Passage 1

An extract from “Oliver Twist” by Charles Dickens

The bowls never wanted washing. The boys polished them with their spoons till they shone
again; and when they had performed this operation (which never took very long, the spoons
being nearly as large as the bowls), they would sit staring at the copper, with such eager eyes,
as if they could have devoured the very bricks of which it was composed; employing
5 themselves, meanwhile, in sucking their fingers most assiduously, with the view of catching
up any stray splashes of gruel that might have been cast thereon. Boys have generally
excellent appetites. Oliver Twist and his companions suffered the tortures of slow starvation
for three months: at last they got so voracious and wild with hunger, that one boy, who was
tall for his age, and hadn't been used to that sort of thing (for his father had kept a small cook-
10 shop), hinted darkly to his companions, that unless he had another basin of gruel per diem, he
was afraid he might some night happen to eat the boy who slept next him, who happened to
be a weakly youth of tender age. He had a wild, hungry eye; and they implicitly believed him.
A council was held; lots were cast who should walk up to the master after supper that evening,
and ask for more; and it fell to Oliver Twist.

15 The evening arrived; the boys took their places. The master, in his cook's uniform, stationed
himself at the copper; his pauper assistants ranged themselves behind him; the gruel was
served out; and a long grace was said over the short commons. The gruel disappeared; the
boys whispered each other, and winked at Oliver; while his next neighbours nudged him.
Child as he was, he was desperate with hunger, and reckless with misery. He rose from the
20 table; and advancing to the master, basin and spoon in hand, said: somewhat alarmed at his
own temerity:

'Please, sir, I want some more.'

The master was a fat, healthy man; but he turned very pale. He gazed in stupefied
25 astonishment on the small rebel for some seconds, and then clung for support to the copper.
The assistants were paralysed with wonder; the boys with fear.

'What!' said the master at length, in a faint voice.

'Please, sir,' replied Oliver, 'I want some more.'

Question 1

The author says that the bowls never needed washing because

A. they were never used.

B. they were made of high-quality silver.

C. the boys who used them cleaned them every day.

D. the boys who used the bowls ate the food completely and left nothing behind.
Question 2

From the author’s description it can be inferred that the boys

A. thought the bricks that made up the copper were very tasty.

B. were friendly toward each other.

C. were well taken care of by the master and his assistants.

D. were starving as the food they were given was not enough.

Question 3

What does the word assiduously (line 4) mean?

A. peacefully

B. dutifully

C. thoroughly

D. absent-mindedly

Question 4
Why did Oliver choose to ask for more?

A. He was chosen by the boys to do so.

B. He could not hold his hunger anymore.

C. He was afraid that the tall boy would eat him.

D. He thought that the master would be kind towards him.

Question 5
From the information given the passage, it can be inferred that the master is a

A. poor man.

B. cruel man.

C. priest.
D. relative of Oliver’s.

Question 6

The events described in the passage take place most likely in

A. a bakery

B. a school.

C. an orphanage.

D. Oliver’s house.
 Passage 2
Ozymandias by P. B. Shelley

I met a traveller from an antique land,

Who said—“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
5 And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;
And on the pedestal, these words appear:
10 My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.”

Question 1
From the traveller’s description, it is clear that the statue?

A. is completely shattered

B. lies in pieces in the sand with only the legs standing.

C. is that of a handsome king

D. inspires the viewer with its beauty

Question 2
The inscription given in the lines 10-12, serves to evoke a sense of

A. hope

B. dread
C. irony

D. majesty

Question 3
What is the meaning of the word visage (line 4)?

A. statue

B. vision

C. picture

D. face

Question 4
What impact does the phrase "The lone and level sands stretch far away" (Line 14) have in
the poem?

A. It implies the loneliness the traveller was feeling.

B. It reveals for the first time that the traveller is standing in a desert.

C. It emphasizes the point the poet is making about pointlessness of pride.

D. It contrasts the surroundings with the skill of the sculptor.

Question 5
From the traveller’s description of the statue, what kind of a king was Ozymandias most
likely to be?

A. powerful and proud

B. kind and benevolent
C. weak and wise.
D. thoughtful and clever.

Question 6

…, stamped on these lifeless things,

The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;
The lifeless things mentioned in these lines are

A. the warriors killed by Ozymandias

B. the rocks in the desert
C. the pedestal of the statue
D. the broken pieces of the statue
 Passage 3

An extract from “Just William” by Richmal Crompton

It was a half-holiday and William was in his bedroom making careful preparations for the
afternoon. On the mantel-piece stood in readiness half a cake (the result of a successful raid
on the larder) and a bottle of licorice water. This beverage was made by shaking up a piece of
licorice in water. It was much patronised by the band of Outlaws to which William belonged
5 and which met secretly every half-holiday in a disused barn about a quarter of a mile from
William’s house.

So far the Outlaws had limited their activities to wrestling matches, adventure seeking, and
culinary operations. The week before, they had cooked two sausages which William had
taken from the larder on cook’s night out and had conveyed to the barn beneath his shirt and
10 next his skin. Perhaps “cooked” is too euphemistic a term. To be quite accurate, they had held
the sausages over a smoking fire till completely blackened, and then consumed the charred
remains with the utmost relish.

William put the bottle of licorice water in one pocket and the half cake in another and was
preparing to leave the house in his usual stealthy fashion—through the bathroom window,
15 down the scullery roof, and down the water-pipe hand over hand to the back garden. Even
when unencumbered by the presence of a purloined half cake, William infinitely preferred
this mode of exit to the simpler one of walking out of the front-door. As he came out on to
the landing, however, he heard the sound of the opening and shutting of the hall door and of
exuberant greetings in the hall.

20 “Oh! I’m so glad you’ve come, dear. And is this the baby! The duck! Well, den, how’s ’oo,
den? Go—o—oo.”

This was William’s mother.

“Oh, crumbs!” said William and retreated hastily. He sat down on his bed to wait till the
coast was clear. Soon came the sound of footsteps ascending the stairs.

25 “Oh, William,” said his mother, as she entered his room, “Mrs. Butler’s come with her baby
to spend the afternoon, and we’d arranged to go out till tea-time with the baby, but she’s got
such a headache, I’m insisting on her lying down for the afternoon in the drawing-room. But
she’s so worried about the baby not getting out this nice afternoon.”

“Oh!” said William, without interest.

30 “Well, cook’s out and Emma has to get the tea and answer the door, and Ethel’s away, and I
told Mrs. Butler I was sure you wouldn’t mind taking the baby out for a bit in the
perambulator!” William stared at her, speechless. The Medusa’s classic expression of horror
was as nothing to William’s at that moment. Then he moistened his lips and spoke in a hoarse
voice.
35 “Me?” he said. “Me? Me take a baby out in a pram?”
Question 1

From the information given in the passage, the Outlaws are

A. A band of thieves robbing the travellers

B. A gang of kidnappers who target babies

C. A group of boys who played together

D. A cricket team

Question 2

Which of the following accurately characterises William’s attitude towards babies?

A. curious

B. adoring

C. irritated

D. apprehensive

Question 3

The word culinary most likely means

A. outdoor

B. cooking

C. mischievous

D. adventurous

Question 4

What does the phrase “coast was clear” (line 24) mean?

A. the beach was free of people

B. the baby had fallen asleep

C. the licorice water was finished

D. all the guests had left

Question 5

The main purpose of the second paragraph is?

A. to show that William and his friends are poor cooks.

B. to describe the nature of William and his friends.

C. to prove William was a thief.

D. to demonstrate how hungry William was.

Question 6

What was Mrs. Butler going to do when William took the baby out for a walk?

A. Talk with his mother.

B. Cook dinner for the baby.

C. Play with Ethel and Emma.

D. Lie down in the drawing room.

 Passage 4

An extract from “Seven Little Australians” by Ethel Turner

Let me tell you about my seven select spirits. They are having nursery tea at the present
moment with a minimum of comfort and a maximum of noise, so if you can bear a deafening
babel of voices and an unmusical clitter-clatter of crockery I will take you inside the room
and introduce them to you.

5 Given a very particular and rather irritable father, and seven children with excellent lungs and
tireless tongues, what could you do but give them separate rooms to take their meals in?

Captain Woolcot, the father, in addition to this division, had had thick felt put over the swing
door upstairs, but the noise used to float down to the dining-room in cheerful, unconcerned
manner despite it.

10 It was a nursery without a nurse, too, so that partly accounted for it. Meg, the eldest, was only
sixteen, and could not be expected to be much of a disciplinarian, and the slatternly but good-
natured girl, who was supposed to combine the duties of nursery-maid and housemaid, had so
much to do in her second capacity that the first suffered considerably. She used to lay the
nursery meals when none of the little girls could be found to help her, and bundle on the
15 clothes of the two youngest in the morning, but beyond that the seven had to manage for
themselves.

The mother? you ask.

Oh, she was only twenty—just a lovely, laughing-faced girl, whom they all adored, and who
was very little steadier and very little more of a housekeeper than Meg. Only the youngest of
20 the brood was hers, but she seemed just as fond of the other six as of it, and treated it more as
if it were a very entertaining kitten than a real live baby, and her very own.

Indeed at Misrule—that is the name their house always went by, though I believe there was a
different one painted above the balcony—that baby seemed a gigantic joke to everyone. The
Captain generally laughed when he saw it, tossed it in the air, and then asked some one to
25 take it quickly.

The children dragged it all over the country with them, dropped it countless times, forgot its
pelisse on wet days, muffled it up when it was hot, gave it the most astounding things to eat,
and yet it was the healthiest, prettiest, and most sunshiny baby that ever sucked a wee fat
thumb.

30 It was never called "Baby," either; that was the special name of the next youngest. Captain
Woolcot had said, "Hello, is this the General?" when the little, red, staring-eyed morsel had
been put into his arms, and the name had come into daily use, though I believe at the
christening service the curate did say something about Francis Rupert Burnand Woolcot.
Question 1

This passage is written in which point-of-view?

A. First person

B. Second person

C. Third Person

D. Both first and third person

Question 2

The phrase “excellent lungs and tireless tongues” indicates that

A. the children were very loud and talkative.

B. the children were very healthy.

C. the narrator was a doctor.

D. the children’s father was a doctor.

Question 3

Which of the following about the mother cannot be inferred from the passage?

A. Only one of the seven children was her biological child.

B. She was not much of a housekeeper.

C. She was Meg’s sister.

D. She liked all the children.

Question 4

How was the second youngest child called?

A. The General

B. Baby.

C. Francis Rupert Burnand Woolcot.

D. Meg.

Question 5

The passage implies that the youngest child

A. was extremely healthy despite the rough treatment from its siblings

B. was despised by its siblings

C. was sickly and weak.

D. was very fussy about eating.

Question 6

The narrator characterises the Woolcot household as

A. poor and starving

B. large and quarrelsome

C. chaotic and happy

D. divided and troublesome

 Passage 5

“In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

5 Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie,

In Flanders fields.

10 Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

15 In Flanders fields.
Question 1
The imagery employed in the first stanza suggests that the setting of the poem is

A. A farm

B. A graveyard

C. A forest

D. A garden

Question 2
The singing of the larks cannot be heard because

A. they are flying far above in the sky.

B. they are silent because they are sad.

C. the sound of the guns is too loud.

D. they have left the field.

Question 3
It can be inferred that the poet is a

A. recently dead soldier

B. a poppy farmer
C. a grave digger
D. a marathon runner

Question 4
Which of the following can be considered as the main theme of the poem?

A. bravery
B. nature
C. remembrance
D. forgiveness
Question 5
The literary device employed by the author in the last stanza is

A. symbolism
B. metaphor
C. simile
D. personification

Question 6
The poet says the dead soldiers would rest in peace only if?

A. the poppies bloom near their graves

B. the war ends in a peace.
C. others continue their struggle
D. the torches are kept burning
 Passage 6

An extract from “The Three Musketeers” by Alexandre Dumas

D'Artagnan, in a state of fury, crossed the antechamber at three bounds, and was darting
toward the stairs, which he reckoned upon descending four at a time, when, in his heedless
course, he ran head foremost against a Musketeer who was coming out of one of M. de
Treville's private rooms, and striking his shoulder violently, made him utter a cry, or rather a
5 howl.

"Excuse me," said d'Artagnan, endeavouring to resume his course, "excuse me, but I am in a
hurry." Scarcely had he descended the first stair, when a hand of iron seized him by the belt
and stopped him.

"You are in a hurry?" said the Musketeer, as pale as a sheet. "Under that pretense you run
10 against me! You say. 'Excuse me,' and you believe that is sufficient? Not at all my young man.
Do you fancy because you have heard Monsieur de Treville speak to us a little cavalierly
today that other people are to treat us as he speaks to us? Undeceive yourself, comrade, you
are not Monsieur de Treville."

"My faith!" replied d'Artagnan, recognizing Athos, who, after the dressing performed by the
15 doctor, was returning to his own apartment. "I did not do it intentionally, and not doing it
intentionally, I said 'Excuse me.' It appears to me that this is quite enough. I repeat to you,
however, and this time on my word of honour--I think perhaps too often--that I am in haste,
great haste. Leave your hold, then, I beg of you, and let me go where my business calls me."

"Monsieur," said Athos, letting him go, "you are not polite; it is easy to perceive that you
20 come from a distance."

D'Artagnan had already strode down three or four stairs, but at Athos's last remark he stopped
short.

"MORBLEU, monsieur!" said he, "however far I may come, it is not you who can give me a
lesson in good manners, I warn you."
25 "Perhaps," said Athos.
"Ah! If I were not in such haste, and if I were not running after someone," said d'Artagnan.
"Monsieur Man-in-a-hurry, you can find me without running--ME, you understand?"
"And where, I pray you?"
"Near the Carmes-Deschaux."
30 "At what hour?"
"About noon."
"About noon? That will do; I will be there."
"Endeavor not to make me wait; for at quarter past twelve I will cut off your ears as you run."

"Good!" cried d'Artagnan, "I will be there ten minutes before twelve." And he set off running
35 as if the devil possessed him, hoping that he might yet find the stranger, whose slow pace
could not have carried him far.
Question 1

Whom does D'Artagnan run into in the first paragraph?

A. An unnamed musketeer

B. Athos

C. Aramis

D. M. de Treville

Question 2

Why was D'Artagnan in a hurry?

A. He was chasing a stranger.

B. He wanted to get to Carmes-Deschaux quickly.

C. He had an appointment with M. de Treville.

D. He wanted to see the doctor.

Question 3

The narrator implies Athos was

A. late for a meeting with M. de Treville

B. wounded and weak

C. kind and patient with d'Artagnan

D. willing to teach manners to d'Artagnan

Question 4

From the information given in the passage, what do you think will happen at Carmes-
Deschaux at noon?

A. Athos will teach d'Artagnan how to be polite to strangers.

B. D'Artagnan will bring the stranger to meet Athos.

C. Athos and d'Artagnan will settle their dispute by fighting each other.

D. D'Artagnan and Athos will meet M. de Treville.

Question 5

Which of the following best describes D'Artagnan?

A. determined and impatient

B. disrespectful and rude.

C. cowardly and cunning.

D. thoughtful and hesitant.

Question 6

As used in line 12, cavalierly most likely means

A. calmly

B. fashionably

C. decisively

D. disrespectfully
 Passage 7

An extract from “Around the World in Eighty Days” by Jules Verne.

Having won twenty guineas at whist, and taken leave of his friends, Phileas Fogg, at twenty-
five minutes past seven, left the Reform Club.

Passepartout, who had conscientiously studied the programme of his duties, was more than
surprised to see his master guilty of the inexactness of appearing at this unaccustomed hour;
5 for, according to rule, he was not due in Saville Row until precisely midnight.

Mr. Fogg repaired to his bedroom, and called out, "Passepartout!"

Passepartout did not reply. It could not be he who was called; it was not the right hour.

"Passepartout!" repeated Mr. Fogg, without raising his voice.

10 Passepartout made his appearance.

"I've called you twice," observed his master.

"But it is not midnight," responded the other, showing his watch.

"I know it; I don't blame you. We start for Dover and Calais in ten minutes."

15 A puzzled grin overspread Passepartout's round face; clearly he had not comprehended his
master.

"Monsieur is going to leave home?"

"Yes," returned Phileas Fogg. "We are going round the world."

20 Passepartout opened wide his eyes, raised his eyebrows, held up his hands, and seemed about
to collapse, so overcome was he with stupefied astonishment.

"Round the world!" he murmured.

"In eighty days," responded Mr. Fogg. "So we haven't a moment to lose."

"But the trunks?" gasped Passepartout, unconsciously swaying his head from right to left.

25 "We'll have no trunks; only a carpet-bag, with two shirts and three pairs of stockings for me,
and the same for you. We'll buy our clothes on the way. Bring down my mackintosh and
traveling-cloak, and some stout shoes, though we shall do little walking. Make haste!"

Passepartout tried to reply, but could not. He went out, mounted to his own room, fell into a
chair, and muttered: "That's good, that is! And I, who wanted to remain quiet!"
Question 1

What kind of life do you think Passepartout wanted to have?

A. A quiet one.
B. An adventurous one.
C. Something that gave him meaning and purpose.
D. Something that let him spend time with his family.

Question 2
Fogg had to call Passepartout twice because

A. Passepartout was hard of hearing.

B. Passepartout did not respond because he was astonished.
C. Passepartout had already departed for Dover and Calais.
D. Passepartout was in Saville Row waiting for him.

Question 3
It can be deduced from the passage that Fogg and Passepartout lived in

A. Calais
B. Dover
C. A long way around the world
D. Saville Row

Question 4
Which of the following is not among Fogg’s planned actions?

A. Going around the world in 80 days.

B. Taking Passepartout along with him.
C. Packing light and buying clothes during the journey.
D. Walking a lot during his journey.

Question 5
What sort of man was Fogg before he decided to go around the world in 80 days?
A. A structured and exact man
B. A dishonest gambler.
C. A cruel master.
D. A habitual rule-breaker.

Question 6

As used in line 6, repaired most likely means

A. mended
B. went
C. fixed
D. connected
 Passage 8
“The Lotus” by Toru Dutt

Love came to Flora asking for a flower

That would of flowers be undisputed queen,

The lily and the rose, long, long had been

Rivals for that high honour. Bards of power

5 Had sung their claims. “The rose can never tower

Like the pale lily with her Juno mien”-

“But is the lily lovelier?” Thus between

Flower-factions rang the strife in Psyche’s bower.

“Give me a flower delicious as the rose

10 And stately as the lily in her pride”-

“But of what colour?”- “Rose-red,” Love first chose,

Then prayed, -“No, lily-white,-or, both provide”;

And Flora gave the lotus, “rose-red” dyed,

And “lily-white,”- the queenliest flower that blows.

Question 1

Why according to its supporters was the lily superior to the rose?
A. The lily was taller than the rose.
B. The lily was paler than the rose.
C. The lily was lovelier than the rose
D. The lily was more delicious than the rose.
Question 2
It is evident from the poem, that Love wanted Flora

A. to choose Rose over Lily

B. to create a flower that looked like Lily
C. to create a rose-red flower.
D. to make a flower that had the qualities of both the rose and the lily.

Question 3
The lily and rose were vying to become the

A. first of Flora’s creations.

B. favourite flower of Love.
C. tallest flower in the world.
D. queen of flowers.

Question 4
…Thus between
Flower-factions rang the strife in Psyche’s bower

What do these lines refer to?

A. Love’s confusion about flowers.

B. Flora’s dispute with Psyche.
C. The competition between the lily and the rose.
D. The planting of flowers in Psyche’s garden.

Question 5
“Give me a flower delicious as the rose
And stately as the lily in her pride”-

Identify the literary device found in these lines

A. metaphor
B. simile
C. symbolism
D. alliteration

Question 6

Which of the following statements about the lotus is false?

A. it is the queenliest of flowers.

B. it has the qualities of both the lily and the rose.
C. it was created by Flora to satisfy Love.
D. None of the above.
 Passage 9

An extract from “The Ransom of Red Chief” by O. Henry

It looked like a good thing: but wait till I tell you. We were down South, in Alabama--Bill
Driscoll and myself-when this kidnapping idea struck us. It was, as Bill afterward expressed
it, 'during a moment of temporary mental apparition'; but we didn't find that out till later.

There was a town down there, as flat as a flannel-cake, and called Summit, of course. It
5 contained inhabitants of as undeleterious and self-satisfied a class of peasantry as ever
clustered around a Maypole.

Bill and me had a joint capital of about six hundred dollars, and we needed just two thousand
dollars more to pull off a fraudulent town-lot scheme in Western Illinois with. We talked it
over on the front steps of the hotel. Philoprogenitiveness, says we, is strong in semi-rural
10 communities therefore, and for other reasons, a kidnapping project ought to do better there
than in the radius of newspapers that send reporters out in plain clothes to stir up talk about
such things. We knew that Summit couldn't get after us with anything stronger than
constables and, maybe, some lackadaisical bloodhounds and a diatribe or two in the Weekly
Farmers' Budget. So, it looked good.

15 We selected for our victim the only child of a prominent citizen named Ebenezer Dorset. The
father was respectable and tight, a mortgage fancier and a stern, upright collection-plate
passer and forecloser. The kid was a boy of ten, with bas-relief freckles, and hair the colour
of the cover of the magazine you buy at the news-stand when you want to catch a train. Bill
and me figured that Ebenezer would melt down for a ransom of two thousand dollars to a
20 cent. But wait till I tell you.

About two miles from Summit was a little mountain, covered with a dense cedar brake. On
the rear elevation of this mountain was a cave. There we stored provisions.

One evening after sundown, we drove in a buggy past old Dorset's house. The kid was in the
street, throwing rocks at a kitten on the opposite fence.

25 'Hey, little boy!' says Bill, 'would you like to have a bag of candy and a nice ride?'

The boy catches Bill neatly in the eye with a piece of brick.

'That will cost the old man an extra five hundred dollars,' says Bill, climbing over the wheel.

That boy put up a fight like a welter-weight cinnamon bear; but, at last, we got him down in
the bottom of the buggy and drove away
Question 1

It can be inferred from the passage that the narrator is a

A. cruel gangster
B. small-time criminal
C. newspaper reporter
D. kidnapped boy

Question 2
The clues in the passage suggest that the kidnapping attempt

A. did not end well for the narrator and Driscoll.

B. attracted the attention of newspaper reporters.
C. made the kidnappers rich.
D. created a bond between the kidnappers and the boy.

Question 3
Why did the narrator and Driscoll decide to kidnap the boy?

A. They were professional kidnappers and wanted to become rich.

B. They wanted to become famous.
C. They wanted to hurt the boy’s father.
D. They wanted to raise money for their next illegal venture.

Question 4
Who was Ebenezer Dorset?

A. The kidnapped boy.

B. The kidnapped boy’s father.
C. The mayor of Summit.
D. A newspaper reporter.

Question 5
What according to the narrator, was the reason that he and Driscoll chose Summit as the
place of their crime?
A. They did not like the town and its inhabitants.
B. They were unknown in the area.
C. The believed that the town did not have a strong police force to chase them down.
D. The town was very prosperous.

Question 6

Based on the information given in the passage, which of the following is most likely to be
true about the kidnapped boy?

A. He was a gentle soul.

B. He liked animals
C. He was spirited and violent.
D. None of the above
 Passage 10

An extract from “The Secret Garden” by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Mary had liked to look at her mother from a distance and she had thought her very pretty, but
as she knew very little of her she could scarcely have been expected to love her or to miss her
very much when she was gone. She did not miss her at all, in fact, and as she was a self-
absorbed child she gave her entire thought to herself, as she had always done. If she had been
5 older she would no doubt have been very anxious at being left alone in the world, but she was
very young, and as she had always been taken care of, she supposed she always would be.
What she thought was that she would like to know if she was going to nice people, who
would be polite to her and give her her own way as her Ayah and the other native servants
had done.

10 She knew that she was not going to stay at the English clergyman's house where she was
taken at first. She did not want to stay. The English clergyman was poor and he had five
children nearly all the same age and they wore shabby clothes and were always quarreling
and snatching toys from each other. Mary hated their untidy bungalow and was so
disagreeable to them that after the first day or two nobody would play with her. By the
15 second day they had given her a nickname which made her furious.

It was Basil who thought of it first. Basil was a little boy with impudent blue eyes and a
turned-up nose, and Mary hated him. She was playing by herself under a tree, just as she had
been playing the day the cholera broke out. She was making heaps of earth and paths for a
garden and Basil came and stood near to watch her. Presently he got rather interested and
20 suddenly made a suggestion.

"Why don't you put a heap of stones there and pretend it is a rockery?" he said. "There in the
middle," and he leaned over her to point.

"Go away!" cried Mary. "I don't want boys. Go away!"

For a moment Basil looked angry, and then he began to tease. He was always teasing his
25 sisters. He danced round and round her and made faces and sang and laughed.

"Mistress Mary, quite contrary,

How does your garden grow?

With silver bells, and cockle shells,

And marigolds all in a row."

30 He sang it until the other children heard and laughed, too; and the crosser Mary got, the more
they sang "Mistress Mary, quite contrary"; and after that as long as she stayed with them they
called her "Mistress Mary Quite Contrary" when they spoke of her to each other, and often
when they spoke to her.
Question 1

It is clear from the first paragraph that Mary

A. was pretty like her mother.
B. did not miss her mother at all.
C. became very anxious if left alone.
D. had extremely strict servants.

Question 2
Basil was angry with Mary because

A. she did not share her toys with him.

B. she did not give her food to him.
C. he did not like the fact that she was rich.
D. she was rude to him.

Question 3
Which of the following is not true about the clergyman’s family?

A. There were five children in the family.

B. His children were quarrelsome and poor.
C. All his children were boys.
D. They started teasing Mary from the second day.

Question 4
Which of the following words can be used to describe Basil?

A. gigantic
B. gracious
C. pleasant
D. witty

Question 5
It can be inferred from the passage, “Ayah” (line 8) is most likely to be
A. a type of servant.
B. Mary’s nickname.
C. Mary’s mother.
D. the clergyman’s daughter.

Question 6

The nickname Basil gave Mary

A. was soon forgotten by him.

B. was not liked by his siblings.
C. made her mad.
D. None of the above