Chapter - 11       If I Were You


1. What does Gerrard say before the questioning begins?

Answer: Before the questioning begins, Gerrard calmly says that the intruder may ask him anything he likes because he knows all the answers. However, he requests to change his position because he is not comfortable standing while the intruder is seated.

2. What instruction does the intruder give Gerrard?

Answer: The intruder orders Gerrard to sit down in a chair and warns him not to try any tricks. He then sits on the divan near Gerrard’s travelling bag while keeping his revolver ready.

3. What does the intruder say about their conversation?

Answer: The intruder sarcastically says that they will have a nice little talk about Gerrard. This means he intends to question Gerrard and get information from him.

4. How does Gerrard respond humorously to the intruder?

Answer: Gerrard responds humorously by saying that he finally has a sympathetic audience. He jokingly offers to tell the intruder the entire story of his life.

5. What imaginary story does Gerrard begin to tell?

Answer: Gerrard jokingly says that as a child he was stolen by gypsies and that he will explain how he ended up living alone in a lonely cottage in Essex at the age of thirty-two.

6. How does the intruder react to Gerrard’s story?

Answer: The intruder interrupts Gerrard and tells him to keep the story to himself. He wants only direct answers to his questions.

7. What is the intruder’s first question to Gerrard?

Answer: The intruder asks Gerrard whether he lives alone in the cottage.

8. How does Gerrard respond to the question at first?

Answer: Gerrard pretends to misunderstand the question and says he thought the intruder was telling him something rather than asking him a question.

9. Why does Gerrard say he misunderstood the question?

Answer: Gerrard says that the intruder’s voice and tone are unfamiliar to him and that it sounded like a statement instead of a question.

10. How does the intruder repeat his question?

Answer: The intruder repeats the question strongly and clearly, asking Gerrard again whether he lives there alone.

11. What does Gerrard say if he refuses to answer?

Answer: Gerrard asks what would happen if he chose not to answer the question.

12. How does the intruder threaten Gerrard?

Answer: The intruder warns Gerrard that he is sensible enough not to want to get hurt.

13. How does Gerrard reply to the threat?

Answer: Gerrard calmly says that real intelligence lies in avoiding pain rather than simply wishing to avoid it.

14. What question does the intruder ask about Gerrard’s name?

Answer: The intruder asks Gerrard what his Christian names are.

15. What are Gerrard’s full names?

Answer: Gerrard tells the intruder that his full name is Vincent Charles Gerrard.

16. What question does the intruder ask about a car?

Answer: The intruder asks Gerrard whether he owns or runs a car.

17. What answer does Gerrard give at first?

Answer: Gerrard initially says that he does not own or run a car.

18. How does the intruder react to Gerrard’s answer?

Answer: The intruder accuses Gerrard of lying and says that he already knows Gerrard owns a car.

19. What does the intruder say about his own intelligence?

Answer: The intruder says that he is just as smart as Gerrard and even smarter.

20. What warning does the intruder give Gerrard?

Answer: The intruder warns Gerrard to be careful and stop trying to act clever.

21. What humorous question does Gerrard ask the intruder?

Answer: Gerrard jokingly asks whether the intruder is American or if he is only imitating an American accent.

22. How does the intruder respond to this remark?

Answer: The intruder angrily reminds Gerrard that the gun in his hand is real and not a toy.

23. What does the intruder threaten to do with the gun?

Answer: He says he can hurt Gerrard without killing him and still force him to answer questions.

24. What does Gerrard say after this threat?

Answer: Gerrard calmly agrees to cooperate and says he will answer the intruder’s questions.

25. What truth does Gerrard finally reveal about the car?

Answer: Gerrard admits that he does own a car and says that it is kept in the garage around the corner.

26. What question does the intruder ask next?

Answer: The intruder asks Gerrard whether people often visit him at his cottage.

27. What does Gerrard say about visitors?

Answer: Gerrard says that very few people visit him and that most people do not bother to come to his lonely cottage.

28. Which tradespeople does Gerrard mention?

Answer: Gerrard mentions the baker, the greengrocer and the milkman as the few people who sometimes come there.

29. How does Gerrard flatter the intruder?

Answer: Gerrard politely says that none of the visitors are as interesting as the intruder himself.

30. What does the intruder claim to know about Gerrard?

Answer: The intruder claims that he knows Gerrard never meets tradespeople and that Gerrard is trying to deceive him.

Answer By Dimpee Bora