HCSC The Road to Winter ch 1

And there was the weather. I was only thirteen then, but even I could see it changing: the summers longer, the winters shorter, the ocean staying warmer right through the autumn. The storms came more regularly, the king tides pushing right up the river valley and flooding the houses that used to sit well clear of the water. Up until the internet went down for good and all the communications fell away—phones, radio, everything—there were theories flying around about how the warmer climate was making everyone sick.

Early signs that trouble was on the way included ....................

• changes in the weather and disruptions to media

• people having nightmares.

• outbreaks of violence.

• the cancellation of the Australian Open.

I didn’t know it at the time, but everything I learned back then would help me survive. For as long as I could remember I’d hunted rabbits up on the edge of the farmland, dived off the point for abalone and caught crays in season. I knew every nook and cranny of the tea trees along the dunes and every trail and bike track through the bush. I understood the weather patterns like they were part of me. The big westerlies that pushed up the swell, the southerlies that brought the chill up from Antarctica and, in summer, the northerlies that blew heat down off the inland.

We can make the inference that Finn .................

• has had to learn many new skills.

• is starving to death.

• has an easy life.

• already had the skills to help him survive.

(Finn) For years I had problems -------; I couldn’t seem to form the words properly. It was like trying to talk with a mouth full of sand, so mostly I just stayed quiet. Mum and Dad could understand me well enough, and Rowdy too.

Which word would best fill the gap

• singing

• talking

• walking

• speech

The main road into town was barricaded and patrols were set up to stop people coming from the north. But they came anyway, finding their way down through the bush tracks to somewhere they thought would be safer.  That’s probably how the virus reached us.

The virus reached probably reached Angowrie via ...............

• smoke from bushfires

• mosquito bites

• rabbit plagues

• refugees from other cities and towns.

  Which of these quotes is the best evidence that the people of Angowrie were planning to rob the store?

• It was a warm day in autumn, about three months after news of the first outbreak.

• Fresh food was getting scarce and people were starting to avoid going out in public.

• But that morning there was a crowd milling about and hassling Jim Sackville to open the supermarket and let people get the food they needed.

• They weren’t talking about paying for it, though. It was a strange sight, everyone with their white masks on, trying not to breathe too close to anyone else but still forming a mob.

The owner of the store, Jim Sackville, tried to warn the crowd away with .....

• a shotgun

• a katana

• a crossbow

• bad language

  ‘All right, everyone,’ he said. ‘Let’s just keep calm. Jim’s got a right to guard his business. This is his livelihood.’

This shows that Finn's father was trying to ....................

• rob the store himself

• help the townsfolk rob the store.

• prevent violence.

• help Jim Sackville fight the townspeople.

Which of these sentences provides the best evidence that Finn's Dad has also been injured?

• I elbowed my way through to find Dad.

• I saw him off to the side of the entrance near the check-out, kneeling over Jim and pushing up and down on his chest.

• There was blood all over the floor.

• Eventually Dad’s hands slowed and he slumped against the wall.

People were fighting each other for food, punching and kicking anyone out of their way.

This shows .......

• A total breakdown of law and order.

• Community spirit.

• Kindness and compassion

• healthy competition

When I glanced at Dad his eyes were closed, and I saw that he was bleeding. He had a huge gash up high on his thigh and he’d put his hand there to stop it spurting.

The most likely inference here is that Finn's Dad ........

• had been shot.

• was suffering from concussion.

• had been cut by broken glass.

• was experiencing heart trouble.