Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow:
My husband Pele and I were staying in a holiday house overlooking the beautiful,
lush rainforests of Indonesia. The glass walls framed a fine view across the Bagon
Valley to what had been the summer palace of President Suharto.
The first morning we strolled hand in hand up a winding pathway, heading to the
main building for breakfast. But once we arrived at the dinning room, I realized 5
we‟d forgotten our money, so I volunteered to run back to the house. Making my
way down the path, I turned the last corner only to find a giant bird, similar to an
emu, standing outside our front door.
“Hey baby, what are you doing?” I cooed, moving slowly so as not to frighten it.
Having a deep, abiding fascination with all creatures great and small, I wanted a 10
closer look. This was my first mistake.
As I came within a few meters, he took a big breath and let out a nasty hiss, stopping
me in my tracks.
“That‟s not very friendly,” I said, clueless. He hissed again and I promptly made the
second mistake of turning and running, instead of backing away slowly. As I 15
rounded the corner I heard his razor-sharp claws scrabbling on the cobblestones.
“Oh!”
His steps sounded like a drum as they hit the ground, quickly coming too close for
comfort. I suddenly changed direction and headed into the trees. Dodged in and out
of the foliage. I hoped my tactic would fool him. A crash behind me indicated no 20
such luck.
Jumping over a small bush, I found myself out in the open and not far from the dining
room. Picking up speed, I bolted over the plants and rockeries surrounding the
perimeter and dashed through the gate. When I turned to close it, the bird was
nowhere to be seen. 25
I didn‟t realize it and at the time, but I had just come face to face with a cassowary, a
bird also found in Australia‟s north Queensland rainforests. Cassowarys weigh 55
kilos or more, stand about 180 centimeters tall and have saber-like toenails that can
open a human from chin to groin like a zipper and kill humans.“What‟s wrong?” Pele asked as I stumbled back into the dinning room. 30
“A big bird chased me all the way from the house,” I replied.
“What?” he asked incredulously. “You‟re scared of a bird?”
“It‟s as big as me and very mean,” I said in a rather sulky voice.
“Oh, all right,” he laughed. “I‟ll come with you.”
Much to Pele‟s amusement, I stayed behind him on the path and held onto the back 35
of his shirt as we approached the corner of the house.
“See! There it is. Look at the size of the thing!”
Pele chuckled at the hysteria in my voice. “It‟s all right,” he soothed.
Calmly and confidently he walked toward the cassowary.
“Shoo! Go on, get out,” he said. 40
He made actions with his arms as if it were a pigeon on a window ledge. The
response of the cassowary was the same as before: a big hiss and a step forward.
“Hmm,” said Pele and stopped, not so sure of himself. He tried again. “Go on.”
The cassowary then ran a few paces at us, hissing aggressively, so we quickly
retreated around a corner of the house. Pele picked up a rock the size of his hand and 45
threw it hard, hitting the bird squarely in the chest. It didn‟t budge.
“What are we going to do?” I pleaded. This time, Pele picked up a cane chair.
“Stay behind and I‟ll keep him back. When we get to the door, open it.”
Again I held on to the back of his shirt and we started towards the door. This greatly
displeased the already annoyed cassowary. Charging at us he ripped at the chair with 50
those lethal claws. Pele stopped to steady the chair – and possibly his resolve.
Pele threw the chair at the bird and slammed the door shut.
Ducking the flying cane, the bird ran straight at the glass wall, only to bounce off.
But it didn‟t slow down at all. Pecking and scratching at the glass, it continued the
assault with a sickening ferocity. 55
It was another 15 minutes before the bird weakened and slowed its attack. Thirty
minutes later, we quietly opened the door and crept back to the main building.
(a) Give the meanings of the following words as used in the passage.
One word answers or short phrases will be accepted.
(i) strolled (line 4)fascination (line 10)
(iii) foliage (line 20) [3]
(b) Answer the following questions briefly in your own words.
(i) What was Pele‟s wife‟s first mistake when she saw the bird? [2]
(ii) How did the bird react to the lady‟s third mistake? [2]
(iii) What did she do after this reaction of the bird? [2]
(iv) Describe the Cassowary. [2]
(v) Why did Pele find the situation amusing at first? Why did he
change his attitude? [2]
(vi) Use the word „framed‟ (line 2) in a sentence of your own such that
it has a meaning different from that used in the passage. [2]
(c) With close reference to the last paragraph of the extract and in not more
than 60 words describe how the couple got into their room when they were
together. [8]
(d) Give a title to the passage and give a reason to justify your choice.
Answers
Answered by
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Answer:
Responded
Explanation:
(a)i.meaning to walk in an idle manner
ii.meaning to have some interest
iii.shrub-like leaves
(b)i.She tried a gentle and soothing approach to the bird at first but seeing the bird's reaction she threw the caution at the wind and instead of backing away slowly and carefully she turned around and started running.
iv.A Cassowary is a bird found in Australia's Queensland rainforest. These birds weigh 55 kilos or more and stand about 180 cm tall. They have saber-like toenails that can be fatal to humans.
v.Pele found the situation amusing at first because he could not believe that his wife was afraid and hysterical because of a bird. But later in when he saw the bird himself, he realised the truth behind his wife's words, when she said that the bird was as tall as her and mean.
vi.When the said thief was released from jail after two years of imprisonment, the judge found out that he was framed.
Only few could be answered by me. Sorry
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