Hi Everyone!! This article will share The Man On The Train Questions & Answers.
In my previous posts, I have shared the questions and answers of The Louse and The Mosquito, After Twenty Years and The Listeners so, you can check these posts as well.
The Man On The Train Questions & Answers
Question 1: Choose the correct option:
(a) The author and his siblings feel indebted to their father
i. for leaving behind a good fortune for them to live on.
ii. for providing them with a decent life and education.
iii. for teaching them the skills of farming.
(b) Two persons who played a key role in Simon Haley’s achieving a better status in life were
i. his mother and grandfather.
ii. his mother and Mr R.S.M. Boyce.
iii. Mr Boyce and his school principal.
(c) Simon Haley did odd jobs while at junior college in order to
i. send money home to his parents.
ii. get some pocket money.
iii. meet his college expenses.
(d) His performance at college declined because
i. he was too exhausted with the evening and morning jobs to be able to study.
ii. the tests and exams were too difficult for him.
iii. he was too depressed to be able to concentrate on his studies.
(e) The man on the train whom Simon Haley served, was impressed with
i. his spoken English and smart turnout in a white jacket.
ii. the fact that Simon was working hard in order to get an education.
iii. his promptness in attending to the needs of the passengers.
(f) Mr Boyce changed Simon Haley’s fortune by
i. giving him a handsome tip that helped him meet his college expenses.
ii. writing a letter of recommendation that would get him a good job after leaving college.
iii. looking after all his college expenses for an entire academic year so that he could concentrate on his studies alone.
(g) Alex Haley says he began to cry when he was at The Saturday Evening Post office because he was
i. reminded of his father’s struggle to get an education that later benefitted him.
ii. in a prestigious position that his ancestors could never have dreamt of.
iii. reminded of the generosity of the man who had dramatically changed his life.
Question 2: Read and answer the questions:
Back then in Savanah a boy was considered ‘wasted’ if he remained in school after he was big enough to do farm work.
i. Why was a boy considered wasted if he remained in school after he had attained a certain age?
Answer: A boy is considered wasted because people preferred to put their children to work so that they could contribute towards the family’s expenses.
ii. What did Alex Haley’s ancestors do for a livelihood?
Answer: Alex Haley’s ancestors were former slaves and part-time sharecroppers.
Question 3: Read and answer the questions:
Her barrage worked.
i. Who is the person in question?
Answer: Alex Haley’s grandmother is the person in question.
ii. What was she trying to do?
Answer: She was trying to convince his grandfather to let their son study.
iii. How did her barrage work?
Answer: Alex’s grandfather, Alex Haley handed five ten-dollar notes to his son, told him never to ask for more and sent him off to high school.
Question 4: Read and answer the questions:
A ponderous sense of defeat descended upon him.
i. Who is the person in question?
Answer: Simon Alexander Haley is the person in question.
ii. What had happened for him to feel defeated?
Answer: He had failed a course because he had been too poor to buy a textbook.
iii. What was the reason for this state of affairs?
Answer: The constant struggle to earn money took its toll. Simon did not have the time to study since he had to work and still couldn’t afford his books.
Question 5: Read and answer the questions:
‘I have a letter here, Simon,’ the president said.
i. Who is talking to whom?
Answer: The college president is talking to Simon.
ii. Who is the letter from?
Answer: The letter was from Mr RSM Boyce, a retired executive of the Curtis Publishing Company, which published The Saturday Evening Post.
iii. What does the letter say?
Answer: According to the letter, Mr Boyce had donated 500 dollars for Simon’s boarding, tuition and books for the entire academic year.
The Man On The Train Questions & Answers
Question 6: Read and answer the questions:
And I believe that each person blessed with success has an obligation to return part of that blessing.
i. Alex Haley says earlier that he was blessed with success as the ripple effect of generosity. How did this happen?
Answer: By this Alex means that Mr Boyce’s generosity had benefitted generations of Simon’s family. Simon was able to get educated and raise his family without any financial difficulties. He was able to afford his children’s education. Consequently, his children became important and successful members of the society.
ii. What does Alex Haley wish to do and what does he exhort others to do as well?
Answer: He wished to help people just like he was helped. He believed that each person blessed with success has an obligation to return part of that blessing. We must all live and act like the man on the train.
Question 7: Why do you think the man in the train kept asking questions? Was it only out of curiosity?
Answer: The man in the train kept asking questions because he was genuinely interested in Simon’s life. He even gave him five dollars, at a time when 50 cents was a good tip.
Question 8: If Simon Haley had not met Mr Boyce on the train, in what way might his life have been different?
Answer: If Simon Haley had not met Mr Boyce on the train, he might have been forced to quit his studies and go back to the farm, like his family.
Question 9: Mr Boyce helped to educate not one person alone, but several generations. Do you agree? Explain.
Answer: Mr Boyce’s generosity not only helped Simon achieve his dream but also affected the lives of the latter’s coming generations. Simon completed his graduation and stood first in his class. That achievement earned him a full scholarship to Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. In 1920, Simon entered Cornell to pursue his Master’s degree and his wife enrolled at the Ithaca Conservatory of Music to study piano. Simon’s children grew up in home with educated parents. His son George became a chairman of US Postal Rate Commission; Julius, an architect; Lois a music teacher; and Alex, a writer.
Question 10: Find words in the text that mean the following:
(a) Desire and determination to achieve success ambitions.
(b) Feeling very happy, excited and enthusiastic ecstatic.
(c) Having an appearance that makes a person look important/makes people admire him or her distinguished-looking.
(d) To stop something from being done or used, especially by law prohibited.
(e) Fear or worry that something unpleasant may happen apprehension.
So, these were The Man On The Train Questions & Answers.