Iswaran The Storyteller Question Answer With Summary & Analysis

Below are 50 sample questions and answers based on the chapter “Iswaran the Storyteller” from the Class 9 English curriculum:

Question: Who was Mahendra, and what was his job?
Answer: Mahendra was a junior supervisor employed by a firm that provided supervisors at various construction sites like factories, bridges, and dams. His job required him to oversee the activities at these sites and often relocate based on the firm’s requirements.

🚀 Join Our WhatsApp Channel for sarkari naukri,exams result notifications

Question: How did Iswaran serve Mahendra?
Answer: Iswaran was Mahendra’s cook who took care of cooking, cleaning, washing, and entertained Mahendra with his storytelling.

Question: What was Iswaran’s special talent?
Answer: Iswaran had a talent for storytelling, making even ordinary incidents sound thrilling and full of suspense.

Question: What did Iswaran claim to have done to a mad elephant?
Answer: Iswaran claimed to have subdued a mad elephant by hitting its toenail using a special technique he had learned from a Japanese martial art like karate or ju-jitsu.

Question: What did Mahendra see outside his window one night?
Answer: Mahendra saw a dark, ghostly figure clutching a bundle outside his window one night, which terrified him.

Question: How did Iswaran describe the mad elephant incident to Mahendra?
Answer: Iswaran described the mad elephant’s rampage through the town in great detail, making the scene dramatic by explaining how the elephant broke fences, smashed stalls, and terrorised the school. He then claimed that he, as a boy, grabbed a cane, confronted the elephant, and subdued it by hitting its toenail with all his might. Iswaran’s storytelling made the event sound exciting and heroic.

Question: Why did Mahendra enjoy Iswaran’s stories despite their exaggerations?
Answer: Mahendra enjoyed Iswaran’s stories because of the way Iswaran told them. His storytelling was full of suspense, drama, and vivid descriptions, which made even the simplest incidents seem extraordinary. Mahendra found the stories entertaining and never questioned their truthfulness.

Question: In what way is Iswaran an asset to Mahendra?
Answer: Iswaran was the cook of Mahendra. He would follow him uncomplainingly wherever he was posted. He would cook for him, wash his clothes and chat away with him. He could weave out endless stories and anecdotes on varied subjects. That is how he was an asset to Mahendra.

Question: How does Iswaran describe the uprooted tree on the highway? What effect does he want to create in his listeners?
Answer: Iswaran described the uprooted tree on the highway with his hands held out in a dramatic gesture. He said, “The road was deserted and I was all alone. Suddenly I spotted something that looked like an enormous bushy beast lying sprawled across the road. I was half inclined to turn and go back. But as I came closer I saw that it was a fallen tree, with its dry branches spread out.” He wants to create suspense in his listeners.

Question: How does he narrate the story of the tusker? Does it appear to be plausible?
Answer: He narrates the story of the tusker in an exaggerated way. He tells that a tusker escaped from the timber yard and began to roam about, tearing up wild creepers, stamping on bushes and breaking branches at will. It came into the main road and smashed the small shops selling fruits, mud pots and clothes. It then entered a school ground. It grunted and wandered about, tearing down the volleyball net, kicking and flattening the drum kept for water, and uprooting the shrubs.

Question: Is Iswaran a fascinating storyteller? Discuss with your friends the qualities of a good storyteller. Try to use these qualities and tell a story.
Answer: Storytelling is an art that not everyone possesses. ‘Iswaran The Storyteller’ is about Iswaran, who is a brilliant storyteller. He very well understands how to use pitch, expressions, etc. to narrate stories in the most interesting and thrilling ways. He is a cook and more to Mahendra. Iswaran tells Mahendra about having an encounter with a woman ghost. Is he serious or telling yet another story? Read the chapter to know. NCERT Solutions helps the students to clear all their doubts related to the topic.

Question: Can you think of some other ending for the story from the Chapter 3 of NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Supplementary?
Answer: In the given story, the climax is that Mahendra is acutely frightened by the possibility of the ghost actually entering his room the previous night. He resolves to leave the haunted place the very next day. Another climax could have ended up with Mahendra being more courageous and trying to find out the reality instead of running away from it. He would have found that the entire story was cooked-up by Iswaran and he was the one holding the bundle in the night to scare Mahendra and make him believe his story.