TOPIC 14 OF 19
The Interview – Part 2 Exercises
🎓 Class 12
English
CBSE
Theory
Ch 7 — The Interview
⏱ ~30 min
🌐 Language: [gtranslate]
📖 English Passage Assessment
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This CBSE English Passage Assessment will be based on: The Interview – Part 2 Exercises
Assessment Format:
• 2 Short Answer Questions (2 marks each) = 4 marks
• 2 Fill in the Blanks Questions (1 mark each) = 2 marks
• 2 Short Answer Questions (1 mark each) = 2 marks
• 2 Multiple Choice Questions (1 mark each) = 2 marks
Total: 8 Questions, 10 Marks
📖 English Grammar Assessment
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This CBSE English Grammar Assessment will be based on: The Interview – Part 2 Exercises
Assessment Format:
• 10 Randomized Grammar Questions (1 mark each)
• Question Types: Fill in the Blanks, MCQs, Error Identification, Reported Speech, Sentence Completion
Total: 10 Questions, 10 Marks
📖 English Vocabulary Assessment
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This English Vocabulary assessment will be based on: The Interview – Part 2 Exercises
Targeting Vocabulary & Usage with Intermediate difficulty.
Exercises Overview — Chapter 7: The Interview
This part covers all comprehension questions, discourse analysis (linkers and signallers), grammar work, and the writing task from Chapter 7.
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Key focus for this chapter: Understanding the interview as a genre; analysing discourse features (cohesion, coherence, topic shifts); converting information from one genre to another (interview → report). For Class 12 CBSE, these are high-value skills tested in both Reading and Writing sections.
Understanding the Text — Umberto Eco Interview
1. Do you think Umberto Eco likes being interviewed? Give reasons for your opinion.3 marksL5 Evaluate
Yes, Umberto Eco appears to enjoy the interview process. Unlike the celebrities described in Part I who despise interviews, Eco is expansive, anecdotal, and even playful — he laughs, he tells stories, he digresses into parables about the universe and elevators. His academic belief that all good writing should tell the "story of the research" translates naturally into interview format, where narrative and conversation intersect. He does not deflect questions but uses them as springboards for elaborate intellectual reflections. His comfort with the genre is evident in the richness and spontaneity of his responses.
2. How does Eco find the time to write so much?2 marksL2 Understand
Eco's secret is his use of "interstices" — the small, empty gaps of time that punctuate daily life: the wait in a lift, the pause between meetings, the interval before a guest arrives. Most people allow these moments to pass unused. Eco, however, inhabits these spaces productively, writing articles, notes, or passages within them. He illustrates this with a vivid example: between the moment his guest enters the ground floor lift and the moment the lift reaches the third floor, he has already completed a draft article.
3. What was distinctive about Eco's academic writing style?3 marksL4 Analyse
Unlike the conventional academic style — impersonal, dry, and presenting only verified conclusions — Eco wrote his scholarly work as a narrative of the research process itself. His doctoral dissertation told the story of how the research unfolded, including false hypotheses and corrections, rather than merely presenting the end-result. This gave his academic writing a playful, personal quality. His professor initially remarked on this, but recognised its merit and published the dissertation. This approach also explains why Eco's essays have a narrative quality and why his eventual transition to fiction felt natural.
4. Did Umberto Eco consider himself a novelist first or an academic scholar?2 marksL1 Remember
Eco firmly identified himself as an academic scholar first. He described himself as "a university professor who writes novels on Sundays" — an image that deliberately places fiction-writing as a weekend, secondary activity. He participates in academic conferences rather than literary gatherings, and identifies with the scholarly community. While he acknowledges that his novels reach a far wider audience, he does not allow public recognition to alter his self-conception.
5. What is the reason for the huge success of the novel, The Name of the Rose?3 marksL5 Evaluate
Eco himself admits that he cannot fully explain the novel's extraordinary success — he calls it "a mystery." While its combination of detective fiction, medieval history, philosophy, and theology may have attracted serious readers hungry for demanding content, Eco dismisses the idea that its medieval setting alone accounts for its appeal. His American publisher had expected to sell only 3,000 copies in a country unfamiliar with cathedrals and Latin; in the end it sold millions there. Eco believes the timing was crucial — had the book appeared a decade earlier or later, it might not have had the same impact. The mystery of its success remains, by the author's own admission, inexplicable.
Extract-Based Questions — CBSE Board Format
Extract — Eco on Interstices
"And then I have a secret. Did you know what will happen if you eliminate the empty spaces from the universe, eliminate the empty spaces in all the atoms? The universe will become as big as my fist. Similarly, we have a lot of empty spaces in our lives. I call them interstices. Say you are coming over to my place. You are in an elevator and while you are coming up, I am waiting for you. This is an interstice, an empty space. I work in empty spaces."
Q1. What literary device does Eco use when he compares the universe to his fist?L4 Analyse
Eco uses hyperbole — deliberate exaggeration for effect. The idea that the entire universe could fit inside a fist if empty atomic space were removed is a scientific fact (matter is mostly empty space), but Eco invokes it as a striking, almost fantastical image. This hyperbole serves a rhetorical purpose: it makes the concept of "empty space" vivid and startling, preparing the listener to re-evaluate the "empty" time in their own life.
Q2. How does the elevator example help Eco illustrate the concept of interstices?L2 Understand
The elevator example makes the abstract concept of "interstices" concrete and relatable. Everyone has experienced the brief, purposeless wait for someone to arrive. Eco points out that this pause — negligible to most people — is enough time for him to complete a piece of writing. The example demonstrates that interstices are not rare or dramatic; they are the ordinary, overlooked moments of daily life that, if used purposefully, can aggregate into substantial creative output.
Q3. What does Eco's use of the word "secret" suggest about his relationship with time?L4 Analyse
By calling it a "secret," Eco implies that most people have access to the same resource — time — but fail to recognise its hidden potential. The word creates a sense of revelation, as though Eco is sharing a privileged insight. It also suggests that this approach to time is not taught or obvious; it requires a shift in perception — seeing idle moments not as gaps but as opportunities. This framing positions Eco not merely as productive but as perceptive in a way others are not.
Q4. "I work in empty spaces." Expand this idea into a 100-word personal reflection on how you could use your own interstices productively.L6 Create
Most of us treat the time between activities as dead time — the commute, the queue at the canteen, the five minutes before a class begins. Eco's idea challenges us to see these gaps as a hidden resource. I could use my daily bus journey to review vocabulary, practise mental arithmetic, or draft ideas for creative writing. The ten minutes I spend waiting for a friend could be used to read a poem or revise a concept. Individually, these intervals seem insignificant. But aggregated across days and weeks, they could add up to hours of meaningful learning. The key is intention: treating every pause as a possibility.
Grammar Mind Map — Discourse Linkers & Signallers
Grammar Workshop — Noticing Discourse Linkers
The chapter's interview illustrates how spoken and written discourse maintains coherence through two key devices: linkers (pronoun reference, repetition) and signallers (topic-shift phrases). Study and practise below.
Rule 1 — Linking by Reference Pronouns
Pronouns like that, this, and which refer back to a word or idea just stated, creating a chain of meaning between utterances.
Original Statement
"I am convinced I am always doing the same thing."
Linked Response
"Which is?" — 'which' refers to 'the same thing' stated above.
Original Statement
"I have already written an article! (Laughs)"
Linked Response
"Not everyone can do that of course." — 'that' = writing in interstices.
Rule 2 — Linking by Lexical Repetition
Repeating a key word or phrase from the previous utterance signals that the speaker has heard and is engaging directly with what was said.
Mukund: "…at least more than 20 of them…"
Eco: "Over 40." → Mukund: "Over 40!" — The repetition with rising intonation signals surprise and hands back the floor.
Rule 3 — Topic-Shift Signallers
Before moving to a new question or subject, skilled interviewers use explicit phrases to warn the listener that a shift is coming. This maintains conversational flow and coherence.
Examples from the chapter:
① "Talking about novels, from being a famous academic…" — signals move from writing style → novel fame
② "Which brings me to my next question." — signals a new topic linked to the previous answer
③ "But let me tell you another story…" — Eco signals a digression via narrative
② "Which brings me to my next question." — signals a new topic linked to the previous answer
③ "But let me tell you another story…" — Eco signals a digression via narrative
Practice Exercise — Identify the Linking Device
For each exchange below, identify whether the link is made through (a) reference pronoun, (b) lexical repetition, or (c) topic signaller.
1. "Novels probably satisfied my taste for narration." → "Talking about novels…"
(c) Topic signaller — "Talking about novels" picks up the word 'novels' and signals a shift to a new angle on the same subject. It is a bridge phrase, not just repetition for cohesion.
2. "Were you puzzled at all by this?" → "No. Journalists are puzzled."
(b) Lexical repetition — Eco repeats "puzzled" from the question but redirects it onto journalists rather than himself. This is a sharp rhetorical move: he echoes the word to show he heard the question but deflects the premise.
3. "Could the huge success of the novel have anything to do with the fact that it dealt with medieval history that…" → "That's possible."
(a) Reference pronoun — "That's possible" uses 'that' to refer to the entire clause "it dealt with medieval history." It is a compact, economical link that acknowledges the question without committing fully to the explanation.
Writing Task — Convert Interview to Report
If Mukund Padmanabhan had not had space to publish the interview verbatim, he would have been asked to write a short report summarising the salient points. Write this report.
Report Writing Format — Class 12
Heading: Centred, bold — includes topic + date + occasion
By-line: "By [Reporter's Name]" — below heading
Opening Para: Who was interviewed, by whom, when, and where — the 5 Ws
Body Paras: 2–3 paragraphs covering key points in order of importance
Concluding Para: Significance of the interview / broader implication
Word Limit: 150–200 words
Tense: Past tense throughout (reported speech style)
Tone: Formal, objective, third-person
Key Points to Include
- Eco's self-description as "a professor who writes novels on Sundays"
- His concept of interstices as the source of his productivity
- His narrative approach to academic writing
- His view that all his work shares the same philosophical core
- His explanation of the unexpected success of The Name of the Rose
UMBERTO ECO SPEAKS ON WRITING, TIME AND THE MYSTERY OF SUCCESS
By Mukund Padmanabhan
Umberto Eco, the Italian semiotician and author of the bestselling novel The Name of the Rose, was interviewed recently for The Hindu. Known both as a prolific academic and a celebrated novelist, Eco offered revealing insights into his creative process and intellectual identity.
Eco explained that despite his varied output, he was always engaged in the same pursuit — exploring philosophical and ethical questions through different forms. His remarkable productivity, he revealed, stemmed from his use of "interstices": the small, transitional gaps of time most people ignore. Even a brief lift-ride, he said, was enough to draft an article.
Firmly identifying himself as an academic, Eco described his novels as "Sunday writing" and expressed mild frustration that the public knew him primarily as a fiction writer. Regarding The Name of the Rose, which sold over ten million copies, he admitted that its extraordinary success remained "a mystery" to him, depending as much on timing as on merit.
The interview offered a rare glimpse into the mind of one of Europe's foremost intellectuals.
By Mukund Padmanabhan
Umberto Eco, the Italian semiotician and author of the bestselling novel The Name of the Rose, was interviewed recently for The Hindu. Known both as a prolific academic and a celebrated novelist, Eco offered revealing insights into his creative process and intellectual identity.
Eco explained that despite his varied output, he was always engaged in the same pursuit — exploring philosophical and ethical questions through different forms. His remarkable productivity, he revealed, stemmed from his use of "interstices": the small, transitional gaps of time most people ignore. Even a brief lift-ride, he said, was enough to draft an article.
Firmly identifying himself as an academic, Eco described his novels as "Sunday writing" and expressed mild frustration that the public knew him primarily as a fiction writer. Regarding The Name of the Rose, which sold over ten million copies, he admitted that its extraordinary success remained "a mystery" to him, depending as much on timing as on merit.
The interview offered a rare glimpse into the mind of one of Europe's foremost intellectuals.
Writing Rubric
| Criterion | Excellent (4–5) | Good (2–3) | Needs Work (0–1) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Content & Coverage | All key points covered, prioritised correctly | Most key points present | Missing major points |
| Format & Structure | Correct heading, by-line, paras, conclusion | Mostly correct format | Format errors throughout |
| Language & Register | Formal, objective, past-tense, reported speech | Occasional informality or tense error | Informal tone, wrong tense |
| Concision & Coherence | 150–200 words; logically sequenced | Slightly over/under word limit | Repetitive or disorganised |
Talking About the Text — Discussion Questions
1. Talk about any interview you have watched or read. How did it add to your understanding of the celebrity and their field?L5 Evaluate
A good response should: (a) name a specific interview, (b) describe what new information or perspective it provided — the celebrity's process, motivation, struggles — that was not available from their work alone, and (c) reflect on how the interviewer's choice of questions shaped what was revealed. Students should think about whether the interview felt authentic or performed, and what that distinction suggests about the genre's limitations.
2. Every famous person has a right to privacy. Do interviewers sometimes go too far?L6 Create
This is a genuine ethical debate. Arguments for privacy: (a) fame in one domain (sport, art) does not licence intrusion into personal life, (b) as Naipaul suggests, interviews can genuinely wound — extract something the subject cannot recover. Arguments for public accountability: (a) celebrities who court public attention must accept scrutiny, (b) the public's right to information about those who shape culture is legitimate. The chapter offers no resolution — it presents both views. Students should take a position and defend it.
3. Which medium do you prefer for interviews — print, radio, or television? Justify your preference with reference to the features of each medium.L5 Evaluate
Print: most analytical — allows complex arguments, can be edited for clarity, read at one's own pace; lacks spontaneity. Radio: captures voice, tone, pause — reveals personality through sound; listener must imagine the speaker. Television: most complete — visual cues (body language, expression) add a layer of meaning; but risk of performance over substance. The best interviews, regardless of medium, reveal something the subject did not intend to reveal. Students may argue that different celebrities suit different media — a reclusive writer might do better in print, a charismatic politician on television.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Interview – 2 Exercises about in NCERT English?
The Interview – 2 Exercises is a lesson from the NCERT English textbook that covers important literary and language concepts. The lesson includes vocabulary, literary devices, comprehension exercises, and writing tasks aligned to the CBSE curriculum.
What vocabulary is important in The Interview – 2 Exercises?
Key vocabulary words from The Interview – 2 Exercises are highlighted throughout with contextual meanings, usage examples, and interesting facts. Click any highlighted word to see its full definition and example sentence.
What literary devices are used in The Interview – 2 Exercises?
The Interview – 2 Exercises uses various literary devices including imagery, symbolism, and figurative language. These are identified with coloured tags throughout the text for easy recognition and understanding by students.
What exercises are included for The Interview – 2 Exercises?
Exercises include extract-based comprehension questions in CBSE board exam format, grammar workshops connected to the passage, vocabulary activities, and creative writing tasks with model answers provided.
How does The Interview – 2 Exercises help in board exam preparation?
The Interview – 2 Exercises includes CBSE-format extract-based questions, long answer practice with model responses, and grammar exercises that mirror board exam patterns. All questions follow Bloom's Taxonomy levels L1-L6.
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