Updated on 28/06/2026
*9. If I Were You (Douglas James)*
*1. Who is the author of the lesson ‘If I Were You’?*
Ans. Douglas James
*2. Who entered Gerrard's cottage?*
Ans. An intruder
*3. Who was the intruder?*
Ans. A criminal
*4. What is in his hand?*
Ans. A revolver
*5. What was he wearing?*
Ans. An overcoat and a soft hat
*6. How old is the author now?*
Ans. Thirty-two years old
*7. What is Gerrard’s profession?*
Ans. A playwright
*8. According to Gerrard who comes to visit him?*
Ans. The baker, the green-grocer, and the milkman.
*9. Where did Gerrard live?*
Ans. In his Essex cottage
*10. Who had stolen Gerrard in his childhood?*
Ans. Gypsies
*11. Why does the intruder want to kill him?*
Ans. To pass himself as Vincent Charles Gerrard
*12. How does Gerrard save himself from the intruder?*
Ans. By imprisoning him in the cupboard
Textual Questions
*1. Why does the intruder choose Gerrard as the man whose identity he wants to take on?*
Ans. He chose Gerrard because he was similar to him. The intruder wanted to live in his little cottage by killing him.
*2. Who is the intruder? Why does he intend to murder Gerrard?*
Ans. The intruder is a criminal. The police are chasing him for a murder. He wants to kill Gerrard so that he can take his identity.
*3. What story does Gerrard tell the intruder about himself?*
Ans. He tells a story to Gerrard about himself. When he was a child, he was stolen by the gypsies. He has completed thirty-two years. He lives alone here. He has killed a man, and the police are about to raid his cottage.
*4. What crime had the intruder committed?*
Ans. He was a robber. He had committed a robbery in town. He had killed a cop (policeman). He had escaped from there.
*5. How did Gerrard save himself from the intruder?*
Ans. The intruder was a criminal. He wanted to kill Gerrard to get his identity. But Gerrard told him a story that he had killed a man. The police are searching for him. In the end, Gerrard pushed him and locked him in a cupboard. And thus he saved himself.
Long Answer
*1. How did Gerrard outwit the intruder?*
Ans. Gerrard maintained his calm when the armed intruder threatened him. Instead of panicking, he used his wit and dramatic skills as a playwright to create a fake story. He convinced the intruder that he was also a murderer running from the law, and that his car was ready for an escape. He pointed toward a door, claiming it led to the garage. When the intruder stepped forward to inspect it, Gerrard pushed him inside, knocked the revolver out of his hand, and locked the door. The door was actually a cupboard, and that is how Gerrard outwitted him.