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Kerala State Syllabus 10th Standard English Solutions Unit 4 Chapter 3 The Never Never Nest (One-Act Play)
Std 10 English Textbook The Never Never Nest Questions and Answers
Question 1.
Why did Aunt Jane exclaim ‘charming’?
Answer:
Aunt Jane exclaimed ‘charming’ because the lounge of the home where Jack and Jill lived looked very cosy and pretty.
Question 2.
What was really wonderful according to Aunt Jane?
Answer:
The fact that Jack and Jill had fine furniture, a car, a piano, a refrigerator and a radio was really wonderful according to Aunt Jane.
Question 3.
What made Aunt Jane worry about her gift cheque?
Answer:
Aunt Jane had wanted to give a cheque for 200 Pounds as a wedding gift to Jack and Jill. But when she came to their house she saw that they had a pretty lounge with fine furniture, a radiogram and a piano. They also had a refrigerator and a car. This makes Aunt Jane think that she must have mistakenly written 2000 Pounds instead of 200 in the cheque and that is why they could buy all these luxury items. This thought made her worried.
Question 4.
What arguments did Jack give in support of purchasing a house on installment basis?
Answer:
If they didn’t purchase a house, they would go on paying rent year after year. But they could buy a home just for 10 Pounds. Then of course they have to pay quarterly installment payments. By buying the house they have become Owners of the house and not mere Tenants.
Question 5.
According to Jack, which parts of the car does he really own now?
Answer:
He owns the steering wheel, one tire and about two of the cylinders.
Question 6.
Why did Aunt Jane refuse to sit on the furniture?
Answer:
Aunt Jane refused to sit on the furniture because it belongs to Mr. Sage, from whom they bought it on installment. So only a part of the sofa belongs to Jack arid Jill and the rest belongs to Mr. Sage.
Question 7.
How did they plan to pay their installments?
Answer:
They would borrow money from the Thrift and Providence Trust Corporation.
Question 8.
Why did Aunt Jane hesitate to travel in Jack’s car?
Answer:
Aunt Jane hesitated to travel in Jack’s car because he owns only some parts or the car. The other parts belong to the man who sold it to him on installments.
Question 9.
What did aunt Jane want them to do with the cheque?
Answer:
Aunt Jane wanted them to make at least one thing in their house their own by paying for it fully, using the cheque.
Question 10.
What did Jill do with the cheque?
Answer:
She endorsed the cheque to Dr. Martin, to whom they owed money because of their baby’s birth, and sent it to him by post.
Question 11.
Why did Jill send the cheque to Dr. Martin?
Answer:
Jill sent the cheque to Dr. Martin because she wanted to make the final payment and make the baby their own. This way she will fulfill the desire of Aunt Jane who wanted them to use the cheque to make ‘something’ in their house their own.
Let’s Revisit
Activity 1
Title
Significance of the title |
……………………………………. |
Characters | 1. Jack – a representative of consumer society |
Characteristics of each | 2.
3. 4. |
Settings | |
Plot | |
Message of the play |
A. Complete the table:
Answer:
Title
Significance of the title |
Never-Never Nest means their nest (home) will never be completed. Their desire for things will go on without ever ending. |
Characters | 1. Jack – a representative of consumer society |
Characteristics of each | 2. Jill – a housewife (homemaker) who encourages her husband to get things on installment.
3. A sensible aunt who wants Jack and Jill to live within their means. 4. She looks after the baby of Jack and Jill and does other small jobs for them. |
Settings | The villa at New Hampstead where Jack and Jill live with their baby. |
Plot | Jack and Jill are a young couple with a baby. Jack earns only 6 Pounds a week. Jill is a housewife! But they go on getting all kinds of luxury items on installments. The monthly installments come to more than 7 Pounds. To make up the deficit they will take a loan which will further increase their financial burden. |
Message of the play | Live within your means. Don’t fall into the “Buy Now and Pay Later” trap. |
B. Prepare a review of the drama based on the table.
Answer:
“The Never-Never Nest” is a one-act Play by Cedric Mount. It exposes the shams of contemporary society which tries to live beyond its means. It warns the people against the modem “Buy Now Pay Later” scheme which tempts people to buy things which are not essential for them. Since they don’t have to pay immediately, they are tempted to buy things that are available on installments. In the play we see Jack and Jill, a young couple with a baby. Jack earns only 6 Pounds a week.
Jill is a housewife. But they go on getting all kinds of luxury items on installments. The monthly installments come to more than 7 Pounds. To make up the deficit they will take a loan which will further increase their financial burden. In their lounge in the villa, they have fine furniture, a radiogram and a piano. They also have a refrigerator and a car. But all these and the villa itself are bought on installments. So nothing is their own, even their baby, as they owed money to the doctor. They have to finish the installments to make the baby fully their own. Their Aunt comes and pays them 10 Pounds and Jill pays it to the doctor hoping that at the least the baby in the house will be their own. The play 1 is a warning to those who live beyond their means and go on buying things on installments.
Activity 2
Based on your understanding of the play ‘The Never – Never Nest’, organise a classroom debate on the topic: ‘Is Equated Monthly Instalment Scheme – a boon or bane to middle- class families?
Answer:
Based on your understanding of the play “The Never- Never Nest”, organize a classroom debate on the topic: “Is Equated Monthly Instalments Scheme a boon or bane to middle-class families?”
Here are the points to argue:
It is a Boon (Blessing):
- People can get things when they want.
- They can pay for things in easy monthly instalments instead of paying the whole amount at once.
- It will force people to save money to make the payments.
- You can have the comfort of many things at the same time.
- You will be forced to work harder to get enough money for making the payments.
- You will cut down your avoidable expenses to make timely payments.
It is a Bane (Curse):
- People will be tempted to buy things they do not really need.
- It makes people live beyond their means.
- It encourages luxury.
- It brings trouble when people find it difficult to make the payments.
- Living with things which are not your own is not gentlemanly.
- If you fail to make payments in time, the company will threaten you and take you to court.
- There are cases where people have committed suicide as they could not make payments in time.
Activity 3
Question 1.
Discuss the features of a script of a play.
Answer:
- A play script will include a list of characters at the very beginning.
- It may be divided into acts which are then divided into scenes.
- Each scene will have a description of the setting at the start and then the characters’ dialogue.
- Dialogue is set out with the character’s name on the left, then a colon and then the dialogue.
- Stage directions for the actors are written every now and again in brackets.
Prepare a script based on the story “The Scholarship Jacket”, highlighting the following scenes.
Question 1.
The argument between Mr. Schmidt and Mr. Boone
Answer:
(A Classroom. Mr. Schmidt, the history teacher and Mr. Boone, the Maths teacher, are engaged in an argument. The students are out fortheir PE Classes.)
Mr. Boone: (In a pleading voice) Mr. Schmidt, this year we should give the Scholarship Jacket to Joann and not to Martha.
Mr. Schmidt: (Angrily) I refuse to support you. Joann’s grades are nowhere near Martha’s. How can you even think of doing such a thing?
Mr. Boone: Joann’s father is on the School Board. He owns the only store in town.
Mr. Schmidt: I don’t care who Joann’s father is. I won’t lie or falsify Martha’s records. She is a straight A+ and you know it.
Mr. Boone: But Martha is a Mexican.
Mr. Schmidt: So what? She is our student and here we have to treat all students alike. I insist that the Scholarship Jacket should be given to Martha. If it is given to Joann, I will resign.
Question 2.
The first meeting of Martha with the Principal.
Answer:
(Principal’s room. The Principal looks unhappy and uncomfortable. He is pretending to look at some papers.)
Martha: May I come in, Sir?
Principal: Yes, come in!
Martha: Sir, The peon told me you wanted to see me.
Principal: Yes, I wanted to see you because I wanted to tell you something. There is a change in the policy about the Scholarship Jacket. It used to be free. But from this year the Board has decided to charge 15 dollars from the recipient of the jacket.
Martha: 15 dollars, Sir! I don’t think my parents can afford to pay that much money.
Principal: Then the Jacket will be given to the one next in line.
Martha: Sir, I will speak to my grandfather about the change in the policy and request him to give me 15 dollars. I will tell you the result tomorrow.
Principal: It’s Okay, You can go now!
Martha: Thank you, Sir!
Question 3.
Conversation between Martha and Grandfather.
Answer:
(Grandpa is working in the bean field at the back of his house. Martha meets him there.)
Martha: Good Afternoon, Grandpa.
Grandpa: Good Afternoon, Martha! What news?
Martha: Iwantabigfavourfromyou.
Grandpa: Favourfrom me! What favour?
Martha: Grandpa, I am eligible to get the Scholarship Jacket. But this year it is not free. I have to pay 15 dollars for it. If I don’t pay 15 dollars, it will be given to somebody else.
Grandpa: What does a scholarship jacket mean?
Martha: It means you have earned it by having the highest grades for 8 years and that is why they are giving it to you.
Grandpa: (After a long pause causing Martha to cry) Martha, if you pay for it, it is not a scholarship jacket anymore. Tell the Principal that I will not pay 15 dollars for the scholarship jacket.
Question 4.
Second Meeting of Martha with the Principal.
Answer:
(Principal’s room. Martha enters the room with a sad face.)
Martha: Sir, I asked my Grandpa to give me 15 dollars to pay for the scholarship jacket.
Principal: (Looking into the eyes of Martha) Did he give you the money?
Martha: No, Sir, he didn’t.
Principal: (walking towards the window and looking outside and then turning his head towards Martha) Why won’t your grandfather pay? He has a 200-acre ranch!
Martha: He told me that if I paid for the scholarship jacket it would no more be a scholarship jacket. It would be a jacket bought with a price. You may give the Jacket to Joann.” (She walks towards the door to go out.)
Principal: Martha, wait! We would make an exception and give you the Jacket.
Martha: (Tears of joy rolling out of her eyes) Thank you, Sir! Thank you very much!
Question 5.
Presentation of the Scholarship Jacket
Answer:
(The Assembly Hall. All the Board Members, teachers and many parents are present in the Hall. The Hall is beautifully decorated. There is joy on all faces except those of Joann, her father and Mr. Boone.)
The Principal speaks: Respected Board Members, my dear teachers, parent and students,
I am very happy to announce that the Scholarship Jacket this year is presented to Martha. She has been an A+ student throughout the 8 years of her stay here. She is an exemplary student. And she deserves it. There was a proposal to charge 15 dollars for the scholarship jacket. But after a lot of thinking, I have decided that no money would be charged and the Scholarship Jacket will be given to Martha free since she earned it through her diligence and hard work. (A big round of applause from the audience.)
Martha, come to the stage to receive your scholarship jacket!
(Martha goes to the stage and accepts the jacket. She thanks everyone, especially Mr. Schmidt, for her success.)
Let’s Find Out How Language Elements Work
Activity 1
The Use of the enough
Enough means as much as we need or want. Enough is placed before a noun, but after adjectives and adverbs. (See the notes and examples given on p. 136 of the Text.)
Question 1.
Complete the following sentences adding ‘enough’ with a suitable word from the box given and identify the parts of speech of the word modified by ‘enough’.
(old, loud, high, courage, thick)
1. He didn’t jump to win the prize.
2. She is to travel by herself.
3. He had to admit his mistake.
4. The ice had to walk on.
5. He spoke to be heard.
Answers:
1. high enough (adverb)
2. old enough (adjective)
3. enough courage (noun)
4. thick enough (adjective)
5. loud enough (adverb)
Activity 2
Relative Clauses
Relative clauses are clauses starting with the relative pronouns who, that, which, whose, where and when. These clauses do the work of adjectives, adverbs and nouns.
Read the notes on p. 136-137.
Question 1.
Complete the following sentences using appropriate relative pronouns.
(Who, When, Which, Where, Whom, Whose, That)
1. Do you know the man ………. climbed the mountain yesterday?
2. Can I have the pencil ………. I gave you today morning?
3. A notebook is a computer ………. can be carried around.
4. I won’t eat in a restaurant ………. is not clean.
5. I want to live in a place ………. there are lots of shops.
6. Yesterday was a day ………. everything went wrong!
7. He is a teacher ………. we all respect.
8. He ………. never climbs never falls.
Answers:
1. who
2. that (which)
3. that (which)
4. that (which)
5. where
6. when
7. whom
8. who
Question 2.
Look at the table on p. 137. Here are sentences for completing the table.
Answer:
For Persons:
Subject:
1. The thief who stole my money was caught.
2. The minister who was corrupt was forced to resign.
Object:
1. The girl whom you saw in my house is my cousin.
2. The man who gave me the book is my neighbour.
Possessive:
1. The article is about Nehru whose daughter became the PM later.
2. That lady whose children have abandoned her is very poor.
For Things:
Subject:
1. This is the watch that/which created the big problem.
2. That is the horse that/which came first in the race.
Object:
1. The bike which/that I bought was very expensive.
2. The letter which/that I wrote brought me trouble.
Possessive:
1. This is the Prize of which I am always happy.
2. This is a gain of which the government is proud.
Activity 3
Question Tags (p. 138)
We often change a statement into a question by adding a tag to it. The rule is if the statement is positive, the tag must be negative. If the statement is negative the tag must be positive. We repeat the auxiliary in the statement. If there is no auxiliary, we use do, does or did according to the context.
I. Identify the correct question tag and fill in the blanks.
Question 1.
He sometimes reads the newspaper, …………..?
(don’t he?/doesn’t he?/does he?)
Answer:
doesn’t he?
Question 2.
I think he’s from Maldives,…………..?
(doesn’t he?/ don’t I?/ isn’t he?)
Answer:
isn’t he?
Question 3.
Don’t talk while I am teaching,…………..?
(do you?/ amn’t you?/ will you?)
Answer:
will you?
Question 4.
Let’s go swimming,…………..?
(aren’t we?/ let we?/ shall we?)
Answer:
shall we?
Question 5.
Pass me the salt,…………..?
(do you?/ won’t you?/ are you?)
Answer:
won’t you?
Question 6.
He could have bought a new car,…………..?
(couldn’t he?/ haven’t he?/ could he?)
Answer:
couldn’t he?
Question 7.
The girl won’t sing in the party,…………..?
(does she?/ will she?/ do she?)
Answer:
will she?
Question 8.
He went on a tour,…………..?
(aren’t he? / didn’t he?/ don’t he?)
Answer:
didn’t he?
II. Fill in the blanks
Question 1.
You are an Indian,…………..?
Answer:
aren’t you?
Question 2.
I’m late,…………..?
Answer:
aren’t I?
Question 3.
The boy is from Kottayam,…………..?
Answer:
isn’t he?
Question 4.
He’ll never know,…………..?
Answer:
will he?
Question 5.
Ann has cleaned the plates,…………..?
Answer:
didn’t she?
Question 6.
Anu and Manu will arrive tomorrow,…………..?
Answer:
won’t they?
Question 7.
Vivek played football yesterday,…………..?
Answer:
didn’t he?
III. Read the dialogue between two friends and fill in the blanks appropriately.
Rajeev: Good morning Madhav, I’m not too early, …………..?
Madhav: No, not at all. You have brought all the documents,………?
Rajeev: I’ll get ready soon. You wouldn’t mind waiting for five minutes,……….?
Madhav: Ok. No problem. At what time shall we leave?
Rajeev: By 9 o’ clock. I think we will reach the bank in time,………?
Madhav: Ok then. Please get ready. I’ll have a talk with your father.
Rajeev: Yes, please do.
Answers:
i. am i?
ii. haven’t you?
iii. will you?
iv. won’t we?
Activity 4
Read the following sentences.
(Reported or Indirect Speech)
When we report what someone else has said, we have to make some changes in what he said. For example: “Where is Grandpa?” I asked Grandma. When we report it, it will be: I asked Grandma where Grandpa was. We notice that there are some changes:
a) The word order is changed.
b) The tense is changed, ‘is’ becoming ‘was’.
c) Instead of the question mark we use a full stop in the reported speech.
d) There are no quotation marks.
b.
I asked Grandma where Grandpa was.
- what type of a sentence is reported?
- which reporting word is used here?
- Which word is used as a linker?
- What kind of changes are made in the sentence in direct speech?
- Are there changes in punctuation?
Answer:
- a question
- asked
- No linker is used here
- Changes are mentioned above.
- There are changes in the punctuation.
Report the following sentences and analyse the changes you make while reporting them.
1. ‘What are you doing in America?’ he asked the man.
2. ‘Have you met your friends?’ he asked her.
3. ‘Can you help me?’ she asked the boy.
4. ‘Watch him carefully,’ she said to her mother.
5. ‘Why did you come late?’ the teacher asked her.
6. ‘Please don’t touch it,’ he said to her.
7. ‘What did your grandfather say?’ asked the principal.
8. ‘I am not going to sit here,’ said Aunt Jain.
9. ‘Let us pay the hospital bill with this money. said Jill.
Answers:
1. He asked the man what he was doing in America.
2. He asked her if she had met his friends.
3. She asked the boy if he could help her.
4. She told her mother to watch him carefully.
5. The teacher asked her why she came late.
6. He requested her not to touch it.
7. The principal asked her what her grandfather said.
8. Aunt Jane said that she was not going to sit there.
9. Jill wanted to pay the hospital bill with that money.
Let’s Edit
Read the following summary of the story written by a student of Std X. There are some errors in it which are given in bold letters. Edit the passage and rewrite it.
The Scholarship Jacket’ is a story by Marta Salinas and is about a Mexican girl named Martha. Every year in the Texas school, a scholarship Jacket were (a) presented to the class valedictorian. This scholarship Jacket was the only object in Marthas (b) mind. She was a skinny girl which (c) was not very pretty. However, she was enough smart (d) and had maintained an A plus average in her eight years of school. One day, she overheard two teachers arguing on why the Jacket should be give (e) to Joann. The next day the principal fold her that the scholarship Jacket was going to cost fifteen dollars, and if she couldn’d (f) pay for it, it would be given to the runner-up. Martha left a (g) school in tears, and was even more heartbroken when her grandfather said she couldn’t have the money. The next day, she told the principal dejectedly that she couldn’t have the scholarship Jacket and explained what (h). As she was about to exit the office she mentioned Joann’s name. The principal, feeling guilty told Martha why (i) she would have the scholarship Jacket. Finally, Martha realised that she had earned her Jacket, and hadn’t (j) purchased it.
Answers:
a) was
b) Martha’s
c) who
d) smart enough
e) given
f) couldn’t
g) the
h) why
i) that
j) hadn’t
The Never Never Nest Summary in English
“The Never- Never Nest” is a one-act play about a young couple named Jack and Jill. They have a small baby. They make full use of the “buy-now-pay-later” marketing scheme. One day, their aunt, whose name is Jane, visits them. She is surprised to find that even though Jack’s salary is not very high, they live in a beautiful house with all comforts. There was fine furniture, a radiogram, a piano, a car and a refrigerator. Jane then began to wonder if as a wedding gift she had given them a cheque for 2000 Pounds instead of the 200 she had planned to give. Otherwise how could Jack and Jill buy all these things? She also thought the rent for such a big house must be very high. Then Jack tells her they pay do not pay rent as they owned the house. They had bought it on instalment just like they bought all the other things in the house.
Aunt Jane then realizes that though Jack and Jill have everything in their house, nothing really belongs to them. They bought everything on instalment basis. In their car, only a tyre and one or two other things have been paid for. Only one leg of the sofa has been paid for. The total amount to be paid as instalments per week comes to more than seven Pounds. Jack earns only six pounds a week. Jill is a housewife. When Aunt Jane asks how they could pay seven Pounds a week when he is earning only six Pounds, Jack says that they would take a loan. Aunt Jane was shocked at the way Jack and Jill ran their home. Before she left, she gives them a cheque for ten Pounds asking them to make at least one article completely their own, using that money.
While Jack goes with Aunt Jane to the bus stop, Jill sent the money to Dr. Martin. Jack comes back and says that he wants to pay two months’ instalments on the car using that money. But Jill says that she has already sent that money to Dr. Martin so that at least their baby would become completely theirs!
The Never Never Nest Summary in Malayalam
The Never Never Nest Meanings of Words And Phrases