The Elevator Question Answers I ICSE Treasure Chest - Beeta Publication

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 Section B: Context Questions

I. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow: 

Martin, a thin twelve-year-old, felt nervous in it from the first day he and his father moved into the apartment. Of course, he was always uncomfortable in elevators, afraid that they would fall, but this one was especially unpleasant. Perhaps it was because of the poor, lightning and dirty walls. Perhaps it was because of the door, which never stayed open long enough, and slammed shut with a loud clanging noise.

(I) Where does Martin feel nervous? Why?

Ans: Martin feels nervous in the elevator of the apartment building. He is afraid of elevators in general, worried they might fall. This specific elevator worsens his anxiety with poor lighting, dirty walls, and a door that doesn't stay open long, slamming shut loudly.

(ii) Why was the elevator in his building unpleasant to use?

Ans: The elevator in his building was unpleasant to use Because it had poor lighting, dirty walls and a defective door that could not remain open for long and used to slam shut with a loud noise. Besides, it was too small and could carry only three people at a time.

(iii) What was the other option besides the elevator? Was it better than the elevator? Give reason to support your answer.

Ans: The other option for Martin was to use the stairs for going up and down his apartment on the 17th floor.
No, it was not better than the elevator because13

• the stairs neither had any windows nor any working lights.
• they were not better than the elevator and were Martin’s equally bad and scary.
• Martin’s footsteps echoed behind him on the cement, as though there was another person following him.
• Martin had to use the stairs to reach the 17th floor and therefore, felt exhausted and gasping for breath.

(iv) How did the size of the elevator affect the narrator later in the story?

Ans: The size of the elevator in Martin’s building was too small to carry more than three persons. By the end of the story, Martin was trapped in the lift with a fat lady and could not escape from there because of a lack of space.

(v) Explain how does this extract act as a 'foreshadow' in the story.

Ans: This extract acts as a ‘foreshadow’ in the story by

• giving an inkling of something bad likely to happen with Martin later in the story.
• telling that Martin was always scared of the elevators. For he was afraid that it would fall and could be fatal for him.
• informing the readers about the defective door of the lift that never stayed open for long and closed with a loud noise.

II. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow: 

He wanted to know why Martin was out of breath. 'Why didn't you take the elevator?' he asked, frowning at Martin. You're not only skinny and weak and bad at sports, his face seemed to say, but you are also a coward. After that, Martin always took the elevator. He would have to get used to it, he told himself, just he got used to it, he told himself, just like he got used to being bullied at school.

But he didn't get used to it. He was always afraid that it would stop suddenly and he would be trapped inside it for hours by himself.

(I) Who is 'He' referred to in the extract? What did he ask Martin? Why?

Ans: ‘He’ refers to Martin’s father. Martin’s father asked him why he had not taken the elevator and used the stairs instead. He asked so when he saw Martin gasping for breath after taking the stairs to reach his home on the 17th floor.

(ii) State the three adjectives which he apparently used for Martin. Why?

Ans: Three adjectives used by Martin’s father for him are:

1. skinny and weak
2. bad at sports
3. coward

Martin’s father used these adjectives as he was annoyed with Martin for not using the elevator and getting used to it and instead wasting his energy and time by using stairs to reach his house on the 17th floor.

(iii) What does Martin promise himself? Does he succeed? Name the other thing which he got used to?

Ans: Martin promised himself that he would always take the elevator and get used to it and thereby, overcame the fear he had of riding the elevator. No, Martin did not succeed in overcoming his fear of the elevators. He got used to being bullied at school.

(iv) What was his fear about the elevator? Did that happen at the end of the story? Give reason for your answer.

Ans: Martin’s fear about the elevator was that it would stop suddenly and he would be trapped inside it for hours by himself. Yes, it happened at the end of the story, though the elevator did not stop suddenly by itself. A fat lady, as imagined by Martin, or otherwise entered the lift and there was no space left by Martin to escape from the lift. So, he got trapped inside the lift with that fat lady. Since Martin felt that he was being laughed at by the fat lady, perhaps Martin would have taken that as an insult and overcome his fear and with that would have vanished the scary fat old lady.

(v) Explain briefly the characteristic traits of Martin based on this extract.

Ans: The characteristic traits of Martin based on this extract are:

• Timid: Martin always feared using elevators. So when he used stairs instead of the elevator and entered home gasping for breath, he was rebuked by his father. Seeing the expression on his father’s face Martin felt that he was chiding him and saying he was weak and skinny, bad at sports and a coward. To avoid his father’s annoyance he promised himself that he would get used to elevator. However, Martin was unable to overcome his fear of the elevator. 

Besides, he could not stand up against his bullies at school. Thus, it shows Martin was indeed timid.

• Absence of Familial Bond: It seems that Martin and his father did not have a strong bond. That is why Martin could not understand his father’s frowning at him and interpreted it in his own way. Besides, he wanted to get over his fear of the elevator just to avoid his father’s annoyance.

for more characteristic trait refer to page 105 of the workbook

III. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow: 

He thought about her all day. Did she live in the building? he had never seen her before, and the building was not very big. maybe she was visiting somebody? But 7.30 in the morning was too early for visiting.

martin felt nervous when he got back to the building after the school. But why should he afraid of an old lady? he felt ashamed of himself. He pressed the button and stepped into the elevator, hoping that it would not stop, but it stopped on the third floor.

(I) What did Martin think about here all day and why?

Ans: Martin kept on thinking about the old lady, whom he met in the elevator, because it was his fear of riding the elevator that made him create on imaginary fat lady, which grew into a bigger fear than the elevator. He could not get that image out of his mind and kept on thinking about it all day.

(ii) Why was Martin nervous when he got back to his building after school?

Ans: Martin was nervous when he got back to his building after school because the imagined old lady, whom he seemed to have met in the elevator could not get off his mind. It further enhanced his fear of riding an elevator.

(iii) Why did Martin feel ashamed of himself? What does it reveal about him?

Ans: Martin felt ashamed of himself for being afraid on an old lady. It reveals that Martin wanted to overcome his fears but did not have the courage and conviction to do so.

(iv) Why did Martin hope that the elevator would not stop? What happened when it did stop in the third floor?

Ans: Martin hoped that the elevator would not stop in the hope that he would not meet the old lady at any floor who would enter the elevator from any floor. When the elevator stopped at the third floor, the same old lady whom he had seen in the morning, entered the elevator.

(v) What according to you, Martin found scarier- the elevator or the old lady? Give reason to support your answer.

Ans: Martin definitely found the old scarier than the elevator because after seeing the old lady for the first time, his only fear was being trapped inside the elevator with her. The old lady was so fat that she would occupy the entire space in the elevator making it difficult for Martin to escape from the lift.

IV. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow: 

Martin knew he was probably making a mistake, but he had to tell somebody about the woman. She was in the elevator with me twice today. She just kept staring at me. She never stopped looking at me for a minute. 

What are you so worried about now? his father said, turning impatiently away from the television. 'What am I going to do with you, Martin. Honestly, now you are afraid of some poor old lady.'

(I) What was the mistake Martin think he was probably making? Why did he think so?

Ans: Martin felt that he was probably making a mistake by telling his father about the old lady, whom he had seen in the elevator.

 He thought so because he knew that he would not get any positive support from his father; his father would rather chide him as being too thin and skinny, timid and perhaps a coward.

(ii) Why did Martin feel that he had to tell somebody about the woman? Whom did he decide to tell? Why?

Ans: Martin felt the need to tell somebody about the woman because he was scared of her and had being meeting her quite often in the elevator. He decided to tell about the old lady to his father because he had nobody else to confide his fears.

(iii) What was the one thing that Martin found strange about the lady? Why?

Ans: The one thing that the Martin found strange about the lady was her act of getting into the elevator and getting down from it from different floors.

(iv) Martin's father asks him what was he worried about 'now'? What was he afraid about earlier? What did his father say about him then?

Ans: Martin was worried for being trapped in the elevator with that fat old lady. Earlier he was afraid of riding the elevators. Martin made out from his father’s expressions that he wanted to call him skinny and weak, bad at sports and a coward.

(v) Give a character sketch of Martin's father based on the extract.

Ans: Refer to characteristic trait on page 105 of the workbook.

V. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow: 

Martin started running down the stairs. The stairs were dark and he fell. His father was silent on the way to the hospital, disappointed and angry with him for being a crowd and a fool. he could not use the stairs now. Was that why that lady had smiled? Did she know what would happen?

(I) Why did Martin start running down the stairs? How did he fall?

Ans: Martin started running down the stairs on seeing the old lady in the elevator. Since the stairs were dark, Martin could not see them and finally fell down.

(ii) What were Martin's father's feelings on the way to the hospital? How had he reached earlier when Martin took the stairs to reach his house on the seventeenth floor?

Ans: Martin’s father was totally disappointed and angry with the narrator for being a coward and a fool. Earlier, when Martin had taken to a stairs to reach his house on the 17th floor he was quite annoyed with him and frowned at him.

(iii) Why would Martin not be able to use the stairs? how do you think Martin would have been affected by this condition?

Ans: Martin would not be able to use the stairs because he fell down, broke his leg and had to walk on crutches. Martin would have been seriously affected by this situation because he had no choice but to use the elevator which he dreaded.

(iv) Why did Martin think that fat lady had smiled and knew what was going to happen to him?

Ans: Martin thought that the fat lady had smiled, thus laughing at his helplessness for not being able to escape from him.  Martin’s internal fear made him think that the lady knew beforehand that something bad was going to happen with him and perhaps, she was the creator of his ill-luck.

(v) Explain briefly what could have given rise to Martin's thoughts about the fat lady.

Ans: Martin always dreaded using the elevators. He was scared that either the elevator would fall or stop midway keeping him trapped inside for hours. When he moved into a new apartment his fear aggravated on seeing and old elevator that had poor lighting and a defective door that could not stay open for long and used to close with a loud noise. 

 This fear turned into a phobia and gave rise to an imaginary fat lady, whom he used to meet only in the elevator. He imagined her to be so fat that he had to squeeze himself in a corner suggesting that he had no way to escape from the lady, vis-a-vis, the elevator and overcome his fear.

VI. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow: 

But the door was already closing. 'Afraid to be in the elevator alone?' said his father. 'Grow up, Martin. 'the door slammed shut.

martin hobbled to the buttons and pressed nine, but it didn't do any good. The elevator stopped at ten, where that fat lady was waiting for him. She moved in quickly, and he was too slow to get past here in time to get out. The door closed and the elevator began to move.

'Hello, Martin, 'she said, and laughed, and pushed the Stop button.

(I) How did Martin remain alone in the elevator? What did his father tell him?

Ans: Martin remained alone in the elevator when his father got down from the elevator on the ninth floor to meet Mrs. Ullman. Martin’s father asked him if he was feeling scared to be in the elevator alone and then told him to grow up, i.e., to give up his fear of the elevator.

(ii) Why did Martin want to press button nine on the elevator? What had happened instead?

Ans: Martin wanted to press button nine on the elevator to visit Mrs. Ullman, where his father had already gone, leaving him alone in the elevator. Being scared of meeting the old lady in the elevator and in nervousness, Martin pressed ten instead of nine.

(iii) Why could Martin not move out of the elevator? What happened thereafter?

Ans: Martin could not move out of the elevator because the lady was too fat to give any space to Martin to move out besides, Martin was too slow to get past her in time to get out of the elevator. Thereafter the door closed and the elevator began to move, leaving Martin trapped inside the elevator with that fat lady.

(iv) Why do you think that the lady laughed and then pushed the 'Stop button'? Give a reason to support your answer.

Ans: Martin thought that the lady was laughing at his helplessness to escape from the elevator and the lady. She pushed the ‘Stop button’ perhaps to trap Martin inside the elevator and do harm to him, as Martin would have imagined. It could also be that Martin overcame his fear of the old lady, vis-a-vis, the elevator and moved out of his phobia once and for all.

(v) The story ends in a cliffhanger. What is a cliffhanger?  Explain what according to you would have happened at the end. Give reasons to justify your views.

Ans: A cliffhanger is a literary device in which the story, play or chapter has no final resolution, leaving the readers in suspense and the ending open to discussion. The story, The Elevator ends on a cliffhanger in which the protagonist of the story, Martin is trapped inside the elevator, with the alleged fat old lady. 

 At the end of the story, Martin saw the old lady laughing at him and this could have enraged Martin to such an extent that he would have decided to get rid of his fear once and for all. 

 With this in his mind, he would have stopped the elevator, and come out of it, with no fat old lady inside it and within his mind. He would have, thus, saved himself from the fear of riding the elevator.