Question

Read the extract and answer the questions by selecting the correct options.

For about nine seconds he had me rattled, and I came mighty near getting cold feet and trying to sell him some plate-glass. But I got my nerve back pretty quick. He asked me to sit down, and I told him everything. I told him how I followed his daughter from Cincinnati, and what I did it for, and all about my salary and prospects, and explained to him my little code of living -to be always decent and right in your home town. At first, I thought he was going to throw me out of the window, but I kept on talking. Well, that got him to laughing and I’ll bet that was the first laugh those ancestors and horsehair sofa had heard in many a day

i) Select the option that matches the expression with the meaning correctly.

Column A	Column B
I. getting cold feet	a. to be exhausted
II. dead on my feet	b. to become used to a new situation
III. get your feet wet	c. carried away by someone on an emo
	d. feeling nervous about something

1. I-c, II-b, III-a
2. I-d, II-a, III-b
3. I-a, II-c, III-d
4. I-b, II-d, III-c

ii) Select the option that lists the statements which can be a part of one’s ‘code of living’.

1. Keep your word.
2. Never quit on yourself or your family.
3. Think about the future and ignore the present.
4. Focus on materialistic possessions.
5. Stay true to yourself.
6. Look back and wonder about your decisions.
   1. 1, 3 and 6
   2. 2, 4 and 5
   3. 2, 5 and 6
   4. 1, 2 and 5

iii) “I’ll bet that was the first laugh those ancestors and horsehair sofa had heard in many a day.” The tone of the speaker is ______.

1. satirical
2. ironical
3. humorous
4. sarcastic

iv) Which option best describes the sequence of the speaker’s emotions in the given extract.

1. nostalgia-friendliness-jitters-disappointment
2. curiosity-nostalgia-fear-mild sadness
3. jitters-confidence-apprehension-delight
4. shyness,friendliness-excitement-nostalgia

Answer 1

i) I-d, II-a, III-b

Explanation:

Column A	Column B
I. getting cold feet	d. feeling nervous about something
II. dead on my feet	a. to be exhausted
III. get your feet wet	b. to become used to a new situation

ii) 1, 2 and 5

Explanation:

A good code of living includes Keep your word, Never quit on yourself or your family and Stay true to yourself.

iii) “I’ll bet that was the first laugh those ancestors and horsehair sofa had heard in many a day.” The tone of the speaker is humorous.

Explanation:

The speaker uses a humorous tone when he imagines that even the old furniture and portraits had not heard a laugh for a long time.

iv) Jitters – confidence – apprehension – delight

Explanation:

First, Pescud feels nervous, then regains his confidence. He becomes apprehensive when he thinks Jessie’s father might throw him out, but finally feels delighted when the father laughs.