The Verger
William Somerset Maugham
Class 12
Alternative English

1. Write true or false
   (i) Albert Edward was a habitual smoker.
   Ans:- False.

(ii) Albert Edwared was very particulate about his gowns.
Ans:- True

(iii) The churchwarden were young men.
Ans:- False

(iv) The Verger learnt to read and write only upon entering into

business.
Ans:- False

2. For how long had the verger been at St. Petere’s?
   Ans:- For sixteen years.
3. I’m the course of how many years did Albert Edward own ten

shops?
Ans:- In ten years.

4. From where did the new vicar hail?
   Ans:- From East end.
5. How much money did Albert Edwared have at the bank?
   Ans:- Thirty thousand pounds
6. What did Albert Edward do before he became the verger at St.

Peter’s?
Ans:- Albert started his job as a boy in the household of a

merchant prince, he had risen by due degrees from the position

of fourth to first footman, for a year he had been single-handed-

butter to a widowed peeress and (till the vacancy occurred at St.

Peter’s), he worked as a butler two men under him in the house

of a retired ambassador. After that he joinned St. Peter’s as

verger and served their for sixteen years.

7. What did the new vicar discover?
   Ans:- The discovery that astonished the vicar was that Albert

Edward Foreman who served the prestigious St. Peters church

could neither read nor write. The Vicar did not know that Albert

was completely an illiterate person who was a verger for sixteen

years.

8. What is the opinion of the verger regarding the new vicar.
   Ans:- The verger did not have a good impression about the new

vicar as he was fussy and wanted to interefer in everybody’s

work. The verger regreted his predecessores because the new

vicar always wanted to rule every activity of the church.

9. What does the bank manager suggest to Albert Edward?
   Ans:- One day, the manager of the bank advised Foreman to

invest the money which was little over thirty thousands pounds.

He even assured that the bank would help foreman to choose the

securities. He told him that in order to do so, he needed to just

sign the transfers. But the bank manager was taken aback when

he said that he could not sign the paper because he was an

illiterate person.

10. Explain the significance of the following sentence “The

Vergers of St. Peter’s like the popes of Rome were there for life.
Ans:- The sentence highlights the significance of the role of the

verger at St. Peters, drawing a parallel to the life long tenure of

Popes in the Rome. The comparison to the Popes of Rome

emphasizes the permanance and stability associated with the

position of the Verger’s at St. Peter’s. Just at the popes held their

position fore life the Verger who are responsible for the cake and

maintenance of the church where also appointed to surve their

role indefinitly.
This sentence means the long standing tradition and

continuty in the institution of St. Peter’s. It suggests that the

position of a verger was not temporary but a life long comitment,

implying deep sense of dedication, loyalty and responsiblity to

the church and its community.

11. How did the manager react upon his discovery that Mr.

Forman could neither read not write.
or
Explain what made the manager stare at that person.
Ans:- After being sacked from the job of the verger, Albert set up

his business as a tobacconist and newsagent and in ten years he

became rich and successful owing ten shops. Every monday he

deposited weeks earning in the bank. One day the manager of

the bank advised Foreman to invest the money which was a little

over thirty thousand pounds. He even assured that the bank

would help Foreman to choose the securities, he would only

have to sign the transefer. But foreman asked the manager as to

how would he know what he was signing, the manager replied

that offcourse he could read papers. Foreman disclosed that he

was an illiterate man neither the could write nor read, hearing

this the manager was taken aback. He was shocked to know that

a man who had a mass fortune of thirty thousand pounds was

illiterate. That is why the manager stared at Foreman as though

he wear a pre-historic monstal

12. What was the condition put forth by the new vicar to the

verger?
Ans:- The verger was an illiterate person and the new vicar

wanted the verge to be literate. So he gave the condition that he

must learn letters within three months. And failing to do so, he

would loss his job and they could not risk of some accident

caused due to his lamentable ignorance.

13. Briefly describe the verger’s attitude towards his gowns.
    Ans:- The verger treated his gowns with much care, pride and

dignity. He wore his gowns with complacence/self-satisfaction

as it was the dignified symble of his office. He took pains with it,

pressed it and ironed it himself. He even preserved the old worn

out gowns, wrapped neatly up in brown paper and kept them in

the bottom drawers of the wardrobe in his bed room.

14. Explain the significance of the following sentence “The Verger of St. Peter’s like the popes of Rome were for life.”
    Ans:- Albert Edward Foreman was the Verger of the St. Peters

church at Neville square for sixteen years. But he had started his

career early in his age when he was twelve years. He started as a

page boy in the household of a merchant prince. He had risen by

due degrees from the position of fourth to first footman for a

year he had been single-handed butler to a widowed peeress and

till the vacancy occurred at St. Peter’s butler with two men under

him in the house of a retired ambassador.
But Albert was an illiterate person. So the was fired

from his job. After that he had to look up with another job. He

became a tobacconist and newsagent. He began with one shop

and very soon he established ten shops in ten years and become a

wealthy person.

15. Describe in detail, how Albert Edward lost the job of the

verger at St. Peter’s.
Ans:- Albert served at the St. Peters church as a verger for

sixteen years. Everything was going on smoothly untill the new

vicar came. The new vicar was an educated man. When he came

to know that the verger was an illiterate man, he was shocked.

So, one afternoon the vicar called the verger to the vestry.
In the vestry, the verger found the two church

warderens already sitting there with the vicar. Their troubled

look lead the verger to think that the Vicar had been nagging

them and might have jockeyed them into doing something

against their will. While he was wondering about the situation

the vicar admitted that the verger had accomplished the duties of

the office to the satisfaction of everybody’s concerned. But he

was ashtonished to find the verger to be an illiterate person. In

such a case, the verger could not be allowed to continue his job

in a prestigious church like St. Peters. Hence, the orders the

verger to learn to read and write within three months or leave his

office. But the vergers refused to take the offer and prefered to

resign believing that it was too late now to learn.

16. Would you consider that the new vicar’s chance discovery of

Foreman’s illiteracy was a blessing in disguise for the verge?

Write a persuasive answer.
Ans:- Yes, the new vicar’s change discoverey of Foreeman’s

illiteracy was a blessing in disguise for the verger.
If the new vicar had not discovered Albert’s illiteracy

and given him the ultimatum to learn how to read and write, he

may have continued as a verger without exploring his potential in

other areas. His illiteracy, which seemed like a limitation at the

time, actually pushed him to venture into the business world.

When he thrived and achieved financial success beyond what he

could have imagine.

17. Reference to the context:-
    (i) I can tell u that sir said Mr. Foreman a little smile on his still

aristocratic features. “I would be verger of St. Peters neville

square.”
Ans:- These lines have been quoted from “The Verger’ written by

William Somerset Maugham.
These are the concluding lines spoken between the

bank manager and the verger.
The bank manager was surprised to know that

Edward Foreman, the tobacconist had gathered a fortune of

thirty thousand pounds without being literate. He could not

imagine, an illiterate man can earn a huge sum of money. He was

surprised at what Albert Foreman had accomplished without the

ability to read and write. When the manager asked what

Foreman would have been if he was a literate man. Foreman

smiled and replied that he would be the verger of St’ Peters

naville square.