Class 6 English Lesson 4.3 Mr. Nobody

Std 6 English Lesson 4.3 Mr. Nobody

Maharashtra Board Class 6 English Solutions Chapter 4.3 Mr Nobody

Balbharti Maharashtra State Board Class 6 English Solutions Chapter 4.3 Mr Nobody Textbook Exercise Important Questions and Answers

Maharashtra State Board Class 6 English Solutions Chapter 4.3 Mr Nobody

Mr Nobody

I know a funny little man,
As quiet as a mouse,
Who does the mischief that is done
In everybody’s house!
There’s no one ever sees his face,
And yet we all agree
That every plate we break was cracked
By Mr. Nobody.

`Tis he who always tears our books,
Who leaves the door ajar,
He pulls the buttons from our shirts,
And scatters pine afar;
That squeaking door will always squeak,
For, prithee, don’t you see,
We leave the oiling to be done
By Mr. Nobody

The finger marked upon the door
By none of us are made;
We never leave the blind unclosed,
To let the curtains fade.
The ink we never spill; the boots
That lying round you see
Are not our boots they all belong
To Mr. Nobody.

– Author Unknown

Meanings:

mischief – troublesome and playful behaviour
cracked – broken glitch
ajar – slightly open
scatters – throws about and strews
afar – at a distance
prithee – please (old English of ‘I pray thee’)
blinds – screens for a window
fade – lose colour or freshness.
spill – to fall out of a container

Theme/ Central idea: The poem is about a mysterious person who does all the mischief around the house. And whenever there is anything wrong in and around the house everyone blames this person who is called Mr. Nobody.

Summary:

Stanza 1:

The poet tells us that he knows a man who is little, funny and is very quiet. The poet has compared him to a mouse. This man is responsible for all the trouble and mischief that happens in everyone’s house. No one has ever seen his face but everyone is sure that every plate that gets broken, it was first cracked by Mr. Nobody.

Stanza 2:

The poet continues that it is this Mr. Nobody who is responsible for tearing the books and not shutting the door but leaving it ajar. He is one who rips the buttons form the shirts and throws the pins all around. The doors are squeaking but everybody has left the oiling to be done by Mr. Nobody.

Stanza 3:

The finger prints that are seen on the doors are also put by Mr. Nobody. He also never closes the window blinds which makes the curtains fade. No one admits of spilling the ink and everyone agrees that the boots that are lying around belong to Mr. Nobody.

POINTERS

1. Read the poem aloud.

2. Complete the following chart of personal pronouns using words from the brackets – him, our, we, he, her, their, it, me, your)

Person		Pronouns
First	I, we	my, me	our, us	mine, ours
Second	you	your	you	yours
Third	he, she, it, they	his, her, its, their	him, her, them	his, hers, its, theirs

Which of the above pronouns do you use when you talk about yourself?

Answer:
I, my, me, us, our, ours

Suppose you are telling someone about the good/bad things they have done. What pronoun are you likely to use?

Answer:
you, your, yours

Suppose you are complaining about one or more persons/things to your teacher/ mother. What pronouns will you use?

Answer:
he, she, they, him, her, them, his, hers, theirs.

3. Write all the instances of the mischief done by Mr Nobody.

Answer:

(i) the plate was broken

(ii) books are torn

(iii) the door is left ajar

(iv) the buttons are pulled from the shirts

(v) the pins are scattered afar

(vi) the door is left squeaking

(vii) has put the finger marks on the door

(viii) left the blinds unclosed

(ix) the ink is spilled

(x) the boots are left lying around

4. What characteristics of Mr Nobody do we learn about from this poem?

Answer: We come to know from to poem that Mr. Nobody is a very quiet, funny, mischievous, careless, clumsy, lazy, untidy and carefree person.

5. Imagine that there is a Mr Somebody who has to correct all the wrongs that are done by Mr Nobody. Write in the following table, what Mr Somebody will have to do.

Mr Nobody’s Actions	Tasks for Mr Somebody
1. The plate is broken/cracked.	Mend the plate./Throw it away carefully.
2. The book is torn.	Mend the book with glue or a cello tape.
3. The door is ajar.	Shut the door.
4. The buttons are pulled from the shirt.	Sew the buttons on the shirt.
5. The pins are scattered.	collect all the pins keep them safely in its proper place.
6. The door is still squeaking.	Oil the door.
7. There are finger marks upon the door.	Wipe the finger marks on the door.
8. The ink has spilled over.	Clean the spilled ink.
9. Boots are lying around.	Put them on the shoe rack.
10. Soiled clothes are lying around.	Pick them up and put them for washing.
11. Wet towel is left on the bed.	Hang the towel for drying.
12. Bits of paper and other unwanted things are scattered on the floor.	Pick them up, put them in the waste basket and sweep and mop the floor.

Add a few more things to the list in the above table, using your own ideas and experience.

6. Write about one occasion each when you have behaved like

(a) Mr Nobody

Answer: One day I was super tired after a rigorous sports practice in school. I did not have the strength to even lift a finger. As soon as I reached home I threw everything and crashed into my bed. When my mom returned from office she was surprised to see my shoes, socks, my school bag and uniform scattered around the house. In an angry tone she confronted me. To save myself I blamed it on Mr. Nobody.

(b) Mr Somebody:

Answer: It was Diwali time, my mom had taken a day off from office to clean and decorate the house. She woke up early and started dusting and cleaning. The curtains, the sofa covers, the cushion covers had to be changed. The decorative lights and the kandil had to be put up. Just then she received a call from her office to come immediately as they needed her help for an urgent project. When she returned home in the evening all tired, she was surprised to see the house was decorated with fresh curtains, sofa covers, cushion covers, lights and kandil. When she asked me, I feigned ignorance.

7. Listen and complete : Close your books. The teacher will dictate some lines from the poem. She will say the first half and you have to write the entire line/verse.

(a) I know a funny……. ……. .

As quiet as a ……..

Who does the mischief that is done ……. ……. ……. !

(b) There’s no one ever sees his face,

And yet we all …….

That every plate we break was …….

By ……. …….

8. Use the following expressions in your own sentences:

(a) We all agree that we should keep our surroundings clean.

(b) It is he/she who is responsible for their own lives.

(d) None of us should ever show disrespect to our parents.