PAINTING THE FENCE

Chapter – 2

I Word meaning:-

Whack - slap Saturday - a day of holiday

Tempted - wanted to in western countries
Sheer - pure full of life - lively
Absorbed - occupied cheerfulness - happiness
Muttered - spoke in a low voice fragrance - pleasant smell
Puzzled - confused (of flowers)
Dozing - sleeping lightly vegetation - plants, etc
Virtues - good qualities pavement - footpath
Wearily - in a tired manner fence - barrier around a
Opportunity - chance field or garden
Doughnut - ring-shaped sweet uninspiring - dull
Ridicule - make fun of multiplied - increased
In high spirits - happy an excited surveyed - looked carefully at
Inspected - examined criticized - evaluated
Particular - careful dreading - fearing
Resumed - started again consent - permission
Barrel - a round container magnificent - splendid,remarkable

II Make Sentences:-

1. Whack – Please do not whack Mohan for a small mistake.

2. Tempted – I was tempted to take up the task to get some chocolates against it.
3. Absorbed – I was so absorbed in reading the book that I missed mu favourite cartoon.
4. Muttered – I muttered a joke to my friend in between the dance session.
5. Puzzled –I was puzzled to see such difficult questions in the exam.
6. Dozing – Harry was dozing off in the classroom.
7. Virtues – He is a boy of virtues.
8. Wearily – I completed my homework wearily.
9. Opportunity – I got the opportunity to head the cricket team of my school.

III Explain the following expressions in your own words:-

1. All gladness left him - happiness vanished

2. With the eye of an artist - to give a keen and observant look like that of an artist
 3. In a new light - to understand someone or something in a different way
4. Laying plots – to build-up stories
5. Rolling in wealth – to be extremely rich

IV Write the antonyms of the following words:-

1. Sadness X gladness
2. Fresh X tired
3. Refused X allowed
4. Began X stopped
5. Rest X work
6. Full X empty
7. Weep X laugh

V Question and Answers:-

1. Describe the summer world in your own words.

Ans. The summer world is considered full of life because this season brings bright and longer
days which exposes the beauty of nature. In this season, grasses are green, flowers
bloom and myriad of birds and animals are heard singing in their own sweet ways. In
colder places, in the summer the children can engage in lots of outdoor social activities
which are impossible because of the freezing cold winters.

2. What piece of work was assigned to Tom?

Ans. Tom was assigned to whitewash the thirty yards of broad fence which was nine feet
high.

3. How did Ben Rogers ridicule him?

Ans. Ben Rogers ridiculed Tom by telling him that Tom was in trouble as he had work to do
even on a holiday i.e. Saturday. Also he made fun of Tom by informing him that he was
going for swimming and Tom could not accompany him as he had work to do.

4. What did Tom pretend to do?

Ans. Tom pretended to whitewash the fence with great intense and enthusiasm. He also made
his friends feel that getting a chance to whitewash a fence was a rare thing and also it
was not an easy task to do.

5. How did he sweep his brush?

Ans. Tom swept his brush back and forth gently with an eye of an artist.

6. Why did he refuse to allow Ben at first to whitewash?

Ans. He refused to allow Ben at first to whitewash the fence as he wanted Ben to develop
great interest in whitewashing so that when Ben requests him to allow to try his hand on
it, he could trade small things against it and sit back and relax while the whitewashing
gets done.

7. On what condition was Ben allowed?

Ans. Tom allowed Ben on the condition that Ben would be extremely careful with the
whitewashing of the fence and also he had to give half of his apple to Tom.

8. How were other boys duped by Tom?

Ans. Tom duped the other boys by making them feel that getting a chance to whitewash a
fence was a rare thing and also not an easy task to do. This made them interested and
they too requested to be allowed to try their hands at whitewashing.

9. What great law of human action did Tom discover?

Ans. Tom had discovered a great law of human action that in order to make a man or boy
desire a thing it is only necessary to make the thing difficult to obtain.

10. Make a list of Tom’s treasures which he had earned in exchange for letting the
boys try whitewashing the fence?
Ans. Tom’s treasures included half of an apple, a kite, a dead rat and a string to swing it with,
twelve marbles, a piece of blue bottle-glass to look through, a key that wouldn’t unlock
anything, a piece of chalk, a tin soldier, six fire-crackers, a little cat with only one eye, a
dog-collar, the handle of a knife, and a number of other things of the kind.

11. Describe briefly how Tom managed to get three coats of whitewash on the fence?
Ans. When Aunt Polly asked Tom to whitewash the fence, Tom cleverly pretended to enjoy
his work and made his friends get interested and do the three coats of whitewash on the
fence by making them feel that getting a chance to whitewash a fence was a rare thing
and also it was not an easy task to do.

12. Name few boys who helped Tom complete the three coats of whitewash of the
fence?
Ans. Ben Rogers, Billy Fisher, Johnny Miller and few others helped Tom complete the three
coats of whitewash of the fence.
13. What was Tom doing when his friends were whitewashing the fence for him?
Ans. Tom was having a lovely, lazy time chatting with his friend while his friends were
whitewashing the fence for him.

14. How did Tom’s aunt react on seeing the wall?

Ans. Aunt Polly was very surprised and said that she knew that Tom could work when he
wanted to but he hardly ever wants to. Also she gave Tom the best apple she had and
allowed him to go and play.

IV Who said to Whom:-

1. “Too bad you have to work on a morning like this!
(i) Who said this to whom?
Ans. Ben Rogers said this to Tom.

(ii) Why was the listener forced to work on that day?

Ans. Tom was forced to work on Saturday morning as he had angered Aunt Polly by
not listening to her and eating up the jam and fleeing away.

(iii) What work was the listener doing on that morning?

Ans. Tom was whitewashing the fence on the Saturday morning.

2. “I’m going swimming. Don’t you wish you could come to? But ofcourse you’d
rather work”
(i) Who said this to whom?
Ans. Ben Rogers said this to Tom.

(ii) What work is the listener doing?

Ans. Tom was whitewashing the fence.

(iii) Was the listener ready to go for swimming? Why?

Ans. No, Tom was not ready to go for swimming because he was asked to whitewash
the fence by Aunt Polly which he had to finish.

3. “It depends on what you call work,”

(i) Who said this to whom?
Ans. Tom said this to his friend, Ben Rogers.
 (ii) Why is the speaker saying the above line?
Ans. Tom said this because Ben was making fun of him that he had to work even on a
Saturday morning.

(iii) What work was the speaker doing?

Ans. Tom was whitewashing the fence.

(i) Why was the speaker not referring the job he was doing as work?
Ans. Tom was pretending to enjoy his work to make his friends get interested to do it.

4. “Here, you can have my apple. Or what is left of it, anyway.”

(i) Who said this to whom?
Ans. Ben Rogers said this to Tom.

(ii) Why is the speaker offering the apple to the listener?

Ans. Ben was offering the apple to Tom so that he allows him to whitewash a portion
of the fence for him.

5. “It’s all done, Aunt, the whole fence.”

(i) Who is the speaker?
Ans. Tom Sawyer is the speaker.

(ii) What was his work?

Ans. His work was to whitewash the thirty yards of broad fence which was nine feet
high.

(iii) How has he performed his work?

Ans. Tom performed his work by duping his friends by making them believe that
getting a chance to whitewash a fence was a rare thing and also it not an easy task
to do. Hence they got interested to try and completed the task for Tom.

(iv) Why was he given the work on a holiday?

Ans. Tom was forced to work on Saturday morning as he had angered Aunt Polly by
not listening to her and eating up the jam and fleeing away.

(v) What was the Aunt’s first reaction?

Ans. Aunt’s first reaction was anger and disbelief. She felt that Tom was lying.

6. “This simply shows that you can work when you want to.”
(i) Who says this to whom?
Ans. Aunt Polly said this to Tom.

(ii) What work had the listener done?

Ans. Tom had completed three coats of whitewashing of the fence.

(iii) What reward did the speaker give the listener for completing the work?
Ans. Aunt Polly gave Tom one of her best apples and allowed him to go and play.