NCERT Solutions
Vistas - The Third Level
Read and find out
Question 1. What does the third level refer to?
Answer. The third level refers to the third floor at the Grand Central Station. The narrator of the story Charley claims that there are three levels at the Grand Central Station while in reality there are only two. The third level was Charley's hallucination.
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. Charley tried to find the third level at the Grand Central Station but never again found the corridor that leads to it and hence he couldn't go back to the ticket counter on the third level to buy tickets to Galesburg for himself and his wife.
Reading with Insight
Question 1. Do you think that the third level was a medium of escape for Charley? Why?
Answer. Yes, the third level was a medium of escape for Charley. He wanted to escape the gloomy and cruel realities of the present-day world. He wanted to move back into the past, to happier times, and lead a peaceful life. It was his desire to go back to Galesburg, Illinois in the year 1894 in a harmonious world free of modern-day problems like fear, stress, pressure, and insecurity and when the world hasn't witnessed two devastating world wars. The third level was a result of Charley's wish to escape to pleasant times.
Question 2. What do you infer from Sam’s letter to Charley?
Answer. The letter was the outcome of Charley's thoughts. Charley found Sam's letter among the oldest first-day covers. It was mailed to his grandfather in Galesburg. The first-day covers are never opened and there is a blank paper inside the envelope but strangely the paper inside wasn't blank. The letter was dated July 18, 1894, and was written by Sam to Charley. In the letter, Sam told Charley that he found the third level and is now present in Galesburg, Illinois in the year 1894. He has happily escaped to happier times. He also advises Charley and Louisa to keep looking for the third level at the Grand Central Station, it's worth the search. It was all Charley's hallucinations.
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. The present-day world is filled with negativity, uncertainty, panic, fear, war, pressure, stress, and anxiety which tends to take a toll on our mental and physical health. We all attempt to overcome this in different ways. Doing what makes one happy like going on vacation with family and friends, listening to music, watching sunsets, and so on works as a temporary refuge from the grim reality. Our hobbies like stamp collecting, reading books, and watching movies or shows that we find comforting, painting is a momentary escape from the present day. We also try to keep the past alive in the present by mentally transporting ourselves to the past to happier times as a psychological escape from the contemporary world.
Question 4. Do you see an intersection of time and space in the story?
Answer. Yes, an intersection of time and space is clearly visible in the story. There are a few instances like the existence of the first and second levels of the Grand Central Station in the present time while that of the third level in the past. The architecture and the furniture of the third level were old-fashioned and everyone on that level was dressed in the fashion of the 1890s something. The newspaper 'The world' which didn't publish in the present time was there and dated June 11, 1894. Charley goes to buy two tickets to Galesburg, Illinois in the year 1894 but only has new-style money. Charley and Louisa existed in the present world. The first-day cover that Charley found in his stamp collection dated July 18, 1894, it was mailed to his grandfather in Galesburg. There was a letter inside the envelope which was written by Sam who also existed in the present. These instances show the intersection of time and space in the story.
Question 5. Apparent illogicality sometimes turns out to be a futuristic projection. Discuss.
Answer. Yes, apparent illogicality sometimes turns out to be a futuristic projection. This is not only true but has been proved time and again. Sometimes what seems to be illogical at the very beginning turns out to be a reality in the future. World's greatest discoveries and the technologies without which we can't imagine our lives today were once an idea in someone's mind and were unimaginable to most people. The idea of the light bulb was regarded as impossible until Thomas Edison invented it. The invention of airplanes and cars, electricity and the internet, mobile phones, and televisions were considered impossible too. The ideas of these inventions were regarded as illogical and the scientists working on them were called insane. But, today we use it all. Similarly, the possibility of having a railway station that allows us to time travel from past to future cannot be completely ruled out.
Question 6. Philately helps keep the past alive. Discuss other ways in which this is done. What do you think of the human tendency to constantly move between the past, the present, and the future?
(Philately: the collection and study of postage stamps)
Answer. Along with philately, a lot of things that we practise in our day-to-day lives help in keeping the past alive in the present. Collecting old-style currency, reading old books, watching old movies and tv shows, and listening to old songs are some of the ways. We also capture a lot of photos and preserve them in photo albums, we also preserve letters and gifts that remind us of fond memories of ourselves and our loved ones. Visiting heritage sites and practicing age-old customs and traditions not only connects us to our roots but also educates us. We also treasure a lot of things that we no longer use because they are memorable to us and hold importance.
We human beings are gifted with the ability to remember the past and of making predictions about the future.
The present-day world is very fast and competitive and often leads to a tremendous amount of stress and anxiety. We all resolve to different ways to find peace and harmony. When the reality is not as we wished it to be and disappointing we often find temporary escape by remembering the past when things were better and we were happier. The past helps us to analyze our mistakes so the chances of repeating them become less. We also tend to imagine what our future would look it, it helps us to make our current choices so that it leads to the future that we wish to have.
Question 7. You have read 'Adventure' by Jayant Narlikar in Hornbill Class XI. Compare the interweaving of fantasy and reality in the two stories.
Answer. The interweaving of fantasy and reality is shown in both stories. Both stories explore the science fiction genre of 'time travel'. Both of the stories clearly narrated how our mind tricks us into believing the presence of something that is not there but we see it because of our strong desire to want it to exist. Both Charley's and Professor Gaitonde's life is stuck between fantasy and reality. They both struggle to differentiate the real world from the imagination. Gaitonde is so absorbed in the concept of the battle of Panipat that he creates a parallel world in his mind and alters the result of the battle as per his desire.
Similarly, Charley always wished to live in Galesburg and have a peaceful and happier life. He wanted to escape reality. This results in him imagining the presence of the third level at the Grand Central Station. The third level was a way of making his wish come true. Both of them tried to change the disappointing reality by creating a world of fantasy in their minds.
