Question Bank — The Third Level

Section A — MCQs (10 questions, 1 mark each)

1. What does Charley initially believe the third level represents?
   a) A new subway line
   b) A waking-dream wish fulfillment
   c) An actual historical railway platform
   d) A hallucination caused by overwork

2. In the story, what activity does Charley’s psychiatrist friend describe as a “temporary refuge from reality”?
   a) Collecting stamps
   b) Taking the subway
   c) Visiting Galesburg
   d) Reading old newspapers

3. Assertion (A): Charley finds the third level because Grand Central Station is constantly expanding like a tree.
   Reason (R): The station’s many corridors and staircases allow people to get lost easily.
   a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
   b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
   c) A is true but R is false.
   d) A is false but R is true.

4. What year is printed on the newspaper Charley sees on the third level?
   a) 1894
   b) 1914
   c) 1945
   d) 1950

5. Assertion (A): Sam Weiner disappears from the present and is found living in 1894 Galesburg.
   Reason (R): Sam buys old-style currency worth eight hundred dollars and moves to the past.
   a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
   b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
   c) A is true but R is false.
   d) A is false but R is true.

6. What does Charley notice about the money he carries on the third level?
   a) It is insufficient for two tickets
   b) It is old-style currency, larger and different-looking
   c) It is rejected because it is counterfeit
   d) It is accepted without question

7. Which detail first convinces Charley that he has reached 1894?
   a) The brass spittoons
   b) The gaslights and people’s clothing
   c) The Currier & Ives locomotive
   d) The front page of The World

8. Why does the ticket clerk refuse Charley’s money?
   a) The amount is short
   b) The bills are not the currency of 1894
   c) Charley is wearing modern clothes
   d) The clerk suspects Charley is trying to cheat him

9. What is the address written on the first-day cover Charley discovers?
   a) 941 Willard Street, Galesburg, Illinois
   b) Grand Central Station, New York
   c) 55th Street, New York
   d) Roosevelt Hotel, New York

10. What does Sam invite Charley and Louisa to do in his letter?
    a) Join him in 1894 Galesburg
    b) Stop looking for the third level
    c) Sell their stamp collection
    d) Visit him at his psychiatric clinic

Section B — Reference to Context (3 extracts, 4 marks each)

Extract 1

“The corridor I was in began angling left and slanting downward… Then I heard that sort of hollow roar ahead that means open space and people talking. The tunnel turned sharp left; I went down a short flight of stairs and came out on the third level at Grand Central Station.”

i. Who is the speaker and what context leads him to this moment?
ii. What does the speaker discover immediately after emerging from the tunnel?
iii. Identify the literary device used in “Grand Central is growing like a tree.”
iv. Infer why the lights on the third level appear “dim and sort of flickering.”

Extract 2

“I turned toward the ticket windows knowing that here—on the third level at Grand Central—I could buy tickets that would take Louisa and me anywhere in the United States we wanted to go. In the year 1894. And I wanted two tickets to Galesburg, Illinois.”

i. Name the speaker and the person he wishes to take with him.
ii. Why does the speaker specifically want to go to Galesburg?
iii. Pick out one example of imagery that shows the peaceful life of 1894.
iv. What fear prevents the speaker from purchasing the tickets immediately?

Extract 3

“The paper inside wasn’t blank. It read: 941 Willard Street, Galesburg, Illinois, July 18, 1894… Come on back, Charley and Louisa. Keep looking till you find the third level! It’s worth it, believe me! The note is signed Sam.”

i. Who wrote the note and to whom is it addressed?
ii. What proof does the note provide that the third level exists?
iii. Identify the literary device in the phrase “the postmark proves the date.”
iv. What does the note reveal about Sam’s earlier profession?

Section C — Short Answer (5 questions, 3 marks each)

1. Why does Charley’s wife become angry with the psychiatrist?
2. How does the description of Galesburg in 1894 contrast with the modern world?
3. What happens when Charley tries to buy tickets on the third level?
4. Why does Charley stop searching for the third level for a while?
5. What discovery in his stamp collection convinces Charley that Sam has reached 1894?

Section D — Long Answer (2 questions, 6 marks each)

1. Charley is an ordinary man who longs for peace and security. Draw a character sketch of Charley in 100-120 words.
2. “The modern world is full of insecurity, fear, war, worry and stress.” How does the story “The Third Level” show the human desire to escape these problems? Answer in 100-120 words.

Section E — Language and Writing (2 questions, 4 marks each)

1. From the unit, fill in the blanks with appropriate words:
   a) The lights were open-flame _.
   b) The clerk said, “That ain’t _, mister.”
   c) Sam bought eight hundred dollars’ worth of old-style _.
   d) A first-day cover is never _.

2. Write a diary entry (50-60 words) as Charley after he finds Sam’s letter, expressing his feelings about the possibility of reaching the third level with Louisa.