Read the extract and answer the following questions-
Extract:
To the little girl he was a figure to be feared and avoided. Every morning before going to work he came into her room and gave her a casual kiss, to which she responded with “Goodbye, Father”. And oh, there was a glad sense of relief when she heard the noise of the carriage growing fainter and fainter down the long road! In the evening when he came home she stood near the staircase and heard his loud voice in the hall. “Bring my tea into the drawing-room... Hasn’t the paper come yet? Mother, go and see if my paper’s out there — and bring me my slippers.”
(The Little Girl)
Question (i)
What does the word 'figure' imply about the father's role in the little girl's life?
- A) He was a role model for her
- B) He was a distant and authoritative person
- C) He was a friendly and supportive person
- D) He was a humorous and lively person
Answer:
Answer as written by the student:
B) He was a distant and authoritative person
Step-by-step explanation:
- To answer this question, we need to analyse the word 'figure' and its connotations in the context of the extract.
- The word 'figure' means a person who is well-known or important in some way. It can also mean a shape or form that is not clearly defined or detailed.
- In the context of the extract, the word 'figure' is used to describe the father from the little girl's perspective. It suggests that he was not a warm or familiar presence in her life, but rather a vague and imposing one. He was someone who had power and influence over her, but not someone who shared a close bond with her.
- Therefore, we can infer that the word 'figure' implies that the father was a distant and authoritative person in the little girl's life.
Question (ii)
How does the use of punctuation marks in the sentence "Bring my tea into the drawing-room... Hasn't the paper come yet? Mother, go and see if my paper’s out there — and bring me my slippers.” reflect the father's tone and attitude? Answer in about 40 words.
Answer:
Answer as written by the student:
The use of punctuation marks shows that the father was impatient, demanding, and rude. The ellipsis (...) indicates a pause or hesitation, suggesting that he was annoyed by the delay . The question mark (?) shows that he was expecting an answer or an explanation. The dash (—) shows that he was interrupting or cutting off his wife.
Step-by-step explanation:
- To answer this question, we need to examine the punctuation marks and their functions in the sentence.
- Punctuation marks are symbols that help to clarify the meaning and expression of written language. They can also indicate pauses, intonation, emphasis, and emotion.
- In the sentence "Bring my tea into the drawing-room... Hasn't the paper come yet? Mother, go and see if my paper’s out there — and bring me my slippers.”, there are three punctuation marks: ellipsis (...), question mark (?), and dash (—).
- The ellipsis (...) is used to show that something is omitted or incomplete . It can also indicate a pause or hesitation in speech. In this case, it shows that the father was waiting for his tea impatiently and wondering why it was not brought to him yet.
- The question mark (?) is used to mark a direct question or an interrogative sentence. It can also indicate surprise, disbelief, or impatience. In this case, it shows that the father was asking about his paper in an irritated or demanding tone. He wanted to know why it had not arrived yet and where it was.
- The dash (—) is used to separate words or phrases that are related but not grammatically connected. It can also indicate an interruption or a change of thought. In this case, it shows that the father was cutting off his wife or not letting her speak. He gave her another order to bring him his slippers without waiting for her response.
- Therefore, we can say that the use of punctuation marks reflects the father's tone and attitude as impatient, demanding, and rude.
Question (iii)
Identify the figure of speech used in the phrase "growing fainter and fainter down the long road".
- A) Alliteration
- B) Onomatopoeia
- C) Oxymoron
- D) Personification
Answer:
Answer as written by the student:
A) Alliteration
Step-by-step explanation:
- To answer this question, we need to know what a figure of speech is and what are the different types of figures of speech.
- A figure of speech is a word or phrase that is used in a non-literal or imaginative way to create an effect or convey a meaning .
- Some common types of figures of speech are alliteration, onomatopoeia, oxymoron, and personification.
- Alliteration is a figure of speech that uses the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words that are close together. For example, "She sells seashells by the seashore."
- Onomatopoeia is a figure of speech that uses words that imitate or suggest the sound they describe . For example, "The bees buzzed around the flowers."
- Oxymoron is a figure of speech that uses two words that have opposite or contradictory meanings together. For example, "She was a living dead."
- Personification is a figure of speech that gives human qualities or abilities to non-human things. For example, "The sun smiled at us."
- Now let us look at the phrase "growing fainter and fainter down the long road" from the extract.
- The phrase uses alliteration as it repeats the consonant sound 'f' at the beginning of 'fainter' twice. This creates a musical effect and emphasizes the idea of distance and disappearance.
- Therefore, this phrase is an example of alliteration.
Question (iv)
State TRUE or FALSE.
The little girl had a glad sense of relief when she heard her father's loud voice in the hall.
Answer:
Answer as written by the student:
B) False
Step-by-step explanation:
- To answer this question, we need to look at two sentences from the extract: one about the little girl's feeling in the morning and one about her father's voice in the evening.
- The sentence about her feeling in the morning says that oh, there was a glad sense of relief when she heard the noise of the carriage growing fainter and fainter down the long road!
- This shows that she was happy and relieved when her father left for work in his carriage. She probably felt more comfortable and free without his presence.
- The sentence about his voice in the evening says that when he came home she stood near the staircase and heard his loud voice in the hall. “Bring my tea into the drawing-room... Hasn’t the paper come yet? Mother, go and see if my paper’s out there — and bring me my slippers.”
- This shows that he was impatient, demanding, and rude when he came home. He ordered his wife around and did not greet his daughter. His loud voice probably made her feel scared and nervous.
- Therefore, we can say that she did not have a glad sense of relief when she heard his loud voice in the hall, but rather felt anxious and unhappy.
- Hence, the statement that she had a glad sense of relief when she heard her father's loud voice in the hall is false.
