This document summarizes a story about Private Quelch, nicknamed "The Professor", who irritates his fellow soldiers and officers with his constant showing off of knowledge. During a lesson on gun velocities, the Professor publicly corrects the instructor's numbers. Later, during a lesson on grenades, the Professor interrupts again to give precise details, angering the instructor. As punishment, the Professor is assigned to permanent cookhouse duties, but continues exhibiting his knowledge in annoying ways. His behavior isolates him from his colleagues.

1. By: Alexander Baron
A PowerPoint presentation By:
Mrinal Ghosh, PGT (English)
Umakanta Academy English Medium, Agartala

2. The Man who knew too much
Private Quelch was lanky, stooping and always
frowning through his horn-rimmed spectacles.
For his learning and enormous knowledge, he was
nicknamed as ‘Professor’.
 The Professor embarrassed
the instructors with questions.

3. The Man who knew too much
A Sergeant instructor was giving his first lesson in
musketry defining the muzzle velocity.
He told that a bullet leaves the rifle well over 2000
feet per second.

4. The Man who knew too much

5. The Man who knew too much
Professor corrected him publicly and told him that
the exact speed is 2440 ft. per second.
The Sergeant didn’t take it lightly and to take
revenge, he asked him numerous questions.
Private Quelch’s main
aim was to get a
commission and
for it, he worked
very hard & tried
to impress the
senior officers.

6. The Man who knew too much
Professor always tried to exhibit his knowledge. He
publicly corrected anyone who made a mistake.
His nature irritated his colleagues & infuriated his
senior officers.

7. The Man who knew too much
Corporal Turnbull was a different kind of instructor &
he was not to be trifled with.

8. The Man who knew too much

9. The Man who knew too much
He was explaining
the outside of a
grenade & how
it was divided into
a large number of
fragments.
The Professor
interrupted him.

10. The Man who knew too much
He replied that the exact number was 44.
Corporal Turnbull’s
face was distorted.
He snubbed Professor.
He declared that
the Platoon officer
had nominated him
for permanent
cookhouse duties.

11. The Man who knew too much
It was like a joke for all his fellow soldiers and
professor made himself a stock of laughter.
The Professor was in his element again in the cook
house.
He showed his resentment and protest against the
most unscientific & unhygienic method of peeling
potatoes.
His colleagues could not stand the exhibition of his
knowledge and fled when he would come near them.

12. The Man who knew too much
Some questions and answers:-
Q. 1. How was Private Quelch’s knowledge exposed even further as the Sergeant’s classes
went on ?
Ans. Private Quelch was highly conceited who could not handle his own knowledge. Knowledge, if
used to overshadow and belittle others, can never bring signifcant gains. The same happened the
other day when Sergeant was delivering lecture on hand grenade. Private Quelch interrupted him
again and again by giving additional information on the same subject. After the lecture was over,
the Sergeant assigned him the job of cook house duties to deflate his bloated ego.
Q. 2. What did the ‘Professor ’ mean by ‘intelligent reading’ ?
Ans. By ‘intelligent reading’ the ‘Professor’ meant that apart from the training provided, one needed
to update one’s knowledge with wise reading. Training and personal efforts go hand in hand.
Q. 3. What was the Professor’s ambition in the army ?
Ans. His amibiton was to outshine all his mates. He wanted to get a quick promotion as he felt
himself much better than others.
Q. 4. Did Private Quelch’s day to day practices take him towards his goal ? How can you
make out ?
Ans. Despite the Professor’s consistent hard work to achieve his goal, he did not get an inch
closer to it. All his efforts went down the drain owing to his habit of flaunting his knowledge,
interrupting his superiors and correcting them. This habit made him the more hateful and repulsive.
In spite of all the knowledge, his boastfulness made him undesirable and a man to avoid.

13. The Man who knew too much
Q. 5. Give a description of Corporal Turnbull.
Ans. Corporal Turnbull was a young man but he was not a man to be trifled with. He was
a strict disciplinarian. He couldn’t tolerate any nonsense or any breach of the army code
of conduct. He was not a man to be taken for granted. He used to keep his kitten in his
pocket.
Q. 6. How did Private Quelch manage to anger the corporal ?
Ans. Private Quelch not only interrupted the Corporal rudely by needlessly elaborating
the Corporal’s explanation of
a grenade but he also had the audacity to compare him to another instructor and tell him
how he should deliver his instructions. Such an attitude of Private Quelch angered the
Corporal.
Q. 7. Do you think Private Quelch learnt a lesson when he was chosen for
cookhouse duties ? Give reasons for
your answer.
Ans. No, I don’t think Private Quelch had learnt a lesson when he was chosen for
cookhouse duties. Instead, even there, he continued his habit of lecturing others to show
off his knowledge. He started discussing or say, rebuking against the unhygienic methods
of cooking with those poor fellow, working in kitchen.
Q. 8. There was a change in the attitude of other Privates towards Professor.
Elaborate.
Ans. Private Quelch was a nuisance, a mess and a nagging presence in class. With his
overflowing knowledge on everything under the sun, he corrected his lecturers and made
them go speechless. He interrupted their classes by providing the exact numbers which
his lecturers conveniently overlooked or ignored as they thought minute details
unimportant.