NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English (Woven Words) Essays 1 My Watch

Class : 11th

Subject : English

Chapter : 1(Essays)

Chapter Name : My Watch

Q1 What was the importance of the watch to the author?

Answer. The watch is of great value to the author. The watch was like a buddy and shadow to
the author who showed him the right time and accompanied him everywhere. For eighteen
months authors watch worked properly before it stopped. The author believed his watch is an
indispensable part of his life and always showed the right time when it was in the working
position. And the duty of his watch was indestructible

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Q2 What were the attempts made by the author to get his watch repaired?

Answer. The authors watch worked perfectly for 18 months before its condition ruined. The
author felt broken and very next day he went to get it repaired. He went to the chief jeweler shop
for the repairmen of his valuable watch. The author asked the owner of the shop to leave the
watch but still, he tried to repair it and ended up worsening the watch. Now the watch started
working way to fast and showed time ahead of it. After a few months, the author again went to
get it repaired, another watchmaker asked for 3 days to repair swollen barrel. The author moved
to another watchmaker and he informed was damaged and need to be repaired. The author
made various attempts to get his watch repaired, by talking to different people.

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Q3 Why did the author finally give up on his watch?

Answer. The author used to watch for eighteen months before it finally broke down. He took to
seven different watchmakers for restoring the watch back to working condition. But even after
taking the watch to different people still, it could not be restored back to its working condition.
The original price of the watch was two hundred dollars, but with repairs, it priced him quite
expensive. The author understood what his uncle William meant what he meant with a good
horse is a good horse until once it runs away.

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Q4 What was Uncle Williams’ comment on the ‘tinkerers’ of the world?

Answer. The authors watch stopped working after eighteen months and to put it back to working
condition author gave it to different watchmakers that cost him quite a lot. At this point, he
remembers the advice of his Uncle James who said a horse is a good horse until he has run
away once. The author connects watch connection with it saying the watch was good until had
run away once. The unsuccessful tinkers in the world are not able to specialize in anything else.
Thus he believed tinkers were not experts and were not aware of anything.

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Q5 Explain these lines -

a) ‘I seemed to detect in myself a sort of sneaking fellow-feeling for the mummy in the
museum, and a desire to swap news with him.’

b) ‘Within a week it sickened to a raging fever and its pulse went up to a hundred and fifty in
the shade.’

c) ‘She makes too much steam—you want to hang the monkey wrench on the safety valve!’

Answer.

a) After working efficiently for eighteen months, the author's watch broke down. The author tried
to get his watch repaired seven times by different people. When the author had given the watch
to be repaired for the second time, the author got his watch back after one week. Instead of

getting adjusted, the watch slowed down which resulted in the author missing his appointments
and the author felt like he was going into yesterday, going even more backwards into time,
feeling lonely. The author kept going back into the past and staying there because of the wrong
time shown by his watch.

b) Here the author means to say that when the watch broke down after eighteen months. The
chief jeweler repaired it and made it quite slow. And when he gave it to another watchmaker it
made watch fairly fast. The author used symbolism when he says that the watch 'sickened to
raging fever and its pulse went up to a hundred and fifty in the shade'.

c) The watch stopped after working for eighteen months. He got it repaired from seven different
watchmakers. The last person to whom he gave his watch was a steam engineer, after
observing the watch he said watch is making steam and that he wants to 'hang the monkey
wrench on the safety valve'.

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Q1 How is humour employed to comment on the pains that the author took to get his watch set
right?

Answer. After working for eighteen years watch finally stopped working. He took watch to
different watchmaker but the watch could not be restored to proper working. The watchmakers
are not the master of their trade as they all fail to repair it back to working condition. Uncle
William said 'a good horse was a good horse until it had run away once'. The author also tries to
relate his situation to that of a mummy in a museum when the watch was moving slow and was
behind time. The mild humor is employed by author.

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Q2 ‘The author’s treatment of the subject matter makes the readers identify themselves with the
experience.’ Comment on this statement.

Answer. Mark Twain is the author of “My Watch”, he did not receive schooling and education for
so many years. He worked as a printer's apprentice. The stories by Mark Twain had a twist of
humor in them, while the plot was natural; something that could easily see to be happening with

any other human being. The writing style connects very well with readers. The reader can easily
see the happenings of the plot.

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Q3 Identify some of the improbable images the author has used to effect greater humour.

Answer. The author brilliantly uses the technique of humor while describing how seven
watchmakers spoiled the watch one by one. The author exaggerates certain things to achieve
humor, he also employs the technique of hyperbole to get the desired effect. The funny
description is how he says the watch has a fever and is sick, he personifies the watch here. He
later compares it to dead mummy.

The author uses various images to get the desired humorous effect.

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Q1 Replacing old machines with new is better than getting them repaired.

Answer. ​If we ever use any old machine and it stops abruptly an important decision is to be
made if it needs to be kept or replaced with new machines. A tiny problem in a machine is
easily ignored. Sometimes if it bothers greatly people tend to get it repaired. Old thing calls for a
lot of repair and huge amount is spent on it while the same amount can be used to buy a new
product. Sometimes it is better to replace the old with the new as its efficiency increases and
perform more brilliantly.

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Q2 It is difficult to part with personal items like a watch which have a sentimental value attached
to them.

Answer. Today materialistic things hold a special place in our hearts as they are a gift from a
loved one or something you really love with all your heart. If some of those things get lost or
stop working we tend to get hurt as we are attached to them. For example, if a watch was gifted
to a boy by his father, he gets emotionally attached to the thing. And it becomes impossible for

him to part away from the watch that his father gave. People find it hard to let go of things that
hold a special place in their heart.

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Q1 Make a list of the expressions that imbue the watch with human attributes.

Answer. ​The following is the list of some expressions:

i). "infallible in its judgment"ii). "she is four minutes slow"iii). "it sickened to a raging fever and its
pulse went up to a hundred and fifty in the shade"iv). "It was away into November enjoying the
snow, while the October leaves were still turning"v). " it would go like the very mischief, and
keep up such a barking and wheezing and whooping and sneezing and snorting"vi). " She
makes too much steam— you want to hang the monkey-wrench on the safety-valve!"

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