Evans Tries an O-level

Summary

The story begins with a criminal named Evan. Evan is already famous for breaking out from many
prisons thus he is now at Oxford prison. We see that the secretary of the Examination Board gets a call
from H.M. Prison’s governor. He learns that Evan has begun with night classes in O Level German.
Thus, he wishes to get an academic qualification. So, they all make the necessary arrangements for this
same. On inquiry, they learn Evan has no record of violence instead he is rather amusing. Finally, they
decide to host the exam in Evan’s room and send for an invigilator from St Mary Mags. The Governor is
very vigilant throughout as he knows what Evans is capable of pulling off.

Thus, the authorities do their best to help Evans excel at the exam. They hire a German tutor for him. He
teaches Evans for six months and Evan even befriends him during that time. The tutor wishes him luck
but feels that he does not stand a chance to clear the exam. However, Evans tells him that he may surprise
everybody. Thus, the day of the exam arrives and his cell is being inspected now. The officers take away
anything that he may use to injure himself.

They try to take the hat away but Evan’s insists saying it is his lucky charm. Moreover, they also bugged
Evan’s cell for the Governor to listen through everything. The searched the invigilator and then he
reaches his cell to carry out the exam. An officer kept peeping in the cell to make sure everything was
alright. The exam executes without any trouble and Stephen escorts the invigilator out to the main gate. In
Evan’s cell, they find out that the invigilator is lying injured.

They went in search of Evans but find out that he has escaped prison. Moreover, when they do not find
the invigilator in the hospital, they go to visit his residence. They reach there to find out that it was a
fraud. Finally, the Governor puts together the missing pieces of the puzzle. He learns that the invigilator
was Evans friend and he swapped places with him and fooled everyone. They immediately go to the hotel
where Evans was staying ad capture him. The Governor becomes happy thinking his game is over and
sends him to a prison van. However, Evans manages to pull off one last stunt as the prison officer and
prison van were also part of his plan. Finally, he becomes a free man.

Conclusion of Evans Tries an O-level

To sum up, Evans Tries an O-level summary, we learn about an interesting clash between criminal and
the law enforcement and how a person’s wit can take him very far.

Question 1.
What did the Detective Superintendent inform Governor about Evans? [Delhi 2012.13]
Answer:
Detective Superintendent Carter was told by the Governor to take McLeery along with him to catch
Evans. Carter informed the Governor that McLeery had spotted Evans driving off along Elsfield Way.
They chased him but lost track of him at the Headington roundabout.

Question 2.
What kind of a person was Evans? Why did he want to sit for O-level German examination? [Delhi
2014]
Answer:
Evans was a congenital kleptomaniac. He was in prison and was famous for being ‘Evans the Break’.
He was a genius in planning. He was very observant too. He wanted to sit for the O-level German
Examination as part of his plan to escape from the prison.

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Question 3.
Which article in McLeery’s suitcase played perhaps the most significant role in Evans’ escape and
how? [CBSE 2018]
Answer:
It was the blood that McLeery brought in a rubber tube that perhaps played the most important role in
the escape of Evans. It was this blood that helped Evans make himself up a as parson just before his
escape. He offered to help the detective. There was no point in suspecting a dying parson who was
willing to pledge his own life that Evans (the bleeding parson’s) offer to guide detective Carter was
accepted without any objection.

Question 4.
How was Jackson instrumental in Evans’ escape from the prison?
Answer:
Jackson was instrumental in Evans’ escape from the prison because he allowed Evans to wear his old
cap. Evans told him that it was his lucky hat and due to his compassionate nature, Jackson allowed
him to wear the cap which concealed the haircut of Evans. He had cut his hair in the same style as the
parson McLeery had.

Question 5.
Why did Evans insist on wearing his hat, despite Jackson’s orders?
Answer:
Evans befooled Jackson by telling him that the hat was his lucky charm. He requested him to allow
him to wear it as he was going to appear for the examination. In fact, he had hidden his haircut under
this cap. But Jackson couldn’t understand his plan and allowed him to wear the cap on compassionate
grounds.

Question 6.
At 11:22 a.m., there was a call for Stephens. Who made the call and for what?
Answer:
The call was made by the friends of Evans outside the prison so as to divert Jackson from the close
supervision of Evans. He was removed from his duty for sometime so that Evans could give finishing
touches to his make-up to look like McLeery.

Question 7.
What shock awaited Stephens when he peeped inside Evans’ cell after the Exam?
Answer:
When Stephens peeped inside Evans’ cell, he found that a man was all smeared in blood and sprawled
on Evans’ chair. He presumed that it was McLeery and Evans had escaped after injuring the
invigilator.

Question 8.
Who is Carter? Why was he summoned?
Answer:
Carter is the Detective Superintendent. The Governor called him after he came to know of Evans’
escape. He told him to take the injured parson with him as only he seemed to know what was
happening and could help him to catch Evans.

Question 9.
Who were the two visitors who paid a visit to Evans’ cell on the Examination day?
Answer:
These were two prison officers who were deputed by the Governor. Senior prison officer Jackson, ‘

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officer of the ‘D’ wing and officer Stephens, recently recruited, were kept on special duty to keep a
vigil over Evans during the conduct of O-level German Exam.

Question 10.
Why was Evans reluctant to remove his hat?
Answer:
Evans had cut his hair short. It was part of his escape plan. He had to impersonate McLeery. So he got
his hair cut short. But in order to conceal this fact from the prison authority, he wore a hat. He was
reluctant to remove the hat on the pretext that it was his lucky charm.

Question 11.
What was the purpose of the correction slip?
Answer:
The correction slip served two purposes in the escape plan of Evans. First, it confirmed the name of
the hotel Golden Lion where Evans had to reach after his escape. Secondly, it also confirmed the time
at which Evans’ paper had started.

Question 12.
How did the Governor locate Evans in his hotel?
Answer:
The Governor finally realised that is was McLeery who had escaped and it was Evans who had stayed
back in the guise of McLeery. It was foolish to send him out with Detective Carter. The Governor put
the index no. and centre no. 312/271 together and derived the pin code of the area, with the help of
ordnance map of Oxfordshire he managed to locate Evans’ hotel, Golden Lion.

Question 13.
How did Evans manage to get blood smeared on his face?
Answer:
It was the invigilator who got that blood for Evans. It was brought in the rubber-ring that McLeery
carried with him in his briefcase. It was pig’s blood which was mixed with human blood to stop
clotting. This blood was smeared on his face by Evans.

Question 14.
How did Evans manage to get McLeery’s get-up in the cell?
Answere:
McLeery was wearing two collars, two gowns and two spectacles along with his own clothes. It was
so cleverly done that nobody could detect it. So, one collar, one gown, one false beard and a pair of
spectacles were used by Evans to disguise as parson for his escape.

Question 15.
Who are the prison officers in the end who handcuffed Evans? Why does one of them have “a broad
Scots accent”?
Answer:
The prison officers who handcuffed Evans in the end were no other than his friends. The man with ‘a
broad Scots accent was no other than the man who came as McLeery. He was clever enough to flee
just right in front of Governor’s eyes.

Evans Tries An O-Level Long Questions and Answers

Question 1.
What purpose did the question paper and the correction slip serve? How did they help both the
criminal and the Governor? [All India 2012]

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Answer:
The correction slip served two purposes in the escape of Evans. Firstly, it confirmed the name of the
hotel where Evans had to stay after his escape and, secondly, it confirmed the time when the paper
started.

The slip also helped the Governor to find out the exact location of Evans. As the Governor could
understand German, so after reading it, he realised that Evans was in Newbury. So he cracked the
code through Index no. 313 and the centre no. 271 written on the paper. This gave the Governor the
information that 313/271 was the pin code for the middle of Chipping Norton where he reached to
arrest Evans at Golden Lion hotel.

Question 2.
How was Evans able to devise a foolproof plan for his escape from prison as well as procure items for
his disguise in spite of severe instruction and strict observation?
Answer:
As part of his plan to escape the prison, Evans expressed his desire to learn German and passing O-
level examination. The prison authority after consulting the board, allowed a tutor to come into the
cell and give him tuitions in German. In fact, the tutor was part of his team arranging his escape.
Evans was to appear for examinations. The test would be given in the prison cell and a priest was
arranged as an invigilator. At the end of the test, Evans impersonated as the invigilator McLeery and
remained inside the cell, pretending to be injured while the other escaped. In fact, it was the
invigilator who had come wearing two coats, two collars, two pairs of spectacles and two false beard
and the pig blood in a rubber tube. As a result, in spite of strict vigil by the prison authorities, he was
able to escape from the prison.

Question 3.
What could the Governor have done to securely bring back Evans to the prison, when he caught him
at the ‘Golden Lion’? What does this final act of the Governor prove? [Foreign 2012]
Answer:
The Governor was intelligent and had good analytical power. He very cleverly located the Golden
Lion hotel and deciphered Chipping Norton on the map of Oxfordshire. He reached there and caught
Evans. Evans was handcuffed and sent back to the prison in the prison van. But here the Governor
again did the same mistake as earlier of relying on his staff. He never bothered to cross¬check the
identity of prison officers. So Evans was taken away by his own friends disguised as the prison
officers. And once again Evans escaped leaving the Governor shocked and surprised.

Question 4.
Give a character sketch of the Governor of Oxford Prison based on your understanding of the story
‘Evans Tries an O-level’. [All India 2013]
Answer:
The Governor of H.M. Prison is a very intelligent and vigilant person but at times he overestimates
himself. He is overcautious in Evans’ case but is too dependent on his staff and makes hasty
conclusions. He is full of ideas and many a time his hunches prove correct but he never investigates
them. Though he is always conscious of Evans’ cleverness yet he fails to understand Evans’ psyche.
His conjectures help Evans in his plans. He does not cross-examine the identity of the wounded man
and is led on. However, he is intelligent and analytical. He is able to put two and two together and
locate the Golden Lion hotel and reach Evans. But as usual, in his zeal to look efficient, he does not
check the identify of the prison officers. This results in the final escape of Evans.

Question 5.
How did the negligence of the prison officers prove to be a boon for Evans? [Foreign 2014]
Answer:
The prison officers prove to be a pack of “good-for-a-giggle’ officers who were no match to the clever

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Evans. First, negligence on their part was not to verify the identity of the German teacher. They could
not even identify McLeery, the imposter, who came to the cell right under the nose of the prison
authorities.

Jackson’s casual attitude towards the hat of Evans was another blunder. He showed his negligence in
not even searching McLeery thoroughly, otherwise his false beard and two collars and gowns could
have been identified. Moreover, nobody tried to establish the identity of the wounded man and the
Governor himself facilitated his escape by sending him out with Carter. Finally, the biggest
negligence was not to verify the authenticity of prison officers with whom he sent Evans after he was
captured. All this proved to be a boon for Evans to escape.

Question 6.
What precautions were taken by the prison officers for the smooth conduct of examination? [Delhi
2014, All India 2014 (C)]
Answer:
Evans was called ‘Evans the Break’, so all possible precautions were taken by the prison officers for
the smooth conduct of the examination. His razor, nail-scissors and nail-file were all taken away. His
cell was bugged at the time of examination. The Governor himself was in direct touch with the .
prison house and the officers. After McLeery entered the cell for the examination, Evans’ cell was
locked. The Governor had a fear that Evans might overpower the invigilator. He instructed Jackson to
have a physical check-up. There was a tight security in the jail and everything was put on high alert.
Thus, the prison officers took all possible precautions for the smooth conduct of examination.

Question 7.
What role is played by McLeery, in contributing to the success of Evans’ escape plan?
Answer:
McLeery plays the most significant role in Evans’ escape. He impersonates Reverend McLeery and
reaches the prison. He has great acting skills and is so confident and intelligent that the jail authorities
do not suspect him. It is his smartness to wear two beards, two collars and two gowns which helps
Evans to escape. Throughout, McLeery sits like a parson, giving specific instructions like index no,
centre no, etc. He is smart enough to answer Jackson regarding the rubber tube.

It is not only once but even at the end, it is his friend who appeared as a driver of the prison van to
steer Evans to freedom from H.M. Prison. Thus it was McLeery who was instrumental in the success
of Evans’ escape plan.

Question 8.
‘Evans the Break’ lived up to his Christian name. Discuss the steps undertaken by Evans to plan his
escape.
Ans. ‘Evans the Break’ was a name given to Evans because of his jailbreaks. He had escaped thrice
and fourth time also he lived up to his name despite all the precautions and security arrangements
made by the prison authorities.
His escape plan started with the German tutor who was his friend. He decided to take O-level exam,
as part of his plan. An imposter came as invigilator and smuggled all necessary things required to
befool the prison officers. So Evans dressed up as McLeery, splashed blood on his face and got away
very easily.

Even when the Governor was able to catch him, he had another trick up his sleeves. The prison
officer, who he was handed over, was not the real officer. The van belonged to the prison authorities
but the men had been replaced by his friends. So Evans was successful in escaping by befooling the
officers.

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Question 9.
What lapses on the part of police and prison authorities helped Evans to escape from prison?
Answer:
The prison officers prove to be a pack of “good-for-a-giggle’ officers who were no match to the clever
Evans. First negligence on their part was not to verify the identity of the German teacher. They could
not even identify McLeery, the imposter, who came to the cell right under the nose of the prison
authorities.

Jackson’s casual attitude towards the bobble hat of Evans was another blunder. He showed his
negligence in not even searching McLeery thoroughly otherwise his false beard and two collars and
gowns could have been identified. Moreover, nobody tried to establish the identity of the wounded
man and the governor himself facilitated his escape by sending him out with Carter. Finally, the
biggest negligence was not to verify the authenticity of prison officers with whom he sent Evans after
he was captured. All this proved to be a boon for Evans to escape.

Question 10.
Who was supposed to invigilate the exam? What did he carry with him to fulfil his duty to
satisfaction?
Answer:
Reverend McLeery, a parson from St. Mary’s Church was supposed to invigilate the exam. The
parson carried a small brown suitcase which contained a sealed question paper, a yellow invigilator
form, a special ID card, a paper knife, the Bible and a newspaper. All the paraphernalia that was
required for the escape of Evans was also brought by McLeery. In fact, he was not the parson but
Evans’ friend who wore two collars, two gowns and two beards to execute Evans’ escape plan. He
also brought a rubber tube which had pig’s blood mixed with human blood to prevent it from clotting.
Thus, McLeery had brought everything for the satisfactory fulfilment of his duty as an invigilator as
well as to help Evans escape.

Question 11.
Habits and nature formed in the adolescence become rigid and indelible. This is quite evident from
Evans’s character. Write an article on the importance of providing good environment at the adolescent
age.
Answer:

Importance of Good Environment for Adolescents

Adolescence is considered to be the most crucial period for all-round development of a person. At this
stage, rapid physical, mental and emotional developments take place. Every adolescent chooses his
role model and tries to imitate him/her. If a good environment and exposure is provided to an
adolescent at this stage, he/she grows into a mentally and physically healthy adult who is productive
for the society and the nation. This is the most important phase of human life. The image, the thought
process, the habits formed at this age remain forever. Evans had been a victim of negative growth in
his early years. As a result, in spite of being so clever, his personality has found negative growth. It
must have been due to the company of his friends and circumstances he had faced in life. Thus, it is
the environment which is most important for the adolescents.

Question 12.
Evans was so smart and clever that in spite of strict vigil, he managed to escape from the prison. This
shows his intelligence. But he used all his brain for wrong purpose. Had this capability been utilized
for some good purpose, it would have contributed to the betterment of the society or the nation. The
youth of today are in a similar situation. Write a speech to be delivered in the morning assembly
urging the youngsters to use their skills for constructive purposes.

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Answer:
Good morning, respected principal, teachers and dear friends, today I am going to express my views
on the importance of using our skills for constructive purposes. It is said that the young age is the
most powerful time in a person’s life. At this stage, one is full of energy, enthusiasm, power and
hopes. We, the youngsters, are the future of our nation. We all are fortunate to get the best of
education and a good living provided by our teachers and parents. Our education and exposure has
provided us with skills and knowledge. It is believed that youngsters are smarter than adults,
especially in the use of technology. But freedom and responsibility go hand in hand. Thus, we have to
make sure that we use our skills and knowledge for constructive purposes. We should not be like
Evans and utilize our intelligence for breaking the law or escaping punishment. It is our duty to be
responsible citizens and use our skills for the upliftment of our society.
Thank you.