If I were you

 I. Answer these questions. 

 1. “At last a sympathetic audience.”

 i. Who says this? 

 Gerrard says this line.

ii. Why does he say it? 

 He says it when the Intruder asks him to talk about himself. Gerrard is currently being held at gunpoint, and by pretending that the Intruder is a "sympathetic listener," he starts to spin a made-up story about his past to distract the criminal and gain the upper hand.

iii. Is he sarcastic or serious? 

 He is being sarcastic. Gerrard is a playwright and a man of wit; he knows the Intruder isn't actually "sympathetic" (since the man intends to kill him), but he uses humour and irony to stay calm and keep the Intruder off-balance. 

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

 The Intruder chooses Gerrard because they are physically similar in build, making it easy to impersonate him. Additionally, Gerrard is a seclusive mystery man who lives in a lonely cottage and rarely meets people, which would allow the Intruder to live undetected by the police.

3. “I said it with bullets.”

 i. Who says this? 

 Gerrard says this to the Intruder. 

ii. What does it mean?

 It means that he settled a dispute or responded to a situation by using a gun (firing bullets) rather than just using words. He is implying that he committed a violent crime or murder.

iii. Is it the truth? What is the speaker’s reason for saying this? 

 No, it is not the truth. Gerrard is a playwright, not a criminal. He tells this lie to convince the Intruder that he is also a dangerous man on the run from the police. By doing this, he makes the Intruder believe that killing Gerrard and stealing his identity would be useless, as the police are already hunting "Gerrard" anyway.

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

 Gerrard is a playwright. The following quotes support this: His response to the Intruder: "I can’t let you have the props in time for rehearsal... I’m putting it in my next play." The items in his bag: "It’s a disguise outfit; false moustaches and what-not." His dramatic dialogue: "This is your big scene," and "In most melodramas the villain is foolish enough to delay his killing..."

5. “You’ll soon stop being smart.” 

 i. Who says this? 

 The Intruder says this to Gerrard.

ii. Why does the speaker say it?

 He says it because he is annoyed by Gerrard’s calm, witty, and carefree attitude. Gerrard does not seem afraid of the gun, and the Intruder wants to intimidate him and show him who is in control.

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

 According to the Intruder, Gerrard will stop being smart once he realizes that the Intruder actually intends to kill him. He believes that the fear of death will make Gerrard lose his wit and start "crawling" for his life. 

6. “They can’t hang me twice.”

 i. Who says this? 

 The Intruder says this.

ii. Why does the speaker say it? 

 He says it because he has already committed a murder (killing a policeman). He explains that since the punishment for murder is death, he has nothing to lose by killing Gerrard; the law cannot execute him twice for two different murders.

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

 The "mystery" he proposes to explain is his own fake criminal identity and why he lives such a secretive life. To save himself, Gerrard invents a story claiming that he is also a criminal and a murderer. He explains that the "mystery" of his sudden disappearances and his habit of only using the phone to deal with people is because he is hiding from the police. He tells the Intruder that if he takes on Gerrard's identity, he will still be arrested because the police are already hunting "Gerrard" for a crime he supposedly committed.

8. “This is your big surprise.”

 i. Where has this been said in the play? 

 First Instance: The Intruder says this to Gerrard shortly after breaking into his cottage. At this point, the Intruder is in control and is threatening Gerrard with a revolver. 

 Second Instance: Gerrard says this to the Intruder toward the end of the play. He mimics the Intruder’s earlier words to lead into his fabricated story about being a criminal himself.

ii. What is the surprise? 

 The Intruder’s Surprise: His surprise is his plan to murder Gerrard and take on his identity. He intends to live as "Vincent Charles Gerrard" to escape the police, as he believes they cannot hang him twice for two different murders. Gerrard’s Surprise: His surprise is a clever lie. He tells the Intruder that he is also a murderer on the run and is expecting a "trouble shooter" (the police) to arrive at any moment. He shows the Intruder his "disguise kit" (false moustaches and props) as proof. This "surprise" is a trap designed to trick the Intruder into the cupboard.

A Slumber did my spirit seal

 1. “A slumber did my spirit seal”, says the poet. That is, a deep sleep ‘closed off’ his soul (or mind). How does the poet react to his loved one’s death? Does he feel deep sense of grief? Or does he feel a great peace? 

 In "A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal," the poet’s reaction to his loved one’s death is characterized by a profound sense of numbness and shock rather than an outburst of typical grief. Initially, he describes his spirit as being "sealed" by a slumber, suggesting that he was in a state of deep denial or a trance-like state where he was blind to the reality of mortality. This "slumber" acted as a protective layer that kept him away from "human fears." However, as the poem progresses, his reaction shifts toward a great, solemn peace. Instead of mourning her loss with traditional sorrow, he finds a philosophical consolation in the fact that she has become an immortal part of the universe. By imagining her rolled round in "earth’s diurnal course" along with "rocks, and stones, and trees," he accepts that while she is lost as a human being, she has achieved a permanent, peaceful existence within the eternal cycle of nature.

2. The passing of time will no longer affect her, says the poet. Which lines of the poem say this? 

 “She seemed a thing that could not feel 

 the touch of earthly years”.

3. How does the poet imagine her to be, after death? Does he think of her as a person living in a very happy state (a ‘heaven’)? Or does he see her now as a part of nature? In which lines of the poem do you find your answer? 

 The poet imagines her not as living in a happy “heaven” but as having become a part of nature itself. This is clear in the final lines: "Rolled round in earth’s diurnal course, With rocks, and stones, and trees." Here, she is merged with the earth, moving daily with the planet’s rotation, no longer an individual but united with non-living natural elements—rocks, stones, and trees. Thus, the poet envisions her after death as beyond human joy or sorrow, simply existing in the eternal cycle of nature.

Kathmandu

Answer these questions in one or two words or in short phrases. 

 1. Name the two temples the author visited in Kathmandu.

 Pashupatinath and Baudhnath Stupa. 

 2. The writer says, “All this I wash down with Coca Cola.” What does ‘all this’ refer to? 

 Corn-on-the-cob and marzipan. 

 3. What does Vikram Seth compare to the quills of a porcupine? 

 The flutes tied on the top of the flute seller’s pole. 

 4. Name five kinds of flutes. 

 The reed neh, the recorder, the Japanese shakuhachi, the deep bansuri, the breathy flutes of South America, the high pitched Chinese f lutes. 

Answer each question in a short paragraph. 

 1. What difference does the author note between the flute seller and the other hawkers? 

 The author notes that, unlike the other hawkers who loudly shout to attract customers, the flute seller remains calm and quiet, simply playing his flute slowly and thoughtfully without any noisy display. 

 2. What is the belief at Pashupatinath about the end of Kaliyug? 

 At Pashupatinath, people believe that there is a small shrine in the Bagmati river which is only partly visible, and when this shrine emerges fully, the goddess inside it will escape and the evil period of Kaliyug on earth will come to an end.

3. The author has drawn powerful images and pictures. Pick out three examples each of 

 i. the atmosphere of ‘febrile confusion’ outside the temple of Pashupatinath (for example: some people trying to get the priest’s attention are elbowed aside…)

ii. the things he sees

iii. the sounds he hears

i. Priests, hawkers, devotees, tourists, cows, monkeys, pigeons and dogs all roam about the temple grounds, creating a crowded, restless scene. Some worshippers trying to catch the priest’s attention are elbowed aside by others pushing their way to the front. A party of saffron-clad Westerners struggles for permission to enter the temple through the main gate, adding to the sense of tension and disorder.

ii. The immense white dome of the Baudhnath Stupa ringed by a road with small shops selling felt bags, Tibetan prints and silver jewellery. Fruit sellers, flute sellers, postcard hawkers and shops selling cosmetics, f ilm rolls, chocolates, copper utensils and Nepalese antiques on the crowded streets of Kathmandu. A flute seller holding a long pole with about fifty or sixty flutes of different kinds stuck into it like the branches of a tree.

iii. Film songs blaring from the radios in the shops. The honking of car horns and the continuous ringing of bicycle bells in the busy streets. Vendors shouting out their wares, along with the soft, continuous music of the f lute seller’s many flutes.

Answer the following questions in not more than 100-150 words each. 

1. Compare and contrast the atmosphere in and around the Baudhnath shrine with the Pashupatinath temple.

 In and around the Pashupatinath temple, the atmosphere is chaotic and restless, marked by what the author calls “febrile confusion.” Crowds of priests, hawkers, devotees, tourists, and even animals push and jostle, creating noise, disorder and constant movement. People elbow one another to get closer to the priest, monkeys fight, and funeral pyres burn on the Bagmati’s banks, adding to the disturbing bustle. In contrast, the Baudhnath shrine has a calm, spiritual and still atmosphere. The huge white dome stands in serene silence, with only a few people moving quietly around it, and small Tibetan shops lining the outer circle without breaking the sense of peace. The author experiences Baudhnath as a “haven of quietness” amid Kathmandu’s busy streets.

2. How does the author describe Kathmandu’s busiest streets? 

 The author describes Kathmandu’s busiest streets as narrow, crowded and full of life, calling them “vivid, mercenary and religious.” They are lined with small shrines and flower decked deities, and packed with fruit sellers, f lute sellers, postcard hawkers and shops selling chocolates, film rolls, Western cosmetics, copper utensils and Nepalese antiques. Film songs blare from radios, car horns honk, bicycle bells ring and vendors shout out their wares, while stray cows bellow at the sound of motorcycles, creating a deafening confusion of sounds.

3. “To hear any flute is to be drawn into the commonality of all mankind.” Why does the author say this? 

 The author says this because the flute is a universal instrument that exists in almost every culture, though in different forms and names. Whether it is the Indian bansuri, the Japanese shakuhachi or the Western flute, all are simple hollow pipes that produce music through human breath, just like the human voice. This shared principle makes their music feel natural and intimate. The sound of any flute expresses basic human emotions such as sorrow, longing, peace and joy, which are common to all people irrespective of country, religion or language. By listening to a flute, one is reminded that human experiences and feelings are fundamentally the same everywhere, and this draws us into a sense of kinship with the whole of mankind.