If I Were You Class 9 Worksheet English Chapter 1

Q.1. What was the profession of Gerrard? How did he manage his work?

Gerrard was a playwright. He managed his work from his cottage and managing the actors at the theaters.

Q.2. How did Gerrard react on seeing the intruder?

Gerrard reacted very calmly on seeing the intruder. He did not express any anxiety or concern or even get afraid of him.

Q.3. Why did Gerrard tell the intruder ‘you will not kill me for a very good reason’?

Gerrard told the intruder ‘you will not kill me for a very good reason’ because he had planned to present himself as a murderer who is wanted by the law.

Q.4. The way Gerrard behaved when the intruder entered his cottage presented that he was amused to see him. Do you think that he was really amused, or he was pretending?

The way Gerrard behaved when the intruder entered his cottage presented that he was amused to see him. No, Gerrard was not really amused but was pretending to be amused. He did not want to give away to the intruder that he was afraid of him. He continued to plan how he would be able to get rid of the intruder. When the intruder threatened to kill him with his pistol, he declared himself a fugitive who was wanted for a murder and the police was on his track and were on their way to arrest him.

Q.5. What was the intention of the intruder when he entered Gerrard’s cottage?

The intruder had been following Gerrard for over a period. He had seen him in Aylesbury and had listened to the conversation of other two people who were talking about Gerrard. He could gather that he was a queer man. He also found out that Gerrard used to place his orders on phone, disappear suddenly and reappear similarly. He had planned to enter Gerrard’s cottage, enter conversation to know how he used to work and adopt his identity after killing him. He was wanted for a murder and was on the run. By taking Gerrard’s identity, he wanted to lead a free and fearless life.

Q.6. What does the intruder threaten?

He threatens that he will make Gerrard crawl.

Q.7. What was Gerrard doing when the intruder entered his cottage?

Gerrard was packing his bag and was preparing to leave to go out and work on a play when the intruder entered his cottage.

Q.8. What was the intention of the intruder when he trespassed into the cottage?

The intention of the intruder was to kill Gerrard and take his identity when he trespassed into the cottage.

Q.9. What does Gerrard start telling?

He starts telling the story of his life.

Q.10.What does Gerrard want?

He wants to change his position. 

Reference to Context Questions

Q1: Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.
Why, this is a surprise, Mr— er—
(a) Who speaks these words and to whom?
Ans: Vincent Gerrard speaks these words to the Intruder.

(b) Where are they at the time?
Ans: They are in Gerrard’s cottage, in his sitting room, at the time. The Intruder, who is carrying a revolver has just entered Gerrard’s cottage.

(c) What is the speaker’s tone at the time?
Ans: The speaker is speaking in a very pleasant tone.

(d) What does this tell you about the speaker?
Ans: The speaker is a level-headed person. He should have been afraid of the Intruder who was holding a gun, but he was talking in a normal, pleasant manner.

Q2: Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.
I’m glad you ’re pleased to see me. I don’t think you ’ll be pleased for long. Put those paws up!
(a) Who is speaking these lines and to whom? Where is the conversation taking place?
Ans: The Intruder is speaking to Gerrard. The conversation is taking place in Gerrard’s lonely cottage situated in the wilds of Essex.

(b) Why is ‘the speaker’ so sure that ‘his listener’ won’t be pleased for long?
Ans: The speaker is sure that his listener, Gerrard, will not be pleased for long because the speaker plans to kill him and steal his identity.

(c) What does ‘paws’ mean here? Why does the Intruder use the expression?
Ans: ‘Paws’ here stands for ‘hands’. The Intruder wants to convey to Gerrard that he is an American gangster.

(d) Why is the speaker asking the listener ‘to put those paws up’?
Ans: The Intruder asks Gerrard to put his ‘paws up’ to threaten and intimidate him. He wants to ensure that Gerrard is not able to use his hands for self-defence.

Q3: Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.
Thanks a lot. You ’ll soon stop being smart. I’ll make you crawl. I want td know a few things, see.
(a) Who is the speaker? Why is he thanking the listener?
Ans: The Intruder is the speaker here. He is thanking the listener, Gerrard, as the latter had helped him while he was fumbling for a word and Gerrard had suggested the word ‘nonchalant’.

(b) Why does the speaker think that the listener is trying to be smart?
Ans: The Intruder feels that Gerrard is trying to be smart because instead of displaying any signs of fear, he acts casual and helps the Intruder complete his sentence when the former fails to find the right word.

(c) Why does the speaker expect the listener to soon stop being smart?
Ans: The speaker feels that Gerrard will be frightened out of his wits the moment he discloses his intention of killing him and will then forget all the witty retorts that he had been making till then.

(d) What does the speaker mean by ‘I’ll make you crawl’?
Ans: The speaker means that he would bring the listener down on his knees and make him beg for mercy.

Q4: Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.
At last a sympathetic audience!
(a) Who speaks these words? To whom?
Ans: Gerrard, the protagonist of the play, speaks these words. He is speaking to the Intruder.

(b) Why does he say it?
Ans: He wants to throw the Intruder off course by showing him that he does not feel threatened by his presence.

(c) Is he sarcastic or serious?
Ans: He is certainly sarcastic because he knows that the Intruder wants to gather information about him only to misuse it and he plans to give incorrect information.

(d) Why does the listener wish to know the story of the speaker’s life?
Ans: The listener is a criminal who resembles Gerrard and wishes to impersonate him. So he wants to know more about him.

Q5: Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.
I’m sorry. I thought you were telling me, not asking me. A question of inflection; your voice is unfamiliar.
(a) Who is the speaker and who does he speak to?
Ans: The speaker is Gerrard. He is speaking to the Intruder.

(b) What had the listener asked the speaker?
Ans: The listener had asked the speaker if he lived in the cottage all by himself.

(c) What does ‘inflection’ mean here? What logic does the speaker give for misinterpreting the inflection of his voice?
Ans: ‘Inflection’ here means ‘tone of voice’. Gerrard says that since the Intruder’s voice was unfamiliar, he couldn’t know whether he was asking a question or telling something.

(d) What do these lines tell us about the speaker?
Ans: These lines show that the speaker is a very cool-headed man who can think of many ways to elude a question.

Q6: Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.
That, ’s a lie. You ’re not dealing with a fool. I’m as smart as you and smarter, and I know you run a car. Better be careful, wise guy!
(a) Who is the speaker? Which Tie’ is he talking about?
Ans: The Intruder is the speaker here. He is talking about the Tie’ that Gerrard told him about not running a car.

(b) Why did the speaker think he was smarter than the listener?
Ans: The Intruder considered himself smarter because to succeed in his plan of taking on Gerrard’s identity, he had already gathered as much information about Gerrard as he could from the local people.

(c) Why did he warn the listener to be careful?
Ans: The Intruder wanted to make it clear that Gerrard could not be fool him by telling a lie.

(d) What does the extract reveal about the Intruder?
Ans: The extract reveals that the Intruder is over-confident about his abilities and that he also under-estimates Gerrard, who is not afraid of him.

Q7: Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.
You seem to have taken a considerable amount of trouble. Since you know so much about me, won’t you say something about yourself? You have been so modest.
(a) Who speaks these words and to whom?
Ans: Gerrard speaks these words to the Intruder.

(b) What is his tone when he speaks these words?
Ans: He is being sarcastic at the time.

(c) Why does he want to know more about the Intruder?
Ans: He wants to find out more about the Intruder to see if he can get the better of him. He also wants to keep him talking till he receives his telephone call.

(d) What light does this throw on the speaker’s character?
Ans: The speaker is a quick-thinking person, who does not give way to fear but is looking for a way out of the situation he finds himself in.

Q8: Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.
I could tell you plenty. You think you ’re smart, but I’m the top of the class round here. I’ve got brains and I use them. That’s how I’ve got where have.
(a) Who speaks these words to whom and in what context?
Ans: These words are spoken by the Intruder to Gerrard. He utters these words when Gerrard asks him to tell him something about himself

(b) Why does the speaker say “I could tell you plenty”?
Ans: The Intruder says so because he is over-confident and thinks that he is smart enough to get the better of Gerrard.

(c) What does he mean by ‘the top of the class round here’?
Ans: The Intruder means to say that no one else is as smart as he is and thatbGerrard, too, is no match for him.

(d) What is his tone at the moment?
Ans: There is a ring of pride in his words and his ego makes him over-estimate himself and his abilities.

Q9: Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.
My speciality’s jewel robbery. Your car will do me a treat. It’s certainly a dandy bus.
(a) What does the speaker do? Why does he call it his ‘speciality’?
Ans: The speaker is a criminal who robs jewellery. He calls it his speciality because robbing jewellery was a pursuit or skill to which he had devoted much time and effort and in which he was an expert.

(b) What does he call ‘a dandy bus’? What does he mean?
Ans: He calls Gerrard’s car a dandy bus. He means to say that it is a splendid or outstanding car. It will be useful for him and will suit his purpose very well.

(c) What do his words tell you about the speaker?
Ans: The speaker has made his plans carefully and has found out information about the listener.

(d) What does the speaker intend to do?
Ans: The speaker uses his brains by planning and committing crimes without getting caught by the police. He now intends to kill Gerrard and assume his identity to escape the law further.

Q10: Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.

I’m not taking it for fun. I’ve been hunted long enough. I’m wanted for murder already, and they can’t hang me twice.
(a) What ‘step’ is the speaker talking about taking? Why is he taking it?
Ans: The speaker is talking about taking the ‘step’ of murdering Gerrard. He claims that he is not taking the step for fun but because of his need to escape the police.

(b) By whom has the speaker been hunted? Why?
Ans: The speaker has been hunted by the police because he is a criminal. He killed a policeman when something went wrong with the job that he did in the town quite a while ago, but since then he is dodging the police.

(c) Why does he say “they can’t hang me twice”?
Ans: The Intruder has just told Gerrard that he had murdered one man, and that he would not shy away from murdering him too. This is because the police could not hang him twice for two murders.

(d) What light do these lines reflect on the speaker’s state of mind?
Ans: The lines reveal that the Intruder does not have any conscience to prick him. He is in a desperate situation now as he fears the punishment he is likely to get if captured.

Q11; Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.
I’ve got freedom to gain. As for myself I’m a poor hunted rat. As Vincent Charles Gerrard I’m free to go places and do nothing. I can eat well and sleep and without having to be ready to beat it at the sight of a cop.
(a) Why is the speaker a ‘hunted rat’?
Ans: The Intruder is being chased by the police for having killed a policeman. The fear of being arrested by the police keeps him on the run and he feels that his condition is as miserable as that of a rat being chased.

(b) Why has he chosen to take on Gerrard’s identity?
Ans: He has chosen to take on Gerrard’s identity because the have a similar height and build and because Gerrard, being a loner, does not meet many people who may catch him out.

(c) Why does the speaker have to run at the sight of a cop?
Ans: Having killed a cop, the Intruder lives in constant fear of being caught by the police. So, he has to run at the sight of a cop in order to avoid being caught.

(d) What advantage will the speaker have once he impersonates Gerrard?
Ans: As Gerrard the Intruder will be able to dodge the police. This way he will be able to live in peace and without any fear of the cops.

Q12: Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.
It brought me to Aylesbury. That’s where I saw you in the car. Two other people saw you and started to talk.
I listened. It looks like you ’re a bit queer — kind of a mystery man.
(a) What is ‘it’? Where did it bring him?
Ans: ‘It’ here refers to the speaker’s dodging the police. While escaping the police he reached Aylesbury.

(b) What did the speaker overhear about the listener? From whom?
Ans: He overheard two men discuss Gerrard. They referred to him as being strange and a mystery man about whom nothing much was known.

(c) What made the two men conclude that the listener was a mystery man?
Ans: The two men concluded Gerrard was a mystery man because they did not know much about him. He kept to himself and ordered his supplies on the phone. He did not meet even the tradespeople who delivered the orders. He sometimes went away suddenly and came back just the same.

(d) How did this suit the Intruder’s purpose?
Ans: This suited the Intruder’s purpose as no one knew Gerrard well enough to recognise him if the Intruder took on his identity. Also, the Intruder would be able to come and go suddenly as Gerrard did.

Q13: Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.
Don’t be a fool. If you shoot, you ’ll hang for sure. If not as yourself then as Vincent Charles Gerrard.
(a) Why did the speaker say that the listener will be hanged?
Ans: The speaker said that even if he shot him and took on the speaker’s identity, the listener would be hanged as Gerrard because he was wanted by the police.

(b) What surprise did the speaker give to the listener?
Ans: Gerrard surprised the Intruder by telling him that he was also a criminal and wanted for murder.

(c) What proof does the speaker give the listener about his being a criminal?
Ans: Gerrard told the Intruder that he did not meet any trades people and was a bit of a mystery man here today and gone tomorrow because he was a criminal on the run.

(d) What do you think was the speaker’s tone as he spoke to the listener?
Ans: The speaker’s tone was serious and confidential. The listener was taken in by the speaker.

Q14: This is your big surprise. I said you wouldn’t kill me and I was right. Why do you think I am here today and gone tomorrow, never see tradespeople? You say my habits would suit you. You are a crook. Do you think I am a Sunday-school teacher?
(a) What was the big surprise given by the speaker?
Ans: Gerrard told that the Intruder that he too lived under the threat of being arrested as he too was involved in crime. The Intruder was naturally surprised at this revelation since he was not aware about this aspect of his victim.

(b) What was the speaker right about? Why was he right?
Ans: Gerrard, the speaker here, was right about the statement that he had made earlier that the Intruder wouldn’t kill him. He was right because the Intruder intended to kill an ordinary person and impersonate him to evade the police. But Gerrard turned out to be a criminal like him. So, killing and impersonating a criminal would not serve the Intruder’s purpose,

(c) Explain the phrase Sunday school teacher? What does the speaker imply by his words?
Ans: A Sunday school teacher is not just an instructor but is also the responsibility for the spiritual welfare of the students. As such, the Sunday school teacher is an important member of the church and one of high moral standing. By saying he is not a Sunday school teacher, the speaker implies he is a crook.

(d) What light does it throw on the character of the speaker and the listener?
Ans: The speaker is a quick-thinking cool-headed person, who has retained his presence of mind and lays a trap for the Intruder. He is able to convince the listener. On the other hand, the listener is a gullible person and is taken in by Gerrard’s words.

Q15: Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.
“I said it with bullets and got away ”.
(a) Who says this?
Ans: Gerrard, the protagonist of the play ‘If I Were You’, says this.

(b) What does it mean?
Ans: Gerrard means that he committed a murder with a gun for his escape because things had gone wrong.

(c) Is it the truth? What is the speaker’s reason for saying this?
Ans: No, it is not the truth. The speaker has concocted a story to befool the Intruder. He shows himself to be a wanted criminal on run from the police so that the Intruder should give up his plan of killing him and taking up his identity.

(d) How was he in imminent danger from the police?
Ans: One of his men had been caught by the police with some documents.

Q16: Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.
I have got a man posted on the main road. He’ll ring up if he sees the police, but I don’t want to leave… (telephone bell rings,) Come on! They ’re after us. Through here straight to the garage.
(a) Whose call had Gerrard been expecting?
Ans: Gerrard had told the person he was speaking to in the beginning to tell someone to call him at once. So, he had been expecting that call.

(b) Whose call had told the Intruder he was expecting?
Ans: He told the Intruder he was expecting trouble, and had posted a man on the look out who would tell him if the police were coming.

(c) What did he show the Intruder to convince him that he was going to run away?
Ans: He showed him the packed bag and disguise outfit; false moustaches and what not to show he was ready . to run away.

(d) What is his tone like as he says these words?
Ans: He says these words in a tone of urgency.

Q17: Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.
For God’s sake clear that muddled head of yours and let’s go. Come with me in the car. I can use you. If you find it’s a frame, you’ve got me in a car, and you still have your gun.
(a) What does the speaker call the listener’s head “muddled”?
Ans: The Intruder, who has come to Gerrard’s house to kill him and steal his identity, is told by Gerrard that he, too, is a criminal on the run. The Intruder is thus looking confused.

(b) Where does the speaker invite the other person?
Ans: The speaker Gerrard is inviting the other person to accompany him in the car and help him escape

(c) What assurance does he give the listener?
Ans: He tells the Intruder that he has the gun so he can over-power him whenever he feels he has been trapped.

(d) What is in the speaker’s mind?
Ans: The speaker wants to get the Intruder into a trap where he can hand him over to the police.