NCERT English Class 9 | Chapter 3 | Iswaran the Storyteller | Question Answer |

THINK ABOUT IT                                                                 PAGE 18

1. In what way is Iswaran an asset to Mahendra?

Answer: Iswaran, who was Mahendra's cook, was quite attached to Mahendra. He even followed the latter uncomplainingly wherever he was posted. He was an asset to Mahendra as he cooked for Mahendra, washed his clothes and chatted away with his master at night. He could even narrate amazing stories and anecdotes on varied subjects.

2. How does Iswaran describe the uprooted tree on the highway? What effect does he want to create in his listeners?

Answer: Iswaran was, without a shadow of a doubt, a great storyteller. Alluding to an uprooted tree, he began by saying he was all alone on a road that was deserted. Trying to spook Mahendra, the listener, in this case, Iswaran said he had spotted something that looked like an enormous bushy beast lying sprawled across the road. He added that he was half inclined to turn and go back, but as he had come closer, he realised it was a fallen tree, with its dry branches spread out. Iswaran wanted to create a dramatic effect on his listeners.

3. How does he narrate the story of the tusker? Does it appear to be plausible?

Answer: Iswaran narrated the story of the mad tusker by behaving like it. He rose from the floor and jumped about, stamping his feet and imitating it. He told Mahendra that the elephant, which was running amok in the school playground, collapsed after he had whacked its third toenail. Nonetheless, he did not complete the story. And when asked what happened after, he shrugged off by telling Mahendra that a veterinary doctor was summoned first and later the mahout came and took the elephant away. I feel what Iswaran narrated does appear plausible.

4. Why does the author say that Iswaran seemed to more than make up for the absence of a TV in Mahendra's living quarters?

Answer: The author says Iswaran seemed to more than make up for the absence of a TV in Mahendra's living quarters because not a day passed without Iswaran recounting some story packed with adventure, horror, and suspense. Regardless of the story being credible, Mahendra enjoyed listening to it as the cook would narrate it in an inimitable way.

5. Mahendra calls ghosts or spirits a figment of the imagination. What happens to him on a full-moon night?

Answer: On a full-moon night, Mahendra was woken up by a low moan close to his window. The wailing became louder and less feline as time passed. When he could not resist the temptation to figure out where the moan was coming from, he looked out of the window and beheld a dark cloudy form clutching a bundle. He broke into a cold sweat and fell back on to his bed.

6. Can you think of some other ending for the story?

Answer: The next morning when Mahendra wakes up, he is reminded of what transpired the previous night. He goes to Iswaran and asks him if he heard the moan too. Iswaran laughs and tells him that it was he who had made the sound to spook him, donning a black garment. Mahendra, then, bursts into laughter. 

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3. Iswaran the Storyteller Question Answer	4. In the Kingdom of Fools Question Answer
5. The Happy Prince Question Answer	6. Weathering the Storm in Ersama Question Answer
7. The Last Leaf Question Answer	8. House Is Not a Home Question Answer
9. The Accidental Tourist Question Answer	10. The Beggar Question Answer