On Saying Please AG. Gardiner ‘Nur Jamal Sk, KCM Academy, Goalpara Website: literaturefoundation blogspot.com Contact No: 7002091268 1, Where was Alfred G. Gardiner born? Ans: Gardiner was born in England. 2. Is discourtesy a legal offence? Ans: No, discourtesy is not a legal offence. 3. Whom does Gardiner ‘feature’ in his essay as a perfect example of polite social behavior? Ans: The polite bus-conductor is featured by Gardiner in his essay as a perfect example of polite social behavior. 4, Why did the young lift-man in the city office throw the passenger out of his lift? Ans: The young lift-man in the city office threw the passenger out of his lift because the passenger refiused to say "please" as requested by the lift- man, What does the law say with regard to ‘discourtesy'? Ans: The law doesn't see discourtesy as a legal offence. rtwowords 1, What would happen if we were at liberty to physically assault someone just because any aspect of his demeanour is unacceptable to us? Aus: Thee would be-eomplewe Lloudshed, anarchy and chaos in society. 2. What is the penalty for a person for being uneivil? Ans: The penalty for a person for being uncivil is social awkwardness and inconveniences. People will call him a rude fellow. The hurting of a person's "feeling’ is not considered a case where the person who inflicts the hurt must be made to pay for damages. 3. What happened to Gardiner one day when he sat reading on the top of a bus. Ans: One day the writer boarded a bus. He found that he had no money. He wanted to go back for the money. But, he gave writer a ticket without demanding the fare. In the meantime, he found a shilling in his pocket and the account was settled The conductor's behaviour left a very good impression on the writer. 4, How does a ‘pain of a wound to our sel ‘Ans: The pain of a kick on the shins Soon passes away but the pain of a wound to our self-respect or our vanity may poison a whole day. Bad manners probably do more to poison the stream of the general life than all the crimes in the calendar. But all the same, the law cannot become the guardian of our private manners. No decalogue could cover the vast area of offences and no court could administer a law which governed our social civilities, our speech, the tilt of our eyebrows and all our moods and manners. 5, Write in your own words the theme of the chapter 'On Saying Please"? Ans: This essay tells us about the value of good manners. Bad manner is not a legal crime. But a man with bad manners is disliked by everybody. Woudls like ‘Please’ and "Thank you! help us in making our life smooth. A good-mannered person will find that his work becomes easier by the ready co-operation of others. However, there can be no law against rude behaviour. Gardiner feels hat, although we may feel sympathetic towards the lifiman, we must agree that the law is right in not giving us the freedom to use violence against people whose manners or expression we do not like, For if we were given such liberty, our hands would be always busy hitting people and the drains of the city would run blood all the time. Answer these questions briefly 1, Describe the narrator's encounter with the bus conductor? Ans: One day when he boards the bus without any money. Finding no coins at all in his pockets, Gardiner tells the conductor that he must go back Prepared by: Nur Jamal Sk, Kalpana Chawla Memorial Academy Sr. Sec. ‘hool, Goalpara | Page No: 01On Saying Please AG. Gardiner ‘Nur Jamal Sk, KCM Academy, Goalpara Website: literaturefoundation blogspot.com Contact No: 7002091268 home to fetch some money. At this, the conductor tells him that he does not need t to get off. Flourishing his bundle of tickets, he offers the author a ticket to wherever he may want to go. But when the former wanted to know where he should send the money, the cheerful reply he got was that he was bound to meet the later someday ‘on some bus. Luckily for Gardiner, he found a coin in his pocket at last and managed to pay the fare. Soon afier it so happened that the same conductor accidentally stepped on the author's toe, causing him much pain, The cheerful ‘conductor was quick to apologize. When he asked Gardiner if he were hurt the latter reassured him that he was not, He seems (0 have a limitless supply of patience and goodwill towards his passengers. As caring as a son to the elderly and as a father to children, he goes out of his way to make passengers comfortable. Be it by letting people on the top know that there are seats lower down when it rains, or by cracking jokes with ‘young people to make them laugh, or to set down 1 blind person up on the footpath and safely on his way, the polite conductor always exuded such, ‘good-temper and kindliness, 2, What kind of victory is preferable? How ‘would the liftman have scored a more effective vietory? Ans: The essay begins with the author recounting, an incident of a lift attendant who threw a passenger out of his lif, The problem was that the passenger, rather rudely, demanded to be taken to the top floor. The liftman wanted a more polite request prefaced with the word ‘please’. Since the passenger refuses to use the word, the liftman threw the passenger out of the lift. Commenting, ‘on the incident, Gardiner points out that the action of the liftman cannot be condoned, He thinks so because impoliteness is not considered to be a legally punishable offence. Should a person use violence against a robber who has entered his house, or against anyone who has assaulted him, the law will side with him. This is so because both robbery and assault are forbidden by the law. However, there can be no law agamst rude behaviour. Gardiner feels that, although we may feel sympathetic towards the liftman, we must agree that the law is right in not giving us the freedom to use violence against people whose manners or expression we do not like. For if we were given such liberty, our hands would be always busy hitting people and the drains of the city would run blood all the time, The author says that the only penalty one has to pay for being mide or arrogant is that people will call him a rude fellow The law, on the other hand, will protect rather than punish him, The legal system does not impose any restriction on manners, just as it does not impose any restrictions on one's personal appearance. The hurting of a person's feeling! is not considered a case-where the person who inflicts the hurt must be made to pay for damages. The law has no provision for defending people from moral or intellectual damages inflicied by uncouth people 3: What prompts Gardiner to heap praises on the bus conductor? ‘Ans: One day when he boards the bus without any money. Finding no coins at all in his pockets, Gardiner tells the conductor that he must go back home to fetch some money. At this, the conductor {ells him that he docs not need t to get off. Flourishing his bundle of tickets, he offers the author a ticket to wherever he may want to go. But when the former wanted to know where he should send the money, the cheerful reply he got, ao that he was bound tw ect the later suuieday ‘on some bus. Luckily for Gardiner, he found a coin in his pocket at last and managed to pay the fare. Soon afier it so happened that the same conductor accidentally stepped on the author's oe, causing him much pain, The cheerful ‘conductor was quick to apologize. When he asked Gardiner if he were hurt the latter reassured him that he was not. He seems to have a limitless supply of patience and goodwill towards his passengers. As caring as a son to the elderly and as a father to children, he goes out of his way to make passengers comfortable. Be it by letting people on the top know that there are seats lower ‘down when it rains, or by cracking jokes with Prepared by: Nur Jamal Sk, Kalpana Chawla Memorial Academy Sr. Sec. School, Goalpara | Pi No:On Saying Please AG. Gardiner ‘Nur Jamal Sk, KCM Academy, Goalpara Website: literaturefoundation blogspot.com Contact No: 7002091268 young people to make them laugh, or to set down 1 blind person up on the footpath and safely on his way, the polite conductor always exuded such good-temper and kindlines. ‘That pr prompts Gardiner to heap praises on the bus conductor. nswer these questi dts 1, ‘Please and Thank You are the small change with which we pay our way as social beings." Explain. Ans: The author says that the only penalty one has to pay for being rude or arrogant is that people will call him a rude fellow. The law, on the other hand, will protect rather than punish him, The legal system does not impose any restriction on manners, just as it does not impose any restrictions on one's personal appearance. The hurting of a person's ‘feeling’ is not considered a ‘case where the person who inflicts the hurt must be made to pay for damages. Bad manners, in his opinion, are highly contagious and poison our life in general than the entire list of legally recognised crimes. Gardiner says that words like ‘please’ and ‘thank you' are the small coins we pay on our Joumey through life as civilised human beings living in a civil society. These courtesies allow us to live ina society without friction, Besides, these words help to keep cooperation between human beings on a level of friendliness and goodwill, instead of dividing us into supertors who order and inferiors who ate ordered about. The author says that only a very vulgar person will order for 1 service: which he can have by merely asking This is so because, whereas a request will provide the service with goodwill, an order might provide the service - but only with resentment. 2. Write in your own words, the incident in the bus involving the bus conductor and the author. Ans: One day when he boards the bus without any money. Finding no coins at all in his pockets, Gardiner tells the conductor that he must go back home to fetch some money. At this, the conductor tells him that he does not need t to get off. Flourishing his bundle of tickets, he offers the author a ticket to wherever he may want to go. But when the former wanted to know where he should send the money, the cheerful reply he got was that he was bound to meet the later someday ‘on some bus. Luckily for Gardiner, he found a coin in his pocket at last and managed to pay the fare Soon afier it so happened that the same conductor accidentally stepped on the author's toe, causing him much pain, The» cheerful ‘conductor was quick to apologize. When he asked Gardiner if he were hurt the latter reassured him that he was not. He seems to have a limitless supply of patience and goodwill towards his passengers. As caring asa son to the elderly and as a father to children, he goes out of his way to make passengers comfortable. Be it by letting people on the top know that there are seats lower down, when it rains, or by cracking jokes with ‘young people to make them laugh, or to set down a blind person up on the footpath and safely on his way, the polite conductor always exuded such good-temper and kindliness, That pr prompts Gardiner to heap praises on the bus conductor. Addition ns 1, Why did the liftman throw the passenger out of the lift? Ans: The lifiman wanted a more polite request preniced with ihe word ‘please’. Since the passenger refuses to use the word, the liftman threw the passenger out of the lift 2. What does G: essay? er suggest at the end of the Ans: Gardiner suggests that if rudeness were to be replied to with excessive politeness, sweet revenge might be had while retaining one's moral superiority. He calls it the victory over oneself, 2, How does Gardiner use everyday incidents to illuminate his particular concerns? Ans: By reporting of a chance bit of conversation overheard, a small incident either experienced or Prepared by: Nur Jamal Sk, Kalpana Chawla Memorial Academy Sr. Sec. hhool, Goalpara | Page No: 03On Saying Please AG. Gardiner ‘Nur Jamal Sk, KCM Academy, Goalpara Website: literaturefoundation blogspot.com Contact No: 7002091268 read about or something similar Gardiner moves on to a more significant, though pethaps general, matters related to it. 4. What compels us to be behaviour? in our social Ans: There is an old social practice which compels us to be civil in our social behaviour. 5. In what sense is courtesy an investment? Ans: Courtesy is a good investment because in lightening other people's spirits by being courteous, he is lightening his own task. Prepared by: Nur Jamal Sk, Kalpana Chawla Memorial Academy Sr. Sec. ‘hol, Goalpara | Page No: 01