Introduction

-the entire story is a battle of wits between the criminal and the jail authorities.
-being good at predicting the moves of his rivals And being well connected with intelligent,
clever and manipulative friends, Evans is able to escape from right under the nose of the prison
authorities without having to break a single lock.
-The course of action for jailbreak, followed by him is diametrically opposite to the one
visualised by the prison authorities.
-What makes the story engrossing is that it is primarily an individual who keeps the entire
system on the run for a good while and eventually slips out of their hands making them admit
sheepishly that they were"good for a giggle"gullible officers.

Characters

Evans
-quiet sort of a person not given to tantrums and does not believe in violence
-in the Oxford prison, he regularly participates in various functions and is a bit of an exhibitionist
-congenital kleptomaniac
-has been sent to jail on earlier occasions also
-however, before being sent to Oxford prison, he has escaped from jail thrice. Popularly known
as "Evans the Break".
-Presently, he is preparing for the O level German examination which however, is a part of his
fourth jailbreak exploit.
-He has something magnetic about his personality and has friends within the prison premises
and various other departments outside the prison
-he is capable of winning affection of the concerned people. In the words of the author, the
senior prison officer and Evans are warm enemies and he is called Little Einstein by Jackson.
The governor too is appreciative of his innovative mind
-He has presence of mind and this quickwitted enough to think of the right answers at critical
junctures.
-He is capable of foreseeing things and all through the escape game he is always a few steps
ahead of the prison authorities. He believes in fighting to the finish and wants his adversaries
fully vanquished.
-He is a master genius having potential enough to get over any obstacle in life.
-Master planner
-Very sociable and knew how to keep intimate contacts at the right quarters
-In the words of Governor, he was a pleasant sort of chap with no record of violence

The governor
-an officer of average intelligence but unfortunately over estimates himself.
-He is a poor judge of others’ character.
-The vital matters needing his personal attention are often left to others by him. At critical
moments, he fails to comprehend the gravity of the situation.
-However, he shows streaks of intelligence and deducing power by correctly locating the hotel
where Evans is to lodge from the slip handed over to him in the cell.
-In short, his assessment about himself that he is just another good for a giggle, gullible
governor is hundred percent correct.

Jackson
-senior prison officer on D Wing in Oxford prison
-not an intelligent person and can be easily taken in by others
-poor judge of other people's character and is not able to read between the lines
-he is not an observant officer and thus fails to draw correct conclusions
-he is not a doer and takes delight in giving orders to his subordinates. He keeps Stephens
loaded with orders and instructions.
-He is in the habit of taking things casually.
-He has a tendency to get over excited and in his excitement sometimes fails to notice the
obvious. How surprising it is, that he fails to recognise the voice on the phone and misguides
Stephens into believing that the governor wants to talk to him.
-In sum, it won't be wrong to say that he is a misfit as a prison officer.

Theme
-The story is an account of jailbreak. It gives a glimpse of the mind of the criminal whose
dexterity at manipulating and executing his plans is so perfect and accurate that though
befooled at is hands, the officials can't help secretly admire the criminal's ingenuity and
sharpness for outwitting his opponents.

Message

-Presence of mind, a cool head, well-planned and well turned moves can give one an edge over
others. One should never take one's rivals for granted and should never jump to hasty
conclusions as they prevent one from seeing the obvious.
-The story also conveys the message that the multi-dimensional approach is very important
while tackling tricky problems and a ready wit adds spice to the entire scenario. Without these
all our energy and endeavours proved to be nothing but a waste of time.

Question-Answers

1.The story tells us that the examination was to be held on June 8. Why do you think the
governor talks to the secretary of the examinations board in early March itself?
-Evans was a master planner and a master prisonbreaker
-wishing to take no chances, the governor was keen to understand all the relevant details
beforehand to be able to take timely precautionary measures.
2.How do you account for the fact that Evans selected German only for his O-level
examination?
-He was the only candidate offering this subject
-he had an excellent rapport with the German tutor who would eventually be instrumental in his
escape.

3.What different queries does the secretary of the examinations board make from the governor
before conducting the exam and why?
-Being apprehensive about the smooth and fair conduct of the examination and the safety of the
invigilator, the secretary enquired from the governor regarding availability of a suitable room.
-He also wanted to know if the candidate was violent and whether he could be kept
incommunicado.

4. Why was Evans known as 'Evans the Break' by the prison officers?
-He is a habitual jailbreaker
-before coming to Oxford prison he has broken jail thrice.
-However, the expression also serves the dramatic purpose of giving a hint to the reader about
the shape of things to come.

5. Why do you think Evans does not become conversant with German in spite of having been
taught for more than six months?
-He does not seem to have learned much about German as the teacher has to explain the
meaning of simple German expression like 'Guten Gluck'(good luck)
-this is because the teacher was an accomplice of Evans and as a matter of fact, they were
making plans for his escape from prison.
-Learning German was a non issue.

6.Do you think Evans' statement, "I may surprise everybody", has some special significance?
-On the face of it, Evans seems to be telling his teacher that he may prove to be a dark horse
and surprise everybody by doing well in the examination, but in reality it is a forewarning that he
is going to jolt everybody by the masterminded perfect escape plan.

7.Who were the two visitors Evans received in the morning of the day of his exam?
-Two prison officers namely Mr Jackson, the senior prison officer of the prison's D wing and a
burly, surly -looking man called Stephens, who had been only recently recruited.

8.Shouldn't Jackson have told Evans to remove his bobble hat in his presence?
-Jackson is credulous and gullible and believes Evans when he tells him that the bobble hat is a
sort of a lucky charm for him and me stand him in good stead during the examination.

9. How far do you think Jackson is justified in his apprehension that someday Evans might cut
his bloody throat?
Jackson has not understood Evans . Practical minded and perfectly planning criminals do not
commit suicide. They outsmart the authorities and gain their freedom. However, they're likely to
use such insignificant weapons like razors to other fruitful uses, the way Evans has done by
clipping off his hair to his advantage.

10.What made Evans clip his hair short?

The duplicate McLeery who was to invigilate during the examination had short hair. In order to
give a practical shape to the plan, Evans' hair had to look like McLeery's, hence Evans clipped
them short.

11.What makes Evans' comment that his bobble hat is a kind of a lucky charm for him or why
did he not take of his hat when Jackson had ordered him to do so?

Evans is bent upon making the escape plan a success and for that purpose he had clipped his
hair short in order to pass off as McLeery later on.Jackson disapproves of the hat and asks him
to remove it .Evans immediately comes out with a ploy to avoid detection by telling Jackson that
the hat has always brought him good luck . This makes the prison officer relent.

12.Which traits of Evans' character I exhibited from his understanding about Jackson that he
had a tiny core of compassion for him?

-His correct analysis is superb

-psychological insight
-keen sense of observation

13. Why do you think Jackson asks Evans to remove the pinups from the cell?
-Jackson knows that a parson and is going to visit the cell to invigilate and such an exhibition is
a rather unpalatable and unbecoming.

14. Why do you think Jackson tells Evans that nobody in his senses would take any chance with
him?
-He had already broken the prison thrice.
-Such a prisoner can never be depended upon.

15. Escape from the recreation block would have been much easier. Why did Evans not try to
escape from there?
-Success of master planning lies in surprise and doing the offbeat.
-When the prisoners are in the recreational block, all prison authorities must be extra alert.

16. Why did the government instruct Jackson to search Mcleery?

-Just in case he has brought something unwittingly which might prove to be a potential weapon
that Evans could use and hold him as hostage and try escaping from prison.
17. Mcleery had a small semi-inflated rubber ring. What explanation does he give about it?
What did it actually contain?
-He tells Jackson that he is suffering from haemorrhoids(piles) and the tube helps him when he
has to sit for a long time.
-Actually, the tube contained pig's blood which was treated properly against coagulation.

18. Governor granted Evans' request to shift Stephens from the cell during the examination and
it proved to be a big blunder. Do you agree?
-The governor saw logic in Evans' request to shift Stephens from the cell to avoid distraction.
-Since all possible precautionary measures had been taken, the governor saw no harm in
conceding to the request.
-However it proved to be a big blunder as it gave opportunity to the criminals to successfully
execute their escape plan.

19. Who do you think made a call regarding a correction slip in the question paper? What did it
really want to convey?
-At 9:40 AM the governor got a call from the Assistant Secretary with special responsibility for
modern languages regarding a correction in the question paper.
-Presumably, it was an accomplice of Evans who wanted to tell him that after the escape from
the prison he should go to hotel golden lion. The information was meant for Mcleery also.

20. What significance would you attach to the supposed phone call from the Magistrate's Court?
Was it genuine? What was the purpose of the call?
-The phone call was a hoax.
-The master planners had once again misled the governor by telling him that it was a call from
the magistrate's office demanding a prison van and a couple of prison officers in connection with
a remand case. As a matter of fact the van was needed to make the final escape of Evans from
the hotel possible.

21. Why did Evans drape a blanket around his shoulders? What did Stephens think about?
-In between intervals of Stephens peeping into the cell, evans was changing into the parson's to
look like Mcleery. However, the top collar and the black front of the dress kept slipping off the
stud. So, in order to conceal his efforts to keep them in place, Evans draped blanket around his
shoulder.
-Stephens was misled into believing that evans is was feeling cold.