Question

B. Read the following passage and do the given activities: 
B1. Choose the correct options from the bracket and fill in the blanks: 
 (younger, eighty, twenty, interval)
 i. I went over during the _______ and sat down beside her.
 ii. None of us are getting any _______.
 iii. It was _______ years ago.
 iv. I had _______ francs to last me the rest of the month. 
 

I caught sight of her at the play and in answer to her call. I went over during the interval and sat down beside her. It was long since I had last seen her and, if someone had not mentioned her name, I hardly think I would have recognized her. She addressed me brightly.
“Well, it’s many years since we first met. How time does fly! We’re none of us getting any younger. Do you remember the first time I saw you? You asked me to luncheon.”
 Did I remember?
 It was twenty years ago and I was living in Paris. I had a tiny apartment and I was earning barely enough money. She had read a book of mine and had written to me about it. I answered, thanking her, and presently, I received from her another letter saying she was passing through Paris and would like to have a chat with me. But her time was limited and the only free moment she had was on the following Thursday and would I give her a little luncheon at Foyot’s afterward? Foyot’s is a restaurant and it was so far beyond my means that I had never even thought of going there. I had eighty francs (gold francs) to last me the rest of the month and a modest luncheon should not cost more than fifteen. If I cut out coffee for the next two weeks, I could manage well enough.

B2. Where and when did they decide to have luncheon?

B3. Find out the ‘Synonyms’ from the passage for the following words: 
i. A set of rooms
ii. Acknowledged
iii. Handle
iv. Directed.

 B4. Do as directed: 
 i. I hardly think about it.
 (Begin the sentence with ‘How_______!)
 ii. She had read a book of mine.
 (Begin the sentence with ‘Hadn’t _______?)

B5. Personal Response: 
If you were in the place of the narrator, how would you have reacted in the given situation? 

Answer 1

B1
 i. I went over during the interval and sat down beside her.
ii. None of us are getting any younger.
iii. It was twenty years ago.
iv. I had eighty francs to last me the rest of the month.

B2

Twenty years ago on the following Thursday and She had read a book of mine and had written to me about it. I answered, thanking her, and presently, I received from her another letter saying she was passing through Paris and would like to have a chat with me. So, I decided to give her a luncheon at Foyot’s restaurant.

B3
i.  Apartment  
ii. Addressed
iii.
iv. Manage

B4
i. How hardly do I think about it!
ii. Hadn't she read the book of mine?

B5
Had I been in the narrator’s place, I would have done the same.  I would have adopted the same means and methods as the narrator to treat Tricki. The narrator was a man of strong heart as he never let emotions come in his way of treating Tricki which I am not sure I would have been able to do at all times.