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NCERT Solutions Poorvi Chapter 2 A Funny Man — Let us speak

Book page 66 Updated on2026-09-05

Q1.
Read the joke given below. A man is talking to God. The man says, “God, how long is a million years?” God replies, “For me, it's about a minute.” The man asks, “How much is a million rupees?” God smiles and replies, “It's less than a rupee for me.” The man quickly requests, “God, may I have a rupee?” God promptly says, “Wait a minute.” Work in pairs and take turns to tell the joke. Remember: • Narrator's voice – your own voice (speak in a matter-of-fact manner) • Man's voice – change to louder voice (speak with respect) • God's voice – deep voice (speak in a pleasant tone)
Answer

Where the joke lies: ‘a minute' and ‘a rupee' are used twice, each time with a different value. God's “Wait a minute” sounds like an ordinary request to wait — but by God's own reckoning a minute is a million years. The man has been politely refused without a single unkind word.

How to tell it well

  1. Three voices, clearly different. Narrator — flat and factual. Man — a little louder, respectful, eager. God — deep, slow, pleasant.
  2. Pause before the punchline. Wait one full beat after “God, may I have a rupee?” The silence does half the work.
  3. Never explain the joke. Deliver “Wait a minute” and then stop.
  4. Stress the right words. “It's less than a rupee for me” and “Wait a minute.”
  5. Keep your face steady. If you laugh first, the audience will not.
Q2.
Now, work in pairs to create a joke and tell it in front of the class.
Answer

Method — how a short joke is built

  1. Set-up: one or two sentences that create an ordinary situation.
  2. Build-up: a question or a small exchange that leads the listener to expect one answer.
  3. Punchline: the last line, which gives a different, unexpected answer — usually by taking a word in its other meaning.
  4. Keep it short, keep it kind (never about a real classmate), and put the surprising word last.
Sample joke 1
Teacher: Ravi, name two pronouns.
Ravi: Who, me?
Teacher: Correct!
Sample joke 2
Customer: Waiter, do you serve crabs here?
Waiter: Sir, we serve everybody. Please sit down.
Sample joke 3
Doctor: You must avoid all excitement.
Patient: Doctor, may I still watch the India–Australia match?
Doctor: Certainly — but only the highlights, after we have won.
Why these work: Each turns on a double meaning — who/me as pronouns, serve as ‘cook' or ‘attend to', excitement as illness advice or cricket. That is the commonest engine of a short joke, and the easiest one to build yourself.
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