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Question I:

Answer these questions.

1.       "At last a sympathetic audience."

(i)               Who says this?

(ii)             Why does he say it?

(iii)          Is he sarcastic or serious?

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

3.       "I said it with bullets."

(i)               Who says this?

(ii)             What does it mean?

(iii)          Is it the truth? What is the speaker's reason for saying this?

4.       What is Gerrard's profession? Quote the parts of the play that support your answer.

5.       "You'll soon stop being smart."

(i)               Who says this?

(ii)             Why does the speaker say it?

(iii)          What according to the speaker will stop Gerrard from being smart?

6.       "They can't hang me twice."

(i)               Who says this?

(ii)             Why does the speaker say it?

7.       "A mystery I propose to explain." What is the mystery the speaker proposes to explain?

8.       "This is your big surprise."

(i)               Where has this been said in the play?

(ii)             What is the surprise?

Answer I:

1.      

(i)               Gerrard.

(ii)             He says it as he is glad that the intruder asks him to speak about himself.

(iii)          Yes, he speaks the given dialogue sarcastically.

2.       Gerrard looks similar to the intruder. The intruder is a murderer.The police is after him. He hopes he can easily replicate Gerrard's identity and escape being caught.

3.      

(i)               Gerrard says this.

(ii)             It means that when thingswent wrong, he had to use his gun to shoot someone for his escape.

(iii)          N o, it is not the truth. The speaker says this to escape himself from being shot by the intruder.

4.       Gerrard is a playwrigh t by profession. Several parts of the play that reflect this. Some of these are as follows:

•        This is all very melo dramatic, not very original, perhaps, but..."

•        At last a sympathetic audien ce!"

•        In most melodramas the villain is foolish enough to delay his killing long enough to be frustrated".

•        I said, you were luckier than most melod ramatic villains."

•        That's a disguise outfit; false m oustaches and what not".

•        Sorry I can't let you have the props in time for rehearsal, I've had a spot of bother - quite amusing. I think I'll put it in my next play."

5.      

(i)               The intruder says the line.

(ii)             The speaker says i t to make Gerrard feel frightened.

(iii)          According to the intruder, Gerrard would stop being smart once he knew what was going to happen to him. The intruder wasn't afraid and his plan was to kill Gerard and take over his identity. He felt that wh en Gerrard woul d kn ow this, he would stop being smart and start getting scared.

6.      

(i)               The intruder says the line.

(ii)             The intruder had been telling Gerrard that he had murdered one man, and that he would not back away from murdering him too. He wasn't afraid and his plan was to kill Gerard because the police could not hang him twice for two murders.

7.       The mystery that Gerrard proposed to explain was the story he made up to fool the intruder and save his own life. The story was that Gerrard himself was a criminal like the intruder. He told the intruder that he does not meet people and doesn't have any visitors. The game was up as things had suddenly gone wrong for him. He had committed a murder and got away. Unfortunately, one of his men had been arrested and certain things were found which his men should have burnt. He said that he was expecting some trouble that night and therefore, his bag was packed and he was ready to  escape.

8.      

(i)               This has been said twice in the play. The first occasion was when the intruder reveals his plan to kill Gerrard. Secondly, it is spoken by Gerrard before he reveals his fictitious identity to the intruder.

(ii)             The intruder's surprise is his plan to kill Gerrard and take on his identity to get away and lead a secure hassle-f ree life. Whereas, Gerrard's surprise is his false identity which he portrays to the intruder to save himself from bei ng killed .