|
Revision
Natasha Thomas, Contributor
Hello,
students. It is with mixed feelings
that I present today's lesson. Your
former teacher, Mrs Dahlia Bartley,
is no longer with us; however, I am
sure that you are grateful for the
lessons she has written for the Youthlink
over the years.
It
is my pleasure to finish the race
she started with you in September.
In a blink of an eye, you will be
sitting the English A examination.
Therefore, remain focused, revise
the previous topics taught, and ask
your teacher to help you with any
problems you might have encountered.
I
have selected a multiple choice exercise
for you to practise your skills in
preparation for paper one of the English
A examination. Read the passage through
once and then look at the questions.
You should read the passage once more
with the questions in mind. Use context
clues to help you to select the most
appropriate answer.
The
Passage
A
cry went up from the pack running
after him when he fell. There was
tension and hysteria in that concerted
cry. And other things too, but he
scarcely thought about it at all.
Three women fell out of the race and
clutched their sides and laughed;
one of them fell on the sidewalk laughing
like that, her belly puffing up huge
with laughter, and subsiding again,
letting it go.
He
scrambled up to his feet, their cries
in his ears, spurring him on; he must
run, run until he dropped, going God
knows where. He scrambled to his feet,
his fingers clawing at the asphalt,
stumbled on, sounds filling his ears
... shriek of a locomotive whistle
... coming up, rising to a pitch,
and going away ... he turned the corner
into the street that was at right
angles to the one he had come down
from the Slaughter House gates ..
He was running blind before reacting
to the compulsion of his fear ...
but now he saw his objective and it
lent his effort purpose ... a long
line of freight cars was coming down
from the railway yard along the lines
that ran across the street, going
towards No. 1 Pier.
Topping
traffic
The
gates were lowered across the street
stopping traffic; all he had to do
was to get across the lines before
that string of freight cars. They
would cut off his pursuit for the
time it would take that long train
to cross the street. Trains always
slowed down going into the dockyard,
sometimes stopped, straddling the
street. All he had to do was to get
across.
The
man operating the gate yelled at him.
He paid no heed. He had balanced it
in his mind to a nicety, figured he'd
just have time to get across. He went
under the gate. Voices shouted in
his ears - the scream of the locomotive
whistle rising to crescendo ... he
paid no heed. The train was hurtling
toward him, but he had time, he could
make it.
1.
The word 'pack' (line 1) in line one
of the passage best suggests that:
(A)
The man was being chased
(C)
There were others racing with him
(B)
His pursuers were like hounds
(D)
He was leading his competitors.
2.
The vivid description of the women
in lines 2-4 is significant primarily
because:
(A)
It lends relief to the tension of
the scene
(C)
It appeals to the reader's sense of
humour
(B)
It makes the writing more picturesque
(D)
It shows the absurdity of the incident.
3.
The expression 'God knows where' (line
6) best indicates:
(A)
That the man had nowhere to go
(C)
That he was fleeing from the law
(B)
There was confusion in the runner's
mind
(D)
That he needed God's guidance.
4.
The repetition of the word 'run' in
line 5 of the passage best suggests:
(A)
The earnestness of the runner
(B)
The urgency of the running
(C)
An exaggerated picture
(D)
The futility of the running.
5.
The words 'scrambled' (line 5) and
'stumbled' (line 7) show best that
the victim was:
(A)
In a confused state of mind
(B)
Experiencing difficulty in running
(C)
Tired and worn out
(D)
Clutching at straws for safety.
6.
By the frequent use of the triple
dots in paragraphs 2 and 4 of the
passage, the writer intends to achieve:
(A)
Better communication with his audience
(B)
Gaps in rendering the experience
(C)
A detailed description of the scene
(D)
The mounting excitement and tension
of the scene.
7.
The expression 'cut off his pursuit
for the time' (line 14) means:
(A)
He would stop running for a while
(B)
He would have time to escape
(C)
They would stop chasing him temporarily
(D)
There would be no need to run.
8.
The words 'straddling' (line 16) and
'hurtling' (line 19) in the passage
convey most nearly:
(A)
An unhurried and leisurely pace
(B)
Opposite speeds
(C)
Accelerated movement
(D)
The temper of the man, running.
Attempt
every question. It is always better
to try than to give up before you've
even started. I will discuss the answers
next week.
Have
a blessed week!
|
|
|
Eastern
High School Athletics Championships
at the National Stadium.
- Ian Allen/Staff Photographer
|
Natasha
Thomas is a teacher at Glenmuir High
School, May Pen.
|
