NCERT Solutions Class 9, English, Beehive, Prose, Chapter- 9, If I were You.
Thinking about the Text
I. Answer these questions.
1. “At last a sympathetic audience.”
(i) Who says this?
Solution: The speaker of the given line is Gerrard.
(ii) Why does he say it?
Solution: He says it as he is asked by the intruder to speak about himself.
(iii) Is he sarcastic or serious?
Solution: He speaks the given dialogue sarcastically.
2. Why does the intruder choose Gerrard as the man whose identity he wants to take on?
Solution: Gerrard looks much like the intruder. The intruder is a murderer. The police is after him. He hopes he can easily impersonate Gerrard escape being caught.
3. “I said it with bullets.”
(i) Who says this?
Solution: Gerrard says this.
(ii) What does it mean?
Solution: It means that when things went wrong, he had used his gun to shoot someone for his escape.
(iii) Is it the truth? What is the speaker’s reason for saying this?
Solution: No, it is not the truth. The speaker says this to save himself from getting shot by the intruder.
4. What is Gerrard’s profession? Quote the parts of the play that support your answer.
Solution:
Gerrard is a dramatist. He says, “Sorry I can’t let you have the props in time for rehearsal…
5. “You’ll soon stop being smart.”
(i) Who says this?
Solution: The intruder says this.
(ii) Why does the speaker say it?
Solution: He says it because Gerrard does not seem afraid of his gun even.
(iii) What according to the speaker will stop Gerrard from being smart?
Solution: According to the speaker, the bullet will stop Gerrard from being smart.
6. “They can’t hang me twice.”
(i) Who says this?
Solution: The intruder says this.
(ii) Why does the speaker say it?
Solution:
The speaker says it because he wants to murder Gerrard. And he has already murdered someone. So the police cannot hang him twice.
7. “A mystery I propose to explain.” What is the mystery the speaker proposes to explain?
Solution:
The speaker wants that the intruder should explain what mystery is associated with him. The mystery is about Gerrard’s placing his orders on telephone. And he goes out suddenly and returns in the same way.
8. “This is your big surprise.”
(i) Where has this been said in the play?
Solution:
Gerrard speaks this line. He tells the intruder that if he is not hanged for his murder, he will certainly be hanged being Vincent Charles Gerrard. At this time he utters these words.
(ii) What is the surprise?
Solution: The big surprise is that Gerrard will not be killed by him. He is right in saying this.
Thinking about Language
I. Consult your dictionary and choose the correct word from the pairs given in brackets.
1. The (site, cite) of the accident was (ghastly/ghostly).
2. Our college (principle/principal) is very strict.
3. I studied (continuously/continually) for eight hours.
4. The fog had an adverse (affect/effect) on the traffic.
5. Cezanne, the famous French painter, was a brilliant (artist/artiste).
6. The book that you gave me yesterday is an extraordinary (collage/college) of science fiction and mystery.
7. Our school will (host/hoist) an exhibition on cruelty to animals and wildlife conservation.
8. Screw the lid tightly onto the top of the bottle and (shake/shape) well before using the contents.
Solution:
1. The site of the accident was ghastly.
2. Our college principal is very strict.
3. I studied continuously for eight hours.
4. The fog had an adverse effect on the traffic.
5. Cezanne, the famous French painter, was a brilliant artist.
6. The book that you gave me yesterday is an extraordinary collage of science fiction and mystery.
7. Our school will host an exhibition on cruelty to animals and wildlife conservation.
8. Screw the lid tightly onto the top of the bottle and shake well before using the contents.
