Class 9 English Chapter 11 If I Were You – Download The Free PDF Solutions
If I Were You
Chapter 11
Short Questions (2 Marks)
Question 1 : What surprise did Gerrard receive and when did he receive it?
Answer : Gerrard received the surprise of an intruder breaking into his cottage when he was busy packing. It was an intruder who broke into his house with the intention that he would kill Gerrard and live with his identity. It was all sudden and Gerrard was astonished (surprised) over it.
Question 2 : Explain the context involved in “…..and no funny business?”
Answer : The intruder said those words when Gerrard wanted to be seated at a different place as he was not comfortable at the place where he was sitting. The intruder said so because he thought that Gerrard might do anything to come out of the trouble which the intruder didn’t want from Gerrard.
Question 3 : Why did Gerrard say the intruder “a sympathetic audience”?
Answer : Generally, people avoid listening to the talks of others. They would never be interested in their matters.
When the intruder showed his willingness to listen to the words of Gerrard then the words ” a sympathetic audience” are used. Gerrard said so with another intention to divert his attention so that he could plan a way to come out of this.
Question 4 : If Gerrard would not have answered the questions to the intruder then what would have happened to him? Why?
Answer : If Gerrard would not have answered the questions of the intruder, the intruder might have hurt him. It was because the intruder wanted to know everything about him so that he could take on his identity. Moreover, he broke into his house just in order to take his place by murdering him.
Question 5 : Why was Gerrard dodging the questions of the intruder that he could have answered easily?
Answer : Gerrard was aware of the fact that the intentions of the intruder were not good. He was dodging the intruder’s questions so that he could come up with an idea to escape the situation. If he kept on talking longer with the intruder then he would have the required time to think and also he might get some clues about the intruder too.
Question 6 : Which tradespeople did Gerrard meet? Why?
Answer : Gerrard did not meet any tradespeople at all. There were baker, the green grocer, the milkman but none was seen by Gerrard . It was because none of them was so charming and so interesting as the intruder, according to Gerrard. In actual practice, due to his professional commitments, Gerrard was unable to meet the tradespeople.
Question 7 : What was the special area of crime for the intruder? Why did he come there to Essex?
Answer : The speciality of the intruder was to rob jewels. There were hardly any jewels in Essex but still the intruder came there so that he can avoid the cops and relax peacefully. The intruder intended to commit the robbery at a place other than Essex and would flee from there to hide at the place without being noticed by anyone whatsoever.
Question 8 : What surprise did the intruder give to Gerrard? Why was it threatening?
Answer : The surprise that the intruder gave to Gerrard was that he was to kill him. The surprise was threatening because the intruder wanted to take on his identity afterwards and wanted to live as Gerrard. As the intruder was hunted by the cops, so he planned to kill Gerrard and live as a fancy to him thereby deceiving the cops.
Question 9 : What things were there to gain as far as the intruder was concerned?
Answer : There were some important things for the intruder to gain. If he could take on the identity of Gerrard, then he would be free to go anywhere he liked and he didn’t need to run at the sight of the cops. So, he would lead a very peaceful life being in the fancy of Gerrard.
Question 10 : Why did Gerrard say that the intruder was luckier?
Answer : Gerrard knew that the villains got themselves frustrated in most of the melodramas due to the delay they made in killing but in this case he was not yet frustrated. The intruder still had all the hopes alive so that he could kill Gerrard and take on his identity to lead a peaceful life. So, he could be considered lucky.
Question 11 : How did the intruder become a criminal?
Answer : The intruder did a job in the town. One day things went wrong and he killed a cop. Since then he became a criminal and the police was after him. Also, he specialised himself in the jewel robbery and committed many of them. All of these added to his being a criminal.
Question 12 : What mystery did Gerrard explain to the intruder?
Answer : Gerrard explained the mystery to the intruder that he too was a criminal and if he killed him to take on his identity, it won’t do any good to him because he would still be hanged. So, there was no benefit in killing him. This was a ploy used by Gerrard so that he could deceive the intruder and come out of all that.
Question 13 : How did Gerrard justify himself to be a criminal?
Answer : Gerrard told the intruder that he often phoned his orders, never saw tradespeople, remined on the go etc. He also added that when things went wrong with him, he too used bullets that’s how he became a criminal too. Apart form that, there were props like false moustache which indicated that there was the element of truth in what Gerrard said.
Question 14 : How did Gerrard convince the intruder that he was not lying?
Answer : Gerrard made up the story of his being a criminal and told the intruder that he was expecting a trouble that night. He showed the intruder the props. Also, his bag was packed which further added to his conviction. Gerrard had already taken the intruder in his confidence with the extended talks that also added to the conviction of the intruder.
Question 15 : How did Gerrard get rid of the intruder?
Answer : Gerrard told the intruder that both should escape because a trouble was expected that night. He told him that his car was in the garage near the back door and both should get to the car. As the intruder moved towards the garage, Gerrard pushed him and locked him in the cupboard.
Long Questions (8 Marks)
Question 1 : Justify that during the situations of crisis, one’s presence of mind and the attitude of not giving up are the most useful qualities?
Answer : Courage, hope, perseverance and presence of mind are the main factors that help one during the time of crisis. If one keeps one’s head cool, calm and composed then an uphill task could be done easily. In this story, the same has been shown where the courage and presence of mind helped. Gerrard, the protagonist , was troubled with a problem that was in the form of an intruder who wanted to kill him and take his identity. Of course, the intruder would have killed him but Gerrard’s presence of mind and his attitude of not giving up helped him in coming out of the mess. Gerrard made up a false story while the two were in conversation and it was his presence of mind that helped him in doing so. The intruder believed in his story as it was well framed and subjected himself to submission. As a result, Gerrard got him locked in the cupboard and freed himself from the trouble. So, we can say that moments of crisis can be overcome with the help of presence of mind and the attitude of not giving up.
Question 2 : Consider the statement: “In most melodramas the villain is foolish enough to delay his killing long enough to be frustrated.” On the basis of this statement justify the idea lying behind doing the right thing at the right moment.
Answer : Do it right and on the right moment is as true as breathing is to life. If a thing is done at the moment when it should be then the net result is appreciable. If an act is delayed then there are all the chances that the result might differ from the expectations. Therefore, clever people do what is due at that moment and don’t delay that act purposely. There is no doubt in the fact that if a thing is done at the right time then it pays off well otherwise it adds to one’s frustration. Considering the statement in the question, we can support the corollary (forming a proposition that follows from one already proved) well. The intruder might have succeeded in his plans had he killed Gerrard before the latter came up with a false story that trapped him. He was submitted to the veracity of the story and was not successful in his plans.
If the intruder had killed Gerrard just when he had all the information about him then he might have been living a peaceful life but he frustrated himself by delaying the killing. Hence, the statement holds good and is enough to justify that actions done on time lead to good results.
Question 3 : Talking about consideration of the situation that Gerrard faced, what safety measures will you suggest to Gerrard?
Answer : Well, safety and security comes first. One’s life is precious than anything else. If one can’t ensure one’s safety then he could not do his work well.
The person, while feeling insecurity, is afraid of all the things. So is the case with Gerrard. Definitely, Gerrard was in a difficult situation when the intruder broke into his house. One who comes with a gun in one’s hand is never wanted. He had bad intentions and wanted to kill Gerrard and elude the police by taking on his identity. The fact that the intruder was easily able to break into Gerrard’s house shows that his house was not secure enough.
Gerrard should not live at a lonely place. He should live in a place where there are people around. He must keep his neighbours aware about his occupation and his trips. He should see his tradespeople and should have regular interaction with them. If possible and if his pocket allows, he should employ a watchman to look after his cottage. He should inform the police about the incident and must seek some sort of security. He must not compromise with safety at all.
Question 4 : The intruder was a meticulous planner and he planned everything in detail. Discuss the importance of a better planning in for an efficient result in the same context and considering your opponent stronger than you generally think.
Answer : To do a task, what is needed the most, is a planning. If one doesn’t plan well then there is all the likely chance of failure. Even the well-planned things might collapse in the end. Planning gives you the freedom to execute the plans well and get what you desire.
But, planning alone is not sufficient every time. Give a piece of your mind to the capability of your opponent also. He might be smarter than you. One going through the drama, we can easily say that the intruder was a great and a meticulous planner. He worked out everything in detail and knew almost all the facts about Gerrard. All his activities, the persons he meets and his possessing a car, all were known to the intruder. But, still he failed. He was not successful in killing Gerrard.
This shows that even if you have planned well, you still need to consider your expectation. So, what is advised, is not to underestimate your opponent. He might be good at picking the holes with your plan and let you end up in the utmost frustration. Hence, it is not just careful planning that matters but it is the thought about your opponent that matters also.
