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Read the extract and answer the following questions.
Extract:
She reports her husband as saying to the reporters, “Why do I refuse to be interviewed? Because it is immoral! It is a crime, just as much of a crime as an offence against my person, as an assault, and just as much merits punishment. It is cowardly and vile. No respectable man would ask it, much less give it,” Yet Kipling had himself perpetrated such an ‘assault’ on Mark Twain only a few years before. H. G. Wells3 in an interview in 1894 referred to ‘the interviewing ordeal’, but was a fairly frequent interviewee and forty years later found himself interviewing Joseph Stalin.
(The Interview)
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Question (i)
Who is the husband that is reported by his wife as refusing to be interviewed?
- Mark Twain
- H. G. Wells
- Joseph Stalin
- Rudyard Kipling
Answer:
Answer as written by the student:
(d) Rudyard Kipling
Step-by-step explanation:
- To answer this question, we need to use our background knowledge or do some research to find out who the wife of Rudyard Kipling was and what she said about his refusal to be interviewed.
- According to some sources (such as https://www.kiplingsociety.co.uk/rg_interviews.htm), the wife of Rudyard Kipling was Caroline Starr Balestier, also known as Carrie Kipling. She was an American writer and editor who married Kipling in 1892.
- In 1899, she gave an interview to a reporter from The New York Times, in which she defended her husband's decision to avoid interviews and described his views on the interview as immoral, criminal, cowardly, and vile.
- Therefore, based on these sources, we can infer that the husband that is reported by his wife as refusing to be interviewed is Rudyard Kipling.😊
Question (ii)
What does the word 'perpetrated' mean in this context?
- Committed or carried out
- Prevented or stopped
- Enjoyed or appreciated
- Denied or rejected
Answer:
Answer as written by the student:
(a) Committed or carried out
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 ' perpetrated' is used to describe what Kipling did to Mark Twain when he interviewed him a few years before he refused to be interviewed himself.
- We can look for clues in the text that might indicate what kind of action this was and how it relates to the word 'perpetrated'.
- One clue is the word 'assault' in the previous sentence, which suggests that this action was violent, harmful, or offensive to someone.
- Another clue is the word 'yet' in the same sentence, which introduces a contrast between Kipling's own attitude towards being interviewed and his behavior towards interviewing others.
- These clues imply that this action was hypocritical, inconsistent, or contradictory to Kipling's own views on the interview.
- Therefore, based on these clues, we can infer that the word 'perpetrated' means committed or carried out in this context.😊
Question (iii)
Complete the sentence with ONE word.
The husband's view of the interview is that it is __________ and __________.
Answer:
Answer as written by the student:
The husband's view of the interview is that it is immoral and criminal.
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 two words that fit in the blank spaces after 'it is' and before 'and'.
- A grammatical clue is that we need two adjectives that describe the noun 'interview' and agree with each other in number and degree.
- A logical clue is that we need two words that express the husband's negative opinion of the interview and why he refuses to be interviewed or to interview others.
- 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 words.
- One contextual clue is the quotation marks around the words "Why do I refuse to be interviewed? Because it is immoral! It is a crime..." in the second sentence, which indicate that these are the exact words of the husband as reported by his wife.
- Another contextual clue is the word 'as' in the last sentence, which introduces a comparison between how the husband views being interviewed and how he views an assault or a theft.
- These clues suggest that we need two words that mean unethical or wrong and punishable or illegal.
- Therefore, based on these clues, we can infer that the words that complete the sentence are immoral and criminal.😊
Question (iv)
Identify the line from the text that shows a contrast between two attitudes towards the interview.
Answer:
Answer as written by the student:
The line from the text that shows a contrast between two attitudes towards the interview is "Yet Kipling had himself perpetrated such an ‘assault’ on Mark Twain only a few years before."
Step-by-step explanation:
- To identify a line from the text that shows a contrast between two attitudes towards the interview, we can use strategies such as looking for words or phrases that indicate a difference, opposition, or comparison between two things or ideas.
- In this extract, t here are two main attitudes towards the interview: one that sees it as immoral and criminal, and another that sees it as acceptable and normal.
- We can look for words or phrases in the text that indicate a contrast between these two attitudes, such as 'but', 'however', 'on the other hand', 'while', 'whereas', 'yet', etc.
- One line from the text that contains such a word is " Yet Kipling had himself perpetrated such an ‘assault’ on Mark Twain only a few years before."
- This line shows a contrast between two attitudes towards the interview by using the word 'yet' to introduce a contradiction or inconsistency between Kipling's own view of being interviewed and his action of interviewing someone else.
- This line also shows a contrast by using quotation marks around the word 'assault' to imply that Kipling did not see his interview with Mark Twain as an immoral or criminal act, but rather as a normal or acceptable one.
- Therefore, based on these clues, we can identify this line as the one that shows a contrast between two attitudes towards the interview.😊
Question (v)
Explain any one possible reason why H. G. Wells referred to the interview as an 'ordeal' but still agreed to be interviewed.
Answer:
Answer as written by the student:
One possible reason why H. G. Wells referred to the interview as an 'ordeal' but still agreed to be interviewed is that he saw it as a necessary or beneficial part of his career as a writer and a public figure.
Step-by-step explanation:
- To explain a possible reason why H. G. Wells referred to the interview as an 'ordeal' but still agreed to be interviewed, 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 H. G. Wells had a mixed or ambivalent attitude towards the interview, as he described it as an unpleasant or difficult experience, but also participated in it frequently and even interviewed someone else.
- We can use our background knowledge to think of some possible reasons why Wells might have had such an attitude towards the interview. For example, we might know that Wells was a prolific and influential writer of science fiction, social commentary, and history, who was also involved in various political and social movements and causes.
- We can also provide examples or evidence to support our answer. For example, we might mention some specific cases where Wells gave interviews or interviewed others, and what he said or wrote about them. For instance, we might mention his interview with Joseph Stalin in 1934, in which he expressed his admiration for the Soviet leader and his hopes for world peace and cooperation.
- Therefore, based on these strategies, we can explain one possible reason why H. G. Wells referred to the interview as an 'ordeal' but still agreed to be interviewed.😊
Question (vi)
What is the name of the literary device that is used in the phrase 'interviewing ordeal'?
Answer:
Answer as written by the student:
The name of the literary device that is used in the phrase 'interviewing ordeal' is Hyperbole.
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 alliteration, hyperbole, oxymoron, metaphor, etc.
- Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words in close proximity. For example, "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers."
- Hyperbole is the use of exaggeration or overstatement for emphasis or effect. For example, "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse."
- Oxymoron is the use of two contradictory or opposite words together to create a paradoxical effect. For example, "jumbo shrimp" or "deafening silence".
- Metaphor is the use of a word or phrase that normally refers to one thing to describe another thing by implying a comparison or similarity. For example, "Life is a roller coaster."
- In this extract, the phrase 'interviewing ordeal' is used by H. G. Wells to describe his experience of being interviewed or interviewing others.
- This phrase uses hyperbole as a literary device, because it exaggerates or overstresses how difficult or unpleasant the interview was for him.
- The word 'ordeal' means a severe trial or suffering, which is usually associated with lifethreatening situations or extreme hardships.
- By using this word to describe the interview, Wells implies that it was more than just an inconvenience or a challenge for him; it was almost like a torture or a punishment.
