THE PEDESTRIAN, PART 3, PAGE-161, 162 & 163:

 

THE PEDESTRIAN, PART 3, PAGE-161, 162 & 163:

GLOSSARY, PARAPHRASE & QUESTION-ANSWERS

Text:

He came to a cloverleaf intersection which stood silent where two main highways crossed the town.

During the day it was a thunderous surge of cars, the gas stations open, a great insect rustling and a ceaseless jockeying for position as the scarab-beetles, a faint incense puttering from their exhausts, skimmed homeward to the far directions.

But now these highways, too, were like streams in a dry season, all stone and bed and moon radiance.

He turned back on a side street, circling around toward his home.

He was within a block of his destination when the lone car turned a corner quite suddenly and flashed a fierce white cone stood entranced, not unlike a night moth, of light upon him.

He stood entranced, not unlike a night moth, stunned by the illumination, and then drawn toward it.

A metallic voice called to him: "Stand still. Stay where you are! Don't move!"

He halted.

"Put up your hands!"

"But-" he said.

"Your hands up! Or we'll Shoot!"

The police, of course, but what a rare, incredible thing; in a city of three million, there was only one police car left, wasn't that correct?

Ever since a year ago, 2052, the election year, the force had been cut down from three cars to one.

Crime was ebbing, there was no need now for the police, save for this one lone car wandering and wandering the empty streets.

"Your name?" said the police car in a metallic whisper.

He couldn't see the men in it for the bright light in his eyes.

"Leonard Mead," he said.

"Speak up!"

"Leonard Mead!"

"Business or profession?"

"I guess you'd call me a writer"

"No profession," said the police car, as if talking to itself.

The light held him fixed, like a museum specimen, needle thrust through chest.

"You might say that," said Mr. Mead.

He hadn't written in years.

Magazines and books didn't sell any more.

Everything went on in the tomblike houses at night now, he thought, continuing his fancy.

The tombs, ill-lit by television light, where the people sat like the dead, the gray or multi-coloured lights touching their faces, but never really touching them.

"No profession," said the phonograph voice, hissing.

"What are you doing out?"

"Walking," said Leonard Mead.

"Walking!"

"Just walking," he said simply, but his face felt cold.

"Walking, just walking, walking?"

"Yes, sir."

"Walking where? For what?"

"Walking for air. Walking to see."

"Your address!"

"Eleven South Saint James Street."

"And there is air in your house, you have an air conditioner, Mr. Mead?"

"Yes."

"And you have a viewing screen in your house to see with?"

"No."

"No?" There was a crackling quiet that in itself was an accusation.

"Are you married, Mr. Mead?

"No."

Glossary

1. Cloverleaf intersection - a type of highway intersection where roads meet in a cloverleaf pattern

2. thunderous - likely a typo or variation of "thunderous", meaning making a loud noise like thunder

3. Scarab-beetles - a type of beetle, often used as a metaphor for cars

4. Incense - a fragrant smoke or perfume, here used to describe the exhaust fumes

5. Moon radiance - the soft light of the moon

6. Entranced - hypnotized or captivated

7. Metallic voice - a voice that sounds mechanical or artificial

8. Ebbed - decreased or flowed back

9. Phonograph voice - a voice that sounds like it's coming from an old record player

10. Tomblike houses - houses that are like tombs, dark and quiet

11. Viewing screen - a screen for watching television or other media

12. Ill-lit - poorly lit

13. Multi-coloured lights - lights of many colours

14. Crackling quiet - a tense silence

15. Accusation - a charge or blame

Simplified Summary of the Text:

1. He came to a cloverleaf intersection which stood silent where two main highways crossed the town. He reached a clover-shaped road crossing where two big highways met, and it was completely silent.

2. During the day it was a thunderous surge of cars, the gas stations open, a great insect rustling and a ceaseless jockeying for position as the scarab-beetles, a faint incense puttering from their exhausts, skimmed homeward to the far directions. In the daytime, the place was full of noise and movement — cars rushed by like a loud, endless swarm of beetles, their engines making a soft humming sound as they hurried home in every direction.

3. But now these highways, too, were like streams in a dry season, all stone and bed and moon radiance. But now, the highways were completely empty, like dry riverbeds shining under the moonlight.

4. He turned back on a side street, circling around toward his home. He turned onto a smaller road, walking in a roundabout way toward his house.

5. He was within a block of his destination when the lone car turned a corner quite suddenly and flashed a fierce white cone of light upon him. When he was just one block away from his home, a single car suddenly appeared around a corner and shone a bright white beam of light directly at him.

6. He stood entranced, not unlike a night moth, stunned by the illumination, and then drawn toward it. He froze in surprise, like a moth caught in bright light—dazzled but strangely drawn to it.

7. A metallic voice called to him: "Stand still. Stay where you are! Don't move!" A mechanical-sounding voice from the car shouted, “Stop! Stay where you are! Don’t move!”

8. He halted. He stopped moving.

9. "Put up your hands!" The voice ordered him to raise his hands.

10. "But-" he said. He started to protest or question.

11. "Your hands up! Or we'll shoot!" The voice warned him again — raise your hands, or we’ll fire!

12. The police, of course, but what a rare, incredible thing; in a city of three million, there was only one police car left, wasn't that correct? It was the police, of course—but that was strange, since in a city of three million people there was only one police car left, wasn’t that true?

13. Ever since a year ago, 2052, the election year, the force had been cut down from three cars to one. Since the last election year, 2052, the police force had been reduced—from three cars to only one.

14. Crime was ebbing, there was no need now for the police, save for this one lone car wandering and wandering the empty streets. Crime had nearly disappeared, so they no longer needed many police; only this single patrol car roamed the deserted streets.

15. "Your name?" said the police car in a metallic whisper. The police car asked in its robotic voice, “What’s your name?”

16. He couldn't see the men in it for the bright light in his eyes. He couldn’t see any officers inside because the car’s bright light blinded him.

17. "Leonard Mead," he said. He replied, “Leonard Mead.”

18. "Speak up!" The voice demanded that he speak louder.

19. "Leonard Mead!" He repeated his name loudly: “Leonard Mead!”

20. "Business or profession?" The voice asked, “What’s your job or profession?”

21. "I guess you'd call me a writer." He said, “I suppose you’d call me a writer.”

22. "No profession," said the police car, as if talking to itself. The car muttered coldly, “No profession,” as though writing wasn’t a real job anymore.

23. The light held him fixed, like a museum specimen, needle thrust through chest. The light stayed focused on him, making him feel like an insect pinned in a museum display.

24. "You might say that," said Mr. Mead. Mr. Mead said softly, “You could say that.”

25. He hadn't written in years. He hadn’t actually written anything for years.

26. Magazines and books didn't sell any more. People no longer bought magazines or books.

27. Everything went on in the tomblike houses at night now, he thought, continuing his fancy. He thought that now everyone lived inside their dark, silent houses at night—like tombs.

28. The tombs, ill-lit by television light, where the people sat like the dead, the gray or multi-coloured lights touching their faces, but never really touching them. Inside those “tombs,” people sat motionless, lit by dim, ghostly TV light that touched their faces but left them emotionally lifeless.

29. "No profession," said the phonograph voice, hissing. The police voice repeated sharply, “No profession.”

30. "What are you doing out?" It asked, “Why are you outside?”

31. "Walking," said Leonard Mead. Leonard Mead answered, “Walking.”

32. "Walking!" The voice repeated the word with disbelief.

33. "Just walking," he said simply, but his face felt cold. He calmly said, “Just walking,” but he suddenly felt nervous and chilled.

34. "Walking, just walking, walking?" The voice repeated suspiciously, “Walking? Just walking? Walking?”

35. "Yes, sir." He replied politely, “Yes, sir.”

36. "Walking where? For what?" The voice questioned, “Walking where? What for?”

37. "Walking for air. Walking to see." He said, “To get some fresh air. To look around.”

38. "Your address!" The voice demanded, “What’s your address?”

39. "Eleven South Saint James Street." He replied, “Eleven South Saint James Street.”

40. "And there is air in your house, you have an air conditioner, Mr. Mead?" The voice asked sarcastically, “You have air at home, right? You’ve got an air conditioner?”

41. "Yes." He answered, “Yes.”

42. "And you have a viewing screen in your house to see with?" The car asked, “And you have a television screen at home to look at, don’t you?”

43. "No." He said, “No.”

44. "No?" There was a crackling quiet that in itself was an accusation. The voice repeated “No?”—and then there was a tense silence, as if his answer itself was suspicious or criminal.

45. "Are you married, Mr. Mead?" It asked, “Are you married, Mr. Mead?”

46. "No." He replied, “No.”

1. Multiple Choice Questions

1. Where did Leonard Mead come to at the beginning of the passage?

a) A gas station b) A cloverleaf intersection c) A library d) A park

Answer: b) A cloverleaf intersection

2. What crossed the town at the intersection?

a) Two main highways b) Two rivers c) Two rail lines d) Two alleys

Answer: a) Two main highways

3. During the day, how was the intersection described?

a) Silent and empty b) A thunderous surge of cars c) Peaceful and calm d) Full of pedestrians

Answer: b) A thunderous surge of cars

4. What were the cars compared to?

a) Birds b) Scarab-beetles c) Wolves d) Fish

Answer: b) Scarab-beetles

5. What did the exhausts of the cars produce?

a) Thick smoke b) Faint incense c) Loud noise d) Sparks

Answer: b) Faint incense

6. What were the highways like at night?

a) Rivers b) Streams in a dry season c) Busy markets d) Forest paths

Answer: b) Streams in a dry season

7. What illuminated the empty highways?

a) Streetlights b) The moon c) Car headlights d) Shop lights

Answer: b) The moon

8. Where did Mead turn next?

a) To the highway b) To a side street c) To a forest road d) To the main square

Answer: b) To a side street

9. How far was he from home when the car appeared?

a) Two blocks b) One block c) Half a mile d) Several blocks

Answer: b) One block

10. What kind of light did the car flash on him?

a) Red beam b) Fierce white cone of light c) Blue police light d) Yellow glare

Answer: b) Fierce white cone of light

11. What was Mead compared to when stunned by the light?

a) A bird b) A night moth c) A shadow d) A ghost

Answer: b) A night moth

12. Who called out to him?

a) A passerby b) A metallic voice c) His neighbour d) A robot

Answer: b) A metallic voice

13. What was Mead ordered to do first?

a) Run away b) Stay where he was c) Kneel down d) Get into the car

Answer: b) Stay where he was

14. What was he told to do next?

a) Raise his hands b) Sit down c) Lie on the ground d) Turn around

Answer: a) Raise his hands

15. Who was inside the car?

a) Police b) Soldiers c) Reporters d) Robots

Answer: a) Police

16. How many police cars were left in the city?

a) Ten b) Five c) One d) None

Answer: c) One

17. What was the population of the city?

a) One million b) Two million c) Three million d) Four million

Answer: c) Three million

18. In which year had the police force been cut down?

a) 2040 b) 2050 c) 2052 d) 2055

Answer: c) 2052

19. Why had the police force been reduced?

a) Budget issues b) Crime was ebbing c) Political change d) Population decline

Answer: b) Crime was ebbing

20. What was the only police car doing?

a) Patrolling the countryside b) Wandering the empty streets c) Guarding the station d) Escorting politicians

Answer: b) Wandering the empty streets

21. What was Mead’s full name?

a) Leonard Hill b) Leonard Mead c) Leonard Dean d) Leonard Reed

Answer: b) Leonard Mead

22. What did the police car ask next?

a) His job b) His family c) His religion d) His friends

Answer: a) His job

23. What did Mead say he was?

a) A teacher b) A doctor c) A writer d) An artist

Answer: c) A writer

24. What did the police car say after hearing his profession?

a) "Good job" b) "No profession" c) "Interesting" d) "Writer approved"

Answer: b) "No profession"

25. What was the light compared to when holding him fixed?

a) A sunbeam b) A museum specimen c) A camera flash d) A prison light

Answer: b) A museum specimen

26. Why hadn’t Mead written in years?

a) He was lazy b) Books didn’t sell c) He had no paper d) He was banned

Answer: b) Books didn’t sell

27. Where did people spend their nights now?

a) In theatres b) In tomblike houses c) In parks d) On streets

Answer: b) In tomblike houses

28. What light filled those houses?

a) Candlelight b) Television light c) Sunlight d) Neon light

Answer: b) Television light

29. How did people sit inside their houses?

a) Like the dead b) Like readers c) Like dancers d) Like thinkers

Answer: a) Like the dead

30. What kind of voice did the police car have?

a) Soft b) Hissing phonograph c) Gentle d) Human

Answer: b) Hissing phonograph

31. What did the car ask him after learning his name?

a) What are you doing out? b) Where do you live? c) Who sent you? d) What’s your age?

Answer: a) What are you doing out?

32. What did Mead reply he was doing?

a) Running b) Writing c) Walking d) Watching TV

Answer: c) Walking

33. How did he describe his walking?

a) For air and to see b) For money c) For fame d) For duty

Answer: a) For air and to see

34. What emotion did Mead feel on his face?

a) Warmth b) Cold c) Fear d) Anger

Answer: b) Cold

35. What was his address?

a) 10 South James Street b) 11 South Saint James Street c) 15 North Street d) 12 East Street

Answer: b) 11 South Saint James Street

36. What did the car ask about air?

a) If he had an air conditioner b) If he liked air c) If air was polluted d) If he was allergic

Answer: a) If he had an air conditioner

37. What did the car ask about viewing?

a) If he watched movies b) If he had a viewing screen c) If he liked reading d) If he drew pictures

Answer: b) If he had a viewing screen

38. What was his answer about the viewing screen?

a) Yes b) Sometimes c) No d) Maybe

Answer: c) No

39. How did the car react to his answer?

a) Calmly b) With a crackling quiet c) With laughter d) With praise

Answer: b) With a crackling quiet

40. What did the crackling quiet suggest?

a) Approval b) Accusation c) Sadness d) Confusion

Answer: b) Accusation

41. What was the next question the police asked?

a) “Are you married?” b) “Do you work?” c) “Do you believe in God?” d) “Do you have a car?”

Answer: a) “Are you married?”

42. What was Mead’s marital status?

a) Married b) Divorced c) Widowed d) Unmarried

Answer: d) Unmarried

43. What time period does the story take place in?

a) 2000s b) 2052 c) 2025 d) 2080

Answer: b) 2052

44. What was rare in the city at night?

a) Light b) A police car c) Noise d) People walking

Answer: d) People walking

45. How many people lived in the city?

a) One million b) Three million c) Five million d) Two million

Answer: b) Three million

46. What did the police car use to question Mead?

a) A human officer b) A metallic voice c) A hologram d) A loudspeaker

Answer: b) A metallic voice

47. What was Mead accused of indirectly?

a) Being old-fashioned b) Having no purpose c) Being abnormal d) Stealing

Answer: c) Being abnormal

48. What had replaced human interaction in homes?

a) Television viewing b) Books c) Radios d) Newspapers

Answer: a) Television viewing

49. What imagery shows the lifelessness of society?

a) Tombs and dead faces b) Blossoms and sunlight c) Cities and laughter d) Rivers and birds

Answer: a) Tombs and dead faces

50. What theme is suggested by Mead’s loneliness?

a) Isolation in a mechanical world b) Hope for future c) Progress and joy d) Peaceful technology

Answer: a) Isolation in a mechanical world

2. One-mark questions

1. Who is the main character in the passage? → The main character in the passage is Leonard Mead.

2. Where was Leonard Mead walking? → Leonard Mead was walking along the silent streets of the city at night.

3. What kind of intersection did he come to? → He came to a cloverleaf intersection where two highways crossed.

4. How is the intersection described at night? → It is described as silent and empty under the moonlight.

5. How was the same place during the day? → During the day, it was full of cars and noise.

6. To what are cars compared in the passage? → The cars are compared to scarab beetles.

7. What smell or sound came from the cars? → A faint incense-like sound came from their exhausts.

8. What were the highways like at night? → The highways were like dry streams shining under the moon.

9. Where was Leonard Mead heading? → He was heading toward his home.

10. How far was he from home when he saw the car? → He was within a block of his home.

11. What suddenly appeared around the corner? → A lone police car suddenly appeared.

12. What did the police car flash on him? → It flashed a fierce white cone of light on him.

13. How did Leonard react to the light? → He stood entranced, like a night moth, stunned by the light.

14. What did the metallic voice command him to do first? → It commanded him to stand still and not move.

15. What was the second command? → The second command was to put up his hands.

16. What did the police threaten if he didn’t obey? → They threatened to shoot him.

17. How many people lived in the city? → About three million people lived in the city.

18. How many police cars were left in the city? → Only one police car was left in the city.

19. When had the police force been reduced? → It had been reduced in the election year 2052.

20. From how many cars was the police force cut down? → It was cut down from three cars to one.

21. Why was the number of police cars reduced? → It was reduced because crime was declining.

22. What was the only police car doing at night? → It was wandering the empty streets.

23. What did the police car first ask Leonard? → It asked him for his name.

24. Why couldn’t Leonard see anyone inside the car? → Because the bright light blinded his eyes.

25. What did Leonard say his name was? → He said his name was Leonard Mead.

26. What was Leonard’s profession? → He said he was a writer.

27. How did the police car respond to his profession? → It said “No profession,” as if writing was not a real job.

28. Why had Leonard not written in years? → Because books and magazines no longer sold.

29. What did people do at night instead of going out? → They stayed indoors watching television.

30. How does Leonard describe people’s houses? → He describes them as tomblike houses.

31. What light came from the houses? → A dim, gray or multi-coloured television light came from them.

32. How does Leonard describe the people inside? → He says they sat like the dead, lifeless in front of the screens.

33. What did the police car ask Leonard why he was out for? → It asked him what he was doing outside at night.

34. What was Leonard’s simple reply? → He said he was walking.

35. Why did Leonard say he was walking? → He said he was walking for air and to see.

36. What was Leonard’s address? → His address was Eleven South Saint James Street.

37. What question did the police ask about air? → It asked if there was air in his house through an air conditioner.

38. What did the police ask about the viewing screen? → It asked if he had a viewing screen to see with.

39. What was Leonard’s answer about the viewing screen? → He said he didn’t have one.

40. How did the police react to Leonard not owning a screen? → The police became silent, as if his answer was suspicious or wrong.

3. “Who said to whom?”

10. “I guess you’d call me a writer.” …

1. “Stand still. Stay where you are! Don’t move!” → The police car said this to Leonard Mead.

2. “Put up your hands!” → The police car said this to Leonard Mead.

3. “But—” → Leonard Mead said this to the police car.

4. “Your hands up! Or we’ll shoot!” → The police car said this to Leonard Mead.

5. “Your name?” → The police car said this to Leonard Mead.

6. “Leonard Mead.” → Leonard Mead said this to the police car.

7. “Speak up!” → The police car said this to Leonard Mead.

8. “Leonard Mead!” → Leonard Mead said this loudly to the police car.

9. “Business or profession?” → The police car said this to Leonard Mead.

10. “I guess you’d call me a writer.” → Leonard Mead said this to the police car.

11. “No profession.” → The police car said this to Leonard Mead.

12. “You might say that.” → Leonard Mead said this to the police car.

13. “What are you doing out?” → The police car said this to Leonard Mead.

14. “Walking.” → Leonard Mead said this to the police car.

15. “Walking!” → The police car said this to Leonard Mead in disbelief.

16. “Just walking.” → Leonard Mead said this simply to the police car.

17. “Walking, just walking, walking?” → The police car said this mockingly to Leonard Mead.

18. “Yes, sir.” → Leonard Mead said this respectfully to the police car.

19. “Walking where? For what?” → The police car said this to Leonard Mead.

20. “Walking for air. Walking to see.” → Leonard Mead said this to the police car.

21. “Your address!” → The police car said this to Leonard Mead.

22. “Eleven South Saint James Street.” → Leonard Mead said this to the police car.

23. “And there is air in your house, you have an air conditioner, Mr. Mead?” → The police car said this to Leonard Mead.

24. “Yes.” → Leonard Mead said this to the police car.

25. “And you have a viewing screen in your house to see with?” → The police car said this to Leonard Mead.

26. “No.” → Leonard Mead said this to the police car.

27. “No?” → The police car said this suspiciously to Leonard Mead.

28. “Are you married, Mr. Mead?” → The police car said this to Leonard Mead.

29. “No.” → Leonard Mead said this to the police car.

30. “No profession.” → The police car repeated this about Leonard Mead to itself.

4. Reference to Context

RTC 1 “He came to a cloverleaf intersection which stood silent where two main highways crossed the town.”

1. Who is “he” in this line? → Leonard Mead.

2. What is meant by “cloverleaf intersection”? → A road junction shaped like a four-leaf clover where highways cross.

3. What is the mood in this scene? → Silent and lifeless.

4. Why is the intersection silent? → Because no cars or people are around at night.

5. What does this silence symbolize? → The deadness of human life in a mechanical future.

6. What time is described? → Nighttime.                

 

RTC 2 “During the day it was a thunderous surge of cars, the gas stations open, a great insect rustling and a ceaseless jockeying for position.”

1. What contrast is shown here? → Between the noisy day and the quiet night.

2. How are the cars described? → As beetles, restless and noisy.

3. What does “ceaseless jockeying” mean? → Continuous struggle or competition among cars.

4. What literary device is used in describing cars as insects? → Metaphor.

5. What feeling does this image create? → Chaos and mechanical life.

6. What does it suggest about society? → It is busy but meaningless.

 

RTC 3 “But now these highways, too, were like streams in a dry season, all stone and bed and moon radiance.”

1. What comparison is made here? → Highways are compared to dried-up streams.

2. What does this simile suggest? → Emptiness and lifelessness.

3. What does “moon radiance” indicate? → The pale, cold light of the moon.

4. What time is it in the story? → Nighttime.

5. How does the writer create contrast? → By showing the day’s bustle and the night’s silence.

6. What is the mood created? → Calm but eerie loneliness.

 

RTC 4 “He was within a block of his destination when the lone car turned a corner quite suddenly and flashed a fierce white cone of light upon him.”

1. What does “lone car” refer to? → The only police car in the city.

2. What is meant by “fierce white cone of light”? → The bright beam from the car’s headlight.

3. How did Leonard Mead react? → He stood frozen, surprised.

4. What does the sudden appearance of light symbolize? → Authority and control.

5. Why was it unusual to see a police car? → Because only one existed in the whole city.

6. What tone is created by “fierce white cone”? → Fear and tension.

 

RTC 5 “He stood entranced, not unlike a night moth, stunned by the illumination, and then drawn toward it.”

1. What does “entranced” mean here? → Hypnotized or spellbound.

2. What comparison is used? → Leonard is compared to a moth.

3. What does the moth symbolize? → Helpless attraction to danger.

4. What is the source of illumination? → The police car’s light.

5. What emotion does Leonard feel? → Shock and fascination.

6. What literary device is used? → Simile.

 

RTC 6 “A metallic voice called to him: ‘Stand still. Stay where you are! Don’t move!’”

1. Who spoke these words? → The police car’s mechanical voice.

2. What is meant by “metallic voice”? → A cold, robotic, unnatural sound.

3. How did Leonard respond? → He stopped and obeyed.

4. What does this voice represent? → Dehumanized authority.

5. Why is the scene tense? → Leonard is treated like a criminal for walking.

6. What does this show about the future society? → It is controlled and suspicious.

 

RTC 7 “The police, of course, but what a rare, incredible thing; in a city of three million, there was only one police car left.”

1. What surprise does the narrator express? → Only one police car for three million people.

2. What does this indicate about crime? → Crime has almost disappeared.

3. Why might crime have ended? → Because people stay indoors, isolated.

4. What tone does “incredible” suggest? → Amazement and irony.

5. What does this reveal about the world? → It is unnaturally controlled and empty.

6. What theme is suggested? → Loss of social interaction and freedom.

 

RTC 8 “‘Business or profession?’ ‘I guess you’d call me a writer.’”

1. Who asks the question? → The police car.

2. Who replies? → Leonard Mead.

3. What does the car say about his answer? → It says “No profession.”

4. Why does it reject writing as a profession? → Because reading and books are no longer valued.

5. What does this show about society? → It has abandoned creativity.

6. What emotion does Leonard feel? → Sadness and isolation.

 

RTC 9 “The light held him fixed, like a museum specimen, needle thrust through chest.”

1. What is Leonard compared to? → A pinned museum insect.

2. What literary device is used? → Simile.

3. What feeling does this image create? → Helplessness and exposure.

4. What holds him fixed? → The police car’s spotlight.

5. What does this image suggest about humanity? → People are controlled and studied, not free.

6. What tone is used here? → Cold and clinical.

 

RTC 10 “Everything went on in the tomblike houses at night now, he thought.”

1. What are “tomblike houses”? → Houses where people sit silently watching screens.

2. What does the comparison to tombs suggest? → Deathlike inactivity and isolation.

3. What are people doing inside? → Watching television.

4. What does “at night now” imply? → This happens every night routinely.

5. How does Leonard view these houses? → As lifeless prisons.

6. What central idea is shown? → The death of social life due to technology.

 

RTC 11 “‘What are you doing out?’ ‘Walking,’ said Leonard Mead.”

1. Why is Leonard questioned?

→ Because walking outside is unusual.

2. What does his simple answer show?

→ His innocence and love for simple pleasure.

3. How does the car react to his answer?

→ With disbelief and suspicion.

4. What does this suggest about the society?

→ It considers normal human behaviour strange.

5. What emotion does Leonard feel?

→ Fear and confusion.

6. What theme is highlighted?

→ The loss of individuality.

5. Two-mark Questions

1. Why was the cloverleaf intersection described as silent?

→ The cloverleaf intersection was silent because no cars or people were around. Once a busy crossing, it had become empty at night, symbolizing the death of human movement and interaction in the futuristic, television-obsessed city where everyone stayed indoors.

2. How does Bradbury compare cars to insects?

→ Bradbury compares cars to scarab beetles to highlight their mechanical, lifeless nature. He describes the cars as buzzing and rustling like insects, creating a world where machines dominate, and human individuality and vitality have been replaced by routine mechanical motion.

3. What does the imagery of “streams in a dry season” suggest?

→ The “streams in a dry season” image suggests emptiness and lifelessness. Once full of flowing cars and activity, the highways now resemble dry riverbeds under the moonlight, symbolizing how human life and movement have vanished from the outside world.

4. Why was the police car’s appearance surprising to Leonard Mead?

→ It was surprising because in a city of three million, only one police car remained. Crime had declined so much that police were barely needed. Seeing this lone patrol car was therefore rare and extraordinary in the deserted city streets.

5. Why was Leonard Mead walking alone at night?

→ Leonard Mead walked alone for fresh air and to observe the quiet world around him. Unlike others who stayed inside watching television, he enjoyed solitude and reflection, preferring real experiences over the artificial comfort of screens and machines.

6. What was strange about the police car’s questioning?

→ The police car’s questioning was mechanical, emotionless, and suspicious of simple human behaviour like walking. It treated Leonard’s peaceful act as abnormal, showing how the society had lost understanding of natural, independent actions and relied on programmed surveillance.

7. Why did the police car consider Leonard’s profession “no profession”?

→ The police car dismissed Leonard’s writing as “no profession” because in that futuristic society, books and magazines were obsolete. People no longer read; they watched screens. Hence, creative or intellectual work like writing had lost all social and economic value.

8. What does the phrase “needle thrust through chest” imply about Leonard?

→ It implies that Leonard felt trapped and exposed under the car’s blinding light, like an insect pinned for display. This metaphor suggests dehumanization and the loss of dignity under technological control, turning him into a mere specimen of abnormality.

9. How does the story show the loss of real human interaction?

→ The story shows people staying inside their homes, absorbed in television, never communicating or meeting others. The streets are empty, and Leonard’s walking is seen as strange. Human warmth, talk, and emotion have vanished, replaced by mechanical isolation.

10. Why are people’s houses called “tombs”?

→ The houses are called “tombs” because they are dark, silent, and lifeless. People sit like the dead before their televisions, surrounded by artificial light but spiritually dead, completely detached from nature and each other.

11. What does “gray or multi-coloured lights touching their faces, but never really touching them” mean?

→ It means that television light creates a false sense of connection. It touches their faces physically but not emotionally or spiritually, showing that technology cannot replace genuine human warmth or emotional experience.

12. What does Leonard Mead’s character represent?

→ Leonard Mead represents individuality, freedom, and resistance against conformity. He values walking, thinking, and observing life, unlike the rest of society that lives mechanically. He symbolizes the human spirit that refuses to be subdued by technology.

13. What attitude does the police car show toward individuality?

→ The police car’s attitude is suspicious and hostile. It cannot comprehend individual thought or harmless activities like walking. It enforces conformity, seeing nonconformity as a threat to social order in a fully automated world.

14. Why does Leonard’s face feel cold during questioning?

→ Leonard’s face feels cold because he realizes he is being judged and treated as a criminal for something natural. The coldness reflects both fear and the chilling realization of how lifeless and mechanical his world has become.

15. How does the story depict technological domination?

→ The story shows technology controlling every aspect of life. Machines patrol the streets, television replaces conversation, and creativity has vanished. Humans have surrendered their freedom to comfort and automation, becoming passive observers instead of active participants.

16. Why does the police car suspect Leonard for walking?

→ The police car suspects him because walking is unusual in that society. Since no one leaves their home at night, walking without purpose seems suspicious, even criminal, reflecting how society punishes natural human actions.

17. What is the significance of the year 2052 in the story?

→ The year 2052 represents a futuristic, dehumanized world dominated by technology. In this year, even simple activities like walking are viewed as abnormal, showing how far society has moved away from natural, human ways of living.

18. Why does Leonard say he is walking to see?

→ Leonard says he is walking to “see” because he values observation, reflection, and connection with the real world. His words contrast with others who “see” only through television screens, highlighting his independent and thoughtful nature.

19. How does the police car’s tone reveal the state of society?

→ The car’s tone is cold, metallic, and mechanical, symbolizing a world where technology has replaced human judgment. It represents a society where emotions, understanding, and empathy have been replaced by programmed control.

20. What is the main theme of this passage?

→ The main theme is the conflict between individuality and conformity in a technological world. It warns against losing humanity, freedom, and creativity to machines, showing how blind dependence on technology leads to emotional emptiness and isolation

6. Three-Mark Questions

1. How does Bradbury create an atmosphere of loneliness in the passage?

 → Bradbury creates loneliness through the imagery of empty streets, silent intersections, and moonlit highways. The once-busy roads are now lifeless “streams in a dry season.” Leonard Mead walks alone, surrounded by dark, tomblike houses where people sit motionless before television screens. The lack of human presence and the mechanical tone of the police car deepen the sense of isolation and alienation in a dehumanized city.

2. What does Leonard Mead’s habit of walking symbolize?

→ Leonard Mead’s walking symbolizes freedom, individuality, and rebellion against a conformist society. While others stay imprisoned in their homes watching television, he explores the outside world, enjoying nature, air, and observation. His simple walk becomes an act of resistance against technological control. It represents the human desire for thought, connection, and real experience, which the rest of society has surrendered to lifeless screens.

3. Explain how technology has affected human life in the story.

→ Technology has completely dominated human life, replacing real activity with artificial comfort. People stay indoors, absorbed by television, losing interest in reading, conversation, or creativity. Even the police are mechanized, represented by a driverless car that enforces order without emotion. This overdependence has destroyed humanity, making society passive, lifeless, and spiritually empty—a warning of technology’s potential to erase individuality.

4. How does Bradbury use imagery and metaphor to describe the city?

→ Bradbury uses vivid metaphors like “scarab-beetles” for cars and “tombs” for houses to portray a lifeless, mechanical city. Highways are compared to “streams in a dry season,” emphasizing emptiness. The artificial “gray or multi-coloured lights” touching faces suggest false life. These images together create a haunting picture of a world deadened by technology and devoid of natural or emotional vitality.

5. What is the significance of the police car’s dialogue with Leonard Mead?

→ The police car’s dialogue exposes society’s dehumanization. Its metallic, mechanical tone shows the replacement of human authority with machines. It cannot understand simple human actions like walking or writing. Its suspicious, repetitive questioning turns an innocent man into a criminal. The exchange symbolizes the complete loss of empathy and reason in a world governed by programmed conformity.

6. Discuss how Leonard Mead differs from the rest of society.

→ Leonard Mead is unique, thoughtful, and observant. While everyone else stays indoors watching screens, he values solitude, walking, and reflection. He represents the last remnant of humanity, art, and imagination. His rejection of television and his choice to walk show courage and individuality in a world where everyone follows mechanical routines without awareness or emotion.

7. How is conformity criticized in the passage?

→ Conformity is shown as destructive and dehumanizing. Society has stopped thinking independently, relying entirely on television and machines. Even creativity is condemned as “no profession.” The police car represents the force of conformity, treating independent thought and simple actions like walking as crimes. Bradbury criticizes blind obedience and warns that true humanity cannot survive without freedom of thought and individuality.

8. What does the description of people in “tomblike houses” reveal?

→ The description reveals that people have become spiritually dead. They sit motionless, absorbed by television light, cut off from real life and human contact. Their homes resemble tombs, symbols of death and emptiness. The faint glow of the screens offers only the illusion of life, while their minds and souls have become lifeless under technological domination.

9. How does the passage reflect Bradbury’s warning about the future?

→ The passage warns that overdependence on technology can destroy imagination, human connection, and freedom. In the futuristic city of 2052, people live isolated lives, controlled by machines. Even harmless individuality is viewed as rebellion. Bradbury cautions that if society continues to replace thinking and feeling with screens, humanity itself will disappear into mechanical emptiness.

10. What message does “The Pedestrian” convey about modern civilization?

→ The story conveys that modern civilization, driven by comfort and technology, risks losing its humanity. The empty streets, silent houses, and mechanical police reflect a society that has surrendered thought, art, and emotion. Through Leonard Mead, Bradbury urges readers to preserve individuality, creativity, and human warmth before mechanization completely erases what makes life meaningful.

 

COURTESY: Meta AI & ChatGPT

Compiled by Dr. Shankar D Mishra

 

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