The Fear : Summary and Questions - Answers

The Fear 

[A Psychological Story]

Short Summary :

This story deals with one aspect of human psychology.

This story presents an incident of a man's life which shows how people generally behave when they get nervous, or when they get panicked (state of being scared).

The main character of this story is Armando Gonzalez. His wife's name was Eva. He lived in the Maxico city. He was an economically weak person. He had a big family to look after. He himself, his wife, six children and a mother in law.

He worked in a shoe shop. Eva also earned a little by taking care of children while their mothers worked outside.

The greatest dream of Gonzalez and his wife was to have a house of their own. For this purpose they had saved some money (fifty thousand pesos) little by little in the past twenty years with a great labour and difficulty.

One day he found a house fitted to his needs and within the limit of his budget. He talked and finalized the deal, and now he needed money for the payment. 

One day he entered the bank of his city. After waiting a few moments, he gave the cashier the pass book and the withdrawal slip. He wanted to withdraw fifty thousand pesos. 

The cashier asked if he wanted the money in cash, or in cheque. She also advised him to take the money in cheque because it would be safer. Gonzalez opted for money. Then the cashier asked if it would be alright if she gave him the amount in thousand pesos bills. Gonzalez replied that was all right. 

He didn't like the cashier talking about money so loudly. The bank was full of people. He feared people would know exactly how much amount he was carrying.

The cashier started to count the money. She was counting loudly  -- 1000, 2000, 3000, repeating the word 'thousand' every time. Mr. Gonzalez didn't like it. Why she had to say 'thousand' every time !!

Now he was getting more and more nervous. He was getting impatient. He fidgeted (making nervous movements out of worry) with his hat in his hands as finished counting the money. At last when she gave him the money, he put it in his pant pocket and left the bank. In his nervousness he put his hat on backwards. In his hurry he even collided with a fat man near the door of the bank.

As he was putting on his hat backwards, so many people were looking at him. The more people looked at him, the more he became nervous. His physical condition became miserable. His whole body was full of sweat. The 50 thousand pesos in his pocket could only fulfil his dream of his own house. He developed a fear that some might take his dream away from him very easily.

He reached the place from where he had to catch bus. He noticed that the fat man was following him. He thought that the fat man was planning to rob him. 

This thought made him more restless. Sweat rolled down his brow. He started to shake all over, and his heart was beating faster. Soon he saw that the fat man put his hands in his pockets. Gonzalez thought that the man had a pistol in his pocket which he was going to use against him.

The bus came. Gonzalez got on it. To his surprise he saw that the same fat man also got on the same bus. This made him think the fat man was to loot him. His fear and restlessness grew and grew. He started to think how to outsmart the man.

Suddenly, he saw three teenage boys talking with the fat man. This made Gonzalez more worried. He thought them to be helpers of the heavy (fat) man. He thought they four were making plan to rob him. 

Then he made a plan to leave the bus in the next stoppage and to catch another bus.

He did so. But again he noticed that those three boys had also got down from the bus there. Now it became sure to Mr. Gonzalez that the boys were following him, and were about to loot him. 

Feelings of hot and cold ran through his body due to fear.

The three boys stood and spoke together. Then they looked in his direction, and started walking towards him. This was the peak. He felt it sure the boys were just about to rob him. 

Out of fear he gave a frantic (scared/ terrified) cry -- "Help me, Help me", and started to run wildly. While running he fell down several times. Every time he used to get and run again faster and faster. 

At last, when he again fell down, the three boys came near him before he could stand up. He started crying like a baby all the time requesting to leave him. 

Then one of the boys asked what they could do for him and hoe they could help him. Mr. Gonzalez was quite surprised, and asked if they were not part of a street gang, and if they were not to rob him. 

They boys replied that they were students, and were from Peubla, and had been in the city for a football tournament. They had left the bus because they were on the wrong bus. It was the heavy man in the bus who told them that they were on the wrong bus. 

They were neither robbers, nor they had got off the bus to rob him. As he was crying, they ran towards him only to help him.

Now Gonzalez was quite surprised. Then they all four walked together back to the street. Now, very naturally he took his hands to his head and put his hat on, but this time he put the hat on right.

Questions and Answers:

Short Questions :

1. Question : In which city did this incident take place ?

Answer : This incident took place in Mexico City.

2. Question : How much did Armando Gonzalez withdraw from his savings account ?

Answer : He withdrew 50,000 Pesos from his account.

3. Question : How many bills did the bank teller give Armando ?

Answer : The bank teller gave him fifty bills of 1000 Peso each.

4. Question : Where did Armando work ?

Answer : He worked in a shoe shop.

5. Question : How did his wife Eva earn a little money ?

Answer : She earned each day taking care of children while their mothers worked cleaning houses.

6. Question : What were Armando and Eva going to buy with the money he withdrew from the bank ?

Answer : They were going to buy a house with this money ?

7. Question : As Armando waited for the bus in the street, why wasn't he happy about buying a new house ?

Answer : Armando could not become happy because of the fear that somebody would rob him of his money haunted him. His dream would shatter in that case.

8. Question : For what reason did he think that the heavy man got on the bus ?

Answer : He thought that the heavy knew surely how much money he was carrying, and intending to loot it. With this intention the fat got on the bus.

9.Question : What did he the heavy man have in his pocket ?

Answer : He thought the heavy had a pistol in his pocket .

10. Why did some people in the bus look at Armando ?

Answer : Armando was putting his hat on backwards. At the same time he looked nervous, and had some traces of restlessness on his face. So some people looked at him.

11. What did Armando think was the reason they looked at him ?

Answer : As people looked at him, Armando suspected if they all knew he had 50,000 Pesos in his pocket.

12. Who talked the heavy man on the bus ?

Answer : Three teenage boys talked with the heavy man.

13. Question : Who did Armando think the boys were ?

Answer : He thought the teenage boys were probably the helpers of the heavy man. They were the part of a street gang.

14. Question : Why did Armando leave the bus ?

Answer : He left the bus to outsmart the heavy man. He planned to leave the bus and to catch another bus so that the heavy man could not follow him.

15. Question : Who  got off the bus at the same place ?

Answer : The three teen age boys who had talked with the heavy man on the bus also got off the bus.

16. Question : Why did Armando cry for help ?

Answer : As Armando saw the three boys getting off the bus at the same place, it became sure to him that now they were about to rob him. Being desperate of fear, he cried for help.

17. Question : Where did he run ?

Answer : Armando ran across the street, through a barbed-wire fence into an old junk yard. 

18. Question : Why did the boys follow him ?

Answer :  As Armando cried for help, they thought to see if there was anything they could do for him. So they ran to help him.

19. Question : Who were the boys ?

Answer : They were students, and were from Peubla. They had come there for a football tournament.

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DISCUSSING QUESTIONS / WRITING PRACTICE

Discussing Questions

A. Answer the following the following questions :

1. Question : Why did Armando have the idea that everyone in the bank was watching him ?What was the truth ?

Answer : Armando had heard a lot about robbery. As he was going to carry a huge amount, he wanted to carry it unnoticed. He feared if somebody would rob him.

In the bank when the cashier was counting money loudly, repeating the word 'thousand' each time, he started to get nervous. He thought people in the bank knew exactly how much he was going to carry in cash. It seemed to him that every one knew what he had had in his pocket, so everyone in the bank was watching him. 

The truth was that as he had put on his hat backwards in his nervousness, and it was attracting people.

2. Question : Armando said that the man was going to help him with the purchase of the house told him to bring money, and he thought that this meant he had to bring cash. Do you think he was right about that ?

Answer : The man who was going to help him with the purchase of the house told him to bring the money. Armando thought that this meant he had to bring cash. 

In fact he could not understand what the man had meant. Money does not only mean cash. It is a means of payment, and it may be in the form of bank notes or check.

3. Question : If someone had told him that his hat was on backwards when he left the bank, do you think that Armando would have felt better ? Explain.

Answer : As Armando was putting his hat on backwards, people were looking at him. Some of them were taking a second look too. The more people were looking at him, the more he thought people intended to rob him. This made him more and more nervous every time.

If somebody had told him that his hat was on backwards, he would certainly have put it right, and people would not have looked at him. 

This would have given him a relief, and he would have felt better.

4. Question : What are some things which made Armando think that someone was going to rob him?

Answer : As he was about to come out of the bank, a heavy man almost bumped into him. He looked at Armando second time too. After a while, when he was waiting for the bus, he saw the same man came and stood next to him. Armando recognized hm. 

Soon the man put his hand into his pocket. Armando thought he was checking his pistol. Soon the man got on the same bus on which Armando got on, and after a while he noticed three young boys talking with the heavy man. 

These things made Armando think that someone was going to rob him.

5. Question : Do you think we sometimes make things worse rather than better when we get nervous ? Explain.

Answer : Yes, it is right. When we get nervous, we don't have much self-restraint. We get tensed, excited, or fearful, or timid etc. It becomes impossible to act in a calm way. We can not even think straight. In such a state mind doesn't work properly, and we sometimes make things worse rather than better.

6. Question : How do you think Armando felt when he found out that the boys wanted to help him? What do you think he said to them?

Answer : When Armando knew that the boys were not a part of a street gang, and in fact they wanted to help him, he felt a mental relief. His nervousness went, and he became calm. Now he did not have a sweaty hand. He used both hands to put on his hat. This time he put it straight. 

He might have told them the whole story, and might have requested them to escort him to his living place.

B. Writing Practice :

1. Question : Write a paragraph about a time you became nervous unnecessarily.

Answer : Once my father had sent me to withdraw 70,000 rupees from a bank. I withdrew it in cash. As my house is on the outskirts of the city, I wanted to reach safely as soon as possible. Suddenly I noticed a man was following me. I recognized him, he was also in the bank behind me. 

Perhaps he intended to rob me. I got nervous. I started to run. He also started to run behind me. He even called me from the behind. 

In my nervousness I increased my speed. My mouth parched (become dry), my heart started to beat faster, and my legs were getting weaker. Suddenly I tripped over a stone and fell down. 

Before I could stand up, he approached me. He said I had dropped my driving license in the bank, and he wanted to return it back to me. So he was following me. I thanked him for this kind act.

Then I felt I had become nervous unnecessarily.

2. Question : Many people have different physical things happen to them when they get nervous. Write a paragraph about somethings that happen to you when you  get nervous.

Answer : When I get nervous, several things happen to me. My limbs tremble, sweat rolls down, brow and palms get sweaty. My mouth become dry as dust, heart beats fast. My legs feel weaker having no strength to carry me any further.

3. Question : Write a paragraph about what you think would have done if you and two friends had been the three who were there when Armando started to run and cry for help.

Answer : The young boys who were there when Armando started to run were right in what they did. 

As Armando cried for help, naturally they moved forward to see if there was something that they could do for him.

If I had been one of them, I also would have thought in the same way. I and my friends would have run for his help. But after running for a while, I would have suggested my friends to stop running as it is useless to run after a mad man as Armando seemed to be at that time.

4. Question : Write the story as Armando would tell it to his wife.

Answer : You know darling, today a very funny thing happened with me.  When I was in the bank withdrawing money, I caught an unusual fear that somebody might rob my money while returning from there. 

From there I came to the bus stoppage. Soon I saw a man standing there. I knew him, as he was there in the bank with me. I thought he intended to rob me. He put his hand in his pocket. Perhaps he was searching for his pistol. 

Soon the bus came, and he got on the same bus with me. He was certainly following me. Soon I saw three boys talking with him. I thought them to be helpers of the heavy man. 

I made a plan to outsmart them. I got down at the next stoppage thinking of taking another bus from there. 

But to my surprise, I discovered that the three boys had also got down there. My fear grew all the more. I started to run, crying for help all the time. They also took after me.

While running, I fell down several times. At last they approached me. They asked how they could help me. I was quite surprised at this.

Later it was revealed that they were students, and have been here for a football match. Then we four returned walking, talking and laughing. 

5. Question : The story tells only about something that happened approximately in on hour of Armando's life. Write a paragraph about what kind of person you think Armando really was. 

Answer : Armando was a man of little means. With a great difficulty he had saved some money to buy a house. He knew the value of money earned with a great labour. 

He was a timid man too. He easily got afraid. Soon, however, the tension grew, and he got nervous. He lost all his self-restraint.

This shows that he did not have self confidence, and was not able to keep himself controlled.

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