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Discuss the narrative… (Class 12 English SQP 2024-25, Q13B)

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EnglishCBSE Class 12 · Sample paper, session 2024-25 · 5 marks · Long answer

CBSE Class 12 English sample paper 2024-25: question 13(B)

From the official CBSE sample question paper for 2024-25, section C, question 13(B), for 5 marks. Try it first; the hints and our step-by-step solution are below.

Q13(B) · 5 marks · Long answerThe Third Level

Discuss the narrative techniques used by the author in The Third Level. How do these techniques effectively convey the themes of escapism and nostalgia? Provide specific examples from the text to support your analysis.

Source: official sample paper from cbseacademic.nic.in (PDF). See it in the full Sample paper 2024-25.

Hints

Open one hint at a time and try again before the next.

Hint 1

Think about who narrates the story and how that lets us feel his longing.

Hint 2

Recall how the station of 1894 is described, with gaslights and old-fashioned clothes.

Hint 3

Consider what the 'third level' stands for, and what happens when Charley tries to buy tickets with modern money.

Step-by-step solution

Each step shows the marks it earns, as an examiner would award them. Checked by an independent re-solve from the question paper.

Verified: two independent solves agree and the official marking scheme matchesChecked 2026-11-01

  1. Introduction: Jack Finney's 'The Third Level' uses a few narrative techniques to make Charley's wish to escape modern life and return to a simpler past believable.

    1 mark

  2. First-person narration: Charley tells the story himself, so we share his fears and longings. He recalls how his psychiatrist friend calls his stamp collecting a 'temporary refuge from reality'. This shows his escapism from within.

    1 mark

  3. Descriptive language: Vivid detail makes the past real. The station has open-flame gaslights, and everyone is dressed in the style of 1894, with beards, sideburns and fancy mustaches. These images build a charming, nostalgic world.

    1 mark

  4. Symbolism: The third level stands for a mental refuge from the anxieties of the modern world. Charley says Grand Central 'has been an exit, a way of escape'. The place becomes an emblem of escapism.

    1 mark

  5. Contrast and irony, and conclusion: The clerk finds Charley's modern money useless. This shows that escape into the past is impractical, yet his search for Galesburg in 1894 and his wife's disbelief keep the longing alive. Together, these techniques express nostalgia and escapism.

    1 mark

Answer: Techniques: first-person narration, descriptive language, symbolism of the third level, and contrast/irony. Each is supported by evidence and shown to convey escapism and nostalgia.

Where the marks are

  • Introduction naming the techniques and the themes (1 mark)
  • First-person narration with textual evidence and its effect (1 mark)
  • Descriptive language with an example and its effect (1 mark)
  • Symbolism or contrast/irony with evidence and its effect (1 mark)
  • Links to escapism and nostalgia, a conclusion, and accurate expression (1 mark)

Revise the chapter

  • Chapter: The Third Level (notes, formulas, where marks are lost and every past question)

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