Lesson 1: Button Button
This chapter is from the 11th class English book 1 and it has been written by the Richard Matheson. we have presented the important questions of this chapter for the intermediate (part 1) FSc FA first year students.
Questions Answers
Q: What moral lesson does the story teach?
Ans: This story Criticizes the immoran behaviour of the people in the society. It teaches a moral lesson that greed is a Curse. Norma has a greedy nature, so she loses her valuable gift in life. By causing someone’s death, she tries to seek the pleasures of life. The result is that she loses all the charm in her life. She loves her husband very much, but she does not realize that other human beings are also dear to Someone.
Q: What was the address written on the carton?
Ans: It was: “Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Lewis, -E, Thirty-seventh Street, New York, New York .”
Q: What did Norma do when she received the package?
Ans: Norma picked the package up, unlocked the door, and went into the apartment.
Q: Who was Mrs. Lewis?
Ans: Mrs. Lewis was the wife of Arthur Lewis and lived with him in small apartment. Her Christian name was Norma. She worked in some office.
Q: Who were Norma and Arthur?
Ans: Norma and Arthur Lewis were a married couple. They lived in an apartment in New York. Both of them went to their offices in the morning and returned late in the afternoon.
Q: What did Norma find inside the carton?
Ans: Inside the carton was a push-button unit fastened to a small Wooden box. A glass dome covered the button. This cover was locked.
Q: Why do you think Mr. Steward’s final remarks were justified?
Ans: Mr. Steward was justified in saying that Norma did not know her husband. Had she known him fully well, she would not have gone against his will. She would not have Committed Stuch an immoral act.
Q: What impression do you gather of Norma’s bent of mind?
Ans: Norma was of weak mind. She had no strong sense of morality. She was interested in getting money.
Q: Write a note on the Arthur’s character.
Ans: Arthur had a strong moral character. He disliked the scheme because it caused someone’s death. He hated getting money by such means. His wife’s greediness upset him.
Q: Why didn’t Norma remain true to her husband? OR Write a note on Norma’s character.
Ans: Norma had a weak moral character. She was interested in the scheme because it offered fifty thousand dollars. This is why she did not remain true to her husband and acted against his wish.
Q: What is the moral lesson of the story “Button, Button”?
Ans: This story presents an imaginary situation. But it conveys a strong moral lesson. Weak people like Norma find short-cuts to success. This story teaches the lesson that they repent in the end.
Q: Why did the doorbell ring at eight o’clock?
Ans: The doorbell rang at eight because it was the time for Mr. Steward to visit Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Lewis.
Q: What were the dialogues between Norma and Mr. Steward at the front door?
Ans: When Norma opened the door, Mr. Steward introduced himself. He then begged permission to come in. Norma said that she was busy and could not attend him.
Q: Why did Norma consider the tone and attitude of Mr. Steward offensive?
Ans: Norma did not like Mr. Steward’s attitude because he was insisting that Mrs. Norma Lewis found lying by her front unnecessarily. Moreover, his tone and language were rough. So Norma considered all this offensive.
Q: What did Mr. Steward tell Norma about the package?
Ans: Mr. Steward told her that this package could prove very valuable for her. There was a chance of earning a lot of money.
Q: Why did Arthur call Steward’s proposal a practical joke?
Ans: Aurther did not like Mr. Steward’s proposal. He thought it was not practicable. So he called it a practical joke.
Q: Why did Steward feel embarrassed when Norma asked whom he represented?
Ans: Mr. Steward did not want to show who he was. He wanted to hide the identity of his company as well. This is why he got embarrassed ( ) when Norma asked such a question.
Q: How and why did Arthur return the package to Mr. Steward?
Ans: Arthur did not like this scheme. For him, it was not practicable. Moreover, he did not want to kill anybody for financial gains. He thought it was a murder.
Q: Why did Mr. Steward leave his card?
Ans: Mr. Steward left his card there because he was sure that Norma would contact him later. As a salesman, he knew how women get attracted towards such schemes of earning money.
Q: How did Norma react to the scheme after Mr. Steward had gone?
Ans: This scheme had a lot of suspense and attraction for Norma. As it was a strange proposal, she kept on thinking about it. She thought of having money as well.
Q: What reason did Arthur give for his not showing interest in the scheme?
Ans: Arthur thought that it was immoral. To wish somebody’s death was an immoral act for him. He never gave any thought to money.
Q: Why did Arthur disagree with his wife?
Ans: Arthur had a strong moral character. He disagreed with his wife because he thought that it was immoral. He said that killing someone for the gain of money was a murder.
Q: Why did Norma try to persuade her husband to agree with her?
Ans: For Norma, the offer was very attractive. She thought she could have a trip to Europe. She could buy a cottage, a car and a nice apartment. So she persuaded her husband to agree with her.
Q: What were the reasons Norma gave to her husband to accept the offer?
Ans: She said that this heavy amount would change their life-style. All their dreams would come true. They could buy so many new things. Norma gave these reasons to her husband.
Q: Why did Mr. Steward continue persuading Norma?
Ans: Mr. Steward thought that Norma would be easily convinced because women often show interests in such schemes, This is why he continued persuading her.
Q: What did Norma think of the offer after she had gone to bed?
Ans: She kept on thinking how it was possible, Above all, she was interested in getting fifty thousand dollars, She did not think whether it was immoral or not.
Q: Why did Norma pick the card halves next morning?
Ans: Norma did not have any strong moral values. She was mainly interested in getting through this scheme. So without much thought, she picked up the card halves.
Q: What did Norma do during the coffee break?
Ans: During the coffee break, Norma took the card halves from her purse. She held the torn edges together, She found that only Mr. Steward’s name and telephone number were printed on it.
Q: What did Norma do after her lunch?
Ans: After lunch, she took the card halves from her purse again and Scotch-taped the edges together, She did all this Impulsively.
Q: Why did Norma telephone Mr. Steward after her duty was over?
Ans: Just before five, when her duty was over, Norma telephoned Mr. Steward, She did so because of the suspense and financial attraction of the scheme. She wanted to know more about it.
Q: What did Norma see when she left the elevator and reached home from her office?
Ans: She saw the same package lying by the front door of her apartment.
Q: Why did Norma come back to carry the package into her home?
Ans: Norma first thought that she would not carry it. But when she had gone into her apartment, her inner self forced her to go out and carry the package into her home.
Q: What did Norma do with the package when she brought it in?
Ans: She first put it at the kitchen table. She went to the living room. She sat there and kept looking out of the window. Her mind was constantly busy. Then she went to the kitchen and put the package in a bottom cabinet.
Q: Why did Norma think of throwing the package out in the morning?
Ans: She had succeeded in overcoming her desire to get money by immoral means. So she gave up her interest in this scheme. This is why she thought of throwing it out.
Q: Why did Arthur call the offer murder?
Ans: Arthur was of the opinion that causing someone’s death was a murder. For him, human life was more precious than anything else. So he called it murder.
Q: What did Norma intend to do with the fifty thousand dollars, if she ever got them through the scheme?
Ans: Norma thought that she would go along with Arthur on a trip to Europe. She also thought that they would buy a cottage on the island, a car, new furniture, and other things.
Q: Why did Arthur not like his wife’s idea of getting money through the scheme?
Ans: For Arthur, such an act was immoral. He disliked the idea of getting money by causing someone’s death, whether they knew that person or not.
Q: Why did Norma call the scheme some research project?
Ans: This scheme was of new type. On the surface, it looked impossible. But Mr. Steward had assured them of its success. On the basis of all these things, Norma thought that it might be a research project.
Q: What did Norma think when she was stacking dishes?
Ans: At that time, she had decided that she would go for the scheme. She thought of accepting the offer. So she dried her hands and took the packet from the cabinet. Then she unlocked it and pushed the button.
Q: What was the message Norma received on pushing the button?
Ans: Someone from the Lenox Hill Hospital informed her of Arthur’s death. The message was that Arthur was run over by the subway train.
Q: Write a note on the character of Arthur?
Ans: Arthur is morally very strong. He has a very good sense of right and wrong. He loves his wife, but he dislikes her attitude towards the button-unit. His judgment is very clear and arguments very strong. He tries his best to keep his wife away from a foul attempt. in the beginning; he is very polite to Mr. Steward, but when he Comes to know the reality, he becomes displeased. He wants to enjoy life, but not at the cost of someone else. So we can say that of all the characters of the story, it is only Arthur who is noble.
Q: Why didn’t Norma remain true to her husband?
Ans: Norma was actually morally very weak. She had her desires and she knew she could never get her aims. She wanted to have some sort of a short-cut. Mr. Steward’s Scheme had a great appeal for her. In this way; she and Arthur could have a trip to Europe. She could buy a cottage on the island. She thought that her life would be changed. This is why she worked against Arthur’s wishes. First she tried to convince Arthur, but she found that he was not willing to accept the offer. Overcome by her desires, she went against the wishes of her husband.
Q: Do you agree with Norma’s assertion that the death of someone you have never seen is not important?
Ans: No, it is impossible to agree with Norma in this matter. If we have death wishes for someone, it means we are his killers. If we cause someone’s death, it is murder whether we know him or not. As such, it is an immoral act. Norma wants to do so. She is willing to kill someone for the sake of money. This is the weakness of her character. She does not know that if we have evil wishes for someone, we suffer for it. If we have good wishes for others, we are rewarded by God. She goes against this law of nature and faces the worst situation.
Q: Write the story in your own words?
Ans: Arthur and Norma, a married couple, lived in an apartment. Both of them went on their jobs and returned in the evening. One evening Norma received a package. Then came Mr. Steward and explained that it contained a button-unit. He said that if they pushed the button, someone would die. In return they would get $ , . Arthur did not like this proposal and asked Mr. Steward to go away. After his departure Norma kept on discussing it with Arthur. Arthur strongly opposed it, but , Norma was attracted by it. One morning she pushed the button. In the evening she got the news that Arthur was killed in an accident. Then she remembered that she would get $ , , his insurance money.
Q: What was Norma’s condition after receiving the news from the hospital?
Ans: She was shocked. She was conscious of shaking her head but couldn’t stop She couldn’t seem to breathe.
Q: What is the significance of Arthur’s life-insurance policy?
Ans: Arthur’s life was insured for twenty-five thousand dollars. It was to be doubled in Case of such an accident. As he had died in an accident, his wife was to receive fifty thousand dollars.
Q: Did Norma remain normal on hearing the news of the accident of her husband?
Ans: No, she could not remain normal. She was in the condition of a great shock. She removed the button unit from the wastebasket. Then she began to hit it hard on the sink. She wanted it to break into pieces.
Q: Describe Mr. Steward’s final talk with Norma on telephone?
Ans: When Norma received Mr. Steward’s telephone, she complained that he was not true. She said that he had claimed she wouldn’t know the one that died. He replied that she did not know her husband in reality.
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