DEPARTMENT

OF ENGLISH
YEAR 8
TOPIC: THE OPEN WINDOW

I. Answer the following questions:

1. Why had Framton Nuttel come to the “rural retreat”?

2. Why had his sister given him letters of introduction to people living there?
3. What had happened in the Sappleton family as narrated by the niece?
4. What did Mrs Sappleton say about the open window?
5. The horror on the girl’s face made Framton swing around in his seat. What did he see?

Value Based Question:

1. Is it right to have fun at someone else’s expense? Was Vera right in doing what she did?

II. Write with reference to the context:

1) “one would think he had seen a ghost”

a. Who makes this statement and to whom?

b. Why does the speaker say this?
c. Who is 'he'? Had he really seen a ghost

2) “enough to make anyone lose their nerve”

a. Who is the speaker here?
b. Who is the speaker speaking to and about whom?
c. Why does the speaker say this? D. What does this tell us about the speaker?

III. Vocabulary:

Find the synonyms for the following words and frame meaningful sentences:

1. falter
2. ghastly
3. endeavor
4. treacherous
5. delusion
6. imminent
7. pariah
8. infirmity
9. amusing
10. collision
IV. Write the themes
based on the story- The Open
Window.

Answer Key:

I. Answer the following questions:

1. Framton Nuttel was suffering from some nervous disorder and worry. So he decided to
spend a few days in some village and relax in peace.

2. His sister knew that Framton would meet very few people in the countryside. He would
feel lonely and bored. His condition could grow worse. So she gave him letters of
introduction to all people she knew there. One was addressed to Mrs. Sappleton.

3. The niece played a practical joke on Sappleton when she came to know that he was a
total stranger. She said that her aunt’s husband, two brothers and a dog had gone for
hunting through the window three years ago. They never returned. But the aunt was
still hoping to see them back through the open window.

4. Mrs Sappleton said that her husband and brothers would be entering the house any
time. The window was kept open till it was dark. They would enter through the open
window

5. Framton swung around to know the reason for the girl’s horror. Soon he saw three
figures coming towards the window.

Value based question:

1. Is it right to have fun at someone else’s expense? Was Vera right in doing what she did? Fun,
at times, can be had at someone else expense.

We often play pranks on the others. However, there is a very thin line between being right or
wrong is such cases. Vera was not justified in doing what she did, though perhaps she did it in
complete ignorance. Framton was already a patient of nerves. He was undergoing treatment
and had come for a rural retreat to derive some comfort. Vera’s story/prank would have added
to his disturbed state of nerves.

II. Write with reference to the context:

1. a. These words are spoken by Mrs. Sappleton, to her husband, in response to his question.
 b. Mrs. Sappleton
says so because Mr. Nuttel ran
off in a hurry. He did not wait to meet the rest of the family or even apologise for having to go. He
abruptly 'dashed off', like something had scared him terribly.

c. The 'he' here is Mr. Framton Nuttel. No, he had not seen a ghost, but thought that he had.
Vera had made up a story that made him believe that he had indeed seen a ghost.

2. a. The speaker here is Vera, Mrs. Sappleton's 15 year old niece.

b. Vera is speaking to Mrs. Sappleton, but the others can also hear her. She is talking about
Mr. Framton Nuttel and his abrupt departure.

c. Vera says so because it was in line with the story she had made up about Mr. Nuttel's
misadventure by the Ganges. Additionally, it was an act that could be expected from a person
suffering from nervous disorder. Also, Mr. Nuttel had behaved like he had lost his mental
balance. Additionally, she put the entire blame on Mr. Nuttel and played innocent.

d. The conclusions that we can draw about Vera are that she is a mischievous child and enjoys
making up stories. She is extremely creative and spontaneous (she can think on the spot).
Further, she knows how to poke fun at someone without getting into trouble herself.

II. Vocabulary - Find the synonyms for the following words and frame meaningful
sentences;

: 1. falter be or become weak, unsteady, or uncertain

2. ghastly shockingly repellent; inspiring horror
3. endeavor attempt by employing effort
4. treacherous tending to betray
5. delusion a mistaken or unfounded opinion or idea
6. imminent

close in time; about to occur

7. pariah a person who is rejected from society or home
8. infirmity the state of being weak in health or body
9. amusing providing enjoyment; pleasantly entertaining
10. collision an accident resulting from violent impact of a moving object

IV.Write the themes based on the story- The Open Window;

Wildness/Chaos vs. Order Saki disrupts the otherwise placid house visit with such strange
occurrences as a supposed ghost siting and a tragic death. The open window is the vessel
through which this chaos enters the orderly sitting-room scene. The particular type of
chaos Saki utilizes in this story is closely related to his fascination with the wild: it involves
wild dogs, dangerous terrain, and a forest. Saki commonly uses chaos to mock the
 customs
of English society,
preferring the chaotic to the boring order of adult life. Empowerment (at expense of adults)
Closely related to Saki’s preference of chaos over order is his frequent positioning of
children as foils for frail adult characters. Vera, the child in this story, repeatedly bests the
adult characters with the power of her imagination. She

finds a particularly good target in Framton, whose nerves make him a natural audience for
her trickery. Desire to Escape Both Framton and Vera possess a strong desire to

escape. Vera seeks escape from the adult world she inhabits through her imagination and
storytelling. Framton is brought to the rural town out of a desire to escape and recover
from his nerve disorder. While Vera’s escape proves fruitful and entertaining, Framton’s is
not so successful: it provokes more chaos than calm.