Very Short Answers Type Questions

1. What jobs did Hans Wolf and Jim Macpherson have when they were not soldiers ?

Ans. Hans Wolf played cello in the orchestra and Jim Macpherson was a school teacher in Dorset.

2. Which war does the story talk about ?

Ans. The story alludes to the First World War, 1914-1918.

3. Which was Hans Wolf’s favourite book ?

Ans.  Hans Wolf’s favourite book was ‘Thomas Hardy’s Far’ from the Madding Crowd.

4. Why Mrs Macpherson continued using candles for light?

Ans.  Mrs Macpherson used to burn candles because she thought that electricity was expensive.

5. Who all were there in Hans Wolf’s family?

Ans. Hans Wolf had a wife and his son. His son was only 6 months old.

6. What did the old man, Mrs Macpherson’s neighbour tell the narrator about her?

Ans.  The old man told the narrator that Mrs Macpherson was a lovely lady, but also muddle-headed because of her age.

7. What was the colour of the box that contained Jim’s letter?

Ans. It was a small black coloured tin box.

8. What did the matron offer to the narrator?

Ans.  The matron offered a mince pie to the narrator.

9. Which game did Jim Peter to play, as a solution to war?

Ans.  Jim thought it was better to resolve the war by playing cricket. Hans Wolf on the other hand wished to do the same thing through a football match.

Short Answer Type Questions

1. What was Jim ashamed of ?

Ans.  Jim was ashamed of the fact that he was not the first one to initiate a peace truce between the soldiers of the two armies. This initiative was taken by the Germans. He was also ashamed because he had mistakenly been suspicious of the Germans, while they waved a white flag to indicate peace. He thought it to be one of their dirty tricks.

2. Why was the narrator unable to sleep, having read Jim’s letter to Connie ?

Ans. The narrator could not sleep the whole night after having read Jim’s letter addresses to Connie because of the special status that the letter held in Connie’s life. The note on the tin box that contained the letter had on it old Mrs Macpherson’s message, “To be buried with me when I die.” This forced him to think of Connie and the letter and also of  a way to return it  to her.

3. Describe the hall to which the matron took the narrator to meet Mrs Macpherson .

Ans.  The matron very happily and willingly took the narrator to a conservatory, which had cane chairs and lots of plants. In the room, old Mrs Macpherson was seated all by herself for she had no relatives and therefore no one came to meet her. The matron was happy that finally somebody had come to meet Mrs Macpherson.

4. Why did old Mrs Macpherson become happy when she met the narrator ?

Ans.  Old Mrs Macpherson’s face suffused with a sudden glow of happiness as she met the narrator. First, she saw the tin box that contained Jim’s letter and was happy to get it back. She therefore began to gently stroke the letter. She then also mistakenly assumed the narrator to be her husband, Jim and was happy to see him return.

5. How did Mrs Macpherson’s house catch fire ?

Ans.  Mrs Macpherson didn’t accustom herself to use electricity. She thought that electricity was very expensive. And, therefore, she continued to burn candles for light. Probably the burning candles were a reason behind the house catching fire. Also Mrs Macpherson was now very old and it was difficult for her to be careful and in full responsibility of such taks.