The Engine Trouble

1. How were Gymkhana ground decorated and why?

Ans. Gymkhana ground became resplendent with banners, streamers and coloured lamps . It provided us with all sorts of fun and sideshows, lotteries and shooting galleries . 

Gymkhana ground was decorated because a showman owning an institution called the Gaiety land had decorated it. He established his numerous stalls in the gymkhana Grounds to provide recreation and entertainment to the people.

2.What did the author win in the lottery?

The author won a road engine in the lottery.

3. What was the ticket number of the author?

The ticket number of the author was 1005.

4. Why the particular corner of the show was in great favour?

Ans.  A particular corner of the show was in great favour for a ticket costing eight annas  one should get a chance of acquiring a variety of articles - Pin cushions, Sewing Machines, Cameras or even a road engine.

5. "Fancy anyone becoming the owner of a road engine" 

"I looked stunned"

Who is the speaker? Why the speaker is stunned?

The author is the speaker. The speaker is stunned because unexpectedly he won a road engine as a prize and all people gathered around and gazed at him as if he was a curious animal.

6. What was the norms after winning the prize? What favour did the author get from the organisers of the lottery?

The norms after winning the prize was that the winner of the prize  should remove the prizes immediately on drawing by their own effort.

The organisers of the lottery agreed to keep the engine on the gymkhana ground till the end of their season. 

7. "it was not the sort of price one could carry home at short notice"

Who is the speaker? What is referred to as by the word "it"?

The author is the speaker. The word "it" referred to the road engine that the author had won.

8. How was the reaction of the peers and well wishes of the author after he won the road engine?

The peers and well wishes of the author congratulated him on his latest acquisition. 

9,What did the author's friend realise about the newly possessed prize?

The author's friend realised that there was a lot of fancy in possessing a road engine.

10. "even if you sell it as scrap iron you can make a few thousands"

Who is the speaker? Who is the listener? What is referred to by "It"?

One of the author's friend is the speaker here. The author and his other  friends were the listeners. By "It" - the road engine is referred.

11. "I was a poor man I thought that my troubles were coming to an end how ignorant we are how little did I guess that my troubles had just begun"

Who is the speaker? What is the cause of the speakers trouble? Why did the speaker say that we are ignorant?

The author of the story is the speaker here.

The cause of the speakers trouble is his financial inculpabilities to earn the two square meals.

The speaker said that we are ignorant because we consider every thing according to the rosy picture that we pretend . All of us  want to achieve a short cut success .That is the reason the author considered ourselves to be ignorant .

12. How did the narrator feel when he occasionally visited Gymkhana ground to to see his newly possessed prize?

Every day the narrator made a trip to the gymkhana grounds to have a look of his engine .He loved its shining brass parts . He stood near it , used to grow fond of it and patted on it affectionately. After this he used to hover around it and then returned home.

13. When did the author receive a notice from municipality what was it all about?

When the showman took down his booths and packed up ,the author received a notice. The notice was to attend to his road engine .

14.What was the content of the second notice and the third notice from the municipality that reached the author?

When the author left the road engine for a few days not knowing what to do with it he received a notice from the municipality, ordering that the engine should at once be removed from the ground as otherwise they would charge rent for the occupation of the Gymkhana grounds .

 When a cattle show was about came in the offing , which was to be held on the grounds . The author was given a twenty four hours for getting the road engine out of the ground.

15. How much rent did the author pay there for  the engine and for how long ?

  The author had to pay ten rupees a month for the road engine cutting into his slender budget, for the next three months . The author had to pledge a jewel or two belonging to his wife for the same .

16. What did his wife ask the author ?

The author’s wife asked him what he proposed to do with the terrible property of his and the author had no answer .

17. What did the author write to the municipal authorities for a consideration in the rent?

The author pleaded them that he was a poor man even the house he and his wife occupied cost him four rupees a month, thus the author requested the municipal authorities for a consideration in the rent.

18. What is referred to as terrible property?

The road engine was referred to as the terrible property as it made the author almost bankrupt.

19. What offer did the author carry for all and sundry up and down the  town?

The author went down the town and approached all and sundry for the sale of the road engine.

20. Whom did the author approach for selling the road engine what was his reaction?

Following someone’s suggestion the author approached the cosmopolitan club .

He ridiculed the author asking “ what he should do with the road engine?

21. How did the author try to convince the the secretary of the local Cosmopolitan club to sell the road engine?
The author offered him to dispose the road engine at a concession for him . He also tried to convince the secretary of the local Cosmopolitan club that they have a tennis court that needs to be rolled up every morning . He also realized that he was giving a stupid proposal.

22. Why was the author given 24 hours notice to get the engine out of the ground?

When a cattle show was about came in the offing , which was to be held on the grounds . The author was given a twenty four hours for getting the road engine out of the ground.

23. What was the plan of the author for the next 2-3 months to keep the engine?

The author had to pay ten rupees a month for the road engine cutting into his slender budget, for the next three months . The author had to pledge a jewel or two belonging to his wife for the same .

24. What service did the local priest of the temple offered the author how did the author convinced that priest to provide that service? How much did it cost to him?

When the author became desperate to do something about the road engine he approached the local temple priest who offered him the services of his temple elephant. The temple elephants costed him seven rupees a day and he had to give it one feed.

25. Whom else did the author engage? For what ? how much did they charge ?

The author engaged fifty coolies to push the road engine from behind. The coolies wanted eight annas per head .

26. What was the author’s plan to do with the road engine ?

His plan was to take the engine out of the Gymkhana and then down the road to afield half a furlong off.The field was owned by one of his friends. He would not mind if he had kept the engine there for a couple of months.He also planned to go to Madras by that time and find a customer for the road engine. 

27. Who was Joseph?What did Joseph assure the author?

Joseph was a dismissed bus driver . He said that although he knew nothing about the road rollers He could never the less steer one if it was somehow kept in motion.

28. Who made the road engine move and how ?

The temple elephant were yoked to the road engine by means of stout rope 

29. What was the trouble created when the the engine came out of Gymkhana ground?

When the engine came out of the gymkhana ground and reached the road , it began to behave in a strange manner . Instead of going straight down the road it showed a tendency to wobble and move zigzag. The elephants dragged it in one way , Joseph turned the wheel for all he was worth without any idea of where he was going and fifty men behind it clung to it in every possible manner and pushed it just where they liked . As a result of all this confused dragging the engine ran straight into the opposite compound wall and reduced a good length of it to powder .At this the crowd let a joyous yell. The elephants disliking the behaviour of the crowd trumpeted loudly , strained and snapped its ropes and kicked down a further length of the wall . The fifty men fled in panic , The crowd created a pandemonium ,The owner of the compound wall  slapped the author  in the face - it was the owner of the compound wall . The police also arrested the author .

30. What were the consequences awaiting for the author after he was released from the lock up ?

After getting released from the lock up the author found the following consequences waiting for him 

1. Several yards of compound wall to be built by him.

2. Wages of fifty men who ran away . They would not explain how they were entitled to the wages when they had not done their job .

3. Joseph's fee for steering the engine over the wall.

4. Cost of medicine for treating the knee of the temple elephant which had received some injuries while kicking down the wall . 

5. The demand to move the engine out of it's present situation.

31. " What is this I hear about you " - who is the speaker ? what preparation did the listener make after this ? who ultimately saved the author ?

Authors wife is the speaker. 

The author made a preparation to leave the town in a couple of days . leaving the engine to its fate .  

Ultimately Nature came to the rescue of the author . An earthquake caused a reverberation of their town .The engine was lifted to a disused well by this earthquake .

32 . How the author was saved from fresh complication after the engine fell into a disused well by this earthquake ?

The owner of the house was very happy he told the author that  the dirtiest water was there in that well and the municipality was sending notices to him to close the well . The engine was fitted there as a cork and was left there .He assured that he would withdraw all charges against him and built that broken wall himself . He also agreed to pay all other associated expenses. 

33. What did the author see while crossing the way some months later ?

While crossing the way some months later the author would peep over the wall , he found the mouth of the well neatly cemented up .