Treasure Chest Workbook Answers Chapter 7 The Elevator
The Elevator Comprehension Questions Answers
Read the extracts and answer the following questions:
Passage – 1.
It was an old building with an old elevator – a very small elevator, which could carry only three people. 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 this was because of the poor lighting and the dirty walls.
Perhaps it was because of the door, which never stayed open long enough, and slammed shut with a loud clanging noise. Perhaps it was the way the elevator shuddered each time it left a floor, as if it was exhausted. Maybe it was simply too small. It seemed crowded even with only two people in it.
1. How was the building where Martin lived?
2. How old was Martin?
3. What type of boy Martin is?
4. Why did Martin think about the old elevator?
5. Why the elevator of the building was uncomfortable to Martin?
Answer:
1. Martin lived in an old building with one old elevator.
2. Martin is only 12 years old.
3. Martin is a boy of 12 years with thin and skinny body. He is very nervous and coward. He does not love games and sports.
4. Martin thinks the that old elevator may fall as it is very small and can accommodate only two or three persons at a time.
5. Martin feels uncomfortable in the old elevator because the lighting is dim and the walls are dirty. The door of the elevator stays open for a brief period and it slammers shut with a loud clanging noise.
Passage – 2.
The Stairs were no better. Martin tried them one day after school. There were no windows, and the lights were not working. Martin’s footsteps echoed behind him on the cement, as though there was another person climbing, getting closer. By the time he reached his home on the seventeenth floor, he was gasping for breath.
1. How was the stairs of the building?
2. When did Martin try the stairs?
3. What happened to Martin then?
4. In which floor of the building Martin lived?
5. What was the condition of Martin when he reached his flat?
Answer:
1. The stairs of the building was in a very bad condition. There were no windows and the lights were not working.
2. One day when Martin was returning from his school he tried the stairs to reach his flat.
3. Martin’s footsteps echoed behind him on the cement as though another person climbing and getting closer.
4. Martin lived in the 17th floor of the building.
5. Martin was gasping for breath when he reached his flat in the 17th floor of the building.
Passage – 3.
Martin’s father worked at home. 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 like he got used to being bullied at school.
1. Where did Martin’s father work?
2. What did Martin’s father want to know?
3. What was father’s impression about Martin?
4. When did Martin begin to take the elevator?
5. How was Martin bullied at school?
Answer:
1. Martin’s father worked at home.
2. Martin’s father wanted to know why Martin was out of breath reaching his flat.
3. Martin’s father thought that he was skinny, weak and bad at sports. Above all he was also a coward.
4. Martin used the elevator when his father rebuked him for not using the elevator.
5. Martin was a coward boy. He was also thin and weak. So, his classmates bullied at him in the class.
Passage – 4.
One morning the elevator stopped at the fourteenth floor, and a fat lady got on. She was wearing an old green coat that ballooned around her. As she waddled into the elevator, Martin was sure he felt it sink under her weight. She was so big that her coat brushed against him, and he had to squeeze himself into a corner. There was no room for anybody else. The door closed quickly behind her, and instead of facing it, she turned around and stared at Martin.
1. Where did the elevator stop?
2. Who did get into the elevator?
3. How did the lady dress?
4. Why had Martin to squeeze himself?
5. Whąt did she do to Martin?
Answer:
1. The elevator stopped at the 14th floor of the apartment.
2. A fat old lady got in to the elevator when the elevator stopped at 14 th floor.
3. The lady wore an old green coat that ballooned around her. She was so fat that her coat brushed against him and Martin had to squeeze himself into a corner in the elevator.
4. The elevator was small to accommodate only three persons. When the fat lady entered into the elevator Martin had to squeeze himself.
5. When the door of the elevator closed quickly behind her she turned round and stared at Martin.
Passage – 5.
Martin looked away, but the woman didn’t turn around. Was she still looking at him? He glanced at her quickly, then looked away again. She was still watching him. He wanted to close his eyes, he wanted to turn around and stare into the corner, but how could he? The elevator creaked down to twelve, then eleven. The piggy eyes were still looking at him. She had to be crazy. Why else would she stare at him like this? What was she going to do next?
1. What did Martin do?
2. What did the woman do?
3. What did Martin want to do?
4. Where did Martin stare?
5. How were the eyes of the lady?
Answer:
1. Martin looked away from the fat lady but she did not turn around.
2. The fat lady was looking at Martin sternly. Although Martin looked at her and turned round but the lady was still watching him.
3. Martin wanted to close her eyes and to turn around and to look at the corner avoiding the lady.
4. Martin did not want to face the lady so he tried his best to avoid her, but it was quite impossible to him.
5. The lady had piggy eyes to stare at Martin.
Passage – 6.
She did nothing. She only watched him, breathing loudly, until the elevator reached the first floor at last. Martin wanted to run past her to get out, but there was no room. He could only wait as she turned and moved slowly out into the lobby.
Then he ran. He didn’t care what she thought. He ran nearly all the way to school. 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. May be she was visiting somebody? But 730 in the morning was too early for visiting.
1. What did the lady do?
2. What did Martin want to do?
3. When did Martin Run?
4. What did Martin think about the lady?
5. What were Martin’s speculation about the lady?
Answer:
1. The lady did nothing but to watch at Martin who was breathing loudly until the elevator reached the first floor.
2. Martin wanted to run past her to get out but there was no room.
3. Martin had to wait till the lady slowly went out of the elevator. As soon as she went out Martin ran nearly all the way to school?
4. Martin thought if the lady lived in the same apartment where he lived as he did not see her before.
5. Martin speculated that perhaps she was going to visit somebody but 7-30 am was too early to visit a person.
Passage – 7.
Martin felt nervous when he got back to the building after school. But why should he be 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. Martin watched the door slide open, revealing a green coat, a piggish face and blue eyes which were already staring at him as if she knew he would be there. It wasn’t possible. It was like a nightmare.
But there she was. ‘Going up!’ said Martin, his voice little more than a squeak. She nodded, and stepped on. The door slammed. He watched her pudgy hand move towards the buttons. She pressed, not fourteen, but eighteen, the top floor. The elevator trembled and began to go up. The fat lady watched him.
1. Why was Martin ashamed of himself?
2. Where did the elevator stop?
3. What did Martin see?
4. What was nightmare to Martin?
5. Which button did she press?
Answer:
1. Martin was ashamed for himself because he was afraid of that fat lady.
2. The elevator stopped in the 3rd floor and Martin was amazed to see that.
3. Martin saw that a green coat with a piggish face and blue eyes stared at him as if she knew he would be there.
4. The entry of the old fat lady into the elevator proved to be a nightmare to him.
5. She pressed the 18th-floor button instead of fourteenth floor that she pressed earlier.
Passage – 8.
This morning she got on at the fourteenth floor, so why did she get on at the third floor today and go up to eighteen? The elevator seemed to be moving more slowly than usual. Martin wanted to press seven, so that he could get out and walk up the stairs, but he couldn’t reach the buttons without touching her, and he didn’t want to do that.
When the elevator stopped on his floor, she hardly moved out of his way. He had to squeeze past her, rubbing against her horrible scratchy coat. He was afraid the door would close before he could get out. She turned and watched him as the door slammed shut. ‘Now she knows I live on seventeen,’ he thought.
1. How did the elevator move?
2. Why did Martin want to press 7th?
3. Why could not Martin reach the button?
4. Why Martin had to squeeze?
5. What did Martin think at last?
Answer:
1. The elevator moved more slowly than usual on that particular day.
2. Martin wanted to press seven to run away from the fat lady.
3. Martin could not reach the button as the fat lady stood before the button.
4. In the short space of the elevator where the fat lady stood Martin had to squeeze.
5. Martin at last thought the lady perhaps understood that Martin lived on 17 th floor.
Passage – 9.
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’re afraid of some poor old lady,’
‘I’m not afraid.’
‘You’re afraid,’ said his father. ‘When are you going.
to grow up and act like a man? Are you going to be timid all your life?’
1. What did Martin decide?
2. What was Martin’s impression about the lady?
3. What did Martin’s father ask?
4. What was Martin’s father’s problem?
5. What did he tell Martin finally?
Answer:
1. Martin decided that perhaps he was making a mistake as she met the fat old lady twice in the elevator and she staired at him.
2. About the fat old lady Martin thought that she would never looking at him for a minute.
3. Martin’s father asked Martin why he was so worried about the old fat lady.
4. Martin’s father’s problem was that his son Martin was afraid of some poor old lady although he denied.
5. His father asked finally if he was going to be timid all his life for the old fat lady.
Passage – 10.
Martin started running down the stairs, The stairs were dark and he fell. His father was silent on the way to hospital, disappointed and angry with him for being a coward and a fool. Martin had broken his leg and needed to walk on crutches. He could not use the stairs now. Was that why the fat lady had smiled? Did she know what would happen?
At least his father was with him in the elevator on the way back from the hospital. There was no room for the fat lady to get In, and If she did, his father would see her and may be he would understand. When he got home, he could stay in the apartment for a few days. The doctor said that he had to rest as much as possible. Martin felt quite safe from the fat lady now.
1. Why did Martin fall in the stairs?
2. Why was Martin’s father disappointed?
3. What happened to Martin?
4. Why did Martin feel safe from the fat lady?
Answer:
1. As the stairs were dark Martin fell.
2. Martin’s father was disappointed as Martin remained a coward and fool.
3. Martin had broken his leg and he needed to walk on the crutches.
4. Martin felt safe from the fat old lady as he was advised bed rest by the doctor and he had to remain in bed rest. So, he felt quite safe from the old lady.
The Elevator About the Story
In the story ‘The Elevator’ the author explores the theme of the irrational fears of childhood in contrasting the characters of a sensitive boy with an’ insensitive father. The story is about a 12 years old boy named Martin. He is worrisome and is often bullied by his classmates at the school class. His father wants him to conquer his fears and become strong in mind. He is afraid of using elevators. His father moves to a new apartment and Martin is compelled to use the elevator although he feels nervous and uncomfortable.
His problem improves a lot when he meets an obese woman in the elevator. The elevator is very small and narrow only to carry two or three persons at a time. Martin feels suffocated when he and the obese woman enters into the elevator.
He wants to avoid the lady. So, he takes the stairs. While running on the stairs he falls down the flight of stairs and fractures his leg. He has to stay away from that lady and he is quite safe. His father wants to remove the fear from his mind. So, he leaves him alone on the elevator to help a neighbour.
The Elevator About the Author
William warner Sleator III is popularlyes known as William Sleator. He is an American Science fiction writer. He was born on 13th February 1945, at Havre de Grace, Maryland USA. He had his education at Harvard University. His famous books are: ‘House of Stairs’, ‘Interstellar Pig’, Singularity and The Boxes. His plots are based on fantasy, Science Fiction, horror and suspense. He died on 3rd August, 2011 in Thailand at the age of 66.
The Elevator Brief Summary
Martin a 12 years old boy lived in the 17th floor of an apartment. He had to go up and down and to use the elevator. The old building had dirty walls. The elevator is too narrow and small. It looked crowded if there were two or three persons.
Martin was always afraid of it lest it should fall. The lighting arrangement was very poor. The stairs were also with dim light. When Martin used the stairs his footsteps echoed behind him and he thought about the presence of other people behind him. After reaching his 17th floor he became breathless.
Martin’s father used to work at home. He saw Martin breathless and asked him why he did not use the elevator. He called Martin a coward. He advised Martin to shed his fear of the elevator. But it was hard for Martin to overcome his fear of the elevator. He had a fear if the elevator stopped suddenly he would be trapped inside it for hours.
One day in the morning the elevator stopped at the 14th floor and a fat lady got in. Her entry into the elevator scared Martin and he thought that it would sink under the heavy weight. Martin tried to avoid her but she stared at him. So, Martin was seriously upset.
Martin failed to understand why she was behaving with him that way. The elevator reached the first floor. Martin wanted to get out of it until the lady got down from it. As soon as she got out of it he ran nearly all the way to school. Always he thought about the lady. He had never seen him before and he was in doubt if the lady lived on that apartment.
After school when Martin got back home he was afraid of the lady. Martin pressed the button for 17 th floor. The elevator stopped in the 3rd floor and the same fat lady got into it. She was staring at him as before. Martin asked her if she was going upto 18th floor. As the lady had no fixed floor of entry Martin was nervous.
Martin asked his father if he knew the fat lady. In reply his father told him if he was afraid of her. He advised Martin to grow up and leave all his fears. His advice was to avoid fear and worry throughout his life. But the advice fell flat and Martin could sleep very little.
Next morning the fat lady was waiting for Martin when the elevator door opened. He at once started running down through stairs. In the dark stairs he fell Martin had broken his leg. His father was disappointed and angry with Martin as he was a fool and coward.
Now he needed to walk on crutches. He had to stay confined in the apartment. Martin’s father made a plan to dispel the fear of him. His father pressed nine getting into the elevator. Martin pleaded to accompany his father to meet Ullman there. As he went out the elevator the door was closed. The elevator stopped at 10th floor and Martin met the fat lady again. She called Martin by his name and laughed to press the stop button.
Glossary :
1. Slammed — Closed with a bang.
2. Shuddered — trembled.
3. exhausted — tired.
4. frowning — angry look.
5. gasping — panting.
6. bullied — teased by somebody.
7. trapped — caught.
8. waddled — walked in short steps.
9. Squeeze — shrink.
10. Piggy — small and unattractive.
11. nightmare — frightening bitter dream.
12. Squeak — high pitched sound.
13. Pudgy — fat.
14 scratchy — a rough uncomfortable texture.
15. impatiently — restlessly.
16. hobbled walked — with difficulty.
Plot : The story is set in a small building and the atmosphere for ominous possibilities is worked upon with grim details like creating, narrow elevator, dim lights and dirty wall. Martin, a boy of 12 years has to use the elevator that shakes, horribly and which is very small to accommodate more than two persons. The entry of an unkown fat lady makes the matter worse for Martin.
Though his father tells him to give up fear repeatedly and to grow up he fails to overcome the fear. Each time he tries to avoid the lady but her unexpected entry into the elevator makes Martin more nervous. In this way the conflict begins in his mind with his severe fear of the elevator.
It gets servere and reaches the climax when after getting fractured he is left to face the same old lady in the elevator. There are some questions in the mind of the readers if Martin is able to give up his fear, if he is confident to use the elevator alone. Thus, the plot has an open ending and we are startled.
Theme : Martin a twelve years old boy has skinny body and he has no interest in games and sports. But he has fears about the elevator, strangers and classmates who bully him at the school. He does not confront his fears boldly but runs away from them and is got trapped in them.
Gradually his nervousness grows. His father advises him to give up fears and he also tries to overcome his fears. Once Martin is thrown to his lot in the elevator in the presence of the same fat lady who stares at Martin. Fears are to be confronted and the protest against it can only resolve our predicament of fear. This has been beautifully depicted in the story instead of running away from them. Running away from your fears will simply end up in meeting the fate as Martin.
Title : The title of the story ‘The Elevator’ is appropriate as the story deals with the elevator. The elevator described in the story is very small and it can only accommodate two or three passengers at a time. Martin, the 12 years old boy is terribly afraid of the elevator. When a fat lady enters into the elevator Martin is terribly fearful. The elevator is very small, old and exhausted. The lighting arrangement is very poor and the walls are dirty. It seems to sink under the heavy weight of the fat lady.
The entire story takes place in the elevator of the old building. Once Martin runs down the stairs as he does not want to share the narrow elevator with the fat lady. Martin’s efforts to avoid the elevator becomes futile and so the lady never appears before Martin. Martin’s father does not know why Martin is afraid of the elevator. He advises to give up the fear of the elevator and the strange people. In this way we find the entire story revolves round the old elevator. So, the title is apt and appropriate.
The Elevator Characters
Martin is the central character of the story. He is a 12 years old boy. He is weak and skinny. He has no interest in sports and games. His father thinks that Martin is of coward and nervous nature. He fears the small elevator of the building. He is bullied by his classmates and strangers. When a fat lady enters the elevator with him he almost breaks down. He becomes nervous as soon as he meets the fat lady. At last he gets fractured when he takes the stairs to avoid the fat lady.
Martin has no normal upbringing as it does not seem that to have normal relations with his father. The condition of the old building doubles his fear. His father tries to create favourable conditions to stand by him in the grim fight with the odd situations still he is unable to grow up properly.
Martin’s Father :
Martin’s father is unnamed in the story. His relationship with his son is not friendly. He is concerned about the infirmities of Martin. Like an ideal father he wants his son to be mentally and physically strong. But we see that his advice falls flat to his son Martin a 12 years aged boy. He chids his son as he has no interest in games and sports.
His father is worried as he is very weak and skinny body and his schoolmates bully him regularly. He is also concerned that Martin fears the old fat lady as he meets her. He always advises his son to give up fear from all aspects.
He tries to create some conditions by which Martin can fight the fears alone. He makes a plan to leave Martin alone in the elevator in the presence of the fat lady so that Martin is capable of fighting fear independently. This psychological technique to remove Martin’s fear is praiseworthy. He does not want to prepare his son as spoon fed boy.
The Lady :
In the story the lady is described as fat. She wears an old green coat. She has large fleshy cheeks and no chin with just a huge man of neck. She has tiny blue eyes, Which are sharp also. She glances at Martin and her eyes seen to be boring into his face. In the elevator she occupies almost the entire space as Martin has to stand squeezed. Martin wants to get out of her presence. He feels trapped in the elevator. He is scared of her. He being fearful and to avoid her takes to the stairs and breaks his leg.
The lady adds to the fear of Martin. He feels insecured, shaken and nervous in her presence. Martin always tries to fight shy of her. At last he is compelled to bear her when he is left alone in the elevator in her presence. It is not clear from the story if the lady lives in that particular apartment where Martin lives. But the fat lady plays an important role in the story.
Setting :
The setting of the story is in a building with 18 floors and the use of an elevator in almost essential. But the elevator is small and only three passengers are able to use it at a time. The elevator is in a very bad condition and it slams shut with a clanging sound. The lighting condition is very poor and the dirty walls make the matter worse to create a scary condition.
Martin is scared of the elevators. The unexpected entry of a fat lady and her staring to Martin make the matter worse to Martin. He tries to escape her. In doing so, he uses the stairs only to get fractured. The author creater an atmosphere of suspense and fear. So the setting is congenial for the scary atmosphere.
Style :
From the very beginning the author wants to create an atmosphere of suspense and fear. The entire action of the story takes place in an old building where the elevator is small and old and it creakes as it moves along. The door of the elevator does not stay open long enough.
Thus, the author is able to create a spooky atmosphere. The sudden and unexpected entry of a fat lady adds to the problem of Martin a 12 years old boy. The tone of the story is suggestive and implied. We can easily guess the mental condition of Martin, who is of nervous nature. Martin’s trauma in using the creaking elevator and the presence of fat lady is easy to understand.
The Elevator Critical Appreciation
Martin, a 12 years old boy is of nervous nature. The old building, the creaking and shuddering elevator, dirty walls with poor lighting arrangement set the proper atmosphere of a scary story. The entry of the fat lady in the elevator rises the trauma of Martin, who is bullied by the classmates. Thus, we can easily feel how traumatic such atmosphere can be to a timid boy like Martin.
The situation is nicely created for the fear of Martin. The repeated and unexpected meeting with the fat lady tears the mind of the boy Martin. To avoid the lady he takes the stairs to go down and gets fractured. Once he is left to face the lady alone in a helpless condition and we are left to his speculation about the boys fate. The character of Martin comes to our mind. We have sympathy for Martin although he is a nervous fellow. Martin’s father and the fat lady play their role in Martin’s fears. But the father wishes that his son should grow up and overcome his fears.
The Elevator Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
Question 1.
The elevator could carry only – persons …………..
a. one
b. two
c. three
d. four.
Answer:
c. three.
Question 2.
Martin’s father worked at …………..
a. in office
b. at home
c. in a factory
d. in the fields
Answer:
b. at home.
Question 3.
Martin was ………….. years old.
a. 10
b. 11
c. 12
d. 13
Answer:
c. 12
Question 4.
Martin was a ………….. boy.
a. weak
b. skinny
c. brave
d. fearless
Answer:
c. skinny.
Question 5.
Martin lived on the ………….. floor.
a. 3
b. 4
c. 17th
d. 18
Answer:
c. 17th.
Question 6.
The old lady wore a ………….. coat.
a. red
b. green
c. black
d. brown
Answer:
c. black.
Question 7.
The lady has ………….. eyes.
a. blue
b. red
c. brown
d. none of the above.
Answer:
a. Blue.
Question 8.
The stairs of the building was …………..
a. dark
b. lighted
c. narrow
d. none of the above.
Answer:
a. dark.
Question 9.
The elevator stopped at ………….. floor.
a. 7th
b. 8th
c. 9th
d. 10th floor.
Answer:
d. 10th floor.
Question 10.
‘You are also a coward’: ………….. said by.
a. mother
b. father
c. brother
d. none of the above
Answer:
b. father.
Question 11.
He ran nearly all the way to …………..
a. home
b. road
c. school
d. none of the above.
Answer:
c. school.
Question 12.
The top floor of the building was …………..
a. 18th
b. 17th
c. 16
d. 15
Answer:
a. 18th.