People At Work, My English Reader, Class VII, DAV Board, The Best Solutions, Section- D

Section – D

Summary in English – Caution—Man At Work

The narrator, who once dreamed of becoming a novelist, ends up doing a series of odd jobs. One of his worst job experiences occurred while delivering heating oil to rich houses. One delivery slip had the strange instruction: “Fill at the donkey’s nose.” Seeing a huge donkey statue in the garden, the narrator assumes the oil tank is inside the donkey and inserts the hose into its nose. When he starts pumping, the donkey’s head explodes, spraying oil and concrete everywhere. Later, he discovers the real oil fill was beside the statue, under the snow. He realizes the instruction was ambiguous. Though embarrassed, he isn’t fired, because worse blunders have happened.

हिन्दी –  सारांश

लेखक, जो कभी उपन्यास लिखना चाहता था, अपने जीवन में कई अस्थायी नौकरियाँ करता है। एक बार उसे हीटिंग ऑयल की डिलीवरी का काम मिलता है। एक अमीर व्यक्ति के घर में डिलीवरी पर्ची पर लिखा होता है – “Fill at the donkey’s nose” (गधे की नाक पर भरें)। वह सामने बगीचे में लगी बड़ी गधे की मूर्ति को देखकर समझता है कि उसी में तेल भरना है। वह नली मूर्ति की नाक में डालकर तेल चालू कर देता है, जिससे मूर्ति का सिर फट जाता है और तेल और कंक्रीट लेखक पर गिरता है। बाद में उसे पता चलता है कि असली टैंक तो मूर्ति के पास बर्फ के नीचे था। वह अपनी गलती पर शर्मिंदा होता है, परंतु उसे नौकरी से नहीं निकाला जाता क्योंकि ऐसी गलतियाँ पहले भी हो चुकी हैं।

Word Meanings (English and Hindi)

MCQs (Multiple Choice Questions)

1. What was the narrator’s original career plan?
   a) To be a truck driver
   b) To become an inventor
   c) To write a novel
   d) To work in construction
   Answer: c) To write a novel
2. How many jobs had the narrator done in the last ten years?
   a) 20
   b) 42
   c) 10
   d) 35
   Answer: b) 42
3. What was unusual about the delivery instruction at the mansion?
   a) It was written in code
   b) It directed to “fill at the donkey’s nose”
   c) It was in another language
   d) It asked to deliver without knocking
   Answer: b) It directed to “fill at the donkey’s nose”
4. What happened when the narrator pumped oil into the donkey’s nose?
   a) Oil started flowing perfectly
   b) Donkey made a sound
   c) The donkey’s head exploded
   d) The owner stopped him
   Answer: c) The donkey’s head exploded
5. Why wasn’t the narrator fired?
   a) He was new
   b) The boss liked him
   c) It was not the biggest blunder the company had seen
   d) He apologized
   Answer: c) It was not the biggest blunder the company had seen

Short Questions and Answers

Q1. Why did the narrator become an itinerant worker?
Ans: Although he planned to write a novel, he ended up doing multiple jobs and unknowingly became an itinerant worker.

Q2. What mistake did the narrator make while delivering oil?
Ans: He mistook a donkey statue for an oil tank and inserted the hose into its nose, which led to the head of the statue exploding.

Q3. What was actually meant by the instruction “Fill at the donkey’s nose”?
Ans: It meant the oil fill point was beside the donkey statue, not inside its nose.

Q4. How did the narrator feel after the incident?
Ans: He felt embarrassed and guilty, realizing the instruction was ambiguous but his assumption was wrong.

Q5. What did the narrator realize about the wording “Fill at the donkey’s nose”?
Ans: He realized it was ambiguous as “fill” is both a noun and a verb, which led to confusion.