The Accidental Tourist
THE ACCIDENTAL TOURIST
Answers to Text book questions
1. Bill Bryson says, “I am, in short, easily confused”. What examples has he given to justify this?
(Ans.)Bill Bryson supports his tendency to get confused easily by giving examples like his failure to find a lavatory in a cinema. Instead, he ends up standing in the alley on the wrong side of a self-locking door. Another example is about his returning to hotel desks two or three times a day and enquiring about his room number.
2.What happens when the zip on Bryson’s carry-on bag gives way?
(Ans.)Bryson’s side of the bag opened abruptly and its contents got scattered all over when he pulled hard at its zip. Newspaper cuttings, loose papers, tobacco tin, magazines, passport, English money, film – everything inside the bag spread over an area about the size of a tennis court.
3. Why is Bryson’s finger bleeding? What is his wife’s reaction?
(Ans.)Bryson’s finger is bleeding because he has gashed it on the zip of his carry-on bag while attempting to open it. His wife’s reaction is of plain wonder, devoid of any anger or exasperation. She couldn’t believe he did such clumsy things for a living.
4. How does Bill Bryson end up in a ‘crash position’ in the aircraft?
(Ans.)Once on an aeroplane, Bryson had leaned over to tie a shoelace. At this time the person in the seat ahead of him threw back his seat into full recline, pinning Bryson helplessly in a crash position.
5. Why are Bryson’s teeth and gums navy blue?
(Ans.)Bryson’s worst experience while on a flight was when his teeth and gums turned navy blue. This happened because the end of the pen on which he had been sucking thoughtfully, had leaked. The worst part was that he discovered this only after twenty minutes of conversation with an attractive lady in the seat next to him.
6. Bill Bryson ‘ached to be suave’. Is he successful in his mission? List his ‘unsuave’ ways.
(Ans.)Bill Bryson was a person prone to accidents. Whenever he tried to be suave, he would cause yet another accident. His unsuave ways included causing food and drink to fly on others, getting his coat trapped while closing the car door, and smudging his light- coloured trousers as a result of sitting on various things throughout the day.
7. Why do you think Bill Bryson’s wife says to the children, “Take the lids of the food for daddy”?
(Ans.)Responding humorously to her husband’s accidental tendencies, Bryson’s wife tells her children to take the lids of the food for their daddy. She knew from experience that Bill was likely to topple the food and create a mess if he would be allowed to unpack it himself.
8. What is the significance of the title?
(Ans.)The title is significant as it points directly to the many accidents caused by Bryson during his travels. He admits that he always has catastrophes when he travels. He ends up spilling drinks on co-passengers and lets lids or food pieces fly while having meals; He cannot even unzip his bag, put his flyer card at an easily reachable place, and wield his pen without covering his mouth in ink or tie his shoelaces properly. All his efforts to be suave fail and every tour ends on a note of comical disaster. Still, he continues to travel almost 100,000 miles a year. When he is on a tour with his family, his wife and children do his little tasks to avoid accidents. When touring alone, he just sits still lest he cause some unexpected mess.
Answers to Text book questions
1. Bill Bryson says, “I am, in short, easily confused”. What examples has he given to justify this?
(Ans.)Bill Bryson supports his tendency to get confused easily by giving examples like his failure to find a lavatory in a cinema. Instead, he ends up standing in the alley on the wrong side of a self-locking door. Another example is about his returning to hotel desks two or three times a day and enquiring about his room number.
2.What happens when the zip on Bryson’s carry-on bag gives way?
(Ans.)Bryson’s side of the bag opened abruptly and its contents got scattered all over when he pulled hard at its zip. Newspaper cuttings, loose papers, tobacco tin, magazines, passport, English money, film – everything inside the bag spread over an area about the size of a tennis court.
3. Why is Bryson’s finger bleeding? What is his wife’s reaction?
(Ans.)Bryson’s finger is bleeding because he has gashed it on the zip of his carry-on bag while attempting to open it. His wife’s reaction is of plain wonder, devoid of any anger or exasperation. She couldn’t believe he did such clumsy things for a living.
4. How does Bill Bryson end up in a ‘crash position’ in the aircraft?
(Ans.)Once on an aeroplane, Bryson had leaned over to tie a shoelace. At this time the person in the seat ahead of him threw back his seat into full recline, pinning Bryson helplessly in a crash position.
5. Why are Bryson’s teeth and gums navy blue?
(Ans.)Bryson’s worst experience while on a flight was when his teeth and gums turned navy blue. This happened because the end of the pen on which he had been sucking thoughtfully, had leaked. The worst part was that he discovered this only after twenty minutes of conversation with an attractive lady in the seat next to him.
6. Bill Bryson ‘ached to be suave’. Is he successful in his mission? List his ‘unsuave’ ways.
(Ans.)Bill Bryson was a person prone to accidents. Whenever he tried to be suave, he would cause yet another accident. His unsuave ways included causing food and drink to fly on others, getting his coat trapped while closing the car door, and smudging his light- coloured trousers as a result of sitting on various things throughout the day.
7. Why do you think Bill Bryson’s wife says to the children, “Take the lids of the food for daddy”?
(Ans.)Responding humorously to her husband’s accidental tendencies, Bryson’s wife tells her children to take the lids of the food for their daddy. She knew from experience that Bill was likely to topple the food and create a mess if he would be allowed to unpack it himself.
8. What is the significance of the title?
(Ans.)The title is significant as it points directly to the many accidents caused by Bryson during his travels. He admits that he always has catastrophes when he travels. He ends up spilling drinks on co-passengers and lets lids or food pieces fly while having meals; He cannot even unzip his bag, put his flyer card at an easily reachable place, and wield his pen without covering his mouth in ink or tie his shoelaces properly. All his efforts to be suave fail and every tour ends on a note of comical disaster. Still, he continues to travel almost 100,000 miles a year. When he is on a tour with his family, his wife and children do his little tasks to avoid accidents. When touring alone, he just sits still lest he cause some unexpected mess.
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