Read the following excerpt and answer the questions that follow.

FROM TRAVELS WITH CHARLEY

By John Steinbeck

1 About fifty yards away two coyotes stood watching me, their tawny
coats blending with sand and sun. I knew that with any quick or
suspicious movement of mine they could drift into invisibility. With the
most casual slowness I reached down my new rifle from its sling over
my bed—the .22, with its bitter little high-speed, long-range stings.
Very slowly I brought the rifle up... The coyotes had not moved.

2 I got both of them in the field of my telescope, and the glass brought
them very close. Their tongues lolled out so that they seemed to smile
mockingly… Their little lemon-yellow eyes were plainly visible in the
glass. I moved the cross hairs to the breast of the right-hand animal
and pushed the safety. My elbows on the table steadied the gun... And
then the coyote sat down like a dog and its right paw came up to
scratch the right shoulder.

3 My finger was reluctant to touch the trigger. I must be getting very

old and my ancient conditioning worn thin. Coyotes are vermin. They
steal chickens. They thin the ranks of quail and all other game birds.
They must be killed. They are the enemy. My first shot would drop the
 sitting beast, and the other would whirl to fade away. I might very well
pull him down with a running shot because I am a good rifleman.

4 And I did not fire. My training said, “Shoot!” and my age replied,
“There isn’t a chicken within thirty miles, and if there are any, they
aren’t my chickens. And this waterless place is not quail country. No,
these boys are keeping their figures with kangaroo rats and jack rabbits,
and that’s vermin eat vermin. Why should I interfere?” …

5 I guess I’m too old and too lazy to be a good citizen. The second
coyote stood sidewise to my rifle. I moved the cross hairs to his
shoulder and held steady. There was no question of missing with that
rifle at that range. I owned both animals. Their lives were mine. I put
the safety on and laid the rifle on the table. Without the telescope they
were not so intimately close. The hot blast of light tousled the air to
shimmering.

6 Then I remembered something I heard long ago that I hope is true.

It was unwritten law in China, so my informant told me, that when one
man saved another’s life, he became responsible for that life to the end
of its existence. For, having interfered with a course of events, the
savior could not escape his responsibility. And that has always made
good sense to me.

7 Now I had a token responsibility for two live and healthy coyotes. In
the delicate world of relationships, we are tied together for all time. I
opened two cans of dog food and left them as a votive.

1
 1 Which of these is the best summary of the selection?

A An experienced hunter hears coyotes outside. His first instinct is to kill

the hounds. The hunter in him knows it is the best plan of action to kill the
vermin. With a perfect shot, they would die immediately.
B Coyotes kill quail, game birds, and they steal chickens. Farmers and
other ranchers consider coyotes the enemy. In the wild, coyotes kill kangaroo
rats and jackrabbits. They often live in packs much like their cousin the wolf.
C An experienced hunter struggles with killing two coyotes. If he pulls the
trigger, the coyotes will be killed. Although coyotes are considered a
nuisance, he reasons that these particular animals pose no problem to him.
He decides he has no need to kill the coyotes and instead takes responsibility
for them.
D An unwritten law in China says that everyone who saves a life is
responsible for the life. Since the hunter chose not to kill the coyotes, he is
now responsible for the coyotes’ well-being.

2 Read the following lines from the story.

It was unwritten law in China, so my informant told me, that when

one man saved another’s life, he became responsible for that life to
the end of its existence. For, having interfered with a course of
events, the savior could not escape his responsibility. And that has
always made good sense to me.

2
 These lines explore the idea that –

A living through difficult events can develop character

B courage in the face of danger is important to humans
C life is more pleasant if you avoid difficult choices
D living creatures sometimes have to take care of each other

3 What is the author’s primary reason for writing this selection?

A To reflect on a moment of transformation

B To defend his actions from an angry public
C To display his skill as a hunter
D To encourage readers to act to protect endangered species

4 In paragraph 2, the world “lolled” means-

a. Flopped
b. Curved
c. Closed
d. Bolted
floppe

5 Read the lines below.

My finger was reluctant to touch the trigger. I must be getting very old and
my ancient conditioning worn thin. Coyotes are vermin. They steal chickens.
They thin the ranks of quail and all other game birds. They must be killed.
They are the enemy. My first shot would drop the sitting beast, and the other
would whirl to fade away. I might very well pull him down with a running shot
because I am a good rifleman.

What lines best show that the author is not sure whether he should kill the
coyotes?
3
A My finger was reluctant to touch the trigger.
B Coyotes are vermin. They steal chickens.
C My first shot would drop the sitting beast, and the other would whirl to fade
D I might very well pull him down with a running shot because I am a good