NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Footprints Without Feet Chapter 8 The Hack Driver
NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Chapter 8 The Hack Driver helps students easily understand the story of a young lawyer and the clever character Oliver Lutkins. The Hack Driver question answers clearly explain how the lawyer is fooled while trying to serve a legal summons in the village of New Mullion. Each answer is written in simple language to support quick learning and exam preparation. These solutions improve comprehension, highlight key themes, and help students write accurate answers with confidence in Class 10 English exams.
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Class 10 English Footprints Without Feet Chapter 8 The Hack Driver Questions Answers
Question 1. Why is the lawyer sent to New Mullion? What does he first think about the place?
Answer: The lawyer is sent to New Mullion to serve a summons on a man called Oliver Lutkins. Lutkins was needed as a witness in a law case, but he had ignored all letters from the law firm.
He thinks that New Mullion would be a sweet and simple country village.
Question 2. Who befriends him? Where does he take him?
Answer: Bill Magnuson, who says that he is a delivery man at the station, befriends the lawyer. Bill tells him that Lutkins is a very hard man to catch. Then he offers to help him by going with him to the places where Lutkins usually hangs out at. He takes him to Fritz’s shop, where Lutkins is known to play poker games; then to Gustaf’s shop; Gray’s shop; poolroom; and many other places before finally taking him to Lutkins’ mother’s farm.
Question 3. What does he say about Lutkins?
Answer: He says that Lutkins is a hard fellow to catch and is always up to something or the other. Lutkins owed a lot of money to people and never paid them back. Lutkins plays poker a lot. Bill also tells the lawyer that Lutkins is very good at deceiving people.
Read and Find Out (Page No. 50)
Question 1. What more does Bill say about Lutkins and his family?
Answer: Bill says that he knows Lutkins’ mother. He says that she is a terror. He shared the incident where he had gone to her farm to deliver a trunk, and she almost took his skin off because he did not carry it as tenderly as one would carry a box of eggs. He said that she was about nine feet tall and four feet thick. She was very quick and could talk a lot.
He also said Lutkins must have heard about them chasing him and, thus, would have come to hide behind his mother’s skirts.
Question 2. Does the narrator serve the summons that day?
Answer: No, the narrator is not able to serve the summons that day.
Question 3. Who is Lutkins?
Answer: The hack driver, Bill Magnuson, himself is Lutkins. He deceives the lawyer the entire day so as to avoid receiving the summons from him to be a witness.
Think About It
Question 1. When the lawyer reached New Mullion, did ‘Bill’ know that he was looking for Lutkins? When do you think Bill came up with his plan for fooling the lawyer?
Answer: When the lawyer reached New Mullion, ‘Bill’ did not know that he was looking for Lutkins. He found it by talking to the lawyer and taking him into his confidence.
Bill came up with his plan to fool the lawyer as soon as he got to know that the lawyer was looking out for Lutkins, and he did not know Lutkins by face.
Question 2. Lutkins openly takes the lawyer all over the village. How is it that no one lets out the secret? (Hint: Notice that the hack driver asks the lawyer to keep out of sight behind him when they go into Fritz’s.) Can you find other such subtle ways in which Lutkins manipulates the tour?
Answer: Lutkins openly takes the lawyer all over the village, but no one lets out the secret. He never lets the lawyer talk to the village people at first. It is always he who approaches them. He keeps telling the lawyer how deceiving Lutkins is and scares him of Lutkins’ mother. The villagers and Lutkins’ mother also join him in deceiving the lawyer.
Question 3. Why do you think Lutkins’ neighbours were anxious to meet the lawyer?
Answer: Lutkins’ neighbours were anxious to meet the lawyer because they were the only ones who did not get a chance to meet the lawyer, who was fooled by Lutkins for an entire day. Everybody else in the village had witnessed the lawyer being deceived by Lutkins.
Question 4. After his first day’s experience with the hack driver, the lawyer thinks of returning to New Mullion to practise law. Do you think he would have reconsidered this idea after his second visit?
Answer: No, I don’t think he would have considered this idea after his second visit. After his first visit, he was quite positive about the people of New Mullion. He thought that Bill was so nice and helpful to a stranger, and so would the rest of the villagers.
On the second visit to New Mullion, he realizes that he was deceived by ‘Bill’ for an entire day. He kept searching for Lutkins with Lutkins himself. He was now made fun of by the people of the village. He would never think of visiting New Mullions again.
Question 5. Do you think the lawyer was gullible? How could he have avoided being taken for a ride?
Answer: Yes, the lawyer was a gullible and inexperienced man. There are multiple things that he could have done to avoid being taken for a ride and made fun of. He could have tried to find out how the witness he was going in search of, i.e., Lutkins looked. He could have spoken to other people at the station and interrogated them about Lutkins rather than believing one person who appeared to be overly friendly and was a total stranger to the lawyer. Also, he should have been the one to interrogate the whereabouts of Lutkins while visiting the places where Lutkins mostly hangs out.
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Detailed NCERT Solutions and the hack driver question answers
The story of "The Hack Driver" is a funny but important lesson for students. A young lawyer travels to a village to find a witness named Oliver Lutkins. He meets a hacker who calls himself Bill. Bill says he will help the lawyer find Lutkins. They spend all day looking for him in many places. They go to Fritz's shop, Gustaf’s barber shop, Gray’s shop, and even to Lutkins' mother’s farm.
You should know that Bill was actually Lutkins himself! He played a big joke on the lawyer. The lawyer was very simple and trusted Bill too much. We see that even educated people can be fooled if they are too gullible. This chapter teaches us not to trust strangers blindly. By reading the hack driver question answer pdf, you can understand how Lutkins used his wit to avoid the law.
Why was the lawyer sent to New Mullion?
The lawyer worked as a junior assistant clerk in a big law firm. He didn't like his job because he had to serve summons to people in dirty parts of the city. One day, his office sent him to New Mullion. He had to serve a summons to Oliver Lutkins. Lutkins was a witness in a very important case. The firm needed him to come to court, but he was ignoring all their letters. The lawyer was happy to go because he thought the village would be a sweet and simple place. But when he arrived, he saw muddy streets and dull shops.
Who befriends the lawyer at the station?
When the lawyer reached the station, he met a hack driver. This man was about forty years old. He had a red face and looked very cheerful. He told the lawyer his name was Bill Magnuson. Bill was very friendly and won the lawyer’s trust quickly. He told the lawyer that Lutkins was a hard man to catch and owed money to many people. Bill offered to drive the lawyer around the village in his hack to find Lutkins. He charged the lawyer two dollars every hour for this help.
Where did Bill take the lawyer to find Lutkins?
Bill took the lawyer to many different spots in the village. First, they went to Fritz’s shop because Lutkins liked to play poker there. Bill went inside alone so Lutkins wouldn't get scared and run away. Then they went to Gustaf’s and Gray’s barber shops. Then they went to the pool room. Bill told stories about Lutkins at every stop. He said Lutkins was always "just a minute" ahead. Finally, they went to the farm of Lutkins' mother. Bill said she was a "terror" and very tall. She even chased them with a hot iron rod!
Why did the lawyer fail to serve the summons?
The lawyer failed because he let Bill lead the way. He didn't talk to the villagers himself. Instead, he stayed behind Bill. He didn't know that everyone in the village was helping Bill fool him. Even the people in the shops were in on the joke. The lawyer enjoyed his day and even liked the lunch Bill got from his wife. He was so impressed by Bill’s kindness that he didn't focus on his work. In the end, he had to go back without finding Lutkins. His boss was very angry with him.
Who was Oliver Lutkins in reality?
The big surprise is that the hack driver was Oliver Lutkins. He used the name "Bill" to hide his identity. He knew the lawyer had never seen him. So, he spent the whole day "searching" for himself! He even took the lawyer to his mother's house. When the lawyer returned the next day with a colleague who knew Lutkins, the truth came out. Lutkins and his mother laughed at the lawyer like he was a seven-year-old boy. This shows how a clever country man outsmarted a city lawyer.
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The hack driver question answer seba and Board Style Questions
Many students look for the hack driver question answer seba to prepare for board exams. These questions often ask about the character of the lawyer and Bill.
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Character of the Lawyer: He is a simple and trusting man. He hates the city and loves the idea of a simple village life. However, he is not very smart at his job. A stranger easily fools him.
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Character of Bill (Lutkins): He is very clever and funny. He knows how to talk to people and win their trust. He is also a bit of a cheat because he charges the lawyer money for the ride and the food while playing a prank on him.
By studying the hack driver question answer class 10, you can learn these traits easily. We suggest you write these points in your exam to get high marks.
Important points from the hack driver question answer extra sections:
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The lawyer felt ashamed after finding out the truth.
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The villagers enjoyed the joke played on the city man.
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Lutkins' mother was a bulky and quick woman.
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The lawyer wanted to start his legal practice in New Mullion before he knew he was duped.
Benefits of PW Class 10 Study Material
NCERT-Based Syllabus
PW Class 10 study material strictly follows the latest NCERT syllabus and CBSE exam pattern for accurate learning.
Simple & Clear Explanations
All topics are explained in easy language with examples to help students understand quickly.
Strong Concept Foundation
The material builds clear fundamentals, which are important for board exams and future studies.
Practice & Revision Support
Chapter-wise questions, NCERT solutions, and revision notes help students practise regularly and score better in exams.
Also Check, CBSE Class 10 Previous Year Papers
NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Footprints Without Feet Chapter 8 FAQs
Q1. Why did the lawyer hate his work at the firm?
He hated it because he had to serve summons in the city's dirty and dangerous areas. Sometimes people he went to see even beat him. He wanted to be a real lawyer and prepare legal papers.
Q2. Did Bill really want to help the lawyer?
No, Bill didn't want to help. He was Oliver Lutkins himself and wanted to avoid getting the summons. He also wanted to make some money by charging the lawyer for the hack ride and the lunch.
Q3. How did Lutkins' mother treat the lawyer?
She treated him very badly. She shouted at them and said she didn't know where her son was. She even ran after them with a hot iron rod from the stove to scare them away.
Q4. What did the lawyer think of the village after his first visit?
He loved the village. He thought people were very nice and helpful. He even planned to leave his city job and start working as a lawyer in New Mullion.
