Welcome to “Telephone Conversation Workbook Answer : ISC Rhapsody (Evergreen),” where we explore Wole Soyinka’s thought-provoking poem “Telephone Conversation” through the ISC English Literature Rhapsody by Evergreen Publications. In this post, we provide comprehensive answers to multiple-choice and contextual questions, deepening your understanding of Soyinka’s biting satire on racial prejudice and the absurdity of discrimination. We meticulously unravel the themes of identity, communication, and societal norms. Each question serves as a gateway to dissecting the poem, urging readers to analyze its subtle nuances and extract deeper meanings. Contextual inquiries broaden our canvas for exploration, encouraging critical engagement with the socio-cultural backdrop and universal themes presented in Soyinka’s narrative. Through this detailed examination, readers sharpen their analytical skills and develop a profound appreciation for the literary craftsmanship of Wole Soyinka. Whether you are a student navigating ISC English Literature or an avid reader exploring themes of race and identity, “ISC Rhapsody: Telephone Conversation Workbook Solutions” offers valuable insights. Join us on this literary journey as we illuminate the path to understanding, one workbook solution at a time.
Table of Contents
Poem In Details :
A black African man in a telephone booth makes a call to a white lady to get her accommodation on rent. He finds the rent reasonable and considers the location indifferent i.e., not of much importance, and could be accepted. But he thinks that only the colour of his skin could cause problem. Therefore, he admits to the lady on the phone that he was an African.
On hearing these words, the lady goes silent. But her silence conveys her aristocratic, wealthy status. The speaker can imagine her lips with red lipstick applied to them and the long gold-coated cigarette holder in her hands. He feels caught unaware when the woman wants to know how dark or black the colour of his skin is. It is not a matter of his misunderstanding the woman’s words. She really wants to know if his colour is light black or deep dark. In his confusion, he presses button A and then B. He does not know what to say. He asks the woman to make the things simple for his understanding as he notices the red colour of the booth and the pillar box.
The woman seems considerate and changes the emphasis to clarify what she wants to know. She asks again whether his colour is dark black or a little mild. The man asks her if she means that his colour is plain black or like black chocolate. The woman answers in a matter of fact way and without any personal. The man replies that he is a red-brown African in colour as mentioned in his passport. For a moment there is silence again and the woman again says that she cannot understand his colour very well . The speaker then explains that it is like brunette.
The woman asserts that his colour is nothing but black only. The speaker then explains that he is not completely of black colour. The palms of his hand and feet are not totally black but blond. He further explains that his bottom too is black like the colour of a raven. It is the result of the friction resulting from his foolish sitting. He already knows that on hearing about his colour she will end the call. He hears her putting the receiver down. Before she ends the call completely, he says that she can come and personally see the colour of his skin and decide.
Line Wise Explanation :
Lines 1-9
The poem begins on a dramatic note. The black African finds the rent of the house reasonable, so he intends to take the house on rent. For him, the location of the house does not matter much. The lady has already assured that she lives away from that house. As no other matter is left to be explained, the speaker plainly admits that he is an African. He does this as he does not want to waste his time and money on travelling as he fears that his being an African may create problems later. The woman, on the other end, goes silent on hearing this. Her silence conveys that she belongs to a rich family of high status. The moment she speaks, he can imagine that the woman’s lips are coated with lipstick. He can also think of the gold-coated cigarette holder in that woman’s hands. But he feel caught in an embarrassing situation.
The stanza indicates the speaker’s doubt that he may be denied the house on rent just because of the black colour of his skin. It also shows that the speaker is aware of the discriminatory attitude of the white people towards the African blacks. The dramatic opening of the poem immediately draws the attention of the readers towards the prevalence of colour discrimination in the so called civilized world.
Lines 10-17
Here the speaker tells that he has heard correctly that the woman wants to know if the colour of his skin is dark black or light black. It makes him nervous and he presses the buttons A and B. He realizes that the question is like bad smell. As it is a conversation it implies that this question of colour is not new; it is already there and one can easily realize its dirty nature. The speaker then notices the red colour of the telephone booth, the pillar box. The reference to ‘Omnibus squelching tar’ also points out that he knows the possible demeaning attitude of the whole people towards the black Africans. But now he is in a real such a situation that makes him feel that his own silence is ill-mannered. He is so chocked and shouts that he cannot understand what the woman wants to know. Cosequently, he requests the woman to explain her question in a more simple way. He realizes that the woman is now shifting her focus. It makes him think that she is a considerate woman who does not wish to hurt his thoughts and feelings.
The poet here criticizes the racist thinking of the white lady. The reference to the red colour and then the black has been made to express the view that the colours do not matter. There should be no discrimination on the basis of the colour of skin. Ironically, the telephone booth, the mail box etc. suggest the modernity of the British society which suffers from prejudices, marking its traditional and unreasonable thoughts.
Lines 18-26
The woman continues to enquire about the man. She wants to know if the colour of his skin is dark black or it is light black. She further categorizes the colour black to know if it is chocolate colour or like something else. She does not seem to know that her quaries about the nature of his colour could hurt him. Her tone is clinical and impersonal. The speaker quickly adjusts to the tone and nature of the woman’s concern and selects the words ‘West African Sepia’, to answer her question about his colour. He tells the woman that this colour of his skin is mentioned in his passport At this stage there is no answer from the woman. It seems as if she thinks of all the colours of a spectrum in which no distinction is made to show which colour is inferior or superior. She remains silent until her real concern forces her to admit that she does not understand what colour the caller is referring to. The speaker here tries to tell her by telling that his colour is like brunette or brown.
Lines 27-35
The woman on the phone emphasizes that the colour of the speaker’s skin is black To this remark, the man sarcastically comments that he is not totally black. The palms of his hands and feet are blonde, (the colour of black hair turning brown after the use of a chemical peroxide) He ridicules the women saying that even his bottom has turned black like a raven because of his foolish sitting which causes friction. He wants to say more but he realizes the woman is putting the receiver down to end the call. He hurriedly asks her to come and see for herself the colour of his skin.
The ending of the poem is full of irony and sarcasm. The black, prospective tenant’s comments about his own colour and his request to the woman to come and see him are an ironical and powerful criticism of the woman’s racist and discriminatory attitude.
Workbook MCQs :
(i) The speaker in the poem finds the or rent:
(a) too high
(b) too little
(c) beyond his reach
(d) reasonable
Answer :- (b) too little
(iI) The womans lives:
(a) away from the place she wants to give on rent
(b) in the house
(c) near the railway station
(d) in the speaker’s neighbourhood
Answer :- (a) away from the place she wants to give on rent
(iII) The compound words in the first stanza are:
(a) Nothing remained
(b) I am African
(c) good-breeding, gold-rolled
(d) location Indifferent
Answer :- (d) location Indifferent
(iV) The speaker feels ashamed by:
(a) the woman’s ill-mannered silence
(b) his own ill-mannered silence
(c) his own colour
(d) the questions he is asked
Answer :- (a) the woman’s ill-mannered silence
(v) In the passport of the speaker his colour is mentioned as:
(a) brown
(b) red
(c) white
(d) West African sepia
Answer :- (b) red
(vI) The confession that the speaker makes is:
(a) that he is a white man
(b) that he is an illiterate person
(c) that he is an African
(d) that he actually does not want a house
Answer :- [ For Full Workbook Answers , Get The Full E-Book Access – View ]
(vII) What do the expressions lipstick-coated, and gold-rolled cigarette holder reveal about the woman?
(a) that she is well educated
(b) that she is a chain smoker
(c) that she is fashionable and wealthy
(d) that she is a white woman
Answer :- [ For Full Workbook Answers , Get The Full E-Book Access – View ]
(vIII) The woman seems to be considerate when she :
(a) rented the house
(b) reduced the rent
(c) changed the emphasis of her ideas
(d) did not bother about this colour
Answer :- [ For Full Workbook Answers , Get The Full E-Book Access – View ]
(iX) The speaker asks the woman to visit him to :
(a) show the house to him
(b) discuss the rent
(c) see the colour of his skin
(d) hand over the keys of the house to him
Answer :- [ For Full Workbook Answers , Get The Full E-Book Access – View ]
(x) He asks her to come and see him when :
(a) she expresses her dislike for the colour of his skin
(b) he realizes that she is going to end the call
(c) she demands the rent in advance
(d) he is asked not to talk on the Phone
Answer :- [ For Full Workbook Answers , Get The Full E-Book Access – View ]
Logic Based Questions :
(i) The African caller finds the accommodation suitable because of the low rent
(iI) The man makes the confession that he is an African because he does not want to waste his time.
(iII) The man fears that his journey to get the house on rent will be wasted because he is an African
(iV) The speaker calls the woman considerate because she changes the emphasis from the speaker’s colour.
(v) The man refers to the red colour of the booth and the pillar box because he wants to explain the colour of his skin
(vI) The African man feels ashamed because [ For Full Workbook Answers , Get The Full E-Book Access – View ]
(vII) The woman repeatedly says ‘What that’ because [ For Full Workbook Answers , Get The Full E-Book Access – View ]
(vIII) The man tells the lady that the colour of his whole body is not black because [ For Full Workbook Answers , Get The Full E-Book Access – View ]
(iX) The man’s bottom is raven-black because [ For Full Workbook Answers , Get The Full E-Book Access – View ]
(x) He asks the woman to visit him because [ For Full Workbook Answers , Get The Full E-Book Access – View ]
Short Answer Questions :
(i) What were the things about the house that the speaker find attractive ?
Answer :- The rent of the house was reasonable. The location too did not have any drawbacks and matters little. Another important thing about the house was that the landlady did not live in it and the tenant could enjoy more freedom. All these things about the house seemed attractive to the speaker.
(iI) What comes as a shock to the speaker ? Why?
Answer :- The sudden silence of the lady comes as a shock to the man. It comes as a shock to him as he starts realizing the change in her attitude the moment she comes to now about his being an African.
(iII) Why does the man think that he will have a wasted journey?
Answer :- The man is aware of the racial prejudices of the people against the Africans. He thinks that the woman will surely refuse to give him the house on rent after having a look at his black skin. It will result in a wasted journey if he goes to meet her.
(iV) What does the lady want to know about the speaker’s colour?
Answer :- [ For Full Workbook Answers , Get The Full E-Book Access – View ]
(v) How does the speaker explain the colour of the skin to the woman?
Answer :- [ For Full Workbook Answers , Get The Full E-Book Access – View ](vI) Why does the speaker say that his colour is not altogether black ?
Answer :- [ For Full Workbook Answers , Get The Full E-Book Access – View ]
(vII) Comment on the ending of the poem.
Answer :- [ For Full Workbook Answers , Get The Full E-Book Access – View ]
Long Answer Questions :
(i) The poem is an indictment of racial and colour prejudice and discrimination in some societies. Discuss with close reference to the poem.
Answer :- The poem ‘Telephone Conversation’, is a powerful indictment of racial and colour prejudices in some societies. It exposes the derogatory and hollow nature of the people who hold such discriminatory views. The poem presents a situation in which a black African man wants a house on rent from a white woman.
It is quite ironical that the woman is more concerned about the colour of the skin of the prospective tenant rather than other important things like the rent etc. She repeatedly asks him to explain the way he looks. Her concern comes out the moment the man tells her that he is an African.
The poet here condemns and criticizes the racist attitude of the woman. The woman’s attitude at the end of the poem is highly negative, prejudiced and insensitive. Instead of finding an opportunity to meet and see the man, she simply puts down the receiver showing her dislike for him, The poet satirizes her behaviour through the comments of the speaker in which he asks the woman to visit him and see for herself the colour of his skin.
(iI) How does the poet makes use of story in this poem and expresses the anger of the Blacks?
Answer :- The poem, ‘ Telephone Conversation’ is based on a conversation that takes place between two persons. They are an African man who wants to have a house on rent, and a white woman who owns the house. This incident related to the conversation develops like a story.
In this incident based story developed in the form of a poem, the author gives expression to the anger of the blacks against racial discrimination and colour prejudices they have to face.
The speaker in the poem is a black and he exposes the attitude of the white people towards the blacks. The speaker here makes fun of the lady’s concern for his colour after she learns about his being an African. The poet uses the speaker in this poem to express the black people’s anger against racial discrimination. This man satirizes the woman’s behaviour through his explanation about his colour. The poet has successfully developed an incident like a story and used it to express the anger of the Blacks against their maltreatment due to racial discrimination.
(iII) Write a note on the character and behaviour of the speaker ?
Answer :- [ For Full Workbook Answers , Get The Full E-Book Access – View ]
(iV) How and when does the language and tone of the speaker change in the poem? What does it suggest?
Answer :-[ For Full Workbook Answers , Get The Full E-Book Access – View ]
