Question

1) Imagine, for example, that you are standing in one of those deserted old streets. First, the villain comes out of the saloon. You know him because he is not alone, but is followed by two or three henchmen. You know him by his spineless walk and by the fact that he leans – he never walks – against one of the porch posts, sullenly surveying the town, waiting with the arrogance of any bully, for trouble to begin, exchanging dark nods with his fellow gunmen.
(2) Next, out of the brick jail diagonally across the street, comes the hero – sheriff. You know him not only by his tin star but his noble bearing, his honest face, his steely eyes. One quick glance from those eyes takes in everything he needs to know, and when his eyes meet those of the lounging bad men, they pause in the classic moment of recognition, of war declared.
(3) Now the pretty school teacher arrives on the stage from the East. As she lifts her skirt to step down, revealing a dainty ankle, she notices the villain’s eye focused on this very ankle. He gives her a smirk and she blushes. Averting her head in shame, she catches a quick glimpse of the sheriff, strong and decent as the day is long. Their eyes meet briefly. In the first moment she learns the line – up of Good Guys and Bad Guys in this frontier town that is to be her home.
(4) Next, from the bank, emerge the banker and a few other merchants. You recognize them not only by their suits, which are in the latest Kansas City style, but by their timidity. Sensing some imminent violence that will ruin local business, they bustle over to the sheriff, and it is obvious that they are begging him to run the Wichita Kid and his gang out peaceably. You know that in the final showdown (guns will be fingered in the saloons, crooked poker hands will be deal, mirrors and other glass objects will twinkle, and chairs will be splintered over the heads of saloon brawlers) none of them will come to the sheriff’s aid.
(5) Next, comes kindly old Doc with his little black bag. In his unsteady walk you can see that he is putting away more whisky than he should, but you also know in a pinch he will deliver Miz Billings’ new baby. He will also come to the sheriff’s aid, as he is so old, he might as well do the honorable thing.
(6) The sheriff’s only other male ally now comes to the jail door, bottle in hand and blinks out into the daylight. He is the sheriff’s loyal sidekick from some earlier adventure. (Nobody knows where does he come from or why such a fierce sense of injustice obsesses him). He is a deputy sheriff, ineffectual in the film’s first scrapes, who atones at the end by shooting, with his dying breath, the gunman who is about to wing our hero from the roof.
(7) From this beginning anybody could write a script just by filling in the standard details. The script would resemble a thousand others but nobody would mind. In fact, if it turned up on a television some afternoon, it would hold the entire younger generation transfixed. For, this is the nightly fairy tale of the twentieth century. Like any good fairy tale, it moves to its destined happy ending in patterns as carefully prearranged as a ballet.
I) Choose the most appropriate answer: -
1. Whose new baby was the old doc going to deliver?
a) Miz Billings’ b) Wichita Kid c) None of the following
2. From which side of the stage did the pretty school teacher arrive?
a) West b) East c) South
3. You recognize them not only by their suits, which are in the latest __________ style, but by their timidity.
a) Kansas city b) New York c) None of the above
II) Find out the words from the passage which have a similar meaning of the words given below: -
1. Gloomily
2. Aggressive
III) Answer the questions briefly: -
1. Give a brief character sketch of the villain?
2. Give the chief characteristics of the hero – sheriff?
3. What do you find ironical in this description? Give illustrations to support your answer.
4. In what ways does a typical ‘Western’ resemble a fairy tale?

Answer 1

A Typical Western

Explanation:

I) Choose the most appropriate answer: -

1. Whose new baby was the old doc going to deliver?

a) Miz Billings’ b) Wichita Kid c) None of the following

2. From which side of the stage did the pretty school teacher arrive?

a) West b) East c) South

3. You recognize them not only by their suits, which are in the latest __________ style but by their timidity.

a) Kansas city b) New York c) None of the above

II) Find out the words from the passage which have a similar meaning to the words given below: -

1. Gloomily- timidity

2. Aggressive- violence

III) Answer the questions briefly: -

1. Give a brief character sketch of the villain?

• The villain first walks to the scene coming out of the saloon and is followed by two of his henchmen. He walks in a spineless fashion and leans against one of the porch posts, surveying the town and waiting for the trouble to begin.  

2. Give the chief characteristics of the hero – sheriff?

• The hero- Sheriff can be easily characterized by the tin star and his noble bearing, honest face, and steely eyes.

3. What do you find ironic in this description? Give illustrations to support your answer.

• The irony in this description is that the banker and the merchants want the sheriff to run the villain and his gang out peacefully, but everyone knows that in the final showdown guns will be fired and objects might break.

4. In what ways does a typical ‘Western’ resemble a fairy tale?

• Like any good fairy tale, it moves to its destined happy ending in patterns as carefully prearranged as a ballet.