CBSE Class 9 English Chapter 2 A Dog Named Duke Summary, Explanation along with Difficult Word Meanings from Literature Reader (Communicative) Book
A Dog Named Duke Class 9 – CBSE Class 9 English Literature Reader (Communicative) Book Lesson 2 A Dog Named Duke Summary and Detailed explanation of the lesson along with the meanings of difficult words. Also, the explanation is followed by a Summary of the lesson.
- A Dog Named Duke Introduction
- Video Explanation of A Dog Named Duke
- A Dog Named Duke Summary
- A Dog Named Duke Summary in Hindi
- A Dog Named Duke Lesson Explanation
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Class-9, English Literature Reader (Communicative) Chapter 2 – A Dog Named Duke
by William D. Ellis
A Dog Named Duke Introduction
This story is about a young man named Chuck Hooper, who got paralysed in an accident, and his bond with his dog Duke.
Video Explanation of A Dog Named Duke
A Dog Named Duke Summary
Chuck Hooper was a tall, slim man. He was a University level football player and the Zone Sales Manager in a chemical company. He got a Doberman named Duke as a pet dog much against his wife’s wish. One evening on his way back home, Hooper met with an accident. He was partially paralyzed and remained in the hospital for six weeks. Duke was sent to the kennel as there was no one to look after it. Upon his return, Hooper became lonely and depressed. Duke was brought home and was glad to see his master. It could make out that everything was not the same with its master. Duke lied on the floor next to Hooper’s bed all the time. 
Gradually, both of them got bored and Duke started asking his master to get up. One day, Hooper tied the leash to Duke’s collar and the dog got very excited. He pulled the leash and finally, Hooper had to get up from his bed. Duke pulled the leash and Hooper took a step. Gradually, as days passed by, they continued this exercise. Hooper had to make an effort to walk. Within a week they had reached the entrance of the house. The neighbours would watch this daily exercise. Hooper’s wife Marcy also noticed her husband’s improvement and what the dog did for him. Hooper walked from the clinic to his office alone which showed his progress. He joined the office and gradually started working full day. The walking exercise with Duke continued. Hooper was promoted as Regional Manager of the company. The Hoopers shifted house and the new neighbourhood was unaware of Chuck and Duke’s story. One evening, as they had guests over, they heard the screech of brakes and Hooper thought of Duke. To their disappointment, Duke had been hit by a car. Marcy lifted it and took it to a doctor but the dog could not be saved. The dog had fulfilled his duty for his master. It was a thanksgiving to Duke – a letter of promotion for Chuck Hooper as the Assistant National Sales Manager of the company.
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A Dog Named Duke Summary in Hindi
चक हूपर एक लंबा, पतला आदमी था। वह यूनिवर्सिटी स्तर के फुटबॉल खिलाड़ी था और एक केमिकल कंपनी में ज़ोन सेल्स मैनेजर था। उन्हें अपनी पत्नी की इच्छा के विरुद्ध पालतू कुत्ते के रूप में ड्यूक नाम का एक डोबर्मन मिला। एक शाम घर लौटते समय हूपर की दुर्घटना हो गई। वह आंशिक रूप से लकवाग्रस्त हो गए और छह सप्ताह तक अस्पताल में रहे। ड्यूक को केनेल में भेज दिया गया क्योंकि उसकी देखभाल करने वाला कोई नहीं था।
अपनी वापसी पर, हूपर अकेला और उदास हो गया। ड्यूक को घर लाया गया और वह अपने मालिक को देखकर खुश हुआ। ड्यूक ने अपने मालिक को देख, उसकी ओर छलांग लगाई परन्तु चक अभी पूरी तरह स्वस्थ नहीं था इसलिए वह लड़खड़ा गया। इससे पता चल सकता है कि उसके मालिक के साथ सब कुछ पहले जैसा नहीं था। ड्यूक हर समय हूपर के बिस्तर के बगल में फर्श पर लेटा रहता था। धीरे–धीरे दोनों ऊब गए और ड्यूक अपने मालिक को उठने के लिए कहने लगा। एक दिन, हूपर ने ड्यूक के कॉलर पर पट्टा बांध दिया और कुत्ता बहुत उत्साहित हो गया। उसे लगा की अब वे बाहर जाएंगे।
उसने पट्टा खींचा और अंततः हूपर को अपने बिस्तर से उठना पड़ा। ड्यूक ने पट्टा खींचा और हूपर ने एक कदम उठाया। धीरे–धीरे, जैसे–जैसे दिन बीतते गए, उन्होंने यह अभ्यास जारी रखा। हूपर को चलने के लिए प्रयास करना पड़ता था । एक सप्ताह के भीतर वे घर के प्रवेश द्वार तक पहुँच गये थे। पड़ोसी इस दैनिक अभ्यास को देखते थे। हूपर की पत्नी मार्सी ने भी अपने पति के सुधार और कुत्ते ने उसके लिए क्या किया, इस पर ध्यान दिया।
हूपर क्लिनिक से अपने ऑफिस तक अकेले ही चला, जिससे उसकी प्रगति का पता चला। वह ऑफिस में शामिल हो गए और धीरे–धीरे पूरे दिन काम करने लगे। ड्यूक के साथ चलने का अभ्यास जारी रहा। हूपर को कंपनी के क्षेत्रीय प्रबंधक के रूप में पदोन्नत किया गया था। हूपर ने घर बदल लिया और नया पड़ोसी चक और ड्यूक की कहानी से अनजान था।
एक शाम, जब उनके यहाँ मेहमान आए थे, उन्होंने ब्रेक की तेज आवाज़ सुनी और हूपर को ड्यूक के बारे में याद आया। ड्यूक को एक कार ने टक्कर मार दी थी। मार्सी उसे उठाकर डॉक्टर के पास ले गई लेकिन उसको को बचाया नहीं जा सका। ड्यूक ने अपने मालिक के लिए अपना कर्तव्य पूरा किया था। यह ड्यूक को धन्यवाद ज्ञापन था – कंपनी के सहायक राष्ट्रीय बिक्री प्रबंधक के रूप में चक हूपर के लिए पदोन्नति का एक पत्र।
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A Dog Named Duke Lesson Explanation
Passage: In 1953, Hooper was a favoured young man. A big genuine grin civilised his highly competitive nature. Standing six-foot-one, he’d played on the university football team. He was already a hard-charging Zone Sales Manager for a chemical company. Everything was going for him.
Word Meaning :
favoured: someone or something who is preferred or recommended by the majority
genuine: sincere, truthful
grin: smile while showing some teeth
civilised: polite and well-mannered
hard-charging: ambitious and determined
Explanation of the Above Passage – It was the year 1953, when a young man named Hooper was someone who was recommended by the majority of the people. He had a big sincere grin on his face, which made him look polite and well-mannered. This hid his highly competitive nature. His height was six feet and one inch. He played in the football team of his university. Hooper was a very ambitious and determined Zone Sales Manager for a chemical company, an achievement at a young age. All of this made his future bright and everyone believed that he would definitely be a highly successful person in future because he had everything a man could aspire for.
Passage: Then, when he was driving home one autumn twilight, a car sped out in front of him without warning. Hooper was taken to the hospital with a subdural haemorrhage in the motor section of the brain, completely paralysing his left side.
Word Meaning :
twilight: the period of the evening when twilight is visible, between daylight and darkness, dusk, sunset
subdural haemorrhage: a serious condition where blood collects between the skull and the surface of the brain caused by a head injury
haemorrhage: heavy bleeding
motor: something which causes or controls movement
paralysing: causing a person or part of the body to become partly or wholly incapable of movement
Explanation of the Above Passage – One day, Hooper was driving home. It was the autumn season and it was the sunset time of the day. Suddenly, a car came in front of him, at a fast speed, without warning. It resulted in a car accident. Hooper was taken to the hospital with a big head injury. He had a serious condition where blood had collected between the skull and the surface of the brain. He had heavy bleeding. The head injury was on a particular part of the brain, the motor section. The motor section of the brain controls the movement of the entire body. As a result of the head injury, his left side was completely paralysed, meaning that he could not move or could not control the movement of the left side of his body.
Passage: One of Chuck’s district managers drove Marcy to the hospital. Her husband couldn’t talk; he could only breathe and see, and his vision was double. Marcy phoned a neighbour, asking him to put Duke in a kennel.
Hooper remained on the critical list for a month. After the fifth week some men from his company came to the hospital and told Hooper to take a year off. They would create a desk job for him at the headquarters.
Word Meaning : kennel: a small shelter for dogs
Explanation of the Above Passage – Marcy is Chuck Hooper’s wife. Chuck had many district managers in the company he was working in. One of those managers took Marcy in a car and drove to the hospital where her husband had been taken. She learned that her husband could not talk. He could only breathe and see everything and everyone around him. His vision was not clear and everything he was seeing was doubled. She then phoned her neighbour, asking him to take Duke the pet dog out from the house and put him in another shelter because no one was there to look after him.
Hooper was in a dangerous state for a month. After five weeks of the accident, some people from his office visited him and asked him to take a year’s leave from work. They added that the company would create a sitting job for him at the company’s main office.
Passage: About six weeks after the accident, the hospital put him in a wheelchair. Every day there was someone working his paralysed arm and leg followed by baths, exercise and a wheeled 
walker. However, Chuck didn’t make much headway.
In March, they let him out of the hospital. After the excitement of homecoming wore off, Chuck hit a new low. At the hospital there had been other injured people, but now, each morning when Marcy quietly went to work, it was like a gate slamming down. Duke was still in the kennel, and Chuck was alone with his thoughts.
Word Meaning :
make headway: make progress
homecoming: an instance of returning home
Explanation of the Above Passage – Hooper remained in the hospital for six weeks. After six weeks, he was put in a wheelchair. There was a person with Hooper who would help him bathe, exercise and control the wheelchair. However, he did not make much progress and it seemed as if his paralysis would take forever to be cured. Then, in the month of March, he was brought back home. Hooper was filled with the excitement of coming back home. But soon after the excitement had gradually died down, he again became sad and depressed. He felt lonely. In the hospital, there were other people or patients with whom he could talk. But at home, Marcy would quietly go to work and Duke was still in the kennel, and so he would be left all alone. Everytime Marcy went to work, he felt like there was a gate shutting down on him because he couldn’t go out, and he didn’t have anyone to talk to.
Passage: Finally, they decided to bring Duke home. Chuck said he wanted to be standing when Duke came in, so they stood him up. Duke’s nails were long from four months’ confinement, and when he spied Chuck he stood quivering like 5000 volts; then he let out a bellow, spun his long-nailed wheels, and launched himself across three metres of air. He was a 23-kilo missile of joy. He hit Chuck above the belt, causing him to fight to keep his balance.
Word Meaning :
confinement: the state of being captivated in a small place
quiver: tremble or shake with a slight rapid motion
bellow: deep loud roar
Explanation of the Above Passage – Then they decided that it was time to bring Duke back home. Chuck expressed his wish that he wanted to be in the standing position when his pet dog finally returned home. He did not wish Duke to see him in a wheelchair. So, the people helped him stand up. On the other hand, Duke’s nails had grown during the time when he was in the shelter, and had turned into long claws. When he saw Chuck, he trembled so much that it seemed like someone was giving him a strong electric shock of 5000 volts. He gave a deep loud roar. His long-nailed hands are referred to as wheels which started spinning as he ran towards his owner. He jumped upon Hooper by launching himself across three metres of air. Chuck Hooper felt like Duke was a missile of joy, who weighed 23 kilograms. Duke hit Chuck at the end of his torso which is above his belt or waist. This put a lot of pressure on his body and he struggled not to loose his balance. He tried his best to not fall from the weight and pressure of the dog hitting him.
Passage: Those who saw it said the dog knew instantly. He never jumped on Chuck again. From that moment, he took up a post beside his master’s bed round the clock.
But even Duke’s presence didn’t reach Chuck. The once-iron muscles slacked on the rangy frame. Secretly, Marcy cried as she watched the big man’s grin fade away. Severe face lines set in like cement as Chuck stared at the ceiling for hours, then out of the window, then at Duke.
Word Meaning :
post: assigned position
slack: not held tightly in the proper position, saggy
rangy: tall and slim with long, slender limbs
frame: figure
Explanation of the Above Passage – There were many people at Chuck Hooper’s house when they saw the reunion of the dog and his owner. They told the others that when the dog hit Chuck above the waist, the dog knew immediately that his master was not okay. He could understand that he was not supposed to jump at him. He never jumped on Chuck from the day onwards. After that realisation, he assigned himself as the bodyguard or protector of Chuck Hooper and positioned himself beside his master’s bed. Throughout the day, he would stand there only. However, this reduced the cheerful, happy nature of the dog, and soon, Chuck started feeling lonely again even though Duke was right beside him all the time. Gradually, this loneliness started to affect his physical appearance. Marcy cried secretly as she saw the young man’s big grin fade away. He got severe face lines which appeared as if they would never soften, like cement. He kept on staring at the ceiling, then the window, and then the dog. This would go on for hours and hours.
Passage: When two fellows stare at each other day in, day out, and one can’t move and the other can’t talk, boredom sets in. Duke finally couldn’t take it. From a motionless coil on the floor he’d spring to his feet, quivering with impatience.
“Ya-ruff”
“Lie down. Duke!”
Explanation of the Above Passage – The two fellows here are Chuck Hooper and Duke. They could only stare at each other all day. They could not play because Hooper was paralysed and could not move, and they could not talk because Duke, who was a dog, could not talk. This resulted in boredom, which Duke could not bear anymore. One day, Duke who was lying like a coil which did not move, jumped up as if he had springs attached to his feet, and he was shaking with fast motions. He was trembling because he was impatient and he wanted to interact with his master. He barked at Hooper and Hooper told him to lie down.
Passage: Duke stalked to the bed, poked his pointed nose under Chuck’s elbow and lifted. He nudged and needled and snorted.
“Go run around the house, Duke.”
But Duke wouldn’t. He’d lie down with a reproachful eye on Hooper. An hour later he would come over to the bed again and yap and poke. He wouldn’t leave but just sit there.
Word Meaning :
stalk: stride somewhere in a proud, stiff, or angry manner
poke: thrust (something, such as one’s head) in a particular direction
nudge: to poke and prod (someone) gently with one’s elbow in order to attract attention
needle: to annoy someone
snort: make a sudden explosive sound through one’s nose to express indignation
reproachful: expressing disapproval or disappointment
yap: give a sharp, shrill bark
Explanation of the Above Passage – Duke then walked to Chuck’s bed and he was angry at him. He pushed his pointed nose under Chuck’s elbow and then lifted his head in an attempt to lift Chuck’s elbow. He poked Chuck in order to get his attention. He tried to annoy Chuck so that he would get irritated and finally stand up to stop the dog from annoying him. He made sudden explosive sounds through his nose, which indicated his indignation towards Chuck. Chuck told him to go around the house. However, Duke did not listen to him. Instead, he lied down while giving Hooper a look which showed his disappointment at Hooper. After doing that for an hour, he got up, went to the bed, and started poking and barking in a sharp and shrill manner.
Passage: One evening Chuck’s good hand idly hooked the leash onto Duke’s collar to hold him still. It was like lighting a fuse: Duke shimmied himself U-shaped in anticipation. Even Hooper can’t explain his next move. He asked Marcy to help him to his feet. Duke pranced, Chuck fought for balance. With his good hand, he placed the leash in his left and folded the paralysed fingers over it, holding them there. Then he leaned forward. With Marcy supporting him by the elbow, he moved his right leg out in front. Straightening his right leg caused the left foot to drag forward, alongside the right. It could be called a step.
Word Meaning :
idly: in an aimless or lazy way
hook: attach or fasten with a hook or hooks
shimmy: shake or vibrate abnormally
anticipation: expectation, hope
prance: move with high springy steps
Explanation of the Above Passage – One evening, Chuck’s hand, which was not paralysed, attached the hook of the leash to the dog’s collar so that Duke would remain still. It was like he had ignited a fuse because Duke reacted energetically. Duke vibrated in a strange way and he made turned into U-shape in the hope that his master would finally get up. Even Hooper could not understand his next move and why he did it. He asked his wife Marcy to help him get up. Duke moved with a spring in his feet, while Chuck struggled to balance. With the hand which was not paralysed, he put the leash in his left or paralysed hand, and folded his paralysed fingers over it. Then he leaned forward. Marcy was supporting him by holding him by his elbow. Due to the support Marcy was providing him, he was able to move his right leg out in the front. When he straightened his right leg, the left or the paralysed leg automatically dragged or moved forward. He was able to put his left leg alongside his right leg. This meant that he had just taken a step forward.
Passage: Duke felt the sudden slack in the leash and pulled it taut. Chuck swayed forward again, broke the fall with his good right leg, then straightened. Thrice he did that, then collapsed into the wheelchair, exhausted.
Next day, the big dog started early; he charged around to Hooper’s good side, jabbed his nose under the elbow and snapped his head up. The big man’s good arm reached for the leash. With Hooper standing, the dog walked to the end of the leash and tugged steadily. Four so-called steps they took that day.
Word Meaning :
slack: the part of a rope or line which is not held taut; the loose or unused part
taut: tight, firm
sway: swing, move from side-to-side
collapsed into: to fall abruptly and completely
jab: poke sharply
snap: to move or carry out an action with brisk or rapid movement
tug: pull
steadily: in a controlled manner
Explanation of the Above Passage – When Chuck completed one step, Duke felt like the rope was being loosely held. He wanted his master to walk further and so he pulled the leash so that it was being stretched and tightened. This caused Chuck to swing forward. He was able to break his fall with his right, working leg and then he straightened up. He did that three times in one day, which was a great achievement for someone who could not move at all. However, he became very tired due to this exercise, and he fell abruptly and completely into the wheelchair (it was abrupt or sudden because his body suddenly refused to stand up anymore). Next day, Duke woke up early in the morning because he was excited to do the previous day’s exercise again. He went to Hooper’s side which was not paralysed in full speed. He sharply poked his nose under the elbow of the working arm. Duke woke him up with brisk movement. After Chuck woke up, his working arm reached for the leash and he stood up. When the dog felt that Hooper was standing, he walked to the end of the leash and pulled in a controlled manner, meaning that he was not pulling too slow or pulling too fast. Chuck was able to take four steps that day.
Passage: Leaning back against the pull, Hooper learned to keep his balance without Marcy at his elbow. Wednesday, he and Duke took five steps; Thursday, six steps; Friday, failure- two steps followed by exhaustion. But in two weeks they reached the front porch.
Word Meaning : front porch: entrance hall
Explanation of the Above Passage – Hooper soon learned to maintain his balance without Marcy holding his elbow for extra support. He did this by leaning back against the pull of the leash. This indicated that he was slowly becoming more and more independent. On Wednesday, he walked five steps and on Thursday, he walked six steps. On Friday, he failed as he could not walk more than two steps and he got tired very easily. However, in two weeks, he progressed so much that he and Duke reached the entrance hall of the house.
Passage: By mid-April neighbours saw a daily struggle in front of Marcy’s house. Out on the sidewalk they saw the dog pull his leash taut then stand and wait. The man would drag himself abreast of the dog, then the dog would surge out to the end of the leash and wait again. The pair set daily goals; Monday, the sixth fence post, Tuesday, the seventh fence post, Wednesday ……
Word Meaning :
abreast: side by side and facing the same way
surge out: to burst forward
Explanation of the Above Passage – It was the middle of the month of April. Chuck had made so much progress that he could now be seen walking in front of the house. The neighbours saw him try everyday. They saw the dog pull the leash and then wait for the man to take another step. Chuck walked side by side with the dog. When another step was taken, the dog would burst out in the forward direction and wait again for his master to take more steps. They set daily goals for themselves. On Monday, their goal was to reach the sixth pole on the fence. On Tuesday the seventh pole and so on.
Passage: When Marcy saw what Duke could do for her husband, she told the doctor, who prescribed a course of physiotherapy with weights, pulleys and whirlpool baths and above all walking every day with Duke, on a limited, gradual scale.
By now neighbours on their street were watching the pattern of progress. On June 1, news spread that Hooper and Duke had made it to an intersection quite far away.
Word Meaning :
prescribe: advise and authorise the use of a medicine or treatment for someone, especially in writing
physiotherapy: the treatment of disease, injury, or deformity by physical methods such as massage, heat treatment, and exercise rather than by drugs or surgery
whirlpool bath: a heated pool in which hot aerated water is continuously circulated
gradual: slowly increasing
Explanation of the Above Passage – Marcy saw how Duke was helping her husband and she told the doctor about it. The doctor then wrote a course of a particular treatment which included only exercise with weights, pulleys and baths in a heated pool of hot aerated water instead of drugs and surgeries. He also included walking everyday with Duke. However, he set a limit for each and every treatment, because fast treatment would only result in tiredness.
Passage: Soon, Duke began campaigning for two trips a day, and they lengthened the targets, one driveway at a time. Duke no longer waited at each step.
On January 4, Hooper made his big move. Without Duke, he walked the 200 metres from the clinic to the local branch office of his company. This had been one of the district offices under his jurisdiction as zone manager. The staff was amazed by the visit. But to Gordon Doule, the Manager, Chuck said, “Gordon, this isn’t just a visit. Bring me up to date on what’s happened, will you-so I can get to work?” Doule gaped, “It’ll just be an hour a day for a while,” Hooper continued. “I’ll use that empty desk in the warehouse. And I’ll need a dictating machine.”
Word Meaning :
campaign: work in an organised and active way towards a particular goal
driveway: a short road leading from a public road to a house or other building
jurisdiction: the official power to make legal decisions and judgements.
gape: stare in shock
warehouse: a large building where raw materials or manufactured goods may be stored prior to their distribution for sale.
dictating machine: a machine used especially for the recording of human speech for transcription
Explanation of the Above Passage – They then started to work in an organised and active way towards their goal. They took two trips a day with longer targets and one driveway at a time. Duke now did not wait at each step. On 4th of January, Hooper made a big move. He walked 200 metres from the clinic to the local branch office of the company where he used to work, without Duke. The local branch office had once been one of the district offices under his power when he was the zone manager. The staff i.e. the rest of the people working there were amazed by his visit. He told the manager of the office, whose name was Gordon Doule, that he was not just visiting. He wanted him to tell him what all had happened till date so that he could get back to work. Doule stared at him in shock because visiting was just one thing but willing to get back to work so soon was truly amazing. Chuck also said that he would be working for an hour a day for the time being. He would use the empty desk which was kept in another large building, used for storage. He also said that he need a machine which could record his speech as he could not type for now.
Passage: Back in the company’s headquarters, Chuck’s move presented problems — tough ones. When a man fights that hard for a comeback, who wants to tell him he can’t handle his old job? On the other hand, what can you do with a salesman who can’t move around, and can work only an hour a day? They didn’t know that Hooper had already set his next objective: March 1, a full day’s work.
Word Meaning :
comeback: a return by a well-known person, especially an entertainer or sports player, to the activity in which they have formerly been successful.
objective: aim
Explanation of the Above Passage – When Chuck got back to work, he faced some new problems. These problems were mentally challenging. While Chuck was fighting hard for a return, some people felt like he would fail to do so because according to them, his paralysed self could not handle the job. Some people also felt like Chuck would be a burden because he could not move around and could work for only one hour a day. However, people were unaware of Hooper’s determination. He had already set a new aim for himself – to do a full day’s work on 1st of March.
Passage: Chuck hit the target, and after March 1, there was no time for the physiotherapy programme; he turned completely to Duke, who pulled him along the street faster and faster, increasing his stability and endurance. Sometimes, walking after dark, Hooper would trip and fall. Duke would stand still as a post while his master struggled to get up. It was as though the dog knew that his job was to get Chuck back on his feet.
Word Meaning : endurance: the ability to endure harsh conditions
Explanation of the Above Passage – Chuck was able to complete the task and after March 1, he stopped doing his physiotherapy and became dependent on Duke, who pulled him down the street with steadily increasing speed. This built up Chuck’s stability and strength. Sometimes, when they would walk when it was dark, Hooper would be unable to see where he was going and he would get stuck and fall. That time, Duke would stand as still as a post while Chuck would struggle to get back up to his feet. The dog’s behaviour made it look like he knew that it was his job to get Chuck back on his feet.
Passage: Thirteen months from the moment he worked full days. Chuck Hooper was promoted to regional manager covering more than four states.
Chuck, Marcy and Duke moved house in March 1956. The people in the new suburb where the Hoopers bought a house didn’t know the story of Chuck and Duke. All they knew was that their new neighbour walked like a struggling mechanical giant and that he was always pulled by a rampageous dog that acted as if he owned the man.
Word Meaning :
promote: to raise someone to a higher rank
suburb: an outlying district of a city, especially a residential one
giant: a living being who is humongous as compared to the other living beings
rampageous: someone who is uncontrollably violent
Explanation of the Above Passage – After thirteen months, he was raised to a higher rank. He was now a regional manager of more than four states. It was the month of March of the year 1956 when Chuck, Marcy and Duke moved to a new house. They moved to an outlying district of the city, where people did not know the story of Chuck’s accident and how Duke had helped Chuck. They knew only a few things based on their observations – Chuck struggled to walk which made him look like a big and tall robot and Chuck was pulled by Duke in such a violent way that it seemed as if the dog owned the man.
Passage: On the evening of October 12, 1957, the Hoopers had guests. Suddenly over the babble of voices, Chuck heard the screech of brakes outside. Instinctively, he looked for Duke.
They carried the big dog into the house. Marcy took one look at Duke’s breathing, at his brown eyes with the stubbornness gone. “Phone the vet,” she said. “Tell him, I’m bringing Duke.” Several people jumped to lift the dog. “No, please,” she said. And she picked up the big Duke, carried him gently to the car and drove him to the animal hospital.
Word Meaning :
babble: talk rapidly and continuously in such a way that someone else cannot understand what the person or people are talking about
screech: make a loud, harsh, squealing noise
instinctively: without conscious thought; by natural instinct
stubbornness: the ability to be stubborn or iron-willed
veterinarian: the doctor who treats animals.
Explanation of the Above Passage – Another year had passed. It was 1957 and the date was October 12. The Hoopers i.e. Chuck and Marcy were having guests at their home. The people were talking so fast and continuously that an outsider would have been unable to understand what they were talking about. Suddenly, Chuck heard the loud and harsh squealing noise of brakes over the noise of the talking of the guests. He remembered that Duke was outside. Without thinking much, he started looking for Duke. He found it on the road. He was carried into the house. Marcy took one look at Duke’s breathing and saw that the look which made the dog look stubborn had gone. She asked the people to call the veterinarian, the doctor who treats animals. She also asked the people to tell the doctor that she was bringing Duke to the clinic. Several people were about to lift the dog when Marcy told them not to do so. She picked Duke herself, carried him gently to the car and drove to the animal hospital.
Passage: Duke was drugged and he made it until 11o’clock the next morning, but his injuries were too severe.
People who knew the distance Chuck and Duke had come together, one fence post at a time, now watched the big man walk alone day after day. They wondered: how long will he keep it up? How far will he go today? Can he do it alone?
Word Meaning :
drugged: to be given medicine or drugs
severe: fatal
Explanation of the Above Passage – At the animal hospital, the doctor injected some drugs into the dog which gave him the power to live till 11 o’clock the next morning. However, his injuries were so deep and fatal that he could not survive anymore. People who knew the story of Chuck and Duke and how they walked together one fence post at a time now watched Chuck walk alone. They wondered many things – how long would he be able to live without Duke, how far would he go, and if he could do it alone.
Passage: A few weeks ago, worded as if in special tribute to Duke, an order came through from the chemical company’s headquarters: “………. Therefore, to advance our objectives step by step, Charles Hooper is appointed the Assistant National Sales Manager.”
Word Meaning : tribute: an act, statement, or gift that is intended to show gratitude, respect, or admiration
Explanation of the Above Passage – A few weeks later, an order came from the main headquarters of the company. The order was like an act intended to show gratitude and respect to Duke. The order stated that Chuck or Charles Hooper was to become the Assistant National Sales Manager. He had been promoted and he felt that this was a note of thanks to Duke for his effort towards Chuck.
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