Class 12 English Chapter 7 The Interview Question Answer to each chapter is provided in the list so that you can easily browse through different chapters Assam Board Class 12th English Chapter 7 The Interview and select needs one.
Class 12 English Chapter 7 The Interview
Also, you can read the SCERT book online in these sections Solutions by Expert Teachers as per SCERT (CBSE) Book guidelines. These solutions are part of SCERT All Subject Solutions. Here we have given Assam Board Class 12 English Chapter 7 The Interview Solutions for All Subjects, You can practice these here.
The Interview
Lesson – 7
PROSE
Page No – 69
THINK AS YOU READ |
1. What are some of the positive views on interviews?
Ans: Interviews are useful means of communication. Almost every literate person has read an interview at least once in their life. It is a source of truth. In practice, it is an art and varies in its function, methods and merits.
2. Why do most celebrity writers despise being interviewed?
Ans: Most celebrity writers despise interviews as an unwarranted intrusion into their lives or feel that it somehow diminishes them. They consider themselves victims of interviews.
3. What is the belief in some primitive cultures about being photographed?
Ans: Some primitive cultures believed that photographing a person is no less than stealing his/her soul out of the body and rendering him incomplete and slighted.
4. What do you understand by the expression ‘‘thumbprints on his windpipe’’?
Ans: Celebrity writer Saul Bellow, who was interviewed on several occasions, described the experience as ‘thumbprints on his windpipe’ which means having been muffled. He considers it an assault on his personality, as it causes excessive tension.
5. Who, in today’s world, is our chief source of information about personalities?
Ans: In today’s world, interviews have become a common feature in journalism and are regarded as an effective means of communication. Countless celebrities have been interviewed, offering valuable insights. Interviews provide detailed and reliable information, allowing us to understand people’s experiences, views, and emotions through direct interaction.
UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT |
1. Do you think Umberto Eco likes being interviewed? Give reasons for your opinion.
Ans: Yes, Umberto Eco likes being interviewed.
The reasons for my answer are:
(i) He answered all the questions fully and patiently without showing any hurry or nervousness.
(ii) He considers his achievement very modest. He expresses his philosophical interest clearly.
(iii) He tells the secret about his work.
(iv) He elaborated his approach which was unique.
(v) He does not show any sort of dislike for being interviewed.
2. How does Eco find the time to write so much?
Ans: There are two factors that explain how Eco was able to write so much. According to Eco, everyone has empty spaces in their day-periods when they are not engaged in important tasks. He says that he did most of his writing during these free intervals. Second, he explains that people wondered that he (Eco) had written so much on various subjects. But the fact is that he was writing on the same lines and with the same interests-peace, non-violence, etc. All his works were linked with the thread of common interests. It saves his time and he could write a lot in a short period of time. That was the secret behind Eco’s prolific pen.
3. What was distinctive about Eco’s academic writing style?
Ans: Eco’s academic writing style was quite distinctive. His non-fictional writing, scholarly work had a certain playful and personal quality about them. It was a marked departure from a regular academic style which generally is invariably depersonalised and often dry and boring.
4. Did Umberto Eco consider himself a novelist first or an academic scholar?
Ans: Umberto Eco viewed himself primarily as an academic scholar and a novelist only secondarily. He emphasized this by stating, “I consider myself a university professor who writes novels on Sundays.” During weekdays, he engaged in academic conferences and focused on scholarly, non-fictional work.
5. What is the reason for the huge success of the novel, The Name of the Rose?
Ans: The reason behind the huge success of the novel The Name of the Rose remains a mystery to this day. But it was such a novel written in that era that touched the hearts of many people though it was one of the very serious novels. Even the author himself did not expect this massive success. Apart from being a mystery novel, it also has a mix of metaphysics, theology and medieval history.
TALKING ABOUT THE TEXT |
Discuss in pairs or small groups.
1. Talk about any interview that you have 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?
Ans: I recently watched the exclusive interview of Neeraj Chopra, the sole gold medalist in Javelin throw from India in Tokyo, 2020 Olympics on a popular news channel. In the interview, he expressed his happiness over the win. His expressions and words told the joy of winning a gold medal in the largest sports event in the world. He expressed his gratitude towards the coaches and the training programmes he attended for his preparations. He humbly expressed his gratitude to all Indians and his peers whose hard work was his motivation. The interviewer asked questions related to his preparations for the big stage and about his future goals. The interview summed up to me as presenting a highly achieved athlete also as a hardworking humble human who brought so much joy to his fellow countrymen. The interview especially gives future Indian athletes the confidence to achieve heights.
2. The medium you like best for an interview, print, radio, or television.
Ans: I like best for an interview print, Radio or television are:
(i) It is both audio-visual mediums.
(ii) It shows whole functions, methods, and merits.
(iii) The way questions are put in front of celebrities and the way they try to give a positive response in every possible way is interesting.
(iv) Most of the celebrities criticise the interviews saying the interviewers misinterpret their words but on television, it is not possible as what they are saying is understandable
3. Every famous person has a right to his or her privacy. Interviewers sometimes embarrass celebrities with very personal questions.
Ans: Interviewers want to present exclusive and intimate details about the famous person they are interviewing. Some interviewers focus on the public life and achievements of the individual only. They try to be objective in their approach as well as assessment. However there are others who want to make their interviews more spicy and usually cross the thin limit of privacy of the individual. In their zeal to present a good copy they embrace the famous person with the personal questions. Sometimes the impact of such questions on a famous person reveals his/her aversion as well as irritation at the silliness of the person. If they shout they are accused of being rude and proud and if they keep mum they are labelled as arrogant. In my opinion privacy of an individual must be respected.

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