Question 5 - Chapter 7 - The Interview - Flamingo - Chapters (Literature) - English Class 12

Read the extract and answer the following questions.

Extract:

Mukund: Could the huge success of the novel have anything to do with the fact that it dealt with a period of medieval history that... 

Umberto Eco: That’s possible. But let me tell you another story, because I often tell stories like a Chinese wise man. My American publisher said while she loved my book, she didn’t expect to sell more than 3,000 copies in a country where nobody has seen a cathedral or studies Latin. So I was given an advance for 3,000 copies, but in the end it sold two or three million in the U.S. A lot of books have been written about the medieval past far before mine. I think the success of the book is a mystery. Nobody can predict it. I think if I had written The Name of the Rose ten years earlier or ten years later, it wouldn’t have been the same. Why it worked at that time is a mystery.

(The Interview)

Question (i)

What is the name of the novel that is being discussed in this extract?

1. The Name of the Rose
2. Foucault's Pendulum
3. The Island of the Day Before
4. Baudolino

Answer:

Answer as written by the student:

(a) The Name of the Rose

Step-by-step explanation:

• To answer this question, we need to use our background knowledge or do some research to find out what novels Eco has written and which one deals with a period of medieval history.
• According to some sources (such as https://www.britannica.com/biography/UmbertoEco), Eco has written several novels, including Foucault's Pendulum (1988), The Island of the Day Before (1994), and Baudolino (2000). However , his first and most famous novel is The Name of the Rose (1980), which is set in a 14thcentury Italian monastery and involves a series of murders and a mystery involving a lost book.
• Therefore, based on these sources, we can infer that the name of the novel that is being discussed in this extract is The Name of the Rose.😊

Question (ii)

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

1. A payment made before a service or work is completed
2. A movement forward or ahead
3. A development or improvement
4. A proposal or suggestion

Answer:

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Answer as written by the student:

(a) A payment made before a service or work is completed

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 'advance' is used to describe the money that Eco received from his American publisher for his novel.
• We can look for clues in the text that might indicate what kind of money this was and how it relates to the word 'advance'.
• One clue is the phrase 'for 3,000 copies' in the same sentence, which suggests that this money was based on an estimate or a prediction of how many copies of his novel would be sold in the U.S.
• Another clue is the word 'before' in the previous sentence, which implies that this money was given to Eco before his novel was published or distributed in the U.S.
• These clues imply that this money was a payment made before a service or work was completed, which is one of the meanings of the word 'advance'.
• Therefore, based on these clues, we can infer that the word 'advance' means a payment made before a service or work is completed in this context.😊

Question (iii)

 Complete the sentence with ONE word.

Eco compares himself to a Chinese __________ man.

Answer:

Answer as written by the student:

Eco compares himself to a Chinese wise man.

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 'Chinese' and before 'man'.
• A grammatical clue is that we need an adjective that describes the noun 'man' and agrees with it in number and degree.
• A logical clue is that we need a word that expresses how Eco sees himself or his style of communication when he tells stories.
• 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 word 'stories' itself, which suggests that Eco uses narratives or anecdotes to illustrate his points or share his experiences.
• Another contextual clue is the word 'Chinese' itself, which implies that Eco refers to a specific cultural tradition or stereotype of storytelling that involves wisdom or knowledge.
• These clues suggest that we need a word that means having good judgment or understanding based on experience or learning.
• Therefore, based on these clues, we can infer that the word that completes the sentence is wise.😊

Question (iv)

Identify the line from the text that shows a contrast between Eco's American publisher's expectation and the actual sales of his novel.

Answer:

Answer as written by the student:

 The line from the text that shows a contrast between Eco's American publisher's expectation and the actual sales of his novel is "So I was given an advance for 3,000 copies, But in the end it sold two or three million in the U.S."

Step-by-step explanation:

• To identify a line from the text that shows a contrast between Eco's American publisher's expectation and the actual sales of his novel, 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 figures that represent Eco's American publisher's expectation and the actual sales of his nove l: 3,000 copies and two or three million copies. We can look for words or phrases in the text that indicate a contrast between these two figures, such as 'but', 'however', 'on the other hand', 'while', 'whereas', etc.
• One line from the text that contains such a word is "So I was given an advance for 3,000 copies, But in the end it sold two or three million in the U.S."
• This line shows a contrast between Eco's American publisher's expectation and
• the actual sales of his novel by using the word 'but' to introduce a contradiction or inconsistency between the two figures.
• This line also shows a contrast by using words and phrases that emphasize the difference in magnitude or scale between the two figures, such as 'so', 'in the end', and 'two or three million'.
• Therefore, based on these clues, we can identify this line as the one that shows a contrast between Eco's American publisher's expectation and the actual sales of his novel.😊

Question (v)

Explain any one possible reason why Eco tells stories like a Chinese wise man.

Answer:

Answer as written by the student:

 One possible reason why Eco tells stories like a Chinese wise man is that he wants to engage his audience and make his points more memorable and meaningful.

Step-by-step explanation:

• To explain a possible reason why Eco tells stories like a Chinese wise man, 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 Eco has a preference or a habit of telling stories to illustrate his points or share his experiences. He compares himself to a Chinese wise man, who is a common figure in Chinese culture and literature that uses stories to teach lessons or impart wisdom.
• We can make logical inferences about why he does so based on his statement and his attitude towards his work. For example, we can deduce that he is interested in exploring his philosophical interests and pursuing them through different forms of expression and communication, such as academic work and novels.
• We can use our background knowledge to think of some possible examples or evidence that support our inference. For example, we might know that Eco was a professor of semiotics (the study of signs and symbols) at the University of Bologna, and that he wrote several academic books and articles on topics such as linguistics, aesthetics, medieval studies, etc. We might also know that he was a novelist who wrote bestselling books such as The Name of the Rose and Foucault's Pendulum, which incorporated historical fiction, mystery, satire, etc.
• We can also provide examples or evidence from the text to support our answer. For example, we might mention that Eco tells a story about his American publisher's low expectation and his novel's huge success to show how unpredictable and mysterious the success of a book is.
• Therefore, based on these strategies, we can explain one possible reason why Eco tells stories like a Chinese wise man.😊

Question (vi)

What is the name of the literary device that is used in the phrase "the success of the book is a mystery"?

1. Irony
2. Personification
3. Allusion
4. Metaphor

Answer:

Answer as written by the student:

(d) Metaphor

Step-by-step explanation:

• To answer this question, we need to use our background knowledge or do some research to find out what different literary devices are and how they are used in language and literature.
• According to some sources, a literary device is a technique that writers use to create special effects or meanings in their texts . Some common literary devices are irony, personification, allusion, metaphor, etc.
• Irony is the use of words or situations that convey a meaning that is opposite or different from what is expected or intended. For example, "The fire station burned down."
• Personification is the use of human qualities or characteristics to describe nonhuman things or entities. For example, "The wind whispered through the trees."
• Allusion is the use of a reference or mention of something or someone that is wellknown or famous, such as a person, place, event, work of art, etc. For example, "He was a real Romeo with the ladies."
• Metaphor is the use of a word or phrase that normally refers to one thing to describe another thing by implying a comparison or similarity. For example, "Life is a roller coaster."
• In this extract, the phrase "the success of the book is a mystery" is used by Eco to express his inability or difficulty in explaining why his novel became so popular and widely read.

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