Treasure Chest Workbook Answers Chapter 9 The Pedestrian
The Pedestrian Comprehension Questions Answers
Read the extracts and answer the following questions:
Passage-1.
To enter out into that silence that was the city at eight o’clock of a misty evening in November, to put your feet upon that buckling concrete walk, to step over grassy seams and make your way, hands in pockets, through the silences, that was what Mr. Leonard Mead most dearly loved to do.
He would stand upon the corner of an intersection and peer down long moonlit avenues of sidewalk in four directions, deciding which way to go, but it really made no difference; he was alone in this world of A.D. 2053, or as good as alone, and with a final decision made, a path selected, he would stride off, sending patterns of frosty air before him like the smoke of a cigar.
1. What did Mead love to do?
2. Which time and month is mentioned here?
3. Where he would stand upon?
4. What would fascinate the solitary walker?
5. What is the time mentioned here?
Answer:
1. Leonard Mead loved to walk along the concrete walk to step over grassy seams through the silence.
2. The time mentioned here is the evening and the month is November.
3. He would stand upon the corner of an intersection.
4. The solitary walker would fascinate which way to walk.
5. The time mentioned in the passage is 2053 A.D.
Passage-2.
Sometimes he would walk for hours and miles and return only at midnight to his house. And on his way he would see the cottages and homes with their dark windows, and it was not unequal to walking through a graveyard where only the faintest glimmers of firefly light appeared in flickers behind the windows.
Sudden gray phantoms seemed to manifest upon inner room walls where a curtain was still undrawn against the night, or there were whisperings and murmurs where a window in a tomblike building was still open.
1. When does the walker return?
2. What he would see on his way?
3. What was not unequal?
4. What did appear behind the windows?
5. What were there where the windows were open?
Answer:
1. The walker returns only at midnight after his walking.
2. On his way Mead would see the cottages and homes with their dark windows.
3. It was not unequal to walk through a graveyard.
4. Behind the windows appeared the firefly light in flickers.
5. Where the windows were open there were whispers and murmurs.
Passage-3.
Mr. Leonard Mead would pause, cock his head, listen, look, and march on, his feet making no noise on the lumpy walk. For long ago he had wisely changed to sneakers when strolling at night, because the dogs in intermittent squads would parallel his journey with barkings if he wore hard heels, and lights might click on and faces appear and an entire street be startled by the passing of a lone figure, himself, in the early November evening.
1. How did Leonard Mead march on?
2. Why did he use sneakers?
3. What would be the result of use hard heels?
4. When did Mead walk?
5. How was the walk?
Answer:
1. Leonard Mead marched on by pause, cocking his head and looking.
2. He used sneakers to avoid the walking sounds.
3. If he would use hard heels the dogs in squads would parallel his journey with barkings.
4. Mead would walk in the early November evening.
5. During his walk lights might click on and faces appear and the entire street be startled by the passing of a lone figure.
Passage – 4.
On this particular evening he began his journey in a westerly direction, toward the hidden sea. There was a good crystal frost in the air; it cut the nose and made the lungs blaze like a Christmas tree inside; you could feel the cold light going on and off, all the branches tilled with invisible snow.
He listened to the faint push of his soft shoes through autumn leaves with satisfaction, and whistled a cold quiet whistle between his teeth, occasionally picking up a leaf as he passed, examining its skeletal pattern in the infrequent lamplights as he went on, smelling its rusty smell.
1. In which direction did Mead start his journey?
2. How was the air?
3. What did he listen?
4. How was the whistle?
5. What did Mead pick up?
Answer:
1. Mead started his journey in the western direction.
2. The air was with a good crystal frost, it cut the nose and made the lungs blare like a christmas tree inside.
3. He listened to the push of his soft shoes through autumn leaves.
4. The whistle was cold and quiet between his teeth.
5. Occasionally Mead picked up a leaf and smelt its rusty small.
Passage-5.
The street was silent and long and empty, with only his shadow moving like the shadow of a hawk in mid country. If he closed his eyes and stood very still, frozen, he could imagine himself upon the center of a plain, a wintry, windless Arizona desert with no house in a thousand miles, and only dry river beds, the streets, for company. “What is it now?” he asked the houses, noticing his wrist watch. “Eight-thirty P.M.? Time for a dozen assorted murders? A quiz? A revue? A comedian falling off the stage?”
1. How was the street?
2. What he could imagine?
3. What was the time by his watch?
4. How was the imagination?
5. How did he know the time?
Answer:
1. The street was silent, long and empty.
2. He could imagine himself upon the centre of a plains.
3. The time was 8-30pm by his watch.
4. The imagination was that the Plain where he was standing a wintry windless. Arizona desert with no house in a thousand miles and only dry river beds, the streets for company.
5. He knew the time from his wristwatch.
Passage-6.
Was that a murmur of laughter from within a moon-white house? He hesitated, but went on when nothing more happened. He stumbled over a particularly uneven section of sidewalk. The cement was vanishing under flowers and grass. In ten years of walking by night or day, for thousands of miles, he had never met another person walking, not once in all that time.
He came to a cloverleaf intersection which stood silent where two main highways crossed the town. During the day it was a thunderous surge of cars, the gas stations open, a great insect rustling and a ceaseless jockeying for position as the scarab beetles, a faint incense puttering from their exhausts, skimmed homeward to the far directions. But now these highways, too, were like streams in a dry season, all stone and bed and moon radiance.
1. Why did he hesitate?
2. Why did he go on?
3. Where did he stumble?
4. What was his experience of ten years walk?
5. Where did he come?
Answer:
1. He hesitated because he heard a murmur of laughter from within a moon white house.
2. He hesitated because nothing more happened and he walked again.
3. He stumbled over a particularly uneven section of the sidewalk.
4. In his ten years of walking experience he had never met another person walking.
5. He came to a clover leaf intersection which stood silent, where two main highways crossed the town.
Passage-7.
He turned back on a side street, circling around toward his home. He was within a block of his destination when the lone car turned a corner quite suddenly and flashed a fierce white cone of light upon him. He stood entranced, not unlike a night moth, stunned by the illumination, and then drawn toward it.
1. Where did he turn back?
2. When the lone car turned?
3. What did come upon him?
4. How was he stunned?
5. How did the car come?
Answer:
1. He turned back on a side street circling around toward his home.
2. He was within a block of his destination when the lone car turned to him.
3. A flash and a fierce white come of light came upon him.
4. He was stunned by the illumination of light.
5. The car came suddenly circling around toward him.
Passage-8.
The police, of course, but what a rare, incredible thing; in a city of three million, there was only one police car left, wasn’t that correct? Ever since a year ago, 2052, the election year, the force had been cut down from three cars to one. Crime was ebbing; there was no need now for the police, save for this one lone car wandering and wandering the empty streets.
1. What was the rare incredible thing?
2. What was not correct?
3. When was the election year?
4. What was the result of election year?
5. Why there was no need for the police?
Answer:
1. The rare incredible thing was that there was only one police car.
2. It was not correct, because the city contained 3 million people and there was one police car.
3. The year 2052 was the election year.
4. As the crime was ebbing due to election year there and been cut down from three cars to one.
5. There was no need of the police as that lone car wandering in empty streets repeatedly.
Passage-9.
“No profession,” said the police car, as if talking to itself. The light held him fixed, like a museum specimen, needle thrust through chest.
“You might say that,” said Mr. Mead. He hadn’t written in years. Magazines and books didn’t sell any more. Everything went on in the tomblike houses at night now, he thought, continuing his fancy. The tombs, ill-lit by television light, where the people sat like the dead, the gray or multicolored lights touching their faces, but never really touching them.
1. What did hold Mead fixed?
2. Why had he not written for years?
3. How was everything going on?
4. How were the tombs?
5. How did the people sit?
Answer:
1. The light held him fixed like a museum specimen, needls thrust through chest.
2. He had not written for years as the magazines and books did not sell any more.
3. Everything was going on in the tomb like houses at night then.
4. The tombs were ill lit by television light.
5. People sat like the dead. The grey or multicoloured lights were touching their faces but never really touched them.
Passage-10.
He walked like a man suddenly drunk. As he passed the front window of the car he looked in. As he had expected, there was no one in the front seat, no one in the car at all.
“Get in.”
He put his hand to the door and peered into the back seat, which was a little cell, a little black jail with bars. It smelled of riveted steel. It smelled of harsh antiseptic; it smelled too clean and hard and metallic. There was nothing soft there.
1. How did he walk?
2. Who was there in the car?
3. How was the back seat of the car?
4. How did it smell?
5. What was there?
Answer:
1. He walked like a man suddenly drunk.
2. There was no one with in the car in the front seat or back seat.
3. The back seat was like a little cell a little black jail with bars.
4. It smelled of riveted steel.
5. There was nothing soft there. It smelled of harsh antiseptic. It smelled very clean and hard and metallic.
The Pedestrian About the Story
The story depicts the dangers of isolation and the absence of community. This is a prophecy of what might happen if we continue with our increasingly self observed, self contained lives. The story is futuristic in theme. Once the author was walking down wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles.He and his friend were stopped and questioned by a police officer.
In this story also Leonard Mead was walking the street alone and the police arrested him. His behaviour seemed threatening although it was not hurting anyone. But the authorities who were working with robots believed that Mead’s daily habit of walking every night could upset social stability. His behaviour was interpreted as abnormal and likely to be a threat to the law and order in the society. Machines and robots do not allow individuality to servive. In the automatic world the soul has no meaning.
The Pedestrian About the Author
Ray Douglas Bradbury was one of the most famous 20 th century Americal authors and sereen writers. He was born August 22 1920, at waukegan, Illinois U.S.A. He is well known for his magnetic short-stories and novels. In his childhood Bradbury loved horror films.
When his family moved to Los Angeles he joined the Los Angeles Science Fiction Leagues in 1937. He received encouragement from the young writers and started his writing career. His novel Fahrenheit was published in 1953, and that was regarded as his greatest work. Bradbury passed away on June 5, 2010 at Los Angeles, California.
The Pedestrian Brief Summary
Leonard enjoys solitary evening walks in the open area. It is a misty evening in November and the time is 8 pm. He thinks he is alone in this world. On such nights he would walk four hours passing darkened houses. He likes to walk through a graveyard. As a liberty liking individual. Mead is out, active and free. People in their own homes are described lifeless, passive and trapped in their grave like homes. They are as good as dead.
In the night other people remain in doors he goes out on his evening strolls. He starts to wear sneakers for not creating any sound with his foot steps. He thinks that the sound of hard soled shoes would catch the notice of others and would startle the dogs who would start barking.
Mead walks to the west towards a hidden sea’ through frosty air that cuts and nose. He whistles to himself and picks up a leaf. He examines its skeletal pattern and smells its rusty smell. He is swayed by a natural world and its beauty.
Mead walks as a lonely person in the open. He says to himself that inmates of the houses are busy to watch television. He thinks he is wandering alone. It’s already 8-30 pm and the people are just sitting passive in their houses. Mead reflects that he has been taking solitary walks for the last ten years. In the night the street is empty like streams in dry season. It is dormant and lifeless.
Mead starts to turn towards his home. A car suddenly encounters him. He stands still A voice from the car tells him to stand still The voice from the car interrogates him why he is doing outside at that hour of the night. He asks him what is the purpose of his walking. The voice from the car asks his whereabouts and his family and residence. During interrogation the silence between questions is taken in itself an accusation.
Mead is judged to be a danger to the law abiding people. He tells the man in the car that he has walked alone each night for many years. At once he is arrested. As he is a deviant in his behaviour he is considered a great threat to people. Mead is asked to sit at the back seat that looks like a little black jail, with pars. After some time the car informs him that his destination is ‘The phychiatric Centre for Research on regressive tendencies.’
As mead is helpless in that situation he gets in the car willingly. His car moves past his house leaving the empty seats, with empty side walks no sound and no motion in the cold November night.
Glossary
1. Buckling — Collapsing.
2. Seams — Junctions.
3. intersection — crossing.
4. stride off — long step walking.
5. glimmers flashes.
6. flickers flashes.
7. Phantoms — spirits of dead persons.
8. manifest — show clearly.
9. Cock — turn into a particular direction.
10. Lumpy — heavy Movement
11. Sneakers — running shoes.
12. intermi Hent — sporadic.
13. Startled — disturbed.
14. Skeletal — thin.
15. assorted — mixed.
16. revice — a performance dealing with topical issues.
17. cloverleap — a road arrangement for smooth traffic.
18. Surge — strong sudden movement.
19. Puttering — kicking around.
20. skimmed — moved quickly.
21. radiance brightness.
22. entranced — spell-bound.
23. ebbing coming less.
24. humming — throbbing.
25. pop — to appear suddenly.
26. alibe — excuse.
27. whersing — rattling.
28. regressive — opposite of progressive.
Plot : The story takes place on one night in November 2053. It is futuristic story written in 1951 and it foresees how the world would look almost a hundred years hence. Already the developments of science had enslaved mankind and after 100 years this will have destroyed individuality. A man named Leanard Mead identifies himself as a writer. He is walking alone in the deserted streets.
The others are sitting passive in their homes to watch television. He is the lone pedestrian to enjoy the open nature. So, he is deviant from others in his behaviour and views. Mead’s wandering is interpreted as a threat to the conformist society. He is apprehended by the robot like machine. No human respect can be expected from such artificial mind. So, Mead must submit to the existing law. The ending of the story is logical but satirical. Mead’s movements at night cannot be tolerated. He must be sent to a psychiatric Institute for treatment to study the cause of his regressive tendencies.
Theme: In the story Bradbury questions the benefits of technological and social progress. The story demonstrates deep suspician of social conformity in a society that no longer reads books to cultivate thought and individuality.
Bradbury presents a grim view of the 21st century. The author expresses the pessimistic view that the technological progress will ultimately rob people of their essential humanity and gave undue power to machines. Bradbury predicts that within the next century these technological developments would detrimanize and disempower the populace. He predicts that technology would be harnessed to enforce obedience to the status quo and punish those, like Mead who don’t conform.
The theme of conformity versus non-conformity is clearly expressed in the story. The citizens of the future city seem to be under the mesmerizing effect of the television shows. Leonard Mead is the only pedestrian in the city who does not feel lonely. Bradbury seems to suggest that in a corrupt society non-conformity is necessary to maintain one’s humanity.
Bradbury describes nature is a romantic way with vivid sensory imagery. All the citizens are addicted to television sets. Leonard Mead is the solitary pedestrian walking miles for sheer pleasure and beauty of the act communing with nature and finding solace in it.
The Elevator Characters
Leonard Mead : In the story ‘The Pedestrian’ Leonard Mead is the only character witn name. He is of a romantic type man. His name ‘Mead’ suggestive of the meadows of the countryside. His habit of walking around the city seeks motivation. But Mead’s irony is that there are no people to watch him moving in the city.
Mead is satisfied with his isolation and he enjoys his solitude. He loves nature, with sights, sounds and smells in his walks. Mead is an unrepentant individualist, who strongly contrasts with other citizens and and the mechanical robotic police car.
Mead’s contented attitude is interrupted when he meets the police car. At the end of the story he is taken away to a psychiatric institution to be studied for his regressive tendencies. He is shown as a writer who does not write for years because people do not read.
Robotic Police Car : Excluding Leonard Mead the only speaking Character is robotic car. In an iron voice like the police officials, it puts searching and embarrasing questions to Mead. The interrogation is about his name, profission and also the reason of his wandering.
The robotic can represents swift and relentless state power to comprehend any one not following the set moral standards. Mead is found guilty of being a deviant from the set code of conduct. The car sends mead to a psychiatric institution for evaluation of his mind as to what ails him not to fallin line with the rest of the humans, who have accepted the set code of living.
Title : The story ‘The Pedestrian’ deals with the only one pedestrian Leonard Mead, who is alone awake on a cold November night on the other hand the rest of the population is confined to room to enjoy television shows. Mead leaves his home to enjoy his daily walks on the footpath.
He is the only pedestrian to enjoy the sights and sounds of nature. A pedestrian who has no car, no family, no work must face the dehumanizing effects of the heartless robots. Mead’s apprehension by the robotic car is a routine affair to curb any individuality. Thus the title of the story ‘The Pedestrian’ is most appropriate and suggestive.
Setting : The setting of the story takes place on one November night in 2053, and so the story futuristic. The story is written in 1951. It imagines how the amazing advancements in technology and social life with the people having TV and working with network programming will have changed life one hundred years ahead in the future.
The story predicts the city a hive of activity, cars felling the streets during the day but at night there is a pall of numbers. In this way the setting of the story in the background of the past World War-II helps the writer to explore the benefits and also the dehumanizing effects of advanced technology.
Style : In the story ‘The Pedestrian’ Leonard Mead expresses his disgust with the dehumanizing effects advancements in technology and social life. The author has used the contrast to bring out the difference between conformity to set standards and the individualistic personality of a non-conformist. Mead is a Nibrant imaginative person and the only hope left to stir individuality, risking freedom.
The story is replete with images of all kinds tactile, touch, visual, auditory and taste. The description of nature with a variety of images render it vibrant. Tactile images bring the natural world to life. In his walks Mead finds good crystal frost in the air. It cuts the nose and makes the lungs blare like a christmas tree inside.
Auditory images of nature convey Meads impression of nature. He picks up one of the leaves and smells its rusty smell denotes the satisfaction and contentment with his walks. The police car itself symbolises dehumanization of the population but shows that the robots are better thinkers.
The Pedestrian Critical Appreciation
The story ‘The Pedestrian’ is written in 1951, and the set is fixed in 2053. So, it is a futuristic story. The writer tries to explore the dehumanizing effects of the rapid advancing technology impacting the social progress. In 1949 Bradbury and his friend were stopped and questioned by a police officer. This incident is the source of the story.
Mead was the solitary walker on a wintry November night in the open. He was accused of following the non-conformist ways of not sitting at home and watching the TV shows. Thus the writer explores the theme of conformity and passively falling into the set standards, with all the implication of losing one’s individuality and communion with the open nature.
The author uses the rich imagery and other literary devices to make the narration effective. It helps him to bring a contrast with the individuality of Mead and the conformity of other human beings, who are just like phantoms. The use of proper imagery and literary devices render the description of nature and other surroundings come alive.
The Pedestrian Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
Read the questions given below and answer by choosing the correct options :
Question 1.
To which genre the story ‘The Pedestrian’ belong ………….
a. romance
b. horror
c. fantasy
d. distopia
Answer:
c. fantasy.
Question 2.
In which month the story is set ………….
a. January
b. November
c. December
d. February
Answer:
b. November.
Question 3.
In which year the plot is set ………….
a. 2019
b. 2020
c. 2053
d. 2063
Answer:
c. 2053.
Question 4.
What is the nature of Mead ………….
a. lazy
b. optimistic
c. Pessimistic
d. a criminal
Answer:
b. Optimistic.
Question 5.
The metallic car has a-sound ………….
a. harsh
b. musical
c. whistling
d. mesmerising
Answer:
c. whistling.
Question 6.
Who is in the car ………….
a. a police
b. an officer
c. a computer engineer
d. No one
Answer:
d. No one.
Question 7.
At night the houses were………….
a. grey
b. white
c. red
d. golden.
Answer:
a. grey.
Question 8.
The back seat of the car was like a little ………….
a. cell
b. room
c. shop
d. none of the above
Answer:
a. cell.
Question 9.
Mead was ………….
a. not married
b. married
c. old man
d. none of the above
Answer:
a. not married.
Question 10.
The time of the story is ………….
a. 8 am
b. 8 pm
c. 8.30 pm
d. 9 pm
Answer:
b. 8 pm
Question 11.
Mead used to return after walking at ………….
a. 9pm
b. 10pm
c. midnight
d. 8pm
Answer:
c. midnight.
Question 12.
The street was-when Mead walked …………..
a. crowded
b. empty
c. noisy
d. none of the above
Answer:
b. empty.