CLASS 9 A DOG NAMED DUKE

a) In 1953, Hooper was a favoured young man. Explain.

Ans. Hooper was a football player in the University and had a job as a Sales Manager in a chemical company. This shows that he was good at his work and so was chosen for the job. Hence, he was a favoured or preferred young man.

b) They said that they would create a desk job for Hooper at the headquarters.

i) Who are ‘they’?

ii) Why did they decide to do this?

Ans. i) ‘They’ refers to the seniors of Hooper at the chemical company where he worked.

ii) Hooper had been paralysed after the accident and remained in hospital for five weeks when they met him. They decided that as he would not be able to move around and so a sitting job would be better for him.

c) Duke was an extraordinary dog. What special qualities did he exhibit to justify this? Discuss.

Ans. Duke was an extraordinary dog with special qualities. When Duke came from the kennel, he jumped on Chuck and he knew instantly that he was never to jump on him again. From that moment, he sat beside his master’s bed. Duke encouraged his master to get up by poking his nose under his elbow and lifting it up. Finally, Chuck and Duke began walking together with Duke pulling the leash and holding it tightly so that Chuck could support himself and take one step forward. What began as one step at a time resulted in Chuck walking by himself. It was Duke’s effort which revived Chuck Hooper and brought him to a normal life.

d) What problems did Chuck present when he returned to the company headquarters?

Ans. Chuck Hooper could not work as he used to do before the accident. He faced problems as he could not move around and working for an hour a day was not sufficient for the job. However, the Company could not deny a man who was fighting so hard for a comeback, even though it meant to adjust their policies around him to suit his convenience. 

e) Why do you think Charles Hooper’s appointment as Assistant National Sales Manager can be considered to be a tribute to Duke?

Ans. Hooper’s appointment as Assistant National Sales Manager is considered to be a tribute to Duke because he was able to achieve this promotion due to Duke’s persistent efforts. Duke’s dedication indicated that he considered it to be his duty to revive Chuck and so Chuck’s achievement is an appropriate tribute to Duke. 

g) ‘Small wins help achieve big goals.’ Support, with evidence from the text, to show how this applies to Chuck.

Ans. In this chapter, we see how seriously injured Chuck was due to the car accident. Everyone including him thought his comeback to be impossible. However, one day, Duke helped him stand up which was a small win for him as it helped him realise that there was still hope for him. After that, he campaigned daily targets for him as his objectives. Soon, he was able to walk outside his home, and he walked from one fence post to another. These small wins added up, and helped him achieve a big goal at the end, which was to be appointed as the Assistant National Sales Manager in the chemical company. This also helps us to learn that setting achievable/ practical targets will help achieve our goals in life too like Chuck Hooper.