Chapter- 4.4                  My Financial Career


1. Why did the author go to the bank?


Answer: The author went to the bank because he wanted to withdraw a small amount of money—specifically six dollars—for his immediate personal use.


2. Who gave the author a check-book?


Answer: A bank employee handed the author a check-book through a small opening, or wicket, when he asked for one.


3. Why was someone explaining how to fill the cheque?


Answer: Another bank employee began explaining how to fill out the cheque because the author was unfamiliar with the proper method of writing a cheque.


4. What impression did the bank staff have about the author?


Answer: The bank staff mistakenly assumed that the author was a wealthy, physically weak or sick millionaire because of the way he behaved and carried himself.


5. What mistake did the author make on the cheque?


Answer: The author accidentally wrote “fifty-six dollars” instead of “six dollars,” which completely changed the amount he intended to withdraw.


6. What did the clerk ask when he saw the cheque?


Answer: The clerk looked at the cheque with surprise and asked, “What! Are you drawing it all out again?” indicating disbelief at the large amount.


7. Why was the author unable to explain the mistake?


Answer: The author was so nervous, embarrassed, and confused that he could not gather enough courage or clarity to explain the simple mistake he had made on the cheque.


8. Why did all the clerks stop writing?


Answer: All the clerks stopped their work and turned to look at the author because they were puzzled and shocked by his unusual behaviour and the amount he was withdrawing.


9. What did the author decide when he realized he wrote “fifty-six”?


Answer: When the author realized his mistake, he felt too overwhelmed to correct it, so he recklessly decided to withdraw the full amount instead of the intended six dollars.


10. How did the author respond when asked if he was withdrawing everything?


Answer: The author replied, “Yes, the whole thing,” pretending that withdrawing the entire amount was his intention all along.


11. What did the clerk ask about future deposits?


Answer: The clerk asked the author whether he planned to deposit any more money in the bank in the future, expecting a reasonable explanation.


12. What was the author’s reply about future deposits?


Answer: The author, still acting angry and confused, firmly replied, “Never,” as if he had decided to stop using the bank completely.


13. Why did the author pretend to have a quick temper?


Answer: The author pretended to be a man with a violent and quick temper because he hoped the bank staff would think he was angry rather than incompetent.


14. What hope did the author have while acting angry?


Answer: He hoped that the staff might assume something had upset or insulted him while he was writing the cheque, causing him to withdraw all his money suddenly.


15. What did the clerk ask while preparing to pay the money?


Answer: As he prepared to give the money, the clerk asked the author how he would like to receive it—that is, in what denominations.


16. Why did the author not understand the question at first?


Answer: Because the author was too anxious and flustered to think clearly, he failed to understand that the clerk was asking about the form of the notes.


17. In what form did the author ask for the money?


Answer: Without thinking, the author said he wanted the money “in fifties,” meaning he wanted a fifty-dollar bill.


18. What did the clerk give the author first?


Answer: Following the author’s request, the clerk handed him a fifty-dollar bill.


19. What did the clerk ask dryly afterward?


Answer: The clerk dryly asked, “And the six?” to clarify how the remaining six dollars should be given.


20. How did the author ask for the six dollars?


Answer: Still not thinking clearly, the author replied, “In sixes,” even though such a denomination does not really exist.


21. What did the author do after receiving the money?


Answer: After getting the money, the author quickly rushed out of the bank, desperate to escape the embarrassing situation.


22. How did the author feel as the big doors swung behind him?


Answer: As the big doors closed behind him, the author felt relieved that he had finally gotten out of the bank and away from the humiliation.


23. What prevented the author from correcting his cheque?


Answer: The author’s intense fear, nervousness, and embarrassment made him feel that correcting the mistake would be impossible.


24. What was the author “too far gone” to do?


Answer: He was too far gone—too nervous and overwhelmed—to reason logically or explain the situation properly.


25. Why was the situation impossible to explain for him?


Answer: The author felt it was impossible to explain because all eyes were on him, and his anxiety made him incapable of giving a simple explanation.


26. What did the clerks likely think about his behaviour?


Answer: The clerks probably thought he was an impatient, hot-tempered customer who was withdrawing his money out of anger.


27. What shows the author's lack of banking experience?


Answer: The fact that he did not even know how to fill out a cheque properly clearly shows his inexperience with banking procedures.


28. What made the author take a reckless decision?


Answer: His nervousness, confusion, and the fear of being embarrassed in front of all the clerks pushed him into making a reckless decision to withdraw everything.


29. How did the clerk react throughout the incident?


Answer: The clerk reacted with a mixture of surprise, confusion, and dry humour, especially when the author asked for money “in sixes.”


30. What lesson can be learned from the author’s experience?


Answer: The experience teaches that nervousness can turn a small mistake into a much bigger problem, and that remaining calm and explaining mistakes clearly is always the best approach.

Answer by Dimpee Bora