Chapter: 05. The Story Of Fidgety Philip
A. Fill in the blanks to complete these sentences.
Mamma looked very grave at the start of the dinner. Philip is described as being very fidgety. Besides tilting his chair, Philip also wriggles and giggles. After the disaster, poor Papa and Mamma looked quite cross. Papa wished Philip was able to sit still for once at table. B. Answer these questions.
What did Papa hope Philip would be at the dinner table? Papa hoped Philip would be a “little gentleman.” What action of Philip’s caused Mamma to “fret and frown”? Philip’s action of pulling down the tablecloth and all the dishes caused Mamma to fret and frown. What happened to the knives and forks after the chair fell? The knives and forks also fell down upon the ground with the other items. What kind of face did Papa make when he saw the mess? Papa made “such a face,” indicating his strong displeasure or anger. What sound did Philip make when his chair fell over? Philip screamed with all his might when his chair fell over. C. Answer these questions with reference to the context.
“Just like any rocking-horse -
‘Philip! I am getting cross!’” a. What literary device is used in the phrase “Just like any rocking-horse”?
* The literary device used is a simile, as it compares Philip’s action to a rocking-horse using “like.” b. Explain why Papa was getting “cross” and what that tells you about Philip’s behavior leading up to this point.
* Papa was getting “cross” because Philip was continuously misbehaving, wriggling, giggling, and tilting his chair despite being told to sit still. This tells us that Philip’s restless and disobedient behavior was ongoing and had been ignored by him, causing his father’s patience to wear thin. “Where is Philip, where is he?
Fairly covered up you see,
Cloth and all are lying on him;” a. What items were lying on top of Philip?
* The cloth (tablecloth) and all the dishes, glasses, knives, and forks were lying on top of Philip. b. Describe the scene where Philip is found and how it shows the complete chaos he caused.
* Philip is found completely buried under the fallen tablecloth and all the broken and scattered dinnerware. This scene vividly shows the utter chaos he caused because he pulled down everything, leaving the table bare and the floor covered in broken dishes and cutlery, highlighting the disastrous consequences of his uncontrollable fidgeting. 
Answer key