4- THE DAY THE DAME BROKE.
( SHORT QUESTIONS )
Q. 1: How accurate is the title of Thurber’s essay?
Ans. The title of the essay is accurate because the whole story revolves round it.
Q. 2: What can we gather about grandfather’s age, physique and mental condition?
Ans. The grandfather is sixty years old. His health is good. He is strong and his mental condition is
good.
Q. 3: How does the panic appear to have started?
Ans. A man had to meet his wife in a restaurant. He was late. He began to run to reach the
restaurant soon. A newsboy was also running. Then in no time all the people began to run.
they thought that the dam had broken. There was a panic in no time.
Q. 4: How did Thurber’s mother cop with the situation?
Ans. Thurber’s mother calmly put out all fire in the house. She took with her dozen eggs and loaves
of bread. Her intention was to take shelter in the upper storey of a nearby building.
Q. 5: What cause the lieutenant colonel of infantry to lead a company of panic stricken people?
Ans. The lieutenant colonel was dozing. He heard the cry in sleep. A little child ran with a cry
"Go east". He was army officer therefore he made quick decision. He stood up and started
running. When the other people saw a Colonel running like that, they took it seriously and
began to run along with Colonel. In this way he was soon leading a fleeing company of three
hundred persons.
Q. 6: How long did the panic last and how was order restored?
Ans. The panic took tow hours to last. The soldiers announced through megaphones that there was
no flood.
Q. 7: How did the panic start in the cinema on High Street?
Ans. In the cinema the panic started when people heard the sound of the feet of the running men
outside. They heard about the broken dame. They came out and started running.
Q. 8: Why did Dr. Mallory think that the floodwaters were about to engulf him?
Ans. There was a boy behind him on roller skate. He mistook the noise of the skates as that of a
rushing water. He ran madly.
Q. 9: How did Thurber obtain the description of the events in the cinema and the experience of
Dr. Mallory?
Ans. Thurber got all this information from his aunt who had gone to see the show and met
Dr. Mallory on the way during flight.
Q. 10: Why did the citizens of Columbus not care to talk about the events of the 12th March 1913?
Ans. The citizens of Columbus did not care to talk about these events because they were ashamed
of their foolish behaviour. Non of them dared to get the news confirmed.
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MANSOOR SLI SHAH.