NCERT Solutions
for Class 12 English Flamingo
Chapter 7 The Interview by Christopher Silvester and Umberto Eco
Updated
Syllabus for 2024-2025 Exams
Part I: From The Penguin Book of Interviews
Q.1 What are some of the positive views on
interviews?
Answer:
Some positive views on interviews include the idea that interviews, when
conducted properly, can serve as a powerful tool for communication and
truth-telling. In its highest form, the interview can be considered an art. It
provides vivid impressions of contemporary personalities and allows individuals
to express their thoughts and ideas to a wider audience.
Q.2 Why do most celebrity writers despise
being interviewed?
Answer:
Most celebrity writers despise being interviewed because they feel it is an
invasion of their privacy. Some believe that interviews diminish them or that
they lose a part of themselves in the process, as noted by V.S. Naipaul.
Others, like Rudyard Kipling, find the process immoral and offensive, equating
it to an assault on their person.
Q.3 What is the belief in some primitive
cultures about being photographed?
Answer:
In some primitive cultures, it is believed that being photographed can steal a
part of a person’s soul. This belief is similar to the discomfort some
individuals feel about being interviewed, as they perceive it as an intrusion
into their personal life and identity.
Q.4 What do you understand by the
expression “thumbprints on his windpipe”?
Answer:
The expression “thumbprints on his windpipe,” used by Saul Bellow,
conveys the discomfort and suffocation that he feels during interviews. It
suggests that interviews can be invasive and restrict a person’s ability to
express themselves freely, much like having pressure applied to one’s throat,
making it difficult to breathe or speak.
Q.5 Who, in today’s world, is our chief
source of information about personalities?
Answer:
In today’s world, the chief source of information about personalities comes from
interviews. Through interviews, people gain insights into the lives, thoughts,
and work of various public figures. The widespread availability of interviews
in print, television, and digital media makes them an important medium for
shaping public perceptions of contemporary figures.
Part II: Interview with Umberto Eco
Q.1 Do you think Umberto Eco likes being
interviewed? Give reasons for your opinion.
Answer:
Umberto Eco seems to have a neutral stance toward being interviewed. While he
does not express any strong aversion to the process, he approaches interviews
with a light-hearted and pragmatic attitude. His responses indicate that he
finds interviews to be a useful way to communicate his ideas to a larger
audience, though he does not take the process too seriously. He jokes about
being known as a novelist rather than an academic scholar and enjoys telling
stories during the interview.
Q.2 How does Eco find the time to write so
much?
Answer:
Eco explains that he finds time to write by using the “interstices”
or small gaps of time in his day. He describes how he utilizes these empty
moments, such as waiting for an elevator, to write and complete his work. This
ability to make use of every available moment allows him to be highly
productive, even with his busy schedule as a professor and scholar.
Q.3 What was distinctive about Eco’s
academic writing style?
Answer:
Eco’s academic writing style was distinctive because it was more narrative and
personal than the traditional academic approach. Instead of writing in a dry,
impersonal manner, Eco told the story of his research, including his trials and
errors. This approach made his academic work more engaging and accessible to
readers, which was unusual in the typically formal and detached world of scholarly
writing.
Q.4 Did Umberto Eco consider himself a
novelist first or an academic scholar?
Answer:
Umberto Eco considered himself an academic scholar first and a novelist second.
He identified more with the academic community, attending conferences and
writing scholarly works. He viewed his novels as something he did on the side,
almost as a hobby, and referred to himself as a university professor who writes
novels on Sundays.
Q.5 What is the reason for the huge
success of the novel The Name of the Rose?
Answer:
The reason for the huge success of The Name of the Rose remains
something of a mystery, even to Eco himself. While some speculate that its
setting in medieval history contributed to its popularity, Eco believes the
success was largely unpredictable. He notes that journalists and publishers
were puzzled by the book’s mass appeal, as they often underestimate readers’
interest in difficult or intellectual content. Eco attributes the book’s
success to the fact that it reached readers who were not always looking for
easy, shallow experiences.
Talking About the Text:
Q.1 Talk about any interview that you have
watched on television or read in a newspaper. How did it add to your understanding
of the celebrity, the interviewer, and the field of the celebrity?
Answer:
(Example response)
I recently watched an interview with Elon Musk on a popular talk show. The
interview provided insights into Musk’s personality, his vision for the future,
and the challenges he faces as the CEO of multiple companies. Through the
interviewer’s questions, I learned about Musk’s thought process, his work
ethic, and how he deals with pressure. The interview also shed light on the
importance of innovation in the technology field and gave me a better
understanding of the challenges that come with running companies like Tesla and
SpaceX. The interviewer’s thoughtful questions helped guide the conversation
and drew out valuable information that might not have come up otherwise.
Q.2 The medium you like best for an
interview — print, radio, or television.
Answer:
(Example response)
I prefer watching interviews on television because the visual and audio
elements add depth to the conversation. On television, I can observe the body
language, facial expressions, and tone of voice of both the interviewer and the
interviewee, which provides additional context to their words. The visual
interaction makes the interview more engaging, and I feel I can connect better
with the person being interviewed. In contrast, print interviews lack the
immediacy of live interaction, and radio interviews, while informative, don’t
provide the visual cues that make the conversation more dynamic.
Q.3 Every famous person has a right to his
or her privacy. Interviewers sometimes embarrass celebrities with very personal
questions.
Answer:
(Example response)
While interviews are a great way for the public to learn more about
celebrities, it is important to respect their privacy. Celebrities are entitled
to set boundaries about what aspects of their personal lives they wish to
share. Sometimes interviewers overstep these boundaries by asking intrusive or
embarrassing questions, which can make the interviewee uncomfortable. This not
only invades the celebrity’s privacy but can also come across as disrespectful
and unprofessional. A good interview should focus on the interviewee’s work,
achievements, and thoughts, rather than delving into unnecessarily personal
matters unless the celebrity is willing to share.
Writing Task:
Q.1 If the interviewer Mukund Padmanabhan
had not got the space in the newspaper to reproduce the interview verbatim, he
may have been asked to produce a short report of the interview with the salient
points. Write this report for him.
Answer:
Report on Interview with Umberto Eco
In a recent interview, Mukund Padmanabhan spoke with Umberto Eco, the
celebrated author of The Name of the Rose and a professor at the
University of Bologna. Eco discussed his diverse writing career, which includes
academic work, fiction, essays, and children’s books. He emphasized that
although he is best known for his novels, he considers himself an academic first
and writes novels as a secondary pursuit, often working in the
“interstices” or gaps in his day.
Eco’s academic
writing style is distinctive for its narrative quality, which he adopted early
in his career when his first dissertation was praised for telling the story of
his research. Despite the global success of The Name of the Rose, Eco
remains modest, describing the book’s popularity as a mystery and acknowledging
that it reached a small, but dedicated, group of readers who enjoy challenging
material. The interview provided a rare glimpse into Eco’s philosophy of
writing and his pragmatic approach to both scholarly and creative work.