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Class Notes
Class: IX Topic: If I Were You
Date: 10
th
February, 2022
Prepared by Uttam Kumar Dutta
Subject: ENGLISH
Summary:
Gerrard is a playwright. He has to leave his house to deliver props for a rehearsal. Just then,
an intruder enters his home. He is carrying a gun. He wants to kill Gerrard and live on his
identity. The intruder has committed a murder and is wants by the police. So, he considers
stealing Gerrard’s identity so that he can live peacefully. He wants to know details about
Gerrard before killing him so that he can imitate him well.
Gerrard says that he is a crook too and that if the intruder stole his identity, even then he
would be chased by the police. He has killed someone and the police has evidence against
him. He further adds that he is carrying false moustaches and other props so that he can
disguise himself and hide from the police. He senses that the police can raid his house that
night. He has positioned an accomplice on the road to warn him of danger. Gerrard fooled the
intruder to believe him by saying that if the intruder felt that Gerrard is lying, he could kill
him. As the phone rang, Gerrard says that it is time to leave. When the intruder does not
believe Gerrard, he asks him to peep out through the door of the garage and see the police for
himself. In fact, the door is that of a cupboard. As the intruder bends forward, Gerrard pushed
him inside the cupboard and locked it. Then he calls the sergeant as he would hand over the
intruder to the police.
If I Were You Question and Answers
Answer these questions.
- “At last a sympathetic audience.”
(i) Who says this?
(ii) Why does he say it?
(iii) Is he sarcastic or serious?
Answer:
i) Gerrard
ii) Gerrard says this because he is glad that finally, someone has asked him to speak about
himself.
iii) he is sarcastic
- Why does the intruder choose Gerrard as the man whose identity he wants to take on?
Answer: The intruder chooses Gerrard because he feels that they are similar to each other. As
he has committed a murder, he plans to steal Gerrard’s identity and live peacefully.
- “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?
Answer:
i) Gerrard
ii) It means that when things went wrong, Gerrard had to kill a person.
iii) No, it is not the truth. Gerrard said this in order to escape being killed by the intruder.
- What is Gerrard’s profession? Quote the parts of the play that support your answer.
Answer: Gerrard is a playwright. This is indicated from the following -
i) This is all very melodramatic, not very original
ii) At last a sympathetic audience
iii) In most melodramas the villain is foolish enough to delay his killing long enough to be
frustrated. You are much luckier.
iv) I said, you were luckier than most melodramatic villains.
v) That’s a disguise outfit; false moustaches and what not.
vi) 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.
- “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?
Answer:
i) the intruder
ii) The intruder says this to scare Gerrard
iii) According to the intruder, when Gerrard would come to know that his aim was to kill
him, he would get scared and stop being smart.
- “They can’t hang me twice.”
(i) Who says this?
(ii) Why does the speaker say it?
Answer:
i) The intruder says this.
Extra Questions:
SAQ:
- What was the criminal’s intention?
The criminal’s intention was to kill Gerrard and take on his identity.
- Why was the police looking for the intruder?
The police looking for the intruder because he committed a murder.
- How did Gerrard keep the intruder preoccupied?
Gerrard kept the intruder preoccupied by repeatedly pointing out his linguistic mistakes. He
asked the latter if he was an American because of his colloquial expressions.
- How does Gerrard trap the intruder?
Gerrard asks him to peep out through the door of the garage and see the car, the door is that
of a cupboard. As the intruder bends forward, Gerrard pushes him inside the cupboard; in the
jostle the intruder’s revolver falls, and Gerrard locks the cupboard.
LAQ:
- Discuss the character of Gerard.
Gerrard was a playwright. He lived alone in a cottage. He was an intelligent person with a
good sense of humour. He knew how to handle an adverse situation. He had a lot of patience
too. one day an intruder entered his Cottage. When Gerrard came to know about his intention.
He was not scared at all. He had Presence of Mind. He was very good at story making.
Gerrard immediately convinced the intruder that he himself was a criminal and police was
after him. The Intruder got convinced by him. Gerrard managed to get rid of the intruder by
locking him into the cupboard one Learns from him that one should never lost one's wit in
adversity. His Presence of mind, wit and sense of humour saved him.
Content Prepared at home by UKD
- Why did Sue call Behrman?
Ans: Sue went to Behrman because she had to paint an old miner and she wanted him as
the model for the painting.
- Why was Sue nervous to draw back the window curtains?
Ans: Sue was worried that the last leaf on the creeper might have fallen off in the wind and
snow the previous night, and that her friend Johnsy would consider it as a warning that she
was also going to die soon.
LAQ:
- What impression do you get of Behrman?
Ans: Behrman was a sixty year old painter whose only ambition was to paint a masterpiece.
He lived in the same building as Sue and Johnsy, and sometimes acted as a model for their
paintings. He was passionate about painting; he had the dream to create a masterpiece.
When Sue informed Behrman about Johnsy’s misgivings, he felt that he had to paint the leaf
that night in order to save her life, as all the leaves had fallen off in the storm. Hence
Behrman appears to be a selfless, caring man, who was fond of his neighbours, and put
their welfare before his own. He was a great painter, because the leaf he paints was so
realistic that no one could distinguish it from a real one.
