The Elevator

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

(i) The story 'The Elevator' is written by

(a) Joseph Conrad

(b) William Sleator
(c) Katherine Mansfield
(d) Stephen Leacock

Answer: (b) William Sleator

(ii) The elevator could carry

(a) two
(b) three
(c) four
(d) only one

Answer: (b) three persons.

(iii) Martin's father worked

(a) in a factory
(b) in an office
(c) at home
(d) in his fields

Answer: (c) at home

(iv) Martin was

(a) a brave boy

(b) a skinny boy
(c) a fat boy
(d) a fearless

Answer: (b) a skinny boy

(v) Martin lived on the _________ floor.

(a) third
(b) fourth
(c) seventeenth
(d) eighteenth

Answer: (c) seventeenth

(vi) Martin first met the fat lady on the _________floor.

(a) ninth
(b) thirteenth
(c) tenth
(d) fourteenth

Answer: (d) fourteenth

(vii) The fat lady looked at Martin

(a) affectionately
(b) scornfully
(c) threateningly
(d) closely

Answer: (d) closely

(viii) The old lady was wearing a ..... coat.

(a) red
(b) brown
(c) green
(d) black

Answer: (c) green

(ix) What was Martin's father doing when he was told about the fat lady?

(a) watching television

(b) speaking to someone on mobile
(c) reading a book
(d) taking to a friend to meet Mrs Ullman

Answer: (a) watching television

(x) On which floor was Martin's father going to meet

(a) 4th
(b) 9th
(c) 14th
(d) 3rd

Answer: (b) 9th

Passage 1

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

(i) Describe the apartment to which Martin and his father had shifted recently.

Answer: It was an old building with an old elevator, a very small elevator that could hold
three people. Of course, he was always uncomfortable in elevators, he was afraid that they
would fall, but there was something especially unpleasant about it. Perhaps it was its sinister
atmosphere due to the light from the only fluorescent a ceiling strip, dull and dull against dirty
walls. Perhaps the problem was the door , which was never left open all the way.

(ii) What made the boy uncomfortable in the elevator?

Answer: Martin was uncomfortable in elevators as he was afraid that they would fall down.
The elevator in the new apartment building was especially unpleasant because of the poor
lighting and dirty walls.

(iii) What kind of boy was Martin ?

Answer: Martin was a skinny twelve-year-old boy who was nervous by nature.

(iv) What are we told about the door of the elevator ?

Answer: The door of the elevator was never left open all the way long enough, and
slammed shut with that ominous, clanging finality.

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

Answer: The description of the old building, the small cramped elevator with poor lighting
and dirty walls, and the ominous clanging sound of the elevator door sets an atmosphere of
suspense and fear, making the reader expect something strange or frightening to happen.

Passage 2

You're not only skinny and weak and bad at sports, his face seemed to say, 'but you are also
a coward. After that, Martin always took the elevator. He would have to get used to it, he told
himself, just as he got used to being bullied at school.

(i) Earlier, why did father get upset with Martin?

Answer: Earlier, Martin's father got upset with him because instead of taking the elevator,
Martin took the stairs and reached home out of breath after climbing up to the 17th floor
where they lived.

(ii) What kind of boy was Martin ?

Answer: Martin was a skinny, weak boy who was bad at sports and timid by nature, as
described by his father's expression.

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

Answer: Martin had to come to terms with using the elevator despite his fears, just as he
had got used to being bullied at school by his classmates.

(iv) Why did Martin take the elevator although he was scared of it?

Answer: Although Martin was Scared of the elevator, he started taking it after his father
rebuked him for being a coward and told him he would have to get used to it.

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

Answer: Yes, Martin was depicted as a coward by his father's expression. He was skinny,
weak, bad at sports, and most importantly, afraid of using the elevator which his father
considered an irrational fear that he needed to overcome.

Passage 3

She was wearing an old green coat that ballooned around her. As she waddled into the
elevator, Martin was sure he felt it sink under her weight. She was so big that her coat
brushed against him, and he had to squeeze himself into a corner.

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

Answer: The lady was fat and wore an old green coat that ballooned or swelled out around
her large body.

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

Answer: Martin's tone in describing the lady's large stature is one of fear and being
overwhelmed by her size, as he felt the elevator sink under her weight when she waddled
in.
(iii) What was Martin's state of mind when he confronted the lady?

Answer: When the fat lady entered the cramped elevator, Martin felt very uncomfortable and
squeezed himself into a corner to avoid brushing against her coat, indicating he was in a
nervous, fearful state of mind.

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

Answer: The lady got into the elevator on the fourteenth floor. The story does not specify on
which floor she lived. It only states that she entered when the elevator stopped at the 14th
floor in the morning.
(v) How did the lady look at the boy in the elevator ?

Answer: The extract mentions that the fat lady just kept staring at Martin constantly and did
not stop looking at him for even a minute in the elevator.