Question

Read the passage given below and answer the questions (i), (ii) and (iii) that follow: 

(1)	The Police Superintendent is walking across the market square followed by a constable. Suddenly he hears a loua shout, "So you bite, you damned brute? Lads, don't let the dog go! Biting is prohibited nowadays!" There is the sound of 'yelping and the Superintendent sees a dog running out of a timber-yard. A man runs after it and tries to seize the dog by its hind legs'. Sleepy countenances protrude from the shops and soon a crowd gathers.	5
(2)	"It looks like a row, your honour", says the constable. The Superintendent turns to his left and strides towards the crowd. He sees the aforementioned man standing close by the gate of the timber-yard, holding his right hand in the air and displaying a bleeding finger to the crowd. He was the town's goldsmith. The culprit who has caused the sensation, a white puppy with a sharp muzzle and a yellow patch on its back, is sitting on the ground. "What's it all about?", the Superintendent inquires, pushing his way through the crowd, "Who was it that shouted?"	10
(3)	The goldsmith answers, "I was walking along here not interfering with anyone when this low brute, for no rhyme or reason, bit my finger. I am a working man. Mine is fine work. I must have damages, for I shan't be able to use this finger for a week."	15
(4)	"I won't let this pass! Find out whose dog it is and draw up a report!", the Superintendent commands the constable.	20
(5)	"I fancy it's General Zhigalov's dog", says someone in the crowd. Suddenly indignant, the Superintendent turns to the goldsmith and asks, "There's one thing I can't make out. How it could have bitten you? Surely it couldn't reach your finger. It's a little dog, and you are a great hulking fellow! You must have scratched your finger with a nail, and then the idea struck you to get damages for it. I know your sort!"	25
(6)	"No, that's not the General's dog", says the constable, with profound conviction, "the General has valuable dogs, and goodness knows what this is! No coat, no shape, a low creature." The Superintendent says, "You have been injured, goldsmith and we can't let the matter drop. You must be compensated for the damage."	30
(7)	"It is the General's, that's certain!", says a voice in the crowd. "Oh! Constable, take the dog to the General's and inquire there. Say I found it and sent it. And tell them not to let it out into the street. A dog is a delicate animal. And you, you goldsmith, put your hand down. It's your own fault." On seeing the General's cook approaching, the Superintendent asks him, "Is it one of yours?" "We have never had one like this", says the cook. "There's no need to waste time asking", decides the Superintendent, "it's a stray dog. Chase it away!"	35
(8)	"It's not our dog", the cook goes on, "it belongs to the General's brother who arrived the other day." "Is his Excellency's brother here? Delighted to hear if', says the Superintendent, and his whole face beams with an ecstatic smile, "it's not a bad pup. A lively creature, indeed. Come, why are you shivering, you nice little pup?"	40
(9)	The cook calls the dog and walks away from the timber-yard.	45
(10)	The crowd laughs at the goldsmith.
	Adapted from : A Chameleon by Anton Chekov

1. 1. Given below are three words and phrases. Find the words which have a similar meaning in the passage:   [3]
      1. faces
      2. walks purposefully
      3. precious
   2. For each of the words given below, choose the sentence that uses the same word unchanged in form, but with a different meaning from that which it carries in the passage:  [3]
      1. row    (line 7)
         1. We sat in a row at the back of the room.
         2. The vegetables were planted in neat rows.
         3. A row has broken out amongst the vendors.
         4. The fisherman rowed us back to the shore.
      2. left    (line 8)
         1. I instructed the driver to take a left turn at the intersection.
         2. The bank is situated to the left of the library.
         3. They left the house at six o'clock in the morning to reach the airport on time.
         4. He's giving away money left, right and centre.
      3. fancy   (line 21)
         1. He fancies himself as a serious actor.
         2. I was foot-loose and fancy-free in those days.
         3. He had some fanciful notion about crossing the Atlantic in a barrel. 
         4. He sells poor goods, but charges fancy prices.
2. Answer the following questions in your own words as briefly as possible:
   1. How does power play an important role in the Superintendent's decisions?   [2]
   2. Why does the goldsmith ask for damages?   [2]
   3. Who does the dog belong to? How do we know it?   [2]
3. Trace the Superintendent's reactions from the time the initial voice in the crowd is heard till the cook takes the dog away (paragraphs 5 to 9). You are required to write the summary in the form of a connected passage in about 100 words. Failure to keep within the word limit will be penalised.   [8]

Answer 1

1. 1. 1. countenances
      2. strides
      3. valuable
   2. 1. We sat in a row at the back of the room.
      2. They left the house at six o'clock in the morning to reach the airport on time.
      3. He sells poor goods but charges fancy prices.
2. 1. The superintendent does consider power to be very significant. It's evident in the choices he makes for the dog. The superintendent filed a report against the owner of the dog that had hurt the goldsmith as soon as possible. However, he suddenly changes his mind and accuses the goldsmith of inciting the dog after discovering that it is the General's. Once more, the superintendent tells the goldsmith that he would receive payment for his injuries after informing him that it is a stray dog. Later on, though, after learning that the dog is the General's brother's, he develops an extremely warm relationship with it.

   2. The goldsmith asks for damages because the dog bit his finger. As his finger is important in doing delicate work on gold, his work will suffer and affect his business at least for a week. Therefore, he wants to be compensated.

   3. The dog belongs to General Zhigalov's brother. We learn about it when the General's cook comes searching for it and announces its ownership. He calls the dog, and it meekly follows him to the General's home.
3. The Superintendent initially sympathises with the jeweller after being bitten by a dog. However, upon learning that the animal belongs to the General, he accuses the goldsmith of fabricating injuries to collect compensation. Despite his low status and lack of credentials, he vows justice for the victim. When someone claims it's the General's, he asks the policeman to transport the 'delicate' creature to his residence. When the cook informs the General that it belongs to his brother, he exhibits unusually friendly attitude, indicating a willingness to submit to power.