Hi Everyone!! This article will share David at the House of Shaws Questions & Answers.
In my previous posts, I have shared the questions and answers of Rikki Tikki Tavi and Daffodils so, you can check these posts as well.
David at the House of Shaws Questions & Answers
Question 1: What did David do to pass the afternoon at Uncle Ebenezer’s house?
Answer: David found a great number of Latin and English books in a room next to the kitchen. He passed the afternoon reading them.
Question 2: Read and answer the questions.
‘I discovered something which put me in some doubt.’
a. What put the speaker in some doubt?
Answer: David discovered a chapbook on the flyleaf of which his father had written, ‘To my brother Ebenezer on his fifth birthday’.
b. Why did it puzzle him?
Answer: It puzzled David because the note was written in beautiful handwriting and he knew his father was younger than Uncle Ebenezer. So, he wondered how he could write so beautifully before he was even five years old.
Question 3: ‘This puzzled me even more.’ What puzzled David even more?
Answer: When Ebenezer told David that he had been quicker than his father Alexander in learning how to read and write, David was even more puzzled. He wondered if his father and uncle were twins.
Question 4: How did Ebenezer react when David asked him if he and father had been twins?
Answer: When David asked Ebenezer if he and his father had been twins, Ebenezer reacted in a very angry manner. He caught David by the front of his jacket and asked him what had made him ask that question.
Question 5: What did Ebenezer present to David after supper? What was David’s reaction?
Answer: After supper, Uncle Ebenezer presented thirty-seven golden guinea pieces to David. David was very astonished by this present from such a miserly person as Ebenezer. He couldn’t find the words to thank his uncle.
Question 6: What did Ebenezer ask David in return for the favour that he had done him? What did he ask him to carry out that time?
Answer: Ebenezer told David that he was growing old and expected to be helped around the house and the garden. Once David agreed, Ebenezer gave him a rusty key, asked him to go to the stair-tower at the far end of the house.
David at the House of Shaws Questions & Answers
Question 7: Describe briefly David’s experience while climbing the tower.
Answer: Saying that there were no lights in his house, Ebenezer asked David to climb the stair in total darkness and go to the tower to fetch him a chest containing some important documents. David felt along the wall and climbed the stairs. Suddenly, the staircase became airier and flashes of lightning could be seen by him. It was very scary and risky. Suddenly, a flash of lightning came at the right moment and he found himself standing just two inches away from a well into which he could have fallen. David realised that his uncle had deliberately/ sent him to face such a grave risk. Perhaps, he wanted his nephew to die.
Question 8: How did David realize that his uncle had sent him to certain death?
Answer: David realised that his uncle had sent him to a certain death when he found that the staircase had abruptly ended. There was nowhere to go in the darkness except to fall from there straight to his death.
Question 9: Why do you think Uncle Ebenezer became agitated when David spoke of his father? Did Uncle Ebenezer feel that David was suspicious and could foil his plans?
Answer: When David spoke of his father, Uncle Ebenezer became agitated. He felt that David had perhaps become suspicious of his plans to deprive him of his father’s share of the property. He also felt that David was old, strong and intelligent enough to foil his wicked plans.
Question 10: ‘The incident put me into both fear and hope.’ Which is the incident that David refers to? What did David think after this?
Answer: When David asked his uncle if he and his father were twins, Ebenezer got very upset and caught him by the front of the jacket. David remained calm and asked his uncle to take his hand from his jacket, telling him that it wasn’t the way to behave. This incident scared David because he felt his uncle was possibly insane and dangerous and would like to get his nephew out of the way so that he could lay no claim on his father’s share of the property.
Question 11: “Na” said he, very cunningly.” Nae light in my house,” Why do you think the Uncle Ebenezer sent David to the tower without a light?
Answer: Uncle Ebenezer sent David to the tower without a light so that he would meet his death either by falling into the well or by stepping out into emptiness when the staircase ended suddenly.
Question 12: Uncle Ebenezer was a miserly, cunning and deceitful person. Explain with examples.
Answer: Uncle Ebenezer was a miserly, cunning and deceitful person. David and Ebenezer had only cold and hot porridge at noon and night respectively. After saying that he had kept forty pounds safe to give to his brother’s son, he could part with only thirty-seven guineas.
So, these were David at the House of Shaws Questions & Answers.