Question

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow:
For some time Mother had greatly envied us our swimming, both in the daytime and at night, but as she pointed out when we suggested she join us, she was far too old for that sort of thing. Eventually, however, under constant pressure from us, Mother paid a visit into town and returned to the villa coyly bearing a mysterious parcel. Opening this she astonished us all by holding up an extraordinary shapeless garment of black cloth, covered from top to bottom with hundreds of frills and pleats and tucks.
‘Well, what do you think of it?’ Mother asked.
We stared at the odd garment and wondered what it was for.
‘What is it?’ asked Larry at length.
‘It’s a bathing-costume, of course,’ said Mother. “What on earth did you think it was?’ ‘It looks to me like a badly-skinned whale,’ said Larry, peering at it closely.
You can’t possibly wear that, Mother,’ said Margo, horrified, Shy, it looks as though it was made in nineteen-twenty.’
‘What are all those frills and things for?’ asked Larry with interest.
‘Decoration, of course,’ said Mother indignantly.
‘What a jolly idea! Don’t forget to shake the fish out of them when you come out of the water.’
‘Well, I like it, anyway,’ Mother said firmly, wrapping the monstrosity up again, ‘and I’m going to wear it.’
‘You’ll have to be careful you don’t get waterlogged, with all that cloth around you,’ said Leslie seriously.
‘Mother, it’s awful; you can’t wear it,’ said Margo. ‘Why on earth didn’t you get something more up to date?’
‘ When you get to my age, dear, you can’t go around in a two-piece bathing suit… you don’t have the figure for it.’
‘I’d love to know what sort of figure that was designed for,’ remarked Larry.
‘You really are hopeless, Mother,’ said Margo despairingly.
‘But I like it… and I’m not asking you to wear it,’ Mother pointed out angrily.
‘That’s right, you do what you want to do,’ agreed Larry; ‘don’t be put off. It’ll probably suit you very well if you can grow another three or four legs to go with it.’
Mother snorted indignantly and swept upstairs to try on her costume. Presently she called to us to come and see the effect, and we all trooped up to the bedroom. Roger the dog, was the first to enter, and on being greeted by this strange apparition clad in its voluminous black costume rippling with frills, he retreated hurriedly through the door, backward, barking ferociously. It was some time before we could persuade him that it really was Mother, and even then he kept giving her vaguely uncertain looks from the corner of his eye. However, in spite of all opposition, Mother stuck to her tent-like bathing- suit, and in the end we gave up.
In order to celebrate her first entry into the sea we decided to have a moonlight picnic down at the bay, and sent an invitation to Theodore, who was the only stranger that Mother would tolerate on such a great occasion. The day for the great immersion arrived, food and wine were prepared, the boat was cleaned out and filled with cushions and everything was ready when Theodore turned up.

(a) Give the meaning of the following words as used in the passage:
One word answers or short phrases will be accepted.

1. peering 
2. ferociously
3. immersion

(b) Answer the following questions briefly in your own words.

1. Why did mother not join the swimming in the beginning?
2. Briefly describe her swimming costume.
3. What did Larry think it was?
4. Which sentence tells you that Margo thought it was old fashioned?
5. What was Leslie’s concern?
6. Why did mother think it was suitable?

(c)

(i) In not more than 60 words describe what happened after mother went upstairs to try on her costume.

(ii) Give a title to your summary in 3 (c) (i). Give a reason to justify your choice. 

Answer 1

(a)

1. looking Closely
2. wildly
3. put completely into water.

(b)

1. Mother did not join the swimming in the begining because she was far too old for that sort of thing.
2. Mother’s swimming costume was an extraordinary shapeless garment of black cloth, covered from top to bottom with hundreds of frills and pleats and tucks.
3. Larry thought that the swimming costume looks like a badly skinned whale.
4. Margo first said the swimming costume looks as if it was made in nineteen twenty. Afterward, she asked her mother why didn’t she get something more up to date.
5. Leslie told her mother that she will have to be careful not to get waterlogged, with all that cloth around her.
6. Mother thought it was suitable because she felt that in her old age she couldn’t go around in a two-piece bathing suit as she didn’t have the figure for it.

(c) 

(i) 

(ii) The title is ‘Mother’s tent like bathing suit’.

On seeing mother clothed in voluminous black costume, Roger the dog is surprised, starts barking wildly but mother sticks to her costume and refuses to give in.