Form 4 - Reading Comprehension

Text A

I was ten when my father died. My father’s lingering sickness and his eventual death at forty
was so traumatic that the pain never really left me. I had always hero-worshipped my father
and thought him the greatest. In my small world perhaps he was.

We all lived on the fringes of poverty in our village. Among the villagers, we were the
only ones who had a little extra and that was because my father was a good businessman. He
would sell at a profit, groceries and goods purchased on credit from Tang, the Chinese
shopkeeper at the main market. Tang was also a good family friend. The villagers did not
always have money but they sold anything of value that they got from the forest to my father
and then used the money to buy his groceries. So, father managed to make some money to
buy things for us.

I went to study in a boarding school in a small town nearby. There were no roads to the
town. We had to use the boats and take a two-hour journey to get to our destination. There
were no age limits for admission to school then and I was rather young to be placed in a
boarding school. I faced a lot of problems as there were many bullies. Small as I was, I was
able to stand up to them. My father had told me that I was not to be frightened by bullies and
that no one had the right to make me do things I didn’t want to do. I was smart enough to learn
how to deal with these bullies. I also studied hard and passed the examinations. I wanted to
get a good job one day and help my father.

One day, my father met with a bad accident when he fell from the motorboat and hurt
his right knee. The injured knee never healed. My father was unable to walk on his own and
had to use a staff. He was limping badly and my friends used to tease me cruelly by calling
him a cripple. That hurt me a lot. In 1964 he was persuaded to have his knee amputated as it
was causing him a lot of pain. My father was a proud man and could never accept the fact that
he was disabled. To make matters worse, it was discovered that father had cancer of the vital
organs. He never recovered. When he died, my world crumbled. After all I was ten.

I was devastated by my father’s death. I felt that I had lost everything, my dreams, my
security and my future. I knew that if I could choose a father, I would choose only him as he
was the best father one could have. He had been caring and always kind. He wanted the best
for his children. He had been a good businessman and had chosen to work hard so that his
children could have better lives. He was a loving father who adored his children and made
every child feel special. We were never neglected. No one ever had the feeling that he or she
was not loved or appreciated. He was totally protective of all of us so that we had felt secure
and comfortable just knowing he was there. He taught us responsibility and hard work. I saw
him help those in need and realized that we all have to help each other. He had been a good
husband to his wife and had worked side by side with her when he was well. He would do
household chores so that my mother did not have to suffer doing the harder work. I learned
that family members shared the burden with a cheerful face.

My father did not make long speeches to us about anything. However, in everything he
did, he has taught me all the lessons I need to know to be a responsible person.

Father, I thank you for having been such a good person and I will strive to walk in your
footsteps.

Answer the following questions.

1. From Paragraph 1, what did the writer find so traumatic?

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2. From Paragraph 2,

a) which phrase tells you that the writer’s family was not rich?

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b) i. how did the writer’s family manage to have a little extra?

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ii. how did the villagers buy things from the writer’s father?

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3. From Paragraph 4,

a) what happened to the writer’s father?

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b) what hurt the writer a lot?

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4. From Paragraph 5,

a) why did the writer say that his father’s death devastated him?

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b) how do you know that the father treated the children equally?

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5. In your own words, give two reasons why you think the writer’s father was a good man.

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Text B

Rahim and Salim remembered well the days when their father had taken them to their farm.
He had told them that the farm would be theirs when he was gone. He wanted them to work
hard and manage the farm well. He also told them no to fight over the farm but to share
everything and to live happily. ‘Let your families grow up together and be a source of strength
to each other.’ The brothers had agreed.

The two families were happy farming side by side, sharing profits and doing things
together. There was much love and laughter among the family members. Rahim’s wife, Farah
and Salim’s wife, Khatijah got along very well. Their children too enjoyed playing and studying
together. The brothers worked together on the farm and things went well. Petty quarrels
among the children were handled easily and forgotten. However, one day Rahim’s son Rozan
hurt himself badly on the farm and the blame fell on Salim’s son Aznil. Rozan insisted that
Aznil had purposely caused the fall and was furious with him. The two brothers were angry
about the incident and this slowly led to a rift which became worse as time went on. Their
wives saw the brothers breaking up and were devastated to see the two families fall apart.

When Rahim celebrated his son’s birthday, for the first time he refused to invite his
brother’s family. Salim was embittered by his insult and refused to have anything to do with his
brother. It was the first serious rift in 30 years of living together. Everything had gone well for
so long but slowly the chains of relationship fell apart. At first the relationship was just a
strained one but slowly it lapsed into weeks of silence. The brothers refused to talk and the
children cold-shouldered each other. The brothers by agreement worked on their respective
side of the land that was separated by a stream and had little to do with each other. Farah and
Khatijah did not talk to each other in the presence of others, but shared moments of friendship
as they worried over the situation in their homes.

One morning there was a knock on Rahim’s door. He opened it to find a rough-looking
man with a carpenter’s toolbox. ‘I’m looking for a few days’ work,’ he said. ‘Perhaps you would
have a few small jobs here and there I could help with? Could I help you?’ the man looked
expectantly at Rahim.

‘Yes,’ said Rahim. ‘I do have a job for you. Look at the farm nect door. That is my
brother’s farm. I do not want to see my brother or his children anymore. See that pile of lumber
by the road? I want you to build me a fence – a high fence over the stream between our two
farms – so I won’t need to see his place or his face anymore.’

The carpenter said, ‘I think I understand the situation. Show me the nails and I’ll be
able to do a job that pleases you,’ Rahim had to go to town, so helped the carpenter get the
materials ready and then he was off for the day. The carpenter worked hard all day measuring,
sawing and nailing. About sunset when Rahim returned, the carpenter had just finished his job.
Rahim’s eyes opened wide and his jaw dropped. There was no fence there at all. It was a
bridge – a bridge stretching acroos the stream that ran between the farms! It was a fine piece
of work indeed. As Rahim stared in astonishment, he saw Salim coming towards them, his
hands outstretched. He was happy to make up with his brother again.

‘You are a great man to build this bridge after all I’ve said and done,’ said Salim looking
very ashamed. The two brothers stood at each end of the bridge, and then they met in the
middle, taking each other’s hand. They turned to see the carpenter get his toolbox and get
ready to leave. ‘No, wait! Stay a few days. I’ve a lot of other projects for you,’ said Rahim.

‘I’d love to stay on,’ the carpenter said, ‘but, I have work to do elsewhere too.’

Answer the following questions.

1. From paragraph 1, why did the father of the two sons want them to live together?

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2. From paragraph 2,

a) what can you tell of the relationship between the two brother’s wives?

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b) what caused the rift between the two brothers?

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3. From paragraph 3,

a) how did Salim feel when his family was not invited to his brother’s son’s birthday?

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b) what does the phrase cold-shouldered each other tell you about the relationship
between the children?

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4. From paragraph 5,

a) what did Rahim want the carpenter to do?

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b) why did he want it built?

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5. In your own words, what kind of a person is the carpenter? Give a reason to support
your answer.

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