Question

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

I said, “Nicola, the way you and Jacopo work, you must earn quite a bit. You spend nothing on clothes. You eat little enough... when I see you have a meal it’s usually black bread and figs. Tell me, what do you with your money?” He coloured deeply under his sunburn, then grew pale. He looked to the ground. “You must be saving up to emigrate to America,” I suggested. He looked at me sideways, spoke with an effort.

(i) What does the narrator’s remark ‘... the way you and Jacopo work...’refer to?

1. Sale of certain products.
2. Manner of working.
3. Readiness to lend aid.
4. Open to doing add jobs.

(ii) How did the narrator’s question impact Nicola? It made him feel ______.

1. surprised
2. embarrassed
3. confused
4. scared

(iii) State one aspect that might have led the narrator to think that the boys must be saving to emigrate to America.

(iv) Which of the following remarks shows that the narrator observed things keenly?

1. ‘The way you and Jacopo work, you must earn quite a bit.’
2. ‘When I see you have a meal it’s usually black bread and figs.’
3. ‘What do you do with your money?’
4. ‘You must be saving up to emigrate to America.’

(v) What does the sunburn help you deduce about Nicola?

Answer 1

(i) Open to doing add jobs.

(ii) How did the narrator’s question impact Nicola? It made him feel embarrassed.

(iii) The narrator likely deduced this because, despite the boys working tirelessly and earning money through various odd jobs, they lived an incredibly frugal life, barely spending anything on themselves for food or clothing, suggesting they were accumulating a large sum for a significant future goal.

(iv) When I see you have a meal it’s usually black bread and figs.

(v) The sunburn indicates that Nicola spends a significant amount of time working outdoors under the sun, supporting the description of the boys as hardworking individuals who perform various labour-intensive tasks throughout the day.