Derren Brown, illusionist - Unit 19

C2 Proficiency · Multiple Choice Reading · Based on C2 Proficiency exam text

You are going to read a newspaper interview with the illusionist Derren Brown. For questions 1–6, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.

I wasn't sure what to expect from a book by the illusionist and magician Derren Brown, but it certainly wasn't the great waves of self-doubt that roll out of its pages. *Confessions of a Conjuror* expands into a merciless prosecution of the author's shortcomings – 'my own excruciating ineptitude as a young magician', the occasional 'dispiriting burst of intellectual smugness', and his constant failure to sparkle socially in the presence of other personalities. To this day, he admits that something as simple as mislaying a pen in his cavernous London pad' can trigger a whole new round of self-inquiry. The author doesn't sound at all like the coolly confident, slightly cocky character we have grown to know from TV. For well over a decade now, Brown has been entertaining audiences with a blend of hypnotism, magic, illusion, mind games and spectacularly ambitious stunts. In 2003 he memorably appeared to play Russian Roulette on live TV, and more recently caused even more consternation by claiming to guess the winning lottery numbers. Critics call him a fraud – an old-fashioned conjuror masquerading as a master of psychology, who passes off trickery as mind reading – but the show's popularity is undeniable. Nor does he even look like Derren Brown. I meet someone more casually scruffy and unremarkable than his stage persona – less theatrical, less sharp-looking – with the innocuous sort of face that blends effortlessly into crowds. He sees himself as someone light-footed and comfortable in his own skin, he says with a laugh, and instantly likeable, to all appearances absolutely untroubled by anything. 'I don't relate to that guy off the TV,' he readily agrees. 'If I met that person in the flesh, I wouldn't particularly want to meet him. That rather controlling sort of thing – I don't think that's a nice way of being with the world. I'd never for a second want to be that person in real life, because I think it's important to be sort of nice.' He's remarkably nice about himself, though, I say – not in the book anyway. To my surprise, he looks taken aback when I point out this contradiction. 'Really? Oh. That must just be my tone of voice. In terms of self-esteem and confidence I think I'm actually quite healthy.' The book, he ponders – which is not so much an autobiography as a 'semi-autobiographical whimsy' – is loosely structured around a time in the 90s when he worked as a restaurant magician. 'I'd go up to a group of people at the table who hadn't asked for a magician and start doing tricks, without any social context.'

his sense of insecurity

his lack of intellectual capacity

his feelings of superiority

his inability to perform magic well

What does Brown say in his book is one thing that he dislikes about himself?

caused even more consternation (line 21)

masquerading as a master (lines 23–24)

passes off trickery (line 25)

the show's popularity (line 28)

Which phrase in the second paragraph refers to what his critics see as Brown making false claims?

his mastery of the art of disguise

his desire to be in control of situations

his need to have a separate identity in real life

his wish to avoid becoming famous

In the third paragraph, Brown confirms what the writer is thinking about his personality.

He tends to look back to a time in his life which wasn't very enjoyable.

He needs to be careful about what he divulges in public.

He finds it surprisingly hard to verbalise his feelings.

His book was designed to dispel a myth.

What is Brown's explanation for the apparent contradiction the writer picks up on?

He is in fact highly ambitious

He says one thing and means another

He is intent on cultivating his own image

He does not like to reveal much information

What impression of Brown is present in both the fifth and sixth paragraphs?

feeling it was rather a waste of time.

feeling distinctly uneasy.

making her realise something about herself.

like one of Brown's conjuring tricks.

The writer implies that the whole interview left her

Derren Brown, illusionist

Lynn Barber interviews the illusionist Derren Brown

Available as a free printable PDF worksheet with an optional answer key.

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