Question

Read the following extract and answer the questions:

OMEGA:	Yes, sir. (She reads with great seriousness.) Mistress Mary, quite contrary. How does your garden grow? With cockle shells and silver bells And pretty maids all in a row.
OOP:	Ha, ha, ha. Imagine that. Pretty maids growing in a garden.
THINK-THINK:	(alarmed) Stop! This is no time for levity. Don’t you realise the seriousness of this discovery? The Earthlings have discovered how to combine agriculture and mining. They can actually grow crops of rare metals such as silver. And cockle shells. They can grow high explosives, too. Noodle, contact our invasion fleet.
NOODLE:	They are ready to go down and take over Earth, sir.
(The Book that Saved the Earth)

(i) What can we infer from the given statement, “This is no time for levity”?  [1]

(ii) Think-Tank thinks that Earthlings have reached a high level of civilisation. Why does he think so?  [2]

(iii) Complete the sentence appropriately:
The piece of information that Noodle provides to Think-Tank is ______.  [1]

(iv) What is the tone of Omega while reading the rhyme?  [1]

1. happy
2. optimistic
3. serious
4. pessimistic
5. sarcastic
   Select the correct option:
   1. Only 1
   2. 4 and 5
   3. Only 3
   4. 1 and 2

Answer 1

1. The statement “This is no time for levity” means that it is not the time for jokes or laughter, as the situation is serious and requires attention.
2. Think-Tank believes that Earthlings have reached a high level of civilisation because he thinks they have discovered how to combine agriculture and mining. He assumes that they can grow rare metals like silver and even explosives, which makes him believe that they are highly advanced and dangerous.
3. The piece of information that Noodle provides to Think-Tank is that the invasion fleet is ready to go down and take over Earth.
4. Only 3