English(Beehive) Class 9 : Lesson 11 - If I Where You
Lesson 11
If I Where You
Answer these questions
1. "At last a sympathetic audience".
(i) Who says this?
Ans: Gerrard says this.
(ii) Why does he say it?
Ans: He says it as he is asked byn the intruder to speak about himself.
(iii) Is he sarcastic or serious?
Ans: He speaks sarcastically.
2. Why does the intruder choose Gerrard as the man whose
identity he wants to take on?
Ans: The intruder is
similar to Gerrard in build.He looked like him.After killing Gerrard he wanted to
Impersonate him and get rid of the police.So he chose Gerrard as his target.
3. "I said it with bullets."
(i) Who says this?
Ans: Gerrard says this.
(ii) What does it mean?
Ans: It means that when
the things went wrong,he had used his gun to shoot someone for his escape.
(iii) Is it truth?What is the speaker's reason for saying
this?
Ans: No,it is not the
truth.The speaker says this to save himself from getting shot by the the intruder.
4. What is Gerrard's profession?Quote the parts of the
play that support your answer.
Ans: Gerrard was a playwright.He
says in the end of the play,"Sorry,I can't let you have the props in time for
rehersal. I think I'll put it in my next play."
5. "You will soon stop being smart."
(I) Who says this?
Ans: The intruder says
this to Gerrard.
(ii) Find a word that means 'time spent in practicing'.
Ans: Rehearsal.
(iii) What according to the speaker will stop Gerrard
from being smart?
Ans: According to the
intruder,Gerrard would stop being smart when he knew that his intention was to kill
him.
6. "They can't hang me twice."
(I) Who says this?
Ans: The intruder says
this to Gerrard.
(ii) Why does the speaker say it?
Ans: The intruder told
that he had already killed someone.If he was caught after murdering Gerrard,he would
be hanged only once and not twice.
7. "A mystery I propose to explain."What is
the mystery the speaker propose to explain?
Ans: Gerrard tells the
intruder that he himself was in hiding and the police was after him.He was expecting
the police to raid his house anytime,so he was about to leave that place soon.
8. "This is your big suprise"
(i) Where has this been said in the play?
Ans: Gerrard says this
to the intruder at the end of the play.
(ii) What is the surprise?
Ans: Gerrard was also
a criminal who had murdered someone and the police were after him,was a surprise
for the intruder.
Extra Questions
Ans: Gerrard is living alone in his house. One day an intruder enters his room. There is a gun in his hand and he threatens to kill Gerrard. But Gerrard does not panic. He is a clever man. He has understood that the criminal has evil intentions. He knows that if he fights with the intruder, he will be killed. So his best chance is to talk with the intruder in a friendly manner. Even the intruder notes it and says that Gerrard is trying to be calm and careless. By talking pleasantly, Gerrard makes the intruder delay his plan of killing him. So Gerrard tells him that he is pleased to see him. We know that this is a lie. He was not really pleased to see the criminal. By engaging the intruder in talks, Gerrard comes to know that he is not an intelligent man and it is not difficult to befool him. Gerrard’s behaviour shows that he is a sensible person. He knows how to behave in a crisis. In the end, he is able to lock the intruder in a cupboard and calls the police.
2. The intruder is boastful. He threatens Gerrard, “I’ll make you crawl” Was he able to carry out his threat? What happened to him?
Ans: An intruder forcibly enters Gerrard’s room. There is a revolver in his hand. His intentions are evil. He threatens to kill Gerard. But Gerrard talks pleasantly to him. The intruder is surprised. He thinks that Gerrard is playing a trick. He tells him to stop playing smart. He boasts that he is intelligent. He threatens Gerard, “I’ll make you crawl.” But the subsequent happening shows that an intruder is a foolish person. Instead of making Gerard crawl, he finds himself shut in a cupboard in the end. The intruder wanted to know more about Gerrard. But Gerrard makes him talk about himself. He discloses that he is a jewel thief. He has murdered a policeman. Now he is running from the police. He resembles Gerrard. His plan is to kill Gerrard and live in his room under his name. Gerrard guesses rightly that the intruder is not intelligent. He plays a clever game and shuts him in a cupboard. Then he calls the police. Thus the boast of the intruder is proved wrong.
3. Gerrard says, “In most melodramas, the villain is foolish enough to delay his killing long enough to be frustrated. Does this statement holds good for the play ‘If I Were You’?
Ans: In most melodramas, the playwright wants to make the hero successful. The villain in the play wants to kill the hero. But he presented as someone who is foolish. He goes on delaying the killing for one reason or the other. In the end, his plans are frustrated and the hero is able to get the better of him. The same thing holds good of this play. In this play, the villain is the intruder. He resembles Gerrard. So he wants to kill Gerard and live under his name. He has gathered a lot of information about Gerard. But he does not know that Gerrard is a stage actor. He can act well. Gerrard poses to be pleased on seeing the intruder. He talks to him in a tactful way. He makes the intruder talk about himself Thus he goes on delaying the killing. This gives Gerrard enough time to plan to get rid of him. In the end, the intruder’s plan of killing Gerrard is frustrated and he is shut up in a cupboard.
4. The best way to deal with a crisis is not to lose your calm. Discuss this statement with reference to the behaviour of Gerrard in the play.
Ans: A cool person is more successful than a person who loses his temper or acts rashly. In this play, Gerrard saves his life by acting calmly. Moreover, he is able to catch the murderer also. It would not be possible if he lost his calm. An ordinary person is terrified of seeing an intruder with a gun in his hand. He acts foolishly. The person fears that he may not harm him. So, generally, in such cases, the criminal kills his victim. But Gerrard does not lose his calmness and patience. He poses that he is pleased to see the intruder. He talks to him a friendly manner. He makes the criminal talk about himself. This gives Gerrard enough time to plan his line of action. Thus Gerrard was not frightened to see the intruder: This calmness saved his life.
5.Why was Gerrard packing a bag at the beginning of the play? How did it help him to outwit and trap the intruder?
Ans: Gerrard was packing a bag at the beginning of the play as he had to deliver some props to some theatrical company for rehearsal. When the intruder broke into his cottage and threatened to kill him, Gerrard did not lose his cool. He spontaneously concocted a story that he himself was a criminal and was trying to dodge the police. This story was supported by the bag, the gun, the disguise outfit, false moustaches etc. All this misled the intruder into believing that Gerrard was telling the truth. He was so convinced that he got ready to escape along with Gerrard. He did not doubt him any longer and unsuspectingly did what he was told to, eventually getting trapped. Hence, the bag played an important role in convincing the intruder that Gerrard too was a criminal like him and was preparing to flee when he broke into his cottage.
6. Bring out Gerrard’s intelligence, the presence of mind and sense of humour. How did these traits help him outwit the intruder?
Ans: Being an intelligent person, Gerrard did not show even the slightest of nervousness at the sight of the gun-toting criminal. He knew that his cool-headedness and presence of mind would not only help him to manage the crisis but would also contribute towards unnerving the intruder, who too must be having some fear lurking in his mind. Keeping the atmosphere light and lively with his sense of humour and funny remarks, Gerrard instantly cooked up a story about his criminal background. Convincing the intruder that the police would arrive any minute to nab them, he impressed upon the intruder that they would have to escape immediately. Cleverly, he made him peep into a cupboard saying that it was an escape route. The moment the intruder leaned forward to inspect it, Gerrard pushed him into the cupboard and knocked the revolver out of his hand. He then closed and locked the door. Thus, his intelligence, sense of humour, and presence of mind turned the tables on the intruder.
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