The Third Level

Question 1.
What does the third level refer to? What is the significance of the third level?
Answer:
The third level is a medium of escape through which man yearns to be away from life’s harsh
realities. Modem life is devoid of peace and tranquility so man in his quest to seek solace
escapes to a place where his aim is to seek the realization of his dreams and unfulfilled wishes of
his subconscious mind.

Question 2.
What convinced Charley that he had reached the third level at Grand Central Station and not the
second level?
Answer:
The general layout of the third level was different from that of the second level. It had
comparatively smaller rooms, fewer ticket windows and lesser train gates. The infor¬mation
booth in the centre was made of wood and looked old. The place with its brass spittoons did not
look very bright. So Charley was convinced it was not the second level.

Question 3.
How does Charley, the narrator describe the third level at Grand Central Station?
Answer:
Charley says that the rooms on the third level were smaller than that of the second level. There
were fewer ticket windows and train gates and the information booth in the centre was wood and
old looking. There were open- flame gaslights and brass spittoons on the floor. Everyone at the
station was dressed in nineteenth century dresses.

Question 4.
How did Charley make sure that he was not in the present time?
Answer:
To make sure that he was not in the present time, Charley did a reality check. He looked at the
newspapers which were on sale at a kiosk and found a copy of the newspaper ‘The World’, which
carried the main story on President Cleveland. Then he confirmed from the Public Library files
that the newspaper he had seen was dated 11th June, 1894.

Question 5.
How did Charley often get lost on the Grand Central Station?
Answer:
The Grand Central Station was growing like a tree pushing out endless corridors, doorways and
stairs like roots. It had intricate and tangled pathways. The network of passages was so
complicated that instead of reaching his destination, one did tend to move up and down to look
for entries and exits. So, Charley often got lost on this station.

Question 6.
Why did Charley suspect that Sam had gone to Galesburg?
Answer:
When Sam disappeared all of a sudden and no one knew about his whereabouts, Charley
suspected he had gone to Galesburg as Sam was a city boy and liked Galesburg very much. Then
Charley found an envelope mailed to Sam by his grandfather from his home in Galesburg and so
it confirmed that Sam was indeed in Galesburg.
Question 7.
How does Charley describe Galesburg as it used to be in 1894?
Answer:
Charley describes Galesburg as a quiet, simple and peaceful place with big old frame houses,
huge lawns and tremendous trees. The summer evenings were rather long and people sat out on
their lawns in a peaceful world, men smoking cigars and women waving palm-leaf fans.

Question 8.
What did Charley learn about Sam from the stamp and coin store? (2012 Outside Delhi)
Answer:
From the stamp and coin store Charley gets to know that Sam had bought old style currency
worth eight hundred dollars. This money was sufficient to set him up in a little hay, feed and grain
business in Galesburg.
Question 9.
How did Sam reach Galesburg? What did he advise Charley to do?
Answer:
Sam was fascinated by Charley’s description of Galesburg. He was so burdened by the tensions
and stress of modem life that he thought of escaping to the peaceful world of Galesburg. His
advice to Charley is that, he (Charley) and his wife, Louisa should come over to Galesburg
through the medium of the ‘third level’.
Question 10.
Why did the booking clerk refuse to accept the money?
Answer:
The booking clerk refuses to accept the money because the notes Charley had given him were of
old style. He did not pay in the currency notes that were in circulation in 1894. So the clerk
stared at him and told him, “That ain’t money, Mister”. He thought Charley was trying to cheat
him and even threatened to get him arrested.

Question 11.
What kind of people did Charley ‘See’ at the third level?
Answer:
Having worked late at the office Charley decided to take a train back home. So he came to Grand
Central Station and from the second level he got lost while ducking into an arched doorway and
found himself inside a tunnel. This tunnel took him to another light of stairs and he found himself
on the third level of the station. As compared to the second level, the third level had smaller
rooms, fewer ticket windows and train gates. Everyone there was dressed in ‘eighteen-ninety-
something’. Charley came across men and women wearing 19th century dresses. Men sported
fancy moustaches, beards and sideburns. Tiny lapels, four-button suits, derby hats and pocket
gold watches seemed to be in vogue. Women were wearing fancy cut sleeves, long skirts and
high-buttoned shoes. Charley was confused to see people sporting old-fashioned clothes and
hair styles at the third level.
Question 12.
What made Charley believe that the was actually standing at the third level?
Answer:
One night Charley worked late at the office. He was in a hurry to get to his apartment. So he
decided to take the subway from Grand Central. He ducked into an arched doorway and then he
got lost. He walked down the steps to the second level, turned left and kept on walking. He came
out on the third level at the Grand Central Station. This was a different, old and romantic world.
So he was convinced that he was actually standing at the third level. There were fewer ticket
windows there which were made of wood and were old-looking. There were open flame
gaslights. He saw people with beards, sideburns and fancy moustaches. Then he caught a
glimpse of an old locomotive and also saw an 1894 issue of ‘The World’ newspaper. Perhaps
Charley is under pressure to escape from the harsh world of realities. He would like to escape to
the peaceful world of 1894.