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If I Were You

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I Answer these questions.

1. “At last a sympathetic audience.”

(i) Who says this?

Ans. Gerrard says this to the Intruder.

(ii) Why did he say it?

Ans. Gerrard said this because the Intruder wanted to have a nice talk with him.

(iii) Is he sarcastic or serious?

Ans. Yes, he is sarcastic because he knew the real intention of the Intruder.

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

Ans. The intruder is a criminal and looks like Gerrard. So if the intruder
succeeds in killing Gerrard and taking on his identity, he will be able to escape
the police and enjoy a good life.

3. "I said it with bullets."

(i) Who says this?

Ans. Gerrard says this.

(ii) What does it mean?

Ans. It means that Gerrard too has killed someone.

(iii) Is it the truth? What is the speaker's reason for saying this?

Ans. No, this is not true. Gerrard said this to make the Intruder understand that
by killing him and taking on his identity, he cannot save himself.
4. What is Gerrard's profession? Quote the parts of the play that support
your answer.

Ans. By profession, Gerrard is a playwright. Towards the end of the play, he

says to his friend on phone, I think I'll put it in my next play.'

5. "You'll soon stop being smart?"

(i) Who says this?

Ans. The Intruder says this to Gerrard.

(ii) Why does the speaker say it?

Ans. The Intruder says this because he thinks that Gerrard is trying to keep him
cool and in the meantime, hatching some conspiracy.

(iii) What according to the speaker will stop Gerrard from being smart?

Ans. According to the speaker, Gerrard will stop being smart if compels him to
crawl.

6. "They can't hang me twice."

(i) Who says this?

Ans. The Intruder speaks these words.

(ii) Why does the speaker say it?

Ans. The Intruder has already killed a policeman and if he kills Gerrard, he can't
be hanged twice.

7. "A mystery I propose to explain." What is the mystery the speaker

proposes to explain?

Ans. In the Intruder's opinion, Gerrard is a mysterious person because he meets

very few people. Gerrard wants to explain why he does so. He tells him that he
is a murderer and to avoid being noticed by the police, he does so.

8. "This is your big surprise."

(i) Where has this been said in the play?

Ans. At the climax of the play, Gerrard tells the Intruder that even if he takes on
his identity, he cannot escape execution, for; he too is a murderer.

(ii) What is the surprise ?

Ans. That Gerrard too is a killer contrary to the intruder's opinion comes as a
surprise to him. Gerrard says that the police is after him.
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