Summary of Evans Tries an O-Level
Evans Tries an O-Level is a short story written by English crime writer Colin Dexter. This story shows the execution of a meticulously designed escape plan by a prisoner named James Roderick Evans. He is a kleptomaniac and has escaped thrice from prison. The event centres around an O-Level examination he wants to sit for. The exam assesses one’s proficiency in German, and he had been taking night classes in German for a long time. As usual, the Governor is sceptical about Evans’s motives. He thinks Evans might pull off an escape trick during the examination. He takes all possible measures to ensure that Evans does not escape by any means. Everything seems to go according to plan when suddenly a prison officer in charge of the exam duty discovers the invigilator sitting on Evans’s chair soaked in blood. The rest of the story is full of surprise twists and revelations that reveal Evans’s escape plan piece by piece. The following summary is a part of CBSE Summary, and students can refer to CBSE Notes for other learning materials on Class 12 CBSE English.
CBSE Class 12 English Evans Tries an O-Level Summary
The story starts with preparations for an O-level examination in the German language at HM Prison in Oxford for one of its prisoners named Evans. The Governor of the prison had informed the Secretary of the Examinations Board about it, and they decided to conduct the examination inside Evans’s prison cell. They decided to invite a parson from St. Mary Mags to invigilate the exam.
Evans was a kleptomaniac, and the prison Governor did not divulge more details about him to the Secretary of the Examinations Board. He was called ‘Evans the Break’ by prison officers. The Governor put him in the maximum-security establishments this time as he was determined to prevent him from escaping. He planned to hold Evans’s examination under strict watch. Two prison officers, Jackson and Stephens, were assigned the duty of watching over Evans’s examination.
Evans and senior prison officer Jackson were already ‘warm enemies’. Stephens was new to the job of a prison officer. On the morning of the examination, Jackson came to visit Evans along with Stephens. Evans was shaving, and Jackson allowed him half an hour to groom himself. He asked Stephens to take away the razor after he was done shaving. He also asked Evans to take off a bobble hat he was wearing. Evans knew that Jackson was compassionate in some sense and was able to persuade him to let him keep the hat.
The exam was supposed to start the exam at 9:15. Stephens prepared the cell for the examination, and when Jackson paid him a final visit, Evans pointed out to him that his cell was bugged. Jackson replied that the Governor did not want to take any chance with him. When Reverend Mc Leery – the invigilator, arrived, he was escorted to Evans’ cell by Stephens. The Governor switched on the receiver by 9:10, and by 9:12, Jackson frisked Mr Mc Leery on the Governor’s orders. He wanted to maintain strict vigilance with no chance of errors to let Evans have any chance of escaping. Among other things in the parson’s briefcase was a semi-inflated rubber ring. Mc Leery unpleasantly explained to Jackson that it was for treating his haemorrhoids. Jackson apologised and allowed it.
As Mr Mc Leery was about to commence the exam, Evans complained that it would not be easy to concentrate on the exam with Stephens watching over him constantly. The Governor heard this conversation and ordered Stephens to step out of the cell. The examination finally started at 9:25. A call came at 9:40 to inform that there was a correction slip that was supposed to be included in the examination package. The Governor diverted the call to the invigilator through Mr Jackson, but he had doubts about this call as well. He suspected that this call might be a part of Evans’s plan to escape. He called the number once more to confirm if it was a valid number or not. After some time, he heard Mc Leery explaining the changes to Evans. The Governor was convinced that everything was all right.
The phone rang a second time – it was the Magistrates’ Court asking for a prison van and two prison officers. The Governor’s imagination started running wild with suspicious imaginations about Evans’s escape. Stephens was invigilating with absolute strictness – peeping through the peephole of Evans’s cell door at an interval of one minute. After forty-five minutes, he increased the interval timings to two minutes. At 11:20, Mc Leery informed Evans that only five minutes were remaining. Two minutes later, the Governor rang up Stephens asking him to accompany Mc Leery outside and ensure that every door was locked behind them as they went outside.
As Stephens was walking Mc Leery out, he engaged in a short conversation with him. Mc Leery’s Scottish accent seemed to be broader, and his outfit gave an impression that he had suddenly grown slimmer. After escorting Mc Leery out of the prison premises, Stephens felt the urge to check on Evans once. To his horror, he found Mc Leery – the invigilator on Evans’s chair, bleeding from his head. Mc Leery tried to tell the Governor about some hints about Evans’ whereabouts which were on the examination sheet that was left behind. A photocopied document covered the last page, and there were some words and numbers on it. The Governor informed the police about it and asked them to take Mc Leery with them.
After a while, when the Governor called the hospital to check on Mc Leery, he found out that the Mc Leery that police had taken with them outside was Evans himself. News of the original Mc Leery – that he had been tied and gagged in his apartment since 8:15 in the morning reached the Governor. The Governor became more alert and analytical about Evans’s plans and finally confronted him in his hotel room at the Golden Lion. They exchanged a conversation about how the Governor figured out his location and how Evans had fooled everyone with fake pig’s blood and wearing a bobble hat over his newly cut hair.
The Governor ordered his two guards to escort Evans back to prison. As Evans entered the van, his two companions, in the guise of prison officers, uncuffed him and asked him where they should go next. Evans suggested Newbury. Evans was a free man again.
Conclusion of Evans Tries an O-Level
The ending of the story shows how brilliantly the writer has used his plot to reveal Evans’ escape plan. The author uses the red herring technique to present the story – where he places false clues deliberately across the storyline to make the plot more thrilling and engaging. We find out at the end that both the German instructor and the examination invigilator were his accomplices. The fake phone calls made to the Governor were at precise timings according to Evans’s plan of escape. The two prison officers who helped him escape from the hotel were the ones requested by the Magistrates’ Court. Although the deeds committed by Evans stand against lawful practices, the story is an example of how detailed planning and dedicated commitment can give successful outcomes.
Understanding the deeper meanings involved in a piece of writing is very important to have a good grasp of literature. Students can find other articles and materials related to CBSE English for better command over the syllabus. They can also find other related topics like grammar and writing on BYJU’S website.
