My Lost Dollar SELINA

Question 1
(a) Who is ‘I’? What had happened?
“I” is the narrator of the story “My Lost Dollar.”
The narrator’s friend Todd borrowed a dollar from the narrator to pay his taxi on his journey to Bermuda.

(b) What will ‘I’ remember all his life?

The narrator will remember all his life that his friend had borrowed a dollar from him for paying the taxi while
he was going to Bermuda.

(c) How long ago had this incident occurred? What twos the date? Why do you think the author
mentions it?
The incident occurred a year before the writer wrote the story.
The date was 8th of April.
The author mentions it to remind his friend that he has borrowed a dollar on that day.

(d) When the other person present went abroad he wrote a note. What did the person referred to as
“I” expect when he received that note? What misled him for a while?
The narrator thought that his friend Todd has sent him a dollar that he was borrowed from him.
The note was merely about the temperature in Bermuda which the narrator mistook for his dollar that his
friend had borrowed.

(e) After how long did the person who had gone abroad return? Who received him on his return? What
did this person suggest they do?
The narrator’s friend, Todd, returned back after three weeks.
The narrator received him on his return.
The narrator suggested that they take a taxi to the club.

Question 2
(a) Who is the person referred to as ‘him’? Where had he been? Why did the speaker go to receive his
friend?
“Him” is Major Todd, friend of the narrator.
He had been to Bermuda.
The speaker went to receive his friend as he wanted to get back his dollar and thought that his friend would
feel nice that there is someone to receive him.

(b) What did the speaker suggest to this person on his return? Why do you think he made this
suggestion? Was it accepted?
The narrator suggested to his friend that they take a taxi to the club.
He made the suggestion to remind his friend that he had borrowed a dollar to pay his taxi while going to
Bermuda.
No, the suggestion was not accepted.

(c) How did the speaker and his friend spend the evening? What remark did he make to remind his
friend of the money he owed?
The speaker and his friend spent the evening at the club talking about his friend’s trip to Bermuda.
The narrator tried to remind his friend by asking him about the currency used in Bermuda and whether it is at
par with American dollar.
(d) A little later the author tried twice again to remind his friend of the latter s debt. What did he say?
He asked (i) how much the trip cost him and (ii) if he felt settled down after the trip.

(e) How does the author bring out the humour in the situation?
The humourous thing about the situation is that nobody remembers small amount lent to a friend; but the
narrator does and he makes all efforts to get the dollar back only to be disappointed at every occasion.

Question 3
(a) Who is the person referred to as “he”? What does he say about Poland? What thought crosses the
authors mind here?
“He” is Major Todd, friend of the narrator.
He said that Poland would never pay his debts.
The author thought about the dollar that he has lent to his friend Todd.

(b) Do you think the author bears any grudge for this person? There is something, however, the author
wishes to do but is unable to. What is it?
No, the author does not bear any grudge against Todd. The author is reminded of all the odd dollars that he
has borrowed and he wishes to return them but is unable to.

(c) What thought now occurs to the author? Does he like it? Why?
The thought that occurs to the author is that, similar to Todd, he must have borrowed many odd dollars from
his friends and forgotten them. He does not like the idea as he does not wish to pay back all those old dollars
he has borrowed.

(d) Do you think the author really wanted his money back? Give reasons to support your answer.
Yes, he wanted his money back as he has made several attempts to get it back.

(e) What humourous statement does the author make at the end of the story?
At the end of the story, the author states that he would like to start “Back to Honesty” movement which
would ask everyone to return back all the borrowed dollars.

Question 4
(a) The author wants to pay back any dollar he may have borrowed. How does he propose to begin?
He proposes to begin a movement called “Back to Honesty.”

(b) What does he say about a dollar he may have forgotten he had borrowed} In the context of the
story, why is this remark important?
The author says that he might have forgotten many odd dollars he has borrowed, but even if he remembers
there is less chance of returning them.
This remark is important in the story as the author wants his friend to return back the borrowed dollar.

(c) Who are the people he does not wish to pay back? Who does he definitely wish to pay? Why?
He does not wish to pay back those people who lent an odd dollar over a bridge table or for a bottle of plain
soda.
He definitely wishes to pay for the borrowed dollar to pay his taxi. He wants to do so as at present he is
anxious to get back the lent dollar from Todd who has borrowed a dollar to pay his taxi while on his trip to
Bermuda.

(d) Do you think the speaker is sincere when he says he. wants to start a movement for paying all the
odd dollars one may borrow? Why7
The author is not at all sincere in his idea of starting a movement for paying all the odd dollars one may
borrow. He says it for the sake of saying. The idea itself is funny as he himself does not want to give back the
odd dollars he has borrowed.

(e) What general truth does the author want to bring out through this delightful story?
The truth that Stephen Leacock brought out through the story “My Lost Dollar” is that we are always very
particular about others duties in giving us back the small amounts borrowed from us, but when it comes to us
acting in a similar way, we shirk our duties.

ESSAY TYPE QUESTIONS

1. Relate briefly the efforts made by the author to recover the loaned dollar. Why do you think he was
unsuccessful?

The author’s (Stephen Leacock) friend, Major Todd, was on his way to Bermuda, and needed a dollar in change
to pay his taxi. The author, who was seeing him off, lent him the dollar. However, the thought that Todd had
borrowed the dollar, remained with the author and he expected Todd to return it. In fact, he actually made
several attempts to get back the dollar, but failed. The author made the following attempts to get back his
dollar —

(a) Met him at the platform when Todd was on his way back from Bermuda

(b) Suggested that they take a taxi to the club to remind him that he has paid his taxi earlier

(c) Asked him in the club what currency it was in Bermuda and whether it was of the same value as dollar

(d) Asked him if he kept accounts of his trip

(e) Asked him if he felt settled down after the trip.

But none of these attempts were successful as when one friend lends a small amount to another, he or she
usually does not remember that as it is too little an amount.

2. “My Lost Dollar” contains a message for all of us. What lesson does the author wish us to learn through
this What do you think is the actual purpose behind the “Back to Honesty” movement that he suggests?

Stephen Leacock in the short story “My Lost Dollar” commented on the typical habit of people to borrow small
amounts from friends and then forget. When we read the story, we are reminded of many such events that
have occurred in our lives and probably have a sly smile. The humour of the story comes to its climax when the
author says that there is a need to start a “Back to Honesty” movement. We understand that the intention of
the author is not on the characters, but to make fun of the situation of borrowing and forgetting small
amounts.

The actual purpose behind the “Back to Honesty” Movement is humour. We often think that the small amount
of money our friends have borrowed from us should be given back, while we ourselves must have
unconsciously forgotten many such small amounts borrowed from our friends. Thus while we want others to
act responsibly, we often do not do so ourselves. Therefore, the author humorously suggests “Back to
Honesty” movement.
BEETA
ASSIGNMENTS
I. (i) Todd is a Major in the army and the narrator’s friend, who had borrowed a dollar from the narrator a
year ago. Todd and the narrator seem to be close friends because they meet each other frequently and the
issue of the borrowed dollar does not make any difference in their trust and friendship for each other.
(ii) Todd borrowed a dollar from the narrator to pay his taxi fare because he did not have any change with him.
One year had passed since he borrowed the dollar from the narrator.
(iii) Todd has failed to return the loan because of forgetfulness. This tells us that Todd is a careless and
forgetful man.
(iv) (a) It means that the narrator’s friend’s act of borrowing a
dollar and then forgetting to pay it back would not make any difference to their friendship.
(b) The narrator means to say that if somebody borrows something from him, he will remember it throughout
his life.
(v) The human memory is strong in the case of lenders, whereas it diminishes with time in the case of the
borrowers. For example,
the narrator not only remembers that he had lent a dollar to his friend, Todd, but also the exact date on which
he had lent the dollar. But, the borrower, i.e., the narrator’s friend, Todd not only forgets of having borrowed
a dollar, he does not even get any hint from a number of indirect references made by the narrator about
debts.
(vi) No, the narrator does not seem to have any hope of being paid back the dollar his friend has
borrowed. This is because a year has already passed since his friend has borrowed the dollar. He seems to
have totally forgotten about it because a number of indirect references given by the narrator about debts
does not have any effect in reviving his friend’s memory.

II (i) Todd was away for three weeks to Hamilton, Bermuda. He wrote to the narrator about the extreme
temperature conditions in Bermuda, the temperature reaching nearly 100° F.
(ii) The narrator went to the railway station to receive Todd because he felt that his friend, Todd might
feel happy to see him waiting for him on the station after being away for three weeks. This shows that the
narrator values friendship and does things that makes his friend happy.
(iii) Todd and the narrator were close friends. They liked each other’s company and therefore, met
practically every day at the club and remained in touch with each other. There existed trust and mutual
understanding between the two. The small issues of one dollar did not affect their friendship in anyway.
(iv) The University Club of Montreal, where Todd and the narrator used to meet practically every day is
referred to. The narrator suggested that they should take a taxi because that might remind his friend of the
dollar he had borrowed from him a year ago for paying his taxi fare.
(v) The narrator and his friend, Todd talked about the latter’s trip to Bermuda. Then, they talked about
the currency used in Bermuda and whether it is at par with the American Dollar. During the conversation, the
thought of the dollar borrowed by Todd was at the back of the narrator’s mind.

III (i) Major Todd’s trip to Bermuda is being referred to in the extract. It lasted for three weeks. Todd said
that he had practically forgotten everything about his trip.
(ii) The extract tells us that Todd is a forgetful and careless man
for he forgets the dollar he had borrowed from his friend as well as practically everything about his trip to
Bermuda, just after returning from the trip.
(iii) (a) It means that the narrator does not have any negative feelings
for his friend, Todd despite Todd having forgotten to pay back the dollar he had borrowed from the him a year
ago.
(b) It means behaviour or attitude. The narrator says that no change occurs in his behaviour with his friend
Todd who had borrowed a dollar from him an year ago and has forgotten to pay him back.
(iv) The narrator’s borrowers have forgotten to pay back the money they had borrowed from him. The
narrator’s attitude towards his borrowers does not undergo any change on account of their not having paid
back the borrowed money.
(v) The practice of lending and borrowing referred to in the extract points to the painful fact that the
lenders remember the money they have lent, whereas the borrowers forget about it.

IV (i) In the first sentence of the extract, ‘them’ refers to the people to whom the narrator owes some
money and has forgotten to pay back.
By the phrase ‘on this side of the grave’ the narrator wants to say that while he is alive, he may not pay back
the money he has borrowed from some people.
(ii) The narrator’s act of writing down names in the alphabetic order suggests that he is serious about
repaying the money he has borrowed. That is why, he even asks his creditors to speak out and tell him if he
owes them any money.
(iii) The narrator feels that it is not necessary to pay back the money lent over a bridge table or for
drinking soda water. The narrator feels so because these are friendly exchanges among friends.
(iv) The narrator wants to start a Back to Honesty Movement, which calls for repayment of all the money
borrowed in times of need. This plan of the narrator reveals that he is meek and eccentric for instead of asking
his friend straightaway to pay back the borrowed dollar, he thinks of starting such a high-sounding project.
(v) The title of the story My Lost Dollar is quite appropriate because:
(a) the entire story revolves around a particular dollar that the narrator had lent to his friend, Todd. Todd has
completely forgotten to pay back and the narrator considers it as lost forever.
(b) the observations that the narrator makes in the story like he himself must have borrowed money from
some people and would have forgotten to pay back and difference in memory between the lenders and the
borrowers and starting a Back to Honesty Movement, are a reflection on the practice of lending and borrowing
based on the one dollar that he had lent to his friend, Todd.