NCERT Solutions Class 9 English (Moments)
The NCERT Solutions in English Language for Class 9 English (Moments) Chapter – 9 The Accidental Tourist has been provided here to help the students in solving the questions from this exercise.
Chapter – 9 (The Accidental Tourist)
Think about it
1. Bill Bryson says, “I am, in short, easily confused.” What examples has he given to justify this?
Answer – Bill Bryson was easily confused. Many times while searching a lavatory in a cinema, he ended up standing on the wrong side of a self-locking doorin an alley. He used to forget his room number. He had to go to the reception at least two or three times a day to enquire about his room number.
2. What happens when the zip on his carry-on bag gives way?
Answer – The author tried to open his bag forcefully. The side of the bag flew open and all his items fell out in the open. Newspaper cuttings, tobacco packet, passport, money, etc. rained out over an area about the size of a tennis court.
3. Why is his finger bleeding? What is his wife’s reaction?
Answer – His finger is hurt by getting stuck in the zip of his bag. His wife is astonished by the way he has created a mess all around himself.
4. How does Bill Bryson end up in a “crash position” in the aircraft?
Answer – Once on board a flight, Bryson leaned over to tie his shoelaces. At the same moment, someone in the seat in front of him threw his seat back into full recline and Bryson was pinned helplessly in the crash position.
5. Why are his teeth and gums navy blue?
Answer – On a plane, the author was writing important thoughts in his notebook while sucking thoughtfully on the end of his pen. The pen had leaked. The author’s mouth, chin, tongue, teeth and gums were now coloured navy blue.
6. Bill Bryson “ached to be suave”. Is he successful in his mission? List his ‘unsuave’ ways.
Answer – No, he is not successful in his mission to be suave. He does a lot of things in unsuave ways. He would rise from dinner tables looking as if he has just experienced an extremely localized seismic event, get in a car and close the door leaving 14 inches of coat outside, wear light-coloured trousers discovering at the end of the day that he has sat various times on chewing gum, ice cream, cough syrup and motor oil.
7. Why do you think Bill Bryson’s wife says to the children, “Take the lids off the food for Daddy”?
Answer – Bill Bryson would create a mess every time he did something. To ensure that no mess is created, she asked her children to open the food container. There’s a possibility that he might strike things or spill the contents of the container if he opens it himself.
8. What is the significance of the title?
Answer – Bill Bryson narrates humorously his experiences as a tourist. ‘Accidental’ means ‘happening by chance’. The narrator relates his experiences in the story. All the incidents, he narrates, are accidental happenings. The story is full of chance happenings in the life of the author. Hence, the title of the story is appropriate.
