Class 11 Alternative English Unit 6 English Medium How it Happened Question Answer As Per New Syllabus to each Chapter is provided in the list of SCERT, NCERT, AHSEC Class 11 Alternative English Chapter 6 Question Answer/Class Alternative English Chapter 6 Question Answer are given so that you can easily search through the different Chapters and select the needs Notes of AHSEC Class 11 Alternative English Chapter 6 Question Answer English Medium. covers all the exercise questions in NCERT, SCERT.
Class 11 Alternative English Chapter 6 How it Happened
Class 11 Alternative English Unit 6 How it Happened Question Answer | Guide for Class 11th Alternative English Chapter 6 English Medium Also Same NCERT Solutions for Class 11 Alternative English In this post we will explain to you what to try If you are a Student of English Medium then it will be very helpfull for you. NCERT/SCERT,AHSEC Class 11 Alternative English Chapter 6.
Unit 6 How it Happened
I. Answer these questions in one or two words.
1. Who was Perkins?
Ans: Perkins was the chauffeur.
2. What is the name of the vehicle mentioned in the story?
Ans: The vehicle mentioned in the story is thirty horse power Robur.
3. What did Stanley die of?
Ans: Stanley had died many years earlier in the Boer War in South Africa.
4. Where did the car crash?
Ans: The car crashes at the pillar of the gate.
5. How many sharp curves did Claystal Hill have?
Ans: Claystal Hill has three fairly sharp curves.
II. Answer these questions in a few words.
1. What was whirring like a high wind?
Ans: The wheels were whirring like a high wind.
2. Why is Perkins said to have been ‘splendid’ in his behavior?
Ans: Perkins said to have been ‘splendid’ in his behavior because he was perfectly cool and alert.
3. What are the brakes of the vehicle known as?
Ans: The brakes of the vehicle are known as foot brake and side brake.
4. Where did the narrator meet Stanley a few years prior to the incident?
Ans: The narrator met Stanley at the college prior to the incident.
5. Why did the narrator feel no pain?
Ans: The narrator felt no pain because he was dead.
III. Answer these questions briefly.
1. Why did the narrator feel that he was ‘like a man in a dream’?
Ans: The narrator felt that he was ‘like a man in a dream’ because he was feeling very light and happy. He saw things in giddy and shaken way and it happens because he was dead.
2. Give a brief description of the vehicle mentioned in the story.
Ans: The vehicle was a big motor, with its glaring head lights and glitter of polished brass. It was a thirty horse power Robur. The gears were different from the old car.
3. What is the narrator’s view about foolishness?
Ans: According to narrator learning new system in the dark is the biggest foolishness and one has to pay the full price for them.
4. What did the narrator and Perkins do when they realized that the open gate lay in front of them?
Ans: The narrator and Perkins realized that they were in trouble.
5. Why was the narrator amazed when the actual status of Stanley dawned upon him?
Ans: The narrator was amazed when the actual status of Stanley dawned upon him because that was the time when he realized that he was dead.
IV. Answer these questions in detail.
1. Comment on the significance of the ending of the story.
Ans: In How It Happened, Arthur Conan Doyle carefully builds up the plot and presents the shocking revelation of the protagonist’s death in a powerful and compelling manner through a soliloquy.
The incredible moment of discovery in How It Happened occurs at the end of the story, when we discover that the protagonist has perished in the crash. As he talks to his friend Stanley in the aftermath of the crash, he realizes that Stanley has already died, and Stanley replies: ‘so are you. This anagnorisis- recognition of the character’s true identity (that is, an apparition)- shocks us.
However, it is not only the suddenness of the event that makes it a powerful moment, but also the build-up of tension throughout the beginning of the story. Doyle writes: ‘great, golden, roaring death’. The use of repetition and triplets emphasizes the seriousness of this situation, which heavily clashes with the joyful, light-hearted tone of the story- giving rise to a sense of contradiction and feeling that something will go wrong. The alliteration of ‘great, golden’ glorifies the protagonist, as if he is unafraid of death and even enjoying the idea of being a ‘majestic sight’. It lends tension to the atmosphere, as readers are anxious and agitated by the seemingly serious situation. The tension is exacerbated by the protagonist’s cavalier attitude towards the prospect of death- and his nonchalant tone suggests his pride and ridiculous self-confidence and ignorance. This tension, as well as the build-up of the plot, contributes heavily to the powerful effect of the discovery of his death later.
2. Describe the drive undertaken by the narrator from the station to his home.
Ans: The story is written in the first person; the narrator is a man who is met at the beginning of the story by his chauffeur, Perkins, at half-past eleven at the “little country station” while coming back from London. He wanted to try his new car, which had been delivered that day. He was warned that the gears were not of the same type he is used to but he insisted on driving. They “were just over the brow of Claystall Hill, “one of the worst hills of England”, when he lost all control on the speed of the car. He tried to bring the car back to his house “wheels whirring like a high wind” and did not jump even when advised to do so by Perkins. In the end, he managed to reach home but crashed into the park gate. The story ends with Perkins having injured his leg and the narrator meeting a dead friend, Stanley, who tells him that he himself died in the accident.
Additional Question & Answer
1. Who is the author of the story ‘How It Happened??
Ans: Arthur Conan Doyle.
2. Where does the story take place?
Ans: The story takes place in England.
3. Who is the main character?
Ans: The narrator is the main character.
4. Who is Perkins?
Ans: Perkins is the chauffeur.
5. Who is Stanley?
Ans: Stanley is the college friend.
6. What time of the day does the story happen?
Ans: At the midnight.
7. What is the exposition in the story?
Ans: A man is walking down the platform looking at the illuminated clock showing that it is half past eleven.
8. What is the climax of the story?
Ans: Passing through Claystall Hill, the narrator realised that the breaks were not working and at a dangerous speed.
9. What is the resolution in the story?
Ans: The Narrator realised that he was also dead.
10. What is the theme of the story?
Ans: Decision and consequences, class and spiritualism
11. Discuss the theme of the story.
Ans: In How it Happened by Arthur Conan Doyle we have the theme of impulse, arrogance, control, class, loyalty and spiritualism. Narrated in the first person by an unnamed narrator the reader realises from the beginning of the story that the narrator is driven by impulse. There is a sense that though he knows it might be better for Perkins to drive the car he instead takes on the role. If anything the reader would not be wrong to suggest the possibility that the narrator is being arrogant and is inflated by his own sense of importance. The narrator wishes to be in control. Though he owns the car he has never driven it before and as such does not have the required experience to drive the car particularly at night. It might also be possible that Doyle is exploring the theme of class. The narrator is upper class and feels as though he knows better than Perkins who would be working class. What is also interesting about Perkins is the loyalty that he shows the narrator. Though he has the opportunity to jump from the car he decides instead to remain beside the narrator. Showing complete loyalty to the narrator. It is also noticeable that Perkins never questions the narrator when the car is speeding down the road. This may be important as Doyle could be again placing a spotlight on the subject of class. Perkins knows his place and it is not to question the narrator. Who ironically wants to be in control however can’t control the car.
Doyle’s use of a friendly tone throughout the story and in particular between the narrator and Stanley in many ways makes the ending of the sfory even more incredible. There is nothing in the story apart from the last line to suggest that the narrator is dead. Though as readers we expect an accident to happen the fact that the narrator is talking to Stanley calmly after the crash hoodwinks the reader somewhat. It may also be a case that Doyle through the narrator’s death is exploring the theme of spiritualism. If anything Doyle appears to be suggesting that there is life after death. It is also interesting that when the narrator describes how bad the crash has been to Stanley, Stanley smiles. This is unusual and would raise a red flag for most people however the narrator does not think anything of it. Instead he is content not to move. It is difficult to say if the narrator is in shock as he is dead but Doyle does attempt to give physical feeling to the narrator.
Which may be important as Doyle could be suggesting that though an individual might die they are still mind, body and soul which is very much the case when it comes to Stanley. Who the narrator can physically see. It is also possible that Doyle is suggesting there is a place (possibly heaven) for those who have died and that they have the ability to return to earth and are only seen by those who have died. Hence the narrator being able to see Stanley. Stanley’s selection as the individual who tells the narrator he is dead is also interesting as Doyle seems to have picked someone from the narrator’s life who is amiable to the narrator. There is no sense of fear within the narrator despite having been in a car crash and killed. If anything the narrator is calm.
Which might be the point that Doyle is attempting to make. He may be suggesting that when an individual dies there is a sense of calmness. There is nothing to be afraid of. Something that is noticeable when Stanley touches the narrator’s shoulder. The feeling is described as being ‘inexpressibly soothing’ making the narrator feel ‘light and happy.’ It is also noticeable that the narrator despite being in a car crash and killed feels (or felt) no pain. Which may be Doyle’s way of suggesting that death itself is a painless affair. That when dead there is no pain. Pain in itself is something that is associated with the living. Something that is noticeable by the fact that Perkins’ leg is stuck underneath one of the wheels of the car and he is in pain. If anything there appears to be a sense of pleasure in death, not in dying, but in death. No longer does the body feel the pain it did when a person is alive. Also there appears to be no sense of guilt when an individual dies. The narrator for example does not feel any guilt about injuring Perkins in the car crash. Instead there is just feelings of happiness that many people would find unusual. Though only the dead may know how it feels to be dead. Doyle possibly asking the reader to re-examine their perception of death and what it may really mean. For the narrator there appears to have been a smooth and painless transition from living to being dead. Leaving the reader to assume that the narrator’s death was instant. There was no pain that many would associate with dying. The car crashed and the narrator appears to have been killed instantly.
12. How does Arthur Conan Doyle make moments of revelation or discovery particularly powerful in ‘How It Happened?’
Ans: In How It Happened, Arthur Conan Doyle carefully builds up the plot and presents the shocking revelation of the protagonist’s death in a powerful and compelling manner through a soliloquy.
The incredible moment of discovery in How It Happened occurs at the end of the story, when we discover that the protagonist has perished in the crash. As he talks to his friend Stanley in the aftermath of the crash, he realizes that Stanley has already died, and Stanley replies: ‘so are you.’ This anagnorisis- recognition of the character’s true identity (that is, an apparition)- shocks us.
However, it is not only the suddenness of the event that makes it a powerful moment, but also the build-up of tension throughout the beginning of the story. Doyle writes: ‘great, golden, roaring death’. The use of repetition and triplets emphasizes the seriousness of this situation, which heavily clashes with the joyful, light-hearted tone of the story- giving rise to a sense of contradiction and feeling that something will go wrong. The alliteration of ‘great, golden’ glorifies the protagonist, as if he is unafraid of death and even enjoying the idea of being a ‘majestic sight’. It lends tension to the atmosphere, as readers are anxious and agitated by the seemingly serious situation. The tension is exacerbated by the protagonist’s cavalier attitude towards the prospect of death- and his nonchalant tone suggests his pride and ridiculous self-confidence and ignorance. This tension, as well as the build-up of the plot, contributes heavily to the powerful effect of the discovery of his death later.
Throughout the story, the protagonist speaks with an affable and amiable tone, making the suddenness of his death very powerful and shocking. He speaks in first person, frequently saying ‘I’, talking about himself in light-hearted self-retrospection- making readers feel close and familiar with him. Writing in first person makes it more personal, emotional, and gripping- and readers become more emotionally invested in the story-the convivial, friendly tone through which Doyle imparts his story makes his death and unfortunate passing very surprising and affecting. At this moment of revelation, we feel somewhat of a pang of pity for the protagonist and perhaps a sense of injustice: all these emotions feed into the powerful impact of this incident.
However, as we come to the realization that the protagonist could have avoided this fate, our sympathy and pity for him morphs into angst and discontent. If the main character had not been as impulsive and arrogant as to try his new car out close to midnight- ‘No, I should like to try her’, the accident would likely have been avoided. He demonstrated a willful, hegemonic masculine pride as he feminized the car: ‘try her’, and also showed a defiance of Perkins as he rejected his offer of driving the car. Through this, the protagonist exhibits both gender and class divide- he tries to assert his own dominance of Perkins, which subsequently depicts the distinct indication of class and corresponding arrogance and ignorance of the upper class. The protagonist was at fault for the accident because of his overwhelming confidence, bringing across the very powerful message about the detrimental consequences of bourgeoisie supremacy.
Through the tone of the writing, and the nature of the message he is trying to bring across, Doyle makes the revelation of his protagonist’s death an extremely powerful and affecting one.
Notes of AHSEC Class 11 AHSEC Class 11 Alternative English Unit 6 | English Medium Class 11 Alternative English Notes In this post we will explain to you Class 11 Alternative English Chapter 6 Question Answer | AHSEC Class 11 Alternative English Question Answer Unit 6 If you are a Student of English Medium then it will be very helpfull for you.
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