My Lost Dollar, Comprehension Level Questions and Answers for ICSE Students

My Lost Dollar

Comprehension Level Questions and Answers

Extract I

On the other hand I know that I shall……it to the grave.

(i) Who is Todd? What kind of relationship exists between Todd and the narrator?

Todd is a Major in the army and the narrator’s friend, who had borrowed a dollar from the narrator a year ago. Todd and the narrator seem to be close friends because they meet each other frequently and the issue of the borrowed dollar does not make any difference in their trust and friendship for each other.

(ii) When and why did Todd borrow a dollar from the narrator? How much time has passed since then?

Todd borrowed a dollar from the narrator to pay his taxi fare because he did not have any change with him. One year had passed since he borrowed the dollar from the narrator.

(iii) Why has Todd failed to return the loan? What does it tell us about him?

Todd has failed to return the loan because of forgetfulness. This tells us that Todd is a careless and forgetful man.

(iv) Give the meaning of:

 (a)It will make no difference

 It means that the narrator’s friend’s act of borrowing a dollar and then forgetting to pay it back would not make any difference to their friendship.

(b) I carry the recollection of it to the grave

The narrator means to say that if somebody borrows something from him, he will remember it throughout his life.

(v) As far as the memory is concerned, how do the borrowers differ from the lenders? Give an example from the story to support your opinion.

The human memory is strong in the case of lenders, whereas it diminishes with time in the case of the borrowers. For example, the narrator not only remembers that he had lent a dollar to his friend, Todd, but also the exact date on which he had lent the dollar. But, the borrower, i.e., the narrator’s friend, Todd not only forgets of having borrowed a dollar, he does not even get any hint from a number of indirect references made by the narrator about debts.

 (vi) Relying on what is said in the story, does the narrator have any hope of being paid back? Why?

No, the narrator does not seem to have any hope of being paid back the dollar his friend has borrowed. This is because a year has already passed since his friend has borrowed the dollar. He seems to have totally forgotten about it because a number of indirect references given by the narrator about debts does not have any effect in reviving his friend’s memory.

Extract II

Todd came back within three weeks……. “No, let’s walk.”

 (i) Where has Todd been away for three weeks? What did he write to the narrator about the place?

Todd was away for three weeks to Hamilton, Bermuda. He wrote to the narrator about the extreme temperature conditions in Bermuda, the temperature reaching nearly 100° F.

(ii) Why has the narrator gone to receive Todd at the railway station? What does this incident  tell us about the character of the narrator?

The narrator went to the railway station to receive Todd because he felt that his friend, Todd might feel happy to see him waiting for him on the station after being away for three weeks. This shows that the narrator values friendship and does things that makes his friend happy.

(iii) What kind of friendship was there between Todd and the narrator?

Todd and the narrator were close friends. They liked each other’s company and therefore, met practically everyday at the club and remained in touch with each other. There existed trust and mutual understanding between the two. The small issues of one dollar did not affect their friendship in anyway.

(iv) Which club is referred  to here? Why does the narrator suggest that they take a taxi?

The University Club of Montreal, where Todd and the narrator used to meet practically everyday is referred to. The narrator suggested that they should take a taxi because that might remind his friend of the dollar he had borrowed from him a year ago for paying his taxi fare.

(v) What do the two talk about at the club? What is going on in the narrator’s  mind during the conversation?

The narrator and his friend, Todd talked about the latter’s trip to Bermuda. Then, they talked about the currency used in Bermuda and whether it is at par with the American Dollar. During the conversation, the thought of the dollar borrowed by Todd was at the back of the narrator’s mind.

Extract III

It took me sometime to realize that  he had completely forgotten……….but only wish that I could forget.

(i) Which trip is being referred to here? How long did it last? What did Todd say about the trip?

Major Todd’s trip to Bermuda is being referred to in the extract. It lasted for three weeks. Todd said that he had practically forgotten everything about his trip.

(ii) What does the extract tell us about Todd’s character?

The extract tells us that Todd is a forgetful and careless man

for he forgets the dollar he had borrowed from his friend as well as practically everything about his trip to Bermuda, just after returning from the trip.

(iii) Give the meaning of:

(a) bear Todd no grudge

It means that the narrator does not have any negative feelings for his friend, Todd despite Todd having forgotten to pay back the dollar he had borrowed from the him a year ago.

(b) demeanour

It means behaviour or attitude. The narrator says that no change occurs in his behaviour with his friend Todd who had borrowed a dollar from him an year ago and has forgotten to pay him back.

(iv)What does the extract tell us about the narrator’s borrowers? What was the  narrator’s attitude towards them?

 The narrator’s borrowers have forgotten to pay back the money they had borrowed from him. The narrator’s attitude towards his borrowers does not undergo any change on account of their not having paid back the borrowed money.

(v)What can you conclude from the above extract about the practice of lending and borrowing?

 The practice of lending and borrowing referred to in the extract points to the painful fact that the lenders remember the money they have lent, whereas the borrowers forget about it.

Extract IV

There may be  a list of them………..write   their names down on paper.

 (i)Whom does ‘them’ refer to in the first sentence of the extract? What is meant by: “On this side of the grave.”

 In the first sentence of the extract, ‘them’ refers to the people to whom the narrator owes some money and has forgotten to pay back.

By the phrase ‘on this side of the grave’ the narrator wants to say that while he is alive, he may not pay back the money he has borrowed from some people.

(ii) What does the narrator’s writing down names in the alphabetical order suggest about him?

The narrator’s act of writing down names in the alphabetic order suggests that he is serious about repaying the money he has borrowed. That is why, he even asks his creditors to speak out and tell him if he owes them any money.

(iii) Who are the people whom the narrator does not feel it necessary to pay back? Why?

The narrator feels that it is not necessary to pay back the money lent over a bridge table or for drinking soda water. The narrator feels so because these are friendly exchanges among friends.

(iv) What movement does the narrator want to start? What does this plan of his reveal about his character?

The narrator wants to start a Back to Honesty Movement, which calls for repayment of all the money borrowed in times of need. This plan of the narrator reveals that he is meek and eccentric for instead of asking his friend straightaway to pay back the borrowed dollar, he thinks of starting such a high-sounding project.

(v) State briefly how far the title of the story is appropriate.

 The title of the story My Lost Dollar is quite appropriate because:

(a) the entire story revolves around a particular dollar that the narrator had lent to his friend, Todd. Todd has completely 

forgotten to pay back and the narrator considers it as lost for ever.

(b) the observations that the narrator makes in the story like he himself must have borrowed money from some people and would have forgotten to pay back and difference in memory between the lenders and the borrowers and starting a Back to Honesty Movement, are a reflection on the practice of lending and borrowing based on the one dollar that he had lent to his friend, Todd.