Question

Question 4:

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow:

For some time Mother had greatly envied us our swimming, both in the daytime and at night,

but as she pointed out when we suggested she join us, she was far too old for that sort of thing.

Eventually, however, under constant pressure from us, Mother paid a visit into town and

returned to the villa coyly bearing a mysterious parcel. Opening this she astonished us all by

holding up an extraordinary shapeless garment of black cloth, covered from top to bottom with

hundreds of frills and pleats and tucks.

„Well, what do you think of it?‟ Mother asked.

We stared at the odd garment and wondered what it was for.

„What is it?‟ asked Larry at length.

„It‟s a bathing-costume, of course,‟ said Mother. “What on earth did you think it was?‟ „It looks

to me like a badly-skinned whale,‟ said Larry, peering at it closely.

You can‟t possibly wear that, Mother,‟ said Margo, horrified, Shy, it looks as though it was

made in nineteen-twenty.‟

„What are all those frills and things for?‟ asked Larry with interest.

„Decoration, of course,‟ said Mother indignantly.

„What a jolly idea! Don‟t forget to shake the fish out of them when you come out of the water.‟

„Well, I like it, anyway,‟ Mother said firmly, wrapping the monstrosity up again, „and I‟m going

to wear it.‟

„You‟ll have to be careful you don‟t get waterlogged, with all that cloth around you,‟ said Leslie

seriously.

„Mother, it‟s awful; you can‟t wear it,‟ said Margo. „Why on earth didn‟t you get something

more up to date?‟

„ When you get to my age, dear, you can‟t go around in a two-piece bathing suit… you don‟t

have the figure for it.‟

„I‟d love to know what sort of figure that was designed for,‟ remarked Larry.

„You really are hopeless, Mother,‟ said Margo despairingly.

„But I like it… and I‟m not asking you to wear it,‟ Mother pointed out angrily.

„That‟s right, you do what you want to do,‟ agreed Larry; „don‟t be put off. It‟ll probably suit

you very well if you can grow another three or four legs to go with it.‟

Mother snorted indignantly and swept upstairs to try on her costume. Presently she called to us

to come and see the effect, and we all trooped up to the bedroom. Roger the dog, was the first to enter, and on being greeted by this strange apparition clad in its voluminous black costume

rippling with frills, he retreated hurriedly through the door, backwards, barking ferociously. It

was some time before we could persuade him that it really was Mother, and even then he kept

giving her vaguely uncertain looks from the corner of his eye. However, in spite of all

opposition, Mother stuck to her tent-like bathing- suit, and in the end we gave up.

In order to celebrate her first entry into the sea we decided to have a moonlight picnic down at

the bay, and sent an invitation to Theodore, who was the only stranger that Mother would

tolerate on such a great occasion. The day for the great immersion arrived, food and wine were

prepared, the boat was cleaned out and filled with cushions and everything was ready when

Theodore turned up.

(a) Give the meaning of the following words as used in the passage:


One word answers or short phrases will be accepted.

1. peering (line 13)

2. ferociously (line 41)

3. immersion (line 49)

(b) Answer the following questions briefly in your own words.

1. Why did mother not join the swimming in the beginning?

2. Briefly describe her swimming costume.

3. What did Larry think it was?

4. Which sentence tells you that Margo thought it was old fashioned?

5. What was Leslie‟s concern?

(c) In not more than 50 words describe what happened after mother went upstairs to try on her

costume.​

Answer 1

Explanation:

3. What did Larry think it was?