Jharkhand Board Class 9TH English Notes | IF I WERE YOU
JAC Board Solution For Class 9TH English Prose Chapter 13
COMPREHENSION
■ Read the following passage and answer the questions that
follow :―
1. Intruder : Do you run a car?
Gerrard : No
Intruder : That's a lie. You're not dealing with a fool. I'm as
smart as you and smarter, and I know you run a
car. Better be careful, wise guy!
Gerrard : Are you American, or is that merely a clever
imitation?
Intruder : Listen, this gun's no toy. I can hurt you without
killing you, and still get my answers.
Gerrard : Of course, if you put it like that, I'll be glad to
assist you. I do possess a car, and it's in the garage
round the corner. That's better. Do people often
come out here?
Gerrard : Very rarely. Surprisingly few people take the
trouble to visit me. There's the baker and the
greengrocer, of course, and then there's the
milkman- quite charming, but no one so
interesting as yourself.
Q. (a) Who are all the people rarely visit the Gerrard
house?
(b) Why did the Intruder want to hurt not to kill ?
(c) What did the Intruder mean by asking Gerrard to be
careful?
(d) Why did the Intruder want to know if people came to
visit Gerrard or not?
(e) Pick out a word from the passage which means 'own
and use'.
Ans.(a) The people rarely visit the Gerrard house namely baker,
greengrocer and milkman.
(b) The Intruder wanted to have some answers to his
questions. So he wanted first only to hurt and not to
kill.
(c) The Intruder meant to threaten Gerrard against lying.
(d) The Intruder wanted to live in an isolated place where
few people came. So he wanted to be sure that if he
killed Gerrard and took his place, he would be safe.
(e) run.
2 Gerrard : You seem to have taken a considerable amount
of trouble. Since you know so much about me,
won't you say something about yourself? You
have been so modest.
Intruder : I could tell you plenty, You think you're smart,
but I'm the top ofthe class round here. I've got
brains and I use them. That's how I've got where
I have.
Gerrard : An where precisely have you got? It did not
require a great brain to break into my little
cottage.
Intruder : When you know why I've broken into your little
cottage, you'll be surprised, and it won't be a
pleasant surprise.
Gerrard : With you figuring so largely in it, that is
understandable. By the way, what particular line
of crime do you embrace, or aren't you a
specialist?
Q. (a) Was the Intruder specialist in crime?
(b) Why had the Intruder go into Gerrard's cottage?
(c)
What kind of trouble has the intruder taken? Why?
(d) Why does Gerrard call the intruder his brain?
(e) Pick out one sarcastic expressions in the above line.
Ans. (a) The Intruder was specialist in jewel robbery only.
(b) The Intruder had got into Gerrard's cottage to kill him.
(c) The intruder has taken the trouble of collecting
information about Gerrard.
(d) Gerrard calls the intruder modest because he does not
tell anything about himself.
(e) The sarcastic expression is- what particular line of crime
do you embrace or aren't you a specialist?
Long Answer Type Quesions
■ Answer these questions in about 80-100 words each:―
Q.1. Give n character sketch of Gerrard.
Ans. In the play IfI were you. Gerrard is the chief character. In
the play IfI were you'if Gerrard had got scared and nervous, he
would never had handled the intruder as he did. We find Gerrard a
man of presence of mind in front of a pointed gun is marvellous.
Keeping himself normal he cleverly cngaged the intruder in talk
sO as to get time to plan how to face the situation When he comes
to know that the intruder was murderer and wanted to kill and
impersonate him to cscape arrest, he fabricate a story very
intelligently and imaginatively, He told him that she himself was
muderer escaping police. He used his packed bag having a disguise
Outfit as a proof. He convinced the intruder that it was no use
killing him and asked him to accompany him in his car to escape.
As they moved to the door, he showed his alertness, pushed and
locked him in the cupboard.
Thus we find that Gerrard had certain qualities in him such
as boldness, presence of mind, alertness, intelligence and some
imagination. These were the special qualities in Gerrard's character.
Q. 2. Was Gerrard pleased to sce the intruder? What
impression do you feel from his behaviour?
Ans. There is no reason why Gerrard should have been pleased
to see an Intruder with a gun into his house. He was a clever man
and so must have understood that the Intruder had evil intentions
Yet he did not lose his calm. Even the Intruder noted it and said
that Gerrard was trying to be calm and careless. So Gerrard told the
Intruder that he was pleased to see him although it was a lie.
Gerrard's behaviour shows that he was a very sensible person
who did not lose his balance easily. He knew how to behave in a
crisis. The impression that he leaves on the reader is of his being a
very intelligent and tactful person.
Q.3. How does Gerrard manage to outwit the intruder?
Ans. Gerrard tells the intruder that he is a criminal and has
killed someone while doing a job somewhere. His men are caught
and the police have got evidence against him. He says that he is
expecting the police to come there to arrest him. One of his
accomplices is out there and will ring up when police will arrive
there. He knows that the phone will ring up in a moment. It happens
as expected. The phone rings up Gerrard offers the intruder to run
away from there with him. The intruder has been convinced of his
being a criminal, having seen the travelling bag, false disguise
and moustache. So he counts on Gerrard, steps in the open door, is
pushed in by Gerrard and thus gets locked in the cupboard. In this
way Gerrard outwits the intruder by using his sense of humors,
wits and the presence of mind.
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