Evans Tries an O-Level Class 12 English Vistas

Key Points of the Story 

• Evans Tries an O-Level is a short story written by English crime writer Colin Dexter. 
• This story shows the execution of a meticulously designed escape plan by a prisoner named James Roderick Evans. 
• He is a kleptomaniac and has escaped thrice from prison. 
• The event centres around an O-Level examination he wants to sit for. 
• The exam assesses one’s proficiency in German, and he had been taking night classes in German for a long time. 
• As usual, the Governor is sceptical about Evans’s motives. 
• He thinks Evans might pull off an escape trick during the examination. 
• He takes all possible measures to ensure that Evans does not escape by any means. 
• Everything seems to go according to plan when suddenly a prison officer in charge of the exam duty discovers the invigilator sitting on Evans’s chair soaked in blood. 
• The rest of the story is full of surprise twists and revelations that reveal Evans’s escape plan piece by piece.

Detailed Summary 

The story commences with preparations for an O-level examination in the German language within HM Prison in Oxford, specifically for a prisoner named Evans. The prison's Governor had informed the Examinations Board Secretary, leading to the decision to hold the examination in Evans's prison cell, with an invigilator from St. Mary Mags.
Evans, known as 'Evans the Break' among the prison staff, was a kleptomaniac. The Governor kept certain details about him confidential. He placed Evans in a maximum-security area to prevent any escape attempts during the examination. Two prison officers, Jackson and Stephens, were assigned to supervise Evans during the exam.
There was already a strained relationship between Evans and Senior Prison Officer Jackson. On the morning of the examination, Jackson, along with Stephens, visited Evans while he was shaving. Jackson allowed him a half-hour grooming time and instructed Stephens to remove the razor after he finished. He also asked Evans to remove a bobble hat he was wearing. Evans managed to persuade Jackson to let him keep the hat.
The exam was scheduled to start at 9:15, and Stephens prepared the cell for the examination. Jackson, in his final visit, was informed by Evans that the cell was bugged, to which Jackson replied that it was a precaution from the Governor. When Reverend McLeery, the invigilator, arrived, he was escorted to Evans's cell by Stephens. The Governor activated the listening device at 9:10. By 9:12, Jackson conducted a frisk of Mr. McLeery as ordered by the Governor, ensuring strict vigilance. Among the items in McLeery's briefcase was a partially inflated rubber ring, which he explained was for treating hemorrhoids. Jackson apologized and allowed it.
Before the exam could begin, Evans expressed his difficulty in concentrating with Stephens constantly watching him. The Governor overheard this and instructed Stephens to leave the cell. The examination started at 9:25. A phone call at 9:40 indicated the need for a correction slip to be included in the examination package. The Governor, cautious about any escape plans, had doubts about the call's authenticity. He made another call to confirm its validity, and after receiving confirmation from McLeery, he was reassured.
A second call came from the Magistrates' Court, requesting a prison van and two prison officers. The Governor's suspicions grew, fearing Evans might attempt an escape. Stephens intensified his vigilance, peeping through the peephole every minute, later extending it to two minutes at 11:20. McLeery informed Evans that there were only five minutes remaining.
Two minutes later, the Governor instructed Stephens to accompany McLeery outside, ensuring all doors were locked behind them. While escorting McLeery, Stephens noticed a significant change in McLeery's appearance and accent. Once outside the prison, he felt compelled to check on Evans.
To his shock, he found McLeery, the invigilator, sitting in Evans's chair, bleeding from his head. McLeery attempted to convey hints about Evans' whereabouts, which were on the examination sheet left behind. The last page was covered by a photocopied document with words and numbers. The Governor contacted the police, and they took McLeery with them.
Later, the Governor learned that the McLeery the police took was an imposter. The real McLeery had been tied and gagged in his apartment since 8:15 in the morning. The Governor became more vigilant and analytical about Evans's plans, eventually confronting him in his hotel room at the Golden Lion. They exchanged a conversation about how the Governor deduced his location and how Evans deceived everyone with fake pig's blood and a bobble hat over his freshly cut hair.
The Governor ordered two guards to escort Evans back to prison. As Evans entered the van, his two accomplices, posing as prison officers, uncuffed him and asked where to go next. Evans suggested Newbury, and thus, he regained his freedom.

Conclusion 

The ending of the story shows how brilliantly the writer has used his plot to reveal Evans’ escape plan. The author uses the red herring technique to present the story – where he places false clues deliberately across the storyline to make the plot more thrilling and engaging. We find out at the end that both the German instructor and the examination invigilator were his accomplices. The fake phone calls made to the Governor were at precise timings according to Evans’s plan of escape. The two prison officers who helped him escape from the hotel were the ones requested by the Magistrates’ Court. Although the deeds committed by Evans stand against lawful practices, the story is an example of how detailed planning and dedicated commitment can give successful outcomes.

Difficult Words

Word - Meaning

• Secretary - assistant
• Unusual - strange
• Governor - chief, administrator
• Academic - educational
• Qualification - completion of some course
• cost him a packet - to cost a lot of money
• grand - royal
• Procedure - method, process
• Concert - Musical Performance
• card - a witty or eccentric person
• Imitation - copying
• Congenital - Natural, inherited
• Kleptomania - a very strong wish to steal that you cannot control
• kleptomaniac - a person suffering from kleptomania
• Tempted - have an urge to do something
• Presumably - to assume, believe
• Cell - lockup
• Objections - complaint
• Parsons - Churchman, priest
• St. Mary Mags - St. Mary’s Magdalene, a church in England
• Invigilate - supervise
• Chuckled - laughed quietly
• Incommunicado - not able to or allowed to communicate with other people
• Reiterated - repeated
• Cradled - rested, placed back
• Escape - run away, get free
• Establishment - setting up, building
• Grace - bring honour or credit to (someone or something) by one’s attendance or participation.
• Premises - building, site
• Persistent - continuous
• Nagging - here, irritation
• Genuine - real, actual
• Recreation - relaxation, fun
• Guten gluck - German language word for ‘good luck’
• herr - German language word for ‘mister
• pardon - a request to a speaker to repeat something because one did not hear or understand it.
• Danke Schon - German language word for ‘Thank you very much’ or ‘Thank you kindly’
• Tucked - push
• Grubby - dirty
• Bunk - narrow bed attached to the wall
• Burly - large and strong man
• surly - bad-tempered and unfriendly.
• recruited - appointed
• Curtly - short, brief
• Filthy - dirty
• Scraping - to remove unwanted covering, here shaving
• mug - a person’s face
• Ramrod - here, a strict supervisor
• Paraded - here, lined
• nail scissors - nail cutter
• Smouldered - here, glowed with anger
• Leaned - bent
• Leered - watched, stared
• Contemptuous - disrespectful
• Shrugged - disregarded, dismiss
• Compassion - pity, sympathy
• Shirley temple - An actress famous for her wavy hair
• Loathe - hate
• Reverend - a member of the church
• Drizzle - light shower of rain
• Spattered - splash, spray
• Authentication - verify
• paper knife - blunt knife for cutting paper
• Guild - association
• scheduled - planned or fixed
• Lathering - to form foam with soap
• Vigorously - strongly
• distempered - painted with distemper
• Battered - worn out
• Pin ups - Posters
• Swath - a broad strip or area of something
• bug - a small microphone
• vaguely - roughly
• Conceded - admit
• laddy - referred to boy
• hawk - a bird of prey with broad rounded wings and long tail
• Lodge - gate house, cottage
• Murmur - whisper
• keep one’s eyes skinned - be on the alert; watch carefully or vigilantly for something
• Clanging - make a sound
• Peep hole - keyhole, opening
• Rivet - here, fixed
• Sprang - past of spring
• thudded - strike something with a heavy sound
• twang - a strong ringing sound
• Haystack - a packed pile of hay (dried grass)
• Smuggle - to take someone or something illegally
• Chisel - a long bladed hand tool
• Potential - possible
• Unwittingly - unknowingly
• Jack-knife - a large knife with a folding blade
• Hostage - captive
• Frisk - check, search
• Riffle - turning pages quickly
• Sorely - with a great intensity, strongly
• haemorrhoids - a swollen vein or a group of veins
• Semi inflated - half filled with air
• Hitherto - earlier, previous
• Amiable - friendly
• Demeanour - manner, attitude
• ruffled - disarrange
• Pleasantry - joke, a stuff to laugh
• Embarrass - unease, awkward
• Staccato - a short musical note
• Scots - another term for scottish
• Magistrate - civil officer who administers law
• hoax - prank
• Stare - gaze
• Askew - tilted, angled
• Semi profile - partly turned
• Amateurish - beginner
• Meticulously - carefully
• Manicured - well cared, tidy
• crackled - crack, sizzle
• parky - cold
• Frowned - make a face
• fishy - doubtful thing
• suffocate - breathless
• Revert - return to
• Gnawed - chew
• Apprehensive - worried, anxious
• Absolutely - completely
• Scraping - the sound of an action of rubbing
• Distinguished - differentiate
• Foster - support
• Illusion - mirage, imagination
• Belated - late, overdue
• Convince - assure
• Sprawl - lie back
• Tufted - bunch
• Awash - flooded, covered
• Drip - drop
• Veiled - face covering
• Feeble - weak
• Seeping - flowing
• Moan - cry
• Trailed - stream
• Squelchy - a soft sucking sound made when pressure is applied to liquid or mud
• Splash - A dashing sound of liquid
• Grasp - hold, grip
• immense - massive, enormous
• Streaked - lined
• caked; coated
• Perplexed - puzzled
• grim - distant
• Awkward - uneasy
• Thrust - push
• Superimpose - place over another
• Dredge - clear
• Crescendo - the loudest point of a sound
• Squeal - cry, scream
• Swung - wave
• Detective - investigator
• Superintendent - supervisor, manager
• Tarnished - stained
• Crimson - a rich red color turning purple
• Bewilderment - confusion
• leap - jump over
• spurt - spray
• Gravel - stones
• Scathing contempt - severe disrespect
• Stammer - mumble
• Whiplash - sudden movement
• Blither - long-winded talk with no real substance
• Despair - hopelessness
• Conceal - hide
• Paraphernalia - things, stuff
• Erupt - flare up
• Strident - harsh
• Good for a giggle - for a laugh
• Gullible - over trustful
• Groggy - weak
• Parson - churchman
• Vanish - disappear
• bound - tied up
• Gagged - stopped
• Impersonating - pretend to be another person
• stroll - walk
• wreckage - remains
• Bobble - small ball attached to a hat
• Allergic - sensitive
• Bother - concerned about
• Panic - fear, alarm
• Fiddling - petty annoying thing
• Bargain - here thought or planned for
• Glimpse - quick look
• Gorgon - fierce
• Darted - moved quickly
• Desperately - hopeless
• Shaken - disturbed
• Ruefully - sorrow
• Spanner - a sharp tool
• Muddle - confuse, jumble
• Pints - unit of liquid
• Grin - smile
• Clotting - harden
• Reluctant - unwilling
• admire - praise
• resist - withstand
• Clambered - climb
• awkward - unease