The Interview
Short Answer Type Questions
Q.1 What are some of the positive views on interviews ?
Ans. Interview, in the 130 years of its existence, has become an inherent part of journalism. It is a useful means of communication that is, at times, considered to be an art, serving as a source of truth. Denis Brian has stated that in today’s world we get to know “our contemporaries” through their interviews.
Q.2 What is the belief in some primitive cultures about being photographed ?
Ans. Some primitive cultures believed that getting oneself photographed would rob them off their souls.
Q.3 What do you understand by the expression “thumb prints on his windpipe.”?
Ans. The expression means having been strangulated. The interview is an assault on a person as it makes him/her so tense that he/she feels as good as being choked.
Q.4. Who in today’s world, is our chief source of information about personalities?
Ans. In today’s world, our chief source of information on personalities is the interviewer who through his power and influence, gathers information and provides us with the best possible information of the interviewees. They serve as means of communication between the celebrities and the audience. They extract everything significant through their questions for us.
Q.5 What is the reason for the huge success of the novel, ‘The Name of the Rose’ ?
Ans. Umberto Eco has rightly pointed out that the success behind ‘The Name of the Rose’ is a mystery. It is a different sort of novel. It is quite serious novel. Perhaps the time in history when it was written has proved favourable for its success.
According to Mukund, the novel’s setting in the medieval past might have contributed to its success.
Long Answer Type Questions
Q. 1 Why do most celebrity writers despise being interviewed?
Ans. Celebrity writers believe that interviews unduly interfere in their private lives. They regard themselves as victims of interviews. They claim that the interview in some way diminishes them, just as in some primitive cultures it is believed that a photograph of a person takes away his soul. Certain celebrities like V.S. Naipaul claimed that some people are wounded by interviews and lose a part of themselves while others like Rudyard Kipling have referred to it as a crime and an immoral act.
Q.2 Do you think Umberto Eco likes being interviewed? Give reasons for your opinion.
Ans. Yes, Umberto Eco, in all possibilities like being interviewed. He felt just at ease with the interviewer and answered all the questions fully and patiently without showing any hurry. He does not seem apprehensive about sharing his secrets, experiences and opinions with Mukund Padmanabhan, and consequently, the world. Also, he elaborated his approach which was unique. He was mannerly, warm and properly responsive as well.
Q.3 How does Eco find the time to write so much?
Ans. During the interview, Mukund reiterates David Lodge’s astonishment on Eco’s large amount of works and how he manages to write them all. Eco replies that the life of every person has exply spaces periods with no important jobs. He says that he did most of his writing during these free intervals. Whenever he has a few moments to spare in between two different tasks, instead of wasting them, he uses the time to write.
He even gives an example of his working technique that while waiting for someone to came up the elevator, he keeps himself busy.
