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Read the extract and answer the following questions.
Extract:
MR LAMB: That’s all right. I’m here. What are you afraid of, boy? That’s all right.
DERRY: I thought it was empty....an empty house.
MR LAMB: So it is. Since I’m out here in the garden. It is empty. Until I go back inside. In the meantime, I’m out here and likely to stop. A day like this. Beautiful day. Not a day to be indoors. DERRY: [Panic] I’ve got to go.
MR LAMB: Not on my account. I don’t mind who comes into the garden. The gate’s always open. Only you climbed the garden wall.
DERRY: [Angry] You were watching me.
MR LAMB: I saw you. But the gate’s open. All welcome. You’re welcome. I sit here. I like sitting. DERRY: I’d not come to steal anything.
MR LAMB: No, no. The young lads steal....scrump the apples. You’re not so young.
(On The Face Of It)
Question (i)
How does Mr Lamb try to make Derry feel comfortable in the extract?
- By telling him to leave
- By asking him personal questions
- By reassuring him and inviting him
- By ignoring him and sitting quietly
Answer:
Answer as written by the student:
(c) By reassuring him and inviting him
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 option that is supported by the extract is C. By reassuring him and inviting him.
- Some evidence that shows how Mr Lamb tries to make Derry feel comfortable are:
- He says "That's all right" twice, which shows that he is not angry or scared of Derry.
- He says "What are you afraid of, boy?" and "I don't mind who comes into the garden", which shows that he is friendly and curious about Derry.
- He says "The gate's always open" and "You're welcome", which shows that he is hospitable and generous to Derry.
Question (ii)
Complete the sentence appropriately.
The mood of the extract is _______________.
Answer:
Answer as written by the student:
The mood of the extract is tense and awkward.
Step-by-step explanation:
- The mood of a text is the feeling or atmosphere that the author creates for the reader.
- To identify the mood of the extract, we need to look for clues that indicate how the reader feels while reading the text.
- Some clues that suggest a tense and awkward mood are:
- The use of words such as "panic", "angry", "steal", "scrump", etc., which create a sense of fear, guilt, and resentment.
- The use of ellipses, dashes, and short sentences, which create a sense of hesitation, interruption, and confusion.
- The contrast between Mr Lamb's calmness and Derry's nervousness, which create a sense of mismatch and misunderstanding.
Question (iii)
Give one reason why the extract can be called an intriguing introduction to the characters.
Answer:
Answer as written by the student:
One reason why the extract can be called an intriguing introduction to the characters is that it reveals some hints about their personalities and backgrounds without giving away too much information.
Step-by-step explanation:
- Intriguing means arousing one's curiosity or interest.
- To explain why the extract can be called an intriguing introduction to the characters, we need to give an example of how it reveals some hints about their personalities and backgrounds without giving away too much information.
- One example of how the extract does this is:
- It shows that Mr Lamb is an old man who lives alone in an empty house with a garden. He likes sitting outside and talking to strangers. He is friendly, generous, and curious. He has a disability (a tin leg) that he does not mention in this extract.
- It shows that Derry is a young boy who climbed over Mr Lamb's wall. He is afraid, angry, and defensive. He has a facial deformity (a burnt face) that he does not mention in this extract. He does not like being indoors or talking to people.
- Therefore, we can say that one reason why the extract can be called an intriguing introduction to the characters is that it reveals some hints about their personalities and backgrounds without giving away too much information.🕵️♀️
Question (iv)
Analyze how the author uses irony in the extract.
Answer:
Answer as written by the student:
The author uses irony in the extract to create a contrast between what is expected and what actually happens. Irony is a literary device that involves a discrepancy between appearance and reality, or between words and meanings.
Step-by-step explanation:
- To analyze how the author uses irony in the extract, we need to identify and explain the examples of irony in the text.
- One example of irony in the extract is that Sadao and Hana find a white man on the shore who is an enemy of their country, but they do not immediately report or kill him. This is ironic because one would expect them to act according to their patriotic duty and loyalty, but they do not.
- Another example of irony in the extract is that Hana says that the kindest thing would be to put him back into the sea, but neither of them moves to do so. This is ironic because one would expect them to act according to their compassion and humanity, but they do not.
- A third example of irony in the extract is that Sadao recognizes that the man is a sailor from an American warship by his cap, but he does not throw it away or hide it. This is ironic because one would expect him to conceal or destroy any evidence of his presence, but he does not.
