- What did the author find in a junk shop.
Ans. The author found a roll top desk in a junk shop.
- What did he find in a secret drawer. Who do you think had put it there.
Ans. The author found a small black tin box in a secret drawer. I think Mrs. Jim Macpherson had put it there.
- Who had written the letter, to whom and when.
Ans. Jim Macpherson, a captain in the British army had written the letter to his wife Connie on December 26, 1941.
- Why was the letter written. What was the wonderful thing that had happened.
Ans. The letter was written to describe the wonderful event.
The wonderful thing that happened was the two armies, the British and the German, fighting against each other celebrated Christmas together.
- What jobs did Hans Wolf and Jim Macpherson have when they were not soldiers.
Ans. Before joining the army, Hans played the cello in the orchestra and Jim Macpherson was a school teacher.
- Had Hans wolf ever been to a desert. Why did he say he knew it.
Ans. No, Hans had never been to desert. He had learned about it from reading books in English.
- Do you think Jim Macpherson came back from the war. How do you know this .
Ans. No, Jim Macpherson never came back home from the war. We came to know this as his wife , Connie had preserved his letters. She was still waiting for him.
- Why did the author go to Bridport.
Ans. The author went to Bridport to visit Mrs. Jim Macpherson and to give her the letter.
- How old was Mrs. Macpherson now. Where was she.
Ans. Mrs. Macpherson was a hundred and one years old. She was in nursing home in Burlington house.
- Who did Macpherson think her visitor was.
Ans. Connie Macpherson thought that that her visitor was her husband Jim Macpherson.
- Which sentence in the text shows that the visitor did not to hide his identity.
Ans. The sentence which shows that the visitor did not try to hide his identity is, I explained about the desk, about how I had found it, but I don’t think she was listening.
- For how long do you think Connie had kept Jim’s letter. Give reasons for your answer.
Ans. Connie was a hundred and one years old when the author came to visit her. Connie had kept Jim’s letter for quite a long time. This is because she told the author how she read it quite often so that she could feel that Jim was near her.
- Why do you think the desk had been sold, and when.
Ans. The desk must have been sold when the house in which Connie Macpherson lived had caught fire. She was taken to a nursing home and all the burnt up things must have been sold.
- Why do Jim and Hans think that games or sports are good ways of resolving conflicts. Do you agree.
Ans. Jim and Hans thought that games or sports are good ways of resolving conflicts because nobody dies in games or sports. No children are orphaned and no wives become widows. Yes I do agree with this as wars only leads to pain, sorrow, separation, suffering and even death. Nothing good comes out of war.
- Do you think the soldiers of the two armies are like each other, or different from each other. Find evidence from the story to support your answer.
Ans. The soldiers of the two armies are like each other. As both the troops left their trenches and celebrated Christmas together in ‘ no man’s land’ They shared food. All of them talked, laughed, smoke, ate drank. They agreed about laughed, smoke, ate and drank. They could all go home and be united with their families. All these shows that the soldiers of the armies were similar to each other.
- Mention the various ways in which the British and the German soldiers become friends and find things in common at Christmas.
Ans. The British and the German troops celebrated Christmas with each other by leaving their trenches. They wished Happy Christmas to one another. They smoke, laughed, talked, drank, and ate. They shared the Christmas cake. They agreed about everything like friends. They talked about their lives before the war, their families. They exchanged carols like ‘Silent Night’ and ‘While shepherds watched’ at night. They also shared their sum and schnapps with each other. In this way, they celebrated Christmas a time of peace and good will together, finding a lot of things in common between them.
- What is Connie’s Christmas present. Why is it “the best Christmas in the world”.
Ans. When the author came to see Connie and gave her the box, she mistook him for her husband Jim. She thought Jim had kept his promise and come home for Christmas. This was Connie’s Christmas present. It was the best Christmas present in the world because Jim had written in the letter that he would come home for Christmas.
- Do you think of the title of this story is suitable for it.Can you think of any other title (s)
Ans. Yes, the title of the story is suitable for it. The spirit of Christmas is the theme we see throughout the story. The message of Christmas peace and good as to all is brought out clearly.
Suitable title could be “A Christmas wish comes true”.