Here is a comprehensive study guide for the SEBA Class 10 English Supplementary Reader chapter, “The Hack Driver,” by Sinclair Lewis. This guide includes a summary, complete textual question answers, previous years’ HSLC questions, and a list of most important questions in both English and Assamese.
Chapter: “The Hack Driver” by Sinclair Lewis
Summary Note (পাঠটোৰ সাৰাংশ)
In English: “The Hack Driver” is a humorous story about a young lawyer who is sent to a country town called New Mullion to serve a summons on a man named Oliver Lutkins. The lawyer is tired of his city job and imagines New Mullion to be a sweet and simple village. However, he is initially disappointed by its muddy streets and dull-looking shops.
At the station, he meets a cheerful and friendly hack (carriage) driver who introduces himself as Bill Magnuson. When the lawyer mentions he is looking for Lutkins, Bill offers to help him find the man, warning him that Lutkins is a tricky person who is hard to catch. The lawyer is impressed by Bill’s friendly and helpful nature and hires his hack for two dollars an hour.
Bill then takes the lawyer on a tour of the town, supposedly searching for Lutkins. They visit various places like Fritz’s shop, Gustaff’s barber shop, Gray’s barber shop, and the poolroom, but they always seem to miss Lutkins by just a few minutes. Throughout the journey, Bill entertains the lawyer with his cheerful commentary about the people of New Mullion. The lawyer becomes so charmed by Bill’s wisdom and the simple country life that he forgets about his mission and even considers moving to New Mullion to practice law.
After failing to find Lutkins, Bill takes the lawyer to Lutkins’ mother’s farm, describing her as a terrifying woman. There, the mother threatens them with a hot iron rod and chases them away. Finally, the lawyer has to catch the afternoon train back to the city without serving the summons. The next day, his angry boss sends him back to New Mullion with another man who knows Lutkins. When they arrive, the lawyer proudly points out the helpful hack driver, Bill, to his companion. The companion then reveals the story’s twist: the hack driver himself is Oliver Lutkins.
In Assamese: “The Hack Driver” হৈছে এজন ডেকা উকিলৰ এক হাস্যৰসাত্মক কাহিনী, যাক অলিভাৰ লুটকিন্স নামৰ এজন ব্যক্তিক চমন দিবলৈ নিউ মুলিয়ন নামৰ এখন গাঁৱলীয়া চহৰলৈ পঠিওৱা হয়। উকিলজন তেওঁৰ চহৰৰ চাকৰিৰ পৰা ক্লান্ত আৰু তেওঁ নিউ মুলিয়নক এখন মৰমলগা আৰু সৰল গাঁও বুলি কল্পনা কৰে। কিন্তু, তাৰ বোকাৰে ভৰা ৰাস্তা আৰু অনুজ্জ্বল দোকানবোৰ দেখি তেওঁ প্ৰথমে হতাশ হয়।
ষ্টেচনত, তেওঁ বিল মেগনুছন বুলি নিজকে পৰিচয় দিয়া এজন হাঁহিমুখীয়া আৰু বন্ধুত্বপূৰ্ণ গাড়ী চালকক লগ পায়। যেতিয়া উকিলে কয় যে তেওঁ লুটকিন্সক বিচাৰিছে, বিলে তেওঁক সহায় কৰিবলৈ প্ৰস্তাৱ দিয়ে, আৰু সতৰ্ক কৰি দিয়ে যে লুটকিন্স এজন চতুৰ ব্যক্তি যাক ধৰা কঠিন। উকিলজন বিলৰ বন্ধুত্বপূৰ্ণ আৰু সহায়ক স্বভাৱত মুগ্ধ হয় আৰু তেওঁৰ গাড়ীখন ঘণ্টাৰ দুই ডলাৰত ভাৰালৈ লয়।
তাৰ পিছত, বিলে উকিলজনক লুটকিন্সক বিচাৰি চহৰখনৰ বিভিন্ন ঠাইলৈ লৈ যায়। তেওঁলোকে ফ্ৰিটজৰ দোকান, গুষ্টাফৰ চেলুন, গ্ৰে’ৰ চেলুন আৰু পুলৰুম আদি বিভিন্ন ঠাইলৈ যায়, কিন্তু তেওঁলোকে সদায় লুটকিন্সক কেইমিনিটমানৰ বাবে হেৰুৱায়। সমগ্ৰ যাত্ৰাত, বিলে নিউ মুলিয়নৰ মানুহৰ বিষয়ে তেওঁৰ আনন্দদায়ক মন্তব্যৰে উকিলজনক মনোৰঞ্জন দিয়ে। উকিলজন বিলৰ জ্ঞান আৰু সৰল গাঁৱলীয়া জীৱনত ইমানেই মুগ্ধ হয় যে তেওঁ তেওঁৰ কামৰ কথা পাহৰি যায় আৰু আনকি নিউ মুলিয়নলৈ আহি ওকালতি কৰাৰ কথাও ভাবে।
লুটকিন্সক বিচাৰি নাপাই, বিলে উকিলজনক লুটকিন্সৰ মাকৰ ফাৰ্মলৈ লৈ যায়, আৰু মাকক এগৰাকী ভয়ংকৰ মহিলা বুলি বৰ্ণনা কৰে। তাত, মাকে তেওঁলোকক গৰম লোৰ দণ্ডেৰে ভাবুকি দিয়ে আৰু খেদি পঠায়। অৱশেষত, উকিলে চমন নিদিয়াকৈয়ে আবেলিৰ ৰেলত চহৰলৈ উভতি যাবলগীয়া হয়। পিছদিনা, তেওঁৰ খঙাল বছে তেওঁক লুটকিন্সক জনা আন এজন মানুহৰ সৈতে পুনৰ নিউ মুলিয়নলৈ পঠায়। যেতিয়া তেওঁলোক উপস্থিত হয়, উকিলে গৌৰৱেৰে সহায়ক গাড়ী চালক, বিলক তেওঁৰ সংগীজনক দেখুৱায়। তেতিয়া সংগীজনে কাহিনীটোৰ মোৰটো প্ৰকাশ কৰে: সেই গাড়ী চালকজনেই আছিল অলিভাৰ লুটকিন্স।
Textual Question Answers (পাঠ্যপুথিৰ প্ৰশ্নোত্তৰ)
Read and Find Out (পঢ়া আৰু বিচাৰি উলিওৱা)
1. Why is the lawyer sent to New Mullion? What does he first think about the place?
(উকিলজনক নিউ মুলিয়নলৈ কিয় পঠিওৱা হৈছিল? তেওঁ প্ৰথমে ঠাইখনৰ বিষয়ে কি ভাবিছিল?)
Answer: The lawyer is sent to New Mullion to serve a summons on a man named Oliver Lutkins, who was needed as a witness in a law case. He first thinks that New Mullion will be a sweet and simple country village, but he is disappointed by its dull and muddy appearance.
2. Who befriends him? Where does he take him?
(কোনে তেওঁৰ লগত বন্ধুত্ব কৰে? তেওঁ তেওঁক ক’লৈ লৈ যায়?)
Answer: A hack driver, who calls himself Bill Magnuson, befriends him. He takes him to various places in New Mullion in search of Lutkins, such as Fritz’s shop, Gustaff’s barber shop, Gray’s barber shop, the poolroom, and finally to Lutkins’ mother’s farm.
3. What does he say about Lutkins?
(তেওঁ লুটকিন্সৰ বিষয়ে কি কয়?)
Answer: He says that Lutkins is a hard person to catch and is always up to something. He also says Lutkins is good at deceiving people, never pays back his debts, and plays a lot of poker.
4. What more does Bill say about Lutkins and his family?
(বিলে লুটকিন্স আৰু তেওঁৰ পৰিয়ালৰ বিষয়ে আৰু কি কয়?)
Answer: Bill says that Lutkins’ mother is a “terror.” He describes her as being nine feet tall and four feet thick, and very quick and talkative. He tells a story of how she almost took his skin off when he delivered a trunk to her once.
5. Does the narrator serve the summons that day?
(কথকজনে সেইদিনা চমনখন দিব পাৰিছিলনে?)
Answer: No, the narrator does not serve the summons that day because he is unable to find Oliver Lutkins.
6. Who is Lutkins?
(লুটকিন্স কোন?)
Answer: Lutkins is the cheerful, friendly hack driver who introduced himself as Bill Magnuson. He was the very person the lawyer was looking for.
Think about it (ভাবি চোৱা)
1. When the lawyer reached New Mullion, did ‘Bill’ know that he was looking for Lutkins? When do you think Bill came up with his plan for fooling the lawyer?
(যেতিয়া উকিলজন নিউ মুলিয়ন পাইছিল, ‘বিলে’ জানিছিলনে যে তেওঁ লুটকিন্সক বিচাৰিছে? তুমি কি ভাবা, বিলে কেতিয়া উকিলজনক মুৰ্খ বনোৱাৰ পৰিকল্পনা কৰিছিল?)
Answer: Yes, Bill (Lutkins) knew from the very beginning that the lawyer was looking for him. He likely came up with his plan for fooling the lawyer the moment the lawyer asked him if he knew where to find Oliver Lutkins. Seeing that the lawyer did not recognize him, he immediately seized the opportunity to have some fun at his expense.
2. Lutkins openly takes the lawyer all over the village. How is it that no one lets out the secret?
(লুটকিন্সে মুকলিকৈ উকিলজনক গোটেই গাঁওখন ঘূৰাই লৈ ফুৰে। কেনেকৈ কোনোৱে এই গোপন কথাটো প্ৰকাশ নকৰে?)
Answer: No one lets out the secret because Lutkins (as Bill) is always one step ahead. He always enters the shops first and likely signals to his friends and neighbors not to reveal his identity. The townspeople seem to enjoy the prank and play along with Lutkins, making the lawyer’s tour a source of amusement for the whole town.
3. Why do you think Lutkins’ neighbours were anxious to meet the lawyer?
(তুমি কিয় ভাবা যে লুটকিন্সৰ চুবুৰীয়াসকলে উকিলজনক লগ কৰিবলৈ আগ্ৰহী আছিল?)
Answer: Lutkins’ neighbours were anxious to meet the lawyer because he was the only person in town who had missed seeing the fun the previous day. Lutkins had likely told everyone about the young lawyer he was fooling, and they were all curious to see the man who had been so easily tricked.
4. After his first day’s experience with the hack driver the lawyer thinks of returning to New Mullion to practise law. Do you think he would have reconsidered this idea after his second visit?
(গাড়ী চালকজনৰ সৈতে তেওঁৰ প্ৰথম দিনৰ অভিজ্ঞতাৰ পিছত, উকিলে নিউ মুলিয়নলৈ উভতি আহি ওকালতি কৰাৰ কথা ভাবে। তুমি ভাবানে যে তেওঁৰ দ্বিতীয় ভ্ৰমণৰ পিছত তেওঁ এই ধাৰণাটো পুনৰ বিবেচনা কৰিলেহেঁতেন?)
Answer: Yes, he would have definitely reconsidered his idea. After his second visit, he realized that the simple, wise, and friendly people he admired had all made a fool of him. The embarrassment and humiliation of being tricked by the entire town would have surely changed his romantic view of New Mullion.
5. Do you think the lawyer was gullible? How could he have avoided being taken for a ride?
(তুমি ভাবানে যে উকিলজন সহজতে প্ৰতাৰিত হোৱা বিধৰ আছিল? তেওঁ কেনেকৈ প্ৰতাৰিত হোৱাৰ পৰা বাচিব পাৰিলেহেঁতেন?)
Answer: Yes, the lawyer was very gullible. He was young and inexperienced and easily trusted the friendly hack driver. He could have avoided being tricked if he had been more professional. He should have first gone to the local police or a town official to ask about Lutkins and shown them a photograph if he had one. He should not have revealed his purpose to the first person he met.
Previous Year HSLC Question Answers (বিগত বৰ্ষৰ HSLC প্ৰশ্নোত্তৰ)
1. Describe, after the narrator in ‘The Hack Driver’, the character of Bill. (HSLC 2023)
(‘The Hack Driver’ ৰ কথকৰ মতে, বিলৰ চৰিত্ৰ বৰ্ণনা কৰা।)
Answer: According to the narrator, Bill was a cheerful, friendly, and simple country man. He was about forty, red-faced, and thick about the middle. The narrator was deeply impressed by his helpful nature and his rough country wisdom, finding him to be a “real man.”
3. Who was Oliver Lutkins? (HSLC 2022)
(অলিভাৰ লুটকিন্স কোন আছিল?)
Answer: Oliver Lutkins was the man the lawyer was sent to find in New Mullion. He was also the cheerful hack driver who introduced himself as Bill Magnuson and tricked the lawyer.
4. What did the hack driver tell the narrator about Lutkins’ mother? (HSLC 2022)
(গাড়ী চালকজনে কথকক লুটকিন্সৰ মাকৰ বিষয়ে কি কৈছিল?)
Answer: The hack driver told the narrator that Lutkins’ mother was a “terror.” He described her as being very large and quick, and warned the lawyer that she was a very aggressive woman who was difficult to deal with.
5. Describe the first meeting between Bill and the young lawyer. (HSLC 2020)
(বিল আৰু ডেকা উকিলজনৰ মাজৰ প্ৰথম সাক্ষাৎ বৰ্ণনা কৰা।)
Answer: The first meeting took place at the New Mullion station. The lawyer, disappointed with the town’s appearance, was pleased to see the cheerful and friendly hack driver. He told the driver he wanted to find Oliver Lutkins, and the driver, who was Lutkins himself, immediately offered to help, thus starting his plan to fool the lawyer.
6. Who is Bill? How did he befool the young lawyer? (HSLC 2021, 2018)
(বিল কোন? তেওঁ ডেকা উকিলজনক কেনেকৈ মুৰ্খ বনাইছিল?)
Answer: Bill is the hack driver who is actually Oliver Lutkins himself. He befooled the young lawyer by pretending to be ‘Bill Magnuson’ and offering to help find Lutkins. He drove the lawyer all over town on a fake search, all the while taking money from him and making him an object of fun for the entire town.
7. Why was the young lawyer sent to New Mullion? (HSLC 2017)
(ডেকা উকিলজনক নিউ মুলিয়নলৈ কিয় পঠিওৱা হৈছিল?)
Answer: The young lawyer was sent to New Mullion to serve a summons on Oliver Lutkins, who was needed as a witness in a law case and had been ignoring all their letters.
8. Who was Bill? How did he befool the lawyer? (HSLC 2015)
(বিল কোন? তেওঁ উকিলজনক কেনেকৈ মুৰ্খ বনাইছিল?)
Answer: Bill was the hack driver who was actually Oliver Lutkins himself. He befooled the lawyer by pretending to help him find Lutkins. He took the lawyer all around the town, always ensuring they “just missed” Lutkins, and charged him money for the entire fake search.
Most Important 10 Questions and Answers (১০টা আটাইতকৈ গুৰুত্বপূৰ্ণ প্ৰশ্নোত্তৰ)
1. What was the lawyer’s job in the law firm, and why did he hate it?
(আইনী প্ৰতিষ্ঠানটোত উকিলজনৰ কাম কি আছিল, আৰু তেওঁ কিয় ইয়াক ঘৃণা কৰিছিল?)
Answer: His job was not to prepare legal briefs but to serve summons, like a cheap private detective. He hated it because he had to go to dirty and shadowy corners of the city, and sometimes larger and more self-confident people even beat him up.
2. How did Bill (Lutkins) impress the lawyer at their first meeting?
(প্ৰথম সাক্ষাতত বিলে (লুটকিন্সে) উকিলজনক কেনেকৈ প্ৰভাৱিত কৰিছিল?)
Answer: Bill impressed the lawyer with his cheerful, open, and friendly manner. The lawyer was charmed by his kindness and his offer to help find Lutkins, and he was glad that his fare money would go to such a good fellow.
3. How much did the lawyer pay Bill for the six-hour search?
(ছয় ঘণ্টাৰ অনুসন্ধানৰ বাবে উকিলে বিলক কিমান টকা দিছিল?)
Answer: The lawyer paid Bill two dollars an hour for six hours, including the lunch hour, which was a very high price at that time.
4. Describe the visit to Lutkins’ mother’s farm.
(লুটকিন্সৰ মাকৰ ফাৰ্মলৈ কৰা ভ্ৰমণটো বৰ্ণনা কৰা।)
Answer: Bill warned the lawyer that Lutkins’ mother was a “terror.” When they arrived, the large and cheerful woman shouted that she knew nothing about Oliver. When Bill insisted on searching the house, she threatened them with a hot iron rod from the stove and chased them away.
5. Why did the lawyer consider returning to New Mullion to practice law?
(উকিলে কিয় নিউ মুলিয়নলৈ উভতি আহি ওকালতি কৰাৰ কথা ভাবিছিল?)
Answer: He considered it because he was deeply impressed by the hack driver, Bill, whom he found to be a deep and richly human person. He was charmed by the simple, wise, and slow-spoken people of the village and pictured a happy life there, away from the city.
6. How was the truth about the hack driver revealed to the lawyer?
(গাড়ী চালকজনৰ বিষয়ে সত্যটো উকিলজনৰ ওচৰত কেনেকৈ প্ৰকাশ পালে?)
Answer: The truth was revealed on his second visit to New Mullion. He was accompanied by another man from the firm who knew Lutkins. When the lawyer pointed out Bill at the station, his companion identified him as Oliver Lutkins himself.
7. What really hurt the lawyer in the end?
(শেষত কি কথাই উকিলজনক আচলতে আঘাত দিছিল?)
Answer: What really hurt the lawyer was that when he finally served the summons, Lutkins and his mother laughed at him as if he were a bright boy of seven. Their loving kindness in inviting him for coffee felt like they were making fun of his gullibility.
8. What is the central theme of “The Hack Driver”?
(“The Hack Driver” ৰ কেন্দ্ৰীয় বিষয়বস্তু কি?)
Answer: The central theme is the contrast between appearance and reality. The story shows that things are not always as they seem. The simple-looking country folk turn out to be clever tricksters, while the educated lawyer from the city proves to be naive and gullible.
9. What impression do you form of the narrator?
(কথকজনৰ বিষয়ে তোমাৰ কি ধাৰণা হয়?)
Answer: The narrator is a young, inexperienced, and gullible lawyer. He is romantic and dislikes city life. He is easily charmed by friendly appearances and fails to see the deception being played on him, making him a “shameful, useless fool” in his own eyes.
10. Why is the story titled “The Hack Driver”?
(কাহিনীটোৰ শিৰোনাম “The Hack Driver” কিয় দিয়া হৈছে?)
Answer: The story is titled “The Hack Driver” because the entire plot revolves around the character of the hack driver, who is the central figure. He is not just a driver but the very person the narrator is looking for, and it is his clever deception that forms the core of the story.