Important Questions for CBSE Class 11 English Woven Stories Chapter 8 - The Luncheon

Very Short Answer Questions - 1 Marks 

1. Word - Meaning

i. Effusive

Ans: expressing or demonstrating thankfulness

ii. Gaily

Ans: a lighthearted or upbeat manner

iii. Vindictive

Ans:  expressing a great or irrational desire for vengeance

iv. Complacency

Ans: Unhappiness with one's appearance

2. Fill in the blanks

i. If I cut out _____ for the next ______ I could manage well enough.

Ans: coffee, two weeks 

ii. She was ______ and I was prepared to be an _________. 

Ans: Talkative, attentive listener 

3. True – False.

i. I was earning quite good to keep my body and soul together. 

Ans: Fasle

ii. I think people eat far too much nowadays.

Ans: True

iii. I do believe that I am a vindictive man. 

Ans: False

iv. I was too young to have learned to say no to a woman.

Ans: True

4. What the narrator answered to the woman?

Ans: The narrator responded to the woman by saying that he would meet his correspondence pal at Foyot's on Thursday at half-past twelve.

5. What was the speciality of White Wine?

Ans: White Wine was a light, refreshing French white wine that was great for digestion.

Short Answer Questions – 2 Marks

6. Where did the narrator see the woman and how did he approach her? 

Ans: She was spotted by the narrator at the play. He approached her and took a seat beside her. He hadn't seen her in a long time, and she greeted him cheerfully.

7. Where was the narrator living?

Ans: The narrator was a Parisian. He lived in a cramped flat in the Latin Quarter overlooking a cemetery and struggled to keep his body and spirit together.

8. Why the narrator insisted on Foyot’s restaurant for luncheon?

Ans: Foyot's restaurant served food to French senators and was located far away, beyond of reach of the narrator's money, but he was too young to have learned to say no to a woman.

9. What were the things ordered at the luncheon?

Ans: Salmon fish, caviar, mutton chop, White Wine, Champagne, huge asparagus, coffee, and ice cream were among the items requested for the luncheon.

10. Why the woman called the narrator unwise for having meat? 

Ans: The narrator made a mistake by eating meat for lunch because the woman didn't believe in overloading the stomach, and heavy foods don't help with work.

Short Answer Questions – 3 Marks

11. What did the letter mention? 

Ans: In her first letter, the woman referenced the narrator's book that he had written. She indicated in the second letter that she was going through Paris and would like to speak with him, but that her time was restricted and that her only free time was the following Thursday.

12. What the woman reassured to the narrator and why?

Ans: When the bill of fare arrived, the narrator was taken aback by the rates, which were far more than he had anticipated. As a result, she assured him that she would never eat more than one midday sandwich again. People nowadays, she claims, eat far too much.

13. What was the woman talking about and what was going in the mind of the narrator? 

Ans: During the dinner, the woman was discussing the many forms of art, literature, and music with the narrator. However, the narrator was perplexed by the bill. He was calculating the bill in his head and thinking about what the bill would be. He couldn't pay attention to her speeches and conversations about art, literature, and music.

14. How the asparagus look-like?

Ans: The woman had placed an order for the colossal asparagus for lunch. The asparagus appeared to be massive, luscious, and delicious. The smell of melting butter tickled the nostrils, much as the burning offerings of the pious Semites touched Johovah's nostrils. The narrator stood there watching as the woman who had been abandoned shovelled them down her throat in huge, sensuous mouthfuls.

15. How the narrator reacted to the bill and how it affected him? 

Ans: When the bill arrived, the narrator paid it, only to discover that he only had enough money for a very little tip. The woman's gaze briefly fell on the three francs he had left for the waiter, and he knew she would judge him harshly. However, he had the entire month ahead of him when he walked out of the restaurant, and he didn't have a single penny in his pocket.

Long Answer Questions - 5 Marks

16. What was going on in the narrator’s mind before the luncheon? 

Ans: Prior to the meal, the narrator had never considered visiting Foyot's restaurant because it was so much above his financial capabilities. He was flattered and too young to know how to refuse a woman. Few men understand this until they are much too old to care about it. He only needed eighty francs to get through the rest of the month. According to him, a simple meal should not cost more than fifteen dollars. He could get by without coffee for the next two weeks.

17. How can the woman’s personality be described? 

Ans: The lady wasn't quite as young as I had anticipated. Rather than being lovely, she appeared threatening. She was a woman in her forties, which was a lovely age but not one that elicited an immediate and crushing passion. She appeared to have a full set of white, big teeth. She was a chatty woman who pretended to be someone else most of the time. She always claimed that she would only eat one food at a time, but this was not the case. She did, in fact, have a strong passion for eating, which she never expressed.

18. How the narrator’s heart sank and why?

Ans: During the luncheon, the narrator's heart dropped twice. When the woman ordered the caviar, his heart dropped a little. He was well aware that he would be unable to purchase caviar, but he couldn't tell her. He pleaded with the server to send caviar and placed an order for the lowest meal. When she expressed an interest in big asparagus, his heart sunk once more. He'd seen them in stores and was well aware that they were prohibitively pricey. He attempted everything he could to get the waiter to reject them, but instead, the waiter told them that they had enormous, magnificent, and tender asparagus with them, with a broad smile and a priest-like face.

19. What were the things in the mind of the narrator while the giant asparagus was being cooked?

Ans: The narrator was terrified, and the question wasn't how much money he'd have left for the remainder of the month, but if he'd be able to pay the bill. Finding him ten francs short and having to borrow from his visitor would be humiliating. He couldn't do it. He knew exactly how much money he had, and if the bill arrived, he resolved to put his hands in his pockets and announce that it had been picked with a dramatic shout. It'd be embarrassing if she couldn't afford to pay the bill as well. All that was left for him to do was leave his watch and return later to pay the bill.

20. What was the most terrible thing that happened at last? 

Ans: When the narrator and the woman were waiting for their coffee, the headwaiter approached them with an ingratiating smile on his phoney face and a large basket full of enormous peaches. They glowed like a young girl's blush. They had an Italian-style richness to them. Their price was a concern for the narrator. One of the enormous peaches was taken carelessly by the woman. She had not eaten much, according to her; the previous dish had been her snack, and she was ready to have a peach at that time.