R. H. Wood | XII English
1. How do Mrs Smith and Mrs Jones differ in their behaviour?
Mrs Smith is organised and considerate. She has already posted her Christmas cards and presents. Mrs Jones brings her parcels late but demands careful handling. She becomes rude when the Assistant suggests posting earlier. Their contrasting behaviour shows the different kinds of customers the Assistant must serve patiently.
2. How does the Old Gentleman create humour in the play?
The Old Gentleman creates humour through his difficulty in hearing. When the Assistant asks for his pension book, he hears “cook”. Further confusion follows over words such as “bed” and “Ted”. Instead of recognising his own hearing difficulty, he suggests that the Assistant is deaf. This unexpected response makes the scene especially funny.
3. Describe the confusion caused by the Fussy Old Lady.
The Fussy Old Lady enters the post office to enquire about her injured cat, Tiddles. She has mistaken the post office for the animal clinic. The Assistant patiently explains her mistake. Before leaving, the lady buys a stamp. Her misplaced concern and the Old Gentleman’s advice about cats add to the comedy.
4. What role does Farmer Brown play in spreading panic?
Farmer Brown reads a newspaper report about a time bomb disguised as a Christmas parcel. His warning makes the Assistant anxious. Later, when the customers hear ticking from the tourist’s parcel, he declares that it contains a bomb. His confident claim encourages everyone to accept an untested assumption and turns suspicion into panic.
5. How do Mrs Higgins and Bertie provide humour?
Mrs Higgins tries to control Bertie while completing her business at the post office. Bertie fidgets, touches the scales and repeatedly asks for a toy engine and an ice cream. Their conversation also contains funny mistakes in language. The contrast between the commanding mother and the persistent child makes their scenes entertaining.
6. Explain the humour in Mrs Higgins’s grammar lesson.
Mrs Higgins corrects Bertie when he says, “I seed ’em.” Bertie changes it to “I sawed ’em”, and she accepts this incorrect form. The correct expression is “I saw them.” The humour comes from her attempt to teach grammar when her own understanding is faulty. Bertie’s confusion between “grammar” and “grandma” adds further comedy.
7. Why does the tourist’s parcel become an object of suspicion?
The tourist brings a heavy, carefully packed parcel and asks whether it will remain safe and unopened. Later, Bertie hears ticking from it. Farmer Brown connects the sound with the newspaper report about a parcel bomb. The customers interpret the tourist’s ordinary concern for his gift as suspicious and assume that the parcel is dangerous.
8. Describe the panic caused by the ticking parcel.
When the customers hear ticking, Farmer Brown declares that the parcel contains a time bomb. Bertie goes to fetch a policeman. The Assistant offers to carry the parcel outside, but Farmer Brown stops her. Everyone takes cover behind furniture. The Old Gentleman, who misunderstands the situation, thinks they are playing hide-and-seek.
9. How does the Policeman handle the suspected bomb?
The Policeman initially doubts the story and suspects Bertie of mischief. After hearing the ticking himself, he begins investigating. The Assistant brings water at Farmer Brown’s suggestion. When the ticking suddenly stops, the Policeman believes an explosion is about to happen and throws the parcel into the water. His action ruins the tourist’s gift.
10. What happens when the tourist returns to the post office?
The tourist returns to collect his forgotten gloves. Farmer Brown identifies him as the person who posted the suspicious parcel. The Policeman questions him and starts opening it despite his protests. After the parcel is thrown into water, the tourist retrieves it and reveals a large Swiss clock. Angry at the damage, he threatens legal action and a complaint.
11. How does the discovery of the clock create a surprise ending?
The ticking leads everyone to expect a dangerous bomb. However, the parcel contains an ordinary Swiss clock intended as a Christmas present. This discovery suddenly changes the meaning of everything that happened earlier. The customers’ fear becomes foolishness, while the tourist’s concern proves reasonable. The audience laughs, although the damaged gift represents a real loss.
12. Prepare a character sketch of the Assistant.
The Assistant is polite, patient and responsible. She deals with rude customers, confused enquiries and repeated interruptions while managing the Christmas rush. During the bomb scare, she even offers to carry the parcel outside. However, the customers’ foolish behaviour finally exhausts her patience. Her decision to work at the animal dispensary provides the play’s final joke.
13. Why does the Assistant decide to leave her job?
The Assistant becomes tired of dealing with unreasonable customers and constant misunderstandings. The panic over the harmless clock is the final disappointment. She decides to leave the post office and work at the animal dispensary because she believes animals do not behave so foolishly. Her decision humorously expresses the difficulties faced by people working in public service.
14. What are the main sources of humour in the play?
The play creates humour through mishearing, wordplay, mistaken identity and exaggerated reactions. The Old Gentleman confuses similar-sounding words, while Bertie and Mrs Higgins make amusing language mistakes. The Fussy Old Lady enters the wrong place. The panic over the ticking parcel and the discovery of the clock produce situational comedy and a surprising ending.
15. Explain the significance of the title Post Early for Christmas.
The title refers to the familiar advice to send Christmas cards and parcels early. It establishes the festive setting and connects with the contrast between Mrs Smith and Mrs Jones. The busy post office brings different customers together and creates opportunities for misunderstanding. The practical posting slogan therefore provides a suitable background for the play’s comic events.
16. What message does the play convey about hasty judgement?
The play shows how fear can make people accept assumptions without checking facts. Farmer Brown’s newspaper report influences everyone’s interpretation of the ticking parcel. They quickly decide that it contains a bomb. Their actions damage an innocent tourist’s gift. Through comedy, the play encourages careful thinking, clear communication and responsible judgement.]
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[Prepared by Sindhu P,HSST English,GGHSS Kallai]