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The Third Level

Introduction
The Third Level by Jack Finney is about the harsh realities of war. War
has irreversible consequences thus leaving people in a state of
insecurity. It is also about modern day problems and how common man
tends to escape reality by various means. In this story, a man named
Charley hallucinates and reaches the third level of the Grand Central
Station which only has two levels.

The Third Level Summary

The story revolves around a 31 year old man named Charley, who
experienced something weird. One day after work coming from the
Subway, he reached the third level of the Grand Central station (which
doesn’t actually exist). He reminisces the entire experience with his
psychiatrist friend Sam. Charley thought he experienced time travel and
had reached somewhere in the eighteen-nineties, a time before the
world saw two of its most deadliest wars. As soon as he realised what
time he is in, he immediately decided to buy two tickets to Galesburg,
Illinois; one for himself and the other for his wife. Unfortunately, the
currency used in that century was different. Thus, the next day he
withdrew all his savings and got them converted even if it meant bearing
losses. He went looking for the third level but failed to find it. It worried
his wife and the psychiatrist Sam who told him that he is hallucinating in
order to take refuge from reality and miseries of the modern world which
is full of worry. Charley thus resorts to his stamp collection in order toÂ
distract himself when suddenly one day he finds a letter from his friend
Sam who had gone missing recently. Sam wrote that he always wanted
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to believe in the idea of third level and now that he is there himself, he
encourages Charley and Louisa to never stop looking for it.

The Third Level Lesson and Explanation

THE presidents of the New York Central and the New York, New Haven
and Hartford railroads will swear on a stack of timetables that there are
only two. But I say there are three, because I’ve been on the third level
of the Grand Central Station. Yes, I’ve taken the obvious step: I talked to
a psychiatrist friend of mine, among others. I told him about the third
level at Grand Central Station, and he said it was a waking dream wish
fulfillment. He said I was unhappy. That made my wife kind of mad, but
he explained that he meant the modern world is full of insecurity, fear,
war, worry and all the rest of it, and that I just want to escape. Well, who
doesn’t? Everybody I know wants to escape, but they do not wander
down into any third level at Grand Central Station.

Stack- a pile of objects, typically one that is neatly arranged

Timetables- a schedule showing the departure and arrival times of trains,
buses or aircraft
Waking dream- an involuntary dream occuring while a person is awake
Wander- walk; roam

The story begins with the mention of a third level at the Grand Central
Station (which only has two levels in real). The protagonist himself is
aware that even the Presidents of New York Central and the New York,
New Haven and Hartford railroads would express great confidence in the
existence of only two levels but he himself has been to the third level.
Considering the entire scenario, Charley, the protagonist had a word
with his psychiatrist friend. He explained that Charley was experiencing
a waking dream wish fulfill mentation or in other words, hallucination.
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According to the psychiatrist, Charley was unhappy (the fact her wife did
not like). Upon explaining further, it became clear that it is the burden of
all the modern problems that is pushing him to experience the apparent
perception of something not present. He tends to escape the reality.
Charley agreed with what his psychiatrist friend had to say but he still
found it a bit odd to have been to the third level of the Grand Central
Station.

But that’s the reason, he said, and my friends all agreed. Everything
points to it, they claimed. My stamp collecting, for example; that’s a
temporary refuge from reality. Well, maybe, but my grandfather didn’t
need any refuge from reality; things were pretty nice and peaceful in his
day, from all I hear, and he started my collection. It’s a nice collection
too, blocks of four of practically every U.S. issue, first-day covers, and so
on. President Roosevelt collected stamps too, you know.
Refuge- the state of being safe or sheltered from pursuit, danger or
difficulty

Charley begins to believe in the possibility that he has been experiencing

all this to escape the harsh realities of the modern world. His friends
agreed to it as well. Even his stamp collecting is a sort of asylum he
resorts to in order to feel protected. On the other hand, he starts thinking
otherwise. His grandfather started his stamp collection but in those days,
they had not seen the consequences of war and there was peace,
harmony and security. His grandfather must have not been insecure.
The collection, moreover was amazing, with blocks of four of practically
every U. S. issue. Even President Roosevelt collected stamps.

Anyway, here’s what happened at Grand Central. One night last summer
I worked late at the office. I was in a hurry to get uptown to my
apartment, so I decided to take the subway from Grand Central because
it’s faster than the bus.
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He starts explaining what exactly happened and begins with how he

chose to take the Subway to his apartment instead of the usual bus after
a late night shift. He did this in order to save time.

Now, I don’t know why this should have happened to me. I’m just an
ordinary guy named Charley, thirty-one years old, and I was wearing a
tan gabardine suit and a straw hat with a fancy band; I passed a dozen
men who looked just like me. And I wasn’t trying to escape from
anything; I just wanted to get home to Louisa, my wife.
Gabardine- a smooth, durable, twill-woven worsted or cotton cloth

He describes himself as an ordinary man of 31 dressed in a tan

gabardine suit and a straw hat with a fancy band. It was so ordinary that
he could see other similar men at the station. He explains how he was in
his normal state of mind not wanting to escape from anywhere. All he
wanted was to be with his wife Louisa at that hour. He still doesn’t
understand why this happened with him.

I turned into Grand Central from Vanderbilt Avenue, and went down the
steps to the first level, where you take trains like the Twentieth Century.
Then I walked down another flight to the second level, where the
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suburban trains leave from, ducked into an arched doorway heading for
the subway and got lost. That’s easy to do. I’ve been in and out of Grand
Central hundreds of times, but I’m always bumping into new doorways
and stairs and corridors. Once I got into a tunnel about a mile long and
came out in the lobby of the Roosevelt Hotel. Another time I came up in
an office building on Forty-sixth Street, three blocks away.

Suburban- residential
Ducked- lower the head or body quickly
Arched- curved
Bumping- knock or run into something

Charley comes to the part of the incident where he entered the Grand
Central from Vanderbilt Avenue and took the stairs to the first level
where one boarded trains like the Twentieth Century. Then he went
down another floor to reach the second level from where the suburban
trains leave. From there he entered an arched doorway and got lost. It
was nothing unusual for him because even if he had come to that station
a thousand times, there were occasions he bumped into new corridors
and doorways. Once he entered the wrong lobby and reached Roosevelt
Hotel and another time in an office building which was three blocks
away.

Sometimes I think Grand Central is growing like a tree, pushing out new
corridors and staircases like roots. There’s probably a long tunnel that
nobody knows about feeling its way under the city right now, on its way
to Times Square, and maybe another to Central Park. And maybe
because for so many people through the years Grand Central has been
an exit, a way of escape maybe that’s how the tunnel I got into... But I
never told my psychiatrist friend about that idea.
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He wondered that Grand Central was expanding at a very fast rate just
like a tree and with its roots. He it is no big deal that they even have a
secret tunnel under the city to the Times Square or maybe the Central
Park. He feels it might be because Grand Central is a place of exit for
innumerable people, he also managed to escape reality because of the
same reason. Although he never shared it with his psychiatrist.

The corridor I was in began angling left and slanting downward and I
thought that was wrong, but I kept on walking. All I could hear was the
empty sound of my own footsteps and I didn’t pass a soul. Then I heard
that sort of hollow roar ahead that means open space and people
talking. The tunnel turned sharp left; I went down a short flight of stairs
and came out on the third level at Grand Central Station. For just a
moment I thought I was back on the second level, but I saw the room
was smaller, there were fewer ticket windows and train gates, and the
information booth in the Centre was wood and old looking. And the man
in the booth wore a green eyeshade and long black sleeve protectors.
The lights were dim and sort of flickering. Then I saw why; they were
open-flame gaslights.

The unusual corridor he had entered into began angling left and slanting
downward which he felt odd about but nevertheless, he kept on walking.
There was no one except him and the voice of his feet echoed. He finally
heard the sound of people talking from a distance, then he took a left
and walked down the stairs again only to reach the third level of the
Grand Central. He thought he had somehow made his way back to the
second level but as he noticed, the room was smaller, there were fewer
ticket windows and train gates, and the information booth in the centre
was wood and old looking. The man in the booth was also different and
the station was dim-lit for there were open-flame gaslights.

There were brass spittoons on the floor, and across the station a glint of
light caught my eye; a man was pulling a gold watch from his vest
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pocket. He snapped open the cover, glanced at his watch and frowned.
He wore a derby hat, a black four-button suit with tiny lapels, and he had
a big, black, handlebar mustache. Then I looked around and saw that
everyone in the station was dressed like eighteen-ninety-something; I
never saw so many beards, sideburns and fancy mustaches in my life. A
woman walked in through the train gate; she wore a dress with leg-of-
mutton sleeves and skirts to the top of her high-buttoned shoes. Back of
her, out on the tracks, I caught a glimpse of a locomotive, a very small
Currier & Ives locomotive with a funnel-shaped stack. And then I knew.
Spittoons- a metal or earthenware pot typically having a funnel-shaped
top, used for spitting into

Vest- a garment worn on the upper part of the body

Snapped- break suddenly and completely
Locomotive- a powered railway vehicle used for pulling trains

Charley could see brass spittoons everywhere when suddenly a glimpse

of light caught his eye and he saw a man pulling his gold watch from the
vest. He was dressed in an old-fashioned style. Suddenly, he noticed
that everyone was dressed like the nineteenth century. It was basically
the time before deadly wars. So many beards and fancy mustaches all
around, something that the protagonist had never seen before. He even
saw a very small Currier & Ives locomotive which made him sure about
which time he is in.

To make sure, I walked over to a newsboy and glanced at the stack of

papers at his feet. It was The World; and The World hasn’t been
published for years. The lead story said something about President
Cleveland. I’ve found that front page since, in the Public Library files,
and it was printed June 11, 1894.
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To validate his suspicion, he went over to the newspaper boy who was
selling ˜The World’, a newspaper which was discontinued years ago.
There were some headlines about the then President Cleveland. The
date on the front page was also June 11, 1894. He was now sure.

I turned toward the ticket windows knowing that here on the third level at
Grand Central I could buy tickets that would take Louisa and me
anywhere in the United States we wanted to go. In the year 1894. And I
wanted two tickets to Galesburg, Illinois. Have you ever been there? It’s
a wonderful town still, with big old frame houses, huge lawns, and
tremendous trees whose branches meet overhead and roof the streets.
And in 1894, summer evenings were twice as long, and people sat out
on their lawns, the men smoking cigars and talking quietly, the women
waving palm-leaf fans, with the fire-flies all around, in a peaceful world.
To be back there with the First World War still twenty years off, and
World War II over forty years in the future... I wanted two tickets for that.

Immediately, he went to the ticket window to get the tickets for

Galesburg, Illinois for him and his wife. It was a wonderful town with a lot
of greenery. He was well aware that from here one could buy tickets that
would take them anywhere in the United States. He describes how
things were in 1984 before the two World Wars took place. Evenings
were twice as long as they are now and men and women living in peace
and serenity.

The clerk figured the fare he glanced at my fancy hatband, but he figured
the fare and I had enough for two coach tickets, one way. But when I
counted out the money and looked up, the clerk was staring at me. He
nodded at the bills. That aren’t money, mister, he said, and if you’re
trying to skin me, you won’t get very far, and he glanced at the cash
drawer beside him. Of course the money was old-style bills, half again
as big as the money we use nowadays, and different-looking. I turned
away and got out fast. There’s nothing nice about jail, even in 1894.
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Clerk- administrator

As the clerk calculated the fare, he looked at Charley’s fancy

hatband. Charley just had enough for one sided journey. Just as he took
out money, the clerk informed that this is not the acceptable legal tender
and by any chance if he tried to be smart, he won’t be able to get
away with it. He glanced at his cash drawer and realised that currency
used back then was different and almost double the size. He ran out
because he didn’t want to go to jail.

And that was that. I left the same way I came, I suppose. Next day,
during lunch hour, I drew three hundred dollars out of the bank, nearly all
we had, and bought old-style currency (that really worried my
psychiatrist friend). You can buy old money at almost any coin dealers,
but you have to pay a premium. My three hundred dollars bought less
than two hundred in old-style bills, but I didn’t care; eggs were thirteen
cents a dozen in 1894.

The day ended after he came out. The next day he went to withdraw his
entire savings and got them converted into old money by paying some
amount of premium. It cost him much and even worried his psychiatrist
friend but he still went with it. Back then, eggs cost thirteen cents a
dozen.

But I’ve never again found the corridor that leads to the third level at
Grand Central Station, although I’ve tried often enough. Louisa was
pretty worried when I told her all this, and didn’t want me to look for the
third level any more, and after a while I stopped; I went back to my
stamps. But now we’re both looking, every weekend, because now we
have proof that the third level is still there. My friend Sam Weiner
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disappeared! Nobody knew where, but I sort of suspected because

Sam’s a city boy, and I used to tell him about Galesburg I went to school
there and he always said he liked the sound of the place. And that’s
where he is, all right. In 1894.

But unfortunately he could never find the way to the third level corridor
again despite hard efforts. His wife Louisa was pretty worried when she
got to know about it all. After a while, he went back to finding distractions
with the help of stamps. Somehow, Sam, the psychiatrist disappeared
out of the blue.Charley suspected that he had gone to Galesburg. He
finds himself in the time space of 1894.

Because one night, fussing with my stamp collection, I found Well, do

you know what a first-day cover is? When a new stamp is issued, stamp
collectors buy some and use them to mail envelopes to themselves on
the very first day of sale; and the postmark proves the date. The
envelope is called a first-day cover. They’re never opened; you just put
blank paper in the envelope.
Fussing- show unnecessary or excessive concern about something

One night Charley came across a first-day cover. It is an envelope (with

a stamp on it) that stamp collectors mail to themselves on the first day of
its sale to mark the date. They’re just blank inside and are not meant to
be opened.
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That night, among my oldest first-day covers, I found one that shouldn’t
have been there. But there it was. It was there because someone had
mailed it to my grandfather at his home in Galesburg; that’s what the
address on the envelope said. And it had been there since July 18, 1894
the postmark showed that yet I didn’t remember it at all. The stamp was
a six-cent, dull brown, with a picture of President Garfield. Naturally,
when the envelope came to Granddad in the mail, it went right into his
collection and stayed there till I took it out and opened it. The paper
inside wasn’t blank. It read:

That night he found by surprise one of his grandfather’s old first day
covers. Someone had mailed it to his father at his home at Galesburg,
as he saw from the address on the envelope. The post mark showed
that it had been there since July 18, 1894. The stamp had a picture of
President Garfiled on it. It was a six cent, dull brown colour stamp. His
grandfather had put put it in his stamp collection and the Charley now
discovered it. The paper inside and a letter written in it. The letter read
as:

941 Willard Street Galesburg,

Illinois
July 18, 1894
Charley

I got to wishing that you were right. Then I got to believing you were
right. And, Charley, it’s true; I found the third level! I’ve been here two
weeks, and right now, down the street at the Daly’s, someone is playing
a piano, and they’re all out on the front porch singing Seeing Nelly
Home. And I’m invited over for lemonade. Come on back, Charley and
Louisa. Keep looking till you find the third level! It’s worth it, believe me!
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The letter talked about how the writer wished his third level story was
true until he actually started believing it to be true. He had found the third
level and had been there for two weeks. He describes the place he was
at that time. He asks Charley and Louis to never stop searching for the
third level and come back.

The note is signed Sam.

At the stamp and coin store I go to, I found out that Sam bought eight
hundred dollars’ worth of old-style currency. That ought to set him up in
a nice little hay, feed and grain business; he always said that’s what he
really wished he could do, and he certainly can’t go back to his old
business. Not in Galesburg, Illinois, in 1894. His old business? Why,
Sam was my psychiatrist.

The letter had been signed off as Sam. Charlie found out from the coin
store that he used to visit that Sam had bought old currency worth eight
hundred dollars., which was to be utilised in a hay, feed and grain
business, which what he always wished to do. He could not go back to
his old business certainly not in Galesburg, Illinois. The story ends at a
mysterious note where Charlie is wondering that Sam is psychiatrist.
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Page No 1:

Question 1:

What does the third level refer to?

ANSWER:

The Grand Central Station of New York has subways on two levels from where the
commuters take trains to different destinations. No third level was ever built.
However, the protagonist of the story, Charley, believes in the existence of a third
level, operating in a time-frame of 1890s.

The third level signifies an escape from the modern world that is “full of insecurity,
fear, war, worry and all the rest of it....” The period of 1890s represents a peaceful
life not possible in the present era. From this level, the protagonist wants to travel to
Galesburg, Illinois, with his wife Louisa. For him, it is a part of reality while his
psychiatrist friend calls it a “waking-dream wish fulfilment.”

Page No 1:

Question 1:

Have you ever had any curious experience which others find hard to believe?
ANSWER:

Yes, there is one such incident in my life. Last May, I went to Rishikesh to enjoy
river-rafting with my family including my father, mother and sister. We got into a raft
with a group of five college friends. While the rafting instructor was giving us
instructions, I felt that I had experienced this already although it was going to be my
first rafting experience. I knew exactly what he would say, how he would say and
also what his audiences would ask. I was puzzled, and shared this with my sister but
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she simply dismissed it. Even her laughing sounded as if I had experienced it under
the same circumstances. Then, we seated ourselves properly in the raft, and the
adventure began. Initially we took our raft slowly and enjoyed swimming. After that,
we came across several rapids. The thrill of rafting experience and my love for the
water made me forget all about my premonitions. Suddenly, as we were about to
face another rapid, I recollected everything as if I had seen it in a dream. I started
shouting that the boy sitting at the front will hit his head. My mom scolded me while
people on the raft simply laughed it off. But I was not to be consoled. I asked our
trainer to avoid the next rapid and kept on insisting the same. Time was flying very
fast, I repeated that the boy will get injured seriously but nobody paid attention. As
we entered the next rapid, our raft hit a rock very hard and all of us were thrown into
the water. With great difficulty, our trainer got us all back on the raft to find just one
person bleeding. The scene was exactly as I had recollected. The same boy, whom I
had pointed out, hit his head on the rock. After examining him, the trainer said that
the injury is not very serious but could have been if I had not warned him. For the
rest of the journey, everybody was silent. No one spoke anything about the
correlation between what I said and what happened. After a few days, I found out
that what I had experienced is known as a déjà vu.

Page No 5:

Question 1:

Would Charley ever go back to the ticket-counter on the third level to buy
tickets to Galesburg for himself and his wife?
ANSWER:

After reading the story we get to know that Charley was interested in travelling to
Galesburg with his wife Louisa. However, he couldn’t locate the third level again.

The first time round, he found the third level by accident. When he reached the
ticket-counter, he realised that the currency he had with him was not useful as it
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belonged to a different period. He went back to convert his three hundred dollars
into the “old-style currency” that could enable him to buy two tickets to Galesburg.
However, when he returned to the Grand Central, he could not find the corridor
leading to the third level. He couldn’t go back looking for the third level as his wife
was too worried about him. Moreover, he himself had stopped looking for it after
sometime.

Page No 7:

Question 1:

Do you think that the third level was a medium of escape for Charley? Why?
ANSWER:

Yes, the third level was a medium of escape for Charley from the unhappy modern
world that is full of insecurity, fear, war, worry and the like. This is because he could
never find it again at the Grand Central Station.

Charley did not agree with his psychiatrist friend when the latter called his
experience of visiting the third level ‘a waking-dream wish fulfillment.’ His friend tried
in vain to make him realise that his hallucinations are a result of his strong desire to
escape to the peaceful times of the 1890s.

Page No 7:

Question 2:

What do you infer from Sam’s letter to Charley?

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ANSWER:

The letter was addressed to Charley but mailed to his grandfather in Galesburg,
Illinois. It was mailed in 1894 and now appears in his grandfather’s collection. The
letter was suddenly found among the first-day covers where it had never been seen
earlier. Moreover, the contents of the letter are exactly what Charley thought about
Galesburg of 1890s.

Sam's letter to Charley is a mystery that blends together the worlds of reality and
fantasy, and thus, needs further exploring. There are two perspectives from which
one can look at the letter. At one level, it proves that Sam has reached Galesburg of
1984. However, if we look at a deeper level, we can infer that the letter is just
another instance of his hallucination or dreams of escapism. It is possible that while
Charley was looking at the old first-cover letter, he was carried away to a different
world where the letter was sent to Charley by Sam. The letter reflects Sam’s
undeterred urge that forces him to keep looking for the third level.

Page No 7:

Question 3:

‘The modern world is full of insecurity, fear, war, worry and stress.’ What are
the ways in which we attempt to overcome them?
ANSWER:

We can overcome the anxieties and insecurities bred by our inevitable existence in
the modern world by getting involved in some practical and beneficial activities.
Cultivating hobbies, spending time with family and friends, going on trips and
excursions, pursuing meditation and exercises help us live a balanced and healthy
life. Reading good books is equivalent to having good friends with great insight.
They not only enrich us with the vast store of knowledge but also help us to learn
from other’s experience and stay rooted to some basic qualities of humanity. Joining
hobby classes or gym, attending social events like birthdays and weddings, going for
outdoor games, interacting meaningfully through social-networking sites and writing
diaries etc can also help us relieve our worries and stay focussed and disciplined in
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life. Simple activities like listening to music, playing with pets, an occasional dinner
out, watching cinema or plays or going to places like parks etc can go a long way in
helping us get rid of stress, boredom and insecurities.

Page No 7:

Question 4:

Do you see an intersection of time and space in the story?

ANSWER:

Yes, there are certain instances in the story that show an intersection of time and
space. Firstly, the first two levels of Grand Central Station were located in the
present time while the third level existed in the 1890s. Secondly, Charley and his
wife, Louisa, live in the present time yet he rushes to get old currency to buy two
tickets to go to the Galesburg of 1894. Further, the old architecture of the platform at
the third level is different from the modern platforms of the first two levels. Besides,
the archaic manner of dressing by the people, and the newspaper, The World, dated
June 11, 1984 also overlaps with Charley’s real time world and existence. Lastly, the
letter that was mailed to Charley’s grandfather on 18 th July, 1894 highlights the
intersection of time and space as the sender (Charley’s friend Sam) and receiver
(Charley himself) belong to the present time.

Page No 7:

Question 5:

Apparent illogicality sometimes turns out to be a futuristic projection?

Discuss.
ANSWER:

Apparent illogicality sometimes turns out to be a futuristic projection. Before the

Wright Brothers invented the first aeroplane, nobody could have dared to believe
that man could fly. Before Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone, it would
have been impossible to believe in long-distance talks happening in the real-time
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interface. Moreover, there are examples of inventions, like that of inventing a

modern-day sewing machine with a needle that has hole on its wrong end, which
were conceived in dreams but now are part of our everyday reality.

All this emphasises that fantasies of one point of time that seem illogical may turn
out to be revolutionary things that change the future of the mankind. Similarly, it
would not be far-fetched to think about railway stations fitted with time-machine
devices that would make travel from one era to another just a matter of time.

Page No 7:

Question 6:

Philately helps keep the past alive. Discuss other ways in which this is done.
What do you think of the human tendency to constantly move between the
past, the present and the future?
ANSWER:

Besides philately, there are numerous other ways to help keep the past alive.
Collecting historical artefacts, paintings and inscriptions in a museum, collecting and
reading books (including autobiographies, bio-sketches, letters and diary entries)
written in different eras, collecting and viewing documentaries and other videos are
all a few ways of revisiting history. Besides, we can keep our culture and traditions
alive when we follow the rituals in ceremonies, treasure memories in the form of
videos, photographs and audio collections. Also, reviving old monuments, buildings
and other artefacts may prove a huge learning opportunity to those visiting such
places, and promote tourism at the same time.

The capacity to oscillate between the past, present and future is a great intellectual
gift. This human tendency enables him to plan for the future in the present by
reaping benefits from the past. Consider a very simple example of adopting a study
technique for board exams. Considering the past result (of class test or half yearly
exams) a student makes a strategy plan to address the weak areas more and score
better in the future. Thus, such a tendency helps in ensuring acceptance of the
impact of important decisions taken at any point of time and learning from them.
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Page No 7:

Question 7:

You have read ‘Adventure’ by Jayant Narlikar in Hornbill Class XI. Compare
the interweaving of fantasy and reality in the two stories.
ANSWER:

Both the stories have got elements of magic realism in them. They draw a unique
parallelism between reality and fantasy. In The Adventure, we see that there is a
professor named Gaitonde who goes into coma after he meets with an accident.
While comatose, he reaches another world in the Indian history where the Marathas
become victorious as Viswas Rao escapes narrowly from the bullet. The victory of
Marathas brings about diverse changes and reforms in the country. This leads to an
intermixing of fantasy with the reality as the actual course of events in the real world
were very different. Similar is the case with the story The Third Level where Charley
believes in the existence of a third level though only two had ever been built. He is
so sure of the existence of the third level at the Grand Central Station that he gets
his money exchanged to the old currency. His urge to travel to the world of 1890s
becomes a strong obsession resulting in his parting from the real world for a few
moments in the form of hallucinations.

Q1- Who is the author of The Third Level?

A)George Orwell
B) Agatha Christie
C) James Joyce
D) Jack Finney

Q2- What was Jack's full name?

A) Walter Braden Jack Finey
B) Stephen Jone Jack
C) Ray Douglas Bradbury
D) None
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Q3- Why was the author renamed?

A) to change his name
B) Priest's suggestion
C) to honor his mother
D) as an honor to his father

Q4- What are the author's best known works?

A) English and Science fiction
B) Science and history fiction
C) Science fiction and nature
D) Science fiction and thrillers

Q5- What is the meaning of 'Waking dream wish fulfillment"?

A) a pleasant wish that makes one forget the present
B) a pleasant wish that takes one to the future
C) A pleasant wish which inspires to work
D) a pleasant wish that makes one forget the present

Q6- What is the theme of the lesson?

A) human tendency of escapism because of the harsh realities of the present
B) time travelling
C) theory of escapism
D) a dialogue between a patient and a psychiatrist

Q7- How does the story begin?

A) in a jovial manner
B) in an aggressive manner
C) on a happy note
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D) in a serious manner

Q8- What does the Third level signify?

A) a human tendency to escape from the harsh realities of the present to past
happy times
B) A third way on Grand Central station
C) A third gate on Grand Central Station
D) None

Q9- What is 'Waking dream wish fulfillment" according to the psychiatrist in the
lesson?
A) Charles finding of a Third level at Grand Central Stationand realization of his
wish to visit Galesberg Illinois
B) Charles escapism
C) Charles escapism from realities
D) None

Q10- Who was Charles' wife?

A) a woman
B) a woman with bright top
C) A woman at The Third Level
D) Louisa

Q11- What is Sam's letter to Charles represent?

A) A blend
B) an acceptance to visit
C) a proof of his fantasy
D) a blend of reality with fantasy
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Q12- What is Sam's letter testimony to in the lesson proving?

A) his acceptance to travel
B) his refusal to travel
C) Sam accompanying Charles
D) Charles' tendency of escapism from the realities

Q13- In what way do we try to overcome the insecurities of the present harsh
times
A) by engaging ourselves in practical activities
B) by talking to friends and family
C) reading good books
D) All these

Q14- What is the significance of 1894 in the lesson?

A) it was past
B) Authors' parents were alive
C) Author's childhood time
D) representing a peaceful , romantic living time

Q15- Who was sam in The Third Level?

A) a doctor
B) a friend
C) a psychiatrist and a friend of Charley
D) None

Q16- Why did Charley visit Sam?

A) To consult the incident of Third level incident at Grand Central Station
B) To invite him
C) to invite him to accompany at Galesberg
D) To guide him in Galesberg
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Q17- Does the Third Level really exist at Grand Station?

A) Yes
B) yes, there were 3 levels
C) No, there were only two levels at the station
D) None

Q18- What unusual thing the narrator sees at the Grand Central Sation?
A) Trees
B) motorcars
C) Third Level
D) All these

Q19- Why was the narrator seeing this Third Level?

A) as a wish to visit Galesberg
B) wanted to meet his friends
C) wanted to take a break from office
D) As a result of stress and anxiety in his mind

Q20- What does the Psychiatrist explain to Charlie?

A) Third level is a beautiful place
B) Third level is worthseeing
C) Third level is well maintained
D) That it was the result of stress and anxiety of his mind

Q21- How did Charlie reach the Third Level?

A) In his fantasy he takes a subway or a corridor faster than a bus
B) in a superfast train
C) in jetways
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D) in an escalator

Q22- What was the Third Level?

A) a third tier on the station
B) a third storey on the station
C) an imaginary discovery of the narrator's mind
D) none

Q23- What did Charley see at the Third Level?

A) flickering gas lights and people with funny mustaches
B) brass spittoons
C) men wearing a tan gabardine suit and a straw
D) All these

Q24- Why was Louisa,Charley's wife worried?

A) Knowing the incident of Third Level
B) for not getting tickets
C) tickets were delayed
D) Sam was scaring

Q25- Why does Charley want to visit Galesberg?

A) to escape from the troublesome world
B) to enjoy
C) to see the beautiful landscape
D) to meet his old friends

Q26- Why do you think the Third Level was an escape for Charley?
A) Because it existed at the third storey
B) Because Sam knew about it
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C) Because he shared it with Sam

D) Because it existed only in his fantasy and not in reality

Q27- What is First Day Cover?

A) A new stamp gets the Postmark and date
B) A gift
C) A gift wrapper
D) A gift wrapped in a beautiful wrapper

Q28- How does the story interweave fantasy and reality?

A) For Charle's tendency to treat harsh realities with his imaginary Third Level
B) It presents imagination
C) imagination happens on Central Station
D) None

Q29- What specific difference did Charley notice at the Third Level of Central
Station?
A) Everything was weird
B) Everything was old styled and smaller in size
C) everything was too big
D) everything was shining

Q30- Where was Charley ducked on Central Station?

A) into a room
B) into an office
C) into an arched door heading for subway
D) into a store

Q31- What was the strangest thing at The Third Level?

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A) Beards
B) Mustaches
C) dresses
D) The corridor that led him into the past.

Q32- Where was Charley often lost?

A) from a train
B) from the footpath
C) from an escalator
D) from a subway faster than bus at The Central Station

Q33- What did Charley find in his stamp collection?

A) old addresses
B) hair styles
C) old letters
D) First day cover

Q34- What happens when Charley enters the Grand Central Station?
A) He finds a huge tree like Station
B) new staircases,corridors and tunnels
C) tree keeps spreading its roots throwing rooms and windows
D) All of these

Q35- What convinced Charly that he had reached the Third Level Grand Central
Station and not the second level?
A) A different world of gas lights and brass spittoons
B) beards and mustaches of 1894
C) newspaper with a date June11, 1894
D) All of these
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Q36- Who had sent that 'First Day cover and when?
A) Sam's father
B) Sam's uncle
C) Sam's friend
D) Sam a psychiatrist in 1894

Q37- Whose signatures were there on the letter?

A) Charle's teacher
B) Charle's friend
C) Sam
D) None

Q38- What did the letter state?

A) That everything is okay
B) that Sam is joining them
C) Third level do exist and Charle was advised to keep looking at this
worthseeing place
D) None

Q39- What was Sam invited for according to the letter?

A) for a party
B) for a tea party
C) for a bachelor's party
D) for a lemonade party

Q40- What kind of appearances people had at Third level and why did the clerk
refuse to accept money?
A) funny and clerk refused to accept money because it was currency of modern
times
B) weird and notes were big
C) weird and notes were torn
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D) weird and notes were wet

ANSWER KEY

1 D 11 D 21 A 31 D

2 A 12 D 22 C 32 D

3 C 13 D 23 D 33 D

4 D 14 D 24 A 34 D

5 A 15 C 25 A 35 D

6 A 16 A 26 D 36 D

7 D 17 C 27 A 37 C

8 A 18 C 28 A 38 C

9 A 19 D 29 B 39 D

10 D 20 D 30 C 40 A