I caught sight of her at the play - Multiple Choice & Short Question for HSC English First Paper - English for Today for Class 11 and 12 / Seen Passage for HSC

1. Read the passage and answer the questions A and B.

I caught sight of her at the play, and in answer to her beckoning, I went over during the interval and sat down beside her. It was long since I had last seen her, and if someone had not mentioned her name I hardly think I would have recognized her.

She addressed me brightly.

"Well, it's many years since we first met. How time does fly! We're none of us getting any younger. Do you remember the first time I saw you? You asked me to luncheon."

Did I remember?

It was twenty years ago and I was living in Paris. I had a tiny apartment in the Latin quarter overlooking a cemetery, and I was earning barely enough money to keep body and soul together. She had read a book of mine and had written to me about it. I answered, thanking her, and presently I received from her another letter saying that she was passing through Paris and would like to have a chat with me; but her time was limited, and the only free moment she had was on the following Thursday; she was spending the morning at the Luxembourg and would I give her a little luncheon at Foyot's afterwards? Foyot's is a restaurant at which the French senators eat, and it was so far beyond my means that I had never even thought of going there. But I was flattered, and I was too young to have learned to say no to a woman.... I had eighty francs (gold francs) to last me the rest of the month, and a modest luncheon should not cost more than fifteen. If I cut out coffee for the next two weeks I could manage well enough.

I answered that I would meet my friend-by correspondence- at Foyot's on Thursday at half-past twelve. She was not so young as I expected and in appearance imposing rather than attractive. She was, in fact, a woman of forty... and she gave me the impression of having more teeth, white and large and even, than were necessary for any practical purpose. She was talkative, but since she seemed inclined to talk about me I was prepared to be an attentive listener.

I was startled when the bill of fare was brought, for the prices were a great deal higher than I had anticipated. But she reassured me.

"I never eat anything for luncheon," she said.

"Oh, don't say that!" I answered generously.

"I never eat more than one thing. I think people eat far too much nowadays. A little fish, perhaps. I wonder if they have any salmon.".....................

A. Choose the correct answer from the alternatives. 1☓5 = 5

(a) What does the word 'essential' mean?

 (i) minor (ii) inessential (iii) important (iv) modest

(b) The word 'playwright' refers to —.

 (i) novelist (ii) dramatist (iii) poet (iv) prose writer

(c) 'I was startled when the bill of fare was brought.'- What does it imply?

 (i) the writer got panicked

 (ii) the bill of fare was very high

 (iii) the writer was seized with panic to see the bill of fare

 (iv) the writer was aware of the bill of fare

(d) Foyot's is an expensive restaurant in -. 

 (i) Amsterdam (ii) London (iii) Paris (iv) Monaco

(e) What does the phrase 'to keep body and soul together' mean?

 (i) to repeat (ii) to lose (iii) to win (iv) to survive

(f) The word 'beckon' in the text means —.

 (i) draw (ii) call  (iii) wait (iv) gesture

(g) Where did the writer live?

 (i) Paris (ii) Vienna (iii) Berlin (iv) London

(h) Where was the apartment that the writer lived in?

 (i) Picadilly Street, London (ii) Red Square, Moscow

 (iii) Latin Quarter, Paris (iv) Coventry Street, London

(i) What did the lady want to have with the writer?

 (i) secret meeting (ii) a ride (iii) a chat (iv) a river cruise

(j) The writer's apartment was —.

 (i) spacious (ii) not so large (iii) very large (iv) tiny

(k) What did the apartment overlook?

 (i) a garden (ii) a cemetery (iii) a playground (iv) a kiln

(l) The lady wrote that she was free on —.

 (i) Sunday (ii) Saturday (iii) Thursday (iv) Friday

(m) What was Foyots'?

 (i) a club (ii) a market (iii) a theatre (iv) a restaurant

(n) Who eat at Foyot's?

 (i) senators (ii) labourers (iii) writers (iv) common people

(o) How was the lady?

 (i) reticent (ii) reserved (iii) talkative (iv) dumb

(p) How much money did the writer have?

 (i) forty francs (ii) sixty francs (iii) eighty francs (iv) seventy francs

(q) The probable age of the lady was —.

 (i) 18 years (ii) 27 years (iii) 40 years (iv) 35 years

(r) The bill of fare — the writer.

 (i) mocked (ii) startled (iii) infuriated (iv) annoyed

(s) The writer planned to cut out coffee for —.

 (i) two months (ii) two seasons (iii) two weeks (iv) two days

(t) What did the lady seem to have more than usual?

 (i) hair (ii) teeth (iii) fingers (iv) pimples

(u) What is the meaning of 'beckon'?

 (i) to light a torch  (ii) meat of pigs 

 (iii) to call someone with visual expression (iv) to call one with loud voice

(v) What do you mean by 'interval'?

 (i) usual time  (ii) night 

 (iii) off-time  (iv) time for playing games

(w) What does the word 'anticipate' mean?

 (i) conjecture (ii) believe (iii) recall (iv) suspect

(x) 'Correspondence' means —.

 (i) conspiracy  (ii) communication by letters

 (iii) confirmation  (iv) contact through phones

(y) The word 'generously' actually means —.

 (i) gorgeously (ii) greatly (iii) highly (iv) kindly

(z) The writer met the lady for the second time at a —.

 (i) football match (ii) music concert (iii) play (iv) movie theatre

(aa) The word 'expensive' means —.

 (i) cheap (ii) costly (iii) available (iv) of reduced price

(bb) The writer possessed a tiny —.

 (i) house (ii) apartment (iii) hotel (iv) ground

(cc) What is the closest meaning of the word 'irony'?

 (i) riddle (ii) joke (iii) fun (iv) paradox

(dd) The phrase 'take someone to task' means —.

 (i) to praise (ii) to admire (iii) to flatter (iv) to rebuke

(ee) "She was not so young as I expected and in appearance imposing rather than attractive."– What does it mean?

 (i) the exceptional beauty of the guest (ii) unexpected appearance of the guest

 (iii) the notable personality of the guest (iv) all of them

(ff) Why did the writer accept the lady’s proposal?

 (i) he was compelled  (ii) he was blandished 

 (iii) he wanted to spend the money (iv) he was too old to say no to her

(gg) What does the word flatterer in the passage refer to?

 (i) extol (ii) laud (iii) adulator (iv) defile

(hh) The word impression mentioned in the passage means —.

 (i) choice (ii) liking (iii) idea (iv) manner

(ii) The term 'Latin quarter' refers to —.

 (i) a posh area (ii) an ordinary place where common people live

 (iii) a section of Paris popular with students and writers (iv) a busy area

(jj) The word 'modest' stands for —.

 (i) tolerable (ii) humble (iii) attractive (iv) moderate

(kk) "I was too young to have learned to say no to a woman" — What does the writer mean by this?

 (i) He was flattered by her proposal (ii) He did not know what to say

 (iii) He wanted to meet her (iv) He had enough money

(ll) A play is —.

 (i) a game  (ii) a picture 

 (iii) a theatre performance (iv) activities of children

(mm) The word 'overlook' stands for —.

 (i) command (ii) have a view of (iii) notice (iv) fail to

(nn) The luncheon is a — by William Somerset Maugham.

 (i) novel (ii) film (iii) short story (iv) prose

(oo) How could he recognize her?

 (i) seeing her beckoning (ii) sitting beside her (iii) by someone's help  (iv) asking her name

Answer (A): 

(a) (iii) important (b) (ii) dramatist (c) (iii) the writer was seized with panic to see the bill of fare (d) (iii) Paris (e) (iv) to survive (f) (ii) call (g) (i) Paris (h) (iii) Latin Quarter, Paris (i) (iii) a chat (j) (iv) tiny (k) (ii) a cemetery (l) (iii) Thursday (m) (iv) a restaurant (n) (i) senators (o) (iii) talkative (p) (iii) eighty francs (q) (iii) 40 years (r) (ii) startled (s) (iii) two weeks (t) (ii) teeth (u) (iii) to call someone with visual expression (v) (iii) off-time (w) (i) conjecture (x) (ii) communication by letters (y) (iv) kindly (z) (iii) play (aa) (ii) costly (bb) (ii) apartment (cc) (iv) paradox (dd) (iv) to rebuke (ee) (ii) unexpected appearance of the guest (ff) (ii) he was blandished (gg) (iii) adulator (hh) (iii) idea (ii) (iii) a section of Paris popular with students and writers (jj) (iv) moderate (kk) (i) He was flattered by her proposal (ll) (iii) a theatre performance (mm) (ii) have a view of (nn) (iii) short story (oo) (i) seeing her beckoning

B. Answer the following questions. 2☓5 = 10

(a) What do you know about the writer's meeting?

(b) What is Foyot's?

(c) How did the writer manage to offer the woman a lunch at Foyot's?

(d) What do you know about the writer's residence?

(e) What was the age of the woman and how was the woman by nature?

(f) How were the writer's days going on in Paris?

(g) Why did the lady want to meet the writer?

(h) How was the lady's appearance?

(i) What aspects of the lady annoyed the writer?

(j) What do you think the subject-matter of the story is?

(k) How was the writer's income?

(l) What did the woman want from the writer and why?

(m) How did the woman look?

(n) What did the writer feel when the bill of fare was brought and why?

(o) How did the woman assure him?

(p) Why had the writer never even thought of going Foyot's? Explain briefly.

(q) What was the topic of the second letter written by the lady to the writer? What did the writer answer?

(r) “If someone had not mentioned her name I hardly think I would have recognized her.” Why did the writer say so?

(s) What does the writer want to mean when he says, “I was too young to have learned to say no to a woman”? Explain briefly.

(t) Do you think that the writer was disappointed to see the lady? Give reasons for your answer.

(u) What was the financial condition of the writer when he lived in a small apartment in Paris?

(v) Why couldn't the writer recognize the lady at the play?

(w) What did the admirer write in her first and second letters?

(x) Where was the lady supposed to be on Thursday morning?

(y) How did the writer calculate on spending his money before meeting his admirer at the Foyot's?

(z) What was the topic of the first letter written by the lady to the writer? Did the writer answer it?

Answer (B): 

 (a) The writer met with the woman at one play during the interval by answering to her beckoning.

 (b) Foyot's is a restaurant in Paris. It is very expensive. Rich people specially French senators eat here.

 (c) The writer was young enough to say 'no' to any woman. So he decided to offer her a luncheon at    Foyot's restaurant by cutting out coffee for the next two weeks.

 (d) The writer lived in a tiny apartment in the Latin quarter overlooking a cemetery in Paris.

 (e) The woman was forty years old and by nature she was talkative and fond of eating.

 (f) The writer was living in a tiny apartment in Paris. He was compelled to be economical to keep body and soul together.

 (g) The lady apparently seemed to admire the writer and therefore wanted to meet him for the same reason. But in fact, she was gluttonous and wanted to deceive the writer to eat costly foods. That's why, she wanted to meet him.

 (h) The lady appeared to be a woman of nearly 40 years of age. Her appearance seemed to be imposing rather than attractive. She had white and large teeth, which were more in number than were practically necessary.

 (i) The lady's unattractive appearance, talkativeness and gluttonous nature annoyed the writer.

 (j) The subject-matter of the story is the greedy and gluttonous nature of a woman.

 (k) The writer earned barely enough money to keep body and soul together.

 (l) The woman wanted a little lunch from the writer. Because she was greedy and gluttonous.

 (m) The woman was of the age of forty. She was not so beautiful and attractive to look at. She possessed more teeth than necessary.

 (n) The writer felt startled when the bill of fare was brought. Because the prices were higher than the writer's expectation.

 (o) The woman assured him by saying that she never ate more than one thing for luncheon.

 (p) The writer had never thought of going there because it was the most expensive restaurant in Paris where the French Senators often visit. 

 (q) A little luncheon at Foyot's was the topic of the second letter written by the lady to the writer. The writer's answer was yes as he was too young to have learned to say no to a woman. 

 (r) The writer said the above statement because he was expecting a young and attractive lady rather than a woman of forty.

 (s) The writer realized that he was blandished by the writer due to his lack of experience and that's why he said "I was too young to have learned to say no to a woman."

 (t) Yes, I think the writer was disappointed to see the lady. He was expecting the lady to be young and attractive but he saw a woman of forty years of age.

 (u) Financially the writer was in a poor condition when he was living in a small apartment in Paris. He was earning barely enough money to keep body and soul together.

 (v) The writer couldn’t recognize the lady at the play because it had been long since he had last seen her. 

 (w) The admirer in her first letter wrote appreciating about the writer’s book. In her second letter she expressed her desire to meet him at Foyot's.

 (x) On Thursday morning the lady was supposed to be in the Luxembourg.

 (y) The writer had eighty francs for the rest of the month. He thought if he cut out coffee for the next two weeks, he could manage well enough. Thus he calculated on spending his money before meeting his admirer.

 (z) The topic of the first letter of the lady to the writer was a book written by the writer. Yes, the writer answered it.

Bangla Translation

বাংলা অনুবাদঃ 

একটি নাটক দেখতে গিয়ে আমি তাকে দেখেছিলাম এবং তার ইশারায় সাড়া দিয়ে বিরতির সময় তার পাশে বসেছিলাম। তার সাথে আমার দেখা হয়েছে অনেক বছর আগে এবং যদি না কেউ তার নাম ধরে ডাকতো আমি তাকে হয়ত চিনতে পারতাম না।

সে প্রফুল্লতার সাথে আমাকে সম্বোধন করল।

“আচ্ছা, আমাদের প্রথম দেখার পর অনেক বছর হয়ে গেছে। সময় কত দ্রুত যায়! আমরা কেউই এখনও যুবক নই। আমি প্রথম যেদিন তোমাকে দেখেছিলাম তা কি তোমার মনে পড়ে? তুমি আমাকে দুপুরের খাবারের জন্য আমন্ত্রণ করেছিলে।”

আমার কি মনে পড়েছিল?

বিশ বছর আগের কথা এবং আমি প্যারিসে বাস করতাম। সমাধিক্ষেত্রের সম্মুখবর্তী ল্যাটিন কোয়ার্টারে আমার একটি ছোট অ্যাপার্টমেন্ট ছিল; এবং কোনোক্রমে খেয়ে পড়ে বেঁচে থাকার জন্য আমি যথেষ্ট আয় করতাম। সে আমার একটি বই পড়েছিল এবং সে সম্পর্কে আমাকে লিখেছিল। আমি তাকে ধন্যবাদ জানিয়ে একটি উত্তর লিখেছিলাম এবং সম্প্রতি আমি তার কাছ থেকে আরেকটি চিঠি পেয়েছিলাম যাতে সে লিখেছিল যে, সে প্যারিসের পাশ দিয়ে যাচ্ছিল এবং আমার সাথে কথা বলতে চায়, কিন্তু তার সময় সংক্ষিপ্ত এবং তার একমাত্র অবসর সময় ছিল পরবর্তী বৃহস্পতিবার; সে সকালে লুক্সেমবার্গে থাকবে এবং ফয়ট্’সে অল্প কিছু দুপুরের খাবারের জন্য যদি আমি তাকে আমন্ত্রণ করব কিনা? ফয়ট’স্ হচ্ছে একটি রেস্তোরা যেখানে ফ্রান্সের উচ্চতম রাষ্ট্রীয় পরিষদের সদস্যরা খায় এবং এটি আমার সাধ্যের এত বাহিরে ছিল যে, আমি কখনো সেখানে যাবার কথা চিন্তা করতে পারি নি। কিন্তু আমাকে তোষামোদ করা হয়েছিল এবং আমি এত যুবক ছিলাম যে কোনো মহিলাকে না বলতে শিখিনি .......... আমার কাছে সারা মাস চলার জন্য আশি ফ্রাঙ্ক ছিল (সোনার ফ্রাঙ্ক) এবং একটি পরিমিত দুপুরের খাবার পনের ফ্রাঙ্কের বেশি হওয়ার কথা না। যদি আমি পরবর্তী দু’সপ্তাহ কফি বাদ দিয়ে দিই তাহলে ভালোভাবেই চালিয়ে যেতে পারব।

আমি চিঠির মাধ্যমে জানিয়ে দিলাম যে আমি আমার বন্ধুর সাথে পরের বৃহস্পতিবার সাড়ে বারোটার সময় ফয়ট্’সে সাক্ষাৎ করব। আমি যেমনটা আশা করেছিলাম সে ততটা যুবতী ছিল না এবং তার চেহারা আকর্ষণীয় অপেক্ষা বিস্ময়কর ছিল। সে ছিল প্রকৃতপক্ষে চল্লিশ বছরের এক মহিলা........ এবং তার ছিল অনেক বেশি, সাদা ও বড় বড় দাঁত যা বাস্তব ক্ষেত্রে প্রয়োজন হয় না। সে ছিল বাঁচাল, কিন্তু যখনই সে আমার সম্পর্কে কিছু বলা শুরু করেছিল আমি মনোযোগী শ্রোতা হবার প্রস্তুতি নিয়েছিলাম।

যখন খাবারের তালিকা নিয়ে আসা হলো আমি অবাক হয়েছিলাম কারণ খাবারের মূল্য আমার প্রত্যাশার চেয়ে অনেক বেশি ছিল। কিন্তু সে আমাকে আশ্বস্ত করেছিল।

“আমি দুপুরের খাবারে কিছু খাই না,” সে বলেছিল।

“ওহ, এভাবে বলবেন না!” আমি ভদ্রভাবে বললাম।

“আমি একটার বেশি কিছু কখনো খাই না। আমি মনে করি লোকজন আজকাল খুব বেশি খাবার খায়। অল্প মাছ, হয়তো তাদের কাছে যদি কোনো স্যামন মাছ থাকে।”.....................

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