IF I WERE YOU # CLASS IX # CBSE #TERM-II #EXAM

II. If I Were You

Words And Phrases

1.       Cultured: Sophisticated; well mannered

2.       Horn rimmed glasses: spectacles having horn frame

3.       Similar in build: having same health and height

4.       Put those paws up!: Put your hands up. (to ask someone in an uncultured rough manner)

5.       Melodramatic: Overdramatic

6.       Nonchalant: Casual, Cool or Indifferent

7.       No funny business: No unwanted action, Do not do anything that would offend

8.       Keep it to yourself: I do not want to hear it.

9.       Inflection: tone, variation  (Intruder did not use proper intonation to convey the question)

1  Modest: Humble, reserved, Meek  (the word is used to mock, an example of irony)

1  1.A dandy bus: an informal expression for a fashionable vehicle

1  2. Break into: to get into a building by force (phrasal verb)

1  3. A triffle: slightly, to a small extent

1  4.Harsh: rough, illtempered

1  5. Sarcasm: irony , mockery

    6.Gratuituous : unnecessary

17.   Gratuituous double: repeating unnecessarily something (here murder)

18.   Pantomime: Acting something out without speaking

19.   Tribute: say or do something to show your admiration and respect

20.   Elude: avoide, escape

21.   Queer: Strange, odd

22.   Invest: surround, cover

23.   Do you think I am a Sunday – school teacher?: I am not a pious person, vertuous, moral person.

24.   Disguise outfit: a costume that hides one’s identity.

Thinking about the Text

Q1. Answer the questions given below the line taken from the text.  “At least a sympathetic audience.”

1.1Who says this?

1.2Why does he say it?

1.3Is he sarcastic or serious?

Ans:

 1.1 Gerard

1.2 The intruder wanted to have a ‘nice little talk’ about Gerard. Gerard knew that the intruder wanted some information which was very important for him. Unless the intruder got the information, he would not harm him. In order to buy time and keep the conversation going, he says it.

1.3 He is sarcastic

Q2. Why does the intruder choose Gerrard as the man whose identity he wants to take on?

Ans: He chooses Gerrard for the following reasons:                                                                                 

(a)   Gerrard is almost like him in height and build. Intruder can easily take his identity.

(b)   Gerrard lives alone in  Essex where houses are few and far away from other houses.

(c)    People do not know Gerrard, do not visit him; his life is a mystery. The cloak of mystery will further protect the intruder.

(d)   Gerard has a car which can be used by the intruder for committing his criminal acts.

Q3. “I said it with bullets.”  

3.1 Who says this?

3.2 What does it mean?

3.3 Is it the truth? What is the speaker’s reason for saying this?

Ans:

3.1 Gerrard says this.

3.2 He means that he has killed or injured someone using his gun.

3.3 It is not the truth. He wants to win the confidence of the intruder in order to trap him and hand him over to the police.

Q4. What is Gerrad’s profession? Quote the  parts of the play that support your answer.

Ans: 

1.      Jerrard is packing a travelling bag.

2.      He says: This is all very melodramatic, not very original.  (b) He says: At last a sympathetic odience! (c) he says: You are planning a gratuitous double. (d) He says: In most melodramas the villain is foolish enough to delay his killing long enough to be frustrated. (e) I can’t let you have the props in time for rehearsal. He adds: I think I’ll put it in my next play

3.      Intruder observes that he never sees trades people

The above references make it crystal clear that he either owns or works for a drama company where he is either the Director, or a Playwright.

Q5. “you’ll soon stop being smart.”

5.1 Who says this?

5.2 Why does the speaker say it?

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

Ans:   5.1The Intruder says this.

5.2 The intruder says this because Gerrard acts as if he is not at all affected by the gun pointing intruder. Gerrard even helps the intruder by supplying the correct word, nonchalant, for the way he himself was behaving in front of the intruder.

5.3 Intuder was going to disclose the purpose for which he had come. He thought that once he disclosed that he wanted to kill Gerrard, Gerrard would get scared and stop being nonchalant.

Q6. “they can’t hang me twice.”

6.1 Who says this?

6.2 Why does the speaker say this?

Ans: 6.1 The intruder says this.

6.2 He had already killed someone so killing one more person won’t make any difference because a criminal can only be hanged once.

Q7. “A mystery I propose to explain.” What is the mystery the speaker proposes to explain?

Ans: The speaker, Gerrard explains that he too is a murderer as things went wrong with him and he had to use his gun. One of his men was caught. Now the police is after him and he was just preparing to escape because the police could arrive any time. He tells that he was just packing his disguise outfit.

 

 

Q8. “This is your big surprise.”

8.1 where has this been said in the play?

8.2 What is the surprise?

Ans.: 8.1 This has been said twice in the play; first by the Intruder then by Gerrard.

8.2  The intruder tells that he wants to kill Gerrard and take his place. Gerrard tells that he too is being chased by the police in connection of a murder committed by him; he is expecting the cops to come any time; and he has packed his bag to run away.

Thinking about Language

Q9. “You have been so modest.”

9.1 What is the figure of speech used in ‘modest’?

Ans. : Irony.

9.2 What is Irony.

Ans.: Irony is when we say one thing but mean another, usually the opposite of what we say. Here it means immodest or uncivilized as the Intruder has not introduced himself.

(More examples are given on Page 145 of your text book.)

 

 

Prepared by: Rajneesh Kumar