Hi Everyone!! This article will share An Escape Questions & Answers.
In my previous posts, I have shared the questions and answers of The Unicorns of Kabustan, The Inchcape Rock, Scaring a Ghost and Sea Fever so, you can check these posts as well.
An Escape Questions & Answers
Question 1: According to the bearers, what was the reason for the unexpected heaviness of the corpse?
Answer: According to the bearers, the reason for the unexpected heaviness of the corpse was that every year added half a pound to the bones. Based on this reasoning and given that Faria was an old man, they assumed that his corpse was bound to be heavy
Question 2: What was the cord around Dantès’ feet for?
Answer: The cord around Dantès’ feet was for tying a heavy stone to the body in the sack so that when it was thrown into the sea, the body would sink into the water. The weight of the stone would pull the body down to the bottom of the sea.
Question 3: What did the bearers do with the sack in which Dantès was hidden?
Answer: The bearers tied a stone to the supposed corpse and threw it into the sea. They wanted to dispose the dead body.
Question 4: Why do you think Dantès was inside a sack?
Answer: Dantès, who was a prisoner in Chateau d’If, had planned his escape. His friend, Faria’s body was sewn up in a sack to be disposed of. Dantès made the best of this opportunity. He took the body out, hid it and took its place in the sack so that he could escape the prison.
Question 5: What were the sensations felt by Dantès as he was flung into the sea?
Answer: As Dantès was flung into the vast emptiness, he felt he had no control over how or where he fell and this made his heart freeze with fear. The fear was so agonising that time seemed to go very slowly which made him feel as if the fall lasted a hundred years.
Question 6: After he was thrown into the sea, how did Dantès free himself from the sack?
Answer: After Dantès fell into the sea, he was nearly suffocated by the fall. He knew he could not hold his breath for much longer. With his knife in his right hand, he quickly cut the sack open, freeing his arms and then his head. But the stone was still pulling him down. So, he bent his body under the waves and with great effort, cut the cord around his legs.
Question 7: Why did the fresh breeze bring Dantès both delight and agony?
Answer: Dantès was in the dungeon and had been breathing the stale air for a very long time. When the bearers brought the bier out of the dungeon, he could suddenly feel the fresh air. He was delighted to get out of the prison but he was also in agony as he did not know what was in store for him. Further, the sudden exposure to the bitter cold must have brought him agony.
Question 8: What helped Dantès reach Tiboulen in the dark?
Answer: The light beam from the lighthouse on the island of Planier gave Dantès a sense of direction in the dark. He realised that if he swam straight for an hour or so keeping the lighthouse a little to his left, he would reach the island of Tiboulen. When he felt like giving up, he thought of his incredible escape from the prison. This gave him the strength to keep on swimming to safety.
An Escape Questions & Answers
Question 9: What gave Dantès the strength to keep swimming in the rough seas?
Answer: It was living death for Dantès in the worst prison of France. He was lucky to befriend the priest Faria who helped him in many ways in his escape. Anyone else thrown into the sea the way Dantès was thrown could not have survived. The very thought of having escaped the terrible Chateau d’If against all odds gave him that extra energy to swim in the rough sea with strong winds which slowed him down. Dantès did not give up and was determined to reach a safe island. Therefore, he kept swimming for hours till he reached the island of Tiboulen.
Question 10: Read the lines and answer the questions:
1. The door opened, and a dim light reached Dantès’ eyes through the coarse sack that covered him. He dimly saw two shadows put down a bier.
(a) Where was Dantès and what was his reason for being there?
Answer: Dantès was hiding in a sack in Faria’s cell. He was there because he had taken the place of the dead body of Faria, one of his fellow prisoners who had died suddenly. He was hiding there because he thought that he would escape from the prison when the body was removed from the dungeon.
(b) Why did Dantès do this?
Answer: Dantès did this in order to escape from the prison of the Chateau D’If.
(c) How did he feel during this period of time?
Answer: Dantès could hardly move inside the sack. It was hot and he had to lie still which made him very uncomfortable. His heart was racing and yet felt frozen with dread and he suffered chills from fear of the risk that he was taking. As he waited for the bearers to arrive, it was as if time stood still. But when he heard their footsteps, he took heart and found the courage to carry on with his plan.
2. Dantès did not understand the joke, but his hair stood on end.
(a) What was the joke?
Answer: The joke was that the weather was bad and the dead body in the sack had the chance of getting wet. This implied that the sack would be thrown into the water. Since it was a stormy night, the men joked that it was not a pleasant night for a dip in the sea.
(b) Why did Dantès feel shocked and frightened?
Answer: Dantès felt shocked and frightened because though he did not understand the joke, he was wary of what the bearers might do with the sack. Moreover, the cruel and mocking tone of the bearers’ laughter made him aware that something very unpleasant and out of the ordinary was in store.
(c) What happened after this?
Answer: After this, the bearers seized the body by the head and feet, and then threw it into the sea. Dantès felt himself flung into the air, not knowing where he was thrown or where or when he was going to land. He waited for what felt like an exceedingly long time until he hit the icy waters. The shock and pain of hitting the freezing water made him cry out in pain but the sound of his scream was lost in the noise made by his body as it landed in the sea.
3. At that moment, the lighthouse on the island of Planier threw its beam over the sea.
(a) Where was Dantès?
Answer: Dantès was swimming in the middle of the sea, feeling lost in the darkness, when the lighthouse threw its beam over the sea.
(b) Why was the lighthouse important?
Answer: The lighthouse was important because it gave Dantès a sense of direction. He realised that if he swam keeping the lighthouse a little to his left, he would reach Tiboulen.
(c) What happened when he reached his destination?
Answer: Once he reached his destination, which was the island of Tiboulen, Dantès said a prayer of gratitude and stretched himself out on the rocks. He was so tired and grateful to have made it alive that the cold, hard surface of the rock seemed softer than the softest bed he had ever slept in. Within seconds, he fell asleep from relief and exhaustion.
4. “He’s heavy for an old and thin man,” said one man, as he raised the head.
(a) Who is the speaker?
Answer: The speaker is one of the bearers.
(b) What were they doing?
Answer: They were lifting the sack which they thought contained the dead body of the priest, Faria.
(c) Why did the man remark so?
Answer: Priest Faria was a thin and old man. It was not Faria but young and healthy Dantès who was inside the sack. The men were unaware of this and hence one of the men remarked so.
An Escape Questions & Answers
Question 11: What could have happened if Dantès had been discovered hiding in the sack?
Answer: Had Dantès been discovered hiding in the sack, perhaps he would have been taken back to the prison of the Chateau D’If and he would have been punished harshly for trying to escape. The Chateau D’If was one of the most infamous prisons of the nineteenth century. Thousands of people who dared to oppose the state authority were detained and eventually executed there. If Dantès had been discovered alive, hiding in the sack, he would have been killed by the prison guards immediately.
Question 12: Read these phrases from the text
clutched his heart in a grasp of ice
his hair stood on end
falling with a terror that turned his heart to ice
a shudder passed over him
What do you feel when you read these phrases? How do these phrases make you curious to know what will happen next?
Answer: These phrases have been used in the story to arouse a sense of curiosity in us. They add a sense of mystery to the story, making us eager to read further and to see how the story unfolds. The graphic descriptions of the character’s feelings, for instance, clutched his heart in a grasp of ice, his hair stood on end, falling with a terror that turned his heart to ice, a shudder passed over him invoke our sense of fear and add to the element of suspense throughout the text. We, too, feel what Dantès feels when he can only hear but cannot see the approaching footsteps through the coarse sack. We also feel the weight tugging at Dantès’ feet under water, pulling him down. Until he reaches the island of Tiboulen, our feeling of suspense is sustained. The beam of light from the lighthouse gives as much hope to us as it does to him.
Question 13: What evidence do you get of Dantès strength of will from your reading of the text?
Answer: Dantès’ perseverance and will power in the story are extraordinary. He takes the place of a corpse in a sack and lies in a dungeon to wait, to be disposed of as a dead body, in order to escape from the worst prison in France. To think of this daring plan shows the strength of his will. To execute this without rousing suspicion seems impossible and yet, committed to his purpose, he does it. Even while being pulled down by the heavy stone tied to his feet and losing his breath underwater, he does not lose the fight; he cuts the rope and rises above the surface of the water. Despite being exhausted, he goes on swimming until he reaches Tiboulen. It is his determination and willpower that help him reach Tiboulen at last and are the reasons that he succeeds.
Question 14: Was Dantès aware where he was being taken? When did he realise that the sea was the cemetery of the Chateau d’If?
Answer: The bearers advanced with the bier a few steps, then stopped and opened a door. Soon, Dantès heard the noise of the waves dashing against the rock on which the Chateau d’If was built. Dantès had no clue where he was being carried. The remarks and the laughter of the bearers about the priest getting wet made no sense to him. He could, however guess that something terrible was going to happen. But it was only when Dantès felt himself flung into the air and falling deep down and hitting the icy waters did he realise that the sea was the cemetery of Chateau d’If.
So, these were An Escape Questions & Answers.