Lesson 05 l Text A

LESSON 05
Text A: The Betrayal
Amid vague and unremarkable dreams, Colvin became aware of his bandages. He came back to
reality slowly. The hospital room emerged, sunny and quiet. The washstand in the corner took its place
firmly, and his bed appeared before him. Finally, he realised that he was part of the scene himself. He
was in bed, wrapped in bandages, and aware of the pain behind a soft barrier of drugs.

The memory of the events that put him in the hospital returned to his consciousness until the 5
circumstances were finally in order and established as fact. He even remembered his disbelief of them
while they were happening and his thinking that it was impossible that John, a man who was his friend,
who saved his life ten years ago, who shared terrors with him, was now holding a gun in his back. He
met John shortly after he had parachuted into Sarkhan in 1943. It was a meeting which saved his life.

Colvin was dropped into Sarkhan with two other Americans. They were carefully selected. They all 10
knew the Sarkhanese language perfectly, and they all had approximately the size and stature of the
average Sarkhanese man. Their faces were dyed light brown like native Sarkhanese. They were
agents, and all three were tough enough and competent enough to think they would live forever. Two
weeks later, Colvin was the only one alive and had four narrow escapes from Japanese patrols. Only
his friendship with John made it possible for him to survive. 15

Colvin was running down a jungle path in what he knew was a futile effort to escape the fourth
Japanese patrol which encircled him. When he entered a small clearing, he saw John watering the
family buffalo. They stared at one another for a long moment, and Colvin instantly decided to trust
John.

‘I am an American intelligence agent here to fight the Japanese,’ Colvin said rapidly in Sarkhanese. ‘I 20
am surrounded by a Japanese patrol, and if I cannot find a hiding place in a few moments, they will
capture me. Can you help me?’ From his seat on the water buffalo’s shoulders, John looked down at
Colvin for a moment. Then he slid off the water buffalo and walked over to Colvin. ‘I will help you,’ John
said, his eyes shining with excitement.

Colvin nodded, and at once, John took his arm and ran with him towards a broad, shallow ditch. He 25
snatched three hollow reeds from the edge of the ditch with one hand and pushed Colvin into the water
with the other. ‘Breathe through the reeds, do not move your head even the least bit, and do not come
out of the water until I pull the reeds from your mouth,’ John said.

He pushed Colvin into the water and put a large stone on Colvin’s chest to hold him under. The ditch
was two feet deep and had enough water to cover Colvin by six inches. For a few seconds, Colvin felt 30
real panic. Then he relaxed and discovered to his enormous relief, that he could breathe through the
reeds. Five minutes later, three of the soldiers from the Japanese patrol came into the clearing. Colvin
could dimly hear them talking and was able to tell when they left. He stayed where he was for ten more
minutes and then felt a gentle tug on the reeds. He sat up, muddy water dripping from his face and
body. John was grinning at him. 35

Colvin was grateful for John's help in saving his life. Their bond grew stronger as they worked together
as intelligence agents, gathering information and carrying out missions to help defeat the Japanese in
Sarkhan. Colvin trusted John completely, which made the events that put him in the hospital even
more bewildering.

He remembered the mission that went wrong, how John had turned on him and shot him in the back. 40
Colvin had been left for dead, but miraculously, he survived and was rescued by a passing patrol. It
was a painful betrayal, and Colvin struggled to understand it all.

As he lay in the hospital bed, Colvin tried to recall the details of that day, hoping to find some answers.
He remembered the tension between him and John, their strained communication, and how John acted
strangely. But he could not understand why John would turn on him after all they had been through 45
together.

1 Reading Comprehension | Nazibul Ahsan

 Lesson 05 l Text A

Colvin knew he needed to confront John and get some answers. But first, he had to recover from his
injuries and figure out what to do next. He was grateful for the support of his fellow agents, who visited
him regularly in the hospital and encouraged him to keep fighting.

As Colvin drifted off to sleep, he vowed to get to the bottom of what happened with John. He knew it 50
would not be easy, but he was determined to find the truth and clear his name. The road ahead would
be long and difficult, but Colvin was ready for the challenge. With his friends by his side, he knew he
could overcome anything.

He also knew that the stakes were high. The information that he and John had gathered was crucial
to the war effort, and if it fell into the wrong hands, it could have disastrous consequences. Colvin felt 55
a sense of duty and responsibility to protect that information and to make sure that justice was served.

Section 2: Reading for Meaning

Read Passage 2, The Betrayal, and answer Question 1 and Question 2.

Question 1

(a) What was Colvin’s initial reaction upon waking up in the hospital (lines 1–4)?

……..…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

……..…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

……...…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. [2]

(b) What is the significance of Colvin’s friendship with John (lines 5–9)?

……..…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

……...…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. [1]

(c) What did Colvin and the other Americans do in Sarkhan (lines 10–15)?

……..…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

……...…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. [1]

(d) Using your own words, explain what the text means by ‘eyes shining with excitement’ (line 24).

……..…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

……...…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. [2]

(e) How did John help Colvin when he was surrounded by a Japanese patrol (lines 25–28)?

……..…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

……...…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. [2]

(f) How does the writer create a sense of tension between Colvin and John in the lead-up of the mission that
goes wrong (lines 43–46)?

……..…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

……...…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. [2]

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 Lesson 05 l Text A

(g) Using your own words, explain what Colvin’s fellow agents do to support him in the hospital (lines 47–
49).

………………...….…………………………………………………………………..……………………………….

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. [2]

(h) How did Colvin feel about the road ahead (lines 51–53)?

………………...….…………………………………………………………………………………………..……….

………………...….…………………………………………………………………………………………..……….

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………...…….. [2]

(i) What motivates Colvin to keep fighting (lines 54–56)?

………………...….……………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………...….……………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...….. [2]

Total: [16]

Question 2

(a) Read the extract from the text:

‘Amid vague and unremarkable dreams, Colvin became aware of his bandages. He came back to reality
slowly.’ (lines 1–2)

What does the writer want to suggest to us about Colvin’s state of mind?

……...…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. [1]

(b) Read the extract from the text:

‘The memory of the events that put him in the hospital returned to his consciousness until the
circumstances were finally in order and established as fact. He even remembered his disbelief of them
while they were happening and his thinking that it was impossible that John, a man who was his friend,
who saved his life ten years ago, who shared terrors with him, was now holding a gun in his back.’ (lines
5–8)

What effect did Colvin’s memory of John’s betrayal have on him?

……...…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. [1]

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 Lesson 05 l Text A

(c) Identify one phrase from the text below of how the writer uses language effectively to create tension in
the scene:

‘Colvin was running down a jungle path in what he knew was a futile effort to escape the fourth Japanese
patrol which encircled him. When he entered a small clearing, he saw John watering the family buffalo.
They stared at one another for a long moment, and Colvin instantly decided to trust John.’ (lines 16–19)

Explain the impression the writer creates in the phrase you have identified.

example ………………………………………………………………………………………………..……………..

explanation …………………………………………………………………………………………….……………..

……..…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

……..…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

……...…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. [3]

(d) Read the extract from the text:

‘He pushed Colvin into the water and put a large stone on Colvin’s chest to hold him under. The ditch was
two feet deep and had enough water to cover Colvin by six inches. For a few seconds, Colvin felt real
panic. Then he relaxed and discovered to his enormous relief, that he could breathe through the reeds.
Five minutes later, three of the soldiers from the Japanese patrol came into the clearing. Colvin could
dimly hear them talking and was able to tell when they left. He stayed where he was for ten more minutes
and then felt a gentle tug on the reeds. He sat up, muddy water dripping from his face and body. John
was grinning at him.’ (lines 29–35)

How does the writer use language to convey Colvin’s paradoxical feeling when he is first pushed into the
water by John?

……..…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

……..…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

……...…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. [2]

(e) Read the extract from the text:

‘He remembered the mission that went wrong, how John had turned on him and shot him in the back.
Colvin had been left for dead, but miraculously, he survived and was rescued by a passing patrol. It was
a painful betrayal, and Colvin struggled to understand it all.’ (lines 40–42)

(i) Identify one phrase from the text which describes a strong emotional reaction of Colvin. (ii) What does
the writer want to convey to the reader through the phrase you have identified?

(i) …..…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

(ii) ....…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

……...…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. [2]

Total: [9]

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