Short Answer Questions: A Shady Plot

Read the following extracts and answer the questions.

Q1. ''It was like watching one of these moving picture cartoons being put together.''

(a) Explain 'It'.
Ans: 'It' refers to the ghostly apparition that was slowly materialising before the narrator. The narrator noticed parts of the apparition appearing one after another until the whole figure formed.

(b) What is like watching a cartoon movie?
Ans: The gradual formation of the ghost's figure - as hands, limbs and other parts appeared in sequence - was like seeing a moving-picture cartoon being put together frame by frame.

(c) What effect does it have on the 'narrator'?
Ans: The narrator was shocked and astonished. He was unable to believe his eyes and felt dumbstruck as the figure slowly took shape.

Q2. ''We're been called out of beds a little too often in recent years and now we're through.''

(a) Who has been called constantly?
  Ans: Spirits such as Helen have been summoned repeatedly by people using the Ouija board and similar means.

(b) What is unnatural about their being called?
Ans: Summoning spirits is not a normal, everyday practice. Disturbing the dead at all hours is unnatural because it pulls them from their rest and disturbs their peace.

(c) What is the person's complaint?
Ans: The spirit complains of being tired and annoyed at being called out of bed at odd hours; it is fed up with answering endless queries from Ouija-board users.

Q3. ''It's .... so cheap! I got it at a bargain sale.'' 

(a) What has been bought cheap?
Ans: The Ouija board has been bought cheaply at a bargain sale.

(b) Do you think the narrator would be happy with this news? Why/Why not?
Ans: No. The narrator is alarmed and worried because the Ouija board invites spirits and causes trouble. He fears that its use will lead to more disturbances and unwanted contact with ghosts.

(c) Who had asked the narrator to avoid its use?
Ans: Helen, the spirit, had warned the narrator not to allow the Ouija board to be used and had tried to prevent people from calling her repeatedly.

Q4. ''Someone has been trying to communicate with John through ........... Ouija ......... someone with the name of Helen.''

(a) Who is Helen? What was her relationship with John?
Ans: Helen is a ghost. She claims to have helped John by suggesting good plots and ideas for his ghost stories; in that sense she was his secret creative helper.

(b) What is the Ouija Board? What is its purpose?
Ans: An Ouija board is a talking board used to attempt communication with spirits. Participants place their fingers on a planchette which seems to move and spell out answers to questions asked aloud.

(c) How can one communicate through the Ouija?
Ans: People ask questions while lightly resting their fingers on the planchette. The planchette then moves to letters or words on the board to spell out answers, which are believed to come from spirits.

Q5. ''John, there is not a bit of use trying to deceive me. What is it you are trying to conceal from me?''

(a) Why was John trying to deceive the speaker?
Ans: John tried to deceive because he did not want to frighten his wife by letting her see the ghost. He hoped to protect her from alarm by pretending nothing unusual was happening.

(b) Whom was he trying to conceal?
Ans: He was trying to hide Helen, the ghost, from his wife so as not to cause her distress.

(c) What was John afraid of?
Ans: John was afraid that his wife would be so frightened by the sight of the ghost that she might faint or be severely upset.

Q6. ''I sat staring at it and presently noticed something just taking shape. It was exactly like watching one of these moving picture cartoons being put together." 

(a) What was the narrator staring it?
Ans: The narrator was staring at the womanly figure that was appearing before him; he watched the apparition as it gradually formed.

(b) How was the figure talking shape?
Ans. The figure was taking shape slowly and piece by piece; first one part would appear, then another, until the whole form became visible.

(c) Who was gradually taking a definite shape part by part?
  Ans: A ghost called Helen was gradually forming, her body appearing in parts until she stood fully materialised.

Short Answer Questions

Q1. Why was the writer getting overconfident about his ability to write ghost stories?
Ans: Mr Hallock had repeatedly produced successful ghost tales even though he was not a specialist. Such tales were popular with readers, and he had often found that a suitable plot would present itself. This past success made him confident that he could continue to write good ghost stories whenever required.

Q2. Seeing a ghost taking shape was 'Like seeing of the moving picture cartoons put together.' how?
Ans: The ghost, Helen, appeared gradually rather than all at once. Individual parts - a hand, then an arm, then other features - came into view one after another. Because the apparition assembled itself in stages, the narrator compared it to a moving-picture cartoon being built frame by frame.

Q3. What surprising revelation is made by the ghost? Why did the writer not believe her?
Ans: The ghost revealed that she had been supplying the writer with the plots and ideas for his best ghost tales. The writer found this hard to accept because he had never actually seen her before and could not imagine an unseen spirit doing his creative work. Helen explained that she had been advising him, often sitting metaphorically on his shoulder to suggest plots.

Q4. Why is the ghost fed up of the Ouija Board fanatics?
Ans: The ghost is annoyed because people keep summoning spirits at all hours using the Ouija board. Spirits are being pulled out of their rest repeatedly, often at inconvenient times, and they are tired of answering trivial or endless questions. This constant disturbance has made them fed up.

Q5. What reasons are given by Lavinia for not getting rid of the Ouija Board?
Ans: Lavinia argues that the Ouija board was bought cheaply at a bargain. She also believes it could be useful to her husband as a source of ideas for his writing. In addition, she thinks it will be an entertaining activity for her book-club meetings.

Q6. Why was the narrator shocked to see the activities of his wife's Book Club?
  Ans: The narrator was shocked because all the ladies of Lavinia's book club were using the Ouija board and calling spirits. He had been warned by Helen that the board would cause trouble and that numerous people would start summoning her. Seeing so many women engaging in this activity confirmed his worst fears and distressed him.

Q7. What controversy or furor was caused in the parlor by the name of 'Helen'?
Ans: During the Ouija session the board spelled out the name 'Helen' and accused the narrator of being a traitor. This created a disturbance because Lavinia and her friends did not know any Helen connected with the narrator, and Lavinia became suspicious and upset at the implication.

Q8. Helen the ghost says, ''I'm too tired to materialize.'' What does she imply by the above statement?
Ans: Helen means that she is exhausted from being summoned so often, especially after answering questions late into the night for Lavinia's friends. She cannot fully form herself quickly because she has been overworked and needs rest, so materialising now takes more effort and time.

Q9. Why did Helen pay a visit to the narrator again?
Ans: Helen visited the narrator to demand that Lavinia stop using the Ouija board. She came to threaten the writer and to insist that if he did not act to get rid of the board, she would refuse to help him with story plots in future.

Q10. Lavinia entered the narrator's room with a solid finality. What was her purpose?
Ans: Lavinia had become convinced that her husband was involved with a woman called Helen. Feeling betrayed, she declared that she would leave him and move out. Her purpose was to confront him and to end their relationship unless he gave a satisfactory explanation.

Q11. Why was the narrator unable to conceal Helen behind his back before his wife?
Ans: The narrator could not hide Helen because Lavinia refused to step aside and quickly moved to see who was behind her husband. She was already suspicious and noticed his attempt to conceal someone. Moreover, Helen did not vanish, so both women confronted each other directly.

Q12. How did Lavinia react after facing Helen?
Ans: Contrary to the narrator's fear that she might faint, Lavinia stood her ground. She faced Helen with boldness and confidence rather than weakness or hysteria, which surprised the narrator.

Q13. Why did the narrator have a strong urge to pen down his new story?
Ans: The narrator had just experienced an extraordinary and dramatic incident that provided a ready-made plot: it was eerie, revealing and dramatic. Such an event promised to make an attractive and popular ghost tale, so he felt a strong urge to write it down immediately.

Q14. How did the narrator react to the appearance of the ghost?    
Ans: The narrator was asked to write a terrifying ghost tale and was thinking aloud when he found that someone in the room answered his questions. He was astonished to see a figure form before him. The apparition was a tall, angular woman with fishy eyes and spectacles. The narrator was completely taken aback and felt dumbstruck at the sight of a ghost standing in front of him.

Q15. Why did Lavinia decides to leave her husband and what made her change her mind?  
Ans: Lavinia believed her husband was involved with a woman named Helen and felt betrayed; she therefore resolved to leave him. When she confronted Helen and discovered that Helen was a ghost rather than a real rival, Lavinia felt ashamed of her accusation and of the scene she had made. Realising her mistake, she decided not to leave her husband.