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Class 12 English|Supplemtary Reader|Chapter 1|The Third Level
Answer the Following Questions
1. Who is the narrator of the story?
Ans: Charley.
2. How old is Charley?
Ans: Thirty-one years old.
3. Where does Charley believe the third level exists?
Ans: Grand Central Station.
4. What does Charley’s psychiatrist say about his experience?
Ans: He calls it a waking-dream wish fulfillment.
5. What hobby does Charley have?
Ans: Stamp collecting.
6. Which newspaper does Charley see at the third level?
Ans: The World.
7. What is the date on the newspaper Charley finds?
Ans: June 11, 1894.
8. Where does Charley want to go with Louisa?
Ans: Galesburg, Illinois.
9. Who is Sam Weiner?
Ans: Charley’s friend and a psychiatrist.
10. What proof does Charley get of the third level’s existence?
Ans: A first-day cover postmarked July 18, 1894, addressed to his grandfather from Sam.
Fill in the Blanks
1. Charley was wearing a _________ suit and a straw hat.
Ans: Tan gabardine.
2. The newspaper Charley saw was called __________.
Ans: The World.
3. Eggs cost _________ cents a dozen in 1894.
Ans: Thirteen.
4. The ticket clerk rejected Charley’s money because it was __________.
Ans: Not old-style currency.
5. The stamp on the first-day cover had the picture of President __________.
Ans: Garfield.
True/False
1. The third level at Grand Central is an officially recognized platform.
Ans: False.
2. Charley wants to escape the modern world full of stress.
Ans: True.
3. Sam Weiner is a stamp dealer.
Ans: False.
4. The gaslights on the third level were flickering because they were flame-lit.
Ans: True.
5. The story ends with Louisa denying the third level’s existence.
Ans: False.
Long Type Questions and Answers
1. Describe the third level that Charley discovered at Grand Central Station.
Ans: Charley described the third level as being smaller than the second level with fewer ticket counters and old-fashioned décor. The information booth was wooden, and the lighting came from open-flame gaslights. The people were dressed in 1890s attire, including derby hats and handlebar moustaches. There were brass spittoons, and the environment reflected the year 1894.
2. Why does the psychiatrist dismiss Charley’s experience as a waking dream?
Ans: The psychiatrist believes that Charley’s experience was a result of his subconscious desire to escape from the stress and anxieties of the modern world. He refers to it as a “waking-dream wish fulfillment,” suggesting that Charley’s mind created an imaginary world of the third level as a coping mechanism.
3. What proof does Charley find to support the existence of the third level?
Ans: Charley finds a first-day cover from 1894 in his grandfather’s collection, addressed by Sam Weiner. The envelope has a postmark dated July 18, 1894. This discovery implies that Sam did travel to the third level and reached Galesburg in 1894, thus proving that the third level was real.
4. Why did Charley want to go to Galesburg, Illinois, in 1894?
Ans: Charley believed that life in 1894 was peaceful and free from the stress, fear, and insecurity of the modern world. He imagined people living quiet, content lives with long summer evenings. Galesburg represented an ideal escape for him and Louisa to a simpler, happier time.
5. Explain the role of stamp collecting in the story.
Ans: Stamp collecting serves as a symbol of Charley’s desire to retreat into the past. It is referred to as a “temporary refuge from reality.” The discovery of the 1894 first-day cover also becomes the key piece of evidence supporting the existence of the third level.
6. How does the author blend fantasy and reality in the story?
Ans: Jack Finney merges the realistic setting of Grand Central with the fantastical idea of a third level that leads to the year 1894. The narrator’s logical, detailed description and the eventual “proof” make the story believable, though it remains rooted in fantasy.
7. What happens when Charley tries to buy tickets at the third level?
Ans: Charley attempts to buy two tickets to Galesburg with his current-day currency. However, the clerk refuses the money, calling it fake, as the bills do not match the currency style of 1894. This incident forces Charley to flee, afraid of getting arrested.
8. How does Louisa’s attitude towards the third level change?
Ans: Initially, Louisa is worried about Charley’s obsession with the third level and asks him to stop looking for it. But when they receive the first-day cover from Sam, she begins to believe in its existence and joins Charley in the search for the third level every weekend.
9. Comment on the significance of the title “The Third Level”.
Ans: The title “The Third Level” signifies a hidden or imaginative dimension of escape from the harsh realities of the modern world. It represents the protagonist’s subconscious yearning for peace and simplicity, which he finds in an imagined past accessible through a fictional third level at Grand Central. The third level is symbolic of hope, nostalgia, and psychological refuge.
10. What does the third level symbolize in the story?
Ans: The third level symbolizes a psychological escape from modern-day stress, anxiety, and disillusionment. It reflects the human desire to retreat to a perceived golden past. For Charley, it is a literal and metaphorical exit to a more comforting world, free from the burdens of war and insecurity.
