Question

Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

There was a good crystal frost in the air; it cut the nose and made the lungs blaze like a Christmas tree inside, you could feel the cold light going on and off, all the branches filled with invisible snow.

1. What time of the day does the passage indicate? How do you know? (Understanding and Analysis)
2. What kind of experience does the narrator tell? Explain the image ‘lungs blaze like a Christmas tree inside’. (Analysis)
3. How did the narrator react to the scenery outside? (Understanding)
4. What do you learn about the narrator from this extract? (Analysis)
5. Explain the image ‘all the branches filled with invisible snow’ with reference to the life people live here. (Analysis)

Answer 1

1. It indicates that it is night-time, during the Christmas season. The reference to “Christmas tree” and the cold, frosty air suggests a winter night.
2. It describes Mead’s physical experience of the cold air while walking. The freezing air makes his lungs feel warm and alive, like the bright lights of a Christmas tree.
3. Mead enjoyed and appreciated the quiet outdoor surroundings. He felt refreshed by the cold air and loved walking through the deserted streets.
4. We learn that Mead is observant, imaginative and fond of nature. Unlike others, he enjoys being outdoors and notices details that most people have stopped experiencing.
5. The image suggests the cold, silent and lifeless atmosphere of the society. Like invisible snow covering branches, technology and isolation have covered people’s lives, making them inactive and disconnected from the real world.