Chapter 6 Say the Right Thing Class 7 English Poorvi Important Questions
Chapter 6 Say the Right Thing Questions Answers Class 7 English
Very Short Question Answer
Question 1. Who wrote the humorous play about Mary Shaw?
Answer
The play about Mary Shaw is written by G.C. Thornley.
Question 2. What does Mary want to do when guests visit?
Answer
Mary want to talk to them and be polite when guests visited.
Question 3. Who teaches Mary how to speak politely?
Answer
Her mother, Mrs. Shaw taught Mary to speak politely.
Question 4. What does Mrs. Shaw ask Mary to do before the guests arrive?
Answer
Mrs. Shaw asked Mary to put away a coat to keep the room tidy before the guests arrived.
Question 5. Who are the two guests visiting the Shaw family?
Answer
Mrs. Harding and Mrs. Lee are the two guests who are visiting Shaw family.
Question 6. What advice does Mrs. Shaw give Mary about talking to guests?
Answer
Be kind, say happy things, laugh, and start conversations.
Question 7. What mistake does Mary make about Mrs. Harding’s children?
Answer
Mary said that her child is beautiful, but Mrs. Harding has no children.
Question 8. What profession does Mary accidentally mock?
Answer
Mary accidentally mocked the profession of bankers, not knowing Mrs. Harding’s brother is one.
Question 9. How does Mary insult the guests’ clothing?
Answer
Mary accidentally criticised the guest's clothing choices.
Question 10. What habits does Mary criticise that match the guests’ behaviours?
Answer
Mary criticised the habit of staying in bed and calling doctors which matches the guest's behaviour.
Question 11. What hobbies does Mary mock that the Harding family enjoys?
Answer
Mary criticised the habit of horse riding and shooting which the Harding family enjoyed.
Question 12. What is one moral of the play?
Answer
Think before speaking to avoid hurting others’ feelings.
Question 13. What are name of the two guests visiting the Shaws?
Answer
Mrs. Harding and Mrs. Lee
Question 14. What is the meaning of the word “compliments” in the play?
Answer
Kind words to praise
Short Answer Questions
Question 1. Describe two mistakes Mary makes during the visit and their impact on the guests.
Answer
First, Mary compliments Mrs. Harding’s “beautiful children,” unaware that Mrs. Harding has no children, causing an awkward and upsetting moment as Mrs. Harding looks distressed. Second, Mary mocks bankers, not knowing Mrs. Harding’s brother is a banker, which offends the guests and creates discomfort. These mistakes make the guests feel embarrassed and unwelcome, turning the visit tense and straining the conversation, as Mrs. Shaw must quickly change topics to ease the situation.
Question 2. Explain how Mary’s final mistake when the guests leave adds humour to the play.
Answer
Mary’s final mistake occurs when the guests prepare to leave, and instead of politely asking them to stay longer as her mother advised, she says, “Must you stay? Can’t you go?” This reversal of the polite phrase is humorous because it bluntly suggests the guests should leave, completely undermining her mother’s efforts to make them feel welcome. The unexpected blunder, combined with the guests’ likely shock, adds a comedic climax to the play, highlighting Mary’s innocent misunderstanding in a light-hearted way.
Question 3. Why does Mrs. Shaw want the house to be tidy for the guests?
Answer
Mrs. Shaw wants the house to be tidy to make a good impression on Mrs. Harding and Mrs. Lee. She asks Mary to put away a coat to keep the room neat, as Mrs. Harding is the wife of a wealthy man, and Mrs. Shaw hopes to become friends with her. A tidy house shows respect and helps create a welcoming atmosphere for the visit.
Question 4. What advice does Mrs. Shaw give Mary about talking to guests?
Answer
Mrs. Shaw advises Mary to be kind, say things that make people happy, laugh to keep the mood light, and start conversations if it’s quiet. She also tells Mary to ask guests to stay longer when they want to leave, using phrases like “Must you go? Can’t you stay?” This advice is meant to help Mary be polite and make the guests feel welcome.
Question 5. What mistake does Mary make about Mrs. Harding’s children?
Answer
Mary mistakenly compliments Mrs. Harding’s “beautiful children,” saying she saw them on the road. However, Mrs. Harding, looking upset, says she has no children. Mary insists she saw a boy and a girl, making the situation awkward and embarrassing, as her assumption is wrong and upsets Mrs. Harding during the visit.
Question 6. What does Mary say when the guests try to leave?
Answer
When Mrs. Harding and Mrs. Lee prepare to leave, Mary forgets her mother’s advice to politely ask them to stay longer. Instead, she says, “Oh, must you stay? Can’t you go?” This rude remark, the opposite of what she was taught, shocks the guests and ends the visit awkwardly, highlighting her failure to speak thoughtfully.
Question 7. How does Mary insult the guests’ hobbies?
Answer Mary insults the guests’ hobbies by mocking horse riding and shooting, unaware that the Harding family moved to Lanfield for these activities. She also criticises dogs, not knowing Mrs. Harding owns the dog she dislikes. These comments, meant to be casual, offend Mrs. Harding and Mrs. Lee, making the visit uncomfortable and showing Mary’s lack of care in speaking.
Long Answer Questions
Question 1. How does Mrs. Shaw prepare Mary for the guests’ visit, and why is she hesitant to let her stay?
Answer
Mrs. Shaw prepares Mary by teaching her to be polite, advising her to say kind things that make guests happy, laugh to keep the mood light, start conversations if there’s silence, and ask guests to stay longer when they leave, like “Must you go? Can’t you stay?” She ensures Mary changes into a clean dress to look presentable. Mrs. Shaw is hesitant because she worries Mary might say the wrong things, as she’s young and inexperienced, potentially ruining her chance to befriend Mrs. Harding, the wife of a wealthy man, which is important for social connections.
Question 2. Discuss how the play uses Mary’s blunders to teach a lesson about polite conversation.
Answer
The play uses Mary’s blunders to teach that polite conversation requires care and awareness to make others feel valued. Mary’s mistakes, like assuming Mrs. Harding has children, criticising bankers unaware of Mrs. Harding’s brother’s profession, and mocking hobbies the guests enjoy, show how thoughtless remarks can offend and create awkwardness. Her final blunder, saying “Can’t you go?” instead of asking the guests to stay, humorously underscores her failure to apply her mother’s advice. These errors highlight the importance of listening, choosing kind words, and being mindful of others’ feelings, teaching that polite conversation builds positive relationships and avoids unintended harm.
Question 3. How does Mrs. Shaw prepare Mary for the guests’ visit, and why is she hesitant to let her stay?
Answer
Mrs. Shaw prepares Mary for the guests’ visit by teaching her how to be polite and make the guests feel welcome, but she is hesitant because she fears Mary might say the wrong things. She explains that Mrs. Harding is the wife of a wealthy man and Mrs. Lee is his sister, emphasising the importance of making a good impression to build a friendship. Mrs. Shaw instructs Mary to be kind, say things that make people happy, laugh to keep the mood light, start conversations during silences, and ask guests to stay longer with phrases like “Must you go? Can’t you stay?” She also asks Mary to tidy the house, like putting away a coat, to show respect. However, Mrs. Shaw hesitates to let Mary stay because she worries Mary’s tendency to speak without thinking could embarrass them or offend the guests, ruining her chance to connect with Mrs. Harding. Despite Mary’s confidence in her polite phrases like “Good afternoon,” Mrs. Shaw’s caution proves correct when Mary’s blunders upset the guests, highlighting the importance of careful speech in social settings.
Question 4. What mistakes does Mary make during the guests’ visit that upset Mrs. Harding and Mrs. Lee?
Answer
Mary makes many mistakes during the guests’ visit, which upset Mrs. Harding and Mrs. Lee and turn the meeting into an uncomfortable mess. First, she compliments Mrs. Harding on her “beautiful children,” not knowing she has none, and insists she saw them, which embarrasses Mrs. Harding. Then, she makes fun of bankers without realising Mrs. Harding’s brother is one, offending her even more. While trying to fix things, Mary ends up insulting their clothes, criticising habits like staying in bed or calling doctors—things the guests themselves do—and saying that women talk too much, only to find out she’s talking about their family. She also complains about dogs, not knowing Mrs. Harding owns the one she dislikes, and makes fun of horse riding and shooting, which the Harding family enjoys. At the end, instead of politely asking them to stay, Mary blurts out, “Oh, must you stay? Can’t you go?” These mistakes happen because Mary doesn’t speak carefully, ignoring her mother’s advice to be kind and thoughtful. Her careless words hurt the guests and teach the lesson that we should think before we speak.
Question 5. How does Mary’s final comment to the guests show her failure to follow her mother’s advice?
Answer
Mary’s final comment to the guests, “Oh, must you stay? Can’t you go?” clearly shows that she has not followed her mother’s advice. Instead of being polite and making the guests feel welcome, she says something rude that makes the situation worse. Her mother, Mrs. Shaw, had told her to be kind and use warm words like “Must you go? Can’t you stay?” to show good manners and hospitality. But Mary, feeling embarrassed by all the earlier mistakes she made, says the opposite, as if she wants the guests to leave quickly. This shocks Mrs. Harding and Mrs. Lee, who are already upset because Mary has unknowingly insulted their family, habits, and interests. Her final words make the visit end badly and show that she wasn’t careful with her speech. This moment teaches the main lesson of the play—that we must think before we speak, and always be kind and respectful to others to avoid hurting their feelings.
Question 6. What lessons about polite conversation can we learn from Mary’s mistakes in the play?
Answer
Mary’s mistakes in the play teach us that polite conversation means more than just using nice words—it requires thinking before speaking and being kind and respectful. She makes several careless comments, like saying Mrs. Harding has children (when she doesn’t), insulting bankers (not knowing Mrs. Harding’s brother is one), and mocking hobbies the guests enjoy. These mistakes show how wrong assumptions or careless jokes can upset others, even if we don’t mean to hurt them. Mary forgets her mother’s advice—to speak in a way that makes people happy—and instead makes the visit awkward. Her biggest mistake comes at the end when she mixes up a polite phrase and says, “Must you stay? Can’t you go?”—which sounds rude instead of welcoming. Through humour, the play reminds us that being polite takes effort. We should think about how our words might affect others and try to speak with care and kindness in social situations.
Question 7. Why do Mary’s mistakes during the visit create humour in the play?
Answer
Mary’s mistakes during the visit create humour in the play by being unexpected and clashing with her confident attitude and her mother’s careful guidance. At first, Mary proudly claims she knows how to be polite, using phrases like “Good afternoon,” but things quickly go wrong. She accidentally praises Mrs. Harding’s imaginary children, criticises bankers without knowing Mrs. Harding’s brother is one, and makes fun of things the guests care about—like their clothes, habits, and hobbies. These innocent but awkward comments pile up, making the visit more and more uncomfortable for the guests, which is funny for the audience. The humour increases when Mary complains about a dog, only to find out it belongs to Mrs. Harding, and mocks horse riding and shooting, which the Harding family actually enjoys. The most comical moment comes when she says, “Oh, must you stay? Can’t you go?”—a complete mix-up of the polite phrase her mother told her to say. Mary’s series of well-meaning but badly timed mistakes makes the scene both funny and meaningful, showing that kind words must also be spoken thoughtfully.
Question 8. What is the moral of the play, and how do Mary’s actions illustrate it?
Answer
The moral of the play is that we should think before speaking and choose kind, respectful words to avoid hurting others. Mary’s actions illustrate this through her series of blunders, such as praising non-existent children, mocking bankers, and insulting hobbies like horse riding, all of which upset Mrs. Harding and Mrs. Lee. Her final mistake of asking the guests to leave instead of stay shows her failure to follow her mother’s advice. These errors demonstrate how careless words can create discomfort, emphasising the need for thoughtful and polite conversation.