The fruit vendor persisted, “Sethji, be just, I saved your honourable cap…” The businessman threw an anna towards him on the platform.
ফল বিক্রেতা একটানা বলে চলল, “শেঠজি, ন্যায়বান হও, আমি আপনার সম্মানজনক টুপিটি বাঁচিয়েছি …”। ব্যবসায়ীটি প্ল্যাটফর্মে এক আনা তার দিকে ছুড়ে ফেলে দিল।
The guard’s whistle blew.
গার্ডের বাঁশি বেজে উঠল।
The train was about to depart.
ট্রেনটি প্রায় ছেড়ে চলে যাচ্ছিল।
The vendor looked in through the compartment window.
বিক্রেতা বগির জানালা দিয়ে ভিতরে তাকাল।
“Sethji, do not rob the poor!” “Ja, ja! Take rest,” the Sethji scowled (রাগে কটমট করল) at him.
“শেঠজি, গরিবদের লুট করবেন না!” “যা, যা! বিশ্রাম নাও, “শেঠজি তাকে চোখ রাঙ্গাল।
The train had begun to move.
ট্রেন চলা শুরু করল।
The fruit vendor first ran along with it, then got on to the footstep and clung to the window, pleading.
ফল বিক্রেতা প্রথমে এটির সাথে দৌড়াল, তারপরে পাদানিতে উঠল এবং জানালা ধরে, আবেদন করতে থাকল।
But Sethji had turned his head away.
কিন্তু শেঠজি তার মাথা ঘুরিয়ে নিল।
He was looking out of the window at the goods train on the other side.
সে জানালার বাইরে ওপারের মালট্রেনের দিকে তাকিয়ে থাকল।
The train had passed the whole length of the platform and the frustrated (হতাশ)vendor finally dropped off.
ট্রেনটি প্ল্যাটফর্মের পুরো দৈর্ঘ্য অতিক্রম করল এবং হতাশ বিক্রেতা অবশেষে নেমে গেল।
Sethji turned round to all of us and began to justify (ন্যায়সঙ্গত করা) himself, “If he did not want to help me to get my cap back, he should not have offered the monkey the bananas. I did not ask him to help.”
শেঠজি আমাদের সকলের দিকে ঘুরে দাঁড়াল এবং নিজেকে ন্যায়সঙ্গত করতে শুরু করল, “সে যদি আমার টুপিটি ফিরিয়ে আনতে সাহায্য না করতে চাইত, তবে তাঁর বানরকে কলা দেওয়া উচিত হয়নি। আমি তাকে সাহায্য করতে বলিনি.”
I felt that all the other passengers had sympathy (সহানুভূতি) for the poor vendor.
আমি অনুভব করলাম যে অন্য সমস্ত যাত্রীদের সহানুভূতি ছিল দরিদ্র বিক্রেতার প্রতি।
The whole amusing episode had ended in a bitter sense of grievance (অভিযোগ) against the rich businessman who had been so hard to the generous-hearted fruit vendor.
পুরো মজাদার পর্বটি শেষ হল ধনী ব্যবসায়ীর বিরুদ্ধে একটি তিক্ত অভিযোগ বোধের মধ্যে দিয়ে যে উদার-হৃদয়যুক্ত ফল বিক্রেতার প্রতি খুবই কঠোর ছিল।
I drew a cartoon of Sethji and showed my drawing to all the other passengers except him.
আমি শেঠজির একটি কার্টুন আঁকলাম এবং তাকে ছাড়া অন্য সমস্ত যাত্রীদের আমার অঙ্কন দেখালাম।
Everyone laughed.
সবাই হাসল.
The more we laughed, Sethji became the more uncomfortable.
আমরা যত বেশি হাসলাম, শেঠজি ততই অস্বস্তিতে পরল।
The Price of Bananas Class 9 Questions and Answers
Exercise 1
Tick the correct answer from the given alternatives :
(1) The author was on his way from Faizabad railway station to
(a) Delhi
(b) Kolkata
(c) Lucknow[ √ ]
(d) Ahmedabad
(2) From the water pump the passengers were filing up their
(a) water bottles
(b) earthen pitchers[ √ ]
(c) brass jugs
(d) steel buckets
(3) The gentlemen who came up to the author’s compartment looked like a
(a) businessman[ √ ]
(b) doctor
(c) teacher
(d) postman
(4) The price vendor asked for the bananas was
(a) two annas[ √ ]
(b) four annas
(c) six annas
(d) eight annas
(5) The author drew the cartoon of
(a) fruit vendor
(b) monkey
(c) porter
(d) Sethji[ √ ]
Exercise 2
Answer the following question within fifteen words:
(1) Where did the young monkeys sit?
Ans: The young monkeys sat on the boughs of neem and tamarind trees.
(2) What did the monkey do to the loin cloth of the pious person?
Ans: The monkeyssnatched away the loin cloth of the pious person and went up the neem tree while he was bathing.
(3) What did Sethji’s luggage include ?
Ans: Sethji’s luggage included a big steel trunk, several small baskets and a brass jug.
(4) Why, accordingly to the fruit vendor, were the monkeys disturbing the passengers ?
Ans: According to the fruit vendor, the monkeys were disturbing the passengers because they were hungry.
Exercise 3
Answer the following question within twenty-five words:
(1) What was the businessman wearing ?
Ans: The businessman wore a white muslin dhoti, a delicate tunic and an embroidered cap on his head.
(2) What did the monkey do after accepting the fruit vendor’s bargain ?
Ans: After accepting the fruit vendor’s bargain, the monkey took over the bananas with his right hand and released the embroidered cap, slightly crumpled with its left hand.
(3) How did the whole amusing episode end ?
Ans: The whole amusing episode ended in a bitter sense of grievance against the rich businessman who had been so hard to the generous -hearted fruit vendor.
The Price of Bananas – Grammar
Exercise 4
Fill in the blanks with appropriate articles prepositions:
(a) _________The________ sun rises in the east.
(b) The dog jumped _________over____ the log.
(c) I love to watch ___a__ one-day match.
(d) ________Besides__________ a pen, Tiya also has an eraser.
Exercise 5
Change the voice of the following sentence:
(a) Mr. Khan is known to me.
Ans: I know Mr. Khan.
(b) Trina had composed a poem.
Ans: A poem had been composed by Trina.
(c) I will always remember you.
Ans: You will always be remembered by me.
(d) They have made him the president of the club.
Ans: He has been made the president of the club by them.
Exercise 6
Fill in the blanks with appropriate form of the given verbs brackets:
(a) They ___________ ____________ their puja vacation in the hills. (spend)
Ans: They (have spent/will spend) their puja vacation in the hills. (spend)
(b) We ________________ _______________ in this city for over ten years. (live)
Ans: We have been living in this city for over ten years. (live)
(c) I _____________ just _________________ reading the book. (finish)
Ans: I have just finished reading the book. (finish)
(d) The project ____________ ____________ _____________ by June next year. (complete)
Ans: The project will be completed by June next year. (complete)
Exercise 7
Change the mode of narration in the following sentences:
(a) Rahul said,” Alas! Brazil has lost the match.”
Ans: Rahul exclaimed with sorrow that Brazil had lost the match.
(b) “Let us go for a walk,” said Shabnam to Chandni.
Ans: Shabnam proposed to Chandni that they should go for a walk.
(c) “Good morning, madam,” said the students to the teacher.
Ans: Addressing madam, the students wished good morning to the teacher.
(d) My father said to me, “Do not pluck flowers.”
Ans: My father advised me not to pluck flowers.
