Class 9 English Chapter 9 Question Answers - If I were you

Q1. Gerrard talks pleasantly with the intruder. Was he really pleased to see the criminal?

Ans: 

• Gerrard, who lives alone, remains remarkably calm when an intruder breaks into his home and threatens him with a gun. Rather than being pleased, Gerrard is actually shrewd and perceptive. 
• He quickly understands that the intruder has malicious intentions and that confronting him directly could be fatal. Instead, Gerrard engages in polite conversation to buy time. 
• His calm and pleasant demeanor confuses the intruder and delays his plan to kill Gerrard. Through their conversation, Gerrard exposes the intruder’s lack of intelligence and successfully manipulates him. 
• Ultimately, he traps the intruder in a cupboard and calls the police. His outward calmness and cordiality were strategic moves rather than genuine pleasure.

Q2. 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: 

• The intruder, armed with a revolver, initially threatens Gerrard and boasts about his plans. However, instead of making Gerrard 'crawl', the intruder's scheme backfires. 
• Gerrard remains calm and engages the intruder in conversation, which leads him to reveal more about himself. The intruder, a criminal on the run, is cleverly tricked by Gerrard. 
• Gerrard convinces him that he is also a criminal and persuades him to look into a cupboard, claiming it is an escape route. Once the intruder is inside, Gerrard locks him in and calls the police. Thus, the intruder's boastful threat is never realised, and he is ultimately captured.

Q3. Gerrard says, “In most melodramas, the villain is foolish enough to delay his killing long enough to be frustrated. Does this statement hold good for the play ‘If I Were You’?
Ans: 

• The playwright of most melodramas aims for the hero's success. In the play If I Were You, the villain intends to kill the hero, Gerrard, but appears foolish as he continually delays his plan. 
• Ultimately, his schemes fail, allowing Gerrard to emerge victorious. The intruder, who resembles Gerrard, wants to murder him and assume his identity. 
• He has gathered extensive information about Gerrard but does not realise that Gerrard is a skilled actor. When Gerrard encounters the intruder, he remains calm and friendly, engaging him in conversation. 
• This tactic leads the intruder to reveal more about himself, further postponing his deadly intentions. This delay gives Gerrard the opportunity to devise a counter-strategy. 
• In the climax, Gerrard cleverly pushes the intruder into a cupboard, disarming him and locking him inside. Thus, the intruder's attempt to kill Gerrard is thwarted, and he is captured.

Q4. 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: 

• Remaining calm during a crisis is vital for success, as shown by Gerrard in the play. When faced with an armed intruder, he maintains his composure instead of panicking. 
• Most people would react with fear, but Gerrard cleverly pretends to be pleased to see the intruder and greets him warmly. This unexpected reaction catches the intruder off guard, allowing Gerrard to gain the upper hand. 
• By encouraging the intruder to talk about himself, Gerrard buys precious time to devise a plan. His calmness is crucial in this tense moment, enabling him to think clearly and outsmart the intruder. 
• Ultimately, Gerrard's ability to remain unflustered leads to his escape. Through his actions, Gerrard exemplifies that maintaining serenity can be a powerful strategy in overcoming dangerous situations. His quick thinking and composed demeanor highlight the importance of staying calm in the face of adversity.

Q5. Why was Gerrard packing a bag at the beginning of the play? How did it help him to outwit and trap the intruder?
Ans: 

• At the beginning of the play, Gerrard was packing a bag to deliver items to a theatre group for practice. When an intruder burst into his cottage and threatened him, Gerrard remained calm. 
• He quickly fabricated a story about being a criminal trying to escape from the police. The contents of the bag, which included a gun, disguised clothing, and fake moustaches, supported his tale. 
• This convincing act led the intruder to believe Gerrard was telling the truth. The intruder, now convinced, agreed to flee with Gerrard, unwittingly following his instructions. 
• Consequently, the bag played a crucial role in deceiving the intruder into thinking Gerrard was also a criminal, which ultimately led to the intruder's capture.

Q6. Bring out Gerrard’s intelligence, the presence of mind and sense of humour. How did these traits help him outwit the intruder?
Ans: 

• Gerrard displayed exceptional intelligence and a quick presence of mind when faced with the armed intruder. Instead of panicking, he remained calm, which not only helped him control the situation but also unsettled the intruder, who was likely feeling anxious himself. 
• Gerrard cleverly invented a story about his own criminal past, using his sense of humour to lighten the mood and distract the intruder. He convinced the intruder that the police would arrive shortly, urging him to flee quickly. 
• Gerrard then deceived the intruder into looking inside a cupboard, claiming it was an escape route. As the intruder leaned in, Gerrard pushed him inside, causing the revolver to fall from his hand. 
• He promptly locked the cupboard door, effectively reversing their roles. Through his wit, humour, and foresight, Gerrard successfully outsmarted the threat he faced.

Q7. Why did the intruder find Gerrard’s cooked up the story of his criminal background convincing?
Ans: 

• The intruder, rather than being naive, was suspicious of Gerrard's every move. When Gerrard tried to talk to him about his identity, the intruder dismissed him, insisting on answering only direct questions. 
• This played into Gerrard's hands. By staying calm, Gerrard cleverly fabricated a story claiming he was also wanted by the police. He backed up his story by showing a bag filled with disguise costumes and fake moustaches, among other items. 
• Unaware of Gerrard's background in theatre, the intruder found this tale convincing, believing Gerrard was attempting to evade the authorities. As a result, the intruder fell into Gerrard's trap. 
• This shows that, despite thinking he was the smartest person in the room, he was outsmarted by Gerrard, who successfully thwarted his malicious plan.

Q8. Imagine you are Gerrard. Write a letter to your friend describing what happened when the intruder broke into your house.
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

Q9. 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 assassinate Gerrard and assume his identity appeared to be very sophisticated on the surface. However, carrying it out was not a viable option. 
• First and foremost, if Gerrard had been killed, the intruder would have had issues disposing of his body, and there is a likelihood that his crime would have been discovered and he would have been apprehended.
• If he had been able to deal with this aspect of the play, his theatre clients' concerns would have grown as a result of his inability to reach Gerrard. They would have definitely sought police assistance in this matter, and the invader would have been apprehended soon.
• As a result, the intruder's plan, however wonderful it seemed to him, was not practical. It appeared straightforward and fool-proof in theory, but in practise, it was far too sophisticated to be carried out properly.