Box And Cox – John Maddison Morton
Chapter: 8
OLD BOOKS SOLUTIONS
Prose
Answer the following questions.
Q.1) why does Cox wants Mrs. Bouncer to change his bolster?
Ans: Cox wants Mrs. Bouncer to change his bolster because he could not sleep comfortably as he has seems to him to have a handful and a fall of feathers at each end and nothing whatever in the middle.
Q.2) Why does Cox suspect is using his stuff? Quote evidence from the play to support your answer.
Ans: Cox suspect Mrs. Bouncer is using his stuff. It is because for some time past Cox’s coals go remarkably fast and it is not only the case with the coals but Cox has observed a gradual and steady increase of evaporation among his candles,wood,sugar and matches. Cox says,”l don’t say l do, Mrs. B; only I wish you distinctly to understand, that I don’t believe it’s the cat. “
Q.3) Why does Cox say ‘this gentleman’s smoke instead of emulating the example of all other sorts of smoke, and going up the chimney, thinks proper to affect a singularity by taking the contrary direction? ‘
Ans: Cox uses this statement for Mr. Box. Cox says in front of Mrs. Bouncer when she said that the man in attic has the hobbit of smoking and that the man’s smoke entered Cox’s room. In this connection Cox is of the view that the smoke should have gone up the chimney but it was ridiculour that the smoke changed its normal course of flowing and entered his room.
Q.4) How is Mrs. Bouncer’s idea of renting out the same room to two sets of lodgers ‘a capital ideal’?
Ans: Mrs. Bouncer letting the room to two different person who was of different professions. By this, she was earning double income from the same room, which shows her greediness. She rented out her room to a printer who spent all night at his press and used the room only during day hours. While Cox, a hatter spent the day at his workplace used the room only at night Mrs. Bouncer took the opportunity thinking of it as “a capital idea”. Practically nobody can imagine such a thing.
Q.5) As soon as Cox leaves the room, Mrs. Bouncer gets busy in the room. What does she do and why?
Ans: As soon as Cox leaves the room, Mrs. Bouncer gets busy in the room. It is because she rented out the same room to two lodgers at the same time. So, when Cox leaves the room, Mrs. Bouncer gets busy to put Mr. Cox’s things out of Mr. Box’s way and arranging the room such a way that Mr. Box cannot understand that someone was in the room. She has to do all this so that Mr. Box could not suspect her.
Q.6) Who is Box angry with as he enters? Why?
Ans: Box is angry with Cox as he enters. Box complain Cox why the latter does not keep his own side of the staircase. He also admits that it was the fault of both of them. Box is angry because he was about to hit Cox on the staircase.
Q.7) When Box returns to his room in the morning he is (Tick the correct answer)
(a) cheerful
(b) exhausted
(c) energetic
Give reasons for your answers.
Ans: (b) Exhausted. Because Box works the whole night in a printing press. So when he returns to his room in the morning he feels sleepy and exhausted.
Q.8) Why does Box feel agitated when he starts cooking his breakfast?
Ans: Mr.Box feels agitated when he starts cooking his breakfast because he is unable to find his matches in the place where he kept. He finds it on the mantle piece but he finds only one stick. However three days ago it was full. Not only this but he also feels that his coals, candles and sugar were purloined by Mrs. Bouncer. He becomes angry to find his gridiron used by Mrs. Bouncer.
Q.9) Why does Cox come home early? What has he got for breakfast?
Ans:Mr.cox was eleven and a half minutes late for his shop in a considerable excitement and his employer gave him a holiday that day. That is why he comes home early. He has bought a mutton chop for his breakfast. He won’t want any dinner.
Q.10) Though both Box and Cox start cooking breakfast, neither of them gets to eat any thing. Why?
Ans: Box purchased a leg of chicken before coming to his room. In an unhappy state of mind, he placed the gridiron on fire, and then with a fork laid the leg of chicken on the gridiron.
Q.10. Though both Box and Cox start cooking breakfast, neither of them gets to eat any thing. Why?
Ans: Box purchased a leg of chicken before coming to his room. In an unhappy state of mind he placed gridiron on fire, and then with fork laid leg of chicken on the gridiron. He felt very much sleepy so he wanted to take a nap and fell fast asleep. In the meantime Cox also entered and wanted to light the fire. He was astonished to see the fire lighted and also the chicken there. He was angry because he thought that it was Mrs. Bouncers act. He put the leg of chicken on a plate and placed his chop on the gridiron and then put on the fire. Then he want out. Suddenly Box rose and was astonished to see his leg of chicken on the table and a chop. He also accused Mrs. Bouncer doing these things.. He threw the chop out through the window and again he put the leg of chicken on the gridiron. Then he exists. Now Cox entered with tea things and placed them on the table. He saw that his chop was gone and again there was the leg of chicken. He became angry and threw the leg of chicken out of the window.
In this way the breakfast of Cox and Box were gone and the one could have their breakfast.
Reference to the context
Read the extracts given below and answer the question that follow :
The I’ll lend you one – and if you turn to the letter G, you’ll find ‘Grumble, verd neuter to complain without a cause. ‘ Now that’s not my case, Mrs. B.
(a) Who speaks these words?
Ans: Mr. Cox speaks these words.
(b) What is the ‘one’ that he wishes to land Mrs. Bouncer? Why?
Ans: He wishes to lend Mrs. Bouncer a dictionary to took up the word ‘Grumble’ there. She asked if there was anything he had got a grumble about. That is why Mr. Cox asked her to consult a dictionary and be sure whether the word ‘Grumble’ was appropriate.
(c) What does he mean by saying ‘that’s not my case?
Ans: He said so because he was not complaining without any cause.
(d) What tone do you think he adopts at this time?
Ans: At this time he was polite enough and clever to clarity his own point.
I hope, Mrs. Bouncer, you’re not guilty of cheroots or cubas?
(a) What does Cox mean by the above words?
Ans: By cheroots or Cuba’s he mean cigars. He wants to know if he is in the habit of smoking.
(b) Why does he say them to Mrs. Bouncer?
Ans: He says so because he finds the smell of tobacco smoke in his room.
He’s gone at last? Really I was all in a tremble for fear.
(a) Who says these words? About whom?
Ans: Mrs. Bouncer says these words. She say about Cox
(b) Why is the speaker afraid?
Ans: The speakers is afraid because Box will arrive at any moment. She does not want to see both Box and Cox at the same moment. Because neither of them knew that they live in the same room.
(c) Are the person’s fears groundless or justified? Give a reason for your answers.
Ans: The person’s fears are not groundless though not fully justified. Because if they met she would fall in an awkward position. But she should not have done such thing only for the sake of earning a little more money.
Ana by the bye, Mr. Box he begged me to request you, as a particular favor that you would not smoke quite so much.
(a) Who is the speaker? Who is the person being referred to as ‘he’?
Ans: Mrs. Bouncer is the speaker. Cox is the person being referred to as ‘he’.
(b) Why has ‘he’ objected to Mr. Box’s smoking?
Ans: He has objected to Mr. Box’s smoking because he could not stand the smell of tobacco smoke that he found in his room which was caused from Mr. Box’s smoking.
(c) What advice does Box offer him?
Ans: Mr. Box advises him to shift from that place in such a case.
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