Read the given extract and answer the questions
Extract:
looked out at young
trees sprinting, the merry children spilling
out of their homes
(My mother at sixty-six)
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Question (i)
What is the speaker doing in the extract?
- (a) She is driving with her mother.
- (b) She is looking at the scenery outside the window.
- (c) She is remembering her childhood.
- (d) She is talking to her mother.
Answer:
Answer written by student:
(b) She is looking at the scenery outside the window.
Step-by-Step explanation of the answer:
- 🌟 Hi, this is a question about comprehension. Comprehension is the ability to understand and interpret what is being read or heard. 🌟
- 📝 To answer this question, we need to read the extract carefully and identify what the speaker is doing based on the words and phrases she uses. 📝
- 🎨 The extract shows that the speaker is looking out at the scenery outside the window while she is driving with her mother. She uses words and phrases that describe what she sees, such as "young trees sprinting" and "merry children spilling out of their homes". These are images of life and energy, which contrast with her mother's old and tired appearance. The speaker also uses verbs that suggest movement and action, such as "sprinting" and "spilling", which contrast with her mother's inactivity and passivity. 🎨
- 🎉 By reading the extract carefully and identifying what the speaker is doing based on the words and phrases she uses, we can answer this question correctly. 🎉
- 💯 That's why the correct answer is B. She is looking at the scenery outside the window. 💯
Question (ii)
What figure of speech does the speaker use to describe the trees in the extract?
- (a) Metaphor
- (b) Simile
- (c) Personification
- (d) Hyperbole
Answer:
Answer written by student:
(c) Personification
Step-by-Step explanation of the answer:
- 🌟 Hi, this is another question about figurative language again.
- Figurative language is he use of words or expressions that have a different meaning from their literal one, such as metaphors, similes, personification, etc. 🌟
Question (iii)
True or false:
The extract contains an example of onomatopoeia.
Answer:
Answer written by student:
False
Step-by-Step explanation of the answer:
- 🌟 Hi, this is another question about sound devices again. Sound devices are the use of words or phrases that create a specific effect or impression based on how they sound. Onomatopoeia is a sound device that uses words that imitate or suggest the sound they describe. For example, "buzz", "hiss", "splash", and "boom" are examples of onomatopoeia. 🌟
- 📝 To answer this question, we need to identify if there is any word in the extract that imitates or suggests a sound. 📝
- 🎨 The extract does not contain any word that imitates or suggests a sound. The words and phrases in the extract describe what the speaker sees, not what she hears. There is no word that sounds like the noise it represents. 🎨
- 🎉 By identifying if there is any word in the extract that imitates or suggests a sound, we can answer this question correctly. 🎉
- 💯 That's why the correct answer is False. The extract does not contain an example of onomatopoeia. 💯
Question (iv)
What mood does the speaker create in the extract?
- (a) Happiness and excitement
- (b) Sadness and regret
- (c) Anger and frustration
- (d) Curiosity and wonder
Answer:
Answer written by student:
(a) Happiness and excitement
Step-by-Step explanation of the answer:
- 🌟 Hi, this is a question about mood. Mood is the feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates for the reader through their words and style. 🌟
- 📝 To answer this question, we need to analyze how the speaker uses words and phrases to create a mood in the extract. 📝
- 🎨 The speaker uses words and phrases that create a mood of happiness and excitement in the extract. For example, she uses words like "young", "sprinting", "merry", and "spilling" to describe the scenery outside the window. These are words that suggest life, energy, joy, and movement. They also contrast with her mother's old and tired appearance. The speaker also uses punctuation marks like commas and dashes to create a sense of rhythm and flow in the extract. These punctuation marks suggest that she is speaking quickly and enthusiastically about what she sees. They also contrast with her mother's silence and passivity. 🎨
- 🎉 By analyzing how the speaker uses words and phrases to create a mood in the extract, we can answer this question correctly. 🎉
- 💯 That's why the correct answer is A. Happiness and excitement. 💯
Question (v)
What is the main idea or message of the extract?
- (a) The speaker enjoys spending time with her mother.
- (b) The speaker feels sorry for her mother's condition.
- (c) The speaker tries to distract herself from her mother's aging.
- (d) The speaker wishes she could be like her mother.
Answer:
Answer written by student:
(c) The speaker tries to distract herself from her mother's aging.
Step-by-Step explanation of the answer:
- 🌟 Hi, this is a question about main idea or message. Main idea or message is the most important point or theme that a writer wants to convey to the reader through their text. 🌟
- 📝 To answer this question, we need to summarize what the speaker says and does in the extract and how it relates to the rest of the poem. 📝
- 🎨 The extract shows that the speaker is looking out at the scenery outside the window while she is driving with her mother. She describes what she sees in a positive and lively way, using words and phrases that suggest happiness and excitement. She also uses punctuation marks that create a sense of rhythm and flow in her speech. However, these words and punctuation marks contrast with her mother’s old and tired appearance, silence, and passivity. The speaker also contrasts the scenery outside with her mother’s face in other parts of the poem, such as when she says “her face ashen like that of a corpse” and “wan, pale as a late winter’s moon”. These contrasts show that the speaker is aware of her mother’s aging and mortality, and that she feels sad and fearful about it.
- Based on these clues, we can infer that the main idea or message of the extract is that the speaker tries to distract herself from her mother’s aging by focusing on the scenery outside. She does this to cope with her emotions and to avoid upsetting her mother or herself by expressing them. She also does this to enjoy the last moments she has with her mother before they part ways at the airport. 🎨
- 🎉 By summarizing what the speaker says and does in the extract and how it relates to the rest of the poem, we can answer this question correctly. 🎉
- 💯 That’s why the correct answer is C. The speaker tries to distract herself from her mother’s aging. 💯
Question (vi)
Which word in the extract is an antonym of “merry”?
- (a) young
- (b) sprinting
- (c) spilling
- (d) wan
Answer:
Answer written by student:
(d) wan
Step-by-Step explanation of the answer:
- 🌟 Hi, this is a question about antonyms. Antonyms are words that have opposite or nearly opposite meanings. For example, “hot” and “cold” are antonyms. 🌟
- 📝 To answer this question, we need to know the meaning of “merry” and find a word in the extract that has an opposite or nearly opposite meaning. 📝
- 🎨 T he word “merry” means cheerful, lively, or happy. It is used in the extract to describe the children who are spilling out of their homes. They are having fun and enjoying themselves.
- The word “wan” means pale, weak, or sickly. It is used in the extract to describe the speaker’s mother who looks old and frail. She is not having fun or enjoying herself.
- Therefore, the word “wan” is an antonym of “merry” because it has an opposite or nearly opposite meaning. 🎨
- 🎉 By knowing the meaning of “merry” and finding a word in the extract that has an opposite or nearly opposite meaning, we can answer this question correctly. 🎉
- 💯 That’s why the correct answer is D. wan. 💯
