Class IX: The Man Who Knew Too Much

1.      What is a 'nickname'? Can you suggest another one for Private Quelch?

Answer: A nickname is not one’s real name. It is name people call you or know you by. One nickname I would like to suggest for Private Quelch is ‘Scientist’.

2.      Private Quelch looked like a 'Professor' when the author first met him at the training depot. Why?

Answer: Private Quelch was a lanky, stoop person who used to wear horn-rimmed spectacles. From his appearance anybody would guess that he was an intelligent person. That is why it is said that Private Quelch looked like a 'Professor' when the author first met him at the training depot.

3.      What does the dark, sun-dried appearance of the Sergeant suggest about him?

Answer: The dark, sun-dried appearance of the Sergeant suggests that he was a very strict and egoistic person who would not listen to anyone’s comments about him. It suggests that he is a seasoned and hardened person.  He can’t be subdued or overcome easily.  We can’t take him lightly. 

4.      How was Private Quelch's knowledge exposed even further as the Sergeant's classes went on?

Answer: The Sergeant had felt insulted and small when Private Quelch showed off his superior knowledge about the speed of the rifle bullet. In order to take his revenge, he asked Private Quencl a number of questions, but to this surprise, Private Qulech answered all the questions with wonderful precision. Thus Private Quelch's knowledge exposed even further as the Sergeant's classes went on.

5.      What did the Professor mean by "intelligent reading"?

Answer: By “intelligent reading”, Private Quelch meant reading with understanding, reading more reference materials. It makes no sense if we do not understand intelligently what is written in the books. We should be able to comprehend, analyze the text.

6.      What were the Professor's ambitions in the army?

Answer: As a first step in the army, the Professor wanted to earn a stripe for himself.  And then his ambition was to get a commission.

7.      Did Private Quelch's day to day practices take him closer towards his goal? How can you make out?

Answer: His day to day physical and academic related practice was taking Private Quelch towards his goal but his habit of showing off his knowledge was making it difficult for him to achieve his goals. Because later, people started getting annoyed and feeling insulted because of his nature rather.

8.      Describe Corporal Turnbull.

Answer: Corporal Turnbull was a young man.  He had come back from Dunkirk(France).  He was a tough and seasoned person.  He was not a man to be trifled with.  Only he was able to outwit Private Quelch and show him his place.

9.      How did Private Quelch manage to anger the Corporal?

Answer: One day Corporal Turnbull was giving a lecture on hand grenades.  He said that the outside of a grenade is divided up into a large number of fragments to assist segmentation.  At once Private Quelch showed off his superior knowledge by saying that the outside had forty-four segments.  And then he further irritated Corporal by saying that he should have started his lecture with the five characteristics of the grenade.  Thus Private Quelch managed to anger Corporal.

10.  Do you think Private Quelch learnt a lesson when he was chosen for cookhouse duties? Give reasons for your answer.

Answer: No. I don’t think that Private Quelch learnt a lesson when he was punished by Corporal Turnbull. Because while doing the cookhouse duties, he kept lecturing the cooks on such petty things as peeling potatoes.  In fact, it was impossible for him to stop showing off his knowledge to others.

11.  At first, Private Quelch was a hero in the eyes of his fellow soilders. Support this observation with suitable examples from the story in about 100 words.

Answer: Private Quelch was undoubtedly a man of knowledge.  He knew almost everything about anything.  Even after talking to him for five minutes, one became impressed with his knowledge.  He knew much more than his instructors even.  Thus very soon he became a hero in the eyes of his fellow soldiers.  While giving a lecture on musketry, the instructor said that the muzzle velocity of a rifle bullet is over two thousand feet per second.  Private Quelch at once demonstrated his superior knowledge by saying that it was two thousand, four hundred and forty feet per second. The surprised instructor asked, “You had any training before?”  Private Quelch proudly replied, “No, Sergeant.  It’s all a matter of intelligent reading.”  Thus there was nothing surprising that Private Quelch was a hero in the eyes of his fellow soldiers. 

12.  Private Quelch knew 'too much'. Give reasons to prove that he was unable to win the admiration of his superior officers or his colleagues in about 100 words.

Answer: There can be no doubt that Private Quelch was a well of knowledge.  But the trouble with him was that he wanted to show off his knowledge too much. He made others feel small in his presence.  He irritated everyone by showing off his superior knowledge. Even his fellow soldiers lived in terror of his approach.  He would keep pointing out their faults and mistakes and giving non-stop lectures.  His instructors felt insulted when he tried to improve upon their statements. Thus, in spite of his deep and wide knowledge, Private Quelch failed to win the admiration of his superior officers or his colleagues.   

13.  You are the 'Professor'. Write a diary entry after your first day at the cookhouse, describing the events that led to this assignment, also express your thoughts and feelings about the events of the day in about 175 words.

Answer:

13^th November, 2014

11:00 A.M.

Dear Diary,

It was one of the happiest moments of my life. Our trainer Corporal Turnbull has chosen me for permanent cookhouse duties. Others feel that it is a punishment but I don’t find it as a punishment. I am enjoying my work even in the cookhouse.

I am not happy with the way people work in the kitchen. They don’t even know how to peel a potato. I have read in my Class VI Science book that peeling a potato loses its nutritional value. It is high time that I should teach them how to peel potato otherwise soon the entire military training camp would turn malnutrition.

Private Quelch