EVAN TRIES AN O- LEVEL
By Colin Dexter
1. What kind of a
person was Evans?
- a congenital
kleptomaniac, not violent, clever, shrewd and manipulative jailbird.
- had escaped thrice
from the prison, earning the name ‘Evans the Break’.
- a bit annoying but
a charming rouge, good at imitations and stuff - a star at the Christmas
concert.
2. What were the
precautions taken for the smooth conduct of the examination?
-Governor deputed senior prison officer Jackson and Stephens
especially for the exam duty
- the cell was thoroughly checked for anything suspicious and sharp things like
nail scissors, file and razor which
could facilitate escape were removed
- Microphone was fitted in the prison cell that
the Governor would personally listen to
- Specially arranged invigilator – checked and pen knife
taken away
3. Why was the ‘sigh
of relief’ short lived after the examination?
- relief short lived
because when Stephens peeped in one last time after leaving the parson at the
gate he was horrified.
- saw a man with
short hair; presumably McLeery in a pool of blood sprawled in Evan’s chair
- assumed that Evans had escaped from the prison after
injuring the invigilator.
- raised an alarm -
flurry of activity and panic followed.
4.What helped the
prison officers track Evans?
The Governor, who knew a little the German language, was
able to decode the information given in the correction slip. Index no. 313;
Centre no. 271 made the six-figure reference 313/271 in Ordinance Survey map for
Oxfordshire that led him to ‘Golden Lowen’-Golden Lion in Chipping Norton where
Evans was staying.
Who, do you think,
has the last laugh- The Governor or Evans? How?
- Evans has the last laugh in the story.
-The two persons, i.e. driver and the silent prison officer
whom the Governor hands over Evans were accomplices of Evans.
-the Governor had cleverly traced Evans and nabbed the
prisoner,
- became complacent in his self-congratulatory mood at
having foiled the clever escape. Fails to check identity of officers who drive
away Evans in the police van
- Evans escapes once again.
How did McLeery want to help the police?
- The injured McLeery said that he knew where Evans was. He
wanted to accompany the police in finding Evans –drive to Elsfield way
-He insisted that they did not have to call the ambulance as
he was all right. He showed the photostated sheet pasted on the question paper
to the Governor to impress upon him that Evans had befooled everybody.
What important clues
were hidden in the German Question paper?
- a photocopied sheet was cleverly pasted on the last blank
sheet of the German question paper
- had instructions written in German. It read: follow the
plan. The vital point in time was three minutes before the end of the
examination.
- He was not to hit the parson hard or overdo the Scots
accent.
-He was to move the Headington round about and then make way
to Newbury( given in coded language)
Where was the real
McLeery?
- real Rev. McLeery was gagged and tied in his room since
8:15 am.
- two men visited McLeery in the morning.
- It was Evans
accomplice who impersonated McLeery and came as the invigilator for the
examination.
What was the
significance of the two phone calls the Governor received after a quarter of an
hour of the start of the examination?
-first phone call was
by the Assistant Secretary of the Examination Board regarding a correction slip for the German
paper that Evans was writing.
- The word ‘zum goldenen was to be used in place of ‘Goldene
Lowen’
- second call came from the Magistrate’s Court. They needed
a prison van and a couple of prison officers for a remand case.
- Both phone calls were hoax and part of escape plan.
How did the prison machinery swing into
action? What did they overlook?
Prison officers started shouting orders as soon as:
- discovered that Evans had escaped. Sirens were blown.
Puzzled prisoners pushed their way along and doors were banged and bolted.
Phones were ringing everywhere. Jackson and Stephens supported McLeery on
either side and brought him to the prison yard. The identity of the injured
‘McLeery’ and his wound remained unchecked.
What did the Governor think of Evans and his
plan after ringing up Detective Chief Inspector Bell?
The Governor admired
clever Evans and his beautifully laid plan. He also commented on Evans’
carelessness in leaving behind the question paper. He said that all criminals
got caught because they left important clues behind. He was sure that they
would soon be able to catch Evans and put him in prison once again.
What two purposes did
the correction slip serve? Which of them did Evans consider more important? / Q. Why did Evans say, ‘correction slip
killed two birds with a single stone?
The correction slip revealed the name of the hotel and its
location. He had to go to ‘Golden Lion’. It also contained the exact time the
exam started. For Evans, it was an important thing that the phone rang just
before the exam finished. Thus he was able to get the prison officers out of
the way for a couple of minutes.
What did Evans’ own hair look like? What did
he do with it to impersonate McLeery?
Evans’ hair was long
and wavy while McLeery had closely clipped hair. Jackson had removed Evans’
scissors, so he had to cut his hair off with a razor. After that he kept his
head covered with a bobble hat to prevent it being noticed.
How did the Governor of Oxford Prison locate
the hiding place of Evans?
The Governor told
Evans that he had used the same method as Evans had done. The six figure
reference 313/271 was formed by two hints- Index number 313 and centre number
271. If one takes an Ordinance Survey Map for Oxfords hire, this number lands
are bang in the middle of Chipping Norton and hotel ‘Golden Lion’ there.
What request did the Secretary of the Examination Board receive from
the Governor of Oxford Prison?
The Governor of Oxford Prison’s request was to create an
examination centre in the prison for one candidate named James Roderick Evans
who wanted to appear in O Level German Examination to be held on June 8.
What enquiry did the Secretary of the Examination Board make about
Evans?
The Secretary of the
Examination wanted cursory details about the examinee regarding his nature. He
wanted to know if Evans was a violent sort of a person. He was told that Evans
was a kleptomaniac with no record of violence. He also inquired if there would
be any trouble in keeping him incommunicado.
Who met Evans on the eve of the examination?
What does this brief interview reveal?
-Mr. Jackson and Mr.
Stephens visited Evans on the morning of the Examination to ensure that he did
not have any weapon with him as Evans had escaped from prison thrice earlier.
-it revealed that Jackson despite his harsh stance had a
soft corner for Evans and thus permitted him keep his bobble hat on for luck.
What puzzled Mr.
Jackson about the contents in McLeery’s suitcase?
- Jackson saw a smallish semi-inflated rubber ring such as a
young child might have to struggle into.
-On being questioned by Jackson, he replied that he suffered
from piles and could not sit on a hard surface for long.
Why did the Governor doubt the phone call from
the Examination board for the correction in the paper? What did he do?
- the Governor
doubted the phone call from the Examination board for the correction in the
paper because he thought it might be a fake call. He tried to verify it by
calling the Examination Board from the other line . Since the number was busy
he assumed the call was a genuine one.
- applied the little
German he had learnt and was convinced that it was about the agreement of
adjectives.
- the invigilator
announcing the correction sounded genuine.
How did Stephens keep an eye on Evans? What
did he notice on looking through the peep-hole in Evans’ cell?
- Stephens peeped
after every one minute.
- He
found Evans sitting with his pen between his lips. He sat staring straight in
front at the door as if waiting for some inspiration.
- McLeery
sat on his chair reading the ‘Church Times’. His right index finger was hooked
beneath the narrow clerical collar. The fingers of the left hand were slowly
stroking the short black board.
The scene never seemed to change
What request did
Evans make about half an hour before the end of the examination? What did
Stephens think about it?
-Evans requested to have a blanket put round his shoulders.
- A minute later, Stephens was surprised to see a grey
blanket draped round Evans’ shoulders.
- At first –thought he would report the irregularity but
then felt that Evans was perhaps feeling cold as the ‘D’ wing got no sunlight.
How did Evans manage his final escape?
- Evans was nabbed at the hotel, handcuffed and made to sit
in the prison van.
-The complacent Governor failed to verify the identity of
the officer and driver.
- As the van turned on to the Oxford Road, the silent prison
officer who was Evans’ accomplice unlocked the handcuffs. Evans had a good
laugh as he instructed the driver –his
friend to go towards Newbury- he escaped the fourth time.
Character Sketch of
Evans
1. Evans,
the charming rouge is cunning and shrewd - had earned the name ‘Evans the
break’ for escaping from the jail thrice.
2. A
kleptomaniac by birth, he is not violent but an amusing fellow, good at
imitations, and a star at the Christmas concert. Through his cheerful
mannerisms he is able to win over and hoodwink the prison staff - fool the
Governor into letting him take German lessons which he uses to master-mind his
escape - coaxes Jackson to allow him to keep his bobble hat on for luck.
3. - uses
presence of mind to outwit and manipulate the officials. He complains about
getting disturbed by Stephen’s presence in the cell and succeeds in getting him
out, complains about the cold in the cell requesting for a blanket which he
cleverly uses to change into the parson’s disguise. He spills pig’s blood over
himself and through brilliant acting fools the officials into believing he is
Mcleery, wounded by Evans.
4. He stirs
panic in the jail - offers to help them nab Evans - is so convincing that no
one doubts his word - drives out of the jail with the police detectives. He and his shrewd accomplices are innovative
and meticulous in their planning. Even when he is taken aback to find the
Governor in his hotel room, he retains his cool and thus he has the last laugh.
He had foreseen this move and planned with his friends who came with the prison
van. Thus, he escapes again.
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Who, do you think, has the last laugh- The
Governor or Evans?
1. Evans, a shrewd jail bird, having escaped thrice earlier,
knew the complacency and predictable moves of jail officials.
2. His plan began months earlier. His accomplice came as the
German teacher to the prison. On his part, the Governor, determined not to be
‘just a good for giggles’ officer, went overboard in making arrangements for
the German O-level examination Evans would appear for.
3. Officer Jackson
thoroughly searched the cell and cleared any object which could harm the
invigilating parson, who was frisked, his briefcase examined and pen knife
taken away. The cell was bugged with the Governor listening for anything amiss
and Stephens kept a constant eye on Evans.
4.But they failed to
see through the hoax phone calls -the
request for correction from the Examination board, that the rubber ring
had pig’s blood, the parson was wearing
double set of clothes, beard , spectacles and that Evan’s bobble hat plus the
request for a blanket were for Evans’ disguise. Stephen’s, without checking his
identity or injury, at once believed that Evan’s had hit him and escaped. The
governor too believed the parson’s word and sends him out with detectives to
nab Evans.
5. However, on realizing the truth, he quickly traced Evans
to the hotel -Golden Lion- by decoding the clues in the exam paper, but in his
self-congratulatory mood failed to see that the driver and the silent prison
officer were Evan’s accomplices. Thus, Evans escapes again and has the last
laugh.
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Prison authorities made many blunders that helped Evans to escape.
Discuss.
1. The Governor made
a tactical error in allowing a veteran jail-breaker to attend classes. Also,
they neglected verifying the identity of the German teacher and took his word
that he was from the technical college. Evan’s was his only student and the two
friends master-minded the escape meticulously.
3. On the Examination day, Jackson allowed Evans’ to keep
his ‘bobble-hat’ on or else the plan would have fallen flat.
4. If Stephens had not been shifted out from the cell, the
escape would not have been possible.
5. The governor and his officers could not see through the
hoax phone calls.
7. Stephen’s justifying Evan’s request for a blanket was a
great error.
8 Jackson should have frisked and searched McLeery without
hesitation and seen the rubber ring closely.
9. The gullible
prison staff believed that the injured man was McLeery, without checking his
identity or the wound.
10. When Evans was arrested, the complacent Governor let the
receptionist order the prison van and did not accompany the arrested Evans or
check the identity of the silent police officer and driver who were Evans’ accomplices.
