Lesson- 7. The Open Window
EXERCISE
Q.1 Is this mystery story? Give a reason for your answer.
Answer- Yes, this is a mystery story. The girl told Framton that the three men were killed in a bog and their bodies could not be recovered. But Mrs. Sappleton has not lost hope, and she believes that they would come back. She keeps the window open. When the three men and their dog actually appear, it is hard to believe that the dead can come back alive after three years. It is a mystery. But the mystery becomes clear. In fact, the niece had made up a story. The men had gone shooting that very day.
Q.2 you are familiar with the ‘irony’ of the situation in a story. (Remember the cop and the Anthem in Class VIII Supplementary Reader!) Which situations in ‘The open Window’ are good examples of the use of irony?
Answer- There are the following examples of irony in ‘The Open Window’:
(i) Framton’s sister gives him letters of introduction so that he can have people to talk to and his nerves do not become worse. But his experience in Sappleton’s house proves the reverse. He runs away from there more shaken than ever.
(ii) Mrs. Sappleton hops that Veru had been amusing Framton, who says that she had been interesting, nut in fact she had planned to frighten him, and framton and Mrs. Sappleton do not know this.
(iii) Framton tells Mrs. Sappleton about his ailments and their cure. He thinks he is doing so because she is interested in it. But in fact he is boring her. She hardly pays any attention to what he is saying.
(iv) Sappletons are surprised at the way Framton run away as if he had seen a ghost. But they do not know that he had actually seen a ghost. Sappleton himself was one of the ‘ghosts’.
Q.3 Which phrases/sentence in the text do you find difficult to understand? Select a few and guess the meaning of each. Rewrite a simple phrase of each.
Answer- I found the following phrases/sentences difficult to understand:
- The room seemed to suggest masculine habitation.
Simple phrase: There were things in the room that indicated that a man lived there.
- Engulfed in a treacherous piece of bog.
Simple phrase: There was a piece of quicksand/marsh that looked safe but it was dangerous and trapped people.
- Because falteringly human.
Simple phrase: the tone appeared to be affected by pathetic emotion that was human.
- Convey sympathetic comprehension.
Simple phrase: Framton wanted to tell the girl that he understood what Mrs. Sappleton was sappleton was saying, and he had sympathy for the poor woman.
- Romance at short notice was her specialty.
Simple phrase: Veru was expert at inventing thrilling stories on the spot.
