Important Questions Class 11 English Woven Words Chapter 8 Prose The Luncheon 2026-27

The Luncheon by William Somerset Maugham is a humorous story about an expensive meal, social pressure and quiet embarrassment.
For CBSE Class 11 English, this prose chapter helps students understand irony, first-person narration, self-mockery and character contrast.

The Luncheon is Chapter 8 Prose in Class 11 English Woven Words. The story is written by William Somerset Maugham and is narrated by a writer who remembers an expensive luncheon in Paris. As a young man with limited money, he agrees to meet a woman admirer at Foyot’s, a restaurant far beyond his means.

Use these Important Questions Class 11 English Woven Words Chapter 8 Prose to revise direct answers, vocabulary, irony, humour, first-person narration and textbook-based questions for the 2026-27 exams. Focus on the narrator’s financial anxiety, the woman’s contradictory eating habits, the costly dishes and the final revenge.

Key Takeaways

• Narrator: The narrator was living in Paris and had only eighty francs for the rest of the month.
• Restaurant: Foyot’s was an expensive restaurant where French senators ate.
• Irony: The woman repeatedly said she ate very little, but ordered expensive dishes.
• Ending: The narrator’s revenge comes when the woman weighs twenty-one stone years later.

Struggling with prose answers, irony and character-based questions?
Access interactive practice, live doubt-solving sessions, and complete NCERT solutions on the Extramarks Learning App. Sign Up Free

Very Short Answer Questions Class 11 English Woven Words Chapter 8 Prose - The Luncheon

These questions test direct facts from the story. They help students revise the setting, narrator, woman and main events quickly.

Q1. Who is the author of “The Luncheon”?

Answer: William Somerset Maugham is the author of “The Luncheon.”

He was a British author known for clear storytelling and sharp observation of people.

Q2. Where was the narrator living twenty years ago?

Answer: The narrator was living in Paris twenty years ago.

He had a tiny apartment in the Latin Quarter overlooking a cemetery.

Q3. Where did the woman want to have luncheon?

Answer: The woman wanted to have luncheon at Foyot’s.

Foyot’s was an expensive restaurant where French senators ate.

Q4. Why was Foyot’s beyond the narrator’s means?

Answer: Foyot’s was beyond the narrator’s means because he was earning very little.

He had barely enough money to keep body and soul together.

Q5. How much money did the narrator have for the rest of the month?

Answer: The narrator had eighty francs for the rest of the month.

He believed a modest luncheon would not cost more than fifteen francs.

Q6. What did the woman repeatedly say about luncheon?

Answer: The woman repeatedly said that she never ate much for luncheon.

Her words are ironic because she kept ordering costly dishes.

Q7. What did the narrator order for himself?

Answer: The narrator ordered a mutton chop for himself.

It was the cheapest dish on the menu.

Q8. What did the woman weigh twenty years later?

Answer: The woman weighed twenty-one stone twenty years later.

The narrator sees this as his final revenge.

Vocabulary and Objective Questions Class 11 English Woven Words Chapter 8 Prose - The Luncheon

Vocabulary and objective questions help students understand the story’s tone. Many words in the chapter reveal embarrassment, pretence, humour and irony.

Q9. What does “vindictive” mean in the context of the story?

Answer: “Vindictive” means wanting revenge.

The narrator says he does not believe he is vindictive, but he feels pleased when he sees the woman’s later condition.

Q10. What does “mortifying” mean in the story?

Answer: “Mortifying” means deeply embarrassing or humiliating.

The narrator thinks it would be mortifying if he could not pay the bill and had to borrow money from his guest.

Q11. Fill in the blank: “If I cut out ______ for the next two weeks I could manage well enough.”

Answer: coffee.

The narrator thinks he can afford the luncheon if he avoids coffee for the next two weeks.

Q12. True or False: The narrator was financially comfortable when he took the woman to Foyot’s.

Answer: False.

The narrator was not financially comfortable. He had only eighty francs for the rest of the month.

Q13. Choose the correct answer: The woman’s advice at the end is ironic because ______.

1. a) she paid the bill
   b) she did not eat anything
   c) she had eaten many expensive things
   d) she disliked Foyot’s

Answer: c) she had eaten many expensive things.

She advises the narrator never to eat more than one thing, though she herself has ordered several costly items.

Short Answer Questions Class 11 English Woven Words Chapter 8 Prose - The Luncheon

Short answer questions focus on the narrator’s anxiety and the woman’s behaviour. The story’s humour grows from the gap between what the woman says and what she does.

Q14. Why did the narrator agree to take the woman to Foyot’s?

Answer: The narrator agreed because he was flattered and too young to say no to a woman.

The woman had read his book and written to him. When she asked for luncheon at Foyot’s, he could not refuse, even though the restaurant was expensive.

Q15. What impression did the woman make on the narrator when he first met her?

Answer: The woman appeared imposing rather than attractive.

She was around forty, talkative, and had large white teeth. The narrator was ready to listen because she seemed interested in talking about him.

Q16. Why was the narrator startled when the bill of fare was brought?

Answer: The narrator was startled because the prices were much higher than he had expected.

He had calculated that a modest luncheon might cost fifteen francs, but the menu showed him that the meal could become very expensive.

Q17. Why did the narrator’s heart sink when caviare was ordered?

Answer: The narrator’s heart sank because he knew he could not afford caviare.

Still, he could not tell the woman this directly. To keep up his politeness, he ordered it for her.

Q18. Why did panic seize the narrator when asparagus was ordered?

Answer: Panic seized the narrator because asparagus was horribly expensive.

By then he was no longer worried only about the month’s money. He was worried whether he had enough to pay the bill.

Q19. How did the woman’s words about eating contrast with her actions?

Answer: The woman kept saying that she ate very little, but her actions proved the opposite.

She ordered salmon, caviare, champagne, asparagus, ice-cream, coffee and peaches. This contradiction creates the story’s irony.

Q20. Why did the narrator leave the restaurant with no money?

Answer: The narrator left the restaurant with no money because the luncheon cost almost all he had.

After paying the bill and leaving a small tip, he had the whole month ahead of him and not a penny in his pocket.

Textbook-Based Questions Class 11 English Woven Words Chapter 8 Prose - The Luncheon

These questions are based on the Woven Words textbook sections. They need clear explanation with references from the story.

Q21. Although the author was not a vindictive man, why was he happy to see the twenty-one stone lady?

Answer: The author was happy because he felt that fate had finally avenged his old suffering.

Twenty years earlier, the woman had taken him to an expensive luncheon that he could barely afford. She ordered several costly items while claiming that she ate very little. The narrator was left with no money for the rest of the month.

When he meets her years later and sees that she weighs twenty-one stone, he feels a sense of comic revenge. He does not take revenge himself, but he observes the result with satisfaction.

Q22. Why does the author use expressions like “my heart sank” and “panic seized me”?

Answer: The author uses these expressions to show the narrator’s financial anxiety.

“My heart sank” is used when the woman orders expensive items like caviare and asparagus. “Panic seized me” appears when the narrator begins to fear that he may not have enough money to pay the bill.

These expressions also create humour. The meal is socially polite on the outside, but inside the narrator is terrified about the cost.

Q23. Locate and explain instances of irony in the story.

Answer: The main irony lies in the woman’s repeated claim that she eats very little.

She says she never eats more than one thing, but orders salmon, caviare, champagne, asparagus, ice-cream, coffee and peaches. Another ironic moment comes when she advises the narrator not to eat too much, even though he has ordered only a cheap mutton chop.

The ending is also ironic. The narrator, who suffered because of her appetite, later sees her weighing twenty-one stone and feels he has had his revenge.

Q24. How does the narrator keep up the pretence of friendliness while worrying about the expense of the luncheon?

Answer: The narrator keeps up the pretence of friendliness by remaining polite and hospitable.

He orders the dishes the woman asks for, even when he knows they are costly. He does not openly show his fear. He listens while she talks about art, literature and music, though his mind is on the bill.

His outward friendliness and inner anxiety create humour. The reader knows what the woman does not know: the narrator is almost financially ruined by the meal.

Q25. How does the first-person narrative heighten the literary effect of the story?

Answer: The first-person narrative makes the story more humorous and personal.

The narrator directly shares his thoughts, embarrassment and calculations with the reader. We see his fear when expensive dishes are ordered and his helpless politeness during the luncheon.

This point of view also allows self-mockery. The narrator laughs at his younger self for being unable to refuse the woman and for trying to maintain dignity in a difficult situation.

Long Answer Questions Class 11 English Woven Words Chapter 8 Prose - The Luncheon

Long answers should explain humour, irony, character and narrative style. Support each answer with clear references from the story.

Q26. Discuss the use of humour and irony in “The Luncheon.”

Answer: “The Luncheon” uses humour and irony to present an awkward social situation.

The narrator is a young writer with very little money. He agrees to take a woman to Foyot’s, an expensive restaurant. He expects a modest meal, but the woman keeps ordering costly dishes.

The humour comes from his helpless politeness. He cannot refuse her requests, so he silently calculates the bill and worries about the money. His comments about cutting out coffee and possibly leaving his watch create comic tension.

The irony lies in the woman’s repeated claim that she eats little. In reality, she eats several expensive items. The final irony comes when she weighs twenty-one stone years later, giving the narrator a sense of revenge.

Q27. Describe the narrator’s mental state during the luncheon.

Answer: The narrator’s mental state during the luncheon is anxious, embarrassed and helpless.

At first, he is flattered and hopeful that the luncheon will be modest. When he sees the menu, he becomes nervous because the prices are high. His heart sinks when caviare is ordered. Panic seizes him when asparagus is ordered.

He keeps calculating the bill in his mind while pretending to be polite. He cannot enjoy the meal because he worries whether he has enough money to pay. His fear increases when more items are ordered.

The narrator’s mental state creates much of the story’s humour. He suffers silently while keeping up social manners.

Q28. Describe the woman’s personality as shown through her words and actions.

Answer: The woman is talkative, imposing, self-centred and unaware of the narrator’s difficulty.

She claims that she never eats more than one thing for luncheon, but keeps ordering expensive dishes. She chooses salmon, caviare, champagne, asparagus, ice-cream, coffee and peaches. Her actions contradict her words.

She also criticises the narrator’s choice of meat and advises him not to overload his stomach. This makes her appear hypocritical and comic. She is not shown as deliberately cruel, but she is careless about the narrator’s financial situation.

Through her, Maugham creates humour based on social pressure and contradiction.

Q29. Explain how the luncheon becomes a financially painful experience for the narrator.

Answer: The luncheon becomes financially painful because the narrator has very little money and the restaurant is expensive.

He has only eighty francs for the rest of the month. He believes that a modest luncheon will cost around fifteen francs. But the woman orders costly dishes one after another.

The narrator orders the cheapest dish for himself, but he pays for salmon, caviare, champagne, asparagus, ice-cream, coffee and peaches. By the time he pays the bill, he has only enough for a small tip.

He leaves the restaurant with no money for the rest of the month. This makes the luncheon a painful memory wrapped in humour.

Q30. Explain the ending of the story and the narrator’s idea of revenge.

Answer: The ending shows the narrator’s comic sense of revenge.

Twenty years after the luncheon, the narrator meets the woman again. He remembers how she had impoverished him with the costly meal. He says he does not believe he is vindictive, but he feels pleased when he sees the result of time.

The woman now weighs twenty-one stone. This weight becomes a humorous punishment for someone who once claimed that she ate very little. The narrator does not harm her, but he feels that fate has repaid his suffering.

The ending is funny because the revenge is indirect, unexpected and ironic.

Class 11 English Woven Words Short Stories Chapter Wise Important Questions