Comprehension questions:

1. How did the main character of the story get in touch with Adolf? main character dailed wrong number,
someone andwered but said that main character got wron number before he said anything, so young
man wonered how could the man on the onther side of the phone could guess that he dailed wrong
number and he deciden to call him again.

2. Was it difficult for the storyteller to make his unknown respondent communicate? yes it was hard for
him because after the firs call hi called him again twice, that man on the other sideof phone dont wanted
to someone and he was so rude, but after storytallers words maybe he decided that he is nice persond
and thouth to talk with him.

3. Why did Adolf answer in such an unfriendly manner in the beginning? all his closed people were dead
and nobody ever called him, he was sure that someone dailed his number wrongly.

4. How many times did the author have to dial the number until the other man started to communicate?
3 times, firstly when old men answered that he dailed wrong number, secondly he dailed his number to
ask him how could he guess that he called him wrongly and thirdly to start comunication with him.

5. How did he persuade the unknown person to speak up to him? when he asked to old man how did he
could guess that he got the wrong number the old men told him to figure it out, and he answered maybe
thats because nobody ever calls u? then phone went dead but michael dailed again and told him that he
want to say hello to him because if nobody ever calls him than he thout he should, and after they started
comunication.

6. What did the two men have in common? they both were working in police departmend, young man
was pollice officer and old man was elevator operator.

7. How old was the old man? he was 88 years old and his 89th birthay was comming soon.

8. Where was the young man brought up? he was raised in orphanages and foster homes

9. Did the two men actually become “phone pals”? yes they become, they were talking with each other
almost everyday. adolf related his memories of world war second and other historic events and michael
talked about his job and college courses which he attended at nights.

10. How did Adolf manage to take a kind of fatherly importance to the storyteller? Adolf had worked for
the Police Department for nearly 40 years.Telling Michael about his days there as an elevator operator,
he seemed interesting, even friendly.Adolf related his memories of World War II and other historic
events. Talking with Adolf was important to Michael, because he was raised in orphanages and foster
homes and never had a father. once adolf said “You know, I’m talking to you just the way I’d talk to a boy
of my own. I always wanted a family – and children

11. how do the two men feel towards each other after some time? for michael adolf took fatherly
importense. and for adolf michael was like a child of his own.
12. What experience did the author have of his real father? because he was raised in orphanages and
foster homes and never had a father

13. What did the storyteller decide to do at the end of the story? adolfs 89th birthday was comming up
so he decided to buy a piece of fiberboard, he designed a greeting cardwith a cake and89 candles . he
thought that this would be the god time to meet face to face.

14. Were the two men destined to meet and why? they destined to meet in adolfs house but adolf didnt
know that michael would come and congrate to him.

Interpretation questions:

1. Who tells the story? Is it the first person narration? Is the storyteller himself

involved in the story he tells us?

2. have you ever made friends through the phone/ internet? In old times there was

neither the internet not telephone. What was a usual way of communication then?

Can you name some correspondence between some individuals that became

popular later?

3. When a person feels lonely, he sometimes wishes he had someone to talk to,

even someone unfamiliar who he had never met before. Have you ever experienced

such an urge to talk to someone, no matter who?

4. Have you ever dialed wrong number? What was the response? Or, may be vice

versa, someone unfamiliar to you has called you; what was your feeling and how

did you react to it?

5. The author describes the “respondent” ‘s response to the four calls by some

verbs expressing, generally speaking, “putting the receiver down”. Find these verbs

in the text and try to give their full definition; in the same way, recall the author’s

reactions to the respondent ’s rudeness and interpret his every other step.

6. Try to find the psychological portrait of an individual so strongly in need of

communication.
7. How would you interpret the words from the text – “I didn’t get the wrong

number at all. I got you”

8. Why does the storyteller say the words “ because you mattered, Adolf,” and

what do you think they mean?