Class 9 English Solutions| Chapter 11— If I Were You

 

If I Were You — Class 9 English Chapter 11

Summary in Assamese, Word Meanings, Textbook Solutions & Language Exercises

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📌 1. Summary in Assamese (পাঠৰ সাৰাংশ)

"If I Were You" হৈছে ডগলাছ জেমছৰ দ্বাৰা ৰচিত এটা অতি আমোদজনক আৰু বুদ্ধিদীপ্ত একংকী নাটক (One-act play)। এই নাটকখনৰ মূল চৰিত্ৰ দুটা— জেৰাৰ্ড (Gerrard), এজন নাট্যকাৰ আৰু এজন অনুপ্ৰৱেশকাৰী (Intruder), যি এজন বিপজ্জনক অপৰাধী।

জেৰাৰ্ড এসেক্সৰ (Essex) এটা নিৰ্জন কটেজত অকলশৰে বাস কৰে। এদিন তেওঁ কোনো এখন নাটকৰ ৰিহাৰ্চেলৰ বাবে ওলাই যাবলৈ বেগ পেক কৰি থকা অৱস্থাত এজন অপৰাধী হাতত ৰিভলভাৰ লৈ তেওঁৰ ঘৰত সোমাই পৰে। অনুপ্ৰৱেশকাৰীজনে এজন পুলিচ কনিষ্টবলক হত্যা কৰি পলাই ফুৰিছিল। সি লক্ষ্য কৰিছিল যে জেৰাৰ্ডৰ শাৰীৰিক গঠন তাৰ দৰেই আৰু জেৰাৰ্ডে খুব কম মানুহকহে লগ কৰে। গতিকে তাৰ আঁচনি আছিল জেৰাৰ্ডক হত্যা কৰি, তেওঁৰ পৰিচয় লৈ ছদ্মবেশেৰে জীয়াই থকা, যাতে পুলিচে তাক কেতিয়াও ধৰিব নোৱাৰে।

কিন্তু জেৰাৰ্ড অলপো ভয় নোখোৱাকৈ অতি শান্ত হৈ থাকিল। তেওঁ নিজৰ উপস্থিত বুদ্ধি ব্যৱহাৰ কৰি এটা ভুৱা কাহিনী ৰচনা কৰিলে। তেওঁ অনুপ্ৰৱেশকাৰীজনক বিশ্বাস কৰালে যে তেওঁ নিজেও এজন অপৰাধী আৰু পুলিচে তেওঁকো বিচাৰি ফুৰিছে। জেৰাৰ্ডে তাক ক’লে যে তেওঁৰ এজন মানুহ ইতিমধ্যে বাহিৰত পহৰা দি আছে আৰু পুলিচ আহি পালেই তেওঁক খবৰ দিব। জেৰাৰ্ডৰ কথাত পতিয়ন গৈ অপৰাধীজনে তেওঁৰ সৈতে পলাই যাবলৈ সন্মত হয়। জেৰাৰ্ডে তাক ঘৰৰ পৰা ওলাই যোৱাৰ সুৰংগ বুলি এটা আলমাৰীৰ দৰ্জা মেলি দিয়ে। অপৰাধীজনে ভিতৰলৈ জুমি চাবলৈ লওতেই জেৰাৰ্ডে তাক ধাক্কা মাৰি আলমাৰীৰ ভিতৰত ভৰাই তলা লগাই দিয়ে আৰু তাৰ হাতৰ পৰা পিষ্টলটো কাঢ়ি লয়। শেষত জেৰাৰ্ডে পুলিচক ফোন কৰি তাক গতাই দিয়ে। এনেদৰে জেৰাৰ্ডে নিজৰ বুদ্ধিমত্তা আৰু ধৈৰ্য্যৰ বলত নিজৰ প্ৰাণ ৰক্ষা কৰে।

📌 2. Word Meaning (English to Assamese)

English Word	Assamese Meaning	Definition / Synonym
Intruder	অনুপ্ৰৱেশকাৰী / বিনানুমতিত সোমাই অহা মানুহ	A person who enters a place without permission.
Sympathetic	সহানুভূতিশীল	Showing kind feelings or pity towards someone.
Melodramatic	অত্যাধিক নাটকীয়	Overly emotional or dramatic.
Nonchalant	উদাসীন / শান্ত আৰু আৱেগহীন	Calm, casual, and relaxed; indifferent.
Imitate	অনুকৰণ কৰা / নকল কৰা	To copy the speech or behavior of someone.
Disguise	ছদ্মবেশ ধাৰণ কৰা	To change appearance to hide identity.
Elude	সাৰি যোৱা / ফান্দৰ পৰা পলোৱা	To escape or avoid cleverly.

📌 3. Textbook Solutions (Thinking about the Text)

Q1. “At last a sympathetic audience.”
(i) Who says this?
(ii) Why does he say it?
(iii) Is he sarcastic or serious?

Answer:
(i) Gerrard says this.
(ii) He says it because the Intruder asks him to speak about himself rather than asking questions about the Intruder's intention. Since Gerrard is being threatened at gunpoint, he welcomes the opportunity to talk to someone who seems "interested" in his life story.
(iii) He is completely sarcastic. He is using wit to hide his nervousness and to handle the dangerous situation.

Q2. Why does the intruder choose Gerrard as the man whose identity he wants to take on?

Answer: The Intruder chooses Gerrard because their physical builds are very similar. Furthermore, Gerrard lives a highly reclusive life in a lonely cottage in the wilds of Essex, rarely meets people face-to-face, conducts his business over the phone, and disappears suddenly for days. By killing Gerrard and stealing his identity, the Intruder hopes to escape the police forever and live a safe, normal life.

Q3. “I said it with bullets.”
(i) Who says this?
(ii) What does it mean?
(iii) Is it the truth? What is the speaker’s reason for saying this?

Answer:
(i) Gerrard says this.
(ii) It means that he had used a gun or committed a violent crime to handle trouble in his past.
(iii) No, it is not the truth. Gerrard is a harmless playwright. He invents this lie to convince the Intruder that he himself is a wanted criminal on the run from the police, making the Intruder realize that stealing his identity would be completely useless.

Q4. What is Gerrard’s profession? Quote the parts of the play that support your answer.

Answer: Gerrard is a playwright associated with the theater. The parts of the play that support this answer are:

• "This is all very melodramatic, not very original, if I may say so..."
• "I can't let you have the props in time for rehearsal..."
• "I think I'll put that on as a lyric for my next play."

Q5. “You’ll soon stop being smart.”
(i) Who says this?
(ii) Why does the speaker say it?
(iii) What according to the speaker will stop Gerrard from being smart?

Answer:
(i) The Intruder says this.
(ii) He says it because Gerrard remains completely relaxed, conversational, and witty despite having a gun pointed at him.
(iii) According to the Intruder, when he reveals his cold-blooded plan to murder Gerrard and steal his identity, Gerrard will lose his calmness and stop acting smart out of sheer terror.

Q6. “They can’t hang me twice.”
(i) Who says this?
(ii) Why does the speaker say it?

Answer:
(i) The Intruder says this.
(ii) He says it because he is already wanted by the police for murdering a cop and faces the death penalty if caught. He intends to murder Gerrard, knowing that even if he is caught for a second murder, the law cannot execute him twice.

Q7. “A mystery I propose to explain.” What is the mystery the speaker proposes to explain?

Answer: The mystery that Gerrard proposes to explain is the reason behind his unconventional lifestyle—why he lives in a secluded cottage, rarely receives social visitors, makes sudden business calls, and disappears unexpectedly. He frames this as a "mystery" because he is setting up a fake story that he is a dangerous criminal on the run from the law.

Q8. “This is your big surprise.”
(i) Where has this been said in the play?
(ii) What is the surprise?

Answer:
(i) This phrase is used twice in the play. First, the Intruder says it when revealing his plan to kill Gerrard. Later, Gerrard says it to turn the tables and reveal his fake identity.
(ii) When the Intruder says it, the surprise is his intention to kill Gerrard and live under his identity. When Gerrard says it, the surprise is his fake claim that he is also a wanted criminal, meaning the Intruder will gain nothing but trouble by taking his identity.

📌 4. Thinking about Language

I. Correct Word Selection from Pairs

1. The site of the accident was ghastly.
2. Our college principal is very strict.
3. I studied continuously for eight hours.
4. The fog had an adverse effect on the traffic.
5. Cezanne, the famous French painter, was a brilliant artist.
6. The book that you gave me yesterday is an extraordinary collage of science fiction and mystery.
7. Our school will host an exhibition on cruelty to animals and wildlife conservation.
8. Screw the lid tightly onto the top of the bottle and shake well before using the contents.

II. Irony in the Play

Irony occurs when the literal meaning of words is the opposite of the intended meaning. Here are three additional ironic expressions used by Gerrard:

What the Character Says	What He Actually Means
"You are exceptionally clever."	Gerrard implies that the Intruder is acting foolishly and blindly trusting everything without seeing the full trap.
"A nonchalant attitude, aren't you?"	He highlights how the Intruder is desperately trying to appear calm and collected, while actually being reckless and insecure.
"With you figuring so largely in it, that was understandable."	He playfully suggests that the Intruder’s grand, dramatic entrance makes the situation feel like a cheap, cliché movie script.

📌 5. Speaking & Writing Tasks

I. Character Descriptions (Gerrard vs Intruder)

Gerrard: Gerrard is a remarkably smart, humorous, and clever playwright who excels under pressure. When threatened with death, he retains a completely cool, confident, and nonchalant attitude. His witty dialogue is his primary weapon; instead of panicking, he effortlessly handles the criminal by weaving an imaginary story on the spot. His sharp presence of mind allows him to outsmart a desperate murderer and trap him inside an ordinary cupboard.

The Intruder: The Intruder is a dangerous criminal who is overconfident but fundamentally foolish. Although he wears a flashy outfit and attempts to act like a cold-blooded villain, he completely lacks real strategic depth. He prides himself on being "smart" but easily falls victim to Gerrard's verbal traps. His inability to think analytically or question Gerrard's story leads to his immediate downfall.

II. Play to Story Conversion

The Outwitted Criminal

Gerrard, a theater playwright, lived alone in a quiet cottage in Essex. One afternoon, while packing his bags for an upcoming rehearsal, a dangerous Intruder broke into his home holding a revolver. The Intruder, a wanted murderer on the run, revealed a terrifying plan: he intended to kill Gerrard and permanently assume his identity to evade the law.

Instead of panicking, Gerrard maintained absolute composure. He deployed his sharp wit and fabricated a brilliant lie, convincing the criminal that he too was a fugitive fleeing from the police. He warned the Intruder that the police were already closing in on the cottage. Terrified, the Intruder greedily agreed to escape together. Gerrard pointed toward an exit door, which was actually a deep storage cupboard. As the Intruder leaned in to inspect the way out, Gerrard forcefully pushed him inside, slammed the door shut, and locked it tight. Snatching the criminal’s dropped revolver, Gerrard calmly dialed the local police, saving his life through pure intellect.