Question

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

But just as he laid his head on the ground, he heard a sound - a hard regular thumping. There was no doubt as to what that was. He raised himself. “Those are the hammer strokes from an iron mill”, he thought.

1. Who is ‘he’? (1)
2. Where was ‘he’ at that moment? (1)
3. Why did he lay his head on the ground? (1)
4. Did he feel comfortable on hearing the thumping sound? Why? (1)

Answer 1

1. He is a peddler.
2. He was in a forest searching for his way out of it.
3. He thought he was trapped in the forest and would be unable to escape. He thus rested his head on the ground in order to pass away.
4. Yes, the thumping sound made him feel at ease. This is because the sound gave him new hope for life.