The Elevator Story Questions and Answers & MCQs
A. Read the following passage and answer the given questions:
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.
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.
Question 1.
Who was Martin?
Answer:
Martin was a thin, twelve-year-old boy who was of nervous temperament. He also had a fear of elevators and thus always felt uncomfortable in it because he was afraid that he might fall.
Question 2.
How was the elevator of his building?
Answer:
The elevator of his building was an old one that could cany only three people. It had poor lighting and dirty walls. The door never stayed open long enough and slammed shut with a loud clanging noise.
Question 3.
How were the stairs?
Answer:
The stairs were no better. The environment there was dull and stuffy. There were no windows and the lights were not working. Whenever Martin used to take stairs he felt gasping for breath.
Question 4.
What idea do you get from the above mentioned passage?
Answer:
The above mentioned passage talked about Martin and his discomfort about elevators. His experience
of taking the stairs is also depicted here. He did not like his experience of either of those but he had to take any of those to go up and down.
B. Read the following passage and answer the given questions:
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.
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. But it wasn’t much better when there were other passengers. He didn’t like to be close to them. He also disliked the way people tried hard not to look at one another, staring at nothing.
Question 1.
How was Martin’s father?
Answer:
Martin’s father worked at home who did not pay any heed to his son’s words. He considered his son not only skinny and weak but also a coward. He thought that his son used to get afraid in almost everything so instead of listening to him, he preferred avoiding.
Question 2.
Why did Martin always took the elevator?
Answer:
Martin did not want people to make fun of him. He did not want people know about his fears or weak points. He knew that even his father thought of him a coward. So, ignoring his fear and discomfort, he always took the elevator.
Question 3.
What was Martin always afraid of?
Answer:
Though Martin always had to take the elevator even if he was not comfortable enough, he was always afraid that it would stop suddenly and he would be trapped inside of it for hours all by himself. He also disliked the way people tried hard not to look at each other, staring at nothing.
Question 4.
Why was Martin out of breath?
Answer:
Martin did not like taking the elevator. So, he once tried taking the stairs. But his experience was not good. The environment there was dull and stuffy. There were no windows and the lights were not working. So, when he finally reached his floor, he was out of breath.
C. Read the following passage and answer the given questions:
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 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.
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.
Question 1.
Why did Martin keep think about that strange lady?
Answer:
The appearance of the strange lady made him tremble from inside. He started feeling nervous because he knew that he had to meet her again. That is why he kept on thinking about her whereabouts.
Question 2.
What happened when the elevator stopped on the third floor?
Answer:
When the elevator stopped at the third floor, the fat lady with a piggish face and blue eyes stepped on wearing a green coat. She kept on staring at Martin and pressed the button of reaching the top floor.
Question 3.
Why did Martin feel that the elevator was moving “more slowly than usual”?
Answer:
With the strange, fat lady in the elevator, Martin was feeling nervous and panicky. Various queries were flooding his mind and so he wanted to get out of this uncomfortable situation as soon as possible. He did not want to look at her or was not even interested in having an interaction with her. That is why he felt that the evelator was moving very slowly.
Question 4.
Do you think that the behaviour of the lady was unusual?
Answer:
Yes, according to me, the lady’s appearance and outlook could trigger a sense of fear in mind. The way she kept on following Martin, the way she used to stare at him could make anyone nervous and scared. Though her intention was not known, yet it could be said that she was unusually unnatural.
D. Read the following passage and answer the given questions:
In the morning, when the elevator door opened, the fat lady was waiting for him. Martin stood there, unable to move, then backed away. As she saw him, her expression changed. She smiled as the door slammed.
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 maybe 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.
“Oh, I almost forgot,” his father reached out and pressed number nine.
“What are you doing?” asked Martin, trying not to sound afraid.
“I promised to visit Mrs. Ullman,” said his father, looking at his watch as he stepped out of the elevator. “Let me go with you. I want to visit her too!” Martin pleaded, struggling to move on his crutches. But the door was already closing. “Afraid to be in the elevator alone?” said his father. “Grow up, Martin”. The door slammed shut.
Question 1.
Why did Martin start running down the stairs?
Answer:
Martin felt scared whenever he saw the old lady and she also kept on following him. So when he saw her again in the morning, he tried to escape her. So, he decided to take the stairs and started running down.
Question 2.
How did Martin injure his leg? What happened then?
Answer:
The stairs were dark so while running down, he fell and broke his leg. When his father came to know this, he took him to the hospital but he was disappointed and angry with him for being a coward and fool.
Question 3.
Why did Martin feel quite safe from the fat lady?
Answer:
When the doctor released Martin from the hospital, he felt quite safe from the fat lady because as he had a broken leg he could not take the stairs but in the elevator, he was not alone. His father was accompanying him. So he had no fear to be alone with her if she showed up.
Question 4.
Why has Martin again left alone in the elevator?
Answer:
While accompanying Martin in the elevator, his father suddenly remembered his promise of meeting Mrs Ullman that day. So he stepped out of the elevator leaving him alone in the elevator. Though Martin requested him a lot, instead of staying, he advised Martin not to be afraid. He told him to be brave and went away.
The Elevator Story MCQs
Choose the correct alternative to complete the following sentences:
Question 1.
How many people can travel in the elevator?
a. Three people
b. Four people
c. Ten people
Answer:
a. Three people
Question 2.
How older is Martin?
a. 10 years old
b. 15 years old
c. 12 years old
Answer:
c. 12 years old
Question 3.
In which flower Martin’s home was situated?
a. 8th Floor
b. 14th Floor
c. 17th Floor
Answer:
c. 17th Floor
Question 4.
Where did Martin’s father work?
a. At office
b. At home
c. At a shop
Answer:
b. At home
Question 5.
“Why didn’t you take the elevator?”- Who is mentioned as ‘you’?
a. Martin
b. Martin’s father
c. None of them
Answer:
a. Martin
Question 6.
On which floor was the elevator stopped?
a. 2nd floor
b. 14th floor
c. 8th floor
Answer:
b. 14th floor
Question 7.
Who is stuck in the elevator?
a. A small boy
b. Martin
c. A fat lady
Answer:
c. A fat lady
Question 8.
Who has blue eyes in the story ‘The Elevator’?
a. Fat lady
b. Martin
c. Martin’s father
Answer:
a. Fat lady
Question 9.
Where did Martin run?
a. To home
b. To school
c. To market
Answer:
b. To school
Question 10.
According to Martin what time is too early for visiting?
a. 7:30 a.m.
b. 7:30 p.m.
c. 8:00 a.m.
Answer:
a. 7:30 a.m.
Question 11.
Why Martin felt ashamed of him?
a. Because he afraid of his father
b. Because he afraid of the elevator
c. Because he afraid of an old lady
Answer:
c. Because he afraid of an old lady
Question 12.
“Have you ever noticed a strange lady in the elevator?” Who said this?
a. Fat lady
b. Martin
c. Martin’s father
Answer:
b. Martin
Question 13.
How many times in a day the old lady travel with Martin in the elevator?
a. One time
b. Three times
c. Two times
Answer:
c. Two times
Question 14.
“You’re afraid,”- Who said this?
a. Martin’s father
b. Fat lady
c. None of them
Answer:
a. Martin’s father
Question 15.
How was Martin’s leg fractured?
a. By playing
b. Fell from stairs
c. Fell from bus
Answer:
b. Fell from stairs
Question 16.
Who took Martin to the hospital?
a. The old lady
b. His father
c. His friends
Answer:
b. His father
Question 17.
Why did Martin feel safe from the fat lady?
a. Because the doctor said that he had to rest as much as possible
b. Because the old lady was gone
c. Because his father gives him protection
Answer:
a. Because the doctor said that he had to rest as much as possible
Question 18.
“I promised to visit Mrs. Ullman,”-Who said this?
a. Martin
b. The old lady
c. Martins father
Answer:
c. Martins father
Question 19.
Who is afraid to be in the elevator alone?
a. The old lady
b. Martin
c. Martin’s father
Answer:
b. Martin
Question 20.
In which floor was the fat lady waiting for him?
a. 10th floor
b. 17th floor
c. 11th floor
Answer:
a. 10th floor
Question 21.
“Hello, Martin,” Who said this?
a. Martins father
b. Mrs. Ullman
c. The old fat lady
Answer:
c. The old fat lady
Question 22.
Where did Martin not want to cry?
a. In front of his father
b. In front of his friend
c. In front of Mrs. Ullman
Answer:
a. In front of his father
Question 23.
Who wrote the story ‘The Elevator’?
a. Stephen Leacock
b. William Sleator
c. Alphonse Daudet
Answer:
b. William Sleator
Question 24.
Why did Martin start running down the stairs?
a. Because he saw his father
b. Because he saw Mrs. Ullman
c. Because he saw the old fat lady in the elevator
Answer:
c. Because he saw the old fat lady in the elevator
Question 25.
Who slept very little?
a. Martin
b. The old lady
c. Martins father
Answer:
a. Martin