Did the Governor and his staff finally heave a sigh of relief?
When exam conducted successfully and Stephen escorted McLeery, they took calm breathe and felt relieved. They were happy but their happiness didn’t remain longer for them as when they came back to Evan’s cell they found a person sprawling back on the chair. He was bleeding from his head and the blood was all over on the white clerical collar down into the black clerical front. They thought that Evan had hit the McLeery and Stephen escorted the man was not the McLeery but it was Evan who had been escorted to the main gate of prison.
While we condemn the crime, we are sympathetic to the criminal. Is this the reason why prison staff often develop a soft corner for those in custody?
What kind of a person was Evans?
When Stephens comes back to the cell he jumps to a conclusion and the whole machinery blindly goes by his assumption without even checking the identity of the injured ‘McLeery’. Does this show how hasty conjectures can prevent one from seeing the obvious? How is the criminal able to predict such negligence?
Will the clues left behind on the question paper put Evans back in prison again?
Reflecting on the story, what did you feel about Evans’ having the last laugh?
Do you agree that between crime and punishment it is mainly a battle of wits?
What could the Governor have done to securely bring back Evans to prison when he caught him at the Golden Lion? Does that final act of foolishness really prove that “he was just another good-for-a-giggle, gullible governor, that was all”?
What were the precautions taken for the smooth conduct of the examination?
Will the exam now go as scheduled?
Will the injured McLeery be able to help the prison officers track Evans?
Who is the Tiger King? Why does he get that name?
Who was Dr Sadao? Where was his house?
Who is Jo? How does she respond to her father’s story-telling?
The two accounts that you read above are based in two distant cultures. What is the commonality of theme found in both of them?
What does the third level refers to?
‘The world’s geological history is trapped in Antarctica.’ How is the study of this region useful to us?
It may take a long time for oppression to be resisted, but the seeds of rebellion are sowed early in life. Do you agree that injustice in any form cannot escape being noticed even by children?
What are Geoff Green’s reasons for including high school students in the Students on Ice expedition?
Bama’s experience is that of a victim of the caste system. What kind of discrimination does Zitkala-Sa’s experience depict? What are their responses to their respective situations?
‘Take care of the small things and the big things will take care of themselves.’ What is the relevance of this statement in the context of the Antarcticenvironment?
‘Take care of the small things and the big things will take care of themselves.’ What is the relevance of this statement in the context of the Antarcticenvironment?
Is there any film you have seen or novel you have read with a similar theme?
Apparent illogicality sometimes turns out to be a futuristic projection? Discuss.
Do you think that the third level was a medium of escape for Charley? Why?
Do you think the doctor’s final solution to the problem was the best possible one in the circumstances?
What will now happen to the astrologer? Do you think the prophecy was indisputably disproved?
What is the author’s indirect comment on subjecting innocent animals to the willfulness of human beings?
‘The modern world is full of insecurity, fear, war, worry and stress.’ What are the ways in which we attempt to overcome them?
What do you infer from Sam’s letter to Charley?
There are moments in life when we have to make hard choices between our roles as private individuals and as citizens with a sense of national loyalty. Discuss with reference to the story you have just read.