pawnshop owner. He gave others money in return for their old watches and clocks because he knew they needed money. He extended a larger loan than he should have. He kept the watches until the owners asked for them back, at which point he would return them for the same sum he had paid, without any interest.

6. “The watch was nothing special and yet had great powers.” In what sense did it have ‘great powers’?

Answer: “The watch was nothing special and yet had great powers.” It had great powers as it could be exchanged for money and was a way to lead others out of a terrible circumstance. It had stopped the two men who had visited the shop on Christmas Eve from doing something they would later regret.

7. Do you think the man would ever come back to pick up the watch?

Answer: Despite the fact that Ray had spent far more than the watch was worth, I believe the man would return. Despite knowing the cause for their visit, he must have been moved by Ray's goodwill toward him. He was grateful for his generosity, and Ray could feel gratitude in his eyes, as if they were saying, "Thank you." That's why he left a note wishing Ray a Merry Christmas and that he'd be back to pick up the watch as soon as he could.

8. When did “the unfriendly face” of the visitor turn truly friendly?

Answer: When the visitor received the money for his watch, which was barely worth fifty dollars, his unfriendly expression changed to one of genuine friendliness. Ray had also saved him from doing something he would later regret by handing him the cash in exchange for the watch.