Page 139 - English Expedition Class 6

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The Guinea Pig 1

Have you ever been in a situation where you were too astonished to react? Sometimes we fi nd
ourselves in situations that are very hard to come to terms with. The customer in this play faces an
absurd situation while dining in a restaurant. Let’s read to fi nd out how he reacted and dealt with it.
2

CHARACTERS

MAN WAITER

(A man is seated at a table in a restaurant with a bowl of soup. He calls the waiter.)

MAN : WAITER!
WAITER : (Th e waiter notices him but does not come to the table. Instead, he yells from across the
restaurant.) YES?

MAN : (Rather afraid to disturb the other customers, but he too yells across the restaurant to the
waiter.) Umm, there seems to be an animal in my soup!

WAITER : What kind of animal, sir?

3
MAN : Err . . . a hamster .
WAITER : I think you are mistaken, sir. You say there is a hamster in your soup?
MAN : Yes. I’d like a new bowl of soup, please!

WAITER : I’m sure if you look again, you’ll see you’ve made a mistake.

MAN : LOOK! I know I’ve made no mistake about it! Th ere is a small furry hamster drinking
my soup. Now would you please bring me a new bowl of soup!
(Th e waiter approaches the man.)

1 guinea pig: a tailless animal with short ears, often used 2 absurd: completely ridiculous; without any logic or sense
in scientifi c experiments or kept as a pet. The term 3 hamster: a mouse-like animal with large cheek pouches
also refers to a person or thing used as a subject for to store food in
experiment.
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