Pratap Goes Shopping-Nicholas Horsburgh

Summary: Pratap, a boy who dislikes shopping unless it's for toys or books, is interrupted by his mother while reading an exciting book. Despite his protests, he is forced to accompany her on a shopping trip, which frustrates him. At a supermarket, Pratap, bored with pushing the trolley, mischievously adds random items like cat food and blue eye shadow to the cart. At checkout, his mother discovers the prank, embarrassed but unable to scold him loudly in public. Later, at home, Pratap's parents laugh about a misunderstanding, which helps cheer him up and ends the day on a happy note.

Exercises

A. Questions

1. What did Pratap like and what did he dislike?

Answer: Pratap liked visiting toy shops with his dad and going to bookshops by himself because he enjoyed toys and reading. However, he disliked shopping for clothes, shoes, bangles, or food, finding it boring and frustrating.

2. Why did Pratap argue with Mum?

Answer: Pratap argued with his Mum because she interrupted him while he was reading a book and told him they were going shopping. He didn't want to go, as he disliked shopping and preferred to stay home and continue reading.

3. How did Pratap behave in the supermarket?   

Answer: In the supermarket, Pratap was bored and frustrated with pushing the trolley. To amuse himself, he mischievously added random items like cat food, red boot polish, and blue eye shadow to the cart without his mum noticing. This prank caused confusion at the checkout when his mum realized they had items they didn't need.

4. When did Pratap want to smile but didn't? Why did he not smile?

Answer: Pratap wanted to smile when his mum discovered the random items he had put in the shopping cart, like cat food and blue eye shadow. However, he didn't smile because his mum was very upset and looked like a volcano ready to erupt, so he didn't dare to show his amusement. 

5. When did Pratap 'chuckle' and why?

Answer: Pratap chuckled at home when his dad asked what had happened during their shopping trip. While explaining, Pratap misheard his mum's earlier comment and joked that she had said he whined "like her chin" instead of "like an ancient woman or an urchin." He found the mix-up funny, and when he added that his mum "turned into a supermarket", the whole situation made him laugh.

B. Reference to context

For each of the following, say who was speaking, who was being spoken to, and when the words were said.

1. 'I bet it's food next.'

Who was speaking: Pratap

Who was being spoken to: Pratap was talking to himself.

When the words were said: Pratap muttered this to himself when his mum came out of the clothes shop, and he anticipated that the next stop would be for food shopping.

2. 'You are a naughty boy!'

Who was speaking: Mum

Who was being spoken to: Mum was speaking to Pratap.

When the words were said: Mum said this at the checkout counter after discovering the unnecessary items Pratap had secretly added to the shopping cart. 

3. 'I whined like her chin.'

Who was speaking: Pratap

Who was being spoken to: Pratap was speaking to his dad.

When the words were said: Pratap said this at home while explaining to his dad why he got upset during the shopping trip, misquoting what his mum had actually said. 

4. 'So that's where you went.'

Who was speaking: Dad

Who was being spoken to: Dad was speaking to Mum.

When the words were said: Dad said this at home when Mum explained that she turned into a supermarket during their drive back, which is why he lost sight of their car. 

5. 'You did!'

Who was speaking: Pratap

Who was being spoken to: Pratap was speaking to Mum.

When the words were said: Pratap said this while defending himself after Mum denied calling him an 'ancient woman's chin,' Pratap insisted that she had indeed said it. 

C. Words and meaning

1. Some speakers did not finish speaking. What do you think they wanted to say?

a. Mum: 'I never wear....'

Mum: 'I never wear high heels because they make me uncomfortable.'

b. Dad: 'Your car was just ahead of mine, on the main road, and then.....'

Dad: 'Your car was just ahead of mine, on the main road, and then it suddenly disappeared down a side street.'

c. Pratap: 'I don't ....'

Pratap: 'I don't think I can join you for the event tomorrow.'

2. Check how these words and phrases are used in the story. Use them in sentences of your own.

a. shrieked                b. burst                c. pulled into

d. suddenly vanished                            e. brilliant

a. Shrieked - She shrieked with excitement when she won the first prize in the competition.

b. Burst - The balloon burst when it hit the sharp edge of the table.

c. Pulled into - We pulled into the parking lot and looked for a spot close to the entrance.

d. Suddenly vanished - The cat suddenly vanished from sight as it dashed into the bushes.

e. Brilliant - His brilliant idea helped us finish the project ahead of schedule.