CBSE Class 10 English The Hack Driver Worksheet Set A

The Hack Driver

GIST
In this lesson, a young lawyer is made to serve summons instead of practicing law. He hates his job as sometimes he is beaten up while serving summons in the shadowy corners of the city. Once he is directed by the law firm to serve summons on a man called Bill. Bill, the hack driver, drives him in his horse-carriage around the village. He takes him to the people who know Lutkins, one by one in a quest of finding him. But no results to avail. He returns empty handed to the city. There, he is reprimanded by the chief of his firm and is sent back to New Mullion along with a person who has worked with Lutkins. After reaching at the New Mullion station, the lawyer came to know that the person, who drove him along the village, himself was the Lutkins. Mr. Oliver Lutkins, who lived in a village called New Mullion. The young lawyer goes to the village with some expectations of village life but he is disappointed. He meets a hack driver who is a very helpful man according to him.

CHARACTER SKETCH’s
place, what would have your reaction been towards Bill’s statements?

1 Oliver Lutkins: Oliver Lutkins is a crook who lives in the country town of New Mullion. Though he lives in a small town, he easily cheats the lawyer who comes to serve a summons on him. He pretends to be Bill Magnuson, the hack driver and manages to cheat the narrator of his money. He manages to convey the lawyer that it is very difficult to trace Lutkins. He takes the lawyer too many shops but does not allow the lawyer to directly talk with the people. Over a few hours, Bill takes the narrator all over the town where they keep missing Lutkins by small periods of time. He is also a friendly person. When the lawyer comes to New Multi on a second time, Lutkins invites the lawyer for a cup of coffee in his friend’s house. Bill painted Lutkins as a dishonest person. He owed money to a lot of people. He had a talent for dishonesty. Though he lived in a rural town, he managed to trick and mislead a lawyer belonging to the city.

2. The Narrator: The narrator is a lawyer who hates city life. He thinks of pursuing a career in a small town. He goes to New Mullion to serve a summons on Oliver Lutkins. We find him gullible, and he is easily misled by Lutkins himself, who poses as the hack driver, Bill. Bill takes money from the lawyer and gives misleading information about Lutkins. He visits a number of places in New Mullion with Bill but is not able to meet Lutkins. Since he visited new Mullion for an important matter, he failed to be careful in carrying out his job. The narrator appears to be a novice and not a seasoned legal mind. He had a romantic view of country (rural) life but was easily conned by crooks in New Mullion.

Extract Based:

Read the extract given below and answer the questio ns that follow:

As we climbed back into the hack Bill concluded that since Lutibns had exhausted his credit at GustnfFs he had probably gone to Grays for a shave. At Gray's barber shop we missed Lutbhs by only five minutes. He bad just left — probably for the pockroom. At the poolroom it appeared that he had just bought a pack of cigarettes and gone out. So we pursued him, just behind him but never catching him, for an hour till it was past one o'clock 1 was hungry. But J had so enjoyed Bills rough country opinions about his neighbours that 1 scarcely cared whether 1 found Lutkins or not

Question. The term 'Pursued' means:
(a) followed
(b) Left
(c) gave up
(d) abandoned
Answer. A
 

Question. As we dim bed back into the hack means that the narrator:
(a) climbed a hill
(b) sat on a cart
(c) sat in the back seat of a car
(d) climbedon a tree
Answer. B
 

Question. Which term does NOT mean the same as 'scarcely?
(a) hardly
(b) abundantly
(c) barely
(d) rarely
Answer. B
 

Question. The phrase “Lutkins has exhausted his credit 1 means:
(a) he had paid all the money that he had.
(b) he had lost his cash.
(c) he had used services an credit.
(d) he had used his credit card.
Answer. C
 

Read the given extracts to attempt the questions that follow:

1. “Yes. I want to catch the afternoon train back to the city.” I was very important and secret about it.
“I’ll tell you what. I’ve got a hack. I’ll get it out and we can drive around together and find Lutkins.
I know most of the places he hangs out.”
He was so open and friendly that I glowed with the warmth of his affection. I knew, of course, that he wanted the business, but his kindness was real. I was glad the fare money would go to this good fellow. I managed to bargain down to two dollars an hour, and then he brought from his house nearby a sort of large black box on wheels. He remarked, “Well, young man, here’s the carriage,” and his wide smile made me into an old friend. These villagers are so ready to help a stranger. He had already made it his own task to find Oliver Lutkins for me.

A. Multiple Choice Questions

Question. How did the writer feel when he said, “Yes, I want to catch the afternoon train back to the city?”
(a) Boldness
(b) Hurry
(c) Necessity
(d) Confusion
Answer. C

Question. Choose the option that lists the set of statements that are NOT true according to the given extract.
(1) The writer had no importance in the office.
(2) The hack driver was acquainted with most of the places.
(3) The writer found the hack driver open and friendly.
(4) The writer made a good bargain with the hack driver.
(5) The hack driver could make good business with the strangers.
(a) 2, 3, 4 and 5
(b) 3, 2 and 5
(c) 1, 3 and 4
(d) 1, 4 and 5
Answer. A

Question. Pick the option that correctly classifies fact/s (F) and opinion/s (O) of the students below
(1) Certainly the hack driver was a clever man. The writer should not have become friendly with him.
(2) But the writer had to serve summons on Lutkins who was wanted in a law case.
(3) You are right. The writer was a stranger in the village. Besides, he had no idea about Lutkins’ locations.
(4) Absolutely. Man likes the hack driver who is quite familiar with the locality, may be very helpful to the stranger like the writer. So, he did a good job.
(a) F – 1, 3 and O – 2, 4
(b) F – 2, 3 and O – 1, 4
(c) F – 3, 4 and O – 1, 2
(d) F – 1, 4 and O – 2, 3
Answer. B

Question. Which word does ‘glowed with’ NOT correspond to?
(a) Encouraged
(b) Brightened up
(c) Elated
(d) Slowed down
Answer. D

Question. Choose the characteristic displayed by the hack driver when he said, “well, young man, here’s the carriage”.
(a) Authority
(b) Readiness
(c) Hopelessness
(d) Selfishness
Answer. B

B. Very Short Answer Questions

Question. Who offered help to the author in finding Lutkins?
Answer. Bill, the hackdriver.

Question. Why did the author feel glad that the fare would go to the good fellow Bill?
Answer. The author liked Bill because he was open and friendly and his kindness was real.

Question. Was the kindness of Bill in actuality ‘real’?
Answer. The kindness of Bill was not real as he was be-fooling the author to extract out the maximum from him.

Question. What fare was agreed upon?
Answer. Two dollars an hour was agreed upon.

Question. What had Bill already made his task?
Answer. Bill had already made it his own task to find Oliver Lutkins for the author.

2. ‘‘I know Oliver’s mother. She’s a terror,’’ Bill sighed. ‘‘I took a trunk out there for her once, and she almost took my skin off because I didn’t treat it like a box of eggs. She’s about nine feet tall and four feet thick and quick as a cat, and she sure can talk. I’ll bet Oliver heard that somebody’s chasing him, and he’s gone on there to hide behind his mother’s skirts. Well, we’ll try her. But you’d better let me do it, boy. You may be great at literature and law, but you haven’t had real training in swearing.’’

A. Multiple Choice Questions

Question. According to Bill, Oliver’s mother is:
(a) a kind-hearted woman.
(b) a terror.
(c) a soft-spoken woman.
(d) a helpful person.
Answer. B

Question. Bill concludes that Lutkins must have gone to his mother’s place:
(a) to have some good home made food.
(b) to pick up some of his clothes.
(c) to hide behind his mother.
(d) to get some rest.
Answer. C

Question. What is Bill’s mother compared to?
(a) a tiger
(b) a lion
(c) a cat
(d) a rat
Answer. C

Question. In Bill’s opinion, what was the narrator novice at?
(a) making false names
(b) creating legal brief
(c) swearing
(d) making excuse
Answer. C

Question. “…because I didn’t treat it like a box of eggs.” The literary device applied here is:
(a) Hyperbole
(b) Simile
(c) Synecdoche
(d) Alliteration
Answer. B

B. Very Short Answer Questions

Question. Who knows Oliver’s mother and what did he call her?
Answer. Bill the hack driver knows Oliver’s mother and he describes her as a terror.

Question. How does Bill describe her?
Answer. He describes her as nine feet tall, four feet thick, quick as a cat and sure she can talk.

Question. Why does Bill say that Oliver had gone to his mother’s house?
Answer. Bill says that Oliver might have heard someone saying that a lawyer was searching for him and in order to escape the lawyer he was gone to hide behind his mother’s skirts.

Question. Why did Bill say that he would handle Lutkins mother?
Answer. He said so because he assumed that the lawyer would not have had training in swearing.

Question. Why did Lutkins mother once almost took Bill’s skin off?
Answer. Bill once took a trunk out there for her and because he didn’t treat it like a box of eggs she almost took his skin off.

I. Multiple Choice Questions 

Question. At what post did the author work at the law firm after graduating?
(a) As a lawyer
(b) As a partner
(c) As a junior clerk
(d) As the owner
Answer. C

Question. What kind of job was he asked to do?
(a) Serve summons
(b) Fight cases
(c) File reports
(d) Write legal briefs
Answer. A

Question. Where did Fritz send them looking for Lutkins?
(a) To Gray’s barbershop
(b) To Lutkins mother
(c) To Gustaff’s barber shop
(d) To the poolroom
Answer. B

Question. Where did the author have his lunch?
(a) At Bill’s house
(b) At the restaurant
(c) On Wade Hill
(d) At Lutkin’s mother’s house
Answer. D

Question. For what case did the author have to serve summon to Lutkins?
(a) Murder
(b) Cheating
(c) Robbing
(d) As a witness
Answer. D