Question

If a person suddenly encounters any terrible danger, the change of nature one
undergoes is equally great. Sometimes fear numbs our senses. Like animals, one
stands still, powerless to move a step in fright or to lift a hand in defense of our
lives, and sometimes one is seized with panic, and again, act more like the inferior
animals than rational beings. On the other hand, frequently in cases of sudden
extreme peril, which cannot be escaped by flight, and must be instantly faced,
even the most timid men at once as if by miracle, become possessed of the
necessary courage, sharp quick apprehension and swift decision. This is a miracle
very common in nature. Man and the inferior animals alike, when confronted with
almost certain death 'gather resolution from despair' but there can really be no
trace of so debilitating a feeling in the person fighting, or prepared to fight for
dear life. At such times the mind is clearer than it has ever been; the nerves are
steel, there is nothing felt but a wonderful strength and daring. Looking back at
certain perilous moments in my own life. I remember them with a kind of joy, not
that there was any joyful excitement then, but because they broadened my
horizon, lifted me for a time above myself.
a) How can a man react to sudden danger?
(1)
b) Why was the author happy to have encountered difficult situations?
c) Find the words from the passage which mean the same as-
i) Dangerous
ii) Captured
(1)​

Answer 1

Explanation:

If a person suddenly encounters any terrible danger, the change of nature one

undergoes is equally great. Sometimes fear numbs our senses. Like animals, one

stands still, powerless to move a step in fright or to lift a hand in defense of our

lives, and sometimes one is seized with panic, and again, act more like the inferior

animals than rational beings. On the other hand, frequently in cases of sudden

extreme peril, which cannot be escaped by flight, and must be instantly faced,

even the most timid men at once as if by miracle, become possessed of the

necessary courage, sharp quick apprehension and swift decision. This is a miracle

very common in nature. Man and the inferior animals alike, when confronted with

almost certain death 'gather resolution from despair' but there can really be no

trace of so debilitating a feeling in the person fighting, or prepared to fight for

dear life. At such times the mind is clearer than it has ever been; the nerves are

steel, there is nothing felt but a wonderful strength and daring. Looking back at

certain perilous moments in my own life. I remember them with a kind of joy, not

that there was any joyful excitement then, but because they broadened my

horizon, lifted me for a time above myself.

a) How can a man react to sudden danger?

(1)

b) Why was the author happy to have encountered difficult situations?

c) Find the words from the passage which mean the same as-

i) Dangerous

ii) Captured

(1)