Question 1 - Chapter 7 - The Interview - Flamingo - Chapters (Literature) - English Class 12

Read the extract and answer the following questions.

Extract:

So it is hardly surprising that opinions of the interview — of its functions, methods and merits — vary considerably. Some might make quite extravagant claims for it as being, in its highest form, a source of truth, and, in its practice, an art. Others, usually celebrities who see themselves as its victims, might despise the interview as an unwarranted intrusion into their lives, or feel that it somehow diminishes them, just as in some primitive cultures it is believed that if one takes a photographic portrait of somebody then one is stealing that person’s soul.

(The Interview)

Question (i)

What is the main idea of this extract?

1. The interview is a source of truth and an art
2. The interview is an unwarranted intrusion and a theft
3. The interview is a controversial and varied phenomenon
4. The interview is a primitive and extravagant practice

Answer:

Answer as written by the student:

(c) The interview is a controversial and varied phenomenon

Step-by-step explanation:

• The main idea of an extract is the most important point that the author wants to convey to the reader.
• To find the main idea, we can look for clues such as the topic sentence, the supporting details, and the concluding sentence.
• In this extract, the topic sentence is "So it is hardly surprising that opinions of the interview — of its functions, methods and merits — vary considerably."
• This sentence introduces the main idea that the interview is a phenomenon that has different opinions and perspectives from different people.
• The supporting details are the examples of how some people might view the interview as a source of truth and an art, while others might view it as an unwarranted intrusion and a theft.
• These details illustrate the contrast and variation in opinions about the interview.
• The concluding sentence is " Others, usually celebrities who see themselves as its victims, might despise the interview as an unwarranted intrusion into their lives, or feel that it somehow diminishes them, just as in some primitive cultures it is believed that if one takes a photographic portrait of somebody then one is stealing that person’s soul."
• This sentence reinforces the main idea by showing another example of how some people might have a negative view of the interview and compare it to a primitive belief.
• Therefore, based on these clues, we can infer that the main idea of this extract is that the interview is a controversial and varied phenomenon.😊

Question (ii)

What does the word 'extravagant' mean in this context?

1. Excessive or wasteful
2. Imaginative or creative
3. Luxurious or rich
4. Impressive or admirable

Answer:

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Answer as written by the student:

(a) Excessive or wasteful

Step-by-step explanation:

• To find the meaning of a word in context, we can use strategies such as looking for synonyms, antonyms, definitions, examples, or clues in the surrounding text.
• In this extract, the word 'extravagant' is used to describe the claims that some people might make for the interview as being a source of truth and an art.
• We can look for clues in the text that might indicate what kind of claims these are and how they relate to the word 'extravagant'.
• One clue is the word 'hardly' in the first sentence, which suggests that these claims are not very common or believable.
• Another clue is the word 'but' in the second sentence, which introduces a contrast between these claims and another view of the interview as an unwarranted intrusion and a theft.
• These clues imply that these claims are not very realistic or reasonable, and that they exaggerate or overstate the value or importance of the interview.
• Therefore, based on these clues, we can infer that the word 'extravagant' means excessive or wasteful in this context.😊

Question (iii)

Complete the sentence with ONE word.

Some celebrities might feel that the interview __________ them.

Answer:

Answer as written by the student:

 diminishes

Step-by-step explanation:

• To complete a sentence with one word, we can use strategies such as looking for grammatical clues, logical clues, or contextual clues in the text.
• In this extract, we need to find a word that fits in the blank space after 'interview' and before 'them'.
• A grammatical clue is that we need a verb that agrees with the singular subject 'interview' and has an es ending in the present tense.
• A logical clue is that we need a verb that expresses how some celebrities feel about being interviewed a nd why they might despise it as an unwarranted intrusion into their lives.
• A contextual clue is that we can look for words or phrases in the text that might be related to or similar to the missing word.
• One contextual clue is the phrase "just as" in the last sentence, which introduces a comparison between how some celebrities feel about being interviewed and how some primitive cultures feel about having their photographic portraits taken.
• Another contextual clue is the word "stealing" in the last sentence, which implies that something valuable or essential is being taken away from someone without their consent or permission.
• These clues suggest that we need a verb that means to make someone feel less important, valuable, or worthy than they really are.
• Therefore, based on these clues, we can infer that the word that completes the sentence is 'diminishes'.😊

Question (iv)

 Identify the line from the text that shows a contrast between two views of the interview.

Answer:

Answer as written by the student:

The line from the text that shows a contrast between two views of the interview is "Some might make quite extravagant claims for it as being, in its highest form, a source of truth, and, in its practice, an art. Others , usually celebrities who see themselves as its victims, might despise the interview as an unwarranted intrusion into their lives, or feel that it somehow diminishes them."

Step-by-step explanation:

• To identify a line from the text that shows a contrast between two views of the interview, we can use strategies such as looking for words or phrases that indicate a difference, opposition, or comparison between two things or ideas.
• In this extract, there are two main views of the interview: one that sees it as a source of truth and an art, and another that sees it as an unwarranted intrusion and a theft.
• We can look for words or phrases in the text that indicate a contrast between these two views, such as 'but', 'however', 'on the other hand', 'while', 'whereas', 'some', 'others', etc.
• One line from the text that contains such words is "Some might make quite extravagant claims for it as being, in its highest form, a source of truth, and, in its practice, an art. Others, usually celebrities who see themselves as its victims, might despise the interview as an unwarranted intrusion into their lives, or feel that it somehow diminishes them."
• This line shows a contrast between two views of the interview by using the words 'some' and 'others' to introduce different groups of people who have different opinions and feelings about the interview.
• This line also shows a contrast by using words and phrases that describe the interview in opposite ways, such as 'source of truth' vs. 'unwarranted intrusion', 'art' vs. 'theft', and 'extravagant claims' vs. 'despise'.
• Therefore, based on these clues, we can identify this line as the one that shows a contrast between two views of the interview.😊

Question (v)

Explain any one possible reason why some celebrities might despise the interview as an unwarranted intrusion into their lives.

Answer:

Answer as written by the student:

 One possible reason why some celebrities might despise the interview as an unwarranted intrusion into their lives is that they value their privacy and do not want to share their personal or professional details with the public or the media.

Step-by-step explanation:

• To explain a possible reason why some celebrities might despise the interview as an unwarranted intrusion into their lives, we can use strategies such as making logical inferences, using background knowledge, or providing examples or evidence to support our answer.
• In this extract, we can infer that some celebrities do not like being interviewed because they see themselves as victims of the interview and feel that it diminishes them or steals their soul.
• We can use our background knowledge to think of some possible reasons why celebrities might have such negative feelings about being interviewed. For example, we might know that celebrities are often exposed to public scrutiny, criticism, or gossip because of their fame and popularity.
• We can also provide examples or evidence to support our answer. For example, we might mention some specific cases where celebrities have refused to give interviews or have expressed their dissatisfaction or discomfort with being interviewed.
• Therefore, based on these strategies, we can explain one possible reason why some celebrities might despise the interview as an unwarranted intrusion into their lives.😊

Question (vi)

 What is the name of the culture that believes that taking a photographic portrait of somebody is stealing that person's soul?

Answer:

Answer as written by the student:

Some of these cultures include Native Americans (such as Hopi and Navajo), Aboriginal Australians (such as Yolngu), African tribes (such as Zulu and Nuba), Asian peoples (such as Hmong and Karen), and Pacific Islanders (such as Maori and Samoan).

However, none of these cultures can be definitively named as having this belief as a whole or consistently

Step-by-step explanation:

• To answer this question, we need to use our background knowledge or do some research to find out if there is any specific culture that has this belief.
• According to some sources (such as https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine32529679), there is no definitive evidence that any culture has ever had this belief as a widespread or official doctrine. However, there are some anecdotal reports or legends that suggest that some individuals or groups within various cultures have expressed this fear or superstition at some point in history.
• Some of these cultures include Native Americans (such as Hopi and Navajo), Aboriginal Australians (such as Yolngu), African tribes (such as Zulu and Nuba), Asian peoples (such as Hmong and Karen), and Pacific Islanders (such as Maori and Samoan).
• However, none of these cultures can be definitively named as having this belief as a whole or consistently. Therefore, none of the options given in this question (Animism, Voodoo, Shintoism) are correct answers

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