Narrative Text Comprehension Practice

‘The faint tingling grew stronger till it evolved into a stinging ache that was excruciating, but which the man hailed with satisfaction’ (lines 9-10).

 

What is unusual about this?

Answer explanation

(i)         It is unusual because the man seemed to be in intense pain yet he felt contented / pleased.    [1]

Students must tackle the keywords ‘satisfaction’ and ‘excruciating’ to score.

Answers like the following are not accepted:

‘It is unusual because when one is in great pain, they should not be satisfied.’ – notice how ‘satisfied’ is not addressed in the answer.

‘The faint tingling grew stronger till it evolved into a stinging ache that was excruciating, but which the man hailed with satisfaction’ (lines 9-10).

 

What is effective about this?

Answer explanation

(i)         It is effective because it emphasises the man’s fear of losing sensation in his fingers / his fear that his fingers would become numb. / conveys the man’s relief that he can still feel some sensation in his fingers.  [1]

Many candidates did not tackle this question well. The idea of how the man feels glad/relieved at having found sensation in his fingers must be expressed in order to score.

In paragraph 2, the writer tells us that the man ‘drove the thought of his freezing feet; and nose, and cheeks, out of his mind, devoting his whole soul to the matches’.

What does this tell us about the man’s attitude? 

Answer explanation

He was extremely determined / resilient / persevering                                                            [1]

Note: level of intensity must be seen

In paragraph 4, we are told that the man was ‘running around like a chicken with its head cut off’ (line 31). What does this simile suggest about the man’s state of mind? 

Answer explanation

He was frantic / in distress / panic-stricken. (Use an adjective- a word to describe)

 

X ‘desperate’/ panic

Q1. The writer describes Vera and her mother’s meeting as an old dance that they had not performed 'in so long that each felt unsure of the choreography' (line 18).

 

a. What was Vera and her mother unsure of?

Answer explanation

They were unsure of how they should react to each other / how to respond to each other / they were unsure of the right way to respond to each other. (1)

b. How is this description of their meeting particularly effective?

Answer explanation

It emphasises / highlights how strained their relationship is now as they are unsure about their roles and the next step to take with one another (such as hugging one another). (1)

Q2. According to Paragraph 4, the writer describes the house as having ‘No DVDS or CDS lying around, no books or magazines thrown on the coffee table, no pictures on the refrigerator’.

 

What is the intended effect of repeating ‘no’ in the sentence above?

Answer explanation

It emphasises the emptiness of the house / how bare the house was. (1)