VISTA

EVANS TRIES AN “O” LEVEL

1. What kind of a person was Evans?

Evans was a young, clever prisoner. He had escaped thrice from the prison for
which he was known ‘Evans the Break’. He was not a violent sort of a person. He
was quite a pleasant person and was a star at the Christmas concert.

2. What were the precautions taken for the smooth conduct of the examination?

For smooth conduct of the examination, various precautionary measures were

taken. All sharp instruments like razor nail scissors were removed. The Governor,
senior prison officer Jackson and officer Stephen were put on duty. A special
invigilator was arranged. A microphone was fitted in the prison cell where the
examination was to be conducted.

3. Will the exam now go as scheduled?

Everything had been in order for the exam to start on its scheduled time, but the
Governor, still apprehensive, ordered a last minute change in plan. As another
precautionary measure, he ordered frisking the invigilator as well, before allowing
him to carry out his assigned job. This wasted some time and the exam started at
9:25am, ten minutes later than the scheduled time.

4. Did the Governor and his staff finally heave a sigh of relief?

Evans was a shrewd man who allowed only a momentary sigh of relief to the
Governor and his staff. The exam was supposed to have ended peacefully, but
when Stephens rechecked Evans’s cell, he was stunned to see a profusely bleeding
McLeery still in the cell. He concluded that the man he had escorted to the gate
was actually Evans.
Measures were taken to recapture Evans with the help of the bleeding McLeery,
who was later sent off to a hospital for treatment. However, soon it was exposed
that this ‘bleeding McLeery’ was the real Evans. Finally, when the Governor
traced Evans and ordered him to be taken back to the prison with a prison officer in
the official van, another conspiracy unfolded. Evans fled again, as the prison
officer and the van were part of his back-up plan. His flawless plans left everyone
perplexed and troubled.

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5. Will the injured McLeery be able to help the prison officers track Evans?

Injured McLeery, showcasing his knowledge of German, reveals the supposed plan
of Evans through the superimposed question paper. He proposes to guide the
officials to the whereabouts of Evans. However, this is later revealed to be a part of
the Evans plan to flee to safety, as it was Evans himself who was disguised as the
injured McLeery. It can be, thus, noticed that the disguised McLeery’s help to the
officials was fake as it was just a part of Evans’s escape plan.

6. Will the clues left behind on the question paper, put Evans back in prison again?

Evans escaped from the prison with the help of a clever, infallible plan. Certain
clues were left behind by the shrewd fugitive which was a “careless” act according
to the Governor. There was a superimposed question paper with directions to the
supposed plan. However, it was soon seen that all of it was fake and part of the
plan to misguide the officials. 
But the little German the Governor knew and the 'correction slip' did help them to
track him down.

8. Where did Evans go?

After deceiving the police intelligently, Evans went to the hotel Golden Lion
located in Chipping Norton.

Reading with Insight

1. Reflecting on the story, what did you feel about Evans’ having the last laugh?

Evans smartly devised and executed the plan of his escape. He managed to fool
everyone till the end of the story. He left fake clues to misguide the officials
chasing him. Even as the Governor heaved a sigh of relief after nabbing him in the
Golden Lion hotel, Evans was secretly cooking and executing another path of
escape. The prison officer and the van used by the Governor for transferring Evans
back to the prison were forged. The Governor was happy that ultimately he was
able to track him down using his intelligence and knowledge of German. However,
Evans had planned a step ahead. With his successful escape, Evans definitely had a
well-earned last laugh.

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2. When Stephens comes back to the cell he jumps to a conclusion and the whole
machinery blindly goes by his assumption without even checking the identity of
the injured ‘McLeery’. Does this show how hasty conjectures can prevent one from
seeing the obvious? How is the criminal able to predict such negligence?

Evans was a smart and perceptive criminal. He hadassessed the weaknesses of the
jail officers successfully. Stephen was new recruit to the prison set up. When he
saw the injured Mcleery in the cell he was so overwhelmed that he did not even
check who he really was and neither did anyone else. It did not occur to anyone to
question how there could there be two persons – one in the cell and the other who
had been escorted out by Stephens. It was for this very reason that friends of
Evans, who, posing as the Governor on the phone, have directed Stephens that he
himself should escort the parson out, when the exam is finished. The Governor and
his officers, in effect actually lead Evans out of the prison. The question paper is
left behind to mislead the Governor. This shows that Evans the criminal had
enough time to study the behavior patterns of the jail officers and plan their
strategy well.

3. What could the Governor have done to securely bring back Evans to the prison
when he caught him at the Golden Lion? Does that final act of foolishness really
prove that “he was just another good-for-a-giggle, gullible governor, that was all”?

The Governor took all the precautions to make sure that Evans should not have any
chance to escape from the prison. He even tracked and arrested him at the Golden
Lion after his sensational escape from the prison. But his overconfidence once
again proved that he was no match for the clever and crafty Evans.
The Governor after finding the clues from the question paper tracked Evans at the
Golden Lion. When Evans entered the room he was shocked to see the Governor.
Evans offered no resistance and was arrested. The gullible Governor gloated over
his success and said goodbye to him. Evans was handcuffed and made to sit in the
police van. The Governor did not take care to check the identity of the driver, the
van and the officer. A little more vigilance could have averted the escape of the
criminal. If theGovernor had accompanied Evans to the prison cell with full police
arrangements the criminal would not have escaped.This act of negligence proved
that he was “just another good-for-a-giggle gullible governor that was all”.

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4. While we condemn the crime, we are sympathetic to the criminal. Is this the
reason why prison staff often develops a soft corner for those in custody?

‘Crime’ and ‘criminals’ are usually considered synonymous. However, our

perception changes when we see a criminal suffering or serving his punishment.
This is what happens with the prison staff. Noticing a criminal suffer in the prison,
they unwittingly develop a soft corner for him in their hearts. They look at him as a
human being and not as a mere criminal. They start noticing and appreciating their
mental capabilities rather than just remembering their crime.
In the story, Jackson lets Evans keep his hat after knowing that he considered it to
be his lucky charm. Evans knew of the emotional side of Jackson and so hit it
directly through his talk about “lucky charm”, and managed to fool the stern and
practical officer. Even the Governor could not help noticing his intelligence when
he caught him in the hotel. Thus, he was not cruel or stern with Evans, and
regrettably, took him leniently.

5. Do you agree that between crime and punishment it is mainly a battle of wits?

In every battle the stronger side wins; and this strength could be physical or
mental. However, after reading the story we can conclude that between crime and
punishment, it is mainly a battle of wits. The side which outsmarts the other wins.
It is not always that a criminal gets punished. In the given story, although well
trained, the police officials were easily fooled by the clever Evans, who managed
to escape from right under their nose.

THE STORY
1. Evans is a prisoner in H.M prison, Oxford.
2. He is popularly known as ‘Evans the Break’.
3. He ran away from prison three times.
4. Now he is studying O –level German in prison. He is the only student.
i. He desires to appear for the Board Examination.
ii. The governor has conceded to his request.
5. All arrangements for the smooth conduct of the examination have been made
Since Evans is known for his clever planning to escape from jail.

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6. The Governor takes no chanceàhe makes sure Evans has no communication
with anybody outside the jail.
7. But Evans has a couple of cunning friends to help him.
i. Even the German teacher is one of his friends.
8. Since Evans is the only studentà they together have been planning the
escape.
9. The invigilator, McLeery, is overpowered and one of Evans’ friends and
impersonates him.
10.He has worn two clerical collars, two black fronts. He had brought in a false
beard and pigs blood.
11.The examination is in progress.

12. But on the question paper they have superimposed all the instructions for
the escape.
13.When the exam is over, McLeery is seen off at the main gate.
14.But inside the cell McLeery is lying sprawled, covered in blood.
15.It is presumed Evans impersonated McLeery and has escaped after hitting
McLeery on the head.
16.But later it is discovered Evans impersonated an injured McLeery.
17.He tricks everybody Evans reached the Golden Lion Hotel.
18.The Governor is able to grab him there.
19.But Evans’ cunning friends arrest friends and drive him to freedom. Once
again they are able to fool the governor.
Evans wants to take the O-Level Examination.:-
 James Roderick Evans is the full name of the prisoner in Oxford prison.
 He has been taking special classes in German while in prison.
 He is the only student.
 Now he desires to appear for the O-Level Board Examination in
German.
 Governor conceded to his request.
 The Board has agreed to send an invigilator to the prison to
conduct the examination in Evans’ cell.
Precautions:-
 He Governor takes no chances. He fears that Evans might overpower
the invigilator and try to escape.
 Thinking he might conceal something in his cell and he asks a senior
prison officer, Mr. Jackson to search Evans’ cell thoroughly.
 Jackson after 2 hours reported that nothing is hidden there.
 Evans’ nail-file and nail-scissors are also taken away.
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  Only razor blade to shave himself.
 The governor has got a microphone fitted in the cell so he can hear
every sound or every word made in the cell.
 After his shave the blade is also taken away.
Evans:-
 He is a pleasant young man. He has not done any violence.
 He has been part of Christmas concerts.
 He is good at imitation.
 He is a kleptomaniac. He has a couple of friends who help him.
 On the morning of the exams two prison officers, Jackson and Stephens,
visit him.

 Evans is wearing a wooden bobby hat.

 Jackson tells him to remove his hat. But Evans says that the hat has always
brought him good luck.
 He wants to keep it on for luck in the examination.
 Jackson a kind hearted man does not insist.
 If so he would have seen Evans had cut his long hair short.
 He had done so with the other razor blade he had.
 He has done so to impersonate McLeery, the invigilator.
The Invigilator:-
 The Board appointed S. McLeery as the invigilator to conduct the
examination.
 He leaves his flat at Broad Street at 8.45 a.m. It is cold and there is drizzle.
 He is wearing a long black overcoat and a shallow-crowned clerical hat. He
is a parson.
 He is carrying a small brown suitcase which contains the
 Sealed question paper envelope.
 Invigilation form and a
 Special Authentication card from the examination board.
 After reaching the main gate he signs his name in the visitor’s book.
 Greeted by Jackson and taken to Evans’ cell by Stephens who has to be
present to watch the examination.
 Jackson has instructed him to be very vigilant and to report the slightest
irregularity.
 Stephens unlocks the heavy iron door of Evans’ cell.
 Though Governor is worried Jackson feels that it is not possible to escape.

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 Evans did not try to escape from the recreational block, where it was made
easier to escape.
 Now there are two more locked doors between Evans’ cell and the yard. The
wall of the yard is very high.
McLeery is searched:-
 The governor is worried and fears for McLeery that McLeery might have
brought with him anything that Evans might use to hit McLeery.
 So he instructs Jackson to have McLeery searched.
 Jackson frisks McLeery and passes his hands over the envelope.
 There is a paper knife that Jackson thinks could be used as a weapon. He
decides to keep it with himself.
 McLeery has a semi-inflated rubber ring Jackson wants to know what it is
for , McLeery tells him that he suffers from hemorrhoids. He uses it sit on
Jackson lets him keep it.
 Later it proves to be a mistake.
 It contains pig’s blood.
Exam Starts:-
 McLeery tells Evans to write the name of the paper -021-1 and
the index number 313, and the centre number 271.
 Evans objects Stephensàpresence inside the cell.
 Says he cannot concentrate while Stephens standing over him.
 The governor hears this on the microphone He thinks Evans’ request is not
unjust or dangerous.
 He tells Jackson to get Stephens out of the cell.
 But has to keep a watch through the peep hole.
Correction of the Question Paper:-
 A little lateràThe Governor receives a call from the examination board.
 They tell the Governor there is a correction in the question paper.
 Jackson receives the instructions and passes it on to McLeery.
 McLeery announced to Evans the error in the question paper.
 The word ‘goldene’ should be corrected to ‘goldenen’.
 The governor suspects it could be fake call.
 It provided the name of the hotel Golden Lion to Evans, and his
friends knew when exactly the examination started.

A Demand for a Prison Van:-

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 o After sometime the governor again receives a call from the Magistrate
office.
o They want a prison van and two prison officials for a remand case.
The governor does not try to find out if it is a hoax.
o But it, too is a hoax.
o When Evans is arrested later, his friends apparently carry him to
prison But take him to his freedom.

Stephens keeps a watch:-

 He looks the peephole every minute and later after two minutes.
 Every time he sees Evans sitting with his pen caught between his teeth.
He finds McLeery sitting slightly askew from the table.
 He is reading the Church Times and his index finger is hooked beneath
his clerical collar.
Evans Drapes Blanket Around His Shoulders:-
 Stephens is surprised at this:-
 He thinks it is an irregularity.
 He wants to report to Jackson.
 But then he thinks he is chilly inside.
o So he does not mind and continues his watch.
Governor’s Call for Stephens:-
 Just five minutes before the end of the exam Jackson receives a call the
governor wants to speak to Stephens.
 Stephens leaves his duty and receives the governor’s orders.
 He is told that he himself is to accompany McLeery to the main gates. He is
to see that Evans’ cell is locked.
 Later it was found that this was a hoax.
 The governor did not make this call.
 It was a ploy to get Stephens out of the way for a couple of
minutes.
McLeery leaves; McLeery is wounded:-
 Stephens accompanies McLeery to the main gates then he comes back.
 He goes to Evans’ cell to make sure he has actually locked Evans.
 But on reaching He finds McLeery sprawled and covered in blood.
 The blanket slipping over his shoulders.
 He hastily presumes that Evans has hit him and impersonated him,

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 the man who has left was Evans.
 Makes a hue and cry.
 He is mistaken. In fact, McLeery has left. Evans is still in the cell. He is
impersonating McLeery.

McLeery offers to help:-

 Stephens shouts for Jackson.
 Jackson arrives and sends Stephens to ring the police and the ambulance.
 McLeery raises himself says he is alright No need to call for an ambulance.
 Instead they should call the governor.
 He knows where Evans has escaped to He can help to grab him.
 He clutches the question paper with his blood stained hand.
 Jackson and Stephens support McLeery on either side and lead him into the
yard where the governor has already arrived.
 McLeery gives the question paper to the governor and as that he can see
what they have done.
 The governor sees the photocopied sheet was
superimposed on the last page of the question paper.(He
knows a little German)
 The photocopied sheet contains instructions for Evans to escape.
McLeery (Evans) Leaves in the Police Car:-
 Detective Superintendent Carter arrives. He I shocked to see McLeery
bleeding.
 Suggests that McLeery should be taken to hospital.
 But McLeery says he is alright. He can help grab Evans.
 The governor tells Carter to take McLeery with him because only he can
lead them to Evans and they go
Governor sends Jackson and Stephens to Newbury:-
 The Governor is puzzled. He cannot understand how Evans was able to
conceal a false beard, spectacles and other things in his cell.
 He again looks at the question paper.According to the directions for
Evans he was asked to go to Newgrave.
 The governor can soon see that Newgrave means Newbury.
 He tells Jackson and Stephens to go to Aldates Police Station and
contact Chief Inspector Bell here. There he rings the Bell.
McLeery Disappeared:-
 Evans, impersonating McLeery, leads Carter to Elsfield way.
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 There he says he has seen Evans in a car they chase the car but lose sight of
it at Headington.
 They reach the examination office.
 There Evans’ condition grows worse. Ring for ambulance.
 Carter says that McLeery is in Radcliffe Hospital.
 The governor rings the hospital.
 They tell him that an ambulance was sent but McLeery was not there.
 Now governor realizes that McLeery àwas not the actual person who was
appointed by the examination board.
Actual McLeery is Discovered:-
 The truth is discovered.
 Reverend S. McLeery is found securely bound and gagged in his study.
 He has been there since 8.15 a.m.
 Two men had called him in the morning.
 One of them impersonated McLeery.
Evans is in Golden Lion:-
 Evans has safely reached the Golden Lion in Chipping Norton.
 His friends provided him with soap, water and fresh clothes in the car.
 He is sorry he had to cut his long beautiful hair.
 Had Jackson insisted on him removing the bobby hat, he would have found
his hair cut and plan to escape would have failed.
 Evans thinks that it was good that McLeery had worn two black fronts and
collars.
 But they kept slipping off the back stud.
 Evans had to keep his pen in his mouth to solve this problem.
 He had to drape the blanket to hide the black front and the stud at the back of
the collar.
Face to Face with the Governor:-
 The governor also reaches the Golden Lion.
 He too uses the reference 313/271 to reach Chipping Norton.
 He is in Evans’ bedroom when Evans opens it and is paralyzed to see the
governor.
 The governor tells him that now he has no chance of escaping.
 He asks Evans how he was able to smuggle blood to pour on himself in his
cell.
 He learns McLeery brought it in the rubber ring. It was pig’s blood. The
governor is amazed. He says Evans has had no visitors.

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  Evans tells him that his German teacher was not from the
technical college.
 He was Evans’ friend. They together had been planning the
escape.

Evans is arrested to be Set Free:

1. Governor is happy. He is able to grab Evans.
2. Comes down the stairs and the receptionist tells the Governor that the prison
van is parked outside.
3. The prison officer handcuffs Evans. Drives away with him.
4. But as the prison van turns into the Oxford road. The prison officer unlocks
the handcuffs and they move to Newbury.
5. Obviously the prison officers were Evans’ friends.
i. They had acquired a prison van in the morning on the pretext
that it was needed by the Magistrate’s office for a remand case.

 Reflecting on the story, what did you feel about Evans’ having the last
laugh?
Evans smartly devised and executed the plan of his escape. He managed to fool
everyone till the end of the story. He left fake clues to misguide the officials
chasing him. Even as the Governor heaved a sigh of relief after nabbing him in the
Golden Lion hotel, Evans was secretly cooking and executing another path of
escape. The prison officer and the van used by the Governor for transferring Evans
back to the prison were forged. The Governor was happy that ultimately he was
able to track him down using his intelligence and knowledge of German. However,
Evans had planned a step ahead.  With his successful escape, Evans definitely had
a well earned last laugh.

 When Stephens comes back to the cell he jumps to a conclusion and the
whole machinery blindly goes by his assumption without even checking the
identity of the injured ‘McLeery’. Does this show how hasty conjectures can
prevent one from seeing the obvious? How is the criminal able to predict such
negligence?

On his return, Stephens saw McLerry bleeding profusely in the cell. Presuming the
man he had escorted to the gate to be Evans and not McLeery, he raised an alarm.
None of the official staff tried to verify whether this McLeery was the real one. As

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the bleeding McLeery offered to help the police to track Evans, nobody questioned
how he knew the plan. Later, when the Governor nabbed Evans and sent him back
to jail with the prison officers, he did not notice that this officer was unknown to
him. It was soon unearthed that the officers were Evan’s own men who helped him
escape again. Thus, it is definite that the gullible officials made speculations in a
jiffy which amounted to their subsequent negligence.
On the contrary, a plotting criminal makes a foolproof plan taking care of the
intricacies and does not make hasty assumptions. He has back-up plans ready.
Also, a criminal's mind is observant enough to predict any possible negligence on
the part of the officials. Evans too must have easily observed these during his stay
in the prison, and planned accordingly.
 What could the Governor have done to securely bring back Evans to the
prison when he caught him at the Golden Lion? Does that final act of
foolishness really prove that “he was just another good-for-a-giggle, gullible
governor, that was all”?

At the Golden Lion when the Governor arrested Evans, he should have been extra
cautious in sending him back to the jail. If he knew the whereabouts of Evan, he
should have taken along more police officials. Also, considering the fact that
Evans had successfully fooled them earlier, he should not have taken chances by
sending him in a van with just a couple of police officers whom, apparently, he did
not know. As a result, Evans easily escaped once again. Ideally, the Governor
should have escorted Evans himself. Thus, this final act of foolishness really
proved that “he was just another good-for-a-giggle, gullible governor, that was
all”.

 While we condemn the crime, we are sympathetic to the criminal. Is this

the reason why prison staff often develops a soft corner for those in custody?

‘Crime’ and ‘criminals’ are usually considered synonymous. However, our

perception changes when we see a criminal suffering or serving his punishment.
This is what happens with the prison staff. Noticing a criminal suffer in the prison,
they unwittingly develop a soft corner for him in their hearts. They look at him as a
human being and not as a mere criminal. They start noticing and appreciating their
mental capabilities rather than just remembering their crime.

In the story, Jackson lets Evans keep his hat after knowing that he considered it to
be his lucky charm. Evans knew of the emotional side of Jackson and so hit it
directly through his talk about “lucky charm”, and managed to fool the stern and
practical officer. Even the Governor could not help noticing his intelligence when
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he caught him in the hotel. Thus, he was not cruel or stern with Evans, and
regrettably, took him leniently.

 Do you agree that between crime and punishment it is mainly a battle of

wits?

In every battle the stronger side wins; and this strength could be physical or
mental. However, after reading the story we can conclude that between crime and
punishment, it is mainly a battle of wits. The side which outsmarts the other wins.
It is not always that a criminal gets punished. In the given story, although well
trained, the police officials were easily fooled by the clever Evans, who managed
to escape from right under their nose.

Characters: (In Points)

Evans: Evans, the jail-break was a habitual, congenital Kleptomaniac, a master
planner, has intimate and reliable contacts, non-violent with a pleasing personality,
practical minded, outsmarts all with his intelligence, analytic character judge,
crafty schemer, has an excellent psychological insight, far sighted and jolly
natured.

Jackson: Lacks intelligence, credulous, gullible, compassionate, careless: in not

recognizing a stranger's voice posing as the Governor's, moron, Evans and Jackson
are 'warm enemies'.

Governor: Gullible fool, a greater moron than Jackson, hasty in his approach and
actions, fails to verify credentials of tutor, has great regard for Evans' intelligence
and presence of mind.

Stephens: Newly recruited into the jail security, devoted to duty, deeply

conscientious but not mentally alert, negligent, hasty in actions.

Mcleery, the impersonator: Good impersonator, reliable friend, keeps his calm

and has a strong presence of mind, unruffled, gives intelligent answers.

 Precautions taken by the Governor

·       Removal of all incriminating material from Evans, cell (razor, nail-clippers,
nail file)
·       Strict vigil, cell bugged

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·       Invigilator frisked.
Facts overlooked
·       German tutor-antecedents left unverified.
·       Private tuition, bobble hat, assistant secretary (examination) and not the
secretary gave the call for correction slip but no eyebrows were raised.
·       Stephens taken out of the cell.
·       Stephens notices a thinner Mcleery but does nothing about it.
·       Blanket allowed to Evans.
·       Governor drops Evans outside hotel and he moves away in another vehicle
thus giving a second chance on the same day for him to escape.

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

1.     Who was James Roderick Evans? Why was he put in the Oxford Prison?
  Evans was a smart young man who had a number of amazing skills to fool anyone
and escape any prison. He had a gang of friends who used to make money by
imitating other people. Because of his smartness in breaking prisons, Evans was
sent to the Oxford prison that was thought to be the most secure prison in England. 

2.     How was Evan's presence in the prison felt by the authorities?

 Even though Evans was a prisoner, the whole of the prison seemed to have loved
to have him there. He being a smart, tricky, intelligent and the most popular inmate
of the prison, even the authorities admired his skills but were worried only about
the possibility of his escape. He had many good friends among the prisoners and
even the Governor himself was concerned for him and at times behaved to be
Evans’ fan.

3.     Why did the Governor apply for an examination for Evans? 

 Evans was a prisoner in the Oxford Prison. He had convinced the authorities that
he was genuinely interested in learning German and was tutored for a while. When
the tutor announced that Evans was prepared for an O'Level exam, the Governor of
the prison applied to the Examination Board for his exam. 

4.     Who was Mc Leery? What is his role in the story? 

Rev. Mc Leery was a parson at St.Mary Mags, a monastery. He was supposed to
invigilate Evan's examination at the Oxford Prison. He was about to leave his
residence for the prison when two of Evans' friends entered his room and tied and gagged
him until Evans had escaped from the prison.

5.     Why was Evans particular about keeping his hat on his head during his

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exam? 
Evans wore a bobble hat at the time of his examination. When he was asked to
remove that, Evans pleaded to let stay it because he believed it was his lucky
charm. In facthe had hidden some of the makeup materials in his hat which was the reason
he didn't want to remove it.

6.     Why did the Governor think of frisking Mc Leery?

Mc Leery was the invigilator of the examination and he was to sit inside Evan's
cell while the latter wrote the exam. The Governor had made sure that Evans had
been thoroughly frisked and there was nothing to fear about that. But when he
thought about the possibility of Mc Leery carrying a paper-knife or that sort, he
feared Evans would make use of that and escape by holding the parson his
hostage. 

7.     Why did Mc Leery's expressions change when he was frisked?

While frisking McLeery,  the prison officers found out a semi-inflated rubber tube
in his bag. When he was asked of this Mc Leery's amiable appearance suddenly
changed and he turned shy and embarrassed for having made to admit that he was
suffering from piles. In fact this was only an excuse to stop the authorities from
asking further questions and to allow him to carry the rubber tube that had some
blood inside for the escape drama.

8.     What was the intention behind the call from the Examinations Board?
It was one of Evans' friends who made the call from the Examination Board. This call was
primarily meant for confirming the beginning time of the exam in order to
calculate the end of the exam. The equally important reason behind this call was to
misguide the Governor into Hotel Golden Lion to arrest Evans from there and
thereby to make the escape altogether safer. 

9.     The Governor's pride in his little knowledge in German was of great help for
Evans to escape. Explain.
The Governor had acquired a little bit of German earlier and was proud of that. On
seeing the correction sheet and faintly recognizing the hidden message that would
help him to trace the escaped Evans, he became over enthusiastic and decided to
track the prisoner with the assistance of another officer. Later when he trapped
Evans so ‘smartly,’ the Governor forgot all caution and went high in the sky of his
pride and that gave Evans a great opportunity to escape.

10. What had 'Mc Leery' brought with him to the prison to help Evans' escape? 
Evans’ friend dressed up like Mc Leery had brought some very useful   

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articles for Evans’ escape. He had worn an extra clerical collar and a clerical front.
In his bag he had carried a semi inflated rubber tube filled with blood. He had also
carried a paper scissors even though it was frisked by the prison authorities.

11. Why did Evans ask for a blanket while writing the exam?
As part of his escape plan, Evans had to dress up him as Mc Leery, the invigilator.
To cut his long hair and to dress up, Evans wanted a hiding. Moreover, he had
hidden part of the invigilator’s costume under the blanket. 

12.  How did Stephens feel when he was asked to accompany Mc Leery out of the
prison?
 Stephens was a new officer at the Oxford Prison and was naturally apprehensive
about his duties. He was already glad that he was in charge of the invigilator and
the examinee. When he was asked by the Governor to accompany the invigilator
out of the prison, Stephens felt greatly flattered and proud of himself.

13.   When did the Governor realize that the invigilator was fake? 
The Governor had initially assumed that it was Evans who had run out of the
prison after hitting the invigilator. But later, when he made call to the Radcliffe
Hospital where detective Carter had admitted the invigilator, he was informed that
the hospital had not admitted the invigilator. More confused, the Governor made
another call to the invigilator’s residence and confirmed that the parson who had to
come as the invigilator had been tied and gagged in his room and the one came as
the invigilator was Evan’s accomplice.

14. Why did Evans want the Governor arrest him at Hotel Golden Lion? 
Evans’ plan had been one very intelligently crafted. He wanted to make sure that
his plan had to amaze everyone and the very smart Governor also had to be
overtaken. To do this he wanted the Governor arrest him with his ‘own smartness’
and feel ‘elated, proud and over confident and consequently less careful about
keeping Evans under high security.

15.  Evans was 'visibly shaken' when he saw the Governor in his room in the hotel.
Why was he shaken?
It was part of the escape plan that the Governor had to come to the Golden Lion
Hotel to arrest Evans from there and take him to the prison. The purpose was to
make the Governor believe that he was really intelligent and efficient and thereby
let his confidence go loose. It was because of this that Evans pretended that he was
really caught.

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6. Why is the Governor called ‘good for a giggle Governor?’ 
The Governor was in a way intelligent and smart. Though a little late, he was
successful in tracing Evans in the Hotel Golden Lion and in arresting him. But
little did he know that it was Evans who wanted the Governor to arrest him. Evans
raised the Governor’s confidence level sky high and let him fall from such a height of
pride. When he caught Evans, the Governor thought that he was the most intelligent
prison governor in the world and drove to the prison dreaming of the praises and
ranks he would be given for his efficiency as a Governor. But in the prison he
would know how he was made fool by Evans and the world would only giggle at
him. 

17.   Do you think that the Governor was really intelligent? Support your answer
with instances.
The Governor was a very intelligent officer but his overconfidence was his weak
point. The instances of his intelligence can be seen at various   places   of the story.
He didn’t believe that Evans was genuinely interested in learning German when he
noticed that Evans didn’t understand the basic German expression, “Guten
Gluck.”  He was doubtful when the call came from the Examination Board and
made a return call to confirm if the call really came from the Board. It was his intelligence that
thought of frisking the invigilator and found the rubber tube. It was he who
discovered the secret message regarding the assault on the invigilator
superimposed at the back of the question paper. Soon he found out that the real
McLeery had never come to the prison and that it was Evans who had escaped
from the prison as the injured invigilator. The Governor deserves praises for
tracing Evan to Hotel Golden Lion at Chipping Norton and arresting him.

 18.  How far was Stephens helpful for Evans' escape?

Stephens was a newly recruited officer in the prison. He was very particular about
showing his efficiency in front of the higher authorities and was especially glad
that he was in charge of Evans’ examination which was a risky job indeed. Evans
complained of Stephens’ breathing and got him naturally out of the cell. Once out
of the cell, Stephens kept peeping into the cell but soon found it childish. To show
that he was very confident and efficient, he left the cell door to come after short
intervals. The short intervals soon became longer and very longer giving time for
Evans to dress himself up inside the cell. Stephens was taken to the highest joy
when he received the fake call from the Governor to take the invigilator out of the
prison. He in his pride took the invigilator out of the prison and made way for

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Evans’ escape in a wonderful way. 

19. How did Evans escape from Detective Carter?

Disguised as the invigilator, hit by the escaped Evans, Evans misguided detective
Carter in the pretext of helping the officer to find the escaped Evans. When they
reached Radcliff Hospital, Evans pretended to be most critical and told the
detective to admit him in the hospital. Carter wanted to drive the wounded
invigilator into the hospital but Evans advised him to call the ambulance and drop
him on the roadside to be picked by the ambulance so that the detective could
continue his chase after Evans had escaped.

20. Can you imagine what had happened when the Governor reached the prison? 
While driving to the prison the Governor thought that he was the most efficient
and intelligent prison governor in the world. He was very confident, overwhelmed
with gratification and was therefore least cautious. But there was the worst
news awaiting him in the prison that Evans and his friends had escaped by fooling
and disgracing him. He would also realize that he too was one among the idiots
like Stephens and Jackson

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