Gul Mohar English Class 8 Chapter - 8 The Visitor

Gul Mohar Edition 9 Orient Blackswan

Gul Mohar English Chapter - 8 The Visitor

Writer of the story - Markus Frank Zusak
Question and Answers
Question 1: Think, Liesel - She had it. That's it, she decided, but I have to make it real.
i) What was Liesel planning? Why?
ii) Why did she have to make 'it' real?
Answer:
i) Liesel was planning to reach home to warn her parents, that the Nazi Party was progressing towards their house  to check  the viability of the basements to turn into air raid shelters. Hence Liesel deliberately collided Klaus Behrig hurting her knees and head. Under this pretext, she could run back to her home and inform her parents of the impending danger without being suspected. In spite of panic and mounting tension, she cleverly hatched a plan to put up a show, to distract the German officer from checking their basement. She had to do so, as Max who was a Jew, was hiding from members of Nazi party.
ii) Liesel and her parents took great risk of hiding a Jewish man called Max in their basement. Hiding a Jewish man is against Hitler’s cruel policies. They knew if discovered, all of them would be arrested and sentenced to death. She has to make it real by maintaining normalcy, otherwise they would suspect that her intentions were not genuine and take strong action against the family.

Question 2: Papa was strict. "Nothing. We don't even go down there - not a care in the world."
i) What was papa's plan to prevent the Nazi from finding Max?
ii) Why do you think he wanted to pretend as though they did not have ‘a care in the world?
Answer:
i) The NSDAP members had already arrived, so there wasn’t enough time to shift Max from the basement to Liesel’s room.  Papa’s plan was that everyone would behave as if nothing had happened and receive the party members as naturally and cordially.
ii) He pretended as if they don’t care because he did not want them to suspect him.

Question 3: Liesel could not ward off the thought of Max...hugging it to his chest.
i) Do you think Liesel and the Hubermanns were fond of Max? Or were they only worried about being punished for helping a Jew?
Answer:
i) Liesel and the Hubermanns were fond of Max, because after the Nazi inspection officer left, they quickly went up  and were happy that he was alive and were relieved. They could empathize with Max’ fear and helplessness which shows their concern for Max.

Question 4: Max claims that he would not have used the pair of scissors he was found holding.
Answer: There is uncertainty, here however the author wants the reader to imagine that the pair of scissors would have been used to protect himself in case the Nazi found him and tried to arrest him. Max claims that he had never meant to use them as a weapon, but given the nervous state he was in, no one can be sure as to what he would have done, if he had been discovered by the Nazis.

Question 5: How does Liesel prove herself to be clever and resourceful girl with courage and self-control?
Answer: Liesel hatches a plan quickly so that she could slip away from the game and reach her home under the pretext of injury. She intends to warn her parents about the inspection of basement by Nazis without an air of suspicion. Liesel's uses her creativity and distract the officer from the real issue by pretending pain. She tried to remain casual with great grit.