The Luncheon Question Answers | DAV Class 8 English Literature Chapter 6 Solutions

Get complete, authentic, and textbook-grounded DAV Class 8 English Literature Chapter 6 Question Answers: The Luncheon by W. Somerset Maugham. This comprehensive study guide includes Detailed Summary & Themes, Short Answer Questions (Understanding the Story), Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS), Value-Based Questions (VBQ), and Writing Skills (Diary Entry) strictly aligned with the prescribed DAV Board English syllabus.

1. Detailed Summary and Key Themes

Author: William Somerset Maugham
Genre: Humorous Short Story / Satire
Core Setting: Foyot’s Restaurant, Paris

Story Overview:
Twenty years ago, the narrator was a struggling young author living in Paris, earning barely enough money to keep body and soul together. He had only eighty gold francs left to last him for the entire month. One day, he received a letter from a lady praising his newly published book and expressing a desire to meet him for a little luncheon at Foyot’s, an expensive restaurant where French senators ate. Flattered by her admiration and too young and chivalrous to say ‘no’, he accepted the invitation, assuming a modest lunch would cost no more than fifteen francs.

Upon meeting her at Foyot’s, the narrator was surprised to find an imposing woman of forty with large white teeth and a talkative nature. Although she repeatedly proclaimed, “I never eat anything for luncheon,” she proceeded to order some of the most expensive items on the menu:

1. Caviare: Claiming her doctor let her eat caviare.
2. Fresh Salmon: An expensive seasonal delicacy not listed on the standard bill of fare.
3. Champagne: Insisting white wine was doctor-prescribed for her health.
4. Giant Asparagus: Specially ordered, succulent, and served with great flourish.
5. Coffee and Ice-Cream: To round off her “modest” meal.
6. Italian Peaches: An out-of-season luxury costing a fortune.

Meanwhile, the narrator ordered the cheapest item available – a mutton chop – for which the lady hypocritically criticized him for eating “heavy meat”. Throughout the ordeal, the panic-stricken author watched his eighty francs evaporate. When the bill arrived, he paid every bit of it, left a pitiful tip of three francs for the waiter, and walked out without a single sou remaining for the rest of the month. In return for his sacrifices, the lady called him a “mean cur”. Twenty years later, the narrator concludes that he finally achieved his revenge when he saw that she now weighed twenty-one stone (nearly 133 kg) due to her persistent overindulgence.

Key Themes:

• Hypocrisy and Pretense: The story exposes the sharp contrast between pretense and reality. The lady maintains a veneer of ascetic eating while insatiably consuming luxurious delicacies at another person’s expense.
• False Vanity and Inability to Say ‘No’: The narrative illustrates how youthful pride and fear of embarrassment can push an individual into financial disaster.
• Poetic Justice: Greed and self-centered gluttony ultimately receive their natural retribution without malice from the victim.

2. Short Answer Questions (Understanding the Story)

Q1: How did the lady manage to get an invitation for luncheon from the author?
Answer: The lady sent an appreciative letter praising the author’s recently published book. In her letter, she mentioned that she was passing through Paris and asked if he would invite her to a modest luncheon at Foyot’s restaurant. Flattered by her praise and too polite and inexperienced to decline a lady’s request, the author agreed to host her.

Q2: Why did the narrator choose Foyot’s restaurant, and why was he apprehensive?
Answer: The narrator did not choose Foyot’s himself; the woman specifically proposed it in her letter. He was deeply apprehensive because Foyot’s was an exclusive, high-end restaurant frequented by French politicians and senators, completely beyond his modest means. Having only eighty gold francs to survive the month, he feared the cost, though he naively convinced himself that fifteen francs would suffice for a light lunch.

Q3: What did the woman repeatedly say about her eating habits, and how did her actions contradict her statements?
Answer: The woman repeatedly asserted, “I never eat anything for luncheon” and “I never eat more than one thing.” Her actions completely contradicted her words because she systematically ordered six of the most exorbitant delicacies on the menu, including caviar, fresh salmon, champagne, giant asparagus, coffee, ice cream, and out-of-season Italian peaches.

Q4: What was the narrator’s state of mind when the giant asparagus were brought?
Answer: When the giant asparagus arrived, the narrator was gripped by overwhelming panic and financial terror. He watched in helpless agony as she devoured the enormous, buttery stalks, obsessively calculating whether his remaining cash would cover the mounting bill or if he would face humiliating legal consequences.

Q5: How much money did the narrator have, how much did he spend, and how much did he leave as a tip?
Answer: The narrator started with eighty gold francs. He spent his entire eighty francs settling the exorbitant bill. After paying, he had only three francs left in his pocket, which he reluctantly left as a tip for the waiter, leaving himself with zero money for the remainder of the month.

Q6: How does the author conclude that he had his revenge at last?
Answer: The author concludes that he had his revenge through the law of poetic justice when he saw the woman twenty years later at a theater and discovered that her lifelong gluttony had caused her to weigh twenty-one stone (approximately 133 kilograms).

3. Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS)

Q1: Irony is the hallmark of Somerset Maugham’s writing. Elucidate the multiple layers of irony in ‘The Luncheon’.
Answer: Somerset Maugham skillfully weaves dramatic, verbal, and situational irony throughout the narrative:

1. Verbal Irony: Every time the woman declares, “I never eat anything for luncheon,” she immediately follows it by requesting another expensive delicacy.
2. Irony of Criticism: While devouring caviar, champagne, and salmon, she lectures the host about healthy eating habits and scolds him for ordering a single mutton chop, calling it “heavy meat”.
3. Irony of Ingratitude: After draining the author’s entire monthly savings, she dismisses him as a “mean cur” simply because his tip to the waiter was modest.
4. Poetic Justice: The author never took active revenge against her, yet nature balanced the scales by burdening her with immense weight (twenty-one stone) due to her unchecked indulgence.

Q2: Contrast the narrator’s inner thoughts with his outward expressions throughout the meal.
Answer: Throughout the luncheon, there is a stark dichotomy between the narrator’s inner emotional state and his external behavior:

4. Value-Based Questions (VBQ)

Q1: Inability to say ‘No’ often leads people into trouble. Discuss how the narrator could have handled the situation assertively without being rude.
Answer: The narrator’s financial crisis stemmed from false pride and an inability to say ‘no’. Flattered by compliments, he prioritized social image over reality. He could have resolved the situation assertively without causing offense by:

1. Proposing an Affordable Alternative: Politely responding to her letter that Foyot’s was beyond his budget and inviting her to a charming, modest bistro instead.
2. Being Transparent About Boundaries: Lightheartedly mentioning early during the meal that as a budding author, he lived on a disciplined budget.
3. Declining Off-Menu Luxuries: Firmly discouraging off-menu suggestions like seasonal peaches and caviar before the waiter placed the order.

Assertiveness is not impoliteness; it is honest self-respect. Setting transparent boundaries protects individuals from manipulation and financial crisis.

5. Writing Skills: Diary Entry

Task: Write a diary entry from the narrator’s perspective recounting the harrowing luncheon ordeal at Foyot’s.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

DAV Class 8 English Literature Chapter Directory