Chapter 1 The Best Christmas Present Solutions

Comprehension Check (Page 10) 

Ques 1. What did the author find in a junk shop? 

Ans: The author found a roll-top desk for sale in a junk shop. It was made of oak wood, but it was in a very bad condition.

Ques 2. What did he find in a secret drawer? Who do you think had put it in there?

Ans: In the secret drawer of the desk, the author found a small tin box. It had a letter in it. I think the owner of the roll-top desk might have put it there.

Comprehension Check (Page 14)

Ques 1. Who had written the letter, to whom, and when? 

Ans: Jim Macpherson, a captain in the British army, had written that letter, dated Dec. 26, 1914, to his wife Connie.

Ques 2. Why was the letter written — what was the wonderful thing that had happened? 

Ans: The letter described a wonderful event. The two armies–the British and the German— fighting against each other celebrated Christmas together.

Ques 3. What jobs did Hans Wolf and Jim Macpherson have when they were not soldiers? 

Ans: Before joining the army, Hans played the cello in the orchestra and Jim was a teacher.

Ques 4. Had Hans Wolf ever been to Dorset? Why did he say he knew it? 

Ans: No, Hans had never been to Dorset. He had only read about Dorset in Hardy’s novel ‘Far from the Madding Crowd’.

Ques 5. Do you think Jim Macpherson came back from the war? How do you know this?

Ans: No, Jim Macpherson never came back home from the war. Perhaps therefore his wife Connie had preserved his letters.

Comprehension Check (Page 15) 

Ques 1. Why did the author go to Bridport? 

Ans: The author went to Bridport to meet Mrs Jim Macpherson and deliver to her Jim’s letter.

Ques 2.  How old was Mrs Macpherson now? Where was she?

Ans: Mrs. Macpherson was 101 years old. She was in a nursing home.

Comprehension Check (Page 16) 

Ques 1. Who did Connie Macpherson think her visitor was? 

Ans: Connie thought that the visitor was her own husband, Jim Macpherson.

Ques 2. Which sentence in the text shows that the visitor did not try to hide his identity?

Ans: That sentence is, “you told me you’d come home by Christmas, dearest,” she said, “And here you are, the best Christmas present in the world. Come closer, Jim dear, sit down.

Working with the Text (Page 16) 

Ques 1. For how long do you think Connie had kept Jim’s letter? Give reasons for your answer.

Ans: Connie received Jim’s last letter on January 25, 1915. Connie might have kept Jim’s letter for a very long time. This is because she told the narrator how she read it very often every day so that she could feel that Jim was close to her. The letter was dated Dec. 26, 1914. 

Ques 2. Why do you think the desk had been sold, and when?

Ans: The desk must have been sold when Connie’s house had burnt. The table had been damaged by fire as well as water.

Ques 3. Why do Jim and Hans think that games or sports are good ways of resolving conflicts? Do you agree?

Ans: Both Jim and Hans were soldiers. Both were warm hearted. They had seen the sufferings of war. So it was natural for them to hate war. They favoured a peaceful solution to settle disputes. Games or sports, they said, were good ways of resolving conflicts. I also quite agree with them.

Ques 4. Do you think the soldiers of the two armies are like each other , or different from each other? Find evidence from the story to support your answer.

Ans: All human beings are alike in many ways. They love peace and hate war. They want to live together. Examples from the story: “Then they were calling out to us from a across no man’s land. “Happy Christmas, Tommy! Happy Christmas! “When  we had got over the surprise some of us shouted back.” Same to you, Fritz ! Same to you!”

Ques 5. Mention the various ways in which the British and the German soldiers become friends and find things in common at Christmas.

Ans: The British and German soldiers were enemies during wartime, but as humans, they shared similar feelings. During Christmas, they set aside their hatred, celebrated together, played games, feasted, and drank like friends. Both despised war and longed to return to their families once it was over.

Ques 6. What is Connie’s Christmas present? Why is it the best Christmas present in the world?

Ans: Connie thought that Jim had come back home from war. She mistook the author as Jim. She had been waiting for her husband Jim. So the coming home of Jim was the best Christmas present in the world for her.

Ques 7. Do you think the title of the story is suitable for it? Can you think of any other title(s)?

Ans: The title of the story is undoubtedly the most fitting. For the elderly Connie, no gift could have brought her more joy than the return of her husband, Jim. Even if her assumption was mistaken, it gave her immense happiness. While alternate titles like ‘War and Peace’ or ‘Christmas Gift’ could work, neither would match the significance of the current title.