Chapter 11: If I were you

English
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Chapter 11: If I were you

Class: IX

Exercise number - 1

Question 1 

The following words and phrases occur in the play. Do you know their meanings? Match them with the meanings given, to find out.

Answer 1

Question 1 

"At last a sympathetic audience."

(i) Who says this?

(ii) Why does he say it?

(iii) Is he sarcastic or serious?

Answer 1

(i) The above lines are spoken by Gerrard. 

(ii) the intruder had asked him to talk about himself and hence he spoke those words. 

(iii) He was sarcastic. The audience, i.e., the intruder was in no ways sympathetic. To use more information about his interest, he told Gerrard to talk about himself.

Question 2 

Why does the intruder choose Gerrard as the man whose identity he wants to take on?

Answer 2

As he was of the same build, the intruder chose Gerrard as the man whose identity he wanted to take on. Also, as Vincent Charles Gerrard, he would be free to go places to do nothing and can also eat well and sleep without having to be ready to run away at the sight of a cop.

Question 3

"I said it with bullets."

(i) Who says this?

(ii) What does it mean?

(iii) Is it the truth? What is the speaker’s reason for saying this?

Answer 3

(i) The above lines are spoken by Gerrard.

(ii) It means he had committed a murder and got away when things went wrong with him. In the above context "I said it with bullets" means that he had fired at someone to escape.

(iii) It wasn’t the truth. To make the intruder believe that he too was dangerous Gerrard made those statements. If he had not lied about his identity the intruder would have killed him and then the intruder told that he himself was a crook who had killed someone and escaped. Luckily he had escaped and his partner had been caught. He also told that he had not burnt the papers that should be burnt. Hence, the cops were behind him and this clearly meant that the intruder would still not be safe even after taking on Gerrard’s identity.

Question 4

What is Gerrard’s profession? Quote the parts of the play that support your answer.

Answer 4

As per the story Gerrard could have been a theatre artist or a play writer which were seen in several parts in the play which suggest that he had something to do with theatre. When he saw the intruder, he said "This is all very melodramatic, not very original, perhaps, but…" When the intruder asked him to talk about himself, he said "At last a sympathetic audience!" He enquired the intruder "Are you American, or is that merely a clever imitation?" When the intruder told him his plan of killing him to take over his identity, he said "In most melodramas the villain is foolish enough to delay his killing long enough to be frustrated." Later, he again said "I said, you were luckier than most melodramatic villains." When he told the intruder about his false identity in order to save himself, he told him "That’s a disguise outfit; false moustaches and what not". At the end he picked up the phone after locking him up and said "Sorry, I can’t let you have the props in time for rehearsal, I’ve had a spot of bother − quite amusing. I think I’ll put it in my next play."

Question 5

"You’ll soon stop being smart."

(i) Who says this?

(ii) Why does the speaker say it?

(iii) What according to the speaker will stop Gerrard from being smart?

Answer 5

(i) The above given lines were spoken by the intruder. 

(ii)The speaker told those words, When Gerrard did not show any signs of being perturbed by the intruder’s presence. The intruder responded by saying "Trying to be calm and — er —". Seeing the intruder fumbling for words, Gerrard completed his sentence by saying "‘Nonchalant’ is your word, I think". Looking at the smartness of Gerrard the intruder told to stop being smart once he knew what was going to happen to him.

(iii)Gerrard would stop being smart once he knew what was going to happen to him, thought the intruder. To kill Gerrard and to take his identity was the plan of the intruder. According to the intruder, Gerrard will stop acting smart when he knows this.

Question 6

"They can’t hang me twice."

(i) Who says this?

(ii) Why does the speaker say it?

Answer 6

(i) The above given lines were spoken by the intruder. 

(ii) The intruder told that he had already murdered one man and he could also murder Gerrard. Hence he was referring that police could not hang him twice for two murders.

Question 7

"A mystery I propose to explain." What is the mystery the speaker proposes to explain?

Answer 7

Gerrard tried to explain the story made up to dodge the intruder and escape. The mystery story was that Gerrard himself was a criminal like the intruder. 

When things went wrong with him, he had committed a murder and got away. Luckily he had escaped and his partner had been caught. He also told that he had not burnt the papers that should be burnt. He also said that he was expecting some trouble that night and so his bag was packed and he was ready to escape.

Question 8

"This is your big surprise."

(i) Where has this been said in the play?

(ii) What is the surprise?

Answer 8

(i)The given line is from the play. Initially it was spoken by the intruder when he revealed to Gerrard the reason for him being there and what he was going to do with him. Secondly, Gerrard spoke these words when he was about to reveal his made-up story to the intruder.

(ii)The surprise was to kill Gerrard and take over his identity. Also, as Vincent Charles Gerrard, he would be free to go places to do nothing and can also eat well and sleep without having to be ready to run away at the sight of a cop.

When Gerrard said this line, the surprise was his made-up story about himself.

The surprise was that Gerrard himself was a criminal like the intruder. 

When things went wrong with him, he had committed a murder and got away. Luckily he had escaped and his partner had been caught. He also told that he had not burnt the papers that should be burnt. He also said that he was expecting some trouble that night and so his bag was packed and he was ready to escape.

Question 1 

Consult your dictionary and choose the correct word from the pairs given in brackets.

1. The (site, cite) of the accident was (ghastly/ghostly).
2. Our college (principle/principal) is very strict.
3. I studied (continuously/continually) for eight hours.
4. The fog had an adverse (affect/effect) on the traffic.
5. Cezanne, the famous French painter, was a brilliant (artist/artiste).
6. The book that you gave me yesterday is an extraordinary (collage/college) of

science fiction and mystery.

7. Our school will (host/hoist) an exhibition on cruelty to animals and wildlife

conservation.

8. Screw the lid tightly onto the top of the bottle and (shake/shape) well before

using the contents.

Answer 1

1. The site of the accident was ghastly.
2. Our college principal is very strict.
3. I studied continuously for eight hours.
4. The fog had an adverse effect on the traffic.
5. Cezanne, the famous French painter, was a brilliant artist.
6. The book that you gave me yesterday is an extraordinary collage of science fiction and mystery.
7. Our school will host an exhibition on cruelty to animals and wildlife conservation.
8. Screw the lid tightly onto the top of the bottle and shake well before using the contents.

Question 2

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. Read the play carefully and find the words and expressions Gerrard uses in an ironic way. Then say what these expressions really mean. Two examples have been given below. Write down three such expressions along with what they really mean.

What the author says and what they mean

Why, this is a surprise, Mr − er − : He pretends that the intruder is a social visitor whom he is welcoming. In this way he hides his fear.

At last a 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.

Answer 2

What the author says and what he means

You won’t kill me for a very good reason. - Gerrard was just pretending to have a ‘very good reason’. However, there was no such reason and he projected that way.

Sorry I can’t let you have the props in time for rehearsal, I’ve had a spot of bother − quite amusing: The ‘spot of bother’ that Gerrard found ‘quite amusing’ was actually a life-threatening situation. He had been in confrontation with a criminal. In most melodramas the villain is foolish enough to delay his killing long enough to be frustrated.

You are much luckier: Gerrard pretended that the intruder was really intelligent to have a plan to take over the identity of a man who lived at such a place where the police could not reach instantly. However, the intruder was much mistaken because Gerrard was actually using this ‘delay’ to think up a plan to escape him.