NCERT English Class 12 | Chapter 1 | The Third Level | Question Answer |

READ AND FIND OUT                                                                                PAGE 1-5

1. What does the third level refer to?

Answer: The third level is the world somewhere between desire or dream and reality. It is a world of fantasy that we create for ourselves and occasionally seek to escape to. Most of the time it is a picture of the simple past of our forefathers, who, we believe, were happier. It is an escapist’s world which one weaves around to be off the current-day problems, worries, anxieties and tensions.

2. Would Charley ever go back to the ticket-counter on the third level to buy tickets to Galesburg for himself and his wife?

Answer: Time travel is a temporary relief that man seeks to escape from the rush of his present existence. It was a world of fantasy that Charley too had created. So, he exchanged all his savings for 1894 currency to buy tickets from the third level to Galesburg, Illinois. However, he could not find the third level again as it did not exist.


READING WITH INSIGHT                                                                            PAGE 7

1. Do you think that the Third Level was a medium of escape for Charley? Why?

Answer: Time travel is man's way of escape from today's world of uncertainty, anxiety, and worry. The man occasionally seeks solace in the realms of fantasy and his wistful memories of happier times past. Yes, Charley's escape from the insane rat race of modern times was the third level.

2. What do you infer from Sam’s letter to Charley?

Answer: Sam's letter reveals a man's longing for a simpler, less obnoxious past. In time travel, he, too, had discovered a way to escape the rush and concern of modern life. Sam had figured out how to send himself back in time to a time when his forefathers enjoyed a better quality of life than they did now.

3. ‘The modern world is full of insecurity, fear, war, worry and stress.’ What are the ways in which we overcome them?

Answer: Man frequently builds a place in his mind that is somewhere between his desire and reality, and seeks relief by mentally transporting himself there. Another method of coping with stress is to journey back in time to a moment when we imagine things were simpler and happier. Nostalgic recollections are also a good method to get away from the stress of the present.

4. Do you see an intersection of time and space in the story?

Answer: Yes, there is a distinct intersection of time and space in the storey. To begin, Grand Central Station's first two floors were built in the present, while the third level was built in the 1890s. Second, Charley and his wife, Louisa, reside in the present day, but Charley sets out to obtain old currency to purchase seats to the 1894 Galesburg. The architecture of the third-level platform in the old days differs from that of the platform in modern times. The people's archaic clothes and the newspaper The Universe, dated June 11, 1894, both intersect with Charley's real-time world and existence. Finally, on July 18, 1894, a letter was mailed to Charley's grandfather, highlighting the confluence of time and space.

5. Apparent illogicality sometimes turns out to be a futuristic projection? Discuss.

Answer: In the narrative, there is a clear intersection of time and space. To begin, the first two floors of Grand Central Station were constructed in the present, while the third level was constructed in the 1890s. Second, Charley and his wife, Louisa, live in modern times, but Charley sets out to obtain old currency to purchase tickets to the 1894 Galesburg. The architecture of the third-level platform in the past differed from the architecture of the platform today. Charley's real-time reality and existence are intersected by the people's archaic clothing and the newspaper The Universe, dated June 11, 1894. Finally, on July 18, 1894, a letter to Charley's grandfather was mailed, underlining the historical convergence.

6. Philately helps keep the past alive. Discuss other ways in which this is done. What do you think of the human tendency to constantly move between the past, the present and the future?

Answer: There are many other ways to keep the past alive besides philately. Collecting historical artefacts, paintings, and statues in a museum, collecting and reading books, collecting stamps, first day covers, and so on are all examples of historical re-enactment. Photographic collections, letters, and other mementoes of the past are frequently used to keep fond memories alive. Man seeks solace in his nostalgic memories of nicer days gone by. He travels through time to escape the current and moves himself to the world. He is continually shifting between the past and the present and the future to escape. The ability to switch back and forth between the past, present, and future is a tremendous intellectual gift. This human trait allows him to plan for the future while receiving the rewards of the past. This propensity aids in accepting the consequences of key decisions made at any point in time and learning from them.

7. You have read ‘Adventure’ by Jayant Narlikar in Hornbill Class XI. Compare the interweaving of fantasy and reality in the two stories.

Answer: Jayant Narlikar wrote in 'Adventure' that several universes exist at the same time, even though they appear to be separated by time. He implied that the other world existed and coexisted with the one we are familiar with.

In The Third Level, Charley, a young New York commuter, stumbles into a portal that leads to the year 1894 while browsing Grand Central Station by accident. Charley tries to get out of the rat race by purchasing a one-way ticket to Galesburg, Illinois, where he grew up. However, he was forced to postpone his intention to travel back in time due to unforeseen events.


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