Class 9 English - KERALA
Prose: If I Were You
If I Were You is an engaging one-act play by Douglas James for Class 9 Kerala SCERT students. The story revolves around Gerrard, a playwright who lives alone in a secluded cottage. Suddenly, an intruder carrying a gun breaks in, intending to murder Gerrard and assume his identity to escape the police. However, Gerrard remains calm and outwits the criminal through quick thinking, a fabricated story about his own criminal past, and a clever trick involving a locked cupboard. This chapter teaches students the importance of presence of mind, calmness under pressure, and how intelligence can triumph over physical force during emergencies.
Start Learning FreeKey Concepts
Intruder's Motive
The intruder wants to kill Gerrard and steal his identity because they share a similar physical build and the police are after the intruder.
Gerrard's Presence of Mind
Instead of panicking or fighting back, Gerrard stays remarkably calm and invents a false story to confuse and delay the intruder.
The Fake Confession
Gerrard convinces the intruder that he himself is a criminal fleeing the police and awaiting urgent escape, making the intruder believe killing him is useless.
The Cupboard Trap
Gerrard tricks the intruder into looking inside a supposed escape exit (which is actually a cupboard) and locks him inside, saving his own life.
Dramatic Irony
A literary device used in the play where the audience knows Gerrard is not a criminal, but the intruder is completely fooled by his acting.
Important Formulas
Board Exam Info
In the Kerala SCERT Class 9 English examinations, this chapter typically carries around 6 to 8 marks. Questions often include character sketches of Gerrard and the intruder, short answer questions about the plot twists, extract-based comprehension questions, and paragraph questions focusing on Gerrard's cleverness and presence of mind.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did the intruder break into Gerrard's cottage?
The intruder broke in to kill Gerrard and assume his identity because the police were chasing him and he wanted to hide safely.
How did Gerrard trick the intruder?
Gerrard tricked the intruder by pretending to be a criminal himself and convincing him that the police were about to raid the cottage, then locked him inside a cupboard.
What kind of person is Gerrard?
Gerrard is calm, intelligent, witty, and clever, remaining completely unfazed even when a gun is pointed at him.
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