IF I WERE YOU!

IF I WERE YOU!

Answer these questions.

Q. 1. "At last a sympathetic audience."
(i) Who says this?
(ii) Why does he say it?
(iii) Is he sarcastic or serious?
Ans.
(i) Gerrard says this.
(ii) He says it because the intruder agrees to listen to Gerrard patiently by having a nice little talk.
(iii) He is sarcastic.

2. Why does the intruder choose Gerrard as the man whose identity he wants to take on?
Ans. The intruder chooses Gerrard because they were of similar built. The intruder wants to take on his identity and live in his little lonely cottage by killing him.

3. "I said it with bullets."
(i) Who says this?
Ans. Gerrard says this.
(i) What does it mean?
Ans. It means that Gerrard had killed someone.
(iii) Is it the truth? What is the speaker's reason for saying this?
Ans. No, it is not the truth. The speaker says this because he wants to convince that he is also a criminal like the intruder.

4. What is Gerrard's profession? Quote the parts of the play that support your answer.
Ans. Gerrard is a creative artist. He writes plays. The parts of the play that support the answer are:
(a) "At last a sympathetic audience".
(b) "I said it with bullets".
(c) "A mystery I propose to explain."
(d) "This is your big surprise."

5. "You'll soon stop being smart."
(1) Who says this?
Ans. The intruder says this.
(ii) Why does the speaker say it?
Ans. The speaker says so to make Gerrard frighten so that he may come to know about him.
(iii) What according to the speaker will stop Gerrard from being smart?
Ans. The intruder would frighten Gerrard. He said that he would soon stop him from being smart by killing him with a bullet.

6. "They can't hang me twice."
(i) Who says this?
Ans. The intruder says this.
(ii) Why does the speaker say it?
Ans. The speaker says that he would kill Gerrard. He was wanted for murdering a policeman. He can't be hanged twice for two murders committed by him."

7. "A mystery I propose to explain.” What is the mystery the speaker proposes to explain?
Ans. The mystery that the speaker proposes to explain is that he is also a criminal. Sometimes he goes away suddenly and comes back just the same. He was also wanted for murdering.

8. "This is your big surprise."
(i) Where has this been said in the play?
Ans. This has been said in the play by Gerrard at the time when the intruder prepares to shoot him.
(ii) What is the surprise?
Ans. The surprise is that if the intruder shoots Gerrard, he will be hanged for sure, If not as himself, but as Vincent Charles Gerrard.

LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTION

Q How did Gerrard outwit the intruder?

Ans. Gerrard was a peace loving man. He lived in his lonely cottage alone. An intruder entered his cottage silently. He was holding a revolver in his hand. He had learnt a lot about Gerrard. He intended to murder him. He planned to lead a carefree life by taking on Gerrard's identity. He told Gerrard that he would kill him. Gerrard knew that the intruder was a criminal. So he decided to befool him. He convinced the intruder that police was after him. He had posted a man on the main road. He would ring up if he saw the police. Just then the telephone bell rang. Gerrard asked the intruder that the police was after them. So they should directly proceed to the garage. Gerrard opened door and stepped away. The intruder leaned forward to inspect it. When he turned his head, Gerrard gave him a push into the cupboard. The intruder's revolver was knocked out of his hand. Then Gerrard slammed the door and locked it. Then he phoned his friend to ask the sergeant to come up to his cottage at once. In this way, Gerrard succeeded in outwitting the intruder.