Chapter: 05. The Story Of Fidgety Philip
Comprehension
A. Fill in the blanks to complete these sentences.
Philip can be a little gentleman. Philip should sit once at table. Philip swung the chair backwards and forwards. Philip’s mother fretted and frowned when Philip pulled down (all the things from the table). Philip was found under the cloth. B. Answer these questions.
What kind of a boy is Philip? Philip is a fidgety, naughty, restless, and disobedient boy who cannot sit still. What did he do with the chair? He swung backwards and forwards and tilted up his chair, just like a rocking-horse, until it fell over quite. How did his mother react? His mother fretted and frowned and looked very grave when she saw the dishes tumbling down. Name the things that broke in the poem. Glasses and dishes snapped in two. What was a ‘terrible’ thing to do? Pulling down the tablecloth, causing all the dishes, glasses, knives, and forks to fall and break, was a ‘terrible’ thing to do. C. Answer these questions with reference to the context.
Let me see if he is able
To sit still for once at table…
a. Who is the speaker in these lines?
* The speaker in these lines is Papa.
b. Who is the speaker talking about?
* The speaker is talking about Philip.
c. Why does the speaker want the person to sit at the table?
* The speaker wants Philip to sit still at the table so that they can have their dinner peacefully, as it is expected behavior at mealtimes. See the naughty, restless child
Growing still more rude and wild,
Till his chair falls over quite.
a. Why is the child ‘restless’?
* The child is ‘restless’ because he is fidgety and unable to stay still or calm.
b. Why is he growing more wild now?
* He is growing more wild because he is disregarding his parents’ instructions and continuing his mischievous behavior without control.
c. Explain the expression: ‘falls over quite’.
* The expression ‘falls over quite’ means that the chair completely and entirely topples over, implying a full and final collapse. 
Answers to textbook exercises