C. Answer this question.
1. What made the speaker fear that he would never get his dollar back?
Answer. The speaker feared he wouldn’t get his dollar back because Todd had completely forgotten about borrowing it.
2. Describe how Todd had borrowed the dollar.
Answer. Todd casually borrowed the dollar before leaving for Bermuda, promising to return it soon, but never did.
3. What did Todd’s note from Bermuda say? What did the speaker expect when he received the note?
Answer. Todd’s note mentioned Bermuda, but nothing about the borrowed dollar. The speaker expected Todd to remember the loan.
4. What was the speaker’s motive when he went to the station to receive Todd? Why did he want them to take a taxi to the club?
Answer. The speaker hoped Todd would remember the borrowed dollar and wanted them to take a taxi to discuss it.
- D. Use these words/phrases in meaningful sentences.
- Confused.
- reference.
- practically forgotten.
- grudge
- Borrowed in moments of expansion.
- rock basis.
Confused:
I was confused by the instructions, so I asked the teacher for clarification.
Reference:
She used the book as a reference to support her argument in the debate.
Practically forgotten:
The old neighborhood tradition was practically forgotten until the community revived it last year.
Grudge:
He held a grudge for years after their argument, refusing to speak to her.
Borrowed in moments of expansion:
He borrowed money in moments of expansion, thinking his business would grow quickly, but later struggled to repay.
Rock basis:
Trust is the rock basis of any strong relationship, without which it cannot last.
E. Answer these questions with reference to the context.
1. ‘Certainly is a dollar enough?’
(a) Who said this to whom?
Answer. This was said by Todd to the speaker (the narrator).
(b) What did the speaker do soon after this?
Answer. Soon after this, Todd borrowed the dollar from the speaker before leaving for Bermuda, promising to return it later.
(c) Describe the tone of the speaker.
Answer. The tone of the speaker was casual and light hearted, suggesting that borrowing a dollar seemed like a small and insignificant matter to him.
2. ‘Let’s take a taxi up to the club.’
(a) Who said this and to whom?
Answer. This was said by the speaker (the narrator) to Todd.
(b) What did the speaker do soon after this?
Answer. After suggesting the taxi ride, the speaker hoped that Todd would remember the dollar he had borrowed, giving him a chance to repay it during the ride.
(c) What did the listener do soon after this?
Answer. Soon after this, Todd agreed to take the taxi but didn’t mention the borrowed dollar, leaving the speaker still waiting for repayment.
F. THINK and answer.
1. Why did the borrowed dollar make such an impact on the author?
Answer. The borrowed dollar impacted the author because Todd forgot about it, yet the author couldn’t stop thinking about it. The trivial amount became a constant reminder, bothering him more than it should.
2. Write a note on the element of humor in this article, especially when the author talks about the ‘painful thought.’
Answer. The humor comes from the exaggerated way the author dwells on a small amount of money, calling it a “painful thought,” even though it’s just one dollar. His obsession contrasts comically with Todd’s complete forgetfulness.