My Financial Career by Stephen Leacock: Summary, Meanings, Question and Answers (Class 8 Lavender)

Get here Question and answers of the lesson ‘My Financial Career’ given in the Class 8 English book ‘Lavender’. A summary and vocabulary is also given.

Summary of “My Financial Career” by Stephen Leacock

The story “My Financial Career” is a funny and relatable account of the narrator’s awkward experience at the bank. The narrator, who is usually nervous around banks, decides to open an account because his salary has increased to fifty dollars a month. He feels that putting his money in the bank would be a responsible decision.

As soon as he steps into the bank, he becomes extremely nervous. Everything around him—like the clerks, the counters, and the sight of the money—makes him anxious. He feels like an “irresponsible idiot” the moment he crosses the threshold of the bank. Unsure of what to do, he timidly approaches the accountant and requests to see the manager, emphasizing that he wants to speak with him alone.

The manager, thinking that the narrator has something very serious or secretive to discuss, takes him to a private room and locks the door. The manager assumes that the narrator is a detective from Pinkerton’s, but the narrator clarifies that he is not a detective and has simply come to open an account. He tells the manager that he plans to deposit fifty-six dollars and continue depositing fifty dollars every month. The manager, somewhat relieved, opens the door and introduces the narrator to the accountant, announcing loudly that the narrator is opening an account.

The narrator, still flustered, accidentally steps into the bank’s safe, mistaking it for the exit. The manager corrects him and points him in the right direction. The narrator then nervously hands over the crumpled ball of fifty-six dollars to the accountant. He signs his name in the bank’s register, but he is so overwhelmed that he does not even know what he is doing.

After depositing his money, he decides to withdraw six dollars for his immediate use. However, in his confusion, he mistakenly writes a check for the entire fifty-six dollars instead of just six. The accountant, surprised, asks if the narrator wants to withdraw all his money. Feeling too embarrassed to explain his mistake, the narrator agrees and takes all the money back. The bank staff, thinking he might be angry, looks on in shock as he nervously collects his money.

The story ends with the narrator leaving the bank in a rush, and the staff laughing at the absurdity of the situation. From that day on, the narrator decides never to use a bank again and keeps his money in his pockets and savings in a sock.

Vocabulary Words & Phrases

Here’s the list of all the vocabulary words and phrases to help students grasp the lesson easily and comprehensively.

Rattled – Feeling nervous or worried (घबराया हुआ या चिंतित); Wicket – A small window or opening in a bank where clerks assist customers (बैंक की खिड़की जहाँ ग्राहक सहायता प्राप्त करते हैं); Threshold – The entrance or start of something (दहलीज, किसी चीज की शुरुआत); Transact – To conduct or carry out business (लेन-देन करना); Beforehand – Earlier; before something happens (पहले से; किसी घटना से पहले); Shamble – To walk in an awkward, unsteady way (घसीटकर चलना); Irresponsible idiot – Someone who acts foolishly (गैर-जिम्मेदाराना व्यक्ति); Timidly – In a shy or nervous manner (संकोचपूर्ण या घबराए हुए तरीके से); Sepulchral – Gloomy or dismal, like a tomb (गहरे या उदास, जैसे कब्र की तरह); Solemnly – In a serious or dignified manner (गंभीरता या शालीनता से); Grave – Serious (गंभीर); Clutched – Holding tightly (मुट्ठी में कस कर पकड़ना); Evident – Clear (स्पष्ट, साफ-साफ); Awful – Very bad or unpleasant (बहुत बुरा या अप्रिय); Private room – A secluded room used for confidential meetings (एकांत कमरा, जहाँ गोपनीय बैठकें होती हैं); Pinkerton – Refers to Pinkerton National Detective Agency (पिंकरटन राष्ट्रीय जासूस एजेंसी); Presume – To assume without proof (मान लेना); Make worse – (ओर बदतर, बुरा, खराब कर देना); Imply – To suggest without directly saying it (संकेत करना); Rival – A competitor (प्रतिद्वंदी); Prompted – Encouraged or made to do something (प्रेरित करना या कुछ करने के लिए उकसाना); At all – In any way (बिल्कुल भी, थोड़ा स भी ) Relieved – feel glad because something unpleasant has not happened (चिंतामुक्त) Conclude – To come to a decision (निष्कर्ष निकालना); Deposit – To put money into a bank account (जमा करना); Baron Rothschild – Refers to a wealthy European banking family (प्रसिद्ध और धनी बैंकिंग परिवार); Fairly – Reasonably or to some extent (उचित रूप से); Coldly – In an unemotional way (ठंडे या बेरुखी से); Poked – To push quickly (धकेलना); Convulsive – A sudden, jerky movement (मरोड़ के साथ, अचानक झटकेदार हरकत); Conjuring trick – A magic trick; awkward movements (जादू की चाल; असहज हरकतें); Ghastly pale – Very pale, usually due to fear (अत्यधिक पीला, आमतौर पर डर से); Fit is on us – To do something quickly while the mood is strong (जल्दी करना जब भावना प्रबल हो); Invalid millionaire – A rich person who is unwell, used humorously (बीमार अमीर व्यक्ति); Reckless with misery – Acting carelessly due to sadness (दुःख के कारण लापरवाही से काम करना); Make a plunge – To suddenly decide to do something risky (अचानक जोखिम लेना); Cheque – A written order directing a bank to pay money (चेक, बैंक को भुगतान का आदेश); Withdraw – To take money out of a bank account (पैसे निकालना); Swam before my eyes – Feeling dizzy or confused (चक्कर आना या भ्रमित होना); Roar of laughter – A loud burst of laughter (जोरदार हँसी); Wretched – Very unhappy or miserable (अत्यधिक दुखी); Dryly – In an ironically humorous way (सूखे या व्यंग्यात्मक तरीके से).

Textbook Question and Answers

Time to answer

A. Choose the correct option.

1. What is the theme of the story?

• the tension one feels when going to a bank without any money
• the tension one feels when going to a bank for the first time
• the tension one feels when meeting an accountant for the first time
• the tension one feels when going to a bank for the first time and the apathy of the bank staff in assisting nervous customers

2. The narrator used ‘alone’ when he made a request to meet the manager. Why do you think he did so?

• shows his excitement of being at a bank
• shows his nervousness towards new environment and people
• because he was absentminded
• because he had some secret to discuss with the manager

3. Why did the manager behave coldly with the narrator after he explained the purpose of his visit?

• because the narrator had just come to open an account and make small deposits but made a big show about it
• because the narrator had come to make some enquires about the bank and its
• functioning
• because the narrator wanted some secret information about the bank and its people
• because the narrator was not happy with the functioning of the bank and wanted to withdraw all his money

4. What did the manager mistake the narrator for at first?

• one of Pinkerton’s men
• Mr Montgomery
• a son of Baron Rothschild
• a young Gould

Answers:

1. What is the theme of the story?
   Answer: The tension one feels when going to a bank for the first time and the apathy of the bank staff in assisting nervous customers.
2. The narrator used ‘alone’ when he made a request to meet the manager. Why do you think he did so?
   Answer: Shows his nervousness towards new environment and people.
3. Why did the manager behave coldly with the narrator after he explained the purpose of his visit?
   Answer: Because the narrator had just come to open an account and make small deposits but made a big show about it.
4. What did the manager mistake the narrator for at first?
   Answer: One of Pinkerton’s men.

B. Answer these questions.

1. Describe the feeling that the narrator experienced when he went to a bank.
2. Why was the manager alarmed after meeting the narrator?
3. Point out instances from the story which tell you the narrator was scared while he was in the bank.
4. Why was the clerk alarmed on seeing the cheque?
5. Why did the narrator decide to withdraw all his money?
6. How did the people at the bank react when he walked out through the door?

Answers:

1. Describe the feeling that the narrator experienced when he went to a bank.
   Answer: The narrator felt nervous, confused, and scared. Everything about the bank made him anxious.
2. Why was the manager alarmed after meeting the narrator?
   Answer: The manager thought the narrator was a detective with a secret mission because of his nervous behaviour.
3. Point out instances from the story which tell you the narrator was scared while he was in the bank.
   Answer: The narrator spoke in a shaky voice, asked to meet the manager alone, stepped into the safe by mistake, and pushed the money at the accountant quickly.
4. Why was the clerk alarmed on seeing the cheque?
   Answer: The clerk was alarmed because the narrator had written a cheque to withdraw all his money instead of just six dollars.
5. Why did the narrator decide to withdraw all his money?
   Answer: The narrator was too nervous and embarrassed to explain his mistake, so he decided to take all his money out.
6. How did the people at the bank react when he walked out through the door?
   Answer: The people at the bank laughed loudly as the narrator rushed out.

Another Set of Answers:

1. Describe the feeling that the narrator experienced when he went to a bank.
   Answer: The narrator felt very nervous and scared. Everything in the bank made him anxious, and he felt like an “irresponsible idiot.”
2. Why was the manager alarmed after meeting the narrator?
   Answer: The manager was alarmed because the narrator seemed very mysterious and serious, and the manager thought he might be a detective with a secret.
3. Point out instances from the story which tell you the narrator was scared while he was in the bank.
   Answer: The narrator was scared when he timidly asked to see the manager alone, stepped into the bank’s safe by mistake, and looked ghastly pale. He also nervously handed over his money and made a mistake with the cheque.
4. Why was the clerk alarmed on seeing the cheque?
   Answer: The clerk was alarmed because the narrator had written the cheque for fifty-six dollars instead of six dollars, which was a big mistake.
5. Why did the narrator decide to withdraw all his money?
   Answer: The narrator decided to withdraw all his money because he was embarrassed by his mistake and felt overwhelmed.
6. How did the people at the bank react when he walked out through the door?
   Answer: The people at the bank laughed loudly when the narrator walked out, finding the whole situation very funny.

Reference to the context

Read these lines from the story and answer the questions that follow.

1. ‘Mr Montgomery,’ he said unkindly loud, ‘this gentleman is opening an account. He will deposit fifty-six dollars. Good morning.’

a. What was the speaker’s tone at the beginning of the meeting?
Answer: i. cold

b. Why was the speaker ‘unkindly loud’ here?
Answer: The manager was annoyed because the narrator made a big deal out of a simple deposit, and he wanted to end the meeting quickly.

c. What were the different assumptions of the speaker about the narrator?
Answer: The manager first thought the narrator was a detective, then he assumed the narrator might be someone very rich, like a son of Baron Rothschild.

d. Do you think the speaker sounds indifferent here? Give reasons for your answer.
Answer: Yes, the manager sounds indifferent because he was not interested in helping the nervous narrator and just wanted him to finish quickly.

2. ‘What! Are you drawing it all out again?’

a. What is the tone of the speaker here?
Answer: i. surprised

b. What had the narrator done at this moment in the story?
Answer: The narrator mistakenly wrote a cheque to withdraw all his money instead of just six dollars.

c. Do you think the people at the bank were sympathetic to the problem faced by the narrator? Why or why not?
Answer: No, they were not sympathetic. They found the narrator’s actions funny and were more amused than helpful.

d. Why were the people at the bank helpful at first?
Answer: They were helpful at first because they thought the narrator was important, like a detective or a rich person.

Another Set of Answers:

1. ‘Mr Montgomery’ he said unkindly loud, ‘this gentleman is opening an account. He will deposit fifty-six dollars. Good morning.’

a. What was the speaker’s tone at the beginning of the meeting?
Answer: i. cold

b. Why was the speaker ‘unkindly loud’ here?
Answer: The speaker was ‘unkindly loud’ because he was making a show of the narrator’s account, probably to make the narrator feel more embarrassed and to emphasize the smallness of the deposit.

c. What were the different assumptions of the speaker about the narrator?
Answer: The speaker first thought the narrator was a detective with a secret mission and later assumed he might be very wealthy, like Baron Rothschild or a young Gould.

d. Do you think the speaker sounds indifferent here? Give reasons for your answer.
Answer: Yes, the speaker sounds indifferent because he does not show any sympathy or understanding towards the narrator’s nervousness. Instead, he makes the situation more awkward by being loud and formal.

2. ‘What! Are you drawing it all out again?’

a. What is the tone of the speaker here?
Answer: i. surprised

b. What had the narrator done at this moment in the story?
Answer: The narrator had mistakenly written a cheque to withdraw all his money instead of just six dollars.

c. Do you think the people at the bank were sympathetic to the problem faced by the narrator? Why or why not?
Answer: No, the people at the bank were not sympathetic. They found the situation amusing and laughed at the narrator’s mistake rather than helping him kindly.

d. Why were the people at the bank helpful at first?
Answer: The people at the bank were helpful at first because they were trying to assist the narrator with opening an account, but they became less supportive when they saw his nervousness and mistakes.

Time to think and answer

1. What was it that made the manager think that the narrator had a large amount to deposit?
   Answer: The narrator asked to meet the manager alone in a serious way, making it seem like he had something important or secretive to discuss, which made the manager think he had a large amount to deposit.
2. Why do you think the narrator did not rectify his mistake and go with his decision to withdraw all the money?
   Answer: The narrator was too nervous and embarrassed by his mistake. He felt too shy to correct it, so he decided to take all his money out instead.
3. Do you think the narrator would have gone back to the bank? Why?
   Answer: No, the narrator would not go back because he was very embarrassed by how everything went wrong, and he did not want to face the people at the bank again.
4. Which part of the story did you find the most humorous?
   Answer: The most humorous part was when the narrator mistakenly walked into the bank’s safe, thinking it was the way out, and the manager had to tell him to come out. It shows how confused and scared he was!

Another Set of Answers:

1. What was it that made the manager think that the narrator had a large amount to deposit?
   Answer: The manager thought the narrator had a large amount to deposit because of his nervous and serious behaviour. The manager assumed the narrator might be very rich due to his odd mannerisms and secretive attitude.
2. Why do you think the narrator did not rectify his mistake and go with his decision to withdraw all the money?
   Answer: The narrator did not correct his mistake because he was too nervous and embarrassed to explain what had happened. He was also overwhelmed by the situation and just wanted to get out of the bank quickly.
3. Do you think the narrator would have gone back to the bank? Why?
   Answer: No, the narrator would not have gone back to the bank. He felt humiliated and decided to keep his money in his pocket instead, avoiding any further embarrassment.
4. Which part of the story did you find the most humorous?
   Answer: The most humorous part of the story is when the narrator accidentally steps into the bank’s safe and when he writes a cheque to withdraw all his money instead of just six dollars, causing a big reaction from the bank staff.

Time to study language

Fill in the article a, an or the where necessary. Choose where no article is used.

1. Do you still live in …… Agra?
2. Grandma has …… terrible headache.
3. Their car goes 150 miles …… hour.
4. The tomatoes are forty rupees …… kilo.
5. Kareem’s father works as …… electrician.
6. Where’s …… USB drive I lent you last week?
7. Is your mother working in …… old office building?
8. I like …… blue T-shirt over there better than red one.
9. What do you usually have for …… breakfast?
10. After this tour, you have …… whole afternoon free to explore the city.

Answers:

Here are the sentences with the correct articles filled in:

1. Do you still live in Agra?
2. Grandma has a terrible headache.
3. Their car goes 150 miles an hour.
4. The tomatoes are forty rupees a kilo.
5. Kareem’s father works as an electrician.
6. Where’s the USB drive I lent you last week?
7. Is your mother working in an old office building?
8. I like the blue T-shirt over there better than the red one.
9. What do you usually have for breakfast?
10. After this tour, you have the whole afternoon free to explore the city.

Time to learn new words

Here are a few idioms/sayings related to bank or money. Find out what they mean and make sentences of your own with each.

• bank on ………………………
• laugh all the way to the bank ………………….
• break the bank ……………………….
• turn up like a bad penny …………………
• Money doesn’t grow on trees. ………………………

Answers:

Here are the meanings of the idioms related to banks or money, along with example sentences:

1. Bank on: To depend on something or someone to do what you expect.
   Example Sentence: You can bank on me to help you with your homework.
2. Laugh all the way to the bank: To make a lot of money easily, usually while others are not doing as well.
   Example Sentence: After selling his paintings, the artist was laughing all the way to the bank.
3. Break the bank: To spend all of your money or use up more money than you can afford.
   Example Sentence: Buying that new smartphone will break the bank, so I’ll wait for a discount.
4. Turn up like a bad penny: To appear somewhere, often repeatedly or unexpectedly, in a way that is unwelcome.
   Example Sentence: My old toy turned up like a bad penny when I was cleaning my room.
5. Money doesn’t grow on trees: Money is not easy to get and should not be wasted.
   Example Sentence: My parents always remind me that money doesn’t grow on trees when I ask for new toys.

Study skills

Here are some words related to banking. Match each to its meaning. You can look up a dictionary when in doubt. (See the book for full question)

Answer:

Time to Write:

After acquiring all of the information from the bank, write a letter to the bank manager for opening a bank account. You may use the format given here.

Answer: We are giving sample letters. Feel free to modify the content according to your details!

[Your Address]
[City, State]
[Pin Code]

Date: [DD/MM/YYYY]

The Bank Manager
[Name of the Bank]
[Branch Address]
[City, State]

Subject: Request for Opening a Savings Account

Dear Sir/Madam,

I would like to open a savings account in your esteemed bank. I have filled out the account opening form and enclosed all necessary documents, including a photocopy of my identity proof, PAN card, and two passport-size photographs.

Kindly process my request at the earliest. I look forward to banking with your institution.

Thanking you,

Yours sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Signature]

Another Sample:

[Your Address]
[City, Zip Code]
[Email Address]
[Phone Number]

[Date]

Manager
[Bank’s Name]
[Bank’s Address]
[City, Zip Code]

Subject: Request for Opening a Savings Account

Dear Sir/Madam,

I would like to open a savings account with your bank.

Please find the completed account opening form attached with this letter. I have also enclosed the necessary documents, including a photocopy of my identity proof, PAN card, and 2 passport-size photographs.

Kindly process my application at your earliest convenience.

Thank you for your assistance.

Yours faithfully,
[Your Name]