NCERT Solutions for Class-12 English (Vistas) Chapter-1 The Third Level

NCERT TEXTBOOK QUESTIONS

Reading with insight !!

Question 1. What does the third level refer to?
Answer: The world between desire or a dream and reality is the third level. We construct a fantasy world for ourselves and periodically try to allude to it. Most of the time, it depicts the straightforward past of our ancestors, who, in our opinion, were happy. It is an escapism world that one enters to escape the issues, concerns, fears, and tensions of the present.

Question 2. Would Charley ever go back to the ticket-counter on the third level to buy tickets to Galesburg for himself and his wife?
Answer: Man seeks temporary release from the stress of his current existence through time travel. Charley had also built a fantastical universe. So, in order to purchase tickets from the third level to Galesburg, Illinois, he converted all of his money into currency of 1894. The third level did not exist, therefore he was unable to locate it again.

Reading With Insight !!

Question 1. Do you think that the third level was a medium of escape for Charley? Why?
Answer: Time travel is man's means of escaping the uncertainty, anxiety, and anxieties that characterise modern life. Man occasionally looks for solace in his fantasies and his wistful memories of nicer times in the past. Yes, Charley used the third level as his means of escape from the crazy rat race of modern society.

Question 2. What do you infer from Sam’s letter to Charley?
Answer: Sam's letter demonstrates how many people want for a simpler, less stressful, and happier time. In time travel, he had also discovered relief from the stress and haste of contemporary life. Sam had mastered the ability to travel back in time to the era of his forefathers, whose standard of living he believed to be superior to their current state.

Question 3. The modern world is full of insecurity, fear, war, worry and stress. What are the ways in which we attempt to overcome them?
Answer: Man frequently imagines a realm that lies midway between his desire and reality and finds solace there by mentally transferring himself. Another method for reducing stress is time travel. We go back in time to a period that we perceive as being calmer and happier. Also frequently used as a means of escaping the oppressive present are nostalgic recollections.

Question 4. Do you see an intersection of time and space in the story?
Answer: Yes, the narrative demonstrates how time and place are intertwined. First, the third level of Grand Central Station was built in the 1890s, whereas the first two levels were situated in the present. Second, although living in the present with his wife Louisa, Charley travels to obtain ancient money to pay for his travel to the Galesburg of 1894. The third-level platform's historic architecture is distinct from its contemporary counterpart. The people's antiquated attire and The World's article from June 11, 1894, both have similarities to Charley's real-world surroundings and situation. The letter that was sent to Charley's grandfather on July 18, 1894, again emphasises how time and space are intertwined.

Question 5. Apparent illogicality sometimes turns out to be a futuristic projection? Discuss.
Answer: It is true that occasionally what seems like insanity is actually a futuristic projection. Many scientific discoveries seemed ludicrous and nonsensical before being given a tangible form by some smart brains. No one could have dared to think that man could fly until the Wright Brothers built the first aeroplane. There are several such instances of innovations that originated in dreams but have now become a part of our daily lives. All of this illustrates how imaginations from a previous era that initially seem nonsensical may end up becoming revolutionary ideas that alter the course of human history. It wouldn't be absurd to imagine train stops with time-travel equipment from one period to another. It will happen in due course.

Question 6. Philately helps keep the past alive. Discuss other ways in which this is done. What do you think of the human tendency to constantly move between the past, the present and the future?

Answer: There are many additional ways to preserve the past than philately. There are several methods to rediscover history, like collecting first-day covers, stamps, historical artefacts, and museum-quality artworks and statues.
The preservation of happy memories from the past through picture albums, letters, etc. Man takes solace in his wistful memories of simpler times. In order to get away from the present, he travels through time and takes himself to the world. He actually alternates between the present and future and the past in an attempt to escape.
A tremendous intellectual gift is the ability to switch between the past, present, and future. By taking use of the past, he is able to prepare for the future in the present thanks to this human inclination. Such a propensity ensures that the effects of significant actions made at any moment are accepted and that lessons may be learned from them.

Question 7. You have read ‘Adventure’ by Jayant Narlikar in Hornbill Class XI. Compare the interweaving of fantasy and reality in the two stories.
Answer: Jayant Narlikar stated in "Adventure" that several universes exist at once even if they seem to be divided by time. He implied that the other world coexisted with our own and flourished alongside it.
A portal to the past of 1894 is discovered by Charley, a young New York commuter lost at Grand Central Station, in the third level. Charley purchases a one-way ticket to his home town of Galesburg, Illinois, in an effort to get away from the grind. But he had to put off his intention to travel back in time due to the circumstances.