Easily access NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Flamingo Chapter 7 “The Interview” Q&A. Explore the chapter’s insights into the complexities of interviews through expertly crafted answers. These solutions are invaluable for thorough exam preparation, providing a deep understanding of themes, character dynamics, and literary techniques. Immerse yourself in the world of “The Interview” through meticulously curated solutions, honing your analytical and interpretive skills in the process.
NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Flamingo Chapter – 7 The Interview Questions and Answers
THINK AS YOU READ ➤➤➤
1. What are some of the positive views on interviews?
Answer: In its most profound essence, an interview is believed by some to embody truth and artistic mastery. Counted among highly effective communication tools, it shapes our perceptions of individuals. Consequently, the interviewer wields an unparalleled position of power and influence.
2. Why do most celebrity writers despite being interviewed?
Answer: The majority of celebrity writers hold a disdain for interviews, viewing them as intrusive and a threat to their privacy. They fear that interviews may somehow diminish their essence. V.S. Naipaul believes that interviews can leave people wounded, causing them to lose a part of their identity. Rudyard Kipling went as far as labeling interviews as immoral, deeming them either cowardly or vile.
3. What is the belief in some primitive cultures about being photographed?
Answer: In certain primitive cultures, there was a belief that capturing a photographic portrait of someone amounted to stealing their soul.
4. What do you understand by the expression “thumbprints on his windpipe”?
Answer: The phrase “thumbprints on his windpipe” alludes to the sensation of suffocation or strangulation.
5. Who, in today’s world, is our chief source of information about personalities?’
Answer: In the contemporary world, the “interviewer” serves as our primary source of information regarding personalities.
UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT ➤➤➤
1. Do you think Umberto Eco likes being interviewed? Give reasons for your opinion.
Answer: Indeed, it is evident that Umberto Eco enjoys being interviewed, as he eloquently responds at length to the interviewer’s questions without any indication of wanting to end the conversation. This strongly suggests his preference for engaging in interviews.
2. How does Eco find the time to write so much?
Answer: Eco’s ability to produce a substantial volume of writing can be attributed to two factors. Firstly, he explores similar themes in various styles, incorporating his philosophical interests into both academic and fictional works, including books for children centered on non-violence and peace. Secondly, he maximizes every moment without wasting any time. For instance, while awaiting an interviewer, he used the “interstice” to compose an article, effectively making the most of such opportunities.
3. What was distinctive about Eco’s academic writing style?
Answer: Eco’s academic writing style stands out for its distinct affection for narration. Notably, even his doctoral dissertation was presented as a narrative, imbuing even serious subjects with an engaging and intriguing quality.
4. Did Umberto Eco consider himself a novelist first or an academic scholar?
Answer: Umberto Eco primarily identified himself as an academic scholar. He actively engaged in academic conferences rather than attending meetings of Pen clubs and writers. He reserved his novel writing for moments when he wasn’t engrossed in academic pursuits, describing himself as a professor who writes novels on Sundays.
5. What is the reason for the huge success of the novel. The Name of the Rose?
Answer: The remarkable success of the novel ‘The Name of the Rose’ remains somewhat mysterious. Eco speculates that its timing played a significant role. Had it been published ten years earlier or ten years later, he believes it might not have achieved such great success.
TALKING ABOUT THE TEXT ➤➤➤
Discuss in pairs or small groups.
1. Talk about any interview that you watched on television or read in a newspaper. How did it add to your understanding of the celebrity, the interviewer and the field of the celebrity?
Answer: Please attempt it yourself.
2. The medium you like best for an interview, print, radio, or television.
Answer: Please attempt it yourself.
3. Every famous person has a right to his or her privacy. Interviewers sometimes embarrass celebrities with very personal questions.
Answer: Please attempt it yourself.
NOTICING DISCOURSE LINKERS AND SIGNALLERS ➤➤➤
LINKERS
Notice how the utterances of the interviewer and the interviews are linked to one another. The linkers have been italicized for you. Linking is done either through the use of reference pronouns, like ‘that’, ‘this’, ‘which’ etc.
It can also be done through a repetition of words. I am convinced I am always doing the same thing.
Which is?
Aah, now that is more difficult to explain.
……………………………………………………………
While waiting for your elevator to come up from the first to the third floor, I have already written an article! (Laughs).
Not everyone can do that of course.
……………………………………………………………
Novels probably satisfied my taste for narration.
Tailing about novels,
…………………………………………………………….
at least more than 20 of them..
Over 40.
Over 40
…………………………………………………………….
I cannot expect to have one million readers with stuff on semiotics.
Which brings me to my next question.
…………………………………………………………….
Were you puzzled at all by this?
No. Journalists are puzzled.
……………………………………………………………
Could the huge success of the novel have anything to do with the fact that it dealt with a period of medieval history that … that’s possible the use of linkers is important in all contiguous stretches of text. It is very important in conversation, especially a structured conversation like an interview.
Answer: Please attempt it yourself.
SIGNALLERS
When there are shifts in the topic the speaker usually indicates them through phrases that prepare the listener for the shift. Notice these two examples taken from the interview:
“Which brings me to another question….
“But let me tell you another story…. R Without these preparatory signalers the flow of ideas in conversation will not be smooth and continuous.
WRITING ➤➤➤
If the interviewer Mukund Padmanabhan had not got the space in the newspaper to reproduce the interview verbatim, he may have been asked to produce a short report of the interview with the salient points.
Write this report for him.
[The teacher should be able to help the pupils in what to include and what can be omitted] [We could also provide a short report of an interview as a sample.]
Answer: An Interviewing Umberto Eco – Mukund Padmanabhan.
3 March 2008
As I stepped into Umberto Eco’s drawing room, I found him patiently waiting for our conversation. Curiosity compelled me to ask how he managed to juggle so many diverse pursuits. Eco explained that although he appeared to be engaged in numerous activities, they were all interconnected by his philosophical interests. These passions were evident in his academic endeavors, novels, and even children’s books. To accomplish so much, he confessed to utilizing every available moment for writing.
Early in his career, Eco realized that scholarly books could benefit from a narrative touch. This insight led him to begin writing novels around the age of fifty, alongside his academic work.
Noting that he had written more than twenty scholarly nonfiction works, I was taken aback when he corrected me, revealing the actual count to be more than forty. Despite this prolific academic output, the majority of people primarily recognize him as a novelist. I asked if this bothered him, and he admitted that it did. In his heart, he considered himself a professor who simply wrote novels on Sundays. Nonetheless, he understood the reason behind this perception, as his serious works on semiotics were more challenging for the common reader to engage with, while novels were accessible to a broader audience.
THINGS TO DO ➤➤➤
Interview a person whom you admire either in school or your neighborhood and record it in writing.
Answer: Please attempt it yourself.
➤ ABOUT THE UNIT
THEME
The interview as a communication genre.
SUB-THEME
An excerpt from an interview with an author.
COMPREHENSION
• Understanding personal opinion.
•Understanding conversation and the interview pattern.
TALKING ABOUT THE TEXT
Discuss :
• Expressing personal opinion on the interview genre.
• Comparing different media of communication.
NOTICING DISCOURSE LINKERS AND SIGNALLERS
Focus on cohesion coherence features of discourse.
WRITING
Transfer of information from one genre to another, e.g., interview to report.
THINGS TO DO
• Extension activity giving practice in interviewing people and personalities.
• Questioning and information gathering techniques.