Rodrick Writes

Important Questions for The Third Level

Extract-based Questions

1. Sometimes I think Grand Central is growing like a tree, pushing out new corridors and staircases like roots. There's probably a long tunnel that nobody knows about feeling its way under the city right now, on its way to Times Square, and maybe because for so many people through the years Grand Central has been an exit, a way of escape-maybe that's how the tunnel I got into...But I never told my psychiatrist friend about that idea.

1. Who is 'I' in the extract?

(a) The narrator (b) Charley (c) Louisa (d) Sam

2. What figure of speech has the writer used in the first line? Why does the writer use the figure of speech?

(a) Simile (b) Paradox (c) Personification (d) Imagery

3. What is the Grand Central been 'an exit' to?

4. What 'idea' is the narrator talking about?

(a) The idea of different dimensions (b) A corridor leading to the third floor

2. Sometimes I think grand Central is growing like a tree, pushing out new corridors and staircases like roots. There's probably a long tunnel that nobody knows about feeling its way under the city right now, on its way to Times Square, and maybe another to Central Park.

1. Identify the metaphor used in the first line.

(a) tree (b) Grand Central (c) corridors (d) staircases

2. Where does the tunnel exist?

(a) on the third floor (b) in the Grand Central Railway station (c) under the city (d) Times Square

3. What are the two destinations of the tunnel?

(a) the third level and Galesburg (b) Times Square and Central Park

4. Who is I and what does he think?

3. Then I saw why: they were open-flame gaslights.

There were brass spittoons on the floor, and across the station, a glint of light caught my eye; a man was pulling a gold watch from his vest pocket. He snapped open the cover, glanced at his watch and frowned. He wore a derby hat, a black four-button suit with a tiny lapel, and he had a big, black, handlebar moustache. Then I looked around and saw that everyone in the station was dressed like...

1. Why were there open-flame gaslights?

2. What kind of a watch did the man pull out?

(a) an expensive watch (b) a wristwatch (c) a pocket watch (d) an antique watch

3. What is so strange about the man's clothes and appearance?

4. What year did Charlie travel to?

4. But now we're both looking, every weekend because now we have proof that the third level is still there. My friend Sam Weiner disappeared.

1. Who are 'we' in the first line?

2. What are they looking for every weekend?

(a) Sam (b) Old Currency bills (c) The third level (d) Galesburg

3. What 'proof' is the narrator talking about?

(a) Sam’s disappearance (b) Sam’s purchase of old currency bills (c) the note left by Sam

4. Who is Sam? Where had he disappeared to?

(a) Charley’s Friend (b) A psychiatrist (c) Louisa’s brother (d) Both (a) and (b)

5. Have you ever been there? It's a wonderful town still with big frame houses, huge lawns, and tremendous trees whose branches meet overhead and roof the streets. And in 1894, summer evenings were twice as long, and people sat out on their lawns, the men smoking cigars and talking quietly, the women waving palm-leaf fans, with the fireflies all around, in a peaceful world.

1. What place is being described in the above extract?

2. How is the place different from the place Charlie lives in?

3. How are the people different from the people who live in a modern city?

4. What does the writer mean by, 'summer evenings were twice as long '.

MCQI Type Questions

I. Sometimes I think Grand Central is growing like a tree, pushing out new corridors and staircases like roots. There's probably a long tunnel that nobody knows about feeling its way under the city right now, on its way to Times Square, and maybe another to Central Park.

1. The figure of speech used in the first sentence is not an example of:

i. alliteration

ii. simile

iii.metaphor

iv. imagery

2. The Grand Central as a metaphor refers to

i. some kind of a portal

ii. an intersection in time and space

iii. a time travel device

iv. all of the options are correct.

3. The expression, "feeling its way" suggests a movement that is

i. tentative and a little explorative.

ii. confident and insistent.

iii. insinuative and persistent.

iv. unsure but goal-oriented.

II. The clerk figured the fare - he glanced at my fancy hatband, but he figured the fare - and I had enough for two coach tickets, one way. But when I counted out the money and looked up, the clerk was staring at me. He nodded at the bills. "That ain't money, mister," he said, "and if you're trying to skin me, you won't get very far," and he glanced at the cash drawer beside him.

1. The clerk glanced at Charley's 'fancy hatband' because

a. it was an expensive one.

b. it was rather flashy.

c. it looked strange.

d. it looked exclusive.

2. The second coach ticket was for

i. his psychiatrist friend.

ii. Sam Weiner

iii. Loiusa

iv. his boss

3. The reason why he had bought a 'one way' ticket was that

i. he couldn't afford a two-way ticket.

ii. he did not plan to return to New York.

iii. he planned to stay for some time there.

iv. none of the above statements holds true.

4. The clerk 'nodded at the bills' because

i. they were fake bills

ii. they were soiled and torn

iii. they looked different

iv. they were counterfeit

3. The clerk's glancing at the cash drawer is indicative of

i. his nervousness lest Charley intended to steal the cash in it.

ii. a warning to Charley to run away before he used a weapon.

iii. he had something that was most valuable in the drawer.

iv. he was checking on the small change.

III. I got to wishing that you were right. Then I got to believing you were right. And, Charley, it's true; I found the third level! I've been here two weeks, and right now, down the street at the Daly's, someone is playing a piano, and they're all out on the front porch singing 'Seeing Nelly Home.' And I'm invited over for lemonade.

1. The tone in the above extract is

i. excited

ii. wistful

iii. languid

iv. joyful

2. The above extract suggests that the narrator is

i. glad to have travelled back to the town where he had spent his childhood.

ii. glad to have travelled back in time to the Galesburg described by Charley.

iii. glad to have opened his clinic in a different town.

iv. glad to have been invited for lemonade.

3. The narrator in the above extract describes

i. a revision in the narrator's opinion about life in a metro.

ii. a revision in the narrator's opinion about the third level

iii. a revision in the narrator's opinion about the hay business

iv. a revision in the narrator's opinion about wish fulfilment.

IV. Sometimes I think Grand Central is growing like a tree, pushing out new

corridors and staircases like roots. There’s probably a long tunnel that

nobody knows about feeling its way under the city right now, on its way to

Times Square, and maybe another to Central Park. And maybe — because

for so many people through the years Grand Central has been an exit, a

way of escape — maybe that’s how the tunnel I got into... But I never told

my psychiatrist friend about that idea.

i The above extract is NOT an example of ________.

a) allegory

b) analogy

c) imagery

d) metaphor

ii Charley decided not to tell his psychiatrist friend about his idea. Choose the

option that reflects the reaction Charley anticipated from his friend.

a) “That’s such a lovely comparison. Why don’t you become a writer,

Charley?”

b) “Oh Charley. It is so sad to see your desperation to run away! So very

sad.”

c) “Maybe that’s how you entered the third level. Who would have thought?!”

d) “You need help, my raving friend. You are way too invested in this crazy

thought!”

iii Look at the given image that lists some of

the ways in which the symbolism of a tree

is employed.

Which of the following would represent an

example as used by Charley in the above

extract?

a) ‘Stay grounded’ as the train station is underground.

b) ‘Connect with your roots’ as he desires to go back to his past.

c) ‘Enjoy the view’ as the station leads to all tourist sights of the city.

d) ‘Keep growing’ as the station keeps renovating and expanding.

iv The idiom ‘feeling its way’ implies ______ movement.

a) swift

b) tentative

c) circular

d) disorganized

V. Have you ever been there? It’s a wonderful town still, with big old frame

houses, huge lawns, and tremendous trees whose branches meet overhead

and roof the streets. And in 1894, summer evenings were twice as long, and

people sat out on their lawns, the men smoking cigars and talking quietly,

the women waving palm-leaf fans, with the fire-flies all around, in a peaceful

world. To be back there with the First World War still twenty years off, and

World War II over forty years in the future... I wanted two tickets for that.

i Who does ‘you’ refer to?

a) Charley’s psychiatrist, Sam Weiner

b) Charley’s wife, Louisa

c) The reader

d) Nobody in particular, it is a figure of speech.

ii Choose the option that best describes the society represented in the above

extract.

a) content, peace-loving

b) leisurely, sentimental

c) orthodox, upper class

d) comfortable, ancient

iii Imagine that the city of Galesburg is hosting a series of conferences and

workshops. In which of the following conferences or workshops are you

least likely to find the description of Galesburg given in the above extract?

a) Gorgeous Galesburg: Archiving a Tourist Paradise

b) Welcome to the home you deserve: Galesburg Realtors

c) Re-imagining a Warless Future: Technology for Peace

d) The Woman Question: The world of women at home

iv “tremendous trees whose branches meet overhead and roof the streets” is

NOT an example of

(i) imagery (ii) metaphor (iii) alliteration (iv) anachronism

a) Options (i) and (ii)

b) Options (i) and (iii)

c) Options (ii) and (iii)

d) Options (ii) and (iv

Short Answer Type Questions: previous years’ CBSE Sample Papers

(a) How did 'The World' help Charley to confirm his doubts regarding the

(b) In his letter to Charley, Sam writes, ‘…then I got to believing you were right.’ What could have made Sam begin to believe?

(1) First-day covers are never opened.

(2) Grand Central is growing like a tree.

(3) President Roosevelt collected stamps.

(4) Sam was Charley’s psychiatrist.

A. F-1,3,4; O-2

B. F-2, 3; O-1,4

C. F-2; O-1,3,4

D. F-3,4; O-1,2

i.What would you describe as your “waking-dream wish fulfilment”? Explain.

ii. Why do you think Charley withdrew nearly all the money he had from the

bank to buy old-style currency?

iii. How would you evaluate Sam’s character? Elucidate any two qualities, and

substantiate with evidence from the text.

iv. At the beginning of the story, Sam is sceptical of Charley’s discovery of the

third level. By the end of the story, the reader is told that he found the third

level and travelled back in time. How would Sam diagnose himself?

Long Answer Type Questions

i. In the story ‘The Third Level’, Charley wanted to go to Galesburg, Illinois in

the year 1894.

ii. If you had an opportunity to go to another time and place,

where would you like to go? Why?

iii. How would Sam analyse your choice of alternate time and place?

Long Answer Competency-Based Questions (120 to 150 words)

1. You are Louisa, Charley’s wife. Write a letter to Sophie ( Going Places) describing your concerns about Charley’s belief in the existence of the third level.

2. You are Sam, Charley’s Psychiatrist friend. Write a journal entry regarding your conversation with Charley regarding the existence of the third level, your opinion about how he is under the grip of a “waking dream wish-fulfilment.”

3. Draft an interview that took place between Charley and Sam regarding the former’s view about the existence of the third level.

4. You are Charley. Write a Diary Entry regarding your visit to the third level.

Mother's Day was celebrated as a special Mass at the Church of the Epiphany, Civil Lines, Gurgaon, on the 10th of May. The service was a reflection of the contribution of mothers in the Bible. Tributes were made to the mothers who played an exemplary role in the lives of the parishioners. Sunday School children presented songs and skits celebrating the importance of motherhood.

It was indeed a touching moment, remembering mothers and grandmothers, real-life examples of patience, unconditional love, service without reward, and teachings that would last a lifetime. The power of motherhood transcends all considerations; it is borne out of sacrifice, the gift of giving life, and the strength that transcends all thresholds of pain, resilience, and patience.

What emerged from the Mass was that mothers are the keystone that binds the family together. They are the cement that firms up relationships. The occasion had a special meaning for me because one day before Mother's Day, we celebrated the life of my mother, who had passed away on the 23rd of March, a lady who was strong in her faith, a teacher, a mother, and a mentor.

For my family and me, my mother was the epitome of motherhood. She taught us in times when we were in the middle of a vast forest, surrounded by wild animals. She home-schooled us till we reached school. During her last days, she would welcome me when we (my wife and I) came back from work at school. She always asked me if I had had my food. This irritated me, but now I realise that she was expressing concern for me.

The lesson for us is to treasure the times we spend with our mothers, to accept their tirades and scoldings that are meant to train us for the world. Mothers are the true nurturers; they are the true heroes, the super-heroes who work to make life meaningful.

Motherhood can defeat wars, factions, and violence. Motherhood is the magical concoction, the glue that binds the world. If only those who declare wars and dissent would understand that we are one and that life starts in the womb. Crazy people are waging wars; they don't know that true motherhood goes against war. True motherhood binds people, and it does not divide them.