THE THIRD LEVEL

 

QUESTION  AND ANSWERS

Question 1.
What does the third level refer to?
Answer:
The third level refers to the subway of Grand Central Station that takes passengers to Galesburg, Illinois. The third level on the station was a medium of escape for Charlie, the narrator from the harsh realities of modern life. It provided him a base where he could interweave fantasy and reality

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:

No, Charley would never go back to the ticket-counter on the third level to buy tickets to Galesburg for himself and his wife because third level was his imagination.

 

Third Level Reading With Insight

Question 1.
Do you think that the third level was a medium of escape for Charley? Why?
Answer:
Yes, I think that the third  level was a medium of escape for Charley. Life today is full of insecurity, fear and worries and time travel is man’s way of escaping from it. Occasionally, man seeks escape into the world of fantasy and his nostalgic memories, the happier times of the past.

Question 2.
What do you infer from Sam’s letter to Charley?
Answer:
Sam’s letter shows man’s pining for the simple, less harassing and a happier era. He too had found respite from the hurry and worry of modern life in time travel. Sam had learnt to transport himself into the time period of his ancestors whose quality of life he considered was better than their present existence.

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 often creates in his fantasy a world which is somewhere between his desire and reality, and often seeks respite by transporting himself to it mentally. Time travel is another way of overcoming stress; we travel back in time to the past which we believe was a quieter and happier era. Nostalgic memories too are often a way of escape from the harassing present.

Question 4.
Do you see an intersection of time and space in the story?
Answer:
Yes, the story clearly shows an intersection of time and space. Firstly, the first two levels of Grand Central Station were located in the present time while the third level existed in the 1890s. Secondly Charley and his wife, Louisa, live in the present time yet Charley goes to get old currency to buy tickets to go to the Galesburg of 1894. The old architecture of the platform at the third level is different from the platform of the modern times. The archaic manner of dressing by the people and the newspaper, The World, dated June 11, 1894 also overlap with Charley’s real time world and existence. Finally, the letter that was mailed to Charley’s Grandfather on 18 July, 1894 highlights the intersection of time and space.

Question 5.

Give the character sketch of Charley in the lesson the Third level?

Answer:

Charley: The protagonist of the story, Charley is a true representative of modem man. He is a victim of stress, insecurity and fear and wants to run away from reality. He is an escapist and wants to escape from the world of harsh realities. He is fond of stamp collection, a hobby, which he takes up to make his leisure hours more productive and fulfilling experience. But his psychiatrist friend calls it a temporary refuge from reality.