Chapter 10 - Charles
B-com part 1 English Notes
Chapter 10 - Charleshttp://karachiboardnotes.blogspot.com/
Summary
Laurie five years old student of kindergarten had just started go to school wearing his blue jeans with a beldt, accompanied with a next door older girl. Apparently like other children of his age he was not pleased to attend the school. On returning from the school on his very first day he slammed the door abruptly threw his cap ruthlessly on the floor and shouted in raucous manner. "isn't anybody here?" At Lunch he spoke insolently to his father. Next he spilled the milk of his baby sister. His affectionate mother and father still thought that he was a very well behaved lad.
To add to misery his small devilish mind created an imaginary classmate namely Charles and attributed to him all kinds of naughty and evil qualities of being rough with his classmate insolent with his teacher. Laurie narrated day to day account of charles misdeeds at school and his cruel and ill treatment with his classmates in such a way that his parents were convinced that there existed a devilish child namely Charles who had created a kind of terror in the kindergarten school. Laurie's mother thought about the helpless mother of Charles and resolved to meet her in the school on the occasion of PTA meeting next week. On Friday of that week Laurie informed his mother that Charles had become abusive and instigated a girl of her class to use bad words. It was rather an alarming news for the parents of Laurie and they discussed about it somewhat seriously.
When on the scheduled day off PTA meeting Laurie's mother visited her son's school. She tried to locate Charles mother in order to sympathize and console her for being a troubled mother of a Devil boy like Charles. She thought Charles' mother to be present in PTA meeting but during discussion with the teacher of school about Charles and his strange character the teacher remarked with surprise.
"Charles?" She said "We don't have any Charles in the kindergarten."
(This was the demise of the imaginary devil-child Charles so artistically created by the mastermind of Laurie!!!).
Difficult Words
Rude ---------------- impolite
Strain -------------- stress; physical tension
Renounce ------------ to give up officially
Swagger ------------- proud way of walking
Spank --------------- to beat; to smack on the behind
Insanely ------------ madly
Insolent ------------ rude
Choose the Correct Answer
For each of the bold words or phrases, three meanings are given. Choose the best answer.
1. Fresh
a) Recently printed or published
b) In fairly good condition
c) Disrespectful; impudent; bold and outspoken
2. (To) have your hands full
a) Be very busy; be occupied with many things
b) Receive many gifts; accept a number of presents
c) Life heavy things; move large objects
3. Haggard
a) Scholastic
b)Professional, bookish
c) Looking tired; weary and care worn
4. (To) Spank
a) Punish by striking or slapping
b) Say hello to someone
c) Write a shortly note
5. (To) take the name of the lord in vain
a) Swear or curse; use bad language
b) Call or advertise for help ; broadcast
c) Steal money and valuables from church; rob poor people
True and False
1. Laurie doesn't want his mother to treat him like a baby. (True)
2. Laurie's parents are not interested in his welfare or school life. (False)
3. Laurie's mother and Charles's mother know each other. (False)
4. Sometimes Charles seems to be very good, well behaved child. (True)
5. Charles never attended Kindergarten. (True)
Question and Answers
Q.1 What are the some characteristics of Laurie?
Ans. Laurie was a devilish genius for his age. He had a creative mind with evil designs. He was naturally mischievous and he wanted to behave as thought about Charles. He was rough in his attitude with his parents and baby sister. What he wanted to do and could not do he attributed all such desired in the form of characteristics of the imaginary child Charles.
Q.2 Did Laurie's mother ever meet Charles mother?
Ans. It was out of question because when Charles himself was an imaginary child then how come his mother would exist.
Q.3 Why did Laurie's mother believe in cock and bull stories about Charles?
Ans. She loved her son so madly that regarded her son to be an angle-boy and believed that Laurie was thousand times better than Charles and hence he deserved more affection and favour less he would also become as Charles.
Q.4 What is PTA meeting? What are some of its activities?
Ans. A PTA is a parent teachers association. It's a type of get together where both parents and teachers can discuss students problems.
Q.5 How does the teacher seem to react to "Charles"? What kinds of things does she have him do in the classroom?
Ans. The teacher seems to react to Charles in a normal way. She punishes him slightly by spanking him in a corner of the class room or staying there after the school. Then asked him to give the crayons around and pick up the books.
Q.6 What are the some of the characteristics of Charles? How does Laurie let his parents and teacher know what kind of person Charles is?
Ans. The characteristics of Charles are not different from Laurie as it is Laurie who invented Charles. Charles is rude, badly behaved, naughty, free spirited, troublesome and problematic. Laurie lets his parents and teacher know about Charles by his fictitious stories about him.
Q.7 What is the moral of the story "Charles"?
Ans. Its moral is that "Extra affection spoils the child!" The parents should scold and check the children if they behave insolently and become naughty other wise the children may develop into a menace for the parents when they grow up.