Question

Read the given extract and answer the questions that follow.

ABEL:	I don’t see them. (Observing HENRY trying to remove the slippers.) Why, you’ve got ‘em on, Henry.
MRS. SLATER:	(promptly) I told him to put them on to stretch them; they were that new and hard. Now, Henry. (MRS. SLATER snatches the slippers from HENRY and gives them to ABEL, who puts them on and sits in armchair).
MRS. JORDAN:	(to BEN) Well, I don’t call that delicate. Stepping into a dead man’s shoes in such haste.

i) Choose the option that gives the correct meaning of the word ‘delicate’, as used in the above lines.

1. 1. Very fine in structure
   2. Easily broken or damaged
   3. Tactful and considerate
   4. Skillful and finely judged

ii) Complete the following analogy correctly, by using a word from the extract.

new : antique : : ______ : delay

iii) Select the TRUE statement, according to the extract.

1. Henry was browbeaten into wearing Grandpa’s slippers.
2. Mrs. Slater wanted to buy the same slippers for Henry.
3. Mrs. Jordan wanted Jimmy to wear Grandpa’s slippers.
4. Grandpa Able wanted Ben to have the slippers.

iv) Choose the option that correctly classifies the genre of the drama from the given extract.

1. Tragedy
2. Tragicomedy
3. Comedy
4. Melodrama

v) Infer the playwright’s purpose of including some writing in brackets.

Answer 1

i) Tactful and considerate

ii) new : antique : : haste : delay

Explanation:

Analogy: ‘new’ is the opposite of ‘antique’; ‘haste’ is the opposite of ‘delay’

iii) Henry was browbeaten into wearing Grandpa’s slippers.

iv) Comedy

v) The playwright uses brackets to provide stage directions. These serve as instructions for the actors regarding their movements, facial expressions, tone, and actions (such as Mrs. Slater snatching the slippers), which help the audience understand the subtext and physical humour of the scene.