Read the extract and answer the following questions.
Extract:
After dark she walked by the canal, along a sheltered path lighted only by the glare of the lamps from the wharf across the water, and the unceasing drone of the city was muffled and distant. It was a place she had often played in when she was a child. There was a wooden bench beneath a solitary elm where lovers sometimes came. She sat down to wait. It was the perfect place, she had always thought so, for a meeting of this kind. For those who wished not to be observed. She knew he would approve.
(Going Places)
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Question (i)
Who is the 'she' that is waiting for someone in this extract?
- Sophie
- Jansie
- Mary Quant
- Danny Casey
Answer:
Answer as written by the student:
(a) Sophie
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 'she' that is waiting for someone in this extract is Sophie, who had a romantic or secretive meeting in mind with Danny Casey, a famous and handsome Irish football player that she admires and fantasizes about.😊
Question (ii)
What does the word 'muffled' mean in this context?
- Amplified or increased
- Silenced or stopped
- Softened or subdued
- Distorted or changed
Answer:
Answer as written by the student:
(c) Softened or subdued
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 'muffled' is used to describe how the unceasing drone of the city sounded from the sheltered path by the canal where Sophie was waiting for someone.
- We can look for clues in the text that might indicate what kind of sound this was and how it relates to the word 'muffled'.
- One clue is the word 'unceasing' itself, which suggests that the drone of the city was constant or continuous or neverending.
- Another clue is the word 'sheltered' itself, which implies that the path by the canal was protected or hidden or isolated from something.
- These clues imply that the drone of the city was a loud or annoying or persistent sound that was reduced or lowered or moderated by something.
- Therefore, based on these clues, we can infer that the word 'muffled' means softened or subdued in this context.😊
Question (iii)
Complete the sentence with ONE word.
She walked by the canal, along a __________ path.
Answer:
Answer as written by the student:
She walked by the canal, along a sheltered path.
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 'a' and before 'path'.
- A grammatical clue is that we need an adjective that modifies or describes the noun 'path'.
- A logical clue is that we need an adjective that matches Sophie's choice of place for a romantic or secretive meeting.
- 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 'sheltered' itself, which appears in the second line of the extract as part of Sophie's description of the path by the canal.
Question (iv)
Identify the line from the text that shows that she had a romantic or secretive meeting in mind.
Answer:
Answer as written by the student:
The line from the text that shows that she had a romantic or secretive meeting in mind is "It was the perfect place, she had always thought so, for a meeting of this kind. For those who wished not to be observed. She knew he would approve."
Step-by-step explanation:
- To identify a line from the text that shows that she had a romantic or secretive meeting in mind, we can use strategies such as looking for words or phrases that indicate a special or unusual or hidden type of meeting or relationship.
- In this extract, there are several lines that show that she had a romantic or secretive meeting in mind with Danny Casey, who is a famous and handsome Irish football player that she admires and fantasizes about. However, only one line explicitly shows that she had a romantic or secretive meeting in mind by using words or phrases that indicate what kind of meeting or relationship this was.
- We can look for words or phrases in the text that indicate that she had a romantic or secretive meeting in mind, such as 'perfect', 'of this kind', 'not to be observed', 'approve', etc.
- One line from the text that contains several of these words is "It was the perfect place, she had always thought so, for a meeting of this kind. For those who wished not to be observed. She knew he would approve."
- This line shows that she had a romantic or secretive meeting in mind by using the word 'perfect' to express her satisfaction or preference for the place where she was waiting for him.
- This line also shows that she had a romantic or secretive meeting in mind by using the phrase 'of this kind' to imply that this was a special or unusual or hidden type of meeting that was different from other meetings.
- Moreover, this line shows that she had a romantic or secretive meeting in mind by using the phrase 'not to be observed' to suggest that this was a private or confidential or discreet type of meeting that required secrecy or anonymity.
- Furthermore, this line shows that she had a romantic or secretive meeting in mind by using the phrase 'she knew he would approve' to indicate that this was a mutual or consensual or agreeable type of meeting that involved his opinion or consent.
- Therefore, based on these clues, we can identify this line as the one that shows that she had a romantic or secretive meeting in mind.😊
Question (v)
Explain any one possible reason why she chose this place for the meeting.
Answer:
Answer as written by the student:
One possible reason why she chose this place for the meeting is that it was familiar and comfortable for her and it offered privacy and darkness for them.
Step-by-step explanation:
- To explain a possible reason why she chose this place for the meeting, 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 she chose this place for the meeting by the way she described it and her feelings about it.
- We can make logical inferences about why she chose this place based on her statement and her attitude towards the place and the meeting . For example, we can deduce that it was familiar and comfortable for her and it offered privacy and darkness for them, because she said that it was a place where she had often played when she was a child and that it was lighted only by the glare of the lamps from the wharf across the water and that it was perfect for those who wished not to be observed.
- We can use our background knowledge to think of some possible examples or evidence that support our inference . For example, we might know that people tend to choose places that are familiar and comfortable for them when they want to meet someone special or unusual, because they feel more relaxed and confident in those places.
- We can also provide examples or evidence from the text to support our answer. For example, we might mention that she said that it was a place where she had often played when she was a child, which implies that she was familiar and comfortable with it. We might also mention that she said that it was lighted only by the glare of the lamps from the wharf across the water and that it was perfect for those who wished not to be observed, which implies that it offered privacy and darkness for them.
- Therefore, based on these strategies, we can explain one possible reason why she chose this place for the meeting.😊
Question (vi)
What is the name of the literary device that is used in the phrase "the unceasing drone of the city"?
- Imagery
- Alliteration
- Oxymoron
- Onomatopoeia
Answer:
Answer as written by the student:
(d) Onomatopoeia
Step-by-step 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 unceasing drone of the city" is used to describe how the city sounded from the sheltered path by the canal where Sophie was waiting for someone.
- This phrase uses onomatopoeia as a literary device, because it uses words that imitate the sounds they represent.
- This phrase uses onomatopoeia by using words such as 'unceasing' and 'drone' to mimic or reproduce the sound of a constant or continuous or neverending humming or buzzing noise.
- Therefore, based on these clues, we can infer that the phrase uses onomatopoeia as a literary device.😊
