NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Beehive Chapter 11 If I Were You

If I Were You is an excellent example of a short play that illustrates how mental alertness can protect someone from danger. The story follows a man named Gerrard, who stays alone in an empty cottage. Gerrard’s cottage is entered by a criminal intruder who wants to kill Gerrard and then steal his identity. Does the intruder succeed in his plan of killing Gerrard? is all that story is about. GeeksforGeeks provide you with the solutions for NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Beehive Chapter 11 If I Were You. This article contains solutions to its various parts i.e., Dictionary use, Speaking, and writing along with FAQs.

Hereby providing, NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Chapter 9 If I Were You covering each and every question of the textbook Beehive. Students will improve their answer writing skills by referring to the following NCERT Solutions for Chapter 11 If I Were You.

The following NCERT Solutions will help students in being set for their exams by providing a clear picture of how to come up with proper solutions to the questions. The NCERT Solutions have been crafted by our subject-matter experts to give the best solutions to all the questions of the book.

NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Beehive Chapter 9

NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Beehive Chapter 9 If I Were You

Que. The following words and phrases occur in the play. Do you know their meanings? Match them with the meanings given, to find out.

cultured	an informal expression for a fashionable vehicle
count on	unnecessary and usually harmful
engaged	exaggerated
melodramatic	sophisticated; well mannered
to be smart	here, a tone of voice
inflection	Avoid
wise guy	an unexpected opportunity for success
a dandy bus	trap
tradespeople	a Christian religious teacher who teaches on Sundays in Church
gratuitous	(American English) a person who pretends to know a lot
Dodge	depend on; rely on
lucky break	(American English) an informal way of saying that one is being too clever
Sunday-school teacher	occupied; busy
frame	merchants

Answer-

cultured	sophisticated; well mannered
count on	depend on; rely on
engaged	occupied; busy
melodramatic	exaggerated
to be smart	(American English) a person who pretends to know a lot
inflection	here, a tone of voice
wise guy	(American English) an informal way of saying that one is being too clever
a dandy bus	an informal expression for a fashionable vehicle
tradespeople	merchants
gratuitous	unnecessary and usually harmful
Dodge	Avoid
lucky break	an unexpected opportunity for success
Sunday-school teacher	a Christian religious teacher who teaches on Sundays in Church
frame	trap

Thinking About the Text

I. Answer these questions.

Que 1. “At last a sympathetic audience.”

1. Who says this?
2. Why does he say it?
3. Is he sarcastic or serious?

Answer-

1. These words were said by Gerrard.
2. He said the above words as the intruder who wants to kill him was showing sympathy towards him.
3. Gerrard said these words to the intruder in a sarcastic manner.

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

Answer-

The intruder chose Gerrard as the man whose identity he wants to take on as Gerrad seemed a mysterious man who phones his orders and sometimes goes away suddenly and also comes back in the same manner.

Que 3. “I said it with bullets.”

1. Who says this?
2. What does it mean?
3. Is it the truth? What is the speaker’s reason for saying this?

Answer-

1. The above lines were said by Gerrard.
2. This means that he killed someone with his gun to escape.
3. This is not the truth. Gerrard spoke these words as he wants to change the mind of the intruder of killing him.

Que 4. What is Gerrard’s profession? Quote the parts of the play that support your answer.

Answer-

Gerrard’s profession is dramatist or playwright. The quotes that support this profession are

• “Sorry, I can’t let you have the props in time for rehearsal…”.
• This is all very melodramatic, not very original, perhaps, but…”
• Finally, a sympathetic audience!”
• In most melodramas, the villain is foolish enough to delay his killing long enough to be frustrated”.
• I said, “You were luckier than most melodramatic villains.”
• That’s a disguise outfit; false mustaches and what not”

Que 5. “You’ll soon stop being smart.”

1. Who says this?
2. Why does the speaker say it?
3. What according to the speaker will stop Gerrard from being smart?

Answer-

1. The above words were said by the intruder.
2. The intruder said the above lines to frighten Gerrard and also to know more about him.
3. According to the speaker, the bullet from his gun will stop Gerrard from acting smart.

Que 6. “They can’t hang me twice.”

1. Who says this?
2. Why does the speaker say it?

Answer-

1. The intruder said the above words.
2. As he was intending to kill Gerrard so he was telling him that he has already murdered someone once. So, he does not hesitate to do one more murder as the police cannot hang him twice for the same charges.

Que 7. “A mystery I propose to explain.” What is the mystery the speaker proposes to explain?

Answer-

The mystery which the speaker, Gerrard proposes for explanation is why he is a mystery man and explains to the intruder why he himself is a criminal and is in a run. This was the reason why he does not meet tradespeople and says that he murdered someone and got away from it. Now he was in trouble again and hence he packed his bag for escaping.

Que 8. “This is your big surprise.”

1. Where has this been said in the play?
2. What is the surprise?

Answer-

1. These lines were said by both the intruder and Gerrard on different occasions. The first time, it was said by the intruder when he told Gerrard that he is going to kill him and will take on his identity. The second time, these lines were said by Gerrard when the intruder was about to shoot him and he told that you will hang for sure, if not as himself then as him.
2. In the first instance, the surprise was that the intruder has planned to kill Gerrard and take his identity to live his life. The surprise for the second situation is for the intruder when Gerrard told him that murdered someone and if the intruder takes his identity then also it will lead him to his death.

Thinking about Language

I. Consult your dictionary and choose the correct word from the pairs given in brackets.

Que 1. The (site, cite) of the accident was (ghastly/ghostly).

Answer-

The site of the accident was ghastly.

Que 2. Our college (principle/principal) is very strict.

Answer-

Our college principal is very strict.

Que 3. I studied (continuously/continually) for eight hours.

Answer-

I studied continuously for eight hours.

Que 4. The fog had an adverse (affect/effect) on the traffic.

Answer-

The fog had an adverse effect on the traffic.

Que 5. Cezanne, the famous French painter, was a brilliant (artist/artiste).

Answer-

Cezanne, the famous French painter, was a brilliant artist.

Que 6. The book that you gave me yesterday is an extraordinary (collage/college) of science fiction and mystery.

Answer-

The book that you gave me yesterday is an extraordinary collage of science fiction and mystery.

Que 7. Our school will (host/hoist) an exhibition on cruelty to animals and wildlife conservation.

Answer-

Our school will host an exhibition on cruelty to animals and wildlife conservation.

Que 8. Screw the lid tightly onto the top of the bottle and (shake/shape) well before using the contents.

Answer-

Screw the lid tightly onto the top of the bottle and shake well before using the contents.

II. Irony is when we say one thing but mean another, usually the opposite of what we say. When someone makes a mistake and you say, “Oh ! That was clever !” that is irony. You’re saying ‘clever’ to mean ‘not clever’.
Expressions we often use in an ironic fashion are:

• Oh, wasn’t that clever!/Oh that was clever!
• You have been a great help, I must say!
• You’ve got yourself into a lovely mess, haven’t you?
• Oh, very funny !/How funny!

We use a slightly different tone of voice when we use these words ironically. Read the play carefully and find the words and expressions Gerrard uses in an ironic way. Then say what these expressions really mean. Two examples have been given below.

Write down three more such expressions along with what they really mean.

What the author says	What he means
Why, this is a surprise, Mr —er—	He pretends that the intruder is a social visitor whom he is welcoming. In this way, he hides his fear.
At t last a sympathetic audience!	He pretends that the intruder wants to listen to him, whereas actually, the intruder wants to find out information for his own use.

Answer-

What the author says	What he means
You have been so modest.	Gerrard indicates that the intruder is being unfriendly by knowing so much about him without sharing his own identity.
With you figuring so largely in it, that is under­standable.	Gerrard is saying that it is impossible to fully understand how anything about him might be considered “surprising.”
You won’t kill me for a good reason.	Gerrard is pretending that there is some reason though he knows that there is no reason at all.

Dictionary use

A word can mean different things in different contexts. Look at these three sentences:

• The students are taught to respect different cultures.
• The school is organizing a cultural show.
• His voice is cultured.

In the first sentence, ‘culture’ (noun) means a way of life; in the second, ‘cultural’ (adjective) means connected with art, literature, and music; and in the third, ‘cultured’ (verb) means sophisticated, well-mannered. Usually, a dictionary helps you identify the right meaning by giving you signposts.
…………………………………………………………….
…………………………………………………………….
Look up the dictionary entries for the words sympathy, familiarity, comfort, care, and surprise. Use the information given in the dictionary and complete the table.

Answer-

Noun	Adjective	Adverb	Verb	Meaning
sympathy	sympathetic	sympathetically	sympathize	Feeling pity for other people
familiarity	familiar	familiarly	familiarize	To know a person or a thing
comfort	comfortable	comfortably	comfort	Feeling at ease
care	caring	carefully	care	Concerned
surprise	surprising	surprisingly	surprise	Astonish

Speaking

I. Imagine you are Gerrard. Tell your friend what happened when the Intruder broke into your house.
[Clues: Describe (i) the Intruder—his appearance, the way he spoke, his plan, his movements, etc., (ii) how you outwitted him.]

Answer-

I was on the phone last night when someone broke into my cottage. He shouted at me while holding a gun and intended to murder me in order to steal my identity. He forced me into sharing my entire life story. I tricked him by keeping my genuine profession hidden from him. I informed him that I was also a killer and that killing me wouldn’t help him avoid death. I explained to him that I was in trouble and that I had put a man on the street to protect me from the cops. I locked him in a cabinet and called the police while he was attempting to leave the cottage. That is how I was able to save my life from the intruder.

II: Enact the play in the class. Pay special attention to words given in italics before a dialogue. These words will tell you whether the dialogue has to be said in a happy, sarcastic or ironic tone and how the characters move, and what they do as they speak. Read these carefully before you enact the play.

Answer:
For self-attempt.

Writing

I. Which of the words below describe Gerrard and which describe the Intruder?

• Smart, humorous, clever
• Beautiful, cool, confident
• Flashy, witty, nonchalant

Write a paragraph each about Gerrard and the Intruder to show what qualities they have. (You can use some of the words given above.)

Answer:

Gerrard was smart, humorous, clever, cool, confident, and witty. He showed his coolness and confidence when the intruder broke into his cottage. He created a story that persuaded the stranger and expelled him. He showed his witty behavior and wisdom.

The intruder was a smart, confident, and flashy person. He gathered a lot of information on Gerrard and properly arranged his visit. He was also smart and gave sarcastic and intelligent answers to Gerrard’s questions.

II. Convert the play into a story (150–200 words). Your story should be as exciting and as witty as the play. Provide a suitable title for it.

Answer: 

For self-attempt.

FAQs on NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Beehive Chapter 9

Q 1. Describe the character of Gerrard.

Answer-

Gerrard is a witty and intelligent personality. He is smart and confident. He maintains his calmness and manages the issue intelligently, even when it threatens his life. He quickly creates a story of being a murderer in order to avoid being killed by the intruder. He not only saves himself but also puts the intruder in jail as a result of his cleverness.

Que 2. Who wrote this play?

Answer-

The play was written by Douglas James.

Que 3. Who entered Gerrard’s home without permission?

Answer-

It was a criminal who broke into Gerrard’s home. He murdered a police officer, and the police were after him.

Que 4. Why is Gerrard not immediately killed by the intruder?

Answer-

Gerrard was not killed by the intruder immediately so that he could first obtain all the information he required about him.

Que 5. How did Gerrard persuade the intruder that the police were also looking for him?

Answer-

To deceive him, Gerrard created a story. He claimed that he is a murderer who was hiding, which is why he was a mystery man who hadn’t spoken with anyone, including the workers in the trades.