Question

Read the following extract and do the given activities:

More candles, more lanterns, more neighbours, more insects, and the endless rain. My mother twisted through and through, groaning on a mat. My father, sceptic, rationalist, trying every curse and blessing, powder, mixture, herb and hybrid. He even poured a little paraffin upon the bitten toe and put a match to it. I watched the flame feeding on my mother. I watched the holy man perform his rites to tame the poison with an incantation. After twenty hours it lost its sting. My mother only said Thank God the scorpion picked on me And spared my children.

A1. State whether the following statements are true or false:   (2)

1. The narrator's father was a rationalist.
2. It was summer when the incident took place.
3. Mother found relief after twenty hours.
4. Mother thanked the neighbours for sparing her children.

A2. What were the efforts taken by the father and the holy man to reducе the pain of the mother?   (2)

A3. Find out an example of 'Antithesis' from the extract:   (1)

Answer 1

A1.

1. The given statement is True.
2. The given statement is False.
3. The given statement is True.
4. The given statement is False.

A2. Father's Efforts: Despite being a rationalist, he tried various remedies including curses, blessings, powders, mixtures, herbs, and hybrids. In a desperate attempt, he even poured paraffin (kerosene) on the bitten toe and set it on fire to counteract the poison.
Holy Man's Efforts: The holy man performed rituals and incantations to supposedly tame the poison and relieve the mother’s pain.

A3. Example of Antithesis:

"My father, sceptic, rationalist,
trying every curse and blessing, powder, mixture, herb and hybrid."