NCERT Solutions for Class 9th English Chapter 11 If I Were You

NCERT Solutions for Chapter 11 If I Were You Class 9 English Beehive

'If I Were You' is a play which was written by Douglas James. It tells the story of Gerrard, a playwright.  It tells the story about Gerrard's escapes from a killer through his sheer cleverness. In this story, Gerrard about to leave for a rehearsal but he encounters an intruder before leaving. Gerrard managed to convince the intruder not to harm him. The intruder planned to kill Gerrard and steal his identity because the police were searching for the intruder. Luckily, Gerrard was saved from death by his cleverness and wit. Gerrard not only succeeds in saving his own life, but also catches a criminal and creates a new plot for his next play. Thus, reading this story is very interesting.

If I Were You Questions and Answers

Chapter Name	If I Were You NCERT Solutions
Class	CBSE Class 9
Textbook Name	Beehive
Related Readings	NCERT Solutions for Class 9 NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Summary of If I Were You

Thinking about the Text

I. Answer these questions.

Question 1: At last a sympathetic audience."

(i) Who says this?

(ii) Why does he say it?

(iii) Is he sarcastic or serious?

Answer

(i) Gerrard says this.

(ii) He says it because the intruder asks him about himself.

(iii) He speaks the given line sarcastically.

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

Answer

The intruder chooses Gerrard as the man whose identity he wants to take on because Gerrard looks just like the intruder. Intruder is a murderer and he's being chased by the cops. He's hoping he can easily impersonate Gerrard and avoid getting caught.

Question 3: I said it with bullets."

(i) Who says this?

(ii) What does it mean?

(iii) Is it the truth? What is the speaker's reason for saying this?

Answer

(i) Gerrard says this.

(ii) It means he used his gun to escape when things went wrong.

(iii) No, it is not the truth. Speaker says this to avoid getting shot by intruder.

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

Answer

Gerrard is a playwright by profession. Several parts of the play that reflect this. Some of these are:

• This is all very melodramatic, not very original, perhaps, but..."
• At last a sympathetic audience!"
• In most melodramas the villain is foolish enough to delay his killing long enough to be frustrated".
• said, you were luckier than most melodramatic villains."
• That's a disguise outfit; false moustaches and what not".
• Sorry I can't let you have the props in time for rehearsal, I've had a spot of bother - quite amusing. I think I'll put it in my next play."

Question 5: You'll soon stop being smart."

(i) Who says this?

(ii) Why does the speaker say it?

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

Answer

(i) The intruder says this.

(ii) The speaker says that because Gerrard hasn't felt afraid even though he has a gun.

(iii) According to the intruder, Gerrard will stop being smart once he knows what was going to happen to him. He planned to kill Gerard and steal his identity. Gerrard would stop being smart and start getting scared if he knew this.

Question 6: They can't hang me twice."

(i) Who says this?

(ii) Why does the speaker say it?

Answer

(i) The intruder says this.

(ii) Intruder told Gerrard he had already murdered one man and wouldn't hesitate to murder him too. The police couldn't hang him twice for two murders.

Question 7: A mystery I propose to explain." What is the mystery the speaker proposes to explain?

Answer

Gerrard tried to explain the mystery by making up a story to dodge the intruder and save his own life. The story was that Gerrard himself was a criminal. He told the intruder why he didn't meet any tradesmen and why he was such a mystery man. His game was up after things went wrong suddenly because he committed a murder and got away with it. He told the intruder that he would not be able to live a peaceful life. He said he was expecting some trouble that night, so his bag was packed and he was ready to run.

Question 8: This is your big surprise."

(i) Where has this been said in the play?

(ii) What is the surprise?

Answer

(i) This is said twice in the play. Firstly, the intruder speaks it when he reveals his plan to kill Gerrard. Secondly, Gerrard says it before revealing his fictitious identity.

(ii) The intruder's surprise is his plan to kill Gerrard and take over his identity so he can live hassle-free. while, Gerrard's surprise is his fake identity, which he uses to keep the intruder from killing him.

Thinking about the Language

I. Consult your dictionary and choose the correct word from the pairs given in brackets.

1. The (site, cite) of the accident was (ghastly/ghostly).

2. Our college (principle/principal) is very strict.

3. I studied (continuously/continually) for eight hours.

4. The fog had an adverse (affect/effect) on the traffic.

5. Cezanne, the famous French painter, was a brilliant (artist/artiste).

6. The book that you gave me yesterday is an extraordinary (collage/college) of science fiction and mystery.

7. Our school will (host/hoist) an exhibition on cruelty to animals and wildlife conservation.

8. Screw the lid tightly onto the top of the bottle and (shake/shape) well before using the contents.

Answer

1. The site of the accident was ghastly.

2. Our college principal is very strict.

3. I studied continuously for eight hours.

4. The fog had an adverse effect on the traffic.

5. Cezanne, the famous French painter, was a brilliant artist.

6. The book that you gave me yesterday is an extraordinary collage of science fiction and mystery.

7. Our school will host an exhibition on cruelty to animals and wildlife conservation.

8. Screw the lid tightly onto the top of the bottle and shake well before using the contents.

II. Irony is when we say one thing but mean another, usually the opposite of what we say. When someone makes a mistake and you say, Oh! That was clever!" that is irony. You're saying 'clever' to mean 'not clever'.

Expressions we often use in an ironic fashion are: Oh, wasn't that clever!/Oh that was clever! You have been a great help, I must say! You've got yourself into a lovely mess, haven't you? Oh, very funny!/How funny!

We use a slightly different tone of voice when we use these words ironically.

Read the play carefully and find the words and expressions Gerrard uses in an ironic way. Then say what these expressions really mean. Two examples have been given below. Write down three more such expressions along with what they really mean.

What the author says	What he means
Why, this is a surprise, Mr-er-	He pretends that the intruder is a social visitor whom he is welcoming. In this way he hides his fear.
At last a sympathetic audience!	He pretends that the intruder wants to listen to him, whereas actually the intruder wants to find out information for his own use.

Answer

What the author says	What he means
You won't kill me for a very good reason.	Gerrard is just pretending to have a 'very good reason' even though there is no such reason.
Sorry I can't let you have the props in time for rehearsal, I've had a spot of bother quite amusing.	The 'spot of bother' that Gerrard calls 'quite amusing' is actually a life-threatening situation, where a criminal actually threatens to kill him.
You have been so modest.	Here, Gerrard means that it is immodest on the part of the intruder to know so much about him without disclosing his own identity.