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If I Were You Class 9 Long Questions and Answers
Q.1. Gerrard talks pleasantly with the intruder. Was he really pleased to see the criminal?
Ans.
Gerrard was living alone in his house. Someone broke into his house and he looked like they were carrying a gun. He tried to reason with them, but the men had evil intentions of murdering Gerrard. The best chance for Gerrard is to talk to them in a friendly manner so he can get out of this without anyone losing their life.
The intruder also commented that Gerrard was being calm and careless. By talking pleasantly, Gerrard made the intruder hesitate in his plan of killing him. He told the robber that he was pleased to see him, but this was a lie. He wasn’t really pleased to see the criminal. By engaging the intruder in talks, Gerrard came to know that he was not an intelligent man and it wouldn’t be difficult to fool him.
Gerrard is a sensible person. He knows to behave in emergency situations. In the end, he is able to lock the burglar in a cabinet and calls the police.
Q.2. The intruder is boastful. He threatens Gerrard, “I’ll make you crawl” Was he able to carry out his threat? What happened to him?
Ans. An intruder forcibly enters Gerrard’s room. There is a revolver in his hand. His intentions are evil. He threatens to kill Gerard. But Gerrard talks pleasantly to him. The intruder is surprised. He thinks that Gerrard is playing a trick. He tells him to stop playing smart. He boasts that he is intelligent. He threatens Gerard, “I’ll make you crawl.” But the subsequent happening shows that an intruder is a foolish person. Instead of making Gerard crawl, he finds himself shut in a cupboard in the end. The intruder wanted to know more about Gerrard. But Gerrard makes him talk about himself. He discloses that he is a jewel thief. He has murdered a policeman. Now he is running from the police. He resembles Gerrard. His plan is to kill Gerrard and live in his room under his name. Gerrard guesses rightly that the intruder is not intelligent. He plays a clever game and shuts him in a cupboard. Then he calls the police. Thus the boast of the intruder is proved wrong
Q.3. Gerrard says, “In most melodramas, the villain is foolish enough to delay his killing long enough to be frustrated. Does this statement holds good for the play ‘If I Were You’?
Ans. In most melodramas, the playwright wants to make the hero successful. The villain in the play wants to kill the hero. But he presented as someone who is foolish. He goes on delaying the killing for one reason or the other. In the end, his plans are frustrated and the hero is able to get the better of him. The same thing holds good of this play. In this play, the villain is the intruder. He resembles Gerrard. So he wants to kill Gerard and live under his name. He has gathered a lot of information about Gerard. But he does not know that Gerrard is a stage actor. He can act well. Gerrard poses to be pleased on seeing the intruder. He talks to him in a tactful way. He makes the intruder talk about himself Thus he goes on delaying the killing. This gives Gerrard enough time to plan to get rid of him. In the end, the intruder’s plan of killing Gerrard is frustrated and he is shut up in a cupboard.
Q.4. The best way to deal with a crisis is not to lose your calm. Discuss this statement with reference to the behaviour of Gerrard in the play.
Ans. In this play, Footballer Gerrard saves his life and catches the criminal. If he had been overcome with excitement, his attempts would have been futile. Those with low levels of common sense are easily frightened by intruders and tend to act foolishly by confusing the person as someone who may not be harmful.
So, at a certain point in the story, the protagonist (Gerrard) is engaged in friendly conversation with his assailant. When this tactic succeeded, it allowed Gerrard to plan his next steps. As a result, he was not frightened by the violent intruder and therefore saved his life.
Q.5.Why was Gerrard packing a bag at the beginning of the play? How did it help him to outwit and trap the intruder?
Ans:-Gerrard was packing a bag at the beginning of the play as he had to deliver some props to some theatrical company for rehearsal. When the intruder broke into his cottage and threatened to kill him, Gerrard did not lose his cool. He spontaneously concocted a story that he himself was a criminal and was trying to dodge the police. This story was supported by the bag, the gun, the disguise outfit, false moustaches etc. All this misled the intruder into believing that Gerrard was telling the truth. He was so convinced that he got ready to escape along with Gerrard. He did not doubt him any longer and unsuspectingly did what he was told to, eventually getting trapped. Hence, the bag played an important role in convincing the intruder that Gerrard too was a criminal like him and was preparing to flee when he broke into his cottage.
Q6. Bring out Gerrard’s intelligence, the presence of mind and sense of humour. How did these traits help him outwit the intruder?
Ans:-Being an intelligent person, Gerrard did not show even the slightest of nervousness at the sight of the gun-toting criminal. He knew that his cool-headedness and presence of mind would not only help him to manage the crisis but would also contribute towards unnerving the intruder, who too must be having some fear lurking in his mind. Keeping the atmosphere light and lively with his sense of humour and funny remarks, Gerrard instantly cooked up a story about his criminal background. Convincing the intruder that the police would arrive any minute to nab them, he impressed upon the intruder that they would have to escape immediately. Cleverly, he made him peep into a cupboard saying that it was an escape route. The moment the intruder leaned forward to inspect it, Gerrard pushed him into the cupboard and knocked the revolver out of his hand. He then closed and locked the door. Thus, his intelligence, sense of humour, and presence of mind turned the tables on the intruder.
Q.7.Why did the intruder find Gerrard’s cooked up the story of his criminal background convincing?
Ans:-Far from being gullible the intruder suspected every move of Gerrard. He snubbed him when Gerrard tried to begin a conversation regarding the intruder’s identity and curtly told him to answer only what was asked. However, he unsuspiciously walked into Gerrard’s trap because the latter did not lose his cool and employed his presence of mind to cook up the story that he too was wanted by the police. Actually, Gerrard supported his claim of being a criminal by showing the intruder his bag full of disguise outfits and false moustaches etc. The intruder did not know about the theatrical background of Gerrard and hence found his story convincing. He believed that Gerrard was actually trying to evade the police. Hence, the unsuspecting intruder walked into Gerrard’s trap. This indicates that although he claimed himself to be the smartest person around, he was in fact not very intelligent. He was outwitted by a smarter Gerrard who foiled his evil plan.
Q 8. Imagine you are Gerrard. Write a letter to your friend describing what happened when the intruder broke into your house. (Textual, Modified)
You may describe:
- the intruder’s appearance
- his way of speaking, mannerism and movement
- his plan to evade the law
- your success in outwitting him
Ans:-
(Address)
(Date)
Dear ……….
Today I am feeling extremely excited to share with you a very interesting experience which I think may form the plot for my next play.
It so happened that today, in the afternoon, when I was about to leave my cottage with my bag to supply props and make-up at the Globe Theatre, I heard somebody hit against the table in my room. On turning, I saw a man with a physique like mine, wearing a very gaudy overcoat. Aiming his gun at me, he told me in an uncultured manner to put my “paws up”. He did not. shoot me at once because he needed some information about me. He told me that he had killed a cop and was having a difficult time dodging the police. He wanted to kill me and take up my identity to escape arrest.
But will you believe it that I foiled his plan by outwitting him through a concocted story? I maintained my cool and told him that I myself was a criminal charged with murder. I warned him that if he assumed my identity after killing me, he would still be arrested and executed. I told him that I was expecting an alert call from one of my friends, and just then the phone rang. Actually, the call was from one of my clients at the theatre who wanted confirmation about the props that I had assured to supply.
My story worked perfectly and when I offered the man to escape with me in my car, he agreed readily. I asked him to peep into the cupboard which I claimed was connected to the garage and the secret escape route. When he learned to peep, I pushed him in the cupboard, snatched his gun, and locked him.
I then answered the phone and asked the caller to send the sergeant to arrest the criminal.
I’m sure you too will find this a smart enough act to be used as a plot for the next play. We can plan the details when we meet on Sunday.
Your loving friend
Gerrard
Q.9.The intruder’s plan was clever but not feasible. Do you agree? Give reasons in support of your answer.
Ans:-
The intruder’s plan to kill Gerrard and assume his identity appeared to be a very clever one, but this idea was not feasible. In the first place, had Gerrard been killed, the disposal of his body would have created problems for the intruder and there are chances that his crime would have been detected and he would have been caught.
Under the assumption that he could have completed the rest of the plan, Gerrard’s theatrical clients would suspect that he was not able to contact him. When this suspicion is aroused, it may lead to the intruder being arrested for violating a crime code which would have prevented him from achieving his objective. As such, it appears that the plan was too complicated and its execution did not go as planned because of these complications.
Want to Read More Check Below:-
If I Were You- Passages for Comprehension
If I Were You- Important Extra Questions- Very Short Answer Type
If I Were You- Quick Review of the Chapter
