LUCY

Lucy unlocked and pushed open the back door, staggering under the hefty bags of groceries
she had just bought. She placed the bags on the kitchen counter and almost instinctively
switched on the kettle to make herself a cup of coffee. Her parents had gone on holiday,
leaving her, as the elder, in charge of her brother. Their trust placed a huge responsibility on
Lucy, felt particularly because it was the first time they had left their children alone in the
house together. Groping in a kitchen cupboard, she was irritated to find that the instant
coffee-bags had been shifted, no doubt by Daniel, her brother. Even worse, he had left
muddy footprints all over the floor and had also left the cutlery drawer open slightly. Feeling
arguably distressed, Lucy resolved to tell Daniel off when he came home.
As Lucy drank her coffee, a cloud crossed her mind and gradually became a storm of doubt.
Hadn’t Daniel, in agreement with their parents’ instructions, left for high school before her
to guarantee that he was never at home alone? He had a key, but why would he have come
back to the house after she had left for office? She thought again of the reorganised
cupboard, the open drawer and the muddy footprints, and tried to push aside the thought
of an intruder. As the full force of her suspicion hit her, she realised that she would have to
look in all the other rooms of the house to dispel it.
She could sense her heart pounding against her ribs as she opened the kitchen door and
ventured into the main room. The living room bore the signs of family life, and it was
completely unremarkable – just the sagging sofa, bookshelves, a slightly dusty table and
chairs, the television, some magazines and newspapers. Upstairs, she stopped briefly to
glance into the bathroom. The closed door of her parents’ bedroom creaked open
ominously, but revealed the room to be as neat as it always was, except for two pairs of her
mother’s shoes lying on the floor, no doubt she must have left those as the suit cases are
already bulging . She arrived at her own bedroom door, inundated with anxiety, but
managing to ignore the fact that she was sweating. There was nothing unusual there, and
Daniel’s room was, presumably, as he had left it. Lucy looked at its dismally familiar features
– books strewn across the desk, the occasional sock languishing on the floor and a rugby ball
sitting on, of all places, Daniel’s pillow. Relief flooded over her as she was now persuaded
that, apart from herself, the house was empty.
Soon the foodstuffs had been put away, the kitchen floor was washed, and the evening
meal was on the table. When Lucy opened the door to her brother, he hung his school
blazer on the hall dresser, caught the significance of his sister’s frown, and went upstairs
with it. Furtively, Lucy quickly check his shoes in order to check mud, hoping for further
ammunition for the impending fight. The spotlessness of his shoes jangled a little bell in her
head as they sat down to eat. Oblivious to his sister’s mood, Daniel rattled on to her about
the runs he had scored in the cricket match at school. ‘Daniel,’ Lucy interjected, ‘why did
you come home from school today, when you know Mum and Dad wouldn’t have liked it? I
understand that some classes might not be easy, but all of us have to face up to our
responsibilities. You should have known you’d be found out in any case.
Daniel stared at his sister with a look of undisguised confusion, which made her understand
that what he was about to say was true. ‘But I didn’t come home,’ he objected. ‘Why would
I want to do that?’ Lucy blurted out her story: the kitchen cupboard, the open drawer, and
the muddy footprints. Daniel replied with derision. ‘Why would anyone want to steal coffee-
bags and spoons?’ he chuckled. At that point a loud insistent knocking came from inside the
cupboard in the main room, the one which could be opened only from the outside.

Read the passage and answer the questions below.

1- Why was Lucy ‘staggering’?

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2- What was Lucy’s ‘huge responsibility’?

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3- What was the most unpleasant change Lucy found in the house when she came
home?

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4- ‘Fear  is an emotion induced by perceived danger or threat, which causes

physiological changes and ultimately behavioral changes.’ Have you ever been in a
situation that, you found yourself scared? What did you do?

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5- ‘Feeling arguably distressed, Lucy resolved to tell Daniel off when he came home.’
Explain in your own words how Lucy is feeling at this point.

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6- A ‘cloud crossed her mind and gradually became a storm of doubt.’ What do you
understand by this phrase? What does this tell you about Lucy’s feelings at this
point?

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7- Why did their parents want Daniel to leave the house in the morning before Lucy
did?

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8- What decision did Lucy make when the ‘full force of her suspicion hit her’?

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9- What are the two physical signs of fear shown by Lucy?

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II. _______________________________________________________________
 10- Why do you think Lucy’s mother had left two pairs of shoes lying in the bedroom?

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11- ‘Daniel stared at his sister with a look of undisguised puzzlement, which made her
realise that what he was about to say was true.’ Explain in your own words how
Lucy knew that Daniel was about to tell the truth.

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12- Explain fully:

(i) who you think was knocking on the cupboard door

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(ii) why?

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13- Re-read paragraphs 3 and 4, which contain phrases about (a) Lucy’s entry into her
parents’ bedroom and (b) Daniel’s behaviour when they sat down to eat.
Explain:
i. the meaning of the phrases as they are used in the passage
ii. the effect of the phrases as they are used in the passage.
(a) ‘The closed door of her parents’ bedroom creaked open ominously’.
Meaning :

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.
Effect :

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(b) ‘Oblivious to his sister’s mood, Daniel rattled on to her about the runs he had scored in
the cricket match at school.’
Meaning :

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Effect:
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14- Infer the meaning of the given words and write antonyms too:

WORDS MEANING ANTONYM

instinctively
ominously
pounding
undisguised