Mr Hank and his passion

When Mr Hank’s interest for gardening developed, he firstly bought himself a set of
gardening tools. His interest changes into his passion, coming upon him suddenly one
evening when, probably for the first time since the family had moved into the house, he
noticed the patchy remains of lawn. He looked over the fence and compared his lawn
enviously with the neighbour’s garden. Then he set to work, hoeing and removing the stubs
of dead plants. He went to the local park and displaced tufts of grass which he brought back
and planted at evenly spaced intervals.
‘You’re taking public property,’ said Mrs Hank. ‘Don’t you understand you’ll go to prison if
you’re caught rooting up grass like that? What if somebody goes to the park, likes the look
of the railings and thinks they’ll take them home and make a fence with them?’ But, in spite
of this threat, Mr Hank continued. With the transplants of grass the lawn flourished and the
police did not catch him. Success inspired ambition. He decided to have rose bushes at the
front and flower beds on either side of the house, and it was the purchase of these items
that encouraged the trip he took his children on during the school long weekend. Mr Hank
became the happy family man, and was in a good mood, a straw hat balanced rakishly on his
head. Mrs Hank, who had not been invited to accompany them, was pleased that this new
air of home comforts had descended on her husband in recent weeks, and that he was
gratified to spend most of his spare time at home playing with his set of gardening tools.
The scheduled excursion took them out of the city. At first the roads were surrounded by
fields of rice. Further on, however, the land was arid and uncultivated, the predominant
colour changing from green to reddish-brown. They left the thoroughfare and drove along a
lane for a mile or two before turning on to a stony track. A huge symbol proclaimed in faded
letters: ‘Plants for sale. Visitors welcome.’ They drove through the gate. The house was set
in a wide, putrefying garden. The gardener waved at them. ‘Stop!’ he shouted angrily. ‘This
is private property you know.’ Mr Hank was losing his temper. ‘We want to buy some
plants,’ he said.
Mr Hank’s eye was caught by an orchid and he bought it. ‘I’m going to give it to you at half
price,’ said the gardener. ‘It’s already half dead.’ Cheered by the logic of this kindness, Mr
Hank bought seven rose bushes too. When the gardener went to make the bill Mr Hank
tried to steal the avocado tree but then at the same moment gardener came and Mr Hank
said, I want you to add this in the bill.
When they were planted in his garden, the orchid and the roses were a great success. He
had planted the avocado tree in the back yard. The tree grew slowly and reluctantly and
seemed on several occasions to be on the point of dying. It weighed heavily on his mind and
Mr Hank, overcome by guilt, finally confessed to his wife. ‘It’s because I tried to steal it,’ he
said.. ‘That’s the exact reason why it doesn’t grow,’ she said. ‘Crime never pays.
1- What was the first sign of Mr Hank’s interest in gardening?

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2- What is passion and what it means to have passion?

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3- Pick out and write down the single word in the paragraph which shows that Mr
Hank had more than just an ‘interest’ in gardening.

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4- What are 3 things you are passionate about?

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5- Do you think that it’s good to put yourself in danger because of your passion?
Why?

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6- Why was Mr Hank envious of his neighbour?

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7- Envious means ‘jealous’, Is it good or bad to be envious and Why?

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8- What was Mrs Hank’s ‘threat’?(paragraph 2)

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9- What exactly was the ‘logic’ of the gardener’s generosity?

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10- What was Mr Hank ‘tempted’ to do?(paragraph 4)

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11- Why do you think he tried to steal the avocado tree instead of buying it?

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12- What is your opinion of Mrs Hanks words, ‘crime never pays’?

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13- Answer the following with reference to context:

a) ‘Don’t you understand you’ll go to prison if you’re caught rooting up grass like
that?
Who said: ____________________________________________
To whom: ____________________________________________
When: _______________________________________________
Why: _____________________________________________
b) I want you to add this in the bill.
Who said: ____________________________________________
To whom: ____________________________________________
When: _______________________________________________
Why: _____________________________________________
c) ‘Stop!’ he shouted angrily. ‘This is private property you know.’
Who said: ____________________________________________
To whom: ____________________________________________
When: _______________________________________________
Why: _____________________________________________

14- Write down the antonyms of the given words:

i. predominant _____________________________
ii. putrefying _____________________________
iii. reluctantly _____________________________
iv. crime _____________________________
v. encouraged _____________________________

15- Re-phrase (rewrite) the given paragraph in your own words:

When they were planted in his garden, the orchid and the roses were a great
success. He had planted the avocado tree in the back yard. The tree grew slowly and
reluctantly and seemed on several occasions to be on the point of dying. It weighed
heavily on his mind and Mr Hank, overcome by guilt, finally confessed to his wife.
‘It’s because I tried to steal it,’ he said.. ‘That’s the exact reason why it doesn’t grow,’
she said. ‘Crime never pays.’
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16- By looking at the given pictures name the gardening tool:

1- ____________________

2- ___________________

3- ____________________

4- _____________________

17- Do you have a garden in your house what types of plants are there?

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