Read the following extract from William Sleater's short story, 'The Elevator' and answer the questions that follow: Martin felt nervous when he got back to the building after school. But why should he be afraid of an old lady? He felt ashamed of himself. He pressed the button and stepped into the elevator, hoping that it would not stop, but it stopped on the third floor. Martin watched the door slide open …
What led to Martin’s fall down the stairs? What did it result in?
Topic: Martin's fall
Answer
Martin had begun using the stairs to avoid the elevator and the woman. One day, hurrying down them in his anxiety to get away, he tripped and fell.
The fall left him with a badly wrenched ankle. It also exposed him to his father’s scorn, and — worse for him — it meant he could no longer manage the stairs at all. He was now forced to use the elevator, and so delivered into the very situation he had been avoiding.
The second part is worth thinking about beyond the injury. The plot point is that the fall removes his only escape route — the story tightens like a trap, and every attempt Martin makes to avoid the woman brings him closer to her. Say so; it shows you have read the structure, not just the events.