Treasure Chest Workbook Answers Chapter 6 With the Photographer
With the Photographer Comprehension Questions Answers
Read the extracts and answer the following questions:
Passage – 1.
‘I WANT my photograph taken,’ I said. The photographer looked at me without enthusiasm. He was a drooping man in a gray suit, with the dim eye of a natural scientist. But there is no need to describe him. Everybody knows what a photographer is like.
1. How did the photographer look at the narrator?
2. How was the photographer?
3. What Was the narrator’s experience about the photographer?
4. How did the narrator spend his time?
5. Why the photographer did not look at the narrator enthusiastically ?
Answer:
1. The photographer did not look at the narrator without enthusiasm.
2. The photographer was a drooping man in a gray suit with the dim eyes of a natural scientist.
3. The narrator’s experience with the photographer was very bad.
4. The narrator spent his time by reading the magazines and journals.
5. The narrator is not looked enthusiastically by the photographer because there was nothing to describe him.
Passage – 2.
I waited an hour. I read the Ladies Companion for 1912, the Girl’s Magazine for 1902, and the Infants Journal for 1888. I began to see that I had done an unwarrantable thing in breaking in on the privacy of this man’s scientific pursuits with a face like mine.
1. How long did the narrator wait?
2. How long did The narrator wait?
3. What did the narrator do?
4. How long did the narrator wait?
5. How did the Photographer break the privacy?
Answer:
1. The narrator waited for an hozer in the Studio.
2. The narrator read the Ladies Companion for 1912, the girl’s Magazine for 1902, and the Infant’s Journal for 1988.
3. The narrator did an unwarrantable thing to break the privacy.
4. The narrator waited an hour before entering the studio.
5. The photographer broke the privacy for scientific pursuits with the narrator’s face.
Passage – 3.
He was only in it a second,-just time enough for one look at me,- and then he was out again, tearing at the cotton sheet and the window panes with a hooked stick, apparently frantic for light and air. Then he crawled back into the machine again and drew a little black cloth over himself. This time he was very quiet in there. I knew that he was praying and I kept still.
1. Who was he?
2. Was he at peace with himself?
3. How was the studio?
4. What was the photographer doing?
5. What is thought to be the problem with the face of the narrator?
1. Who was he?
2. Was he at peace with himself?
3. How was the studio?
4. What was the photographer doing?
5. What is thought to be the problem with the face of the narrator?
Answer:
1. ‘He’ was the photographer.
2. No, he was not at peace with himself ultimately.
3. The studio was an old one. It lacked the modern instruments.
4. The photographer was tearing the cotton sheet and the window panes with a hooked stick for light and air.
5. The narrator has a problem with his face according to the photographer.
Passage – 4.
‘I’m sure it would,’ I said enthusiastically, for I was glad to find that the man had such a human side to him. ‘So would yours. In fact,’ I continued, how many faces one sees that are apparently hard, narrow, limited, but the minute you get them three-quarters full they get wide, large, almost boundless in But the photographer had ceased to listen. He came over and took my head in his hands and twisted it sideways. I thought he meant to kiss me, and I closed my eyes.
1. What was the narrator sure of ?
2. What did the narrator wish to convey about the man?
3. How are the faces of human beings made to look better?
4. What was the tone of narrator when he said that human faces are made to look better?
5. Why did the narrator close his eyes?
Answer:
1. The narrator was sure that the face would be better three quarters full.
2. The narrator wished to convey that the man had a human side to him.
3. The faces of human beings were made to look better with three quarters full.
4. The narrator was not willing to change the original position of his face.
5. The narrator closed his eyes as thought that the photographer meant to kiss him.
Passage – 5.
‘The ears are bad’, he said; ‘droop them a little more. Thank you. Now the eyes. Roll them in under the lids. Put the hands on the knees, please, and turn the face just a little upward. Yes, that’s better. Now just expand the lungs! So! And hump the neck – that’s it – and just contract the waist – ha! – and twist the hip up toward the elbow now! I still don’t quite like the face, it’s just a trifle too full, but- -”
1. Which body figures are asked to be improved upon?
2. Do you think that the narrator was satisfied with the photographer?
3. What things are to be right?
4. What organs were adjusted by the photographer?
5. Did the photographer get full approval of the narrator?
Answer:
1. All the facial figures are asked to be improved.
2. No, I think the narrator was not satisfied with the photographer.
3. The organs of the narrator’s body was adjusted with ears, eyes, hands, face, lungs, neck and waist.
4. The photographer adjusted the ears, eyes, hands, face and neck of the narrator.
5. The narrator was not satisfied with the photographer because he tried to improve the facial feature by means of technical skills and chemicals.
Passage – 6.
‘Stop’, I said with emotion but, ! think, with dignity. ‘This feels my face. It is not yours, it is mine. I’ve lived with it for forty years and I know its faults. I know it’s out of drawing. I know it wasn’t made for me, but it’s my face, the only one I have-‘ I was conscious of a break in my voice but I went on-‘such as . it is, I’ve learned to love it. And this is my mouth, not yours. These ears are mine, and if your machine is too narrow – ‘Here I started to rise from the seat.
1. What does the narrator think?
2. How old was the narrator?
3. What does the narrator know?
4. What was the narrator conscious about?
5. Why did the narrator start to rise from the seat?
Answer:
1. The narrator thinks the photographer to stop activities of experiment on his face.
2. The narrator was about forty years old as he loved his figures for last forty years.
3. The narrator knows the faults of his face and his figure.
4. The narrator was conscious about to break in his voice for a moment.
5. The narrator started to rise from his seat that he did not like the instruments to experiment on his face by the photographer.
Passage-7.
The photographer beckoned me in. I thought he seemed quieter and graver than before. I think, too, there was a certain pride in his manner. He unfolded the proof of a large photograph, and we both looked at it in silence.
‘Is it me?’ I asked.
‘Yes,’ he said quietly, ‘it is you,’ and we went on looking at it.
1. Who beckoned the narrator to go in?
2. What did the narrator think about the photographer?
3. What was in his manner?
4. What did the photographer unfold?
5. How did the narrator look at the photograph?
Answer:
1. The photographer in the studio beckoned the narrator to go into the studio.
2. The riarrator thought that the photographer was graver and quieter than before.
3. The photographer had a pride in his manner.
4. The photographer unfolded the negative of a large photograph.
5. The narrator looked at the photograph amazingly because he had a doubt if the negative was of his own.
Passage-8.
‘The eyes’ I said hesitatingly, ‘don’t look very much like mine’
‘Oh, no,’ he answered, ‘I’ve retouched them. They come out splendidly, don’t they?’
‘Fine,’ I said, ‘but surely my eyebrows are not like that?’
‘No,’ said the photographer, with a momentary glance at my face, ‘the eyebrows are removed. We have a process now – ‘the Delphide – for putting in new ones. You’ll notice here where we’ve applied it to carry the hair away from the brow. I don’ like the hair low on the skull.
1. What did the narrator say about his eyes?
2. What did the narrator say about his eyebrows?
3. Why did the eyebrows of the narrator look so?
4. What did the photographer apply to remove the eyebrows?
5. ‘We have a process’ – What is the process?
Answer:
1. The narrator said that his eyes in the photograph did not look very much like his own eyes.
2. The narrator said that his eyebrows were not about his own eyebrows.
3. The eyebrows of the narrator were removed by applying chemicals.
4. To remove the eyebrows the photographer applied Delphide a chemical.
5. The process of removing eyebrows was to apply the Delphide for putting the new ones as the photographer did not like the hair low on the skull.
Passage-9.
I interrupted, drawing myself up and animating my features to their full extent and speaking with a withering scorn that should have blasted the man on the spot. ‘Listen! I came here for a photograph-a picture-something which (mad though it seems) would have looked like me.
I wanted something that would depict my face as Heaven gave it to me, humble though the gift may have been. I wanted something that my friends might keep after my death, to reconcile them to my loss. It seems that I was mistaken.
1. Why did the narrator interrupt?
2. Why did the narrator blast the photographer?
3. What did the narrator say to the photographer?
4. ‘I was mistaken’- why was the narrator mistaken?
5. What was the desire of the narrator and what happened actually?
Answer:
1. The narrator was interrupted because he was dissatisfied with his negative and told the photographer to stop.
2. The narrator blasted the photographer as he changed his face with his technical skills and application of chemicals.
3. The narrator said to the photographer that his face was the gift of heaven and he did not like any distortion of that.
4. The narrator wanted to have a Snap as he wanted to gift his photo to his friends by which they could remember him after his death. So, he was mistaken with the change.
5. The narrator liked to have his original condition in the photo. Actually the photographer changed his facial feature almost.
Passage-10.
Take your negative, or whatever it is you call it, – dip it in sulphide, bromide, oxide, cowhide, – anything you like, -remove the eyes, correct the mouth, adjust the face, restore the lips, reanimate the necktie and reconstruct the waistcoat. Coat it with an inch of gloss, shade it, emboss it, gild it, till even you acknowledge that it is finished. Then when you have done all that-keep it for yourself and your friends. They may value it. To me it is but a worthless bauble’
1. What did the narrator say to the photographer?
2. What are the process of modification?
3. What was the condition of the narrator?
4. What was his words to the photographer?
5. Why did the narrator break into tears?
Answer:
1. The narrator was angry with the photographer and told him to keep The negative With him and he would not receive it.
2. The processes of modifications were shading embossing and giding.
3. The narrator was amazed to see his own image as the photographer had done many changes through his technical skill and application of chemicals.
4. The last words of the narrator to the photographer were that the photographer would keep the negative to him and he would not take the photograph.
5. The narrator broke into tears because he was angry and displeased on the photographer as he made changes without his proper consent.
With the Photographer About the Story
Source : The story ‘With the photographer’ is taken from Leacock’s literary collection ‘Behind the beyond and other contribution to Human Knowledge.’
Delta Story : In the story the author Shares his personal experiences as he visits a photographer’s shop to have his snap taken as he wants to keep that as a treasure of his memory for his friends after his death.
The photographer made unwanted facial changes to show a better appearance of the author. The photographer uses his technical skills to bring an improvement with the author’s face. The author experiences anguish, annoyance and insecurity as the photographer finds fault in the author’s face, eyes and ears, which he tries to improve upon with his technical ability. For this the photograph fails to show a true picture of the narrator. Being shocked and disgusted he left studio without taking his photograph.
With the Photographer About the Author
Stephen Leacock was a teacher of Canada; He was also a political Scientist and author. He is famous for his light humour and mild criticisms of people’s foibles. He was born in England but was educated at Toranto University, Canada. Later in the same university he was the departmental head of Economics and Political Science. He wrote humourous stories and essays.
He was internationally famous as a humourist, educator, lecturer and author. He wrote more than 30 books of light humour. Literary lapses, Nonsense Novels. Further Foolishness and ‘The Garden of Folly’ are his famous writings. His humour is based on comic perception of social foibles.
With the Photographer Brief Summary
One day the author decided to visit a studio for his photograph. The author was asked to wait a bit though there was no second customer. So, the author was humiliated with the behaviour of the photographer. He spent his waiting time reading the journals and magazines. The author felt as if he was an intruder into the privacy of the photographer.
After an hour of waiting the author was called into the studio. The room was dimly lighted and in the middle the photographer placed his Camera. Actually, his studio was an old fashioned room without any attractive design.
The author entered into the room. The photographer rolled his camera into the middle. The photographer was not satisfied with the light so, he tore the cotton sheet and the broke window panes with a hooked stick. He skipped back in to the machine to draw a little back cloth over himself.
At past he came out with grim face and he began to shake his head. The photographer was not satisfied with the face of the author. The author felt humiliated as the photographer told that his face was quite wrong although he knew that his face is not photogenic. The photographer told that he was capable to transform a human face to make that attractive.
For that purpose. the photographer suggested many trifling postures. The author was annoyed with this. He remarked that he was a man of forty years and he is satisfied with his facial condition. The author was about to rise from his seat and then the photographer took a snap in a moment of animation.
The photographer had produced a negative copy of the author’s face. On the next Sunday the author came to the studio to take his photograph. Seeing the photograph the author was shocked. The author was disgusted also. Many unwanted things on the face were removed and he had retouched the mouth. Only the ears remained intact.
The author was furious and he blasted the photographer with a bitter rebuke. The photographer used his professional skills but the author said that his face and photographed are not identical. He would not be able to gift that to his friends and it was a worthless bauble. The author left the studio with tears in his eyes.
Glossary:
1. Drooping — bending
2. unwarrantable — wrongful
3. Breaking in — intruding
4. Frantic — desperate
5. Persuits — quest
6. grave — Serious
7. Ceased — stopped
8. apparently — seemingly
9. twisted — turned on
10. hump — heave
11. staggering — shaking
12. animation — excitement
13. beckoned — called
14. splendidly — nicely
15. withering — disapproving
16. scorn — hatred
17. Superfices — surface
18. depict — show
19. reconcile — to come to terms
20. emboss — cause to burge up
21. bauble — valueless thing
Plot :
The plot of the story “With the photographer” is set in a dull studio room. Anunnamed narrator of 40 years visits the photographer to have a snap of him. His main purpose is to get a photograph that his friends could keep it as a memory of his.
The narrator enters the studio and asks to click a photo. The narrator is asked to wait, though there was no other customer. Later after an hour he is called into the room. The photographer does not like the facial condition of the narrator. He gives many commands and suggestions. The narrator feels fear, annoyance and insecurity. The photographer’s suggestion humiliate the narrator to some extent.
The narrator obeys the suggestions of the photographer. The narrator desires to have a simple snap of his but photographer thinks otherwise he wants to produce a better face by means of his technical skills. Next Sunday the narrator visits the studio to take the photo.
He sees the negative of the photograph and thinks that it is For removed from reality and that creates a shocking and disgusting feelings to the narrator. The narrator sees the negative and his disgust tends to shake the tendency of the photographer. of creating models instead of ordinary humans. The photographer has retouched and adjusted the authors features. Being disgusted the narrator leaves the studio and tells the photographer to keep his photo to him. He calls the entire incident a worthless bauble
Theme :
The theme of ‘With the photographer deals on the original self and the distorted self. A young narrator of forty years visits a photographer to have his photograph taken. He is waiting reading the magazines about the model’s look.
When he enters and gets ready to take the photograph the photographer gives many suggestions to keep his mouth and posture more attractive than his real face. The narrator agrees to his suggestions although he thinks it is unnecessary. The photographer tells the narrator that his face, eyes, ears, are not photogenic. The photographer wishes to mould the narrators features.
When the narrator sees his negative there is a shock and annoyance. He is unable to recognise himself as the photographer with his technical skills improved upon the original. It is just the distort of reality which causes disgust, annoyance and anger of the narrator. rarrafor has a desire to have a photograph with an eye to present his friends for his remembrance after his death.
But the photograph becomes a nightmare to The narrator to break his confidence. In frustration the narrator begins to cry when he leaves the studio. In the story the narrator feels, that our face is our face, a gift of God. No one should humiliate it.
Outer appearances are meaningless as they do not tell the real story. Behind the make up there can be an ugly face. We should grant and respect what we Get from the God. The narrator regains his confidence and faith after leaving the studio. keeping the photograph with the narrator.
With the Photographer Characters
Narrator:
The narrator, The hero of the story ‘With the photographer’ is a 40 years old man. It is clear from the story that the narrator does not have attractive physical features. The photographer finds fault in his face. It is not photogenic. He becomes conscious of his face and submits to the suggestion of the photographer to have a better image of his face.
So, he abides by the photographer’s suggestions. The narrator feels an insecurity and humiliation when he compares his face with that of a model. He comes to know that the photographer depends on outer appearance rather than his inner quality. The narrator declares that he knows it for last forty years but he loves it as a gift from God.
The narrator accepts the reality and the wish of the God. Man should accept that as it is the grace of God and there should not be complain. He openly tells photographer that his face is of his own and it is a gift of the God.
The narrator is satirical of the ways of the professionals. The photographer tries to impose his own standards. He considers the photographer is an intruder in his life. We should avoid these type of people in our personal life.
Photographer:
The photographer is a drooping man in a gray suit. He has the dim eye of a natural scientist. His camera is placed in a room covered with black cloth through which he keeps an eye to take a photo. The narrator has to sit down in a beam of sunlight that filtered through a sheet of factory cotton hung against a frosted skylight.
It seems the photographer is a professional. He is critical of the face of the narrator. He wishes to improve his face with his profesional skills. He suggests the narrator to improve his facial condition. He is proud as he can bring about a great change in the face by his professional skills if the customer agrees.
The photographer has his own style. Even he does not listen to the customer. The narrator is annoyed and frustrated. At the end the narrator leaves his studio without taking the photograph, which is not identical of his real identity.
Setting :
The story is set in an old fashioned studio with minimum equipments and gadgets. The photographer resorts to digital techniques and gives special effects in the modern studies with highly sophisticated cameras. But this studio is weird. It has its effects on the narrator and loses his temper easily.
Title :
The story tells the narrator’s bitter experience with a photographer who tries to impose his own will and whims on the narrator. Actually, the story deals with an encounter with the photographer and the narrator. The photographer tells that the narrator’s face is wrong and it is insulting to the narrator. The narrator tells that he knows his face for forty years and he likes it.
The photographer remains deaf to all the suggestions of the narrator. The photographer believes in improving the features by his technical skills or chemicals. Thus, his ability can create new features or make an ugly one disappear. Thus, trying to create some magic the originality is the first culprit. Thus, the title is appropriate. The story Centres round the photographer and his dealing with the narrator who remains far from satisfaction.
Style :
The first person narration is used in the story. It gives authenticity to the bitter experiences of the narrator while getting his photograph taken. There are two different characters in the story, the narrator and the photographer. The author has used the humour, satire, irony and contrast in depicting the characters.
The narrator is a man of self respect and the photographer is an egoist, who is proud of his profesional skills. Here in this story humour is created in a subdued tone. The writer has used the technique of suggestion to say a lot in a few words. The picture of the photographer is clear when he is described as ‘everybody knows what a photographer is like’. The last words of the narrator ‘I broke into tears and left’ suggest his anger and frustration and his acceptance of the tings as they are.
With the Photographer Critical Appreciation
The story ‘With the Photographer’ by Stephen Leacock deals with the bitter experiences of the narrator with a professional photographer as the narrator goes to have a photograph of his own. But the narrator faces a very awkward situation as the photographer terms his face as wrong. The narrator has no complaint against the photographer and about his facial features.
The narrator has to grapple with fear, humiliation and inferiority complex. The writer employs the tool of satire, wit, humour and irony to bring out the theme clearly. He satires the professional photographers, who use technical skills.to present improved image of a person with different techniques. The narrator chids the photographer harshly. Thus, the narrator leaves the studio being frustrated.
The characters of the narrator and the photographer stand in contrast with each other. The narrator has to accept the humiliation and the photographer is indifferent to the feelings of others. He appears ridiculous in his approach. Thus, the story has a well-knit plot with the unity of peace and action. Thus, the story is told beautifully with a mild humour.
With the Photographer Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
Question 1.
The colour of the photographer’s suit is-
a. red
b. black
c. grey
d. yellow.
Answer:
c. Grey.
Question 2.
The narrator had to wait in the studio for-
a. an hour
b. two hours
c. three hours
d. four hours.
Answer:
a. an hour.
Question 3.
The photographer looked very-
a. sad
b. joyful
c. grave
d. none of the above.
Answer:
c. Grave.
Question 4.
The photographer: looked at the narrator-
a. cheerfully
b. enthusiastically
c. without enthusiasm
d. indifferently
Answer:
c. without enthusiasm.
Question 5.
The studio was …………..
a. big
b. modern
c. dim lighted
d. furnished
Answer:
c. dim lighted.
Question 6.
The photographer had the looks of …………..
a. a sick man,
b. an angry man
c. a craoked politician
d. a natural scientist.
Answer:
d. a natural scientist.
Question 7.
When the narrator visits the photographer he was …………..
a. 50
b. 40
c. 30
d. 60 years old.
Answer:
b. 40 years.
Question 8.
The narrator met the photographer on …………..
a. Monday
b. Sunday
c. Saturday
d. Tuesday
Answer:
c. Saturday.
Question 9.
The face of the narrator was …………..
a. Wrong
b. right,
c. nice
d. none of the above.
Answer:
a. Wrong.
Question 10.
The photographer had pulled a …………..
a. Chair
b. bench
c. curtain
d. string
Answer:
d. string.
Question 11.
The photographer had a …………..
a. pride
b. love
c. hatred
d. none of the above.
Answer:
a. pride.
Question 12.
The narrator wanted to gift his photograph to his …………..
a. relatives
b. friends
c. daughter
d. brother
Answer:
b. friends.