Chapter 10 – The Price of Bananas Solutions

Content Structure

  • 1. About the author – Mulk Raj Anand
  • 2. Theme of the Price of Bananas
  • 3. Summary of the Price of Bananas
  • 4. Word meanings
  • 5. Exercise Solutions
    • Exercise – 1
    • Exercise – 2
    • Exercise – 3
  • 6. Grammar in use
    • Exercise – 4
    • Exercise – 5
    • Exercise – 6
    • Exercise – 7
  • 7. Composition
    • Exercise – 8
    • Exercise – 9

1. About the author – Mulk Raj Anand

WB 9 All Notes

Mulk Raj Anand was born on 12th December as an Indian writer in English. He is known as one of the first great Indian novelists. His works describe the struggles of poor people, workers, and the lower castes. He wrote about social problems like poverty, injustice, and inequality in simple language. Some of his well-known novels are Untouchable, Coolie, and Two Leaves and a Bud. He died on 28th September 2004.

2. Theme of the Price of Bananas

WB 9 All Notes
  • The rich businessman (Sethji) cared only about his own comfort. He got his cap back but did not want to spend even a small amount to reward the vendor properly.
  • The fruit vendor showed kindness by helping Sethji. He did not think of himself first but saved the cap by offering bananas to the monkey.
  • The story highlights the difference in attitude between the rich and poor. The poor vendor was generous though he had little, while the rich businessman, though wealthy, was miserly and rude.
  • Sethji used the vendor’s effort but refused to pay him fairly. This shows how the rich often exploit the poor without gratitude.
  • The monkeys created funny situations, making people laugh, but behind the humor lies a serious lesson about human behavior.
  • The other passengers supported the poor vendor, showing that society values fairness and justice even if the rich ignore it.
  • The story teaches that when someone helps us, we should reward or thank them honestly. Ignoring their effort is both unfair and unkind.

3. Summary of the Price of Bananas

WB 9 All Notes

I was waiting at Faizabad railway station to go to Lucknow, so I reached half an hour before the train. I watched monkeys playing on the trees and platform, sometimes coming down to pick up food scraps. Soon, the train was announced, and I got a window seat. Other passengers joined me, and everyone was sweating in the summer heat. I saw a funny incident. A monkey snatched the loincloth of a man bathing at the pump, but later, the monkey kindly dropped it back. After some time, a rich-looking businessman arrived with his porter carrying heavy luggage. Suddenly, the same monkey jumped down and snatched his fine embroidered cap. The businessman shouted angrily, but the monkey climbed up a tree. A fruit seller came with bananas and offered to help. The monkey slowly climbed down, took the bananas, and dropped the cap. The vendor politely asked the businessman (Sethji) for two annas to cover the cost of the bananas, but he rudely refused and gave him only one anna, though everyone requested him to be fair. The vendor ran beside the moving train, asking Sethji not to cheat the poor, but Sethji ignored him. Other passengers felt sorry for the fruit vendor and disliked Sethji’s behavior. I drew a cartoon of Sethji, so everyone laughed, and he became more and more uncomfortable.

4. Word meanings

WB 9 All Notes
 WordMeanings
1.Departure leaving
2.Frolicking playing happily and actively
3. Descended came down
4. Remainders leftovers
5. Boughs large branches of a tree
6. Pitchers vessels used to carry water
7. Struck hit
8. Snatching taking quickly and roughly
9. Pious person a very religious person
10. Amusement enjoyment
11. Porter a person who carries luggage at stations
12. Smug self-satisfied
13. Perspiration sweat
14. Threatening showing danger or harm
15. Plight a very bad situation
16. Piteous sadness
17. Dangling hanging
18. Coaxed gently persuaded someone
19. Climbing moving upward
20. Cautiously carefully
21. Vendor a person who sells things
22. Cooed spoke softly
23. Bargain buying something cheaply
24. Crumpled wrinkled
25. Spectators watchers
26. Humbly politely
27. Annas an old Indian coin
28. Impudence rude or disrespectful behavior
29. Grimy covered with dirt
30. Wailed cried loudly in pain or sorrow
31. Crook a dishonest person
32. Persisted continued
33. Scowled made an angry or unhappy face
34. Clung held tightly to something
35. Pleading begging
36. Frustrated upset
37. Sympathy feeling sorry for someone’s trouble
48. Amusing funny
39. Bitter painful or unpleasant feeling
40. Grievance complaint
41. Generous-hearted kind
42. Episode event

Exercise Solutions

WB 9 All Notes

Exercise – 1

Tick the correct answer from the given alternative:

1. The author was on his way from Faizabad railway station to:
(a) Delhi
(b) Kolkata
(c) Lucknow
(d) Ahmedbad

Ans: (c) Lucknow

2. From the water pump the passengers were filling up their
(a) Water bottles
(b) Earthen pitches
(c) Brass jugs
(d) Steel buckets

Ans: (b) Earthen pitches

3. The gentleman who came up to the author’s compartment looked like a
(a) Businessman
(b) Doctor
(c) Teacher
(d) Postman

Ans: (a) Businessman

4. The price the vendor asked for the bananas was
(a) Two annas
(b) Four annas
(c) Six annas
(d) Eight annas

Ans: (b) Four annas

5. The author drew the cartoon of
(a) Fruit vendor
(b) Monkey
(c) Porter
(d) Sethji

Ans: (d) Sethji

Exercise – 2

WB 9 All Notes

Answer the following questions within fifteen words:

(a) Where did the young monkeys sit?
Ans: The young monkeys sat on the branches of trees and railings of the platform.

(b) What did the monkey do to the loin cloth of the pious person?
Ans: The monkey suddenly pulled away the pious person’s loin cloth, leaving him embarrassed.

(c) What did Sethji’s luggage include?
Ans: Sethji’s luggage included tin trunks, wooden boxes, brass vessels, rugs, and cooking pots.

(d) Why, according to the fruit vendor, were the monkeys disturbing the passengers?
Ans: According to the fruit vendor, the monkeys disturbed passengers because people teased them.

Exercise – 3

WB 9 All Notes

Answer the following question within twenty-five words:

(a) What was the businessman wearing?
Ans: The businessman was wearing a silk kurta, a dhoti, a fine scarf, and stylish footwear, giving him a rich and pompous look.

(b) What did the monkey do after accepting the fruit vendor’s bargain?
Ans: The monkey accepted the vendor’s bargain, took the bananas, and quickly escaped to the roof, enjoying them happily.

(c) How did the whole amusing episode end?
Ans: The amusing episode ended with the monkey grabbing the fruit, the passengers laughing, and Sethji appearing helpless and annoyed.

Grammar in use

Exercise – 4

WB 9 All Notes

Fill in the blanks with appropriate articles and prepositions:

1. The sun rises in the east.
2. The dog jumped over the log.
3. I love to watch a one-day match.
4. Besides a pen, Tiya also has an eraser.

Exercise – 5

Change the voice of the following sentences:

1. Mr. Khan is known to me.
Ans: I know Mr. Khan.

2. Trina had composed a poem.
Ans: A poem had been composed by Trina.

3. I will always remember you.
Ans: You will always be remembered by me.

4. They have made him the president of the club.
Ans: He has been made the president of the club by them.

Exercise – 6

WB 9 All Notes

Fill in the blanks with appropriate form of the given verbs in brackets:

1. They ___________  ________ their puja vacations in the hill. (spend)
Ans: They spent their puja vacations in the hill.

2. We ___________  ________ in this city for over ten years. (live)
Ans: We have lived in this city for over ten years.

3. I _________ just _________ reading the book. (finish)
Ans: I have just finished reading the book.

4. The project __________  _________  ___________ by June next year. (complete)
Ans: The project will have been completed by June next year.

Exercise – 7

WB 9 All Notes

Change the mode of narration in the following sentences:

1. Rahul said, “Alas! Brazil has lost the match.”
Ans: Rahul exclaimed with sorrow that Brazil had lost the match.

2. “Let us go for a walk,” said Shabnam to Chandni.
Ans: Shabnam suggested to Chandni that they should go for a walk.

3. “Good morning, madam,” said the students to the teacher.
Ans: The students greeted the teacher respectfully with good morning.

4. My father said to me, “Do not pluck flowers.”
Ans: My father advised me not to pluck flowers.

Composition

WB 9 All Notes

Exercise – 8

Write a story in about 100 words using the given hints. Give a suitable title to the story.

Hints: Two cats find a peace of bread – fight over it – monkey arrives – decides to settle the dispute – monkey breaks the bread into two – uneven size- eats a portion from the larger share – dispute continuous – monkey eats both pieces of bread

The Clever Monkey and the Foolish Cats

Two cats once found a piece of bread and began fighting over it. A monkey arrived and offered to settle the dispute. He broke the bread into two uneven pieces. To make them equal, he ate a part from the larger share. Still uneven, he kept eating until nothing was left. The cats realized too late that they had lost everything because of their quarrel. The monkey enjoyed the whole bread, leaving the cats hungry and regretful.
Moral: Quarrelling makes us lose what we have.

Exercise – 9

WB 9 All Notes

Using the following points write a paragraph in about 100 words on how your locality looks like at dawn:

Your place of stay – early morning sky – description of the nature around – sound that are heard – reasons for enjoyment – conclusion

My Locality at Dawn

I live in a quiet locality that looks fresh and peaceful at dawn. The sky turns pink and golden with the rising sun. Birds chirp sweetly from trees, and the cool morning breeze makes the air pleasant. People can be seen walking or doing yoga in the park. The streets are calm, with only milkmen and newspaper boys moving around. The fragrance of flowers fills the surroundings. I enjoy watching nature at this time because it makes me feel refreshed and full of energy to begin the day.

Related Links

WB 9 All Notes