Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow.
Sophie watched her back stooped over the sink and wondered at the incongruity of the delicate bow which fastened her apron strings. The delicate-seeming bow and the crooked back. The evening had already blacked in the windows and the small room was steamy from the stove and cluttered with the heavy-breathing man in his vest at the table and the dirty washing piled up in the corner. Sophie felt a tightening in her throat. She went to look for her brother Geoff.
He was kneeling on the floor in the next room tinkering with a part of his motorcycle over some newspaper spread on the carpet. He was three years out of school, an apprentice mechanic, travelling to his work each day to the far side of the city. He was almost grown up now, and she suspected areas of his life about which she knew nothing, about which he never spoke.
(Going Places)
Complete the following suitably :
The phrase ‘the incongruity of the delicate bow … and the crooked back’ of Sophie’s mother conveys ___________.
Complete the following suitably :
The phrase ‘the incongruity of the delicate bow … and the crooked back’ of Sophie’s mother conveys ___________.
Show Hint
Solution and Explanation
Incongruity means a mismatch between two things that do not fit together.
Step 2: Apply it to the picture:
A delicate, pretty bow sits on the back of a woman bent over by hard work. The two images clash.
Step 3: State what it conveys:
It conveys the contrast between delicacy or elegance and the harsh reality of her tiring life.
Final Answer:
the contrast between the delicate bow and the crooked back, i.e. between refined appearance and the harshness of life
Select the correct option from those given in brackets to fill in the blank.
The description of Sophie’s ‘mother’s back’ in the extract expresses Sophie’s ____________ (conflicted/confident) state of mind.
Select the correct option from those given in brackets to fill in the blank.
The description of Sophie’s ‘mother’s back’ in the extract expresses Sophie’s ____________ (conflicted/confident) state of mind.
Show Hint
Solution and Explanation
She wonders at the bow and the bent back, and her throat tightens. She feels pity and discomfort at once.
Step 2: Choose the word:
Mixed and troubled feelings mean she is conflicted. Confidence would need a calm and certain mind, which she does not show.
Final Answer:
conflicted
What role does the man in the vest play in enhancing the tone of the passage ?
What role does the man in the vest play in enhancing the tone of the passage ?
Show Hint
- he brings a sense of peace to the setting.
- he deepens the oppressive atmosphere.
- he reinforces the narrator’s emotional connection.
- he introduces a moment of comic relief.
The Correct Option is B
Solution and Explanation
The room is steamy, cluttered and full of dirty washing. In it sits a 'heavy-breathing man in his vest'.
Step 2: Judge his role:
His heavy breathing and untidy dress add to the crowded, heavy and unpleasant feeling of the place. This deepens the oppressive mood.
Step 3: Reject others:
He is not peaceful (A), not linked to the narrator's feelings (C), and the scene is not funny (D).
Final Answer:
(B) he deepens the oppressive atmosphere.
What is the most plausible interpretation of Sophie’s physical reaction of ‘a tightening in her throat’ ?
What is the most plausible interpretation of Sophie’s physical reaction of ‘a tightening in her throat’ ?
Show Hint
- a desire to express something, restrained by uncertainty
- apprehension about her upcoming encounter with Geoff
- a surge of inner turmoil triggered by her surroundings
- a symptom indicating that she may be unwell
The Correct Option is C
Solution and Explanation
Sophie has just seen her mother's crooked back, the steamy cluttered room, the man in his vest and the dirty washing. Then her throat tightens.
Step 2: Interpret:
A tight throat is a bodily sign of strong emotion. Here it is caused by what surrounds her, so it shows inner turmoil.
Step 3: Reject others:
She goes to Geoff only after this, so (B) is not it. Nothing suggests illness (D) or a held-back speech (A).
Final Answer:
(C) a surge of inner turmoil triggered by her surroundings
Why does Sophie decide to go look for Geoff ?
Why does Sophie decide to go look for Geoff ?
Show Hint
Solution and Explanation
The room is heavy and unpleasant and Sophie feels a tightness in her throat. She wants to get out of that mood.
Step 2: Give the reason:
She goes to Geoff to escape the oppressive atmosphere and find some relief, because her brother is the person she feels comfortable with and who listens to her.
Final Answer:
To escape the oppressive atmosphere and find comfort with her brother.
What is Sophie’s perception of Geoff’s nature ?
What is Sophie’s perception of Geoff’s nature ?
Show Hint
Solution and Explanation
Geoff is almost grown up. Sophie 'suspected areas of his life about which she knew nothing, about which he never spoke'.
Step 2: Describe his nature:
A person who never speaks about parts of his life is reserved and quiet, and somewhat mysterious to his sister.
Final Answer:
She sees Geoff as quiet, reserved and secretive, someone who speaks little about himself.
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