The Elevator Question Answers | Treasure Chest Story | Evergreen

Of course, he was always uncomfortable in elevated, afraid that they would fall, but this one was especially unpleasant. Perhaps this was because of the poor lighting and walls.

Ans: The door of the elevator did not remain open for long. It produced a clanging noise and would slam shut.

(v) How does the description of the elevator contribute to the suspense of the story?

Ans: The apartment does not have proper lighting and its walls are dirty. It looks mysterious and strange. The elevator with a creaking door makes things more fearful. Its description adds to the atmosphere of suspense already prevailing there.

PASSAGE -2

(I) Earlier why did Father get upset with Martin?

Ans: Martin’s father did not like his son’s fear of the elevators. When Martin did not take the elevator to go upstairs, his father was upset with him. He wanted his son to be brave and bold.

(ii) What kind of boy was the Martin?

Ans:  Martin was a nervous boy. He had fears of elevators. But gradually he learns to face his fears boldly.


(iii) What did Martin have to come to terms with?

Ans: Martin had to come to terms with his fear of the elevator. He learnt to do this as he had done in case of his being bullied at school.

(iv) Why did Martin take the elevator although he was scared of it?
Ans: Martin’s father admonished him for not taking the elevator and using the stairs. It forced him to take the elevator despite his fears of the elevator.


(v) Was Martin a coward? Give two reasons for your answer.

Ans: Martin was afraid of taking the elevator like a coward. He started taking the stairs to avoid the lady and broke his leg. He also tried to run away from the elevator out of the fear of the lady. These two instances show that he was a coward.

PASSAGE-3

(i) What kind of lady was 'she'?

Ans: The lady was quite fat. She wore a green coat that spread around her like a balloon. She looked strange and mysterious as she constantly gazed at Martin.

(ii) What is Martin's tone while describing the lady's stature?

Ans: Martin's tone while describing the lady's stature seems to be full of wonder and surprise. He notices her size and the way her coat billows around her, suggesting a level of discomfort or unease.

(iii) What was Martin's state of mind when he confronted the lady?

Ans: When the large lady entered the elevator, Martin felt incredibly uncomfortable. He instinctively squeezed himself into a corner to avoid brushing against her coat, indicating his nervous and fearful state of mind.

(iv) On which floor did the lady step into the elevator? On which floor did she actually live?

Ans: The lady stepped into the elevator on the fourteenth floor. There is no clear indication about the women living in that apartment.

(v) How did the lady look at the boy in the elevator?

Ans : The lady continuously stared at Martin in a strange and threatening way. Her eyes seemed to be boring through Martin’s face.

PASSAGE-4

(I) when was the lady's behaviour void in the elevator with the boy?
Ans:  The lady in the elevator behaved in a strange way. She watched Martin breathing loudly out of his fears and nervousness. She just turned and moved into the lobby.

(ii) Why couldn't Martin run past the lady?

Ans:  Martin was afraid of the strange lady in the elevator. He wanted to run out of the elevator but the lady was so big that there was no room for him to slip out of the elevator.

(iii) What was the boy's impression of the lady in the elevator?
Ans: The boy was afraid of the lady in the elevator. He thought that the lady was someone mysterious and strange. He got so afraid of her that he broke his leg when he took the stairs in order to avoid facing the lady in the elevator.

(iv) Where did the lady live?
Ans:  The lady, it is hinted at the end of the story, perhaps lived on the 9th floor. Martin did not know this.

(v) What time of the day was it then how do you know?
Ans:  It was morning at that time. Martin’s going to school indicates the time of the day.

PASSAGE-6

(i) To which question of the boy did the lady nod?

Ans:  Martin asked the lady if she was going up. The lady just nodded in response to this question.

(ii) What did the woman look like?
Ans:  The lady was very fat. She had pudgy hands and her balloon-like green coat made her look still bigger and strange.

(iii) What is the surprise in the ladies, pressing button 18?

Ans:  The lady had got into the elevator on the fourteenth floor the previous day. Her pressing the button eighteen was therefore something strange and surprising to Martin.

(iv) Which floor do you think did the lady leave on?
Ans: The lady seems to live on the fourteenth floor. She had got into the elevator at this floor for the first time.

(v) What makes the boy feel nervous in the elevator?

Ans: The boy has a natural fear of the elevator. He always fears that the elevator will fall down. It made him uncomfortable and nervous.

PASSAGE-6

(i) Why does the boy retort I am not afraid?

Ans: Martin’s father expresses his frustration over the boy’s fears. He is annoyed that Martin feels afraid of a big woman in the elevator. Martin then retorts telling his father that he was not afraid.

(ii) What was the boy father trying to emphasise?
Ans:  The boy’s father was trying to emphasize that the boy should learn to overcome his fears. He should not behave in a cowardly manner.

(iii) How did Martin react to his father's rebuke?
Ans: Martin went to his room and cried. He was crying because his father had rebuked him. But he did not cry in front of his father and wept in the isolation of his room.

(iv) What does the extract tell about the relationship between the son and the father?
Ans: The extract reveals that the father and the son have a strained relationship due to the boy’s fears of elevators. The father wants the son to be bold and courageous whereas the boy is full of fear.

(v) Later what happens when the boy tries to avoid the lady?

Ans: When the boy tries to avoid the lady he takes the stairs instead of the elevator. But he breaks his leg and has to be taken to a hospital.

PASSAGE-7

(i) Why was the boy taken to hospital?

Ans: The boy had broken his leg while trying to avoid the fat lady in the elevator. So he was taken to the hospital.

(ii) what did the father feel about the boy's health?

Ans: The father felt disappointed and angry with the boy. He considered the boy a coward and fool who had got injured because of his own false and unwanted fears.

(iii) What disability had the boys suffered and how?
Ans:  The boy suffered from a broken leg. He suffered this disability as he had fallen in the stairs while trying to avoid the strange lady in the elevator.

(iv) How could this disability give some relief to Martin?

Ans: This disability could bring some relief to Martin as he did not have to use the elevator and have rest at home for a few days.

(v) What advice was given to Martin by his doctor?

Ans:  The doctor advised Martin to have rest and stay in the apartment for a few days. It also meant Martin staying away from the dreadful elevator and the strange, fat lady for some days.

PASSAGE-8

(i) Why did the father not want Martin to visit the neighbour along with him?

Ans: Martin’s father wanted him to face his fears boldly. He wanted to leave the boy alone with the fat lady he dreaded. Keeping these things in mind, he did not want Martin to accompany him to the neighbour.

(ii) What was the father's advice to Martin?

Ans:  Martin's father advised him to "grow up" and shun all his fears, when Martin pleaded to join him in visiting Terry Ullman. This advice implied that Martin should act more maturely and independently.