GSEB Class 10 English Solutions Chapter 8 The Hack Driver

Read and Find Out (Textbook Page No. 47)

Question 1. Why is the lawyer sent to New Mullion? What does he first think about the place?
Answer: The lawyer was sent to New Mullion to give summons to Oliver Lutkins, who was required as a witness in a law case. He initially thinks that the place must be a pleasant and simple village in the countryside.

Exam Tip: Clearly state the lawyer's task and his initial impression, ensuring both parts of the question are addressed.

Question 2. Who befriends the lawyer? Where does he take him?
Answer: A hack driver at the station, who called himself Bill Magnuson, becomes friends with him. He informed the lawyer that he knew Lutkins and would assist in finding him. Bill took him to all the spots where Lutkins was known to spend time. He guided the lawyer to Fritz's shop, where Lutkins often played poker; to Gustaff's barbershop and then to Gray's barbershop; and to the poolroom and several other places before finally taking him to Lutkins' mother's farm. However, Oliver Lutkins was not found.

Exam Tip: Mention Bill Magnuson as the befriending hack driver and list all the places he took the lawyer in his search for Lutkins.

Question 3. What does Bill say about Lutkins?
Answer: Bill explained to the lawyer that Lutkins was a challenging person to locate because he was always occupied with some activity or another. He owed cash to many individuals, including Bill himself, and had never repaid anyone. Bill also noted that Lutkins enjoyed playing a lot of poker and was skilled at tricking people.

Exam Tip: Focus on Lutkins' habits, his financial irresponsibility, and his knack for deception as described by Bill.

Read and Find Out (Textbook Page No. 50)

Question 1. What more does Bill say about Lutkins and his family?
Answer: Bill told the lawyer that he knew Lutkins' mother. He stated that she was a terrifying woman. He shared an incident when he carried a trunk to her once, and she nearly stripped his skin off because he did not carry it carefully. He also mentioned that she was very tall and large. She was very quick and could talk a lot. He believed that Lutkins must have heard that someone was pursuing him and, as a result, would have gone into hiding at his mother's residence.

Exam Tip: Detail Bill's description of Lutkins' mother, including her physical traits, temperament, and why Lutkins might hide at her place.

Question 2. Does the narrator serve the summons that day?
Answer: No, the narrator does not serve the summons that day.

Exam Tip: A direct answer is required for a direct question like this. Simply state whether the summons was served or not.

Question 3. Who is Lutkins?
Answer: The hack driver himself is Lutkins but pretends to be Bill Magnuson. He tricks the lawyer to avoid the summons to be a witness in a case.

Exam Tip: Identify Lutkins' true identity and his motive for deceiving the lawyer.

Question 4. Who was Oliver Lutkins? What did he do to fool the young lawyer?
Answer: Oliver Lutkins was a man from New Mullion who was supposed to receive a summons to give evidence for a pending court case. When the lawyer was sent to his town to deliver the summons, Lutkins tricked him by acting as a hack driver who was willing to help him. He drove the young lawyer all around the town, but they were unable to locate Lutkins.

Exam Tip: Explain Lutkins' role in the legal case and then describe his method of deception, focusing on his disguise as a hack driver and the fruitless search.

Think About It

Question 1. When the lawyer reached New Mullion, did 'Bill' know that he was looking for Lutkins? When do you think 'Bill1 came up with his plan for fooling the lawyer?
Answer: No, 'Bill' did not know initially that the lawyer was searching for him. He must have made his plan to trick the lawyer when the lawyer told him that he was looking for Lutkins, as he understood that he was needed as a witness but did not want to provide his testimony.

Exam Tip: Specify that Bill's deception began after the lawyer revealed his purpose, as Bill wanted to avoid being a witness.

Question 2. Lutkins openly takes the lawyer all over the village. How is that no one lets out the secret? (Hint: Notice that the hack driver asks the lawyer to keep out of sight behind him when they go into Fritz's.) Can you find other such subtle ways in which Lutkins manipulates the tour?
Answer: Lutkins never permits the lawyer to get to the actual place where the imaginary Lutkins is supposed to be at a particular time. The way he creates tales about Lutkins' wandering nature and the way he frightens the lawyer about Lutkins' mother are methods of tricking the lawyer used by the hack driver. Everywhere, he does not allow the lawyer to ask about Lutkins, but he himself pretends to inquire about him, which the villagers know is a pretence. So the villagers also participate in the entire charade.

Exam Tip: Detail Lutkins' manipulative techniques, such as weaving stories, frightening the lawyer about his mother, and preventing direct interaction with villagers while pretending to help.

Question 3. Why do you think Lutkin's neighbours were anxious to meet the lawyer?
Answer: Nearly the whole village had enjoyed Lutkins making a fool of the lawyer. Only Lutkins' neighbours had not seen the lawyer but had come to learn what occurred. They wanted to meet the easily fooled man whom Lutkins had taken for a ride. That is why the neighbours wished to meet him.

Exam Tip: Explain that the neighbours wanted to see the lawyer because they were entertained by Lutkins' clever trickery and the lawyer's gullibility.

Question 4. After his first day's experience with the hack driver, the lawyer thinks of returning to New Mullion to practice law. Do you think he would have reconsidered this 'idea after his second visit?
Answer: No, absolutely not. After knowing how Lutkins had made a fool of him, he would never come back to New Mullion to practice law.

Exam Tip: Provide a definite answer and a clear reason, highlighting the lawyer's embarrassment after discovering the deception.

Question 5. Do you think the lawyer was gullible? How could he have avoided being taken for a ride?
Answer: Yes, the lawyer was easily fooled. He believed every word that Oliver Lutkins spoke. He should have asked about Lutkins from other villagers. Instead, he relied completely on the hack driver.

Exam Tip: State whether the lawyer was gullible and suggest specific actions he could have taken, such as questioning other villagers, to avoid being tricked.

Talk About It

Question 1. Do we come across persons like Lutkins only in fiction or do we encounter them in real life as well? You can give examples from fiction, or narrate an incident that you have read in the newspaper, or an incident from real life.
Answer: Individuals like Lutkins are found in real life as well. They do not just appear in stories. They are very much real. Newspapers are full of accounts of such tricksters. There is this famous con man in 'David Copperfield' written by Charles Dickens. His name is Uriah Heep. He traps a trusting, rich old man. The old man depends on him completely. He takes advantage of his trust and gets all his money. He makes the old man an alcoholic. Then he forces the old man to marry his daughter to him.

Exam Tip: Affirm the existence of such characters in real life and provide a clear example from literature or a real-life scenario to support your point.

Question 2. Who is a 'conman', or a confidence trickster?
Answer: A 'con man' or a confidence trickster is a person who tricks other people. He first gains their trust and then gets whatever he desires from them.

Exam Tip: Provide a concise definition of a 'conman', focusing on their method of building trust to exploit others.

The Hack Driver Summary in English

The Hack Driver Summary:

In this lesson, a young lawyer is assigned to serve summons instead of practicing law. He dislikes his job as sometimes he is physically harmed. One day, he is instructed by the law firm to serve summons to a Mr. Oliver Lutkins, who lived in a village named New Mullion. The young lawyer travels to the village with some expectations of rural life, but he is let down. He encounters a hack driver who, in his opinion, is a very helpful man.

Exam Tip: When summarizing, ensure you cover the main characters, the setting, the central conflict, and the initial events, keeping it brief and to the point.

10th Std English Questions And Answers