Evans tries an ‘o’ level explained by Mrs. Lopamudra Mohapatra

1. PRESENTED BY
MRS. LOPAMUDRA MOHAPATRA, PGT(ENGLISH)
DAV PUBLIC SCHOOL, GANDHI NAGAR, RANCHI
COLIN DEXTER
EVANS TRIES AN ‘O’ LEVEL
Vistas | Class XII

2. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Norman Colin Dexter- a famous British crime writer
Born: 29September1930, Stamford, United Kingdom
Died: 21March2017
Profession: Novelist
Genre: crime fiction
Notable works: Inspector Morse series of novels(1975- 1999)
Television series, Inspector Morse(1987-2000)
Famous character created by him: Inspector Morse
Awards and achievements: two silver daggers for Service of All the
Dead in 1979, and The Dead of Jericho in 1981; two Gold Daggers for
The Wench is dead in 1989 and The Way Through the Woods in 1992;
and a Cartier Diamond Dagger for lifetime achievement in 1997.
Received a Macavity Award for his short story Evans Tries an O-Level
Awarded an OBE( Officer of the Order of the British Empire) for
services to literature on 27 October 2000

3. DRAMATIS PERSONAE
CHARACTERS:
1. James Roderick Evans: a prisoner
2. Governor: the Governor of H.M. Prison, Oxford
3. Mr. Jackson: a senior prison officer
4. Mr. Stephens: a prison officer
5. The Reverend S. McLeery: an invigilator
6. The Secretary of the Examinations Board
7. Mr. Carter: Detective Superintendent
8. Mr. Bell: Detective Chief Inspector

4. THEME
The story depicts a battle of wits between a prisoner and the prison authorities.
The prisoner wants to escape from the prison on the pretext of taking an exam and
the prison officials are on their toes to check his moves and foil his plan. They are
smart and vigilant but the prisoner is smarter and more alert.
It asks a question: Should criminals in prison be given the opportunity of learning
and education?
The story also throws light on the fact that one should not be overconfident and
underestimate one’s opponent. The prison officers had made thorough
arrangements but the prisoner was one step ahead of them. Does he manage to
escape?

5. Evans, a cunning and shrewd prisoner makes a plan to escape from heavily guarded Oxford prison on the day of his
German O- Level exam in his cell. The jail authorities plan meticulously and take adequate precautionary measures
to foil Evans’ escape attempt, if there is any. But Evans – the Break who had already escaped from prison thrice
leaves no stone unturned. He escapes even after being caught by the Governor of the prison himself. Evans Roderick
has the last laugh and walks away to freedom.
A BRIEF SUMMARY

6. SEQUENCE OF EVENTS
Evans & his
German classes
Security Check of
his cell
Exam
Arrangements
Execution of
escape plan on the
pretext of exam
First Deception &
red herring
Evans’ real escape
from prison
Governor’s smart
move
Plan from the
horse’s mouth
Evans’ master
stroke & Final
Escape

7. SEQUENCE OF EVENTS
Evans & his
German classes
 James Roderick Evans – a prisoner
- Escaped from different prisons thrice
- Got the name ‘Evans the Break’
- Started night classes in O-Level German in the Oxford prison
from September to June
- Governor made proper arrangements for his exam in his cell

8. SEQUENCE OF EVENTS
Security Check
of his cell
Monday7 June 8.30pm- Evans’ German teacher wished him ‘good
luck’
Tuesday 8 June 8.30 am- Mr. Jackson and Mr. Stephens , two prison
officers visited the D Wing
- Mr. Jackson, the senior officer asked his subordinate to search
Evans’ cell again and remove all sharp objects including the razor
that Evans had in his hand
- Asked Evans to remove his red and white bobbly hat
- Evans retained it by appealing to Jackson that it was his ‘lucky
charm’
- His cell was bugged
- Stephens was asked to peep through the key hole

9. SEQUENCE OF EVENTS
Exam
Arrangements
8.45 am- the parson Reverend Mc Leery left his bachelor flat in Broad
street carrying a suitcase
8.45 am- 9.10 am- the two hour examination was to start at 9.15 am
- Stephens placed two small square tables and two hard chairs opposite
each other
- Jackson wished Evans good luck
- Reverend Mc Leery was ushered in through the heavy outer and inner
doors and finally to Evans’ cell
- Stephens would keep a close watch on the proceedings
9.10 am- Governor rang up Jackson and asked him to frisk the invigilator
- Jackson questioned the minister about the semi inflated ring
- He said he had hemorrhoids and needed that to sit for long hours
- Jackson took away the paper knife

10. SEQUENCE OF EVENTS
Execution of
escape plan on
the pretext of
exam
9.20 am- Evan’s objected to Stephens’ presence in the cell
- The Governor ordered Jackson to get Stephens out of the cell
9:25 am- The exam began
9:40 am- An Assistant Secretary from the Examination Board rang up &
informed the Governor about a correction slip
- The Governor put him straight through Mr. Jackson in D Wing
- The over-alert Governor dialled the number of the exam board but
found the line engaged
- The Governor received a phone call from the Magistrate’s court that
they needed a prison van and a couple of prison officers for a remand
case
10:50 am- Evans asked for a blanket to cover himself. The Governor gave
his permission
11:20 am- The Governor overheard Mc Leery informing Evans that the
exam would get over within 5 mins
11:22 am- Jackson shouted to Stephens that the Governor wanted to
speak to him and asked him to accompany Mc Leery to the main prison
gate (fake call)

11. SEQUENCE OF EVENTS
First Deception
& red herring - Stephens was apprehensive of Mc Leery's changed look but he
overlooked
- Stephens wanted to have a last look at Evans before going to the
canteen and he found Mc Leery lying grievously injured in Evans’ chair
- Mc Leery said he knew where Evans was and asked for police
- Stephens found a photocopied sheet superimposed over the last page
of the question paper

12. SEQUENCE OF EVENTS
Evans’ real
escape from
prison
- The furious Governor accompanied the heavily bleeding Mc Leery to
the prison gate and sent him to the hospital in Detective
Superintendent Carter’s car
- Later the Governor got the information that Mc Leery was not in
Radcliff hospital, he had vanished (the real Evans)
- After a quarter and half an hour they found real Reverend S. Mc Leery,
securely bound and gagged in his study in Broad Street
- They realised it had not been Evans , impersonating Mc Leery , who
had walked out; it had been Evans , impersonating McLeery, who had
stayed in

13. SEQUENCE OF EVENTS
Governor’s
smart move
- The Governor did not fall for the 1st decoded name arrived at, using
the clues recovered from the Question paper as he realised that Evans
had escaped in the guise of injured Mc Leery
- The Governor then joined the index no 313, Centre No. 271 , used the
Orinance Survey Map for Oxfordshire and finally reached Golden Lion
Hotel at Chipping Norton
- Evans collected the keys and was shocked to find the Governor on his
bed in his room

14. SEQUENCE OF EVENTS
Plan revelation
from the horse’s
mouth
- Evans revealed all his plans
- He told the blood came from the small ring where his friends had
mixed pig’s blood with human blood and trisodium nitrate to prevent
the blood from clotting
- He said he and his German teacher(a friend of his)helped him

15. SEQUENCE OF EVENTS
Evans’ master
stroke & Final
Escape
- Evans makes the final escape a reality
- He was happy that he had hoodwinked and misled the prison officers
through the correction slip and he was a free bird now
- Was happy to have emotionally blackmailed Jackson to keep the hat
on his head to hide his closely cropped hair
- Found a different girl(receptionist) when he reached the hotel
- The receptionist, the prison officers were his friends
- Evans was led to the prison van by two silent officers
- Finally they drove towards Newbury

16. EVANS COULD NOT HAVE ESCAPED
FOURTH TIME IF……
 the identity of the German teacher had been verified
 Jackson had not disclosed to Evans who would be listening to the proceedings
going on during the exam
 Jackson had not bought Evans’ plea for wearing the bobble hat for bringing good
luck
 the Governor had not been careless and allowed the people from Exams Board talk
to Stephens directly
 Stephens had been cautious and not delayed even for a fraction of a second in
looking through the peephole
 Stephens had acted on his hunches and checked wounded Mc Leery’s identity
 the Governor and other prison officials had washed the injured man’s face and
given first aid instead of rushing him to the main gate
 had not trusted the correction slip too much
 the Governor had taken Evans with him instead of allowing two unknown prison
officers take Evans in the prison van

17. EVANS FRIENDS- CO-CONSPIRATORS &
EXECUTORS
• German teacher- discussed the escape plan at great
length during each class from 7 September to 8 June
• Friend impersonating Mc Leery(a crucial character)-
supplied Evans with all clerical paraphernalia(outfit, dog
collar, beard etc.) and helped Evans in outwitting the
prison officers
• Evans’ other friends – made phone calls pretending to be
people from the Examinations Board
– Managed pig’s blood in that small semi inflated
rubber ring
• Arranged for his pick up from Elsfield way
• Finally helped him in in his final escape by
taking Evans off in a prison van to Newbury

18. EVANS, THE GENIUS (PERSONALITY TRAITS)
Evans-the Break- a mastermind who made jail break a Tom and Jerry game
- charming, witty and charismatic
- Filthy appearance, long and curly hair like Shirley Temple, with a cheerful
smile
- A non violent ‘congenital kleptomaniac’
- Good at imitations like Mike Yarwood and a star at the Christmas concert
- Good at anger management
- Clever, manipulative and shrewd
- Smart and has presence of mind
- A keen observer, very good at understanding human psychology
- Could read others’ mind and got an edge over the prison officials
- Could evoke compassion in a veteran prison officer like Jackson
- Enjoyed the active support of a team of comrades
- Planned each step meticulously
- Could earn praise for his intelligence from the Governor himself
- Had a ‘never give up attitude’ till the end

19. THE GOVERNOR OF OXFORD
PRISON
- An intelligent and vigilant person
- Large- hearted and cared for his prisoners
- Allowed Evans to take the O Level exam in German and got the permission from the
Secretary of the Examination Board on his behalf
- Sometimes became overconfident and under estimated Evans
- Failed to gauge Evans’ strategy and moves
- Over cautious but too much dependent on his staff and drew hasty conclusions
- Always conscious of Evans’ cleverness, yet failed to understand Evans’ psyche
- Alert and suspicious, himself listened to the conversation between Mc Leery and Evans in
the bugged Evans’ cell which became his undoing
- Intelligent enough to combine Index number 313 AND Centre number271 and used the
reference 313/271 on Ordnance Survey map of Oxfordshire land landed in the middle of
Chipping Norton instead of Newbury
- Praised Evans for his presence of mind and intelligence
- Unfortunately became ‘ just another good= for- a giggle gullible Governor ‘as he did not
accompany Evans in the prison van
BUG- A
LISTENING
DEVICE

20. MC LEERY(INVIGILATOR)- EVANS’
PARTNER IN CRIME
- Evans’ friend impersonated as Mc Leery where as the real parson lay
bound and gagged in his apartment
- Played a significant role in Evans’ escape
- Had great acting skills, confident and intelligent
- Impersonated Reverend Mc Leery , the invigilator for Evans’ O level exam
- Wore an extra set of minister’s attire(dog collar, false beard, gown etc.) to
help Evans escape from prison
- Was smart enough to answer Jackson’s query about the rubber ring with
out arousing suspicion
- Even appeared as a driver of the prison van towards the end

21. JACKSON STEPHENS
• An experienced and senior officer of the D wing
in Oxford prison
• A World War II veteran- his war medals
displayed on his jacket pocket
• Tough, harsh yet compassionate in the core of
heart
• He and Evans- ‘warm enemies’ often engaged in
friendly banters
• Allowed Evans to wear his grubby bobble hat-
his lucky charm
• Dependent on subordinates, good at giving
instructions
• failed to note two cloaks, two beards and two
collars that Mc Leery was carrying
• A new officer at Oxford prison, Jackson’s
subordinate
• ‘a burly, surly – looking ‘man
• Was asked to keep an eye on Evans during the
exam
• Was asked to see through the peephole to keep
a check on Evans after the latter objected to his
presence in the cell
• Failed to see what Evans and his co-conspirator
were up to
• Took liberty to change the interval from one
minute to two
• Though suspicious, ignored certain important
things like Evans draping himself with a blanket
• Found Mc Leery look different(taller, thinner),
yet ignored
• Did not bother to check the injured person in
the cell though for a semi second he thought it
must be Evans

22. NOW PUT ON YOUR THINKING
CAPS & REFLECT!!
1. “I may surprise everybody”- said Evans
2. “Just this once, then, Shirley Temple”
3. I will be watching you like a hawk, Evans, so keep your nose clean.
4. But the governor was no longer listening, and the truth seemed to hit him with
an almost physical impact somewhere in the back of his neck.
5. Just Think! If Jackson had made him take his bobble hat off!
6. Pig’s blood it was – from the slaughter’ouse in Killington. But to stop it clotting
you’ve got to mix your actual blood” (Evans took a breath) “with one tenth of its
own volume of 3.8 percent trisodium citrate!
7. The van’s out the front Sir,” said the pretty blonde receptionist. Evan winked at
her; and she winked back at him. It almost made his day.

23. Hope this gave you some
food for thought !!
Source: Google/Internet Images