CBSE Class 12 English The Interview VBQs

Question. According to Christopher Silvester, the interview can be “in its highest form, a source of truth”. Choose the option that does NOT enable this?
a) An interview allows for discovery of new knowledge about the interviewee and/ or the subject being discussed.
b) An interview enables the interviewer to probe deeply, seek clarifications, and confirm understandings.
c) An interview represents an opportunity to open doors to experiences that may not otherwise find a voice.
d) An interview requires the interviewer to have in-depth prior knowledge of the interviewee and the subject.

Answer : D

Question. Umberto Eco mentioned that he was not puzzled by the tremendous mass popularity of his novel, The Name of the Rose. What does this tell you about Umberto Eco?
a) He believes he understands readership trends well, and writes accordingly to ensure mass appeal.
b) He elevates himself above publishers and journalists who were surprised by the success of the book.
c) He respects and understands that there are variations in people’s reading choices and experiences.
d) He feels that the success of a book is a mystery, and there was no point pondering over it.

Answer : C

Question. Column A below describes Rudyard Kipling’s views on interviews. Column B provides fictional descriptions of some of Kipling’s works if they were about interviews and interviewers. Choose the option that correctly matches interview attributes given in Column A to the works in Column B:

a) 1 – (i); 2 – (ii); 3 – (iii); 4 – (iv)
b) 1 – (ii); 2 – (iii); 3 – (iv); 4 – (i)
c) 1 – (iii); 2 – (iv); 3 – (i); 4 – (ii)
d) 1 – (iv); 2 – (i); 3 – (ii); 4 – (iii)

Answer : B

Question. Mukund Padmanabhan mentions that much like his novels, Umberto Eco’s “scholarly work has a certain playful and personal quality about it.” To what is this attributed?
a) Eco thought regular academic style was depersonalised, dry and boring.
b) Eco presented his first Doctoral dissertation in Italy in this style.
c) Eco realized that scholarly books should tell the story of the research.
d) Eco identified himself with the academic and scholarly community.

Answer : C

Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow:

Maybe I give the impression of doing many things. But in the end, I am convinced I am always doing the same thing… And then I have a secret. Did you know what will happen if you eliminate the empty spaces from the universe, eliminate the empty spaces in all the atoms? The universe will become as big as my fist. Similarly, we have a lot of empty spaces in our
lives. I call them interstices. Say you are coming over to my place. You are in an elevator and while you are coming up, I am waiting for you. This is an interstice, an empty space. I work in empty spaces.

Question. “I work in empty spaces”. Choose the option that most accurately captures Eco’s idea of empty spaces.
(i) management of time
(ii) organization of space
(iii) philosophical inclination
(iv) command of thought
a) Options (i) and (ii)
b) Options (iii) and (iv)
c) Options (i) and (iii)
d) Options (ii) and (iv)

Answer : C

Question. Umberto Eco states that ‘empty spaces’ actually fill spaces, and without them the universe would be the size of the human fist. He also goes on to say that it is in an interstice such as waiting, which the dictionary defines as a time for pause, that he works. That is, passive waiting is essentially active writing time. Choose the literary device that best describes what Eco does with the concepts of ‘empty spaces’ and ‘waiting’.
a) juxtaposition
b) irony
c) oxymoron
d) symbolism

Answer : B

Question. Read the questions given below. Imagine they were interjections raised by the interviewer based on the above extract. Choose the option that correctly describes the given questions.
(i) If you are “always doing the same thing”, isn’t your work lacking in originality?
(ii) Could you elaborate on these larger ethical, philosophical interests that inform your work?
(iii) All writing happens in empty spaces. In fact, why don’t I tell you all about my experiences?
a) (i) is not relevant; (ii) is appropriate; and (iii) is unnecessary
b) (i) is appropriate; (ii) is repetitive; and (iii) is useful information
c) (i) is inappropriate; (ii) is relevant; and (iii) is not relevant
d) (i) is unnecessary; (ii) is intrusive; and (iii) is extrapolatory

Answer : C

Question. Based on your reading of Part I of ‘The Interview’, which one of the following may NOT be an appropriate title to the above extract?
a) The Empty Spaces of Umberto Eco
b) Big Exposé: Eco’s Secret Revealed!
c) “I am always doing the same thing”: Eco’s Echoes
d) Umberto Eco, Mr. Prolific!

Answer : BB

Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow:

Saul Bellow, who has consented to be interviewed on several occasions, nevertheless once described interviews as being like thumbprints on his windpipe. Yet despite the drawbacks of the interview, it is a supremely serviceable medium of communication. “These days, more than at any other time, our most vivid impressions of our contemporaries are through
interviews,” Denis Brian has written. “Almost everything of moment reaches us through one man asking questions of another. Because of this, the interviewer holds a position of unprecedented power and influence.”

Question. How would you describe Denis Brian’s opinion on interviews? Choose the most appropriate option.
(i) appeasing
(ii) utilitarian
(iii) approving
(iv) praising
a) Options (i) and (ii)
b) Options (iii) and (iv)
c) Options (ii) and (iii)
d) Options (i) and (iv)

Answer : C

Question. Denis Brian states that the interviewer occupies a position of power and influence as ___________
a) everything reaches us through one man asking questions of another.
b) the interview is a supremely serviceable medium of communication.
c) our most vivid impressions of our contemporaries are through interviews.
d) interviews are like thumbprints on the interviewee’s windpipe.

Answer : A

Question. The use of the word “serviceable” implies that interviews are _________
a) significant.
b) powerful.
c) advanced.
d) useful.

Answer : D

Question. According to Saul Bellow, interviews are like thumbprints on his windpipe.
What emotion might best describe such an image?
a) sadness
b) frustration
c) pain
d) fear

Answer : C