IMPORTANT SHORT QUESTION ANSWERS MY BANK ACCOUNT BY STEPHEN LEACOCK
Q.1: Who is the author of the essay “My Bank Account”? What do you know about the author?
Ans: The author of the
essay “My Bank Account” is Stephen Leacock. Stephen Leacock (1869-1944) was
born in England and taken to Canada. He was educated at Toronto’s leading
secondary school, Upper Canada College and at the University of Toronto. He
taught modern languages at Upper Canda College. He subsequently studied political
economy at the University of Chicago and was appointed a lecturer at McGill
University in 1901. He published his first book “Elements of Political Science”,
which became a standard college textbook. He was also appointed the Head of the
Department of Political Economy at McGill University.
Q.2: According to the author, what is the
effect upon him on entering a bank to business?
Ans: According to the
author, he has a bank phobia, whenever he goes into a bank, he gets frightened.
The clerk frightens him; the desks frighten him; the sight of the money frightens
him and everything in the bank frightens him. The moment when he passes through
the doors of a bank and attempts to do business there he becomes an
irresponsible fool.
M O R E E N G L I S H N O T E S
Chapter No. 1: Pakistan Zindabad
Chapter No. 2: Birkenhead Drill
Chapter No. 3: The United Nations
Q.3: Why did the author decide to open
an account?
Ans: The author knew very
well about his bank phobia, but when his salary had been raised to fifty dollars a
month, he felt that the bank was the only place for saving it. So, he decided
to open an account in a bank.
Q.4: How did the author enter the
bank and where did he go to the bank?
Ans: The author walked
unsteadily into the bank and looked around at the clerks with fear. He had an
idea that a person who was about to open an account must necessarily consult
the manager. He went up to a place marked “Accountant”.
Q.5: What was the reaction of the author
on seeing the accountant and what did he say to the accountant?
Ans: The accountant of the
bank seemed apparently a tall, cool devil. The very sight of the accountant frightened
the author but he reached near him. The author said to the accountant that he
wanted to see the bank’s manager alone.
Q.6: How did the bank’s manager look
like? What did the author say to the bank’s manager?
Ans: The bank’s manager
was a calm and serious man. The author held his fifty-six dollars, pressed
together in a ball in his pocket. He first confirmed that he actually was the
manager of that bank and said to him that he wanted to see him alone.
Q.7: What was the manager’s reaction
when the author told him that he would like to see him alone?
Ans: When the author told
the manager that he would like to see him alone, the manager took him as a
detective. He looked at the author with some anxiety and felt that the author
had a terrible secret to tell.
Q.8: Where is the bank’s manager take
the author and what did he say to the author?
Ans: The manager took the
author into a private room and locked the door of the room. He said to the
author that they were safe from the interruption there. The manager and the
author both sat down there and looked at each other. The manager took the
author as one of Pinkerton's detectives. The mysterious manner of the author made him think that he was a detective.
Q.9: Why did the manager look relieved
when he knew the purpose of the author’s visit?
Ans: When the author told
the manager that he had only come to open an account and he intended to keep
all his money in that bank. The manager looked relieved knowing that the
author did not come there for making any investigation.
Q.10: Why did the manager look very
serious after knowing that the author only wanted to open an account?
Ans: The author told the
manager that he wanted to open an account in the bank and he intended to keep
all his money in his account. The manager felt then that the author was a rich
man, perhaps a son of a Baron Rothschild.
Q.11: What is the equivalent of fifty
American dollars in Pakistani currency?
Ans: In June 2022, one
American dollar (USD) is equivalent to 198 Rupees (PKR), which means fifty
American dollars are equivalent to nine thousand nine hundred rupees in
Pakistan currency in June 2022.
Q.12: What was the reaction of the bank’s
manager when he came to know that the author only wanted to deposit only
fifty-six dollars in the bank?
Ans: When the author told
the manager that he only wanted to deposit fifty-six dollars to open an account,
then he would deposit fifty dollars per month regularly. The manager was much
displeased, he got up and opened the door of the private room and also called
the accountant in an unkindly loud and directed him to open the account of the
author.
Q.13: Where did the author walk into
after saying “Good Morning” to the manager after their meeting in the private room?
Ans: The author was very
confused about viewing the unpleasant behaviour of the manager. A big iron door stood open at the side of the private room, it was the safety of the bank. The
author walked into the safe. The manager ordered him to come out from there
and showed him the other way.
Q.14: How did the author give the money
to the accountant for opening an account?
Ans: The author went up
to the accountant’s position and pushed the ball of money at him with a quick, saddened
movement as if he was doing a sort of trick.
Q.15: How did the author take part in
opening the account?
Ans: The author gave
money to the accountant. The accountant gave it to another clerk. He made
the author write the sum on a bit of paper and took the sign of the author
in a book. The author no longer knew what he was doing. The bank seemed to swim
before his eyes.
Q.16: What did the author ask the
accountant, when he deposited the money and opened the account?
Ans: The author asked the
accountant in a hollow shaking voice if the money had been deposited in the
account, and the accountant replied positively. The author then requested the
accountant that he wanted to draw a cheque.
Q.17: Why did the author want to draw a
cheque though he had opened his account a few minutes earlier?
Ans: The author was very
confused in the bank, so he deposited all his money into his account and did
not keep anything for his daily use. He wanted to draw six dollars through a
cheque for his present use.
Q.18: How did the author behave while he
was writing the cheque?
Ans: The author was very
upset and confused. Someone gave him a cheque book and someone else began telling
him how to write a cheque. The author thought that the people in the bank
seemed to think that he was a man to own millions of dollars, but he was not
feeling very well.
Q.19: Why did the clerk become surprised
on looking at the cheque?
Ans: The author was very
upset through the dealing in the bank. Unconsciously, he wrote something on the
cheque and pushed it towards the clerk. The clerk became surprised on looking
at the cheque because the author wrote fifty-six dollars on the cheque instead
of six dollars. Thus, he was withdrawing all the money which he had just
deposited a few minutes earlier for opening his new bank account.
Q.20: What mistake did the author make
when he wrote the cheque? Why did he feel it was impossible to explain?
Ans: The author wanted to
draw six dollars through a cheque for his present use. When he wrote the
cheque, he had written fifty-six dollars instead of six. The author was very
upset so he could not make any reason for it. He had a feeling that it was
impossible to explain the thing.
Q.21: How did the author behave and what
decision did he make when he realized his mistake of writing the cheque?
Ans: When the author
realized his mistake of writing the cheque, he became more upset. He had a
feeling that it was impossible to explain the thing. He became bold and
careless in his misery so he made a decision to withdraw all the money which he
had just deposited from the bank. A foolish hope came to him that the people
might think someone had insulted him while he was writing the cheque and for
that he had changed his mind. The author made a miserable attempt to look like
a man with a fearfully quick temper.
Q.22: Explain the meaning of the clerk’s
question “How will you have it”?
Ans: the clerk wanted to
know from the author in what denominations of currency notes or coins he would
like to have his cheque cashed.
Q.23: Why was there “a roar of laughter”
when the author left the bank?
Ans: When the author left
the bank, he heard a roar of laughter inside the bank. The bank workers
produced a roar of laughter at the foolish behaviour of the author. They laughed
loudly at the unusual behaviour of the author who first deposited his fifty-six
dollars and opened an account in the bank and then at once withdrew all his
money and closed his bank account.
Q.24: The author Stephen Leacock was a
respected university teacher and a highly successful writer. Do you think this
is a true story?
Ans: He was a good
humorist, he knows the art of creating humour. In this story, he criticizes the
artificial atmosphere in banks which brings confusion to a common and simple
person. So, it is just a fictional story which has been written to amuse the
readers and to describe the foolish behaviour of human beings.
Q.25: Why is it wiser to keep one’s
money in a bank than to hoard it in one’s house?
Ans: It is wiser to keep
one’s money in a bank than to hoard it in one’s home. The money remains safe in
a bank and moreover, it increases with time in a saving account. From an economic
point of view, the money which is placed at home proved to be fixed in its
value, otherwise, if it is kept in a bank, it can be used for constructive
purposes and gives also a profit to a keeper. At home the greater the amount
lying. The greater the danger of losing it by robbery or silent stealing.
Q.26: What was the experience of Stephen
Leacock while he was opening his bank account? (OR) What happened to Stephen
Leacock when he entered the bank to open an account?
Ans: When Stephen Leacock entered the bank to open an account, he became an irresponsible fool. He went to the accountant and asked him about the bank’s manager.
The bank’s manager came and took him into a private room under the impression that he was a detective but when he told the manager that he was not a detective and not a rich man but he only wanted to deposit fifty-six dollars in the account.
The manager
was much displeased and called his accountant and directed him to open the
account of the author. When a chequebook was given to the author who was very
confused and upset in the bank, he wrote the whole amount to draw out on the
cheque by mistake, so he drew out the whole amount and came home back.
Q.27: Why did the author never use the bank again? How did he save
his money?
Ans: The author learned very well from his experience of opening
his account in a bank that he had a bank phobia and he was not able to control
his mind inside a bank. He never used a bank again after his first experience
of dealing in a bank. He used to keep his money in his pocket and keep his
savings in silver dollars in a sock.
Q.28: Describe the humour incidents stated in the essay “My Bank
Account”.
Ans: the humour incidents in the essay “My Bank Account” written
by Stephen Leacock can be described as follows.
1. When the author entered
the bank, he was very upset. He walked into the bank unsteadily and looked the
clerks around with great fear.
2. He asked the accountant
about the manager of the bank. When the accountant brought the bank’s manager
with him, the author became more confused and asked the manager if he wanted to
see him alone.
3. The bank’s manager took
the author into a private room believing that the author was a detective. The
author was again very upset he answered that he was not from Pinkerton’s detective
seeming to mean that he was from a rival agency.
4. He further told the
manager that he was not a detective and he had come there just to open an
account. The manager thought on this that the author was a very rich person.
5. When the author
explained to the manager that he only wanted to deposit fifty-six dollars. The
manager got up and called his accountant and directed him to open the account
of the author. The author said goodbye to the manager and walked peacefully in
the safe of money.
6. The manager showed him
the right way of going out of that private room. The author then went to the
accountant and rolled his fifty-six dollars in the form of a ball towards the
accountant.
7. Finally, he wrote the
whole amount on the cheque that he had deposited instead of six dollars which
he intended to draw for his daily use. On writing this he became so confused
and took out all his money and came back home