Read the extract and answer the following questions.
Extract:
The next morning she was taken ill. It was a mild fever and the doctor told us that it would go. But my grandmother thought differently. She told us that her end was near. She said that, since only a few hours before the close of the last chapter of her life she had omitted to pray, she was not going to waste any more time talking to us. We protested. But she ignored our protests. She lay peacefully in bed praying and telling her beads. Even before we could suspect, her lips stopped moving and the rosary fell from her lifeless fingers. A peaceful pallor spread on her face and we knew that she was dead.
(The Portrait of a Lady)
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Question (i)
What was the reason for the narrator’s grandmother’s illness?
Answer:
Answer by the student:
The reason for the narrator’s grandmother’s illness was that she had omitted to pray a few hours before her death.
Step-by-step explanation:
- To answer this question, we need to identify the words and phrases that the narrator uses to describe the reason for his grandmother’s illness in the extract. We can use bullet points to list them:
taken ill
omitted to pray
a few hours before the close of the last chapter of her life
- We can then use these points to write a complete sentence that summarizes the reason for his grandmother’s illness. We can use simple words and connect them with conjunctions like “and” or “because”. We can also use bold formatting to highlight the key words. For example:
- The reason for the narrator’s grandmother’s illness was that she had omitted to pray a few hours before her death.😊
Question (ii)
How did the narrator’s grandmother react to her fever?
- (a) She panicked and cried
- (b) She accepted it and prayed
- (c) She denied it and argued
- (d) She ignored it and slept
Answer:
Answer by the student:
(b) She accepted it and prayed
Step-by-step explanation:
- To answer this question, we need to recall what the narrator says about his grandmother’s reaction to her fever in the extract. We can use quotation marks to indicate the exact words that he says. For example:
- He says that she thought that her end was near.
- He says that she said that she was not going to waste any more time talking to us.
- He says that she lay peacefully in bed praying and telling her beads.
- We then need to compare this statement with the four given options and choose the one that matches it best. We can use a process of elimination to rule out the options that are different from what he says. For example:
- Option A is different because he does not mention anything about his grandmother panicking or crying.
- Option C is different because he does not mention anything about his grandmother denying or arguing about her fever.
- Option D is different because he does not mention anything about his grandmother ignoring her fever or sleeping.
- We can then conclude that option B is the correct answer because it is the same as what he says about his grandmother’s reaction to her fever. We can use bold formatting to indicate our choice. For example:
- The correct answer is B. She accepted it and prayed .👍
Question (iii)
What did the narrator’s grandmother do with her rosary in the extract?
Answer:
Answer by the student:
The narrator’s grandmother told her beads with her rosary and then dropped it from her lifeless fingers.
Step-by-step explanation:
- To answer this question, we need to locate the information that is directly given in the extract. We can use skimming and scanning skills to find the relevant part of the text quickly. For example:
- Skimming is reading quickly to get the main idea or gist of a text.
- We can skim the extract and see that it is about how the narrator’s grandmother died peacefully after praying.
- Scanning is reading quickly to find specific details or facts in a text.
- We can scan the extract and look for keywords or phrases related to the question, such as “rosary”, “beads”, or “fingers”.
- We can then use these skills to find the answer in the fifth and sixth sentences of the extract. We can use quotation marks to indicate the exact words from the text. We can also use bold formatting to highlight the key words. For example:
- The answer is given in the fifth and sixth sentences of the extract: “She lay peacefully in bed praying and telling her beads . Even before we could suspect, her lips stopped moving and the rosary fell from her lifeless fingers “.😊
Question (iv)
How does the extract show that the narrator’s grandmother died a peaceful death?
Answer:
Answer by the student:
The extract shows that the narrator’s grandmother died a peaceful death by describing her calm and serene expression and actions.
Step-by-step explanation:
- To answer this question, we need to infer how the extract shows that the narrator’s grandmother died a peaceful death from her actions and words in
- the extract. We can use clues such as verbs, adverbs, or expressions to help us. For example:
- The narrator says that she accepted her seclusion with resignation.
- The narrator says that she lay peacefully in bed praying and telling her beads.
- The narrator says that a peaceful pallor spread on her face.
- We can then use these clues to write a complete sentence that explains how the extract shows that the narrator’s grandmother died a peaceful death. We can use simple words and connect them with conjunctions like “and” or “by”. We can also use bold formatting to highlight the key words. For example:
- The extract shows that the narrator’s grandmother died a peaceful death by describing her calm and serene expression and actions.😊
