Questions and answers.. (It’s incomplete now. All answers will be posted by September 15)
Thinking about the Text
I. Answer these questions.
- “At last a sympathetic audience.”
(i) Who says this? Ans ..Gerrard said this.
(ii) Why does he say it? Ans .. Gerrard’s intention was to engage the intruder in some sort of conversation. So, he offered to narrate his past life.
(iii) Is he sarcastic or serious? Ans .. Gerrard was serious.
- Why does the intruder choose Gerrard as the man whose identity he wants to take on? Ans .. Gerrard led a secluded life. Hardly anyone in the locality knew him by face. His body seemed similar to that of Gerrard. So, the intruder felt that he could identify himself as Gerrard after killing him. Thus, he could evade the police who were hot on his trails.
- “I said it with bullets.”
(i) Who says this? Ans .. Gerrard said this to the intruder.
(ii) What does it mean? Ans .. It means that Gerrard had committed a murder earlier.
(iii) Is it the truth? What is the speaker’s reason for saying this? Ans .. Yes, this is true. The speaker divulges his criminal past and explains why he has been on the run. So, the speaker explains that impersonating him would be futile.
- What is Gerrard’s profession? Quote the parts of the play that support your answer. Ans.. Gerrard was a gangster with a gang as accomplices.
- “You’ll soon stop being smart.”
(i) Who says this? Ans .. The intruder said this.
(ii) Why does the speaker say it? Ans .. He was hinting that he would soon shoot Gerrard dead.
(iii) What according to the speaker will stop Gerrard from being smart? Ans … When the intruder says that he has committed far too many serious crimes in the past, Gerrard becomes subdued. He understands that the intruder could shoot him dead. Gerrard becomes serious from then on.
- “They can’t hang me twice.”
(i) Who says this?
(ii) Why does the speaker say it?
- “A mystery I propose to explain.” What is the mystery the speaker proposes to explain?
- “This is your big surprise.”
(i) Where has this been said in the play?
(ii) What is the surprise?
Thinking about Language
- Consult your dictionary and choose the correct word from the pairs given in brackets.
- The (site, cite) of the accident was (ghastly/ghostly). Site, Ghastly
- Our college (principle/principal) is very strict. Principal
- I studied (continuously/continually) for eight hours. Continuously
- The fog had an adverse (affect/effect) on the traffic. Effect
- Cezanne, the famous French painter, was a brilliant (artist/artiste). Artiste
- The book that you gave me yesterday is an extraordinary (collage/college) of science fiction and mystery. Collage
- Our school will (host/hoist) an exhibition on cruelty to animals and wildlife conservation. Host
- Screw the lid tightly onto the top of the bottle and (shake/shape) well before using the contents. Shake
- Irony is when we say one thing but mean another, usually the opposite of what we say. When someone makes a mistake and you say, “Oh! that was clever!”, that is irony. You’re saying ‘clever‘ to mean ‘not clever’. Expressions we often use in an ironic fashion are:
- Oh, wasn’t that clever!/Oh that was clever!
- You have been a great help, I must say!
- You’ve got yourself into a lovely mess, haven’t you?
- Oh, very funny!/ How funny! We use a slightly different tone of voice when we use these words ironically.
sympathetic audience! He pretends that the intruder wants
to listen to him, whereas actually
the intruder wants to find out
information for his own use.
Dictionary Use
A word can mean different things in different contexts. Look at these three
sentences:
• The students are taught to respect different cultures.
• The school is organising a cultural show.
• His voice is cultured.
In the first sentence, ‘culture’ (noun) means way of life; in the second, ‘cultural’
(adjective) means connected with art, literature and music; and in the third,
‘cultured’ (verb) means sophisticated, well mannered. Usually a dictionary helps
you identify the right meaning by giving you signposts.
Look at the dictionary entry on ‘culture’ from Oxford Advanced Learner’s
Dictionary, 2005.
(Noun, verb, adjective, adverb, synonyms, etc. are signposts which help you
locate the right meaning and usage, and give information about the part of
speech that the word is.)
Look up the dictionary entries for the words sympathy, familiarity, comfort, care,
and surprise. Use the information given in the dictionary and complete the table.
Noun Adjective Adverb Verb Meaning
sympathy
familiarity
comfort
care
surprise
Speaking
1. Imagine you are Gerrard. Tell your friend what happened when the Intruder
broke into your house.
[Clues : Describe (i) the intruder — his appearance, the way he spoke, his
plan, his movements, etc., (ii) how you outwitted him.]
2. Enact the play in the class. Pay special attention to words given in italics
before a dialogue. These words will tell you whether the dialogue has to be
said in a happy, sarcastic or ironic tone and how the characters move and
what they do as they speak. Read these carefully before you enact the play.
Writing
I. Which of the words below describe Gerrard and which describe the Intruder?
smart humorous clever
beautiful cool confident
flashy witty nonchalant
Write a paragraph each about Gerrard and the Intruder to show what qualities
they have. (You can use some of the words given above.)
II. Convert the play into a story (150 –200 words). Your story should be as exciting
and as witty as the play. Provide a suitable title to it.