Read the extract and answer the following questions.
Extract:
Sophie watched her back stooped over the sink and wondered at the incongruity of the delicate bow which fastened her apron strings. The delicateseeming 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 heavybreathing man in his vest at the table and the dirty washing piled up in the corner. Sophie felt a tightening in her throat.
(Going Places)
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Question (i)
Who is the 'her' that Sophie watched in this extract?
- Her mother
- Her sister
- Her friend
- Her teacher
Answer:
Answer as written by the student:
(a) Her mother
Step-by-step explanation:
- To answer this question, we need to use our background knowledge or do some research to find out who are the characters in the story and what are their relationships.
- According to some sources (such as https://www.ncertbooks.guru/ncertsolutionsforclass12englishflamingo/), the story Going Places is about a teenage girl named Sophie and her dreams and fantasies. The other characters in the story include her mother, her father, her brother Geoff, and her friend Jansie.
- Therefore, based on these sources, we can infer that the 'her' that Sophie watched in this extract is her mother, who was stooped over the sink in their small and steamy kitchen.😊
Question (ii)
What does the word 'incongruity' mean in this context?
- Inconsistency or discrepancy
- Incompetence or inefficiency
- Incompleteness or insufficiency
- Inconvenience or discomfort
Answer:
Answer as written by the student:
(a) Inconsistency or discrepancy
Step-by-step explanation:
- To find the meaning of a word in context, we can use strategies such as looking for synonyms, antonyms, definitions, examples, or clues in the surrounding text.
- In this extract, the word 'incongruity' is used to describe the contrast or difference between the delicate bow that fastened her mother's apron strings and the crooked back that showed her mother's hard work and fatigue.
- We can look for clues in the text that might indicate what kind of contrast or difference this is and how it relates to the word 'incongruity'.
- One clue is the word 'delicate' itself, which suggests that the bow was fine or fragile or elegant in appearance or quality.
- Another clue is the word ' crooked' itself, which implies that the back was bent or twisted or distorted in shape or form.
- These clues imply that there was a mismatch or a contradiction between the bow and the back, which is one of the meanings of the word 'incongruity'.
- Therefore, based on these clues, we can infer that the word 'incongruity' means inconsistency or discrepancy in this context.😊
Question (iii)
Complete the sentence with ONE word.
The evening had already __________ in the windows.
Answer:
Answer as written by the student:
The evening had already blacked in the windows.
Step-by-step explanation:
- To complete a sentence with one word, we can use strategies such as looking for grammatical clues, logical clues, or contextual clues in the text.
- In this extract, we need to find a word that fits in the blank space after 'already' and before 'in'.
- A grammatical clue is that we need a verb that agrees with the singular subject 'the evening' and has an ed ending in the past tense form.
- A logical clue is that we need a verb that expresses what the evening did or how it affected the windows.
- A contextual clue is that we can look for words or phrases in the text that might be related to or similar to the missing word.
- One contextual clue is the word 'already' itself, which suggests that this verb happened earlier than expected or sooner than usual.
- Another contextual clue is the phrase 'the small room was steamy from the stove' in the next sentence, which implies that there was a lack of light or visibility in the room due to the darkness outside and the steam inside.
- These clues suggest that we need a verb that means to make dark or obscure or to block out light.
- Therefore, based on these clues, we can infer that the word that completes the sentence is blacked.😊
Question (iv)
Identify the line from the text that shows Sophie's dissatisfaction with her surroundings.
Answer:
Answer as written by the student:
The line from the text that shows Sophie's dissatisfaction with her surroundings is "Sophie felt a tightening in her throat."
Step-by-step explanation:
- To identify a line from the text that shows Sophie's dissatisfaction with her surroundings, we can use strategies such as looking for words or phrases that indicate a negative emotion or reaction to something or someone.
- In this extract, there are several lines that describe Sophie's surroundings as small, steamy, cluttered, dirty, etc., which imply that they are unpleasant or uncomfortable for her. However, only one line explicitly shows Sophie's dissatisfaction with her surroundings by using a word or phrase that indicates how she feels about them.
- We can look for words or phrases in the text that indicate Sophie's dissatisfaction with her surroundings, such as 'felt', 'tightening', 'throat', etc.
- One line from the text that contains such a word or phrase is "Sophie felt a tightening in her throat."
- This line shows Sophie's dissatisfaction with her surroundings by using the word 'felt' to express her emotion or sensation in response to them.
- This line also shows Sophie's dissatisfaction with her surroundings by using the phrase 'a tightening in her throat' to describe a physical or psychological reaction that indicates stress, anxiety, sadness, or anger.
- Therefore, based on these clues, we can identify this line as the one that shows Sophie's dissatisfaction with her surroundings.😊
Question (v)
Explain any one possible reason why Sophie felt a tightening in her throat.
Answer:
Answer as written by the student:
One possible reason why Sophie felt a tightening in her throat is that she was unhappy or frustrated with her current situation and wanted to escape from it.
Step-by-step explanation:
- To explain a possible reason why Sophie felt a tightening in her throat, we can use strategies such as making logical inferences, using background knowledge, or providing examples or evidence to support our answer.
- In this extract, we can infer that Sophie felt a tightening in her throat as a negative emotion or reaction to her surroundings, which were small, steamy, cluttered, dirty, etc.
- We can make logical inferences about why she felt this way based on her statement and her attitude towards her work and life . For example, we can deduce that she was unhappy or frustrated with her current situation as a schoolgirl who works in a biscuit factory, and that she wanted to escape from it into a glamorous and exciting world of fashion and creativity.
- We can use our background knowledge to think of some possible examples or evidence that support our inference . For example, we might know that Sophie has a dream of becoming a manager of a boutique or a fashion designer like Mary Quant, who is one of her role models or inspirations. We might also know that Sophie often fantasizes about meeting famous people or visiting exotic places, such as Danny Casey, an Irish football player, or Paris, the capital of France.
- We can also provide examples or evidence from the text to support our answer. For example, we might mention that Sophie says that she will find money to buy something like that, which implies that she has seen or heard of something that she desires or admires and wants to have it for herself. We might also mention that Sophie says that she will be like Mary Quant, which implies that she wants to emulate or imitate her style and success.
- Therefore, based on these strategies, we can explain one possible reason why Sophie felt a tightening in her throat.😊
Question (vi)
What is the name of the literary device that is used in the phrase "the heavybreathing man in his vest at the table"?
- Imagery
- Alliteration
- Oxymoron
- Onomatopoeia
Answer:
Answer as written by the student:
(a) Imagery
Stepbystep explanation:
- To answer this question, we need to use our background knowledge or do some research to find out what different literary devices are and how they are used in language and literature.
- According to some sources (such as https://literarydevices.net/), a literary device is a technique that writers use to create special effects or meanings in their texts. Some common literary devices are imagery, alliteration, oxymoron, onomatopoeia, etc.
- Imagery is the use of descriptive language that appeals to one or more of the five senses: sight, hearing, touch, smell, or taste. For example,
- "The sky was dark and gloomy."
- Alliteration is the repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of two or more words in close proximity . For example,
- "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers."
- Oxymoron is the use of two contradictory or opposite words together . For example,
- "Deafening silence."
- Onomatopoeia is the use of words that imitate the sounds they represent. For example,
- "Buzz."
- In this extract, the phrase "the heavybreathing man in his vest at the table" is used to describe Sophie's father, who was sitting at the table in their small and steamy kitchen.
- This phrase uses imagery as a literary device, because it uses descriptive language that appeals to the senses of sight and hearing to create a vivid picture or impression of Sophie's father and his condition.
- This phrase uses imagery by using words such as 'heavybreathing', 'vest', and 'table' to describe how Sophie's father looks and sounds like. These words evoke sensory images of his physical appearance and his respiratory state.
- Therefore, based on these clues, we can infer that the phrase uses imagery as a literary device.😊
