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Chapter 13 : Dear Departed

Page No: 154
4. Given below are the main incidents in the play. They are in a
jumbled order.
Arrange them in the sequence in which they occur in the play.
1. Victoria is asked to fetch the bunch of keys to the bureau to look for
the insurance receipt.
2. Mrs. Slater instructs Victoria to put her white frock on with a black
sash.
3. Mrs Slater discovers that grandfather is 'dead'.
4. The Slaters fetch the bureau and the clock from upstairs.
5. The family sits down to have tea.
6. Henry wears the new slippers of grandfather's
7. Grandfather comes to know how his daughters were in a hurry to
divide his things between them.
8. Grandfather announces his intention to change his will and to marry
Mrs. Shorrocks.
9. Grandfather comes down and is surprised to find the Jordans.
10. They discuss the obituary announcement in the papers and the
insurance premium payment.
11. The Jordans arrive and learn the details of grandfather's 'demise'from
the Slaters.

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Answer
3. Mrs Slater discovers that grandfather is 'dead'.
2. Mrs. Slater instructs Victoria to put her white frock on with a black
sash.
6. Henry wears the new slippers of grandfather's
4. The Slaters fetch the bureau and the clock from upstairs.
11. The Jordans arrive and learn the details of grandfather's 'demise'from
the Slaters.
5. The family sits down to have tea.
10. They discuss the obituary announcement in the papers and the
insurance premium payment.
1. Victoria is asked to fetch the bunch of keys to the bureau to look for
the insurance receipt.
9. Grandfather comes down and is surprised to find the Jordans.
7. Grandfather comes to know how his daughters were in a hurry to
divide his things between them.
8. Grandfather announces his intention to change his will and to marry
Mrs. Shorrocks.

Page No: 155

5. Answer the following questions briefly.

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(1) How does Mrs. Slater plan to outshine the Jordans? What does it
reveal about her character?
Answer
Mrs. Slater was not very happy with the mourning dresses that she and
her family were wearing. In fact, she had ordered new dresses for
everybody. However, she thought that her sister wouldnt have thought
of mourning dresses and so she would outshine them there.
Mrs. Slater was a very superficial person. She was not concerned about
the death in her family but was more bothered about her appearance and
how to be better than her sister.

(2) Why does Mrs. Slater decide to shift the bureau from grandfather's
room before the arrival of the Jordans? How does Henry react to the
suggestion?
Answer
Mrs. Slater always liked grandfathers bureau. After his death, she
decided to shift it to sitting room before her sister arrived lest she laid a
claim on it.
Henry was shocked at the suggestion because he felt that the sisters
should amicably divide grandfathers things. He also felt that it was too
heavy and moreover, he was worried about the arrival of the Jordans
while they were shifting it.

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(3) What is the reason for the Jordans taking a long time to get to the
house of the Slaters? What does it show about the two sisters' attitude
towards each other?

Answer

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Mrs Jordan took a lot of time to reach the home of the Slaters because
she wanted to get a complete new mourning dress before coming. Both
the sisters are notgrief-stricken at the death of their father but are trying
to out shine each other in wearing their best mourning dresses. For the
sisters grief is to be depicted through mourning- dress and not through
the feelings in ones heart.
(4) What does Mrs. Jordan describe as 'a fatal mistake'? What is the
irony in the comment she makes on Mrs. Slater's defense?
Answer
Mrs. Slater sends for Dr Pringle as soon as she realises that grandfather
is dead. However, Dr Pringle could not come as he was out. It was this
that Mrs. Jordan describes as a fatal mistake. According to Mrs.
Jordan grandfather could have been revived had Mrs. Slater sent for
another doctor. It is this blunder on Mrs. Slaters part that Mrs. Jordan
describes as fatal.
(5) Ben appreciates grandfather saying 'its' a good thing he did'. Later he
calls him a 'drunken old beggar'. Why does he change his opinion about
grandfather?
Answer
Ben appreciated grandfather when he came to know that he had gone out
to pay his insurance premium. However, when he got to know that he
had not paid the premium instead gone to a public house, he calls him a
drunken old beggar.
Ben changed his opinion about grandfather when he realised that he
hadnt paid premium because now after his death they could not claim
the insurance money.
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(6) What change does grandfather make in his new will? What effect
does it have on his daughters?
Answer
Grandfather decided that in his new will, he would leave all his money
and things to the person he would be living with when he died. This led
to another spat between the daughters. Since both of them were very
keen to get his money and things, they wanted that he should stay with
them.
(7) What are the three things that grandfather plans to do on Monday
next?
Answer
The three things that grandfather planned to do on Monday next was
first to go to a lawyer and change his will, then pay his insurance
premium and finally go to St. Phillips church and get married.
6. Answer the following in detail:
(1) Bring out the irony in the title of the play.
Answer
The title of the play 'Dear Departed' is ironical. In the begining of the
play, we come to know that grandfather Mr. Abel has departed from this
world. He is not dear to his own daughters though they pretend that he is
dear to both of them. They are eager to divide his belongings between
them. Even Mrs. Slater with whom he has been living fetches his clock
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and bureau from his room where he is lying 'dead'. Even they can't wait
for the last rites of his burial. Even their husbands Ben and Henry do not
love grandfather. So, no one is grieved at his departure. In this way, we
can say that the title of this play 'Dear Departed' is an ironical statement
of dying love and absence of filial obligations.

(2) How does the spat between his daughters lead to grandfather
discovering the truth?

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Answer
Abel Merryweather recognises his bureau and wants to know the reason
for its shifting. Mrs Slater had already told her sister that the bureau
belonged to them. This lie is enough to set tongues wagging and tempers
escalating. Mrs Jordan accuses her sister of stealing her fathers things,
thinking him to be dead. That is when Abel discovers that they had
gathered there for the official mourning of his death.
(3) Compare and contrast Henry's character with that of his wife.
Support your answer with evidence from they play.
Answer
Henry is timid and honest by nature. Soft at heart, he tends to get bullied
by his dominating wife. Initially he protests against stealing the
grandfathers slippers and bureau but when Mrs Slater forces him, he
gets carried away. He is a worried looking man who believed what his
wife says and ends up supporting her. Mrs Slater by contrast is vain,
pretentious and greedy. She makes the plans and he executes them with
his wifes help of course.
7. Bring out the traits in Mrs. Slater's personality quoting evidence
from the play.

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Trait

Evidence from the play

Greedy
Overpowering/ dominating
Blunt/ straight talking
Impolite
Insensitive
Answer

Trait

Evidence from the play

Greedy

She shifted grandfathers bureau and clock from his room before her sister arrived
so that she could not lay a claim on it.

Overpowering/
dominating

She made her husband shift the bureau in spite of his reluctance.

Blunt/ straight
talking

She told everybody that her father had been a little drunk that morning

Impolite

She misbehaved with her sister when she accused her of robbing grandfather of his
things in spite of the fact that she was guilty of the same.

Insensitive

She did not even wait for grandfathers funeral before she started dividing things
between them.

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8. Answer the following with reference to the context.

1. "Are we pinching it before Aunt Elizabeth comes?"

a) What does 'it' refer to here?
b) How does Vicky conclude that her parents are 'pinching it'?
c) Mention the two reasons that Mrs. Slater gives for her action.
d) What does it reveal about the difference between the attitude of the
elders and that of Vicky?

Answer

a) It refers to the bureau that was grandfathers room.

b) When Victoria was told by her father that he and his mother were
shifting the bureau downstairs, she concluded that her parents are
pinching it because everything that was in grandfathers room had to
be equally divided amongst the two sisters.

c) Firstly, she always like the bureau of grandfather. Secondly, she

knows that her sister Elizabeth would not let her take it.

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d) The elders instead of mourning the death were busy dividing

grandfathers things. Victoria, on the other hand, had wisdom beyond
her years. She immediately understood the meaning of their actions. She
didnot like her parents shifting the bureau.

Page No: 156

2. "I don't call that delicate, stepping into a dead man's shoes in such
haste."
a) Who makes this comment?
b) What prompts the speaker to say this?
c) Bring out the significance of this statement.

Answer

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a) Mrs. Jordan made this comment.

b) When grandfather sees Henry wearing it, Mrs. Slater quickly gives
them back to him. This prompts Mrs. Jordan to make this comment.
c) Stepping into dead mans shoe is to take the position of the dead man
although one might not be capable of it. Mrs. Jordan on seeing her
brother-in law wearing grandfathers shoes feels that he was in too much
of a hurry to step into the grandfathers shoes. He didnt even wait for
his funeral.
3. "Now, Amelia, you mustn't give way. We've all got to die some time or
other. It might have been worse."
a) Who is the speaker of these lines?
b) What prompts the speaker to say these words?
c) What does he mean when he says 'It might have been worse'?
d) What does it reveal about the speaker's character?
Answer
a) Ben is the speaker of these lines.
b) When he sees Mrs. Slater shedding tears for grandfather, he makes
this formal statement to console and sympathise with her.
c) He means to say that death of grandfather at the age of 72 is quite
normal. His death might have been worse than this death.

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d) The speaker Ben is not serious at all. He is ironical and formal.

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