Three Men on A Boat
Oxford Reading Circle Book-5
Chapter- 15
Word Meaning:
towed up = the men are in a barge; in certain places, the barge has to be pulled
by someone on the bank.
hamper = a large basket used for carrying food for a picnic
clematis = a climbing plant (also honeysuckle)
the Stage = the name of an inn, a place to take refreshment or stay
vacant = unoccupied or empty; available for hire
meek = showing mildness; weak
coal cellar = a room under a house where coal is stored
enliven = to make somebody or something more lively or interesting
assume = to take on (a role or function)
limekiln = an oven for heating limestone to produce quicklime (used for improving the soil)
Q/A:
A. 1. Why does the author say: 'It will be some time before I forget it?'
Why do you think he remembers it so well?
Ans: The author remembered his first trip because of all the
trouble his friends and he went through to find a place to stay.
2. What objection did Harris have to staying at the Manor House?
Ans: Harris did not want to go to the Manor House as he didn’t
like the looks of the man leaning against the front door
there. He said the man didn’t look nice at all and thought
his boots were ugly.
B. Reference to context
Read these lines from the story, then answer the questions.
1. 'We passed a very pretty little hotel, with clematis and creeper over the porch.'
a. Who was passing the hotel and whom?
Ans: The author was passing the hotel Stag along with his
friends George and Harris. It was quite late, ten o’ clock
at night, a Saturday in the month of August.
b. Where they carrying anything?
Ans: The men were carrying a hamper, two bags, rugs, and
coats.
c. Did they stay at the hotel? If not, why?
Ans: They did not stay at the hotel because the author
wanted a hotel with honeysuckle over the porch
instead.
2. 'We fell upon his neck there in the moonlight and blessed him.'
a. Who is blessed by whom?
Ans: The little boy is blessed by the three men.
b. Why is he blessed by them?
Ans: The little boy takes them to his house, like a saviour
angel, when they were exhausted in their attempt to
find a lodging at Datchet.
c. Where does the person who was blessed take the others and
What happens to them there?
Ans: The three men are able to spend the night at the little
boy’s house. They had hot dinner served by the little
boy’s mother. They had only two beds in the room.
The smaller one was taken by Harris, the other shared
by the author and George.
C. 1. a. This surprised and unsettled us.
b. Harris exerted himself to meet the challenge or
demand.
c. We must live without the usual comforts and
conveniences.
d. Two feet of bare leg extending out, as the bed was too
small. (feet here is a measure of length)
2. a. I said, ‘Oh, don’t let’s go in there! Let’s go on a bit
farther and see if there isn’t one with honeysuckle over
it.’
b. ‘Well then,’ he said, ‘there’s the Manor House just
opposite. Have you tried that?’
c. ‘Oh well, never mind,’ said George, ‘two will do. Two of
us can sleep in one bed, can’t we?’
D. 1. a. Good times don’t last forever.
b. If the end result is good and favourable, all the
hardships that one has gone through to achieve the
goal seem insignificant.
c. When you are asking for something, you can’t be
choosy and have to accept whatever is given to you.
d. A person who starts work on time is sure to finish on
time and get results.
Q. Imagine you are making travel plans to visit a seaside or a mountain
resort. Make a list of the things you need to take, the things you
need to do to make the trip, and the places you need to visit when
you reach there. For this, you need to find out a little about the
place.