Thinking about the Text

I. Answer these questions.

1. “At last, a sympathetic audience.”

(i) Who says this?

Answer:(i) Gerrard says the given statement.

(ii) Why does he say it?

Answer(ii) He says it when the intruder asks him to talk about himself.

(iii) Is he sarcastic or serious?

Answer(iii) He is sarcastic.


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

Answer: The intruder chooses Gerrard as the man whose identity he wants to take on because Gerrard is a mystery man who phones his orders and sometimes goes away suddenly and comes back just the same.


 3. “I said it with bullets.”


(i) Who says this?

Answer:(i) Gerrard says the given statement.


(ii) What does it mean?

Answer:(ii) It means that when he was in trouble, he shot someone to escape.


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


Answer:(iii) No, it is not the truth. Gerrard says this to manipulate the intruder so that he does not kill him.


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


Answer: Gerrard is a playwright or dramatist by profession. This is clear from several lines in the play where he makes references to plays, rehearsals, and writing.

Some examples from the play that show this are:

  • “Sorry I can’t let you have the props in time for rehearsal…” – This shows he is involved in theatre work.

  • “In most melodramas, the villain is foolish enough to delay his killing…” – This indicates he has knowledge of stage plays.

  • “I think I’ll put it in my next play.” – Here, he directly talks about writing a play.

  • “At last, a sympathetic audience!” – This again connects to his theatrical background.

All these lines suggest that Gerrard is not an ordinary man, but someone involved in drama and writing for the stage.

5. “You’ll soon stop being smart.”


(i) Who says this?

Answer:The intruder says the given statement.


(ii) Why does the speaker say it?

Answer: The intruder says this to scare Gerrard and know more about him.

(

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

Answer:(iii) The speaker intends to kill Gerrard. According to the speaker, when Gerrard gets to know that he came to Gerrard to kill him and steal his identity, he would become scared and stop being smart.


 6. “They can’t hang me twice.”


(i) Who says this?

Answer:The intruder says the given statement.


(ii) Why does the speaker say it?

Answer: The speaker says this because he had already murdered someone. So, it is not a big deal for him to kill another man. He can’t be hanged twice.


7. “A mystery I propose to explain.” What is the mystery the speaker proposes to explain?

Answer:The mystery that Gerrard wants to explain is about his own strange and secretive life. He tells the intruder that he is not just a simple man but someone with a hidden past. Gerrard says that he is a criminal who has been avoiding the police after committing a murder. That is why he lives alone, avoids people like tradesmen, and keeps his suitcase ready to run away at any moment. He uses this story to confuse and outsmart the intruder.


 8. “This is your big surprise.”


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

Answer:This line is spoken two times in the play.

  • The first time, it is said by the intruder when he reveals his plan to kill Gerrard.

  • The second time, it is used by Gerrard when he turns the situation around and tells the intruder about his own mysterious background.

(ii) What is the surprise?


AnswerIn the first case, the surprise is that the intruder wants to murder Gerrard and take over his identity.

  • In the second case, the surprise is that Gerrard is not an ordinary man — he says he is also a criminal living in hiding, and killing him would only bring trouble for the intruder instead of safety.


Thinking about Language

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

1. The (site, cite) of the accident was (ghastly/ghostly).

Answer: The site of the accident was ghastly.


2. Our college (principle/principal) is very strict.

Answer: Our college principal is very strict.


3. I studied (continuously/continually) for eight hours.

Answer I studied continuously for eight hours.


4. The fog had an adverse (affect/effect) on the traffic.

Answer The fog had an adverse effect on the traffic.


5. Cezanne, the famous French painter, was a brilliant (artist/artiste).

Answer Cezanne, the famous French painter, was a brilliant artist.


6. The book that you gave me yesterday is an extraordinary (collage/college) of science fiction and mystery.

Answer  The book that you gave me yesterday is an extraordinary collage of science fiction and mystery.


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

Answer  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/shape) well before using the contents.


Answer  Screw the lid tightly onto the top of the bottle and shake well before using the contents.


Answer by Mrinmoee