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The Accidental Tourist Explanation, Line by Line, Meaning of Difficult Words, Class 9 CBSE English Chapter 9 NCERT Moments

Published by vr solver on october 4, 2021 october 4, 2021.

The Accidental Tourist Explanation, Line by Line, Meaning of Difficult Words, Class 9  CBSE English Chapter 9 NCERT Moments 

THE ACCIDENTAL TOURIST

(Explanation, Meaning of difficult words)

Author – Bill Bryson

I am not good at many things. Among those, living in the reality is probably the most prominent. Author wants to say that many times he would imagine that certain things did not exist or happen for him.

I am regularly surprised by the things many people do. They are able to do these things without any difficulty. Doing such things is certainly not within my ability. 

Many times in cinema hall I have tried to search a washroom. Instead of reaching washroom, I would reach at the end of a corridor or a passage. This passage would have a self-locking door. So I would get locked there.

Nowadays my special behaviour is to go the hotel desk two or three times a day.  I would ask my room number there. I easily get confused.

Once a large group of us was travelling as a family. It was during Easter.  Our group was travelling by air to England. It was a one week tour.

Our group had reached Logan Airport of Boston. It is a town in USA. Suddenly I recalled that I had joined the Frequent Flyer Programme of British Airways. I had joined it recently.

I was carrying a carry-on bag with me. I had put it around my neck. I recalled that I had the card of Frequent Flyer Programme in that bag. Immediately after that all the problems started.

The zip of the bag had jammed.  So I pulled the zip and gave it many jerks. While doing so I was making some strange sounds. My facial expressions had changed. My anger was increasing. I continued to try but the zip of the bag did not move. So I started applying more force to pull it. Louder sounds were emerging from my throat.

Then suddenly the zip opened. The side of the bag opened with a jerk. Everything that was within  the bag jumped out. These were thrown out of the bag without any control. These were spread in a large area. Author has equated it to area of a tennis court to imply that it was really a large area.

I was so shocked that I could not speak anything. The carefully arranged documents flew away one after the other. They were making fluttering sound while flying away from the bag. The coins while rolling down and bouncing were making sounds that I had never heard. The lid of my tobacco tin came out. The tin started rolling away without any control. The tobacco poured out of the tin and spread in the hall.

I shouted ‘My tobacco’. I got afraid that I would have to spend some amount on buying tobacco in England. Price of tobacco had been increased in the last budget. Then I shouted after looking at my finger. I noticed that there was a deep cut in my finger. The zip had made a deep cut in my finger. Blood was coming out in large quantity.

In general, I felt very bad whenever I saw blood. But that was never my own blood. This time it was my own blood. My shouting was therefore justified. This time I was shouting loudly like a mad person. I was confused.  I was not able to help myself. I did not know what to do.

Now my wife looked at me. She was surprised. She was irritated or annoyed. She told that she was not aware that I did such acts for making a living. She thought I used to play such games to earn money for our house hold expenses.  

I am sorry to say that it was true – I always got into trouble during travel. Once I was travelling in an aeroplane. While sitting in my seat I bent to tie my shoelace. The person sitting in the seat ahead of me bent his seat backwards. Both activities happened at the same time. So I was stuck between my seat and the seat ahead of me. I was about to fall down.

I gripped the leg of the person sitting next to me. That was the only method available to me to free myself from that situation.

Author narrates one more incident. That time he spilled his cold drink into the lap of a lady. That lady was sitting in the seat near to him. The flight attendant came. She cleaned clothes of the lady. She gave me another cold drink. I spilled the second drink also on the lady sitting next to me.

Till today I am not able to understand how it had happened. I remember that I had extended my hand to take the cold drink from the flight attended. My hand looked like a poor support for the cold drink. It was similar to the supports used in the horror film The Undead Limb . Suddenly the drink came out from top of the container with full force. All of it fell into the lap of the lady sitting next to me.

The lady looked at me. Her expressions were as if she was shocked. She was certainly shocked to repeatedly get wet by the cold drinking spilling on her. She expressed her shock by a sentence. The sentence started with ‘Oh’ and ended with ‘sake’. I cannot repeat the words spoken between these two words. I had never heard those words. A nun would never speak such words. Author wants to say that such words are not spoken by priests. Probably these were not decent words.

This was not my worst experience in a plane. The worst experience had occurred in another flight. In that flight I was writing some important thoughts in a note book. This is a satire because actually author was writing about some minor things. He had put end of the pen in his mouth. Somehow a conversation started between the author and the beautiful young lady sitting next to him. 

I talked to her with for about 20 minutes. During this period I entertained her by my courteous and humorous talks. Then I went to washroom. In the mirror I saw that ink from pen had leaked. My chin, tongue, teeth and gums were shining because of navy blue ink. It was not possible to completely remove those marks by rubbing. Those parts remained blue for many days.

I am sure by now you must have understood that I make lot of efforts to look charming. Many times I would suddenly get up from my dining table. This action would be so quick as if there were an earthquake. I will run towards my car and get into it. In the hurry a good part of my coat will get caught in the door of the car. It would be hanging out side.  Many times I would wear a pants of light colour. I would not pay any attention while sitting at many places during the day. At the end of the day many chewing gums would be stuck on my pants. It will also have many marks of ice cream, cough syrup etc. I know you will not believe it. Author wants to say that he is a careless person.

While travelling in plane when food is served, my wife gives several advice to kids. She would request kids to remove the lid of food packets for me. When I am trying to cut meat in small pieces, she advises kids to put their hood on head. But I hear such words only when I am travelling with family.

But when I travel alone, I do not drink, eat or bend to tie shoelaces. I never put a pen in my mouth.

I sit very quietly. Sometimes I put my hands below my thighs. This is to prevent my hands moving in different directions. Because of such sudden movement of my hands some liquid may fall on somebody. Author is making a reference to cold drink incident. I do not like to keep my hands below my thighs. But it reduces my expenses on washing of clothes.

I could not accumulate my frequent flyer miles. I could never find my frequent flyer card when it is required. I am certainly disappointed because of it. I am aware that everyone is travelling to Bali in first class. They use their air miles.

I could not collect enough air miles. I am flying at least 100,000 miles in one year. Still I have accumulated only 212 miles. This is after travelling in 23 air-lines.

This has happened (I collected very less air-miles) because sometimes I forget to ask for air miles when I check-in. Sometimes when I remember to ask for air miles but the airline forgets to record them. Sometimes the check-in clerk informs me that I cannot get air miles. 

In January I was travelling to Australia. I could have got a large number of air-miles for this flight. When I gave her my card, she shook her head. She told me that I was not eligible for air-miles. I asked her the reason.

The check-in clerk informed that the ticket was for B. Bryson. And the name in the card is W. Bryson. So the air-miles cannot be allowed. I tried to explain to her the close and acceptable relationship between Bill and William. Author wanted to say that both are same persons. By mistake, the name was written incorrectly in the card.  But she did not accept it.

So I did not get any air-miles for the trip to Australia. Therefore I will not be flying to Bali in first class for some more time. Perhaps I should never go there. Because I will not be able to remain hungry during such a long flight.

BILL BRYSON

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• NCERT Solutions For Class 9 English - The Accidental Tourist

NCERT Solutions

NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Moments Chapter 9 - The Accidental Tourist PDF Download

The Accidental Tourist is a lighthearted novella where the author reflects on his travel adventures. Living in the actual world is possibly the most challenging thing. believes that surviving in the actual world is the hardest thing to do. When he attempted to open his bag, the zipper jammed, spilling the contents all over the place. In his flight journeys, he was always perplexed, and he perplexed others. It is a widely held belief that the world has become a smaller place as travel has grown more convenient, yet it is also true that not everyone finds travel convenient. This is a story written by Bill Bryson where the author describes a set of incidents that keep the readers laughing. According to him, the real world is not the place where you should live peacefully or safely. The string events at the airport will clearly depict why he was hilariously right. NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Moments Chapter 9 are what you need to get hold of these incidents at the airport and answer the questions accordingly. He wanted to be in Boston on the Easter festival and was a frequent flyer of British Airways. He had the membership card in a bag hanging around his neck. It was then all the troubles started to began. You can download The Accidental Tourist Class 9 PDF file on your computer and use it to study the chapter properly. Subjects like Science, Maths, English will become easy to study if you have access to NCERT Solution for Class 9 Science , Maths solutions and solutions of other subjects. You can also download NCERT Solutions for Class 9 Maths to help you to revise the complete syllabus and score more marks in your examinations.

The Accidental Tourist CBSE Class 9: Summary

‘the accidental tourist' is a lighthearted novella in which the author mocks his own behaviour. he claims that he is unable to function in the real world. he is perplexed as to how individuals manage to achieve things that elude him without apparent trouble. he recounts numerous instances in which his clumsiness has gotten the best of him, including leaving 14 inches of his coat hanging in the car while getting in and closing the door; wearing light-coloured trousers and discovering at the end of the day that he sat on chewing gum, ice cream, cough syrup, and other items. the author excellently narrates the string of events he faced at the logan airport before and while travelling to boston for easter. he was a member of british airways and had the membership card with him. at first, the hanging bag carrying the card was not opening as the zip got stuck. on applying sudden force, all the contents of the bag flew in the air. all his documents, british pounds, tobacco pipe, etc spread on the airport floor. he cut his finger and started bleeding. cbse class 9 english the accidental tourist describes how his wife wondered that the author traveled for a living..

He then describes what happened once he stooped down to tie his shoelaces while sitting on the airplane seat. It was then another flyer in front of him reclined his seat back and made him stuck. He had to crawl under his legs to come out. The hilarious description of such incidents in Class 9 The Accidental Tourist will keep you engaged till the end of the chapters. You can use the NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Chapter 9 Moments to understand how to write answers to the questions of a comedy piece of literature properly. All of the relevant questions and answers for the chapter are included in the NCERT Solutions for Class 9. To excel in the board examinations, students can refer to and readily download the solutions pdf for free.

Access NCERT Solutions for English Chapter 9– The Accidental Tourist

Chapter 9, ‘The Accidental Tourist’ from English Moments Class 9 English is part of NCERT Solutions which provides detailed answers to all of the questions.

1. Bill Bryson says, “I Am, in Short, Easily Confused.” What examples has he given to justify this?

Ans: Bill Bryson's journeys were never pleasant. Bill Bryson can't go about his daily business without generating a mesh. He was easily perplexed. He gave an example of being unable to find a restroom in a movie theatre and eventually found himself standing near a self-locking door. He frequently forgets how to get to the restroom. Another example is when he inquired about his room number several times a day at the motels. He has trouble remembering his hotel room number. He can forget practically everything that is required to carry out our daily activities. Most of us seldom think about how effortlessly we go about our daily lives. It's all programmed into our heads. However, certain people, such as Bill Bryson, find it difficult, if not impossible, to do so.

2. What happens when the zip on his carry-on bag gives way?

Ans: In that situation, the author became extremely perplexed. When the zip on his carry-on bag broke, everything inside spilled out all over the place. Newspaper clippings, loose documents, tobacco packets, periodicals, passports, English money, and film were strewn on the floor. The zip irritates his fingertips. He's in a lot of pain, and he's bleeding a lot. All of the items in his suitcase are flying across the airport's waiting room floor. He appears to be mocking himself and has a civilized way of behaving in a specific location.

3. Why is his finger bleeding? What is his wife’s reaction?

Ans: While attempting to pull the zip with force, his finger gashed and began to bleed. His finger has become stuck in the zip of his bag, causing him pain. His wife is astounded at how he has wreaked havoc all around him. “I can't believe you do this for a living,” his wife exclaimed, looking at him in wonder.

4. How does Bill Bryson end up in a “Crash Position” in the aircraft?

Ans: Someone in the seat ahead of him threw his seat back as soon as he leaned over for this purpose. Bill Bryson once leaned forward, stooping to tie his shoelaces while on an airplane. Meanwhile, the individual in the seat in front of him reclines his seat. As a result, he is unable to move from the kneel-down position and finds himself in a "crash position." Certain folks seem to have an uncanny ability to always end up in an unpleasant situation.

5. Why are his teeth and gums navy blue?

Ans: With him, strange things used to happen. It was the worst experience he'd ever had. While writing crucial thoughts, he was nibbling on his pen while analyzing his writing. He was engrossed in a conversation with a lovely lady and failed to notice the leak in the pen. He was so negligent that the ink got into his mouth and he didn't even realize it. It took him a little longer to win over the lady seated next to him. It was also enough time for the ink to demonstrate the strange effect in his mouth. His teeth and gums were navy blue when he went to the bathroom.

6. Bill Bryson “Ached To Be Suave”. Is he successful in his mission? List his ‘Unsuave’ ways.

Ans: It is evident that Bill Bryson yearned to be sassy. In his mission, he fails miserably. He got into a car and shut the door without leaving 14 inches of coat outside, and wore light-coloured trousers without realizing at the end of the day that he had sat on chewing gum, ice cream, cough syrup, and motor oil at various moments. In public areas, there are unwritten standards that govern how we should act. You should, for example, know good dining table etiquette. Burping in public is considered uncivilized. While eating, avoid making chomping noises. The list goes on and on. While following these principles, Bill Bryson was always involved in some form of mishap. He would always make chicken chunks fly after slicing them with his fork. If he opened the lid of something tasty, he'd probably spray it all over his clothes.

7. Why do you think Bill Bryson’s wife says to the children, “Take the Lids off the Food for Daddy”?

Ans: Bill Bryson's wife was aware of her husband's travel habits. His wife was well aware of his proclivity for wreaking havoc on others. She asked her children to undertake routine chores for their father as a precaution. She says, "Take the lids off the food for Daddy," to avoid any embarrassing situations, because she didn't like her husband's method of taking the lid off the meal.

8. What is the significance of the title?

Ans: The title has a lot of weight. After reading the entire story, it is clear that Bill Bryson is The Accidental Tourist. There are other cases like these that demonstrate the title's appropriateness. The title itself alludes to the author's several unusual and unintentional events. The main character in this story is prone to making minor blunders. This can cause discomfort to other people, especially during a tour. Consider yourself seated in a railway window seat, admiring the magnificent countryside outside. Then someone on the upper deck spills his favorite curry, ruining your nice shirt as well as your mood. Those kinds of people are down at ease in their own homes. The title "The Accidental Tourist" is appropriate given the way he creates mishaps.

Why Use NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Chapter the Accidental Tourist?

Quick Preparation

When you use NCERT Solutions Class 9 The Accidental Tourist, you will understand the chapter very well and will find the right answers to the questions in the exercises properly. All the answers in Ch 9 Moments Class 9 Solutions are framed by experienced teachers who are aware of the CBSE format. These are the answers to what the examiners expect from students during an exam.

Practising Answering Questions of this Chapter

Class 9 English Ch The Accidental Tourist is a difficult chapter as you have to preserve the comic tone in all your answers. To practice writing the answers, you will require the assistance of NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Moments The Accidental Tourist.

Proper Revision

Using the NCERT Solutions of Class 9th English Chapter The Accidental Tourist will help you prepare and revise the chapter during the exam. When time is limited, you can easily complete the syllabus by referring to the answers given in the solution. Rely on the quality answers provided by the top mentors and save time to revise Ch 9 English Class 9 Moments repeatedly.

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Why Choose Vedantu for NCERT Class 9 English Chapter the Accidental Tourist Solutions?

Over the years, Vedantu has been one of the leading study portals for the students of all classes. Covering the syllabus of English becomes a lot easier for hardworking students when they have the right answers for all the chapters. The experts know how to frame the answers so that the students can easily understand them and memorize to frame their own in the exams. NCERT Solutions Class 9 English The Accidental Tourist should be followed to start preparing the English syllabus beforehand and complete it.

FAQs on NCERT Solutions For Class 9 English - The Accidental Tourist

1. How NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Moments Chapter The Accidental Tourist can Help?

The answers in the exercise of this chapter can be framed easily when you follow what experts have done in the NCERT Solutions Class 9 English Moments The Accidental Tourist.

2. How can You Increase Your Answer Writing Skills in English?

Follow the answering format and language level used by experts in the NCERT Class 9 English The Accidental Tourist solution to improve your writing skills.

3. How can you Score Better in The Accidental Tourist NCERT Solutions Class 9 Exam?

Always go for the answers provided by Vedantu’s experts in Class 9 English Moments Ch 9 Solutions. Practice answering the questions following the solution to gain more confidence and score better in the exam.

4. What is in the Chapter 9-The Accidental Tourist?

The author excellently narrates the string of events he faced at the Logan Airport before and while travelling to Boston for Easter. He was a member of British Airways and had a membership card with him. At first, the hanging bag carrying the card was not opening as the zip got stuck. It is an interesting chapter and you will find all the solutions on Vedantu for your convenience. 

5. Who is the accidental tourist in the story The Accidental Tourist?

The author is the accidental tourist in the story The Accidental Tourist. The hilarious description of certain incidents in Class 9 The Accidental Tourist will keep you engaged till the end of the chapter. It talks about being clumsy and as students, most of them can relate to it. For more help, you can visit the Vedantu website or the app. 

6. What is the speciality of Bryson in Accidental Tourist?

Bill Bryson is the narrator of the story. He was a clumsy man. He finds the simplest things difficult especially when he is travelling. He messes things up when travelling and thus calls himself an accidental tourist. He cut his finger while zipping up the bag. It is a hilarious account of events and a light read for students.

7. What is the significance of the story The Accidental Tourist?

This story signifies the character of a man who finds everything difficult. He creates a mess when travelling. He is unable to manage a safe journey. The term 'The Accidental Tourist' alludes to Bill Bryson's haphazard tendency as a frequent flier. He travelled extensively around the world. On the other hand, he consistently managed to produce some sort of mishap when flying. NCERT solutions by Vedantu offer in-depth knowledge in concise language.

8. Where Can You Find The Solutions for Class 9 The Accidental Tourist?

Vedantu offers NCERT solutions for Class 9 Chapter The Accidental Tourist for free. You can download the PDF with just a single click. Further, it provides you with revision notes and important questions too. It will be of great help at the time of your exams. The solutions offered by Vedantu uses simple language to make it easier for students to grasp any and every concept. 

9. What are some tips to write English answers effectively in Class 12 Board Exams?

For easy and impressive answers, students can use the NCERT Solutions for the chapter 'The Accidental Tourist' provided by Vedantu. In addition to this, the solutions can boost students' critical thinking capacity and help them memorize and retain important quotes and names. These can be used as effective tools in writing answers especially in a subject language like English. While following these Solutions, take a look at the notes and revise them at regular intervals. Finally, after students have reaped all the benefits from the NCERT Solutions, they can try a hand at solving the previous years’ question papers.

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NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Moments Chapter 9 - The Accidental Tourist

Find here the ncert solutions for class 9 english chapter 9 - the accidental tourist. access the step-by-step answers in pdf and read them for effective learning and to score high marks in exams..

Get NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Moments Chapter 9 - The Accidental Tourist here for free PDF download. These NCERT solutions will provide you with the appropriate and precise answers that will help you understand the right criteria to answer the questions in the exams. We have provided here easy and simple answers to all questions given in the NCERT Class 9 Moments Chapter 9 . All the answers are can be downloaded in PDF format and used as and when required. 

Check below the NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Moments Chapter 9:

NCERT Solutions

Class 9 English Moments

Chapter 9 - The Accidental Tourist

Think About It

1. Bill Bryson says, “I am, in short, easily confused.” What examples has he given to justify this?

The examples Bill Bryson gave to justify his statement that he was easily confused are that many times he went looking for the lavatory in a cinema but ended up standing in an alley on the wrong side of a self-locking door. He also said that his specialty was returning to hotel desks two or three times a day and asking what his room number was. This is why he said that he was easily confused.

Also Check: CBSE Class 9 English Syllabus (Latest)

2. What happens when the zip on his carry-on bag gives way?

When the zip on his carry-on bag gave way, everything within - newspaper cuttings and other loose papers, a 14- ounce tin of pipe tobacco, magazines, passport, English money and film fell and scattered on the ground.   

3. Why is his finger bleeding? What is his wife’s reaction?

He had gashed his finger when he was trying to pull the zip forcefully due to which it started bleeding.

His wife looked at him with an expression of wonder and said, “I can’t believe you do this for a living”.

4. How does Bill Bryson end up in a “crash position” in the aircraft?

Once on an aeroplane, Bryson leaned over to tie his shoelaces. At the same moment, someone in the seat in front of him threw his seat back into full recline. At that time Bryson was pinned helplessly in the crash position. He had to claw the leg of the man sitting next to him in order to get himself freed.

5. Why are his teeth and gums navy blue?

Once while travelling on a plane, Bryson was writing some important notes in his notebook sucking thoughtfully on the end of his pen. He fell into conversation with an attractive young lady in the next seat and could not notice the leakage in the pen.  When he visited the lavatory he found that his mouth, chin, tongue, teeth and gums were all coloured with navy blue ink.

Check other NCERT Solutions for Class 9:

NCERT Solutions for Class 9 Mathematics

NCERT Solutions for Class 9 Science

NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English

NCERT Solutions for Class 9 Social Science

6. Bill Bryson “ached to be suave”. Is he successful in his mission? List his ‘unsuave’ ways.

No, Bill Bryson was not successful in his mission of being suave. He would love just once in his life to rise from a dinner table without looking as if he had experienced an extremely localised seismic event, get in a car and close the door without leaving 14 inches of coat outside, wear light-coloured trousers without discovering at the end of the day that he had at various times sat on chewing gum, ice cream, cough syrup and motor oil.

7. Why do you think Bill Bryson’s wife says to the children, “Take the lids off the food for Daddy”?

Bill Bryson’s wife was very well aware of her husband’s travelling habits. She asked the children to take the lids off the food for Bill because she knew that if Bill had tried to do that himself, then he might have taken it off in such a manner that the lid would be flying away to some part of the plane and the food might spill all over the place.

8. What is the significance of the title?

The title ‘The Accidental Tourist’ is significant because it signifies characteristics of a man, Bill Bryson, who travels a lot but cannot manage to ever have a safe and accident free journey. Every time he gets into a trouble unknowingly. The story depicts many humorous travel experiences of Bill Bryson – like being pinned in a crashed position, spilling drink on a co-passenger, colouring his gums and teeth blue. He always forgot his room number and went to the hotel desk again and again to enquire about it. Through the various experiences that he mentions in the story one comes to the conclusion that he is an accident prone person not only while travelling but also in life in general. Thus, the title of the story is absolutely perfect and apt.

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NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Moments Chapter 9 The Accidental Tourist

NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Moments Chapter 9 The Accidental Tourist are given below. This chapter contains many questions that are essential for exams. Our expert teachers answered all the questions with a detailed explanation that help students to complete their assignments and homework. We have also provided NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Chapter 9 The Accidental Touristin PDF format so that you can download them for offline use.

The Accidental Tourist Class 9 NCERT Questions and Answers

Think About It

Question 1: Bill Bryson says, “I am, in short, easily confused.” What examples has he given to justify this?

Answer: Bill Bryson claimed that he was easily confused. Many times he went looking for the lavatory in a cinema and ended up standing in an alley on the wrong side of a self-locking door. He said that his specialty was returning to hotel desks two or three times a day and asking what his room number was. That is why he said that he was easily confused.

Question 2: What happens when the zip on his carry-on bag gives way?

Answer: His fingers get hurt by the zip. He is bleeding profusely. All belongings in his bag are flying across the floor of the waiting hall of the airport. He seems to be making a mockery of himself and of civilized way of behaving at a particular place.

Question 3: Why is his finger bleeding? What is his wife’s reaction?

Answer: His finger is hurt by getting stuck in the zip of his bag. His wife is astonished by the way he has created a mess all around himself.

Question 4: How does Bill Bryson end up in a “crash position” in the aircraft?

Answer: Once on board a flight, Bryson leaned over to tie his shoelaces. At the same moment, someone in the seat in front of him threw his seat back into full recline and Bryson was pinned helplessly in the crash position.

Question 5: Why are his teeth and gums navy blue?

Answer: On one occasion while on a plane, Bryson was writing some notes in his notebook and kept sucking on the end of his pen. The pen had leaked and his gums, teeth, tongue and chin were all coloured with navy blue ink.

Question 6: Bill Bryson “ached to be suave”. Is he successful in his mission? List his ‘unsuave’ ways.

Answer: No, he is not successful in his mission. He would love just once in his life to rise from a dinner table without looking as if he had experienced an extremely localised seismic event, get in a car and close the door without leaving 14 inches of coat outside, wear light-coloured trousers without discovering at the end of the day that he had at various times sat on chewing gum, ice cream, cough syrup and motor oil.

Question 7: Why do you think Bill Bryson’s wife says to the children, “Take the lids off the food for Daddy”?

Answer: Bill Bryson’s wife asked the children to take the lids off the food for Bill because if Bill had tried to do that himself, then he might have taken it off in such a manner that the lid would be flying away to some part of the plane and the food might spill all over the place.

Question 8: What is the significance of the title?

Answer: The title is significant because it is about a man who travels and lot and is always confused. He gets into trouble because of his acts which are not deliberate. The story depicts humorous travel experiences – like being pinned in a crashed position, spilling drink on a copassenger, his gums and teeth covered in ink, etc. – when the author accidently gets into trouble. Thus, the title is apt for this story.

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NCERT Solutions For Class 9 English Moments Chapter 9 The Accidental Tourist

Chapter 9 – The Accidental Tourist

Think About It

1. Bill Bryson says, “I am, in short, easily confused.” What examples has he given to justify this?

The examples Bill Bryson gave to justify his statement that he was easily confused are that many times he went looking for the lavatory in a cinema but ended up standing in an alley on the wrong side of a self-locking door. He also said that his specialty was returning to hotel desks two or three times a day and asking what his room number was. This is why he said that he was easily confused.

All Chapters: CBSE Class 9 English Syllabus (Latest)

2. What happens when the zip on his carry-on bag gives way?

When the zip on his carry-on bag gave way, everything within – newspaper cuttings and other loose papers, a 14- ounce tin of pipe tobacco, magazines, passport, English money and film fell and scattered on the ground.   

3. Why is his finger bleeding? What is his wife’s reaction?

He had gashed his finger when he was trying to pull the zip forcefully due to which it started bleeding.

His wife looked at him with an expression of wonder and said, “I can’t believe you do this for a living”.

4. How does Bill Bryson end up in a “crash position” in the aircraft?

Once on an aeroplane, Bryson leaned over to tie his shoelaces. At the same moment, someone in the seat in front of him threw his seat back into full recline. At that time Bryson was pinned helplessly in the crash position. He had to claw the leg of the man sitting next to him in order to get himself freed.

5. Why are his teeth and gums navy blue?

Once while travelling on a plane, Bryson was writing some important notes in his notebook sucking thoughtfully on the end of his pen. He fell into conversation with an attractive young lady in the next seat and could not notice the leakage in the pen.  When he visited the lavatory he found that his mouth, chin, tongue, teeth and gums were all coloured with navy blue ink.

6. Bill Bryson “ached to be suave”. Is he successful in his mission? List his ‘unsuave’ ways.

No, Bill Bryson was not successful in his mission of being suave. He would love just once in his life to rise from a dinner table without looking as if he had experienced an extremely localised seismic event, get in a car and close the door without leaving 14 inches of coat outside, wear light-coloured trousers without discovering at the end of the day that he had at various times sat on chewing gum, ice cream, cough syrup and motor oil.

7. Why do you think Bill Bryson’s wife says to the children, “Take the lids off the food for Daddy”?

Bill Bryson’s wife was very well aware of her husband’s travelling habits. She asked the children to take the lids off the food for Bill because she knew that if Bill had tried to do that himself, then he might have taken it off in such a manner that the lid would be flying away to some part of the plane and the food might spill all over the place.

8. What is the significance of the title?

The title ‘The Accidental Tourist’ is significant because it signifies characteristics of a man, Bill Bryson, who travels a lot but cannot manage to ever have a safe and accident free journey. Every time he gets into a trouble unknowingly. The story depicts many humorous travel experiences of Bill Bryson – like being pinned in a crashed position, spilling drink on a co-passenger, colouring his gums and teeth blue. He always forgot his room number and went to the hotel desk again and again to enquire about it. Through the various experiences that he mentions in the story one comes to the conclusion that he is an accident prone person not only while travelling but also in life in general. Thus, the title of the story is absolutely perfect and apt.

The Accidental Tourist Extra Questions and Answers Class 9 English Moments

The accidental tourist extra questions and answers short answer type.

Question 1. Bill Bryson says “I am, in short, easily confused.” What examples has he given to justify this? Answer: He gives the example of returning to his hotel desk two or three times a day, asking what his room number was. He also talks about looking for a lavatory and ending up standing in an alley on the wrong side of a self¬locking door.

Question 2. What happens when the zip on his carry-on bag gives way? Answer: The side of the bag flew open and everything inside it, like newspaper cuttings, other loose papers, a 14-ounce tin of pipe tobacco, magazines, passport, English money, film, etc, were scattered all over the place. He also injured his finger, which bled profusely.

Question 3. What causes his finger to bleed? How does his wife react? Answer: His finger was cut on the zip when he was trying to open it. His wife looked at him with an expression of wonder and commented that she couldn’t believe that he did that for a living.

Question 4. How does Bill Bryson end up in a ‘crash position’ in the aeroplane? Answer: This happened when he bent down to tie his shoelaces while seated in the plane, and the person in the seat ahead of him threw back his seat back in a full recline. As a result, Bill Bryson found himself doubled over and pinned helplessly in the ‘crash position’.

Question 5. Why do the writer’s teeth and gums turn navy blue? Answer: This happens when the writer was penning down important thoughts in his notebook during a flight. He had been sucking thoughtfully on the end of his pen while doing so. He had not realised that in the process, his teeth and gums had turned navy blue because of the ink.

Question 6. Bill Bryson ‘ached to be suave’. Is he successful in his mission? Answer: No, he is not suave in spite of his best efforts, because he always looks as though he has been through an earthquake when he rises from a dinner table. He can never get inside a car without having at least 14 inches of his coat hanging outside the door. He can never wear light coloured trousers without having chewing gum, ice cream, cough syrup, or motor oil stains on them.

Question 7. Why do you think Bill Bryson’s wife says to the children, ‘Take the lids off the food for Daddy’? Answer: She says this because her husband is so accident-prone that she expects the food to go all over the place or some such accident to happen if he is allowed to open the lid himself. This is because of his earlier accidental incidents that always happen whenever he tries to perform simple actions, especially during flights.

Question 8. What is the significance of the title? Answer: The title suggests that the writer is a tourist, not by choice, but by accident. It is a pun on the word accident, as he has several accidents while travelling. In fact, this effectively captures the various misadventures that he has while travelling with his family. It also suggests that the anecdotes and events described are humorous and should be taken in a lighter vein.

Question 9. Why does the writer say ‘living in the real world’ is challenging for him? Answer: He says this because he has had several experiences of doing something wrong in instances where normal people have no problems. For instance, things like remembering his room number in an hotel, or finding the lavatory at a movie theatre.

Question 10. Why did the writer feel the need to open his carry-on bag at Logan Airport? Answer: He wanted to open the bag to take out his frequent flyer card, which he had kept inside it.

Question 11. Of all the things that spilled out of his carry-on bag, what was the writer most disturbed about? Why? Answer: He was most disturbed about the loss of his tobacco tin, because he was worried it might be very expensive to buy in England.

Question 12. How did the writer free himself from the crash position? Answer: He did so by clawing at the leg of the man sitting next to him.

Question 13. How did the writer affect the lady sitting next to him during one of his flights? Answer: He kept knocking soft drinks into the lady’s lap, even though he tried to be careful after the flight attendant had cleaned her up the first time he had done so.

Question 14. How did the lady next to the writer on the plane react? Answer: She looked at the writer with a stupefied expression of disbelief, and exclaimed an oath that started with ‘oh’ and ended with ‘sake’, and had words in between that he had not heard a nun utter before.

Question 15. What, according to the writer, was his worst experience on a plane? Answer: The worst experience according to him was the time his mouth and teeth turned navy blue. He had been sucking on the end of his pen while writing down his thoughts. He then spoke to an attractive lady sitting next to him, before he realised that his teeth, chin and gums had turned a striking shade of blue.

Question 16. What does the writer do to curb his accidental tendencies when he is flying alone? Answer: He doesn’t eat or drink, or lean over to tie his shoelaces. He also never puts his pen anywhere near his mouth.

Question 17. Why does the writer not get his frequent flyer miles? Answer: He does not get his miles because he couldn’t find his frequent flyer card in time. Also, he forgets to ask for the miles when he checks in, or the airline does not record them, or the check-in clerk informs him that he is . not entitled to them.

Question 18. Give an example to show that the writer is a frequent flyer? Answer: The fact that the writer says that he usually flies 100,000 miles a year in about 23 different airlines, reveals that he is a frequent flyer.

Question 19. Give an example of when the writer was not given miles because he was not entitled to them. Answer: On a flight to Australia, which could have got him a large number of air miles, he was told by the airport clerk that he was not entitled to them.

Question 20. Why were the miles not credited to the writer? Answer: They were not credited to him because the ticket was in the name of B. Bryson, while the card was in the name of W. Bryson. Even though the writer tried to tell her that ‘Bill’ was the short form of ‘William’, she refused to oblige him.

Question 21. How do we know that the writer is a positive man? Answer: We know this from the fact that though he did not get a free passage to Bali due to the insufficient airmiles on his card, he was quite philosophical about it. He remarks that it is probably a good thing, because he could not have remained hungry on the long flight from America to Bali.

Question 22. What is the meaning of ‘venerable’? What is the writer trying to say by using the phrase ‘close and venerable relationship between Bill and William’? Answer: Venerable means honourable or respectful. By using this phrase, the writer is saying that both Bill and William are closely related; they are in fact different forms of the same name.

Question 23. How was the writer planning to fly to Bali? Answer: He was planning to do so by using the air miles that he would collect for flying so frequently. They are the bonus that one is given for flying by a particular airline, where a person is awarded a free ticked to any destination after one collects a certain number of points.

Question 24. What is the tone of the lesson ‘The Accidental Tourist’? Answer: The tone is humorous and self-deprecating. The writer has made fun of his own shortcomings and clumsiness, by listing out all the accidents he has had while flying in an aircraft, as well as the embarrassing situations he has been in because of this.

Question 25. Do you think the writer’s family members have trouble travelling with him? Give reasons for your answer. Answer: I feel that the writer’s family are quite used to his clumsiness and have reconciled to the fact that he is likely to have several ‘accidents’. This is evident from the fact that his wife asks the children to take the lid off the food for the writer, because she knows even a small thing like opening the lid can have disastrous consequences if he is allowed to do it.

The Accidental Tourist Extra Questions and Answers Long Answer Type

Question 1. What kind of picture do you get of the writer’s character from the lesson ‘The Accidental Tourist’? Answer: He appears to be a positive, funny, and self-deprecating man who does not mind highlighting his shortcomings. In fact, every instance that could have embarrassed other people has been shown in a humorous light. He has found humour in the most disastrous and frustrating situations. Even when he loses the chance to go to Bali when the airline refuses to give him air miles on a technical reason, he does not lose his temper.

He does not take himself too seriously and readily accepts his clumsiness. He doesn’t try to hide any of the embarrassing accidents he has had, but honestly admits to them. His family also appears to have accepted him the way he is, and leamt to handle him along with his ‘accidents’. The writer’s most endearing quality is how comfortable he is with his own self. Even though he talks about wanting to be suave and gentlemanly like other travellers, he is not too worried when he is unable to do so, in spite of his best efforts. He thus comes across as a clumsy, accident-prone, but good natured person.

Question 2. Mention two disastrous events that the writer experiences while travelling with women travellers and trying to impress them? Answer: The first instance mentioned is when he is travelling next to a sweet young nun, and he twicp spilled his drink on her lap, thereby testing her patience greatly. In fact, she became so agitated that she used swear words, which he had not expected a nun to use. The second instance was when he was talking to his lady companion while sucking on the end of a pen. He later realised that the ink from the pen had stained his teeth, gums, and chin a bright navy blue, which had obviously made him appear ridiculous.

Question 3. Discuss the title of the story. Do you think it is appropriate? Give reasons for your answer. Answer: ‘The Accidental Tourist’ is an apt title for this story. The title is a pun on the word ‘accidental’. On one level, the writer is literally accident prone, and has a problem of having the most peculiar accidents while travelling. Some of the accidents include spilling the contents of his bag all over the airport, spilling food and drinks on his fellow travellers. At another level, it refers to him being an accidental or unwilling traveller.

We know this because he mentions that even though he travels a lot every year, he prefers to travel with his family rather than alone. In their absence, he tries to avoid eating or drinking, out of fear of causing mishaps to those travelling with him.

Question 4. How does the writer’s family behave during the writer’s mishaps and accidents? Answer: The family seems to have accepted the fact that they cannot travel with the writer without facing some accident or the other. This is revealed in the part where the writer’s wife reacts with wonder and says taht she cannot believe he does it for a living. She seems neither angry nor exasperated/annoyed with his clumsiness. Instead, when he begins to eat the food served during the flight, his children help him take the lid off the food, and his wife warns the children when he is about to cut the meat.

Question 5. How could the writer make his journeys advantageous inspite of the accidents? Why is he not able to benefit from them ultimately? Answer: The writer is a frequent flyer. Hence, he could benefit from collecting frequent flier miles that the airline offers to those who travel with their airline on a regular basis. These miles add up to a free ticket to any destination of the traveller’s choice. They writer is, however, not able to take advantage of this scheme, because he either can’t find his card on time, or forgets to ask for the miles. Sometimes, the airlines don’t record the miles, and one time, the check-in clerk informed him that he was not entitled to the points. Moreover, he doesn’t stick to a single airline, and mentions having travelled with 23 airlines, thereby losing out on points from any single airline.

Chapter 9: The Accidental Tourist

• CBSE Class 9
• UNIT-B (Moments Supplementary Reader)
• Chapter 9: The Accidental Tourist Notes

1. The Accidental Tourist Introduction

• Beehive and Moments
• Publication
• ACERISE INDIA

The Accidental Tourist

By bill bryson.

The Accidental Tourist Introduction

This is a humorous storey in which the author recounts incidents in which he acts clumsily. He tries to be sophisticated, but is unable to do so, and ends up spilling drinks, smearing ink on his face, and making a mess on the dining table.

The Accidental Tourist Summary

In "The Accidental Tourist," the author recounts incidents in which he behaves strangely. On several flights, he spills drinks on fellow passengers. It's as if his arms move towards the tray on their own and knock – off the glass without his assistance. He would be unable to obtain the air miles because he would either be unable to present his card or the clerk would refuse to award him the points. He once threw all of his belongings on the floor while opening his bag to get the card. Things flew everywhere, and there was total chaos.

Ink from his pen also smeared his mouth, teeth, gums, and chin on another trip. His face turned blue and stayed that way for a few days. When he bent forward to tie his shoelace, the front seat reclined and his head became stuck there. Whenever he ate a meal, the dining table was a complete mess, as if an earthquake had struck. His family had grown accustomed to it, and whenever they received their meal, they would become attentive in order to avoid becoming victims of the spillovers.

He would not eat, drink, or bend forward while travelling alone. To avoid mishaps, he would even keep his hands under him. He never got the airmiles and would not travel to Bali for free, which was a good thing in a way. On such a long flight, he couldn't go without food.

The Accidental Tourist Lesson Explanation

OF all the things I am not very good at, living in the real world is perhaps the most outstanding. I am constantly filled with wonder at the number of things that other people do without any evident difficulty that are pretty much beyond me. I cannot tell you the number of times that I have gone looking for the lavatory in a cinema, for instance, and ended up standing in an alley on the wrong side of a self locking door. My particular specialty now is returning to hotel desks two or three times a day and asking what my room number is. I am, in short, easily confused.

• Lavatory: a room or building containing a toilet
• Alley: a narrow passageway between or behind buildings

The author says that he is not good at juggling multiple tasks at once. He is astounded by people who can multitask without difficulty. He frequently becomes perplexed when looking for the restroom in a cinema and ends up in a lane from which he cannot enter the hall. When he checks into a hotel, he forgets his room number and has to return to reception several times to confirm it.

I was thinking about this the last time we went en famille on a big trip. It was at Easter, and we were flying to England for a week. When we arrived at Logan Airport in Boston and were checking in, I suddenly remembered that I had recently joined British Airways’ frequent flyer programme. I also remembered that I had put the card in the carry-on bag that was hanging around my neck. And here’s where the trouble started.

• en famille: French, meaning with one’s family
• Easter: a festival in Christianity religion

When he was a child, his family took an Easter trip to England, and they arrived at Logan Airport in Boston. He had recently joined British Airways' Frequent Flyer programme and needed to have his card punched in order to receive the points. The card was inside the bag he wore around his neck. Something happened as he take out the card.

The zip on the bag was jammed. So I pulled on it and yanked at it, with grunts and frowns and increasing consternation. I kept this up for some minutes but it wouldn’t budge, so I pulled harder and harder, with more grunts. Well, you can guess what happened. Abruptly the zip gave way. The side of the bag flew open and everything within — newspaper cuttings and other loose papers, a 14- ounce tin of pipe tobacco, magazines, passport, English money, film — was extravagantly ejected over an area about the size of a tennis court.

• Yanked: pulled with a jerk
• Consternation: anxiety, distress
• Budge: move
• Gave way: opened suddenly
• Extravagantly: elaborately
• Ejected: removed

He quickly pulled on the bag's zipper, but it wouldn't move an inch, no matter how hard he pulled. The bag suddenly opened with a jerk, and because he had used a lot of force, all the documents flew out and were strewn across the floor. They were thrown across a large area the size of a tennis court.

I watched dumbstruck as a hundred carefully sorted documents came raining down in a fluttery cascade, coins bounced to a variety of noisy oblivions and the now-lidless tin of tobacco rolled crazily across the concourse disgorging its contents as it went.

• Dumbstruck: shocked
• Fluttery: resembling flapping of wings by birds
• Cascade: like the step by step waterfall
• Oblivions: being forgotten
• Concourse: the open central area in a large public building (here, in the airport)
• Disgorging: discharging

He was shocked when all of his important documents flew out of the bag. The coins rolled around on the ground. The lid of the tobacco box came off, and the box rolled on the floor, spilling tobacco.

“My tobacco!” I cried in horror, thinking what I would have to pay for that much tobacco in England now that another Budget had come and gone, and then changed the cry to “My finger! My finger!” as I discovered that I had gashed my finger on the zip and was shedding blood in a lavish manner. (I am not very good around flowing blood generally, but when it’s my own— well, I think hysterics are fully justified.) Confused and unable to help, my hair went into panic mode.

• Gashed: cut
• Lavish: in large quantity

He screamed that his tobacco was being ruined because it was an expensive item. The next thing he knew, he had a cut on his finger that was bleeding. His screams became "my finger." He became disoriented and panicked once more.

It was at this point that my wife looked at me with an expression of wonder — not anger or exasperation, but just simple wonder — and said, “I can’t believe you do this for a living.”

• Exasperation: irritation

His wife was perplexed by his strange behaviour. She described his strange behaviour as unbelievable.

But I’m afraid it’s so. I always have catastrophes when I travel. Once on an aeroplane, I leaned over to tie a shoelace just at the moment someone in the seat ahead of me threw his seat back into full recline, and found myself pinned helplessly in the crash position. It was only by clawing the leg of the man sitting next to me that I managed to get myself freed.

• Catastrophes: tragedy, disaster
• Clawing: grasping

While travelling, the author is prone to mess ups. On a flight, he leaned forward to tie his shoelace when the person in the seat ahead of him reclined completely, causing the author's head to hit the back of his seat. To get out of the situation, he had to grab the leg of the passenger sitting next to him.

On another occasion, I knocked a soft drink onto the lap of a sweet little lady sitting beside me. The flight attendant came and cleaned her up, and brought me a replacement drink, and instantly I knocked it onto the woman again. To this day, I don’t know how I did it. I just remember reaching out for the new drink and watching helplessly as my arm, like some cheap prop in one of those 1950s horror movies with a name like The Undead Limb, violently swept the drink from its perch and onto her lap.

• Prop: a portable object used on the set of a play or a movie
• Perch: place

On another flight, he threw a drink at the woman sitting next to him. The flight attendant assisted her in cleaning up and getting him another drink. He also threw the second glass at her. He couldn't figure out what had happened. He remembered watching helplessly as his arm acted like a prop from an old horror film. His arm reached for the glass and swept it away without him instructing it to do so, just as they moved inevitably.

The lady looked at me with the stupefied expression you would expect to receive from someone whom you have repeatedly drenched, and uttered an oath that started with “Oh”, finished with “sake” and in between had some words that I have never heard uttered in public before, certainly not by a nun.

• Stupefied: astonished, shocked

The other passenger was shocked by his actions. He was cursed by her.

This, however, was not my worst experience on a plane flight. My worst experience was when I was writing important thoughts in a notebook (‘buy socks’, ‘clutch drinks carefully’, etc.), sucking thoughtfully on the end of my pen as you do, and fell into conversation with an attractive young lady in the next seat. I amused her for perhaps 20 minutes with a scattering of urbane bons mots, then retired to the lavatory where I discovered that the pen had leaked and that my mouth, chin, tongue, teeth and gums were now a striking, scrub-resistant navy blue, and would remain so for several days.

• Urbane: sophisticated
• bons mots: witty remarks

He'd worse things happen to him than this. On a flight, he was making a 'to – do list' and sucking the end of his pen while thinking and talking to a woman seated beside him; when he went to the toilet after twenty minutes, he discovered that the ink had leaked from his pen and his mouth, teeth, gums, and chin were blue in colour. They'd be stained for a couple of days.

So you will understand, I trust, when I tell you how much I ache to be suave. I would love, just once in my life, to rise from a dinner table without looking as if I have just experienced an extremely localised seismic event, get in a car and close the door without leaving 14 inches of coat outside, wear light-coloured trousers without discovering at the end of the day that I have at various times sat on chewing gum, ice cream, cough syrup and motor oil. But it is not to be.

• Suave: polite, sophisticated
• seismic event: an earthquake

He wishes to appear sophisticated. He wants to leave the dining table neat and clean, rather than making it appear untidy as he usually does. He desires that when he sits in the car, the sleeve of his coat not become entangled in the door. He should not stain his light-colored pants with gum, ice cream, cough syrup, or motor oil. But he isn't capable of acting like that.

Now on planes when the food is delivered, my wife says: “Take the lids off the food for Daddy” or “Put your hoods up, children. Daddy’s about to cut his meat”. Of course, this is only when I am flying with my family. When I am on my own, I don’t eat, drink or lean over to tie my shoelaces, and never put a pen anywhere near my mouth. I just sit very, very quietly, sometimes on my hands to keep them from flying out unexpectedly and causing liquid mischief. It’s not much fun, but it does at least cut down on the laundry bills.

When they are served meals on a plane, his wife instructs the children to cover their heads with the hood to protect themselves from the mess that he will make while eating. He does not eat, drink, or bend to tie his shoelaces when he travels alone. He doesn't even get the pen close to his mouth. He sits quietly and keeps his hands under him to keep them from moving around. He does not enjoy sitting like that, but it helps him by laundry expenditure.

I never did get my frequent flyer miles, by the way. I never do. I couldn’t find the card in time. This has become a real frustration for me. Everyone I know — everyone— is forever flying off to Bali first class with their air miles. I never get to collect anything. I must fly 100,000 miles a year, yet I have accumulated only about 212 air miles divided between twenty-three airlines.

He never gets his frequent flyer miles because he can't find his card. All of his friends use these points to fly to Bali, but despite flying on 23 different airlines, he has only accumulated 212 air miles.

This is because either I forget to ask for the air miles when I check in, or I remember to ask for them but the airline then manages not to record them, or the check-in clerk informs me that I am not entitled to them. In January, on a flight to Australia — a flight for which I was going to get about a zillion air miles — the clerk shook her head when I presented my card and told me I was not entitled to any.

Either he forgets to request the air miles at check-in, the manager fails to record them, or he is told that he is not eligible for any points. He went to Australia in January and could have gotten a lot of points for it, but the clerk doesn't give him the points.

“Why?”

“The ticket is in the name of B. Bryson and the card is in the name of W. Bryson.”

She reasoned that the names on the card and the plane ticket were different.

I explained to her the close and venerable relationship between Bill and William, but she wouldn’t have it.

• Venerable: respectable

The writer attempted to explain that they were both one person, but she rejected his argument.

So I didn’t get my air miles, and I won’t be flying to Bali first class just yet. Perhaps just as well, really. I could never go that long without eating.

He did not receive the air miles and would not travel to Bali for free. He takes it positively and feels good because he would not have been able to survive such a long flight without eating.

About the Author

Bill Bryson (born December 8, 1951 in Des Moines, Iowa) is a best-selling American nonfiction author who has written a number of travel and academic books. His travel books have a lighthearted tone, such as his first, Notes from a Small Island, about his 20 years in Britain. His non-travel writing focuses on science and the English language. For his literary achievements, he received an honorary OBE (Order of the British Empire).

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NCERT Solutions for class 9th English Chapter 9 The Accidental Tourist

TEXTBOOK QUESTIONS SOLVED THINK ABOUT IT

Que1 . Bill Bryson says, “I am, in short, easily confused.” What examples has he given to justify this?

Ans. Bill Bryson never had a pleasant journey. He got easily confused. Citing examples, he said that he could not easily find a lavatory in a cinema hall and finally found himself standing near a self-locking door. At the hotels too, he asked his room number many a time in a day.

Que 2 . What happens when the zip on his carry-on bag gives way?

Ans . The author got very confused in that condition. He pulled it forcefully but it did not move a little bit. When he tried more forcefully abruptly the zip gave way the bag flew open. Newspaper cuttings, loose papers, tobacco packets, magazines, passports, English money, and film spread over a large area.

Que 3. Why is his finger bleeding? What is his wife’s reaction?

Ans . His finger gashed while he tried to pull the zip forcefully and it started bleeding. At this, his wife looked at him with an expression of wonder and remarked, “I can’t believe you do this for a living”.

Que 4. How does Bill Bryson end up in a “Crash position” in the aircraft?

Ans . Once while he was travelling in an aeroplane, he leaned over to lace up his shoe. As soon as he leaned over for this purpose, someone in the seat ahead of him threw his seat back. Thus, the author ended up in a “crash position”.

Que 5. Why are his teeth and gums navy blue?

Ans. Strange things used to happen to him. It was his worst experience. He was sucking on the end of his pen while writing important thoughts. He was lost in talking with an attractive lady and could not notice the leakage in the pen. When he visited the lavatory he found his teeth and gums navy blue.

Que 6 . Bill Bryson “ached to be suave”. Is he successful in his mission? List his ‘unsuave’ ways.

Ans. It is quite clear that Bill Bryson ached to be suave. He is not successful in his mission. He got himself in a car and closed the door without leaving 14 inches of coat outside, wore light-colored trousers without discovering at the end of the day that he had at various times sat on chewing gum, ice cream, cough syrup, and motor oil.

Que 7 . Why do you think Bill Bryson’s wife says to the children, “Take the lids off the food for Daddy”?

Ans. Bill Bryson’s wife was aware of the traveling habits of her husband. To avoid any awkward situation, she says, “Take the lids off the food for Daddy” as she does not like her husband to take the lead off the food in his particular style.

Que 8 . What is the significance of the title?

Ans. The title is quite significant. After going through the whole story it becomes quite clear that Bill Bryson is The Accidental Tourist. There are various examples which prove the appropriateness of the title. The title itself suggests the various strange and accidental experiences of the author.

TALK ABOUT IT

Que. To get confused and behave in ‘unsuave’ ways like Bill Bryson is normal and human. Tell your class about any similar situation that you found yourself in.

Ans. On January 1, 2006, I was invited to attend a party in a hotel. I was excited about it. When sitting around the table we were discussing our past experiences, I got up to attend a telephonic call and moved outside. I was in such a hurry that I did not notice the waiter coming. I hit the tray and all the edibles fell upon the ladies and gentlemen sitting over there. Their clothes went dirty and they became furious. They started criticizing me for my carelessness. It was such a scene where I felt embarrassed. I left the party at once.

Related Articles:

• NCERT Solutions for Class 9
• NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Language & Literature
• The Accidental Tourist Class 9 Notes English Chapter 9

NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English The Accidental Tourist (Moments) Free PDF

The NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English The Accidental Tourist Moments are provided below, in detailed and free to download PDF format. The solutions are latest , comprehensive , confidence inspiring , with easy to understand explanation . To download NCERT Class 9 Solutions PDF for Free, just click ‘ Download pdf ’.

NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English The Accidental Tourist (Moments) PDF

Check out solutions to other chapters.

• NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Weathering the Storm in Ersama (Moments)
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• NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English A House is not a Home (Moments)
• NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English The Beggar (Moments )

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Class Notes

Free Class Notes & Study Material

Chapter 9 The Accidental Tourist

Last Updated on July 3, 2023 By Mrs Shilpi Nagpal

Question 1  Bill Bryson says, “I am, in short, easily confused.” What examples has he given to justify this?

Answer Bill Bryson has given a lot of examples to justify his statement. These examples were he has a habit of going to the hotel desks two or three times in a day asking for his room number ,  he went to the wrong place while searching for a washroom in a cinema hall. Once, he dropped all the contents of his bag on the floor and injured his finger while opening its zip at the airport. Once, got stuck in a miserable position while tying his shoelaces on a flight when the passenger sitting ahead of him pushed back his seat. Once, he dropped a soft drink on a lady sitting next to him in the aeroplane twice. The worst experience of the narrator was when he put the other end of a pen in his mouth while writing in a notebook on a flight and made his mouth, chin, tongue, teeth and gums navy blue in colour.

Question 2 What happens when the zip on his carry-on bag gives way?

Answer When the zip of his carry-on bag gave way, the side of the bag opened abruptly. Due to this, everything inside the bag like newspaper cuttings, loose papers, tin of pipe tobacco, magazines, passport and money came out and got spread on the floor. He also injured his finger badly while opening the zip.

Question 3  Why is his finger bleeding? What is his wife’s reaction?

Answer His finger was bleeding as he had injured his finger while opening the jammed zip of the bag. His wife looked at him in wonder because he had created a mess all around himself.

Question 4 How does Bill Bryson end up in a “crash position” in the aircraft?

Answer Bill Bryson ended up in a crash position in the aircraft, when he was tying his shoelaces and just at the same time the passenger seated ahead of him pushed back his seat.

Question 5  Why are his teeth and gums navy blue?

Answer Once on a flight, the narrator was writing his thoughts in a notebook. He was sucking the other end of the pen. As the pen got leaked, his teeth and gums became navy blue.

Question 6  Bill Bryson “ached to be suave”. Is he successful in his mis sion? List his ‘unsuave’ ways.

Answer Bill Bryson wanted to be suaved or civilised but he was not successful in his attempts. His unsauve ways were he would leave the dining table in a mess , the sleeve of his coat would get stuck in the car’s door , he would stain his light coloured trousers by sitting on chewing gum, ice-cream, cough syrup and motor oil.

Question 7  Why do you think Bill Bryson’s wife says to the children, “Take the lids off the food for Daddy”?

Answer Bill Bryson’s wife says to the children, “Take the lids off food for Daddy as she thought that the narrator would spill the food while opening the lids. He would spill the food while opening the lids. She is well aware of his clumsy (ungraceful) ways, so she takes remedy measures to avoid an embarrassing situation.

Question 8 What is the significance of the title?

Answer The title of the story The Accidental Tourist” is significant as the narrator keeps on meeting with accidents while travelling. All the incidents that he narrates prove the appropriateness of the title. So, we can say that the title of the story is correct.

About Mrs Shilpi Nagpal

Author of this website, Mrs. Shilpi Nagpal is MSc (Hons, Chemistry) and BSc (Hons, Chemistry) from Delhi University, B.Ed. (I. P. University) and has many years of experience in teaching. She has started this educational website with the mindset of spreading free education to everyone. In addition to this website, author also has a Youtube channel, here is the link Class Notes Youtube Channel

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