Gujarat Board GSEB Class 12 English Textbook Solutions Flamingo Chapter 7 The Interview Textbook Exercise Important Questions and Answers, Notes Pdf.

Gujarat Board Textbook Solutions Class 12 English Flamingo Chapter 7 The Interview

GSEB Class 12 English The Interview Text Book Questions and Answers

Think as you Read (Textbook Page No. 69)

Question 1.
What are some of the positive views on interviews?
Answer:
Interview, in the 130 years of its existence, has become an inherent part of journalism. It is a useful means of communication that is, at times, considered to be an art, serving as a source of truth. Denis Brian has stated that in today’s world we get to know ‘our contemporaries’ through their interviews.

Question 2.
Why do most celebrity writers despise being interviewed?
Answer:
Celebrity writers believe that interviews unduly interfere in their private lives. They regard themselves as victims of interviews. They claim that the interview in some way ‘diminishes’ them, just like some ancient cultures believed that a portrait of a person takes away his soul. Certain celebrities like V. S. Naipaul have claimed that interviews leave them wounded, while others like Rudyard Kipling have referred to it as a crime and an immoral act.

Question 3.
What is the belief in some primitive cultures about being photographed?
Answer:
Some primitive cultures believed that photographing a person is no less than stealing his/her soul out of the body and rendering him incomplete and slighted.

Question 4.
What do you understand by the expression ‘thumbprints on his windpipe’?
Answer:
The expression means having been strangulated. The interview is an assault on a person as it makes him/her so tense that he/she feels as good as being choked.

Question 5.
Who, in today’s world, is our chief source of information about personalities?
Answer:
In modern times, the chief source of information on personalities is the interviewer who, through his power and influence, gathers information and provides us with the best possible information on the interviewees. He extracts everything significant through his questions for us.

Understanding the Text

Question 1.
Do you think Umberto Eco likes being interviewed? Give reasons for your opinion.
Answer:
Yes, Umberto Eco, in all possibilities, likes being interviewed. He felt just at ease with the interviewer and answered all the questions fully and patiently without showing any irritation or hurry. He stated his achievement in a very modest manner and explained his philosophical views and interest clearly. He let the interviewer enter the secret about his craft with a loud laugh. Also, he elaborated his approach which was unique. He was mannerly, warm and properly responsive as well.

Question 2.
How does Eco find the time to write so much?
Answer:
There are two factors that explain how Eco was able to write so much. In his own words, the life of every person has empty spaces-periods with no important jobs. He says that he did most of his writing during these free intervals. Second, he explains that people wondered that he (Eco) had written so much on various subjects. But the fact is that he was writing on the same lines and same interests – peace, non-violence, etc. All his works were linked with the thread of common interests. It saves his time and he could write a lot in a short period of time. That was the secret behind Eco’s prolific pen.

Question 3.
What was distinctive about Eco’s academic writing style?
Answer:
Umberto Eco’s academic writing style is quite distinctive. It has a certain playful and personal quality about it. It is a marked departure from a regular academic style, which is usually depersonalised and often dry and boring.

Question 4.
Did Umberto Eco consider himself a novelist first or an academic scholar?
Answer:
Umberto Eco considered himself an academic scholar first and a novelist later. He makes his preference clear by saying, “I consider myself a university professor who writes novels on Sundays”. On weekdays he attends academic conferences and does other scholarly, non-fictional work.

Question 5.
What is the reason for the huge success of the novel, ‘The Name of the Rose’ ?
Answer:
‘The Name of the Rose’ is different sort of novel. It is quite serious novel. It is a detective story at one level. But it also probes into metaphysics, theology and medieval history. The reasons for the success of the book, however, remain a mystery.

Talking about the Text

Discuss in pairs or small groups:
Question 1.
Talk about any interview that you have watched on television or read in a newspaper. How did it add to your understanding of the celebrity, the interviewer and the field of the celebrity? (Note: Students will write the answer to this question from their own experience.)

Question 2.
The medium you like best for an interview – print, radio or television.
Answer:
The medium I like best for an interview is the television. It has both audio and visual effects. It presents the interviewer and interviewee before the audience in their true colours. Usually, celebrities accuse the reporters of misquoting them or misreporting them in the print media or the radio. This is not possible when they are face-to-face on the television. Their lip movement and body movement while replying to probing questions are there for all to see.

The recording of various expressions coming on the face of the interviewee and his/her gestures and words are the additional advantages that television holds over the print media or the radio. The print media has dull, dry words alongside a picture whereas the radio tries to create the atmosphere by skilful variation of the sound. Both expect a lot of attention from the reader/audience.

Question 3.
Every famous person has a right to his or her privacy. Interviewers sometimes embarrass celebrities with very personal questions.
Answer:
Interviewers want to present exclusive and intimate details about the famous person they are interviewing. Some interviewers focus on the public life and achievements of the individual only. They try to be objective in their approach as well as assessment. However, there are others who want to make their interviews spicier and usually cross the thin limit of privacy of the individual.

In their zeal to present good copy, they embarrass the famous person with the personal questions. Sometimes impact of such questions on famous person reveals his / her aversion as well as irritation at the silliness of the person. If they shout, they are accused of being rude and proud and if they keep mum they are labelled as arrogant. In my opinion privacy of an individual must be respected.

GSEB Class 12 English The Interview Additional Important Questions and Answers

Answer the following questions in three to four sentences each:

Question 1.
Why do the opinions of the interview vary considerably?
Answer:
Thousands of famous persons have been interviewed over the years some of them been repeatedly, so the opinions of the interview vary considerably.

Question 2.
Which is, according to Mukund, a marked departure from academic style?
Answer:
According to Mukund, Eco’s style is a marked departure from the academic style. His scholarly work has a certain playful and personal quality about it, which is a marked departure from the regular academic style.

Question 3.
Why is Umberto Eco not satisfied to be only a novelist? ‘
Answer:
Umberto Eco is not satisfied to be only a novelist because he is a university professor. He participates in academic conferences. He identifies himself with the academic community.

Reading Comprehension (Textual)

Read the following passages and select the most appropriate options as answers to the questions given below them:
Question 1.
Since its invention a little over 130 years ago, the interview has become a commonplace of journalism. Today, almost everybody who is literate will have read an interview at some point in their lives, while from the other point of view; several thousand celebrities have been interviewed over the years, some of them repeatedly.

So it is hardly surprising that opinions of the interview-of its functions, methods and merits – vary considerably. Some might make quite extravagant claims for it as being, in its highest form, a source of truth, and, in its practice, an art. Others, usually celebrities who see themselves as its victims, might despise the interview as an unwarranted intrusion into their lives, or feel that it somehow diminishes them, just as in some primitive cultures it is believed that if one takes a photographic portrait of somebody then one is stealing that person’s soul.

V S. Naipaul ‘feels that some people are wounded by interviews and lose a part of themselves,’ Lewis Carroll, the creator of Alice in Wonderland, was said to have had ‘a just horror of the interviewer’ and he never consented to be interviewed – It was his horror of being lionized which made him thus repel would-be acquaintances, interviewers, and the persistent petitioners for his autograph and he would afterwards relate the stories of his success in silencing all such people with much satisfaction and amusement.
Questions:
1. Another expression for ‘commonplace’ is ………………….. .
A. ‘Public Park’.
B. ‘Shopping Centre’
C. ‘Ordinary’
D. ‘Frequently’.
Answer:
C. ‘Ordinary’

2. Celebrities hate interviews because they feel that they …………………. .
A. are not advantageous to them.
B. are an unwarranted intrusion into their lives.
C. bring them dishonour.
D. spread wrong messages against them.
Answer:
B. are unwarranted intrusion into their lives.

3. In primitive culture it was believed that if one takes somebody’s photo, he ………………. .
A. blackmails him.
B. takes away his soul too.
C. helps him bring glory.
D. humiliates him.
Answer:
B. takes away his soul too.

4. One of the following had a fear of being interviewed :
A. Lewis Carroll
B. V. S. Naipaul
C. Celebrities
D. Petitioners
Answer:
A. Lewis Carroll

Question 2.
Umberto Eco: When I presented my first Doctoral dissertation in Italy, one of the Professors said, “Scholars learn a lot of a certain subject, then they make a lot of false hypotheses, then they correct them and at the end, they put the conclusions. You, on the contrary, told the story of your research. Even including your trials and errors.” At the same time, he recognised I was right and went on to publish my dissertation as a book, which meant he appreciated it.

At that point, at the age of 22, I understood scholarly books should be written the way I had done-by telling the story of the research. This is why my essays always have a narrative aspect. And this is why probably I started writing narratives [novels] so late at the age of 50, more or less.

I remember that my dear friend Roland Barthes was always frustrated that he was an essayist and not a novelist. He wanted to do creative writing one day or another but he died before he could do so. I never felt this kind of frustration. I started writing novels by accident. I had nothing to do one day and so I started. Novels probably satisfied my taste for narration.

Mukund: Talking about novels, from being a famous academic you went on to becoming spectacularly famous after the publication of ‘The Name of the Rose’. You’ve written five novels against many more scholarly works of non-fiction, at least more than 20 of them …………… .
Umberto Eco: Over 40.
Questions:
1. How was Umberto Eco different from other scholars in preparing his research paper?
A. He made a lot of false hypotheses.
B. He put the conclusions after certain corrections.
C. He told the story of research including his trials and errors.
D. He added others’ opinions.
Answer:
C. He told the story of research including his trials and errors.

2. What kind of essays and novels did Umberto Eco write?
A. Didactic
B. Narrative
C. Reflective
D. Argumentative
Answer:
B. Narrative

3. Roland Barthes had a strong feeling that he could ………………….. .
A. not write essays.
B. write essays.
C. not write novels.
D. Both ‘B’ and ‘C’
Answer:
D. Both ‘B’ and ‘C’

4. Umberto Eco became famous for his ……………………….. .
A. Non-fictional works.
B. Narrative novels.
C. Essays.
D. All of these three.
Answer:
D. All of these three.

Grammar

Vocabulary

Fill in the blanks choosing the correct words given in the brackets and write the answers only:
Question 1.
(literate, while] celebrities, commonplace, several, invention, point, interview)
Since its …1…. a little over 130 years ago, the …2….. has become a ……3……. of journalism. Today, almost everybody who is …4… will have read an interview at some …5…. in their lives, ……..6……. from the other point of view, ……7…….. thousand ……..8…….. have been interviewed over the years, some of them repeatedly.
Answer:
1. invention
2. interview
3. commonplace
4. literate
5. point
6. while
7. several
8. celebrities

Question 2.
(ethical, academic, philosophical, non-violence, explain, novels, pursue, through) Umberto Eco: Aah, now that is more difficult to …1… I have some ……..2….. interests and I ……..3…… them ……….4……… my …5… work and my ……6…….. Even my books for children are about …7….. and peace… you see, the same bunch of …..8….. philosophical interests.
Answer:
1. explain
2. philosophical
3. pursue
4. through
5. academic
6. novels
7. nonviolence
8. ethical

Choose the correct meanings of the phrases/ idioms and rewrite the sentences:

(1) He more or less admitted he’d done it. (very nearly, hesitantly, inevitably)
(2) It’s not always a good idea to delve too deeply into someone’s past, (criticise, discover more information about, speak admirably about)
( 3 ) The new film deals with the relationship between a woman and her sick daughter. (is on the subject of, has some connection with, differs from)
( 4 ) It was a small but nevertheless an important change. (not at all, in spite of that, in no way)
(5)I was given a cold shoulder by the host. (a bad treatment, no nice food, an unfriendly welcome).
Answer:
( 1 ) He very nearly admitted he’d done it.
(2) It’s not always a good idea to discover more information about into someone’s past.
(3) The new film is on the subject of the relationship between a woman and her sick daughter.
(4) It was a small but in spite of that an important change.
(5) I was given an unfriendly welcome by the host.

Rectification of Errors

Rectify the errors in the following text:
Question 1.
And then I have a secret. Did you know that will happen unless you eliminate the empty spaces of the universe, eliminate the empty spaces in all the atoms? The universe becomes as big as my fist.
Answer:

Question 2.
As I presented my first Doctoral dissertation in Italy, one of the professors said, “Scholars learn a lot of a same subject, then they make a lot of false hypotheses, when they correct them and at the end, they put the conclusions.”
Answer:

Punctuation
Punctuate the following passage:

Umberto Eeo over 40
Mukund over 40 among them a seminal piece of work on semiotics but ask most people about Umberto eco and they will say oh has the novelist does that bother you ”
Answer:
Umberto Eco: Over 40.
Mukund: Over 40! Among them a seminal piece of work on semiotics. But ask most people about Umberto Eco and they will say, “Oh, he’s the novelist.” Does that bother you?

Indirect Speech

Convert the following dialogue into Indirect Speech:
Mukund: The English novelist and academic David Lodge once remarked, “I can’t understand how one man can do all the things he (Eco) does.”
Umberto Eco: Maybe I give the impression of doing many things. But in the end, I am convinced I am always doing the same thing.

Transformation of Sentences

Rewrite as directed:
1. Today, almost everybody who is literate will have read an interview at some point in their lives. (Turn into Simple.)
2. It is hardly surprising that opinions of the interview vary considerably. (Turn into Negative.)
3. Why do I refuse to be interviewed? (Change the Voice.)
4. Despite the drawbacks of the interview, it is a supremely serviceable medium of communication. (Use ‘Though’.)
5. The universe will become as big as my fist. (Change the Degree.)
6. Not everyone can do that, of course. (Turn into Affirmative.)
7. Nobody can predict it. (Turn into Complex.)
Answer:
1. Today, almost every literate will have read an interview at some point in his life.
2. It is not at all surprising that opinions of the interview vary considerably.
3. Why do I refuse if somebody interviews me?
4. Though there are certain drawbacks of the interview, it is a supremely serviceable medium of communication.
5. My fist will/can never be bigger than the universe.
6. Very few can do that, of course.
7. There is nobody who can predict it.

Writing:
Report Writing:

Question 1.
Write a report of the interview conducted by Mukund Padmanabhan from The Hindu of Umberto Eco, a professor at University of Bologna in Italy.
Answer:
The Interview by Parinity Shukla
Ahmedabad

Jan. 2020

An interview of Umberto Eco, a professor at the University of Bologna, in Italy, was conducted by Mukund Padmanabhan from The Hindu.

The professor was a scholar for his ideas on semiotics, literary Interpretation and medieval aesthetics. Later he wrote literary fiction, academic texts, essays, children’s books and newspaper articles. In 1980* he acquired intellectual superstardom.

According to David Lodge, an English novelist, it was surprising that one man could do all these things. To this Umberto Eco claimed that he had some philosophical interests. His novels were free from violence and were of peaceful nature. He occupies the empty space in the lives of men.

Mukund observed that everyone could not do this and added that his non-fictional work had playful and personal quality which was different from regular academic style. Mukund wanted to know if that approach came to him naturally.

Umberto Eco responded to this and said that one professor commented on his dissertation saying that people read his writings and drew a false hypothesis and then put down their comments. But the publishers had appreciated his writings and published them. At the age of 22, he realised scholarly books should be written. His essays were always narratives. At 50 he began writing novels. His friend felt that Umberto Eco was an essayist.

Mukund wanted Umberto to comment on his own novel ‘The Name of the Rose’. Umberto wanted to reach large number of audience through his novel. The journalists were puzzled. Yet 10-15 million copies were sold. It proved that people did not appreciate easy reading experiences.

Mukund wanted to know if the large audience was due to medieval history. Umberto felt it was due to the mysterious nature of the novel.

The Interview Summary in English

The Interview Introduction:

Christopher Silvester (1959) was a student of history at Peter House, Cambridge. He was a reporter for Private Eye for ten years and has written features for Vanity Fair. Following is an excerpt taken from his introduction to the Penguin Book of Interviews, An Anthology from 1859 to the Present Day.

The Interview Summary:
Part I:

The writer in this piece discusses the merits and demerits of interviews, saying that in today’s world anyone who is literate must have at some point or the other read or heard an interview. People have varying opinions on interviews as to some it appears to be the only and most credible source of truth, while some, especially celebrities, regard it as unnecessary intrusion. They feel that an interview somehow reduces their status and the fact that information concerning their lives becomes public makes them feel that they have lost a little part of themselves.

Lewis Carroll who was the creator of Alice in Wonderland took pride in the fact that he spent time and energy in successfully warding off interviewers. Rudyard Kipling’s wife went to the extent of saying that in her opinion interviewing was immoral. H. G. Wells kept interviewers away but ended up being an active interviewer himself on many an occasion.

Notable among those he interviewed were Joseph Stalin (A Russian revolutionary) and Saul Bellow (novelist and playwright) However, the writer opines that despite all the drawbacks, interviewing is a most valuable resource. He quotes Denis Brian who said that most of our information comes from one man asking questions of another and in this respect, the interviewer is indeed powerful and influential.

Part II

Part two is an extract from an interview of Umberto Eco. Umberto Eco was a professor at the University of Bologna in Italy. He had the reputation of being a scholar and for his expertise and ideas on, semiotics, (the study of signs) literary interpretation, and medieval aesthetics, newspaper articles and also his literary works. His novel, ‘The Name of the Rose’ sold more than 10 million copies.

The interviewer is Mukund Padmanabhan from ‘The Hindu’. In the interview, Mukund remarks that he finds it hard to understand how Umberto can manage to do all the things that he does. Umberto answers that he has mastered the art of working in what he refers to as interstices that is the empty spaces. He means that he is able to make productive use of every minute of his day.

He also tells Mukund that he has perfected the art of writing in a narrative style, something that he learnt when he was doing his doctorate but adopted very late at the age of fifty. In fact, he felt that he had become a novelist quite by accident as he enjoyed writing in a narrative style. Hence from an essayist, he moved on to be a novelist. Mukund asked him how he felt when despite having written so much non-fiction and having produced some valuable work on semiotics. People still talked of him as being a famous novelist.

Umberto replied that perhaps as a novelist he reached a larger readership yet, he did consider himself a serious academician and regarded himself as a university professor who wrote novels on a Sunday. Mukund then asked him whether he was surprised to find that his novel. ‘The Name of the Rose’ had been appreciated by so many people despite being such a serious novel.

The content of the novel was on the surface a detective novel but delved into theology, metaphysics, and medieval history. He replied that he was not surprised as the people who had read his novel were people who were not looking for easy experiences. He also said that the success of any novel was difficult to predict as his novel, ‘The Name of the Rose’ contrary to all predictions made a huge success.

He did not attribute the success of the novel merely to the theme of medieval history and said that it was a mystery, as such things often are. This interview is a perfect example of how information is elicited by an interviewer and how the response of the interviewee is closely linked to the questions put forth. In this way, an interview is a valuable and authentic tool for collecting information.