Iswaran the Storyteller Important Questions Class 9 Moments English
Short Answer Type Questions
Question 1. Why does the author say that Iswaran seemed to more than make up for the absence of a TV in Mahendra’s living quarters?
Answer
Iswaran’s stories were so dramatic and enthralling that Mahendra was completely captivated by them. As these stories were an everyday affair, he never missed the presence of a TV in his living quarters.
Question 2. Describe Mahendra in 30-40 words.
Answer
Mahendra was a junior supervisor. He was a bachelor fellow, who was cared by Iswaran. He was a simple fellow and led a simple life. He had an adjustable nature, so he could adjust himself anywhere.
Question 3. Who was Iswaran? What all he did for his master?
Answer
Iswaran was Mahendra's cook and he was an asset to him. He cooked for him, washed his clothes and chatted away with his master at night. He often narrated stories which were very convincing.
Question 4. Describe Iswaran’s ‘amazing capacity to produce vegetables, etc.
Answer
Mahendra had a cook. His name was Iswaran. He was quite attached to Mahendra and went wherever Mahendra was transferred. Iswaran was a good cook. He had an amazing capacity to produce vegetables from nowhere and cook them. Even at a place where there were no shops visible for miles. he was able to cook vegetables. He would conjure up delicious dishes made with fresh vegetables within an hour of reaching that place.
Question 5. What type of life did Mahendra lead?
Answer
Mahendra, a junior supervisor has to keep moving from place to place i.e., from coal mine to railway bridge site, to chemical plant. He led a simple life. He could adjust himself in odd situations.
Question 6. How did Iswaran add a prologue to his story of an elephant?
Answer
Before starting the story, Iswaran gave a detailed description of the place. He said that the place was a richly wooded forest. The logs of wood were hauled by elephants on lorries. But sometimes, the elephants turned mad. When an elephant turned mad, not even a skilled mahout could control it.
Question 7. Who was the only asset of Mahendra? How?
Answer
The only asset of Mahendra was his cook, Iswaran. He was quite attached to him. He never made any complaint. Besides cooking, he (Iswaran) washed his clothes, cleaned his house. He was well known for his culinary skills. Also, he had unconditional love for Mahendra. He travelled everywhere with him.
Question 8. How did Iswaran describe the uprooted tree?
Answer
Iswaran said that the road was deserted. Suddenly he noticed something like a big bushy beast spread out across the road. He went closer and found that it was a fallen tree.
Question 9. Why did Mahendra become fond of Iswaran?
Answer
Mahendra became fond of Iswaran because he was a very resourceful person and took very good care of him. He was a trained cook and could also arrange for things at a desolate place. In addition to this, he took very good care of Mahendra.
Question 10. What influenced Iswaran’s style of storytelling? How?
Answer
Tamil thrillers that were very long and descriptive influenced Iswaran’s style of storytelling. He would be enthralled by such narratives and read them every day after lunch. He would sprinkle his tales with the imaginative descriptions that he read in these thrillers.
Question 11. How does Iswaran describe the uprooted tree on the highway?
Answer
He describes it as an enormous bushy beast lying sprawled across the road.
Question 12. What sets lswaran apart from other domestic helps?
Answer
Iswaran was a class in himself. He was highly resourceful and a big help to Mahendra. He was a trained cook and to top it, he narrated captivating and interesting stories to Mahendra at night.
Question 13. Why was lswaran called Mahendra's asset?
Answer
Iswaran was not only a trained cook but also very attached to his master, Mahendra, as he followed him everywhere he was posted. He not only took care of him by washing his clothes and cooking food but, also gossiped with him in the night and told him various modified folk tales.
Question 14. How did the elephant wreak havoc in the school?
Answer
The tusker entered the school ground by breaking through the brick wall. It wreaked havoc by pulling out the football goal-post, tearing down the volleyball net, kicking and flattening the water drums and uprooting the shrubs.
Question 15. Did Mahendra really see the ghost?
Answer
Mahendra didn't see the ghost because there wasn't any but Iswaran's narration had made a deep impact on him. Iswaran had described the guest vividly. He just hallucinated the ghost.
Question 16. Was Iswaran a well-read man? How do you know?
Answer
Yes, Iswaran was a well-read man. He used to read the Tamil thrillers which ran into hundred pages. He had read many Tamil authors. He was influenced by the way these authors described and narrated the stories. Even while narrating the anecdote of the mad elephant, he had mentioned about Japanese art karate or jujitsu about which he had read somewhere.
Question 17. What picture of the female ghost did lswaran paint?
Answer
Iswaran claimed that he had seen the ghost of a woman that appeared off and on at midnight during the full moon. He described it as an ugly creature with matted hair and a shrivelled face. It looked like a skeleton holding a foetus in its arms.
Question 18. How did Iswaran spend his day after his master left for work?
Answer
Iswaran would tidy up the shed, wash the clothes, have a leisurely bath while muttering his prayers. After lunch, he .would read for a while before dozing off to sleep.
Question 19. What were Iswaran's two great qualities?
Answer
Iswaran had an amazing capacity to produce vegetables and cooking ingredients, seemingly out of nowhere, in the middle of a desolate landscape with no shops visible for miles around. Iswaran was a great storyteller. He could build suspense and a surprise ending in any story.
Question 20. Why was there never an end to Iswaran’s tales?
Answer
Iswaran’s tales never ended because he drew his stories from the Tamil thrillers that he read every day after lunch. These thrillers were imaginative, descriptive and narrative. The more he would read, the more stories he had to narrate to Mahendra, his master.
Question 21. How does lswaran describe the story of the elephant? Does it appear to be plausible?
Answer
One day, an elephant went mad, stamping on bushes, breaking fences, smashing fruit stalls, mud pots and clothes. He even entered a school ground breaking through the brick wall. Iswaran, who was in the junior class, whacked its third toe nail with a rod and it collapsed. No, the story does not appear to be plausible.
Question 22. Do you think Mahendra was a fussy man? Give reasons for your answer.
Answer
No, Mahendra wasn’t a fussy man, because it is written that his needs were simple and he was able to adjust to all kinds of odd conditions whether living in a tent in a stone quarry, or an ill-equipped circuit house.
Question 23. What destruction did the elephant cause in the town?
Answer
The elephant caused a lot of destruction in the town. He broke branches, fences and smashed stalls. He entered a school playground and broke a brick wall, pulled out a football goal post, tore down a volleyball net and flattened a water drum.
Question 24. How did Iswaran tackle the elephant?
Answer
The elephant had caused much terror, children and teachers ran here and there to save their lives. Iswaran dared it and hit it on the third toe with a rod. Thus, the mad elephant was controlled.
Question 25. What impact did Iswaran's story of a female ghost have on Mahendra?
Answer
Mahendra avoided looking out of the window when the moon was full. He went to bed with a certain unease and peered into the darkness to make sure that there was no movement of dark shapes outside.
Question 26. Do you think the ghost Mahendra saw on the night of the full moon was a real ghost?
Answer
No, I think the ghost Mahendra saw was a creation of a weak mind. Iswaran had made Mahendra's mind a little weak by telling him the ghost story. When Mahendra rebuked him for believing in ghosts, he felt offended. To prove that he was right, he himself posed as a ghost. That is why, Mahendra thought that he had seen a ghost at that full moon night.
Question 27. Mahendra calls ghosts or spirits a figment of imagination. What happens to him on full moon night?
Answer
Mahendra never believed in ghosts and spirits but, one night he had woken up from his sleep by a low moan near the window. He could not resist his curiosity and tried to look out. To his horror, he saw a dark cloudy form clutching a bundle. Mahendra was in cold sweat from top to bottom and fell back on the pillow, panting.
Question 28. What behaviour was Mahendra expecting from Iswaran when he had scolded him for telling ghost stories?
Answer
When Mahendra had scolded Iswaran for his telling of ghost stories, he was expecting Iswaran to be angry for a couple of days but he was surprised at his cheerful and talkative behaviour the very next day.
Question 29. What did Mahendra witness out of the window one night?
Answer
One night, Mahendra heard a low moaning very close to his window. He peeped through his window and there stood the ghost of the woman whose wailing became louder and louder. He saw a dark cloudly form, clutching a bundle. He flung himself down and found that he was often dreaming of that woman ghost.
Question 30. What impact did Iswaran's story of a female ghost have on Mahendra?
Answer
Mahendra avoided looking out of the window when the moon was full. He went to bed with a certain unease and peered into the darkness to make sure that there was no movement of dark shapes outside. He had to keep moving from one place to another at short notice as ordered by the head office.
Question 31. What did Mahendra decide after he had seen the ghost?
Answer
Mahendra was convinced that there were ghosts around his house. He was scared and did not want to live there any longer and so, he resigned his job.
Question 32. What made lswaran a great storyteller?
Answer
Iswaran's stories were packed with adventure, horror and suspense. He could weave out endless stories and anecdotes on varied subjects. When he was narrating even the smallest of incidents, he would try to work in suspense and a surprise ending into the account. Enactment of some expressions or scenes made his storytelling theatrical. He had — inimitable way to tell the story.
Question 33. Why did Mahendra decide to leave the haunted place?
Answer
He was afraid of the haunted place after hearing and watching a ghastly experience at night. He found that he often dreamt of that woman ghost. Therefore, he wanted to leave the place.
Long Answer Type Questions
Question 1. Storytelling is an art. Comment with reference to the story `Iswaran the Storyteller’.
Answer
Story-telling is an art. The story-teller must have a grim tone, suitable expression of face and dramatic gestures of hands and body to leave a long-lasting impact on listeners. Stories can be made vivid by telling them in a unique style. Though stories are a figment of the imagination a perfect storyteller presents the facts. A good story has suspense in small things and has a surprise ending. Iswaran is a good storyteller. He used to read Tamil thrillers; it affected his behaviour. He used to narrate a small incident in a detailed way. He created suspense in small things and gave surprise endings. He was an expert in narrating stories in an elaborate way.
Question 2. How can you say that lswaran was a fascinating story teller?
Answer
Iswaran was a very fascinating and dramatic story teller. He gave imaginative descriptions of various events. He used dramatic language and gestures to describe events and changed a simple event in suspense. His stories had surprising endings and unexpected narrations. He was influenced by thrilling novels and stories of Tamil authors. All stories had adventure, horror and suspense. All these elements made him a fascinating storyteller and he could captivate any audience with his stories by the Tamil authors he read. Even while narrating the smallest of incidents, he would try to make the account thrilling and full of suspense. Mahendra enjoyed listening to the stories told by Iswaran because of the way they were told.
Question 3. What did Iswaran tell Mahendra about a ghost? Describe Mahendra’s horrible experience one night. Why did he resolve to leave that place?
Answer
Iswaran told Mahendra that the entire factory area where he worked was once a burial ground. lswaran told Mahendra that he often saw ghosts at night. Sometimes, there appeared a horrible ghost of a woman. She held a foetus in her arms. Hearing this tale, Mahendra shivered. But he told lswaran that there were no ghosts in reality. From that time, Mahendra felt somewhat uneasy at night. One night, Mahendra was awakened from sleep by a moan. The moan became louder. He looked out of the window. He saw a dark cloudy form of a woman, not very far away from a window. She was carrying a bundle in her arms. Mahendra began to sweat with fear. The next morning, Iswaran told Mahendra that he had also heard the moan at night. He had come to his room. He had seen that Mahendra was looking out of the window at the ghost of the woman. Mahendra was cold with fear. As soon as he reached the office, he handed in his papers for transfer from that place.
Question 4. Discuss the character of Mahendra.
Answer
He was a bachelor who earned his living as a junior supervisor working at construction sites. He worked for a firm that supplied supervisors to remote sites. He was a simple man with simple tastes and did not even feel the need to own a TV, even though he spent most of his time in remote areas far from sources of entertainment. He was very adjusting and accommodating and could live wherever he was posted, whether in a tent or a dilapidated building. He was a kind and caring master, and his servant Iswaran was happy to follow him around wherever he was posted.
Mahendra seems to have enjoyed listening to stories, and would spend his evenings listening to the tales recounted by Iswaran. He was somewhat naive and gullible and believed the stories Iswaran recounted. In fact, Iswaran’s stories about ghosts and spirits had such an effect on him that he even resigned from his job because he believed the area was haunted. He was convinced that he had seen the spirit of a woman with a foetus that Iswaran had told him about in one of his tales.
Question 5. Write a brief character sketch of Iswaran.
Answer
Iswaran, Mahendra's servant, was very devoted to him. He was not only a very well-trained and wonderful cook, but also a good story teller. He was an honest man and used to do his work with utmost devotion and skill. He was fond of reading thrillers and his narrations were influenced by those styles. He had to give up his job due to a practical joke played on Mahendra, his master. Life was not possible for Mahendra without him, as he was his asset, and he started living totally isolated.
Question 6. How did the elephant in Iswaran's anecdote wreak havoc in the school?
Answer
After smashing all the stalls selling fruits, mud pots and clothes on the main road, the elephant broke through the brick wall to enter a school ground where children were playing. All the boys ran into the classrooms and shut the doors tight. The beast grunted and wandered about, pulling out the football goalpost, tearing down the volleyball net, kicking and flattening the drum kept for water, and uprooting the shrubs. Meanwhile all the teachers had climbed up to the terrace of the school building; from there they helplessly watched the depredations of the elephant. There was not a soul below on the ground. The streets were empty as if the inhabitants of the entire town had suddenly disappeared.
Question 7. What human values form the essence of Iswaran’s character?
Answer
Iswaran was a multitalented person whose character teaches us the values of dedication, cheerfulness and creativity. He carried off his duties as a cook by preparing the most delicious dishes like a magician. He was dedicated to Mahendra and served him uncomplainingly regardless of the situation or the place. He enjoyed his job and would not sit idle when Mahendra was at work. In Mahendra’s absence, he would finish off cleaning and washing tasks. Iswaran was a curious learner. He developed the art of storytelling by reading Tamil thrillers. He could narrate a story every day by mixing suspense, adventure and horror to the episodes. He was a good and loyal companion to Mahendra and entertained him more than a TV. He was large-hearted and did not sulk even after getting a scolding from Mahendra. His innumerable positive values make him memorable.