Question 1 - Chapter 1 - The Third Level - Vistas - Chapters (Literature) - English Class 12

Read the extract and answer the following questions.

Extract:

THE presidents of the New York Central and the New York, New Haven and Hartford railroads will swear on a stack of timetables that there are only two. But I say there are three, because I’ve been on the third level of the Grand Central Station. Yes, I’ve taken the obvious step: I talked to a psychiatrist friend of mine, among others. I told him about the third level at Grand Central Station, and he said it was a wakingdream wish fulfillment. He said I was unhappy. That made my wife kind of mad, but he explained that he meant the modern world is full of insecurity, fear, war, worry and all the rest of it, and that I just want to escape. Well, who doesn’t? Everybody I know wants to escape, but they don’t wander down into any third level at Grand Central Station.

(The Third Level)

Question (i)

 What is the setting of the extract?

Answer:

Answer as written by the student:

The setting of the extract is the Grand Central Station in New York.

Step-by-step explanation: 🚉

• The setting of a story is the time and place where it happens.
•  To find the setting of the extract, we need to look for clues in the text that tell us when and where the narrator is.
•  One clue is the name of the station: Grand Central Station . This is a famous train station in New York City. 🗽
•  Another clue is the mention of two railroads : New York Central and New York, New Haven and Hartford. These are real railroads that operated in the northeastern United States. 🚂
•  Therefore, we can infer that the setting of the extract is the Grand Central Station in New York. 🗺️

Question (ii)

What is the narrator's attitude towards the modern world in the extract?

1. He is optimistic and hopeful about it.
2. He is indifferent and bored by it.
3. He is dissatisfied and unhappy with it.
4. He is curious and fascinated by it.

Answer:

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Answer as written by the student:

(c) He is dissatisfied and unhappy with it.

Step-by-step explanation: 😞

•  The narrator's attitude is his feeling or opinion about something or someone.
•  To find the narrator's attitude towards the modern world in the extract , we need to look for words or phrases that show his emotions or thoughts about it.
•  One phrase that shows his attitude is "full of insecurity, fear, war, worry and all
• the rest of it". This implies that he thinks the modern world is a bad and dangerous place. 😨
•  Another phrase that shows his attitude is "I just want to escape". This implies that he does not like or enjoy the modern world and wishes to leave it. 😔
•  Therefore, we can infer that the narrator's attitude towards the modern world in the extract is dissatisfied and unhappy with it. 😢

Question (iii)

Why does the narrator say that "everybody I know wants to escape" in the extract?

Answer:

Answer as written by the student:

 The narrator says that "everybody I know wants to escape" because they are also unhappy with the modern world and its problems.

Step-by-step explanation: 🏃‍♂️

•  To answer this question, we need to understand what the narrator means by "escape" and why he thinks everyone wants to do it.
•  By "escape", the narrator means to get away from or avoid something unpleasant or difficult. I n this case, he wants to escape from the modern world and its problems. 🌎
•  He thinks everyone wants to escape because he assumes that they share his feelings and opinions about the modern world. He thinks they are also unhappy with it and want to find a better place or time. 🕰️
•  Therefore, he says that "everybody I know wants to escape" because they are also unhappy with the modern world and its problems. 🙁

Question (iv)

 What is the tone of the extract?

1. Humorous and playful
2. Serious and informative 
3. Sarcastic and cynical
4. Romantic and poetic

Answer:

Answer as written by the student:

(c) Sarcastic and cynical

Step-by-step explanation: 😏

• The tone of a text is the attitude or emotion that the writer conveys through their choice of words and expressions.
• To find the tone of the extract, we need to look for words or phrases that show how the writer feels or thinks about their subject or audience.
• One phrase that shows the tone of the extract is “the presidents of the New York Central and the New York, New Haven and Hartford railroads will swear on a stack of timetables”. This shows that the writer is mocking or ridiculing the authority figures who deny the existence of the third level. 🙄
• Another phrase that shows the tone of the extract is “the most fantastic aspect of his demise was that as soon as he was born, astrologers had foretold that one day the Tiger King would actually have to die”. This shows that the writer is expressing disbelief or contempt for the obvious prediction of death. 😒
• Therefore, we can infer that the tone of the extract is sarcastic and cynical. 😖

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