THE BEST CHRISTMAS PRESENT IN THE WORLD

SUMMARY 

COMPREHENSION CHECK 1 

Questions:

Q1. What did the author find in a junk shop?

Q2. What did he find in a secret drawer? Who do you think had put it in there?

Answers:

A1. The author found a roll-top desk for sale in a junk shop. It was made of oak wood, but it was in a veiy bad condition.

A2. In the secret drawer of the desk, the author found a small tin box. It had a letter in it. I think the owner of the roll-top desk might have put it there.

COMPREHENSION CHECK 2 

Questions:

Q1. Who had written the letter, to whom, and when?

Q2. Why was the letter written — what was the wonderful thing that had happened?

Q3. What jobs did Hans Wolf and Jim Macpherson have when they were not soldiers?

Q4. Had Hans Wolf ever been to Dorset? Why did he say he knew it?

Q5. Do you think Jim Macpherson came back from the war? How do you know this?

Answers:

A1. John Macpherson, a captain in the British army, had written that letter, dated Dec. 26, 1914, to his wife Connie.

A2. The letter described a wonderful event. The two armies-the British and the Ger­man—fighting against each other celebrated Christmas together.

A3. Before joining the army, Hans played the cello in the orchestra and Jim was a teacher.

A4. No, Hans had never been to Dorset. He had only read about Dorset in Hardy’s novel ‘Far from the Madding Crowd’.

A5. No, Jim Macpherson never came back home from the war. Perhaps therefore his wife Connie had preserved his letters.

COMPREHENSION CHECK 3 

Questions:

Q1. Why did the author go to Bridport?

Q2. How old was Mrs Macpherson now? Where was she?

Answers:

A1. The author went to Bridport to meet Mrs Jim Macpherson and deliver to her Jim’s letter.

A2. Macpherson was 101 years old. She was in a nursing home.

COMPREHENSION CHECK 4 

Questions & Answers 

Q1. Who did Connie Macpherson think her visitor was?

A1. Connie thought that the visitor was her own husband, Jim Macpherson.

WORKING WITH THE TEXT 

Q1. For how long do you think Connie had kept Jim’s letter? Give reasons for your answer.

A1. Connie had kept Jim’s last letter till January 25, 1915. The letter was dated Dec. 26, 1914.

Q2. Why do you think the desk had been sold, and when?

A2. The desk must have been sold when Connie’s house had burnt. The table had been damaged by fire as well as water.

Q3. Why do Jim and Hans think that games or sports are good ways of resolving conflicts? Do you agree?

A3. Both Jim and Hans were soldiers. Both were warm hearted. They had seen the sufferings of war. So it was natural for them to hate war. They favoured a peaceful solution to settle disputes. Games or sports, they said, were good ways of resolving conflicts. I also quite agree with them.

Q4. What is Connie’s Christmas present? Why is it the best Christmas present in the world?

A4. Connie thought that Jim had come back home from war. She mistook the author for Jim. She had been waiting for her husband Jim. So the coming home of Jim was the best Christmas present in the world for her.

WORKING WITH THE LANGUAGE

Discuss with your teacher in the class or contact with B.D. Memorials