3.

The Man Who Knew Too Much Alexander Baron

About the Author

Alexander Baron (4 December 1917 – 6 December 1999) was a British author and screenwriter. He wrote
about his experiences during the War and his best work on the theme is the novel: From the City from
the Plough (1948) which was his first novel, as also his London novel The Lowlife (1963).
He wrote humorously and from first hand experiences of the War. His other works are about London’s
classes in society, race relations and the behaviour of individuals and society.
Theme
The theme of the short story is based on the life of fresh recruits or privates who were being trained
as a platoon. It tells about the reactions of the privates towards their instructors, and also about their
fellow privates in the squad. It is written in a simple and straightforward style with great honesty thereby
revealing the camaraderie that exists among the men of the forces. It is a character who stands out among
the squad members that the author draws attention to, and brings out his flaws thereby telling us the
reason why he was so unpopular amongst his group.
Private Quelch Corporal Turnbull
He was nicknamed ‘Professor’ within a week of his Corporal Turnbull was an athletic man. He was
joining the training depot. He was a lanky, stooping, strict and none dared to trifle with him. He had a
frowning, wearing horn-rimmed spectacles and strong soldierly reputation and had been on the
spoke knowledgeably about military subjects. battlefront of Dunkirk and had come back with all
He knew all about musketry and not get easily his equipment and a kitten as well. He was much
deterred. He loved to show off his knowledge admired by his men, not a thorough instructor
even before his superiors and trampled over and did not organize his lectures systematically.
others’ feelings with his habit of showing off. He He was not used to being ticked off by privates.
was hardworking and read late into the night to He knew when to strike his enemy and had waited
improve his knowledge. He preferred to impress Characters to the end of Quelch’s lecture to deliver his verdict
with his knowledge, particularly his instructors, of giving him permanent cookhouse duties. He
instead of making idle boasts. He was immune knew how not to show his emotions and kept his
to the sarcasm of his comrades and liked to be men guessing about the decision which had been
praised and did not accept defeat sportingly. passed on by the Orderly Officer, till the very end.

The Men
They were a well-knit group who were fond of each other. They liked to conform and work as a team and respected their instructors
and accepted what they were being taught. They had a common dislike of an upstart like Private Quelch. They found great humour
whenever Quelch was in trouble and did not admire Quelch’s superior knowledge but admired his hardworking ways. They did not have
any ambitions of becoming officers one day.
.

Setting
The scene is set in a military depot where a fresh batch of privates are undergoing training at the
hands of instructors who are teaching them about military hardware such as muskets and grenades. The
place has ordinary structures such as a cookhouse and instruction often takes place in the outdoors.
The place has all the trappings of a field station in the military.

Problem Action
The squad of new recruits has among them an obnoxious fellow Private Quelch The story narrates the routine activities in
who has a habit of ticking off his fellow privates for their lack of knowledge and military barracks where squads of privates are
uses every opportunity to show off his knowledge. He is very unsportsmanlike and undergoing military training at the hands of their
instead of accepting defeat gamely, he works harder and more determinedly to get instructors. Discipline is severe and the men are
the better of his rivals. He is also disliked by his instructors who find ways of ignoring put through rigorous physical training.
his knowledge by either ignoring him or else punishing him.
 Literature Textbook 199
Summary
Para 1 at night to read them. In the field, he drilled smartly
Here the author described the appearance of a and after long marches he still showed stamina and
Private who is unsoldierly in appearance. He has urged his comrades to start singing, when all they
a stoop, lanky and wears horn-rimmed glasses so wanted was to rest after a tiring march. This action
that his other comrades nickname him ‘Professor’. made his comrades feel very angry towards him. On
Para 2 the day when he went up to collect his allowance,
he saluted in the smartest fashion and whenever an
The author draws attention to the first military
officer was in sight he marched smartly, as does a
lesson the squad was being given. It was about
Guardsman of the British Army.
musketry and an elderly sergeant with a weathered
face from serving in the outdoors, was lecturing to Para 10
them on musketry. He had been a soldier who had He was in the habit of telling his fellow soldiers all
served in the North West Frontier in British India that he knew in a monotonous tone, which went
and wore service ribbons to indicate this fact. on continuously. Initially, his fellow soldiers were
Paras 3-6 impressed by his superior knowledge but gradually
they were terrified of his presence. They tried to
The instructor had rounded off the figure of the
deride him but Quelch was immune to such attempts
speed at which a bullet leaves the rifle, but the
as his mind was occupied with earning the next rank.
Professor instead of calmly accepting this fact, had
interrupted the lesson and given the exact figure. Para 11
The Sergeant was a sporting man and he readily Every time a fellow soldier made a mistake, Quelch
accepted being interrupted and checked and had would use that opportunity to publicly correct him
carried on with his lecture. He was upset at being and he tried his best to outshine them at every
checked for his careless knowledge of details and opportunity. When the Orderly Officer for the day
had posed several questions before the Professor spoke about the standard of their cleaning schedule,
after the lecture, in order to humiliate him. But Quelch would pipe up a loud thank you, even while
to his dismay the Professor had rattled on about the other men listened to the officer in silence. He
technical definitions, the parts of a rifle, its use and was always acting superior towards his comrades
care and so on, making the instructor curious about by announcing ‘Let me show you…’ and thereby
his previous employment. crushing the spirit of the other man.
Para 7 Para 12
The Professor, instead of giving an honest answer The squad were proud of their ability to recognize
about how he had learnt the facts, gave a dismissive the makes and types of aircraft, but once when a
answer saying it was all a matter of intelligent drone of an aircraft was heard overhead, the men
reading. This phrase implied that the instructor had were waiting to get a glimpse of it through the glare
not read enough and, therefore, could not decipher of the sun. Quelch, on the other hand, without even
the importance of facts and figures when instructing looking skywards, identified its make and rattled off
privates. how he had recognized the make by the high tip
Para 8 speed of its airscrew. The men felt like ignorant
village lads and were exasperated by it.
The other men in the group soon learnt all about
him. They conceded that he was brainy and felt that Paras 13-14
he would become an officer and work towards that The turning point in this situation came about on a
goal, by first getting a promotion to the rank of a memorable summer afternoon when the men were
Lance-Corporal and wear a stripe sewn on his sleeve sprawling on the warm grass while Corporal Turnbull
to indicate his rank. was lecturing to them about a hand grenade.
Para 9 Para 15
To achieve this rank, the Quelch had worked hard Corporal Turnbull was a young and strict soldier who
by reading up training manuals and staying up late had the reputation of returning from the evacuation
200 Together with® English Communicative—9
of Dunkirk in France, where the British army had Paras 25-27
evacuated 300,000 Allied soldiers from German The Corporal then announced to the squad that the
occupation, but had to leave behind their tanks, platoon officer had asked him to nominate one of
vehicles and war supplies. In such circumstances, the men for … and did not finish the rest of the
Turnbull had returned with all his equipment and sentence, sending down an air of suspense among
had even brought back a little kitten in his pocket. the men. The men were sure that whatever be the
The squad was in awe of Turnbull’s toughness and announcement, it would go in favour of Quelch
believed that even if nails were hammered into him, and had been stealing glances towards him. Quelch
it would not leave any effect. on the other hand, stood rigidly to attention, self-
Paras 16-22 consciously. At that moment the Corporal finished
The Corporal was pointing out the outside of a the rest of his sentence by saying that he had been
grenade and explained that it was divided into a asked to nominate one of them for permanent
cookhouse duties and he had decided to appoint
large number of pieces, when Quelch piped up and
Private Quelch for the job.
gave the exact figure of fragments at 44. When the
Corporal inquired he even repeated the number. Paras 28-31
The corporal’s reaction to this humiliation by his Thereafter, the incident was a huge joke among the
men made him tighten his brow, and then Quelch ranks of the squad for days on end. But when the
spoke up again to suggest to his superior that he author and his friend Trower were passing by the
canteen to their own quarters and were engaged in
should have begun his lecture on grenades by first
a conversation about the incident, they could view
informing the class about the characteristics of a
the cookhouse through an open window. Inside,
hand grenade. He seconded this idea by saying that they noticed three cooks standing against a wall as
the instructor at the other camp would always do so. if warding off an attack on them. There was a low
Para 23 monotonous voice speaking in the room.
The Corporal was visibly annoyed. His face became Paras 32-33
flushed. He asked the Private to give the lecture in It was Private Quelch who was showing off his
his place and without a second thought Quelch stood superior knowledge in front of the cooks. He
up, and spoke brilliantly about a hand grenade. said that he was protesting against the terribly
Para 24 unscientific way of peeling potatoes which he found
to be unhygienic. He pointed out to the cooks that
The effect of the lecture on the men was one of
he needed to draw their attention to the sheer
subdued and horrified response, while the Corporal wastage of vitamins by their method. The author
only thanked Quelch for his effort. Thereafter, he and his friend did not wait to see the consequences
began to speak to the rest of the squad. as they fled.

Outcome
Despite being punished by being assigned the humiliating duty of working with cooks in the cookhouse, in
place of rigorous military training, Quelch turns around a negative situation by lecturing to the cooks. The
men stand in awe and listen to his monotonous lecture because they have no means of escaping from it.

Word-Meaning

Private: soldier without rank; Liable: likely to do; Lanky: tall; Stooping: bending; Frowning: an
expression of disapproval; Musketry: art of using the infantry soldier’s hand gun; Stripe: v-shaped
band to indicate the rank of a soldier; Skinny: too thin; Remorseless: without regret; Sarcasms: satire;
Condescending: behave as if you are more intelligent than others; Airscrew: an aircraft propeller;
Sprawling: lying out stretched; Trifled with: to talk or act frivolously; Segmentation: division;
Unabashed: unashamed; Lingeringly: that lasts a long time; Abominably: in unpleasant way
 Literature Textbook 201

CBSE Textbook Exercises

1. With your partner, discuss and narrate an incident about a person who likes to show off.
• ..............................................................................................................................................................
• ..............................................................................................................................................................
• ..............................................................................................................................................................
• ..............................................................................................................................................................
Check whether your classmates agree with you.
Ans. My friend Kamal likes to show off about everything. She does not like to be second to none, and
at first it was very annoying for me to listen to her bragging day in and day out. My immediate
reaction was to try and taunt her about her behaviour, but that did not work. In fact, she became
even more aggressive and began to say that she has more pocket money and that her father’s car
is the best model when actually it was a car in the middle range of cars. When I tried to tell her,
she retorted that it was ideal for their family because her father rarely used it and her mother
only travelled with her father in the official car. In short, the car was meant exclusively for her,
and in that case she was better off than all of us.
After getting tired of her constant upmanship, I decided to step back and think things out for
myself. I realised that for Kamal showing off was a habit and finding reasons to justify herself
when cornered, was her mode of defence. I also reasoned with myself that Kamal was confined in
her own surroundings. She could not imagine that there were so many other people in the world
who had better cars than her and that they did not show off about it. It was her petty-minded
mindset that made her behave in that way.
Before long, I took her showing off as a thing to be laughed about instead of becoming upset.
Now we are friends once again and every time, Kamal begins to show off, I simply tell myself
that there are better off people in the world than her who do not have to show off and I should
tolerate her ways.
3. The ‘Professor’ knew too much. How did he prove himself? Fill up the space with suitable examples
from the story, using the given clues:
(a) about muzzle velocity: …………………………………………………………………
(b) after a thirty mile walk: ……………………………………………………………….
(c) his salute on payday: …………………………………………………………………….
(d) the loud sound of a high flying invisible aeroplane: ………………………
(e) about hand grenades: …………………………………………………………………..
(f) during cook house duties: ……………………………………………………………..
Ans. (a) about muzzle velocity: The muzzle velocity is the speed at which the bullet leaves the rifle.
The ‘Professor’ gave the exact speed at 2,440 feet per second while the instructor had said
‘It would be well over 2000 feet per second.’
(b) after a thirty mile walk: While the others in the group were exhausted after the thirty mile
walk, the ‘Professor’ would say: ‘What about a song, chaps?’
(c) his salute on payday: It was a model to behold.
(d) the loud sound of a high flying invisible aeroplane: Without even a glance upward, the
professor identified it as a North American Harvard Grainer.
202 Together with® English Communicative—9
(e) about hand grenades: The outside of a grenade could be divided into 44 segments. While
teaching about hand grenades, the instructor should start with the five characteristics of a
hand grenade.
(f) during cook house duties: Private Quelch was declared just the man for the job.
4. A. Based on your reading of the story, answer the following questions by choosing the correct
options.
(a) Private Quelch was nick-named ‘Professor’ because of .................................. .
(i) his appearance. (ii) his knowledge.
(iii) his habit of reading. (iv) his habit of sermonizing.
(b)  One could hammer nails into Corporal Turnbull without his noticing it because
.................................. .
(i) he was a strong and sturdy man. (ii) he was oblivious to his surroundings.
(iii) he was a brave corporal. (iv) he was used to it.
(c) The author and his friend Trower fled from the scene as .................................. .
(i) they had to catch a train.
(ii) they could not stand Private Quelch exhibiting his knowledge.
(iii) they felt they would have to lend a helping hand.
(iv) they did not want to meet the cooks.
(d) The main reason that the Professor remain unflinched despite the retaliation of his batch-
mates was due to the fact that
(i) his desire to impress people overruled the humiliation he experienced each time.
(ii) his miraculously tireless personality couldn’t stop him from working extra hard.
(iii) he was so involved in excelling that he barely noticed sarcastic comments.
(iv) he knew that the only way to earn respect is through hard work.
(e) Choose the expression that uses the same literary device as used in the line “he was so
tough that you could hammer nails into him without his noticing it.”
(i) My mom made enough food to feed an army last night.
(ii) My alarm clock yells at me to get out of bed every morning.
(iii) The car complained as the key was roughly turned in its ignition.
(iv) Lightning danced across the sky like a fairy beating against the clouds.
Ans. A. (a) (iv) his habit of sermonizing
(b) (i) he was a strong and sturdy man.
(c) (ii) they could not stand Private Quelch exhibiting his knowledge.
(d) (iii) he was so involved in excelling that he scarcely noticed sarcastic comments.
(e) (iv) Lightning danced across the sky like a fairy beating against the clouds.
4. B. Read the given extracts and answer the questions that follow:
1. Without even a glance upward the Professor announced, “That, of course, is a North
American Harvard Trainer. It can be unmistakably identified by the harsh engine note,
due to the high tip speed of the airscrew.” What could a gang of louts like us do with a
man like that?
(i) Choose the option that best describes the traits of the Professor in the given extract.
1. patience 2. awareness
3. knowledge 4. flamboyance
5. kindness
(a) 1, 2, 3 (b) 2, 3, 4
(c) 2, 3, 5 (d) 3, 4, 5
 Literature Textbook 203
(ii) The author refers to himself and his peers as ‘louts’ to
(a) bring out the contrast with the Professor.
(b) comment on the expertise in other fields.
(c) draw attention to lack of teamwork in all.
(d) accept the display of undisciplined behaviour.
2. In the silence that followed a dark flush stained the tan of the Corporal’s face. “Here,” he
said at last, “you give this lecture”. As if afraid to say any more, he tossed the grenade to
the Professor. Quite unabashed, Private Quelch climbed to his feet and with the attitude
of a man coming into his birth-right gave us an unexceptionable lecture on the grenade.
(i) Choose the statement that is NOT TRUE about the depiction of the scene described
in the above lines.
(a) Private Quelch knew more about hand grenades than Turnbull.
(b) Turnbull was not someone who would let things go easily.
(c) The entire batch was stunned at Quelch’s audacity.
(d) Quelch was able to impress Turnbull with his vast knowledge.
(ii) The silence that follows Quelch’s remarks shows that the entire batch did not
(a) wish to see Turnbull humiliated.
(b) want Quelch embarrassed.
(c) know how to react
(d) care for the conversation.
(iii) The fact that Quelch delivered the lecture when asked to do so shows that he
(a) wanted to teach Turnbull a valuable lesson.
(b) failed to take the hint that Turnbull felt insulted.
(c) knew when to flaunt his knowledge for his own benefit.
(d) established himself as a man superior to Turnbull.
Ans. 1. (i) (b) 2, 3, 4
(ii) (a) bring out the contrast with the Professor.
2. (i) (a) Private Quelch knew more about hard grenade than Turnbull.
(ii) (c) know how to react
(iii) (c) knew when to flaunt his knowledge for his own benefit.
5. Answer the following questions briefly.
(a) What is a ‘nickname’? Can you suggest another one for Private Quelch?
(b) Private Quelch looked like a ‘Professor’ when the author first met him at the training depot.
Why?
(c) What does the dark, sun-dried appearance of the Sergeant suggest about him?
(d) How was Private Quelch’s knowledge exposed even further as the Sergeant’s classwent on?
(e) What did the Professor mean by ‘intelligent reading’?
(f) What were the Professor’s ambitions in the army?
(g) Did Private Quelch’s day to day practices take him closer towards his goal? How can you
make out?
(h) How did Private Quelch manage to anger the Corporal?
(i) Do you think Private Quelch learnt a lesson when he was chosen for cookhouse duties?
Give reasons for your answer.
(j) Elaborate on any one character trait of Corporal Turnbull with evidence from the text.
(k) Infer the reason that left the squad horrified when Turnbull asked Quelch to deliver the
lesson.
204 Together with® English Communicative—9
(a) A ‘nickname’ is a name which is humorous given around some characteristic the person
Ans.
exhibits. Another name for Private Quelch could be ‘Mr. Know-all’.
(b) Private Quelch looked like a professor at the first meeting because of his physique which
resembled that of a typical professor. He was lanky and stooping and wore horn-rimmed
spectacles. Moreover, his conversation seemed to confirm this fact.
(c) The dark sun-dried appearance of the Sergeant suggests that he was a Black African who
had been out in the open and become sun tanned.
(d) Private Quelch in the later part began to take on the role of the instructor and lectured to
his fellow trainees with his knowledge.
(e) By ‘intelligent reading’, he meant a thorough study of the subject and absorbing the facts.
(f) The Professor’s ambitions in the army was to become a commissioned officer instead of
remaining a mere private.
(g) Private Quelch’s day to day practices took him nearer to his goal as he borrowed training
manuals and stayed up late, reading them. He badgered his instructors with questions and
drilled with enthusiasm.
(h) Private Quelch angered the Corporal by trying to outdo his knowledge. He did not grasp
the sarcasm when he was asked to take over the class. As he delivered the instruction in a
flawless manner, it annoyed the Corporal.
(i) I do not think Private Quelch learnt his lesson because even in the cookhouse he had
continued delivering lectures to others about the scientific way of peeling potatoes. He had
found fault with the prevalent practice of peeling potatoes, calling it unhygienic.
(j) Corporal Turnbull was an instructor for the author and other recruits. He was admired for
his soldierly qualities in the face of the enemy as he had returned from Dunkirk without
losing any equipment and shown his softer side by bringing back his kitten in his pocket.
Thus he was an epitome of soldierly behaviour due to his toughness on the battlefront, his
tenderness towards other creatures and his disciplined ways with recruits.
(k) The squad was horrified because of Private Quelch’s behaviour in taking over the class from
his instructor quite unabashedly. The instructor was much admired and carried a formidable
reputation as a war veteran who had returned from Dunkirk. Thus contradicting him during
his instruction, seemed to the other recruits as unacceptable manners especially since he was
their instructor and they were mere recruits.
6. Answer in detail
(a) Quelch’s character teaches us that with hard work one also needs to have social and emotional
intelligence. Justify.
(b) Seeking and sharing knowledge about things is perceived as a quality and not a trait that
needs to be curbed. Analyse why the Professor’s knowledge made this quality turn sour.
(c) Private Quelch knew ‘too much’. Give reasons to prove that he was unable to win the
admiration of his superior officers or his colleagues in about 100 words.
Ans. (a) Private Quelch was a recruit at the training depot. He was an ambitious entrant who believed
in impressing his instructors with the exactitude of his military knowledge. Besides this trait
of absorbing all the minutiae about military equipment he was a blatant show-off and picked
on the slips made by his instructors who were themselves highly experienced war veterans
who had served at crucial theatres of war such as the North-West Frontier and Dunkirk and
expected unconditional obedience from them. The recruit’s deliberate slighting behaviour
made him immensely shunned as also exposing his lack of propriety and ignorance about
social and emotional intelligence when dealing with seniors.
 Literature Textbook 205
(b) Private Quelch’s trait of checking the minor slips of his instructors thereby slighting them with
his knowledge of military equipment, was universally resented. This is because, while listeners
are eager to gain knowledge from their instructors, who are trying to share their knowledge
with their pupils unconditionally, the habit of pointing out minor flaws and then delivering
the same knowledge flawlessly, in the presence of the latter instructor, was grossly humiliating
and incited the other pupils into shunning Quelch for his superior and undiplomatic rudeness
towards people who had earned the respect and trust of other recruits.
(c) Private Quelch did not win the admiration of his superior officers despite knowing so much
because:
(i) he was boastful and did not realize he was hurting others’ self-respect.
(ii) he was a show-off and tried to put others down by his exemplary behaviour at the cost
of others’ humiliation.
(iii) he always tried to outshine his colleagues and sarcasms and jokes did not affect him.
He made his friends appear like a gang of louts before him.
(iv) he did not give respect to his superiors and took over their positions unapologetically.
(v) he was incurable in his ways and even in the cookhouse continued finding fault.
7. (a) Write down the positive and negative traits of Private Quelch’s character instances from
the story.
Positive traits Instances from the story
(i) ....................................................... .......................................................
(ii) ....................................................... .......................................................
(iii) ....................................................... .......................................................
(iv) ....................................................... .......................................................
Negative traits Instances from the story
(i) ....................................................... .......................................................
(ii) ....................................................... .......................................................
(iii) ....................................................... .......................................................
(iv) ....................................................... .......................................................
(b) Now, share your notes with the class. Add details if you need to.
(c) Attempt a character sketch of Private Quelch using your notes in about 100 words.
Ans. (a) Positive Traits:
(i) Studious: He studied late at night reading manuals.
(ii) Hardworking: He read training manuals for improving his knowledge.
(iii) Ambitious: He wanted to become a commissioned officer.
(iv) Companionable: He tried to cheer up his fellow soldiers after a thirty-mile long march.
Negative Traits:
(i) Boastful: He took pride in his knowledge.
(ii) Disrespectful to seniors: He corrected them in the midst of lectures and even took on
their roles without an apology.
(iii) Show off: When an officer was in sight he marched like a guardsman.
(iv) Condescending: He always wanted to show his fellow companions the better way of
doing things in order to prove his superiority.
(b) For self-attempt.
(c) Private Quelch was a soldier recruit at the training depot who was nicknamed Professor
because of horn-rimmed spectacles and his stooping lanky figure. He was studious and
206 Together with® English Communicative—9
hardworking who poured over military manuals borrowed from instructors, late into the
night. He was hardworking and had a goal towards which he strove. He was impeccable in
his drill and his saluting was a model of perfection. He was condescending in his behaviour
and corrected his instructors in front of the class. He even took over a class thereby proving
the instructor inadequate. He always expected to be on top and even when he was assigned
permanent cookhouse duties, instead of relenting and changing his ways, he continued to
make a nuisance of himself by lecturing about the unhygienic way of peeling potatoes. He
was avoided by his companions who despised his superior ways.

Writing Task
8. You are the ‘Professor’. Write a diary entry after your first day at the cookhouse.
Describe the events that led to this assignment. Also express your thoughts and feelings about
the events of the day in about 150 words.
Ans. 10th May, 19XX
Dear Diary 10:00 p.m.
Today I take on my permanent duties at the cookhouse. Corporal Turnbull took my knowledge
to put him down and why not? The man was not taking the class on hand grenades the right way
and when he asked me to do so, I found it a good opportunity to show off my knowledge. After
all, I hope to become a commissioned officer some day, while Turnbull will remain a Corporal all
his life with such low grade knowledge.
The entire group had expected me to get a plumb job assigned by the platoon officer, but instead,
he humiliated me by giving me permanent cookhouse duties. But I am not easily cowered. I will
continue to make a success of it. I will use it to learn more about the science of cooking. I will
read up how best to preserve the vitamins in food. I will also observe strict hygiene in the way
potatoes are peeled in the kitchen and make my knowledge known to every other soldier in the
cookhouse. Just you see!

Solved question bank

T
R C Reference-to-Context Questions
1. Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow.
Anyone who saw Private Quelch lanky, stooping, frowning through horn-rimmed spectacles, understood
why he was known as the Professor. Those who had any doubts on the subject lost them after five
minutes’ conversation with him’
(a) Write about the appearance of Private Quelch.
(b) What was he known as?
(c) Find out a word from the passage similar in meaning to ‘bending’.
(d) How did the Professor clear the doubts of anyone on the subject?
Ans. (a) Private Quelch was lanky, stooping and appeared to be frowning through horn-rimmed
spectacles.
(b) He was known as the Professor.
(c) ‘stooping’
(d) Anyone who had any doubts on the subject got them cleared after having conversation with
the Professor for five minutes.
 Literature Textbook 207
2. Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow. [CBSE 2012]
The Professor answered with a phrase that was to become familiar to all of us. ‘No Sergeant. It’s
all a matter of intelligent reading.’
(a) Who is the Professor?
(b) Why was he called the professor?
(c) Write the opposite of the word ‘intelligent’.
(d) What does the term ‘intelligent reading’ in this passage denote?
Ans. (a) The Professor is the name that his squad members had given to Private Quelch.
(b) He was a well-read man. That is way he was called the Professor.
(c) ‘stupid’/’unintelligent’
(d) It denotes pertinent referencing.
3. Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow.
And day in and day out, he lectured to us in his droning, remorseless voice on every aspect of
human knowledge.
(a) Who is ‘he’ in this passage?
(b) Why was he unpleasant to others?
(c) Which word in the passage means ‘speaking in a low monotonous way’?
(d) Why has the term ‘remorseless’ been used to describe his voice?
Ans. (a) ‘He’ in this passage is Private Quelch who is speaking to his squad members.
(b) He was unpleasant to others because of his condescending ways by which he corrected
his teammates in public, outshone them in all aspects.
(c) ‘droning’
(d) The term ‘remorseless’ has been used because Quelch would continue with his banter when
the others just wanted to be left to their thoughts.
4. Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow.
When, after a hard morning’s work of cleaning out our hut, we listened in silence to the Orderly
Officer’s praise, the Professor would break out with a ringing, dutifully beaming, “Thank you, sir!”
(a) What work does the speaker of the passage refer to?
(b) Whom did the Orderly Officer praise?
(c) Find out a word from the passage similar in meaning to ‘cheerful’.
(d) The Orderly Officer was praising Private Quelch for his impeccable work. What are the
duties of an Orderly Officer?
Ans. (a) The work of maintaining the upkeep of their living quarters is being referred to here.
(b) The Orderly Officer praised Private Quelch for his impeccable standards of cleaning.
(c) beaming
(d) The Orderly Officer is a person who is in-charge of the security and administration of a unit
or establishment for a day at a time.
5. Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow.
Without even a glance upward the Professor announced, ‘That, of course, is a North American
Harvard Trainer.’
(a) Why did the Professor have to look upward?
(b) What did the Professor identify?
(c) Find out a word from the extract similar in meaning to ‘hurried look’.
(d) In which country was the North American Harvard Trainer Aircraft designed and built?
208 Together with® English Communicative—9
Ans. (a) The Professor would have to look upward to identify the aircraft flying overhead.
(b) The Professor identified that the aircraft overhead was an American Harvard Trainer.
(c) glance
(d) The North American Harvard Trainer aircraft was designed and built in the United States
of America.
6. Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow.
We were sprawling contentedly on the warm grass while Corporal Turnbull was taking a lesson on the
hand grenade.
(a) Who is ‘we’ in the given etract?
(b) What was happening to the speaker?
(c) Give a synonym for the word ‘sprawling’ as used in this context.
(d) What sort of weather condition does the term ‘warm grass’ indicate?
Ans. (a) ‘We’ refer to members of the squad of privates.
(b) The Corporal was taking a lesson on hand grenades.
(c) ‘outstretched’
(d) It was a pleasant summer morning.
7. Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow.
In the silence that followed a dark flush stained the tan of the Corporal’s face.
(a) Why is the Corporal flushed?
(b) How do we know that the Corporal has spent a lot of time outdoors?
(c) What duties does a corporal perform?
(d) Give a synonym for the word ‘discolour’ as used in the passage.
Ans. (a) The Corporal is flushed because of embarrassment of being corrected.
(b) His face was tanned.
(c) Corporal performs the duty of leading a team.
(d) stained

A
S Short Answer Type Questions
1. How did the Sergeant react when Private Quelch interrupted him during his first lesson in
musketry?
Ans. The Professor was a very knowledgeable person. He publicly corrected the Sergeant during the
first lesson in musketry. The Sergeant told that a bullet leaves the rifle at the speed of over 2000
feet per second. In no time, the Professor interrupted and said that a bullet leaves the rifle at the
speed of 2440 feet per second. Sergeant didn’t take it lightly. Instead he put before the Professor
plethora of questions which the Professor answered convincingly.
2. Justify the title of the story ‘The Man Who Knew Too Much’.
Ans. The title of the story ‘The Man Who Knew Too Much’ is apt and justified. In the story, the author
reflects the personality of the Professor aptly. The Professor is a very knowledgeable and up-to-
date man. Exhibitionism was the dominant feature of Professor Quelch’s personality. Through it,
he irritates his other colleagues too. Ultimately, he loses sympathy and love of his colleagues.
3. How did the Corporal punish Private Quelch and why? [CBSE 2015]
Ans. The Corporal punished Private Quelch by sending him off on permanent cookhouse duties where
he would not have a chance to show off his knowledge about military matters and thereby expose
his senior’s lack of knowledge.
 Literature Textbook 209
4. What was the turning point in the life of Private Quelch? How did the turning point come?
[CBSE 2014]
Ans. When the Professor finished his lecture on the grenade, the turning point in his life came. On
taking over, Quelch gave a flawless lecture but thereafter, was assigned permanent cookhouse
duties, much to the delight of his comrades.
5. What did the author learn more about Private Quelch?
Ans. The author and his men soon realized that Quelch’s ways were condescending towards them as
he took every opportunity possible to expose his comrades’ lack of knowledge in military matters,
thereby infuriating them by his superior knowledge and hard work.
6. What was the Professor’s reactions when one of his fellow privates made a mistake?
Ans. When his fellow privates would make a mistake he would publicly correct the wronged statement.
Also he always strove to outshine their achievements. These habits made him highly unpopular
among his comrades.
7. Describe the image of Corporal Turnbull among his men.
Ans. Corporal Turnbull was a young man who was admired by his men for his achievements at Dunkirk
and his legendary toughness, which was rumoured to be so tough that he would hardly notice if
nails were hammered into him.
8. What followed when Private Quelch was asked to give the lecture?
Ans. When Private Quelch was asked to give the lecture, he unabashedly climbed to his feet and gave an
impeccable lecture on the subject of hand grenades, thereby demeaning the image of his instructor
before the squad.
9. What was the reaction of the group after the lecture was completed?
Ans. The group were taken aback by the boldness of the step that Private Quelch had taken in
volunteering to give the lecture and thus they listened to him in subdued silence. The Corporal
heard out the lecture without showing any emotions.
10. What was the ‘great moment’? How did it end?
Ans. The great moment came when the squad waited expectantly to hear who would be nominated for
a special task. The squad expected it to be a reward for Quelch, but it ended in his demotion to
permanent cookhouse duties.
11. What duties were assigned to Private Quelch?
Ans. The new duties were not what Quelch had expected after his successful lecture. It was a way of
deriding Quelch for his squad teammates, who were on the look out for a suitable opportunity to
get even with his condescending ways.
12. What did the author and his friend overhear?
Ans. The author and his friend overheard Private Quelch lecturing to the three cooks in the cookhouse
in his typical monotonous voice, about the unscientific and unhygienic ways in which potatoes were
peeled in the cookhouse.

A
L Long Answer Type Questions
1. Taking into account the positive and negative traits of Private Quelch’s character, write his
character sketch.
Ans. Private Quelch was a hardworking and knowledgeable man. He could recall the minor details of
what he had read. He was of helpful nature. Whenever he found anybody in need, he extended
his helping hand towards him. To fulfil his dream, he did whatever could be possible from him.
He did not bother about the fellow trainees’ sarcasms and jokes. He was contented with his
210 Together with® English Communicative—9
duties whatever was assigned to him. On the other hand, he had some negative personality traits
too. He had the tendency to show-off his knowledge. He did not lose opportunity to do so. He
was tactless. It was his habit to interrupt in others affairs. He had the habit to correct others in
public. He was quite ignorant of this fact that one feels embarrassed and infuriated if corrected
before strangers. He tried to please his seniors outshining others. These character traits made him
unpopular among both his juniors and seniors.
2. Although the Professor was knowledgeable and willing to share his knowledge with his mates
sometimes, they avoided crossing paths with him. Comment with reference to ‘The Man Who
Knew Too Much.”
Ans. So far knowledgeable persons are concerned, they are sometimes avoided by their relatives and
near and dear ones. Private Quelch was a knowledgeable person. He had indepth knowledge of
his field. When he begins to outdo his fellow trainees with his superior or excellent knowledge,
they begin to avoid him. On route marches, he was not only miraculously tireless but infuriate all
with his horrible heartiness. “What about a song, chaps”? no one greeted the suggestion. So, he
started delivering lecture to them in his droning, remorseless voice on every aspect of human life.
That is why all his fellows were irritated with him. He was made a butt of sarcasm and jokes. He
did not even spare his instructors. Exhibitionism and tendency of belittling others made him an
unpleasant character.
3. The lesson ‘The Man Who Knew Too Much’ gives us a living proof of what the term ‘camaraderie’
implies. Comment.
Ans. The ‘camaraderie’ helped the squad to counter the ways of an obnoxious squad member Private
Quelch, by nicknaming him ‘Professor’. The men reacted negatively when Quelch would correct
them for their slip-ups or would lecture to them on every aspect of human knowledge. Even though
they admired the manner in which Quelch conducted the lecture on hand grenades, he received
no praise because he had derided their favourite instructor. The men in one voice derided and
enjoyed the fact that Quelch had been punished by being assigned permanent cookhouse duties.
However, when the men found the cooks cowering before Quelch in the kitchen, they realized
that he was irrepressive and therefore best left ignored.
4. Private Quelch lacked the qualities of a team member. Do you agree?
Ans. Private Quelch gloated over his knowledge and showed off before his teammates instead of helping
them. He angered them by suggesting they break into song when they exhausted after a 30-mile
march. He lacked sympathy for them and corrected his friends in public. When they outwitted
him, instead of praising them he worked harder to outshine them. He was the only one among
them who wished to move up and become an officer and thus prove that he was superior. He
corrected his instructors and took lectures in their place, simply to prove his knowledge without
caring for the squad’s sentiments towards their instructors.
5. When punishment is given as a form of revenge, it loses its purpose. With reference to the story,
‘The Man Who Knew Too Much’ state your observations.
Ans. The instructor, who had invited Quelch to continue with the lecture thought he would shame
him into silence for being insolent towards him. Instead, Quelch made a thorough success of the
lecture and the instructor stood further exposed. The instructor took his revenge at being humbled
before his squad, by using his authority and on behalf of the Orderly Officer assigned permanent
cookhouse duties to Quelch. Instead of silencing Quelch, he had given him an extra outlet for his
knowledge as the private continued to lecture to the cooks. Thus the punishment given to Quelch
made him more resolute and was not a corrective measure for his misdemeanors.