MP Board 9th Beehive If I Were You by Douglas James MCQs : Here are 50 important Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) with answers for the play “If I Were You” by Douglas James, based on the provided webpage’s analysis.
MP Board 9th Beehive If I Were You by Douglas James MCQs
Author, Play, and Characters
- Who is the author of the play “If I Were You”?
a) William Wordsworth
b) Douglas James
c) Vikram Seth
d) Gieve Patel
Answer: b) Douglas James - “If I Were You” is a…
a) Thrilling one-act play
b) Three-act tragedy
c) Comedic poem
d) Long novel
Answer: a) Thrilling one-act play - Who is the main character who lives in a lonely cottage?
a) The Intruder
b) The police sergeant
c) Douglas James
d) Gerrard
Answer: d) Gerrard - What is Gerrard’s profession?
a) A jewel thief
b) A police officer
c) A playwright
d) A tradesperson
Answer: c) A playwright - Who is the antagonist who breaks into Gerrard’s cottage?
a) A “wise guy”
b) A “melodramatic” actor
c) An Intruder
d) A “cultured” man
Answer: c) An Intruder - How is Gerrard described in his interaction with the Intruder?
a) Terrified and panicking
b) Calm, witty, and clever
c) Angry and violent
d) Sad and depressed
Answer: b) Calm, witty, and clever - What is the Intruder’s profession?
a) A playwright
b) A jewel thief
c) A police officer
d) A props manager
Answer: b) A jewel thief - What crime is the Intruder running from the police for?
a) Jewel theft
b) Breaking into a cottage
c) Murdering a policeman
d) Impersonating someone
Answer: c) Murdering a policeman
Plot Details
- What is Gerrard doing at the very beginning of the play?
a) Writing a play
b) Talking on the phone and packing a bag
c) Waiting for the Intruder
d) Cleaning his cottage
Answer: b) Talking on the phone and packing a bag - What weapon is the Intruder carrying?
a) A knife
b) A revolver
c) A rope
d) A machine gun
Answer: b) A revolver - What is the Intruder’s main plan?
a) To rob Gerrard of his jewels
b) To hide in Gerrard’s cottage for a few days
c) To kill Gerrard and take his identity
d) To ask Gerrard to write a play about him
Answer: c) To kill Gerrard and take his identity - Why did the Intruder specifically choose Gerrard?
a) Because Gerrard was rich
b) Because Gerrard lived a mysterious life and had a similar build
c) Because Gerrard was a famous playwright
d) Because Gerrard had threatened him in the past
Answer: b) Because Gerrard lived a mysterious life and had a similar build - How does Gerrard manage to “outsmart” the Intruder?
a) He attacks the Intruder with a revolver
b) He calls the police immediately
c) He invents a fake story about his own criminal identity
d) He offers the Intruder money to leave
Answer: c) He invents a fake story about his own criminal identity - What does Gerrard show the Intruder to make his fake story believable?
a) A police uniform and a gun
b) A bag and disguise props (like a fake moustache)
c) A newspaper article about his crimes
d) A secret stash of jewels
Answer: b) A bag and disguise props (like a fake moustache) - What does Gerrard pretend is a “secret passage” to the garage?
a) A trapdoor
b) A window
c) A cupboard door
d) The fireplace
Answer: c) A cupboard door - How does the play end?
a) The Intruder kills Gerrard
b) The Intruder and Gerrard become partners
c) Gerrard locks the Intruder in the cupboard and calls the police
d) The police arrive and arrest both of them
Answer: c) Gerrard locks the Intruder in the cupboard and calls the police - What does Gerrard plan to do with the incident at the end?
a) Move to a new, safer cottage
b) Write a book about it
c) Use it in his next play
d) Never speak of it again
Answer: c) Use it in his next play - What event makes Gerrard’s fake story more urgent and believable to the Intruder?
a) A knock at the door
b) The telephone bell ringing
c) A police siren in the distance
d) A sound in the garage
Answer: b) The telephone bell ringing - Who does Gerrard pretend is on the other end of the phone call?
a) A friend warning him the police are coming
b) A producer for his next play
c) A tradesperson
d) His long-lost brother
Answer: a) A friend warning him the police are coming - Why did the Intruder want to take on Gerrard’s identity?
a) To become a famous playwright
b) To escape the police as himself
c) To live a quiet, mysterious life
d) To get access to Gerrard’s car
Answer: b) To escape the police as himself
Key Quotes and Meanings
- Who says, “At last a sympathetic audience”?
a) The Intruder
b) Gerrard
c) The police sergeant
d) Douglas James
Answer: b) Gerrard - Why does Gerrard say, “At last a sympathetic audience”?
a) He is serious and happy to have a visitor
b) He is being sarcastic about the Intruder’s interest in his life
c) He is practicing a line from his play
d) He is talking to the police on the phone
Answer: b) He is being sarcastic about the Intruder’s interest in his life - Who says, “I said it with bullets”?
a) The Intruder, about killing the cop
b) Gerrard, as part of his fake story
c) The police sergeant, as he arrests the Intruder
d) Gerrard, as he describes his new play
Answer: b) Gerrard, as part of his fake story - Is the line “I said it with bullets” the truth?
a) Yes, Gerrard is a secret murderer
b) No, it’s a lie to convince the Intruder he is also a criminal
c) Yes, he is describing a scene from his play
d) No, it was the Intruder who said it
Answer: b) No, it’s a lie to convince the Intruder he is also a criminal - Who says, “You’ll soon stop being smart”?
a) Gerrard, to the Intruder
b) The Intruder, to Gerrard
c) Gerrard, on the phone
d) The police sergeant, to the Intruder
Answer: b) The Intruder, to Gerrard - Why does the Intruder say, “You’ll soon stop being smart”?
a) He is impressed by Gerrard’s wit
b. He is trying to intimidate Gerrard, who is being too calm and witty
c) He thinks Gerrard is a “wise guy”
d) He is offering Gerrard a job
Answer: b) He is trying to intimidate Gerrard, who is being too calm and witty - Who says, “They can’t hang me twice”?
a) Gerrard
b) The Intruder
c) The police sergeant
d) Both Gerrard and the Intruder
Answer: b) The Intruder - What does the Intruder mean by, “They can’t hang me twice”?
a) He is immortal
b) He has already been hanged once
c. He is already wanted for murder, so killing Gerrard won’t result in a worse punishment
d) He is not afraid of being hanged
Answer: c) He is already wanted for murder, so killing Gerrard won’t result in a worse punishment - Who says, “This is your big surprise”?
a) Only Gerrard
b) Only the Intruder
c) Both the Intruder and Gerrard
d) The police sergeant
Answer: c) Both the Intruder and Gerrard - What is the Intruder’s “big surprise” for Gerrard?
a) That he has a gun
b) That he is a jewel thief
c) That he plans to kill Gerrard and take his identity
d) That he knows Gerrard is a playwright
Answer: c) That he plans to kill Gerrard and take his identity - What is Gerrard’s “big surprise” for the Intruder?
a) That he has a secret passage
b) That he is also a wanted criminal on the run
c) That the police are already outside
d) That he is not scared of the Intruder’s gun
Answer: b) That he is also a wanted criminal on the run - Who says, “A mystery I propose to explain”?
a) The Intruder, about his plan
b) Gerrard, about his (fake) mysterious life
c) The police, about the murder case
d) Gerrard, about the plot of his next play
Answer: b) Gerrard, about his (fake) mysterious life - What “mystery” does Gerrard propose to explain?
a) Why he has a gun
b) Why he lives a secluded, secretive life
c) Why he is packing a bag
d) Why he is a playwright
Answer: b) Why he lives a secluded, secretive life
Themes and Vocabulary
- What is the main theme of the play?
a) That crime always pays
b) That playwrights live lonely lives
c) That calmness and wit can overcome danger
d) That one should never trust a stranger
Answer: c) That calmness and wit can overcome danger - What does the word “cultured” mean, as used to describe Gerrard?
a) Criminal and dangerous
b) Sophisticated and well-mannered
c) Overly emotional
d) Calm and relaxed
Answer: b) Sophisticated and well-mannered - Gerrard calls the Intruder’s entrance “melodramatic.” What does this mean?
a) Exaggerated and overly emotional
b) Clever and witty
c) Calm and relaxed
d) Unnecessary
Answer: a) Exaggerated and overly emotional - How does Gerrard act in a “nonchalant” way?
a) He is overly emotional
b) He is sophisticated
c) He acts calm and relaxed despite the danger
d) He pretends to know a lot
Answer: c) He acts calm and relaxed despite the danger - What is an “inflection” in voice?
a) A change in tone
b) A loud shout
c) A whisper
d) A foreign accent
Answer: a) A change in tone - The Intruder calls Gerrard a “wise guy.” What does this mean?
a) A very intelligent and cultured person
b) A person who pretends to know a lot
c) A playwright
d) A criminal
Answer: b) A person who pretends to know a lot - Who are “tradespeople”?
a) Criminals
b) Police officers
c) Merchants or shopkeepers
d) Actors
Answer: c) Merchants or shopkeepers - What are “props” in a play?
a) The main actors
b) The audience
c) The script
d) Objects used by actors
Answer: d) Objects used by actors - Why does the Intruder find Gerrard’s lifestyle so suitable for his plan?
a) Because Gerrard is rich and famous
b) Because Gerrard lives alone and mysteriously
c. Because Gerrard is also a criminal
d) Because Gerrard is packing to leave
Answer: b) Because Gerrard lives alone and mysteriously - What is the meaning of “gratuitous”?
a) Necessary
b) Thankful
c) Unnecessary or without reason
d) Exaggerated
Answer: c) Unnecessary or without reason - What does it mean to “dodge” someone?
a) To meet someone
b) To avoid someone
c) To frame someone
d) To trick someone
Answer: b) To avoid someone - What does it mean to “frame” someone?
a) To take a picture
b) To trap someone with false evidence
c) To live with someone
d) To help someone escape
Answer: b) To trap someone with false evidence - How does Gerrard’s profession as a playwright help him?
a) It makes him rich and able to afford a cottage
b) It gives him the skills to invent a convincing story and use props
c) It means he has a lot of actor friends to help him
d) It doesn’t help him at all
Answer: b) It gives him the skills to invent a convincing story and use props - What is the “one-act play” format ideal for?
a) Showing a character’s entire life
b) Building suspense and focusing on a single incident
c) A very long and complex story
d) A story with many different locations
Answer: b) Building suspense and focusing on a single incident - Gerrard’s line, “Sorry I can’t let you have the props in time for rehearsal,” is an example of…
a) A lie to the Intruder
b) The truth about his profession
c) Sarcasm
d) A line from his play
Answer: b) The truth about his profession - The play shows that Gerrard is not just “cultured” but also…
a) Quick-thinking and resourceful
b) Secretly a criminal
c) Easily frightened
d) Melodramatic
Answer: a) Quick-thinking and resourceful - In the end, who is the one that gets “framed” or trapped?
a) Gerrard
b) The police sergeant
c) The Intruder
d) The tradespeople
Answer: c) The Intruder