Question 5 - Chapter 4 - The Enemy - Vistas - Chapters (Literature) - English Class 12

Read the extract and answer the following questions.

Extract:

‘‘If we sheltered a white man in our house we should be arrested and if we turned him over as a prisoner, he would certainly die,’’ Sadao said. ‘‘The kindest thing would be to put him back into the sea,’’ Hana said. But neither of them moved. They were staring with a curious repulsion upon the inert figure. ‘‘What is he?’’ Hana whispered. ‘‘There is something about him that looks American,’’ Sadao said. He took up the battered cap. Yes, there, almost gone, was the faint lettering. ‘‘A sailor,’’ he said, ‘‘from an American warship.’’ He spelled it out: ‘‘U.S. Navy.’’ The man was a prisoner of war!

(The Enemy)

Question (i)

What dilemma are Sadao and Hana facing in the extract?

Answer:

Answer as written by the student:

Sadao and Hana are facing the dilemma of whether to shelter, surrender or abandon the white man they found on the shore. They know that any of these options could have serious consequences for them and the man.

Step-by-step explanation:

• A dilemma is a situation where one has to choose between two or more difficult or undesirable alternatives.
• To identify the dilemma in the extract, we need to look for clues that indicate what choices Sadao and Hana have and what risks they entail.
• The first sentence of the extract gives us two choices: sheltering or turning over the white man. It also tells us the risks: being arrested or causing his death.
• The second sentence gives us another choice: putting him back into the sea. It also implies that this would be a kind but cruel act.
• The rest of the extract shows that Sadao and Hana are hesitant and conflicted about what to do with the white man, who is an enemy of their country.
• Therefore, we can conclude that Sadao and Hana are facing the dilemma of whether to shelter, surrender or abandon the white man they found on the shore.

Question (ii)

Why did Sadao say that the man was a prisoner of war?

1. Because he was wearing a U.S. Navy cap
2. Because he was lying unconscious on the shore
3. Because he was wounded by a Japanese bullet
4. Because he was an enemy of Japan

Answer:

Answer as written by the student:

(a) Because he was wearing a U.S. Navy cap

Step-by-step explanation:

• To answer this question, we need to look for evidence in the extract that supports one of the given options.
• The last sentence of the extract tells us that Sadao said that the man was a prisoner of war after he took up his battered cap and saw the faint lettering "U.S. Navy".
• This means that Sadao recognized that the man was a sailor from an American warship, which was at war with Japan at that time.
• Therefore, we can infer that Sadao said that the man was a prisoner of war because he was wearing a U.S. Navy cap.

Question (iii)

 Complete the sentence appropriately.

The tone of the extract is _______________.

Answer:

Answer as written by the student:

The tone of the extract is tense and conflicted.

Step-by-step explanation:

• The tone of a text is the attitude or emotion that the author conveys through their words and style.
• To identify the tone of the extract, we need to look for clues that indicate how the author feels about the situation or characters in the text.
• Some clues that suggest a tense and conflicted tone are:
•    The use of words such as "arrested", "prisoner", "die", "kindest", "repulsion", "inert", etc., which create a sense of danger, dilemma, pity and disgust.
•    The use of rhetorical questions such as "What is he?" and "The kindest thing would be to put him back into the sea?", which show uncertainty and hesitation.
•    The use of contrast such as "kindest" vs "put him back into the sea", "curious" vs "repulsion", "American" vs "Japanese", etc., which show opposition and conflict.
• Therefore, we can conclude that the tone of the extract is tense and conflicted.

Question (iv)

Give one reason why the extract can be called a suspenseful introduction to the story.

Answer:

Answer as written by the student:

One reason why the extract can be called a suspenseful introduction to the story is that it raises several questions in the reader's mind about what will happen next.

Step-by-step explanation:

• Suspense is a feeling of excitement or anxiety that makes one want to know what will happen next in a story.
• To explain why the extract can be called a suspenseful introduction, we need to give an example of how it creates suspense in the reader's mind.
• One example of how the extract creates suspense is that it raises several questions in the reader's mind, such as:
•    Who is the white man and how did he end up on the shore?
•    What will Sadao and Hana do with him and what will be the consequences of their decision?
•    How will the white man react if he regains consciousness and finds himself in a hostile environment?
•    How will the story unfold from this point onwards?
• Therefore, we can say that one reason why the extract can be called a suspenseful introduction to the story is that it raises several questions in the reader's mind about what will happen next.🔮