Class – VIII

Chapter-12  A Bad Dream

                  by Donn Byrne

A.

1. Why was Mr. Hill upset with Annie?

Ans. Mr. Hill was upset with Annie because she was a bad cook. She wasn’t able to prepare good coffee too. Mr. Hill felt embarrassed when people came to his house for dinner and got bad food.

2. What did Mr. Hill expect his wife to do in the parties? 

Ans. Mr. Hill was the manager of the bank. He wanted his wife to meet and socialize with people who came to his house for parties. He believed it would be good to make healthy relations with customers as it benefitted the bank.

3. How can we say that Mrs. Hill was a kind-hearted, considerate lady?

Ans. When Mrs. Hill told his wife that Annie should go and they must hire a new cook, she objected saying that Annie had worked with them for 20 years. She also tried to convince Mr. Hill that it would be difficult for her to find a new job at such an old age.

4. What was Annie’s reaction when she came to know that Mr. Hill had lost his job?

Ans. When Annie came to know that Mr. Hill had lost his job, she told him that it didn’t matter if he couldn’t pay her. She’d continue working as she had a feeling of belongingness towards the house where she had worked for twenty years. She was understanding, sympathetic and considerate.

B.Read these extracts from the play and answer the questions that follow:

1. ‘How will she find a new job?’

a. Who is ‘she’ and why should she look for a new job?

Ans. ‘She’ refers to Annie. She should look for a new job because Mr. Hill wants her to go as he thinks she is a bad cook.

b. Why it will be difficult for her to find a new job?

Ans. It will be difficult for her to find a new job because she has grown old.

c. Why does the speaker react in such a manner?

Ans. Mrs. Hill reacted in such a manner because Annie has been working for them for twenty years. Mrs. Hill is a kind-hearted and considerate lady and understands Annie’s problem.

2. ‘We had to do it, sir. We were only thinking of the bank.’

a. Who does ‘sir’ refer to?

Ans. ‘Sir’ refers to Mr. Hill, the manager of the bank. ‘We’ refers to Briggs, the assistant manager of the bank and Winter, the cashier.

b. What did they have to do?

Ans. They had to tell Mr. Hill to resign from his job as the manager of the bank. They had taken permission for the head office to do so.

c. What was their reason for doing so?

Ans. They wanted Mr. Hill to resign because they felt that he was not doing his job sincerely. He was not nice to the people in the bank. Therefore, in the interest of the bank, they had to do so.

3. ‘But, George, why have you changed suddenly?’

a. What kind of a man was George earlier?

Ans. Earlier, George was a rude, insensitive, arrogant and self-centred man.

b. What changes have come over George?

Ans. George has become kind, considerate, sensitive and caring.

c. What is the reason for these changes?

Ans. A bad dream which he had in the afternoon made him realize his mistake and changed him into a compassionate man.

C. Compare and contrast the character of Mr. Hill with that of Mrs. Hill.

Ans. After Mr. Hill had got promoted as the manager of the bank, he changed completely. He had become rude, arrogant, indifferent, insensitive and self-centred.

Mrs. Hill, on the other hand, was kind, compassionate and considerate. She did not agree when Mr, Hill suggested that Annie should leave as she was a bad cook. Mrs. Hill said that Annie had been working in their house sincerely for twenty years and had grown old. She delayed telling Annie to find a new job. She knew that Annie considered herself as the member of the family and would be hurt.

HOTS

‘Mr. Hill had a bad dream’-was the dream really bad?

Ans. Annie, the cook at Mr. Hill’s house, had worked for the family for twenty years. She considered the home to be her own. It would be difficult for her to find a new job at her age. But Mr. Hill was inconsiderate and insensitive as he wanted her to go because she was a bad cook. His dream taught him a lesson. He dreamt that the staff of the bank had visited him and told him to resign as he did not work efficiently and he was not nice to the staff members. Mr. Hill was very upset and tried to reason them but failed. When he woke up, he realized that he had put Annie in the similar situation. He was regretful and his bad dream changed him into a good human being.

Writing Skills

Imagine you are Mr. Hill. Your unpleasant conversation with Mr. Briggs and Mr. Winter awakens your conscience and changes your attitude towards Annie. Write a diary entry expressing your feelings for her before and after your meeting with the visitors.

Ans. Dear Diary

It was really a strange day. I had a dream during my afternoon nap which has completely changed me. After becoming the bank manager, I had become rude and arrogant. I even wanted Annie, our cook for past years, to be dismissed as she made bad food. I was only concerned about my reputation among my guests. I did not even consider her old age. I just wanted to make my customers happy. But my dream awakened my conscience and changed my attitude towards Annie. In the dream, I saw that I had to resign as I hadn’t discharged properly and no one in the bank liked me. My dream made me realize Annie’s situation who is just like our family member. I felt very sorry and decided that I would keep her and bring some one else to help her in her work.

Mr. Hill