( Updated For ICSE 2026 Session )
Welcome to “The Elevator Workbook Ans: ICSE Treasure Chest (Evergreen),” your gateway to exploring the captivating narrative of the story “The Elevator,” featured in the ICSE English Literature Treasure Chest by Evergreen Publications. In this blog post, we offer detailed answers to the workbook questions, guiding you through the story’s intricate plot, vivid characters, and underlying themes.
Dive into each chapter and scene with our meticulously crafted solutions to multiple-choice and contextual questions, designed to deepen your grasp of the story’s exploration of human curiosity, the uncanny, and the blurred lines between reality and illusion. Through these answers, we unpack the author’s narrative techniques, use of dialogue, and descriptive language to build tension and evoke introspection.
The contextual questions challenge you to engage critically with the story’s structure and themes, such as the protagonist’s psychological journey, the role of perception, and the subtle commentary on modernity and isolation. This analysis hones your ability to interpret literary devices while fostering an appreciation for the storytelling craft.
Whether you’re a student mastering ICSE English Literature or a reader intrigued by tales that blend mystery with existential reflection, this workbook guide is your essential companion. Join us as we unravel the layers of “The Elevator,” illuminating its twists, turns, and timeless questions—one chapter at a time.
Table of Contents
Summary :-
Martin’s fear of elevator
Martin felt nervous and worrisome from the first day when he had to use the elevator to go up or down the seventeenth floor of the apartment into which he and his father had shifted. The building was an old one with dirty walls. The elevator which Martin had to use was much too small and creaking. It looked crowded even when there were two persons in it. So Martin felt uncomfortable in it, afraid lest it should fall. It had poor lighting. The door never stayed open long enough and slammed shut with a clanging noise. The stairs were similar. There were no windows, and the lights were not working. When Martin used the stairs, his footsteps echoed behind him, as though there was another person climbing behind him. He felt breathless on reaching the seventeenth floor.
Martina Cowardly fellow
Martin’s father worked at home. Finding Martin breathless, he asked him why he didn’t use the elevator. He chided him saying that he (Martin) was not only skinny and weak and bad at sports, he was also a coward. He advised Martin to shed his fear of the elevator and not be bullied by it just as he was being bullied by the boys at school. But it was very difficult for Martin to overcome his fear of the elevator. He was afraid that it would stop suddenly and he would be trapped inside it for hours by himself. The presence resence of another passenger could even be worse for him as he didn’t bear the stare of others.
A fat lady’s entry into the elevator
One morning the elevator stopped at the fourteenth floor and a fat lady got in. She was dressed in an old green coat. Her entry into the elevator scared Martin; he felt sure it would sink under her weight. Though Martin tried to avoid her, she gave a staring glance at him. This upset him seriously. He felt that the woman must be crazy to stare at him constantly. He could not understand why she was behaving this way.
Mystery about the lady
The elevator reached the first floor. Martin wanted to get out of it before the lady, but there was no room. He had to wait until the lady moved into the lobby. No sooner did he get out of it than he ran nearly all the way to school. All the time he kept thinking about the lady. Did she live in the building? He had never seen her before. and the building was not very big. If she was visiting somebody, morning 7.30 was not the proper time for visiting.
Confronting the lady again:
Martin felt nervous when he got back into the elevator after school. He couldn’t understand why he was afraid of the lady. When he got into the elevator for the seventeenth floor and pressed the button, the elevator stopped on the third floor and the same fat lady got into it. As before, she was staring at him. Martin felt as if he was in a nightmare when he asked her if she was going up. She nodded, pressed not fourteen, but eighteen, the top floor. This confounded Martin all the more because this morning she got on at the fourteen, now she was taking the third floor to go up to eighteen. His nervousness went on increasing.
Father’s advice to Martin
When Martin tried to share his fears about the lady, he got a bit of his father’s mind. Martin asked his father if he knew the fat lady. His father asked him if he was afraid of her. He advised Martin to grow up and shed all his fears. Martin should not remain fear-stricken and worrisome all his life. This failed to console Martin, and he could sleep very little.
Martin gets fractured
Next morning, when the elevator door opened, the fat lady was waiting for Martin. He at once backed away and started running down the stairs. The stairs were dark and he fell. His father was disappointed and angry for Martin being a coward and a fool. Martin had broken his leg. Now he needed to walk on crutches. He had to stay confined to the apartment. There was comfort in the thought that he would not meet the lady in the elevator.
Martin left alone to confront the old lady
With a view to making Martin overcome his fear of the elevator, his father devised a plan. Getting into the elevator he pressed nine. Martin pleaded to go with him to meet Mrs Ullman there. As he limped into it, the elevator door closed. Though he pressed nine, the elevator stopped at ten where the same fat lady was waiting for him. “Hello Martin”, She said, and laughed, and pressed the Stop button.
Workbook MCQs :
Choose the correct answers of the following questions from the options given.
1. By the time Martin reached home, he was gasping for breath. Which of the following statements shows the reason for this?
(a) Martin had seen a ghost in the elevator
(b) The elevator had broken down
(c) Martin was scolded by the fat lady
(d) He was always afraid and uncomfortable in elevators.
Answer:- (d) He was always afraid and uncomfortable in elevators.
2. Choose the option that lists the sequence of events in the correct order.
1. The elevator stopped at the fourteenth floor, and a fat lady got on.
2. Martin’s father wanted to know why Martin was out of breath.
3. The fat lady only watched him, breathing loudly.
4. Martin did not like to be close to the other passangers in the elevator.
(a) 2, 4, 1, 3
(b) 1, 2, 4, 3
(c) 2, 1, 4, 3
(d) 1, 4, 3, 2
Answer:- (a) 2, 4, 1, 3
3. “Why didn’t you take the elevator?” he asked, frowning at Martin. Which of the following words best describes the tone of the speaker.
(a) joyful
(b) frustrated
(c) angry
(d) satirical
Answer:- (c) angry
4. Choose the option that shows the correct relationship between statement (1) and statement (2)
1. There were several reasons of Martin’s fears of the elevator
2. Poor lighting, the door which never stayed open.
(a) 2 is an example of 1
(b) 1 is in contradiction of 2
(c) 1 is independent of 2
(d) 2 is the result of 1
Answer:- (a) 2 is an example of 1
5. “Can’t say I have,” “he replied, not looking away from the television. Which of the following words best describes the speaker’s attitude.
(a) serious
(b) full of surprise
(c) indifferent
(d) showing concern
Answer:- (c) indifferent
6. The story “The Elevator’ is written by .
(a) Joseph Conrad
(b) William Sleator
(c) Katherine Mansfield
(d) Stephen Leacock
Answer:- (b) William Sleator
7. The elevator could carry . persons.
(a) two
(b) three
(c) four
(d) only one
Answer:- (b) three
8. Martin’s father worked .
(a) in a factory
(b) in an office
(c) at home
(d) in his fields
Answer:- (c) at home
9. Martin was . boy.
(a) a brave
(b) a skinny boy
(c) a fat
(d) a fearless
Answer:- (b) a skinny boy
10. Martin lived on the . floor.
(a) third
(b) fourth
(c) seventeenth
(d) eighteenth
Answer:- (c) seventeenth
11. Martin first met the fat lady on the . floor.
(a) ninth
(b) thirteenth
(c) tenth
(d) fourteenth
Answer:- (d) fourteenth
12. The fat lady looked at Martin .
(a) affectionately
(b) scornfully
(c) threateningly
(d) closely
Answer:- (c) threateningly
13. The old lady was wearing a . coat.
(a) red
(b) brown
(c) green
(d) black
Answer:- (c) green
14. What was Martin’s father doing when he was told about the fat lady?
(a) watching television
(b) speaking to someone on mobile
(c) reading a book
(d) talking to a friend
Answer:- (a) watching television
15. On which floor was Martin’s father going to meet Mrs Ullman?
(a) 4th
(b) 9th
(c) 14th
(d) 3rd
Answer:- (b) 9th
Comprehension Passages :
Passage – 1
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
Of course he was always uncomfortable in elevators, afraid that they would fall, but this one was especially unpleasant. Perhaps this was because of the poor lighting and the dirty walls.
(I) Describe the apartment to which Martin and his father had shifted recently.
Answer:- The apartment to which Martin and his father had recently shifted was an old building with an elevator. The walls of the apartment were dirty and the lighting there was quite poor.
(II) What made the boy uncomfortable in the elevator?
Answer:- Martin felt uncomfortable in the elevator as the door would never stay open for long. It produced a strange noise and slammed shut quite often. The elevator shuddered each time it left a floor. He feared that the elevator would fall.
(III) What kind of boy was Martin?
Answer:- Martin was a thin twelve-year old boy. He was always uncomfortable in elevators.
(IV) What are we told about the door of the elevator?
Answer:- The door of the elevator did not remain open for long. It produced a clanging noise and would slam shut.
(V) How does the description of the elevator contribute to the suspense in the story?
Answer:- The apartment does not have proper lighting and its walls are dirty. It looks mysterious and strange. The elevator with a creaking door makes the things more fearful. Its description adds to the atmosphere of suspense already prevailing there.
Passage – 2
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
You’re not only skinny and weak and bad at sports,’ his face seemed to say, ‘but you are also a coward’. After that, Martin always took the elevator. He would have to get used to it, he told himself, just as he got used to being bullied at school.
(I) Earlier, why did father get upset with Martin? What did he want his son to become?
Answer:- Martin’s father did not like his son’s fear of the elevators. When Martin did not take the elevator to go upstairs, his father was upset with him. He wanted his son to be brave and bold.
(II) What kind of boy was Martin?
Answer:- Martin was a nervous boy. He had fears of elevators. But gradually he learns to face his fears boldly.
(III) What did Martin have to come to terms with?
Answer:- Martin had to come to terms with his fear of the elevator. He learnt to do this as he had done in case of his being bullied at school.
(IV) Why did Martin take the elevator although he was scared of it?
Answer:- Martin’s father admonished him for not taking the elevator and using the stairs. It forced him to take the elevator despite his fears of the elevator.
(V) Was Martin a coward? Give two reasons for your answer.
Answer:- Martin was afraid of taking the elevator like a coward. He started taking the stairs to avoid the lady and broke his leg. He also tried to run away from the elevator out of the fear of the lady. These two instances show that he was a coward.
Passage – 3
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
She was wearing an old green coat that ballooned around her. As she meddled into the elevator, Martin was sure he felt it sink under her weight. She was so big that her coat brushed against him, and he had to squeeze himself into a corner.
(I) What kind of lady was ‘she’? Did Martin like her?
Answer:- The lady was quite fat. She wore a green coat that spread around her like a balloon. She looked strange and mysterious as she constantly gazed at Martin.
(II) What is Martin’s tone while describing the lady’s stature?
Answer:- Martin’s tone while describing the lady is full of wonder and surprise.
(III) What was Martin’s state of mind when he confronted the lady?
Answer:- Martin’s state of mind seemed to be apprehensive or uncomfortable when he confronted the lady.
(IV) On which floor did the lady step into the elevator? On which floor did she actually live?
Answer:- The lady stepped into the elevator on the fourteenth floor. There is no clear indication about the woman’s living in that apartment.
(V) How did the lady look at the boy in the elevator?
Answer:- The lady continuously stared at Martin in a strange and threatening way. Her eyes seemed to be boring through Martin’s face.
Passage – 4
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
She did nothing. She only watched him breathing loudly, until the elevator reached the first floor at last. Martin wanted to run past her to get out, but there was no room. He could only wait as she turned and moved slowly into the lobby. Then he ran. He didn’t care what she thought. She ran nearly all the way to school.
(I)What was the lady’s behaviour while in the elevator with the boy ?
Answer:- The lady in the elevator behaved in a strange way. She watched Martin breathing loudly out of his fears and nervousness. She just turned and moved into the lobby.
(II) Why couldn’t Martin run past the lady?
Answer:- Martin was afraid of the strange lady in the elevator. He wanted to run out of the elevator but the lady was so big that there was no room for him to slip out of the elevator.
(III) What was the boy’s impression of the lady in the elevator?
Answer:- The boy was afraid of the lady in the elevator. He thought that the lady was someone mysterious and strange. He got so afraid of her that he broke his leg when he took the stairs in order to avoid facing the lady in the elevator.
(IV) Where did the lady live? Did Martin know this?
Answer:- The lady, it is hinted at the end of the story, perhaps lived on the 9th floor. Martin did not know this.
(V) What time of the day was it then? How do you know?
Answer:- It was morning at that time. Martin’s going to school indicates the time of the day.
Passage – 5
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
She nodded, and stepped in. The door slammed. He watched her pudgy hand move towards the buttons. She pressed not fourteen, but eighteen, the top floor.
(I) To which question of the boy did the lady nod?
Answer:- Martin asked the lady if she was going up. The lady just nodded in response to this question.
(II) What did the woman look like?
Answer:- The lady was very fat. She had pudgy hands and her balloon-like green coat made her look still bigger and strange.
(III) What is surprising in the lady’s pressing the button eighteen ?
Answer:- The lady had got into the elevator on the fourteenth floor the previous day. Her pressing the button eighteen was therefore something strange and surprising to Martin.
(IV) Which floor do you think did the lady live on?
Answer:- The lady seems to live on the fourteenth floor. She had got into the elevator at this floor for the first time.
(V) What makes the boy feel nervous in the elevator? What does it indicate about the boy?
Answer:- The boy has a natural fear of the elevator. He always fears that the elevator would fall down. It made him uncomfortable and nervous.
Passage – 6
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
“I’ m not afraid”.
“You’re afraid”, said his father. “When are you going to grow up and act like a man? Are you going to be timid all your life?”
(I) Why does the boy retort “I’m not afraid”?
Answer:- Martin’s father expresses his frustration over the boy’s fears. He is annoyed that Martin feels afraid of a big woman is the elevator. Martin then retorts telling his father that he was not afraid.
(II) What was the boy’s father trying to emphasise ?
Answer:- The boy’s father was trying to emphasize that the boy should learn to overcome his fears. He should not behave in a cowardly manner.
(III) How did Martin react to his father’s rebuke ?
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(IV) What does the extract tell about the relationship between the son and the father?
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(V) Later, what happens when the boy tries to avoid the lady?
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Passage – 7
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
His father was silent on the way to hospital, disappointed and angry with him for being a coward and a fool. Martin had broken his leg, and needed to walk on crutches.
(I) Why was the boy taken to hospital?
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(II) What did the father feel about the boy’s health?
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(III) What disability had the boy suffered and how?
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(IV) How could this disability give some relief to Martin?
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(V) What advice was given to Martin by his doctor?
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Passage – 8
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
But the door was already closing. “Afraid to be in the elevator alone?” said his father. “Grow up, Martin”. The door slammed shut.
(I) Why did the father not want Martin to visit the neighbour along with him?
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(II) What was the father’s advice to Martin?
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(III) On which floor did the woman live? What was her name?
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(IV) Where did the elevator stop and why?
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(V) What surprise awaited Martin in the elevator? How did the lady treat him there?
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