Summary
This passage describes the relationship between a young girl, Kezia, and her father. Kezia is afraid of her father, who is described as a figure to be feared and avoided. He is a strict and demanding parent who is often impatient and dismissive of Kezia. He is also described as being large and intimidating, with a loud voice and a tendency to be critical of Kezia’s behavior. .
Kezia is further described as stuttering when she speaks to her father, as she is trying so hard to say the words properly. The passage ends with a scene in which Kezia accidentally ruins one of her father’s important speeches and is punished with a beating. The passage paints a picture of a difficult and unhappy relationship between Kezia and her father
Summary in 300 Words
The passage describes the relationship between a young girl named Kezia and her father. It becomes clear that Kezia is afraid of her father and goes out of her way to avoid him. He is described as a strict and demanding parent who is often impatient and dismissive of Kezia. The passage also states that Kezia stutters when speaking to her father as she is trying so hard to say the words properly. The passage also describes a scene in which Kezia accidentally ruins one of her father’s important speeches and is punished with a beating.
The passage paints a picture of a difficult and unhappy relationship between Kezia and her father. The father is depicted as a figure to be feared and avoided, who is strict and demanding, often impatient and dismissive of Kezia. The father is also described as being large and intimidating, with a loud voice and a tendency to be critical of Kezia’s behavior.
Kezia’s fear and avoidance of her father is also highlighted when she is described as relieved when she hears his carriage growing fainter and fainter down the long road. The passage also describes a scene in which Kezia is forced to take off her father’s boots, and she is described as moving slowly down the stairs, more slowly still across the hall, and pushing open the drawing-room door.
The passage also describes a scene in which Kezia is forced to have a “nice talk with Father and Mother” on Sunday afternoons, but she finds her mother reading and her father stretched out on the sofa, his handkerchief on his face, his feet on one of the best cushions, sleeping soundly and snoring.
The passage ends with a scene in which Kezia is punished with a beating after accidentally ruining one of her father’s important speeches. Overall, the passage paints a picture of a difficult and unhappy relationship between Kezia and her father, with the father being depicted as a strict and intimidating figure.
Multi-choice Question And Answers;
Q1. How does Kezia feel about her father?
a. She loves him
b. She is afraid of him
c. She is indifferent towards him
d. She enjoys spending time with him
Answer: b. She is afraid of him
Q2. How does the father behave towards Kezia?
a. Kind and loving
b. Strict and demanding
c. Indifferent and dismissive
d. Supportive and encouraging
Answer: b. Strict and demanding
Q3. How does Kezia react when her father comes home in the evening?
a. She runs to greet him
b. She hides from him
c. She stands near the staircase
d. She greets him with a hug
Answer: c. She stands near the staircase
Q4. Why does Kezia stutter when she speaks to her father?
a. She is nervous
b. She is trying too hard to say the words properly
c. She is not interested in speaking to him
d. She is sick
Answer: b. She is trying too hard to say the words properly
Q5. What does Kezia do on Sunday afternoons?
a. She goes out with her friends
b. She has a “nice talk” with her parents
c. She plays outside
d. She stays in her room
Answer: b. She has a “nice talk” with her parents
Q6. How does the father react when Kezia accidentally ruins one of his speeches?
a. He forgives her
b. He beats her
c. He sends her to her room
d. He scolds her
Answer: b. He beats her
Q7. What does Kezia make as a gift for her father’s birthday?
a. A pin cushion
b. A painting
c. A cake
d. A sweater
Answer: a. A pin cushion
Q8. How does Kezia’s mother react when she finds out about the ruined speech?
a. She is angry
b. She is sad
c. She is confused
d. She is pleased
Answer: a. She is angry
Q9. How does Kezia feel after her father beats her?
a. She is relieved
b. She is happy
c. She is crying
d. She is excited
Answer: c. She is crying
Q10. What does Kezia do when she is kept indoors with a cold?
a. She watches TV
b. She makes a gift for her father
c. She reads a book
d. She plays video games
Answer: b. She makes a gift for her father
Q11. How does the father react when Kezia is staring at him?
a. He is pleased
b. He is confused
c. He is annoyed
d. He is proud
Answer: c. He is annoyed
Q12. What does Kezia do with the scraps she finds in her mother’s bedroom?
a. She throws them away
b. She uses them to fill her pin cushion
c. She gives them to her grandmother
d. She saves them for later
Answer: b. She uses them to fill her pin cushion
Q13. How does Kezia feel when she hears her father’s carriage growing fainter and fainter down the long road?
a. She is sad
b. She is relieved
c. She is excited
d. She is worried
Answer: b. She is relieved
Q14. How does the father react when Kezia says “I don’t know if you’ve been a good girl today?”
a. He is pleased
b. He is confused
c. He is critical and threatens to take her to the doctor
d. He is happy and tells her she’s been a good girl
Answer: c. He is critical and threatens to take her to the doctor
Q15. Why does Kezia’s grandmother suggest she make a pin cushion for her father’s birthday?
a. To show her love for him
b. To teach her how to sew
c. To give him a useful gift
d. To improve her relationship with him
Answer: c. To give him a useful gift
Q16. What does Kezia’s father do when he wakes up on Sunday afternoons?
a. He asks the time
b. He greets Kezia with a hug
c. He starts a conversation with her
d. He goes back to sleep
Answer: a. He asks the time
Q17. How does Kezia’s grandmother feel about her relationship with her father?
a. She is worried about it
b. She is supportive of it
c. She is indifferent to it
d. She is unaware of it
Answer: d. She is unaware of it
Q18. What does Kezia’s father do when he finds out about the ruined speech?
a. He forgives her
b. He beats her
c. He sends her to her room
d. He searches the house for the papers
Answer: d. He searches the house for the papers
Q19. How does Kezia feel when her mother comes into her room and questions her about the papers?
a. She is relieved
b. She is scared
c. She is calm
d. She is excited
Answer: b. She is scared
Q20. What is the overall tone of the passage?
a. Positive and uplifting
b. Negative and unhappy
c. Neutral and descriptive
d. Sarcastic and humorous
Answer: b. Negative and unhappy
Passage-01
Kezia had a difficult relationship with her father. He was a strict and demanding parent who was often impatient and dismissive of Kezia. Kezia was afraid of him and went out of her way to avoid him. Every morning before going to work, he would come into her room and give her a casual kiss, to which she responded with “Goodbye, Father”. She felt a sense of relief when she heard the noise of the carriage growing fainter and fainter down the long road. In the evening when he came home, she stood near the staircase and heard his loud voice in the hall.
On Sunday afternoons, Kezia was forced to have a “nice talk” with her parents, but she would find her mother reading and her father stretched out on the sofa, his handkerchief on his face, his feet on one of the best cushions, sleeping soundly and snoring. Kezia was forced to take off her father’s boots, and she moved slowly down the stairs, more slowly still across the hall, and pushed open the drawing-room door.
Kezia’s grandmother suggested she make a pin cushion as a gift for her father’s birthday. Kezia laboriously stitched three sides, but struggled to fill it. She eventually found scraps in her mother’s bedroom and used them to fill her pin cushion. However, the scraps turned out to be the important speech that her father had been working on and there was a hue and cry in the house. Kezia was dragged down to where her father was pacing to and fro, hands behind his back. He was furious and beat her for her mistake. Kezia was crying too much to explain and lay in the shadowed room, watching the evening light make a sad little pattern on the floor.
Q1. How does Kezia feel about her father?
a. She loves him
b. She is afraid of him
c. She is indifferent towards him
d. She enjoys spending time with him
Answer: b. She is afraid of him
Q2. How does Kezia’s father behave towards her?
a. Kind and loving
b. Strict and demanding
c. Indifferent and dismissive
d. Supportive and encouraging
Answer: b. Strict and demanding
Q3. What does Kezia do when her father is sleeping on Sunday afternoons?
a. She joins her mother in reading
b. She sits and watches him
c. She leaves the room
d. She wakes him up
Answer: b. She sits and watches him
Q4. What is Kezia’s reaction when her father finds out about the ruined speech?
a. She is relieved
b. She is scared
c. She is calm
d. She is excited
Answer: b. She is scared
Q5. How does Kezia’s father react when he finds out about the ruined speech?
a. He forgives her
b. He beats her
c. He sends her to her room
d. He scolds her
Answer: b. He beats her
Question and Answers
Q1. Why was Kezia afraid of her father?
Ans; Kezia was afraid of her father because he was strict, demanding, and often impatient and dismissive towards her. He was also described as being large and intimidating, with a loud voice and a tendency to be critical of Kezia’s behavior.
Q2. Who were the people in Kezia’s family?
Ans; Kezia’s family includes her father, mother, and grandmother.
Q3. What was Kezia’s father’s routine (i) before going to his office? (ii) after coming back from his office? (iii) on Sundays?
Ans; (i) Before going to his office, Kezia’s father would come into her room and give her a casual kiss, to which she responded with “Goodbye, Father”.
Ans; (ii) After coming back from his office, Kezia stood near the staircase and heard his loud voice in the hall.
Ans; (iii) On Sundays, Kezia was forced to have a “nice talk” with her parents, but she would find her mother reading and her father stretched out on the sofa, his handkerchief on his face, his feet on one of the best cushions, sleeping soundly and snoring. Kezia was forced to take off her father’s boots, and she moved slowly down the stairs, more slowly still across the hall, and pushed open the drawing-room door.
Q4. In what ways did Kezia’s grandmother encourage her to get to know her father better?
Ans; Kezia’s grandmother suggested she make a pin cushion for her father’s birthday as a way to give him a useful gift and improve her relationship with him. However, it is not specified that she encouraged her to get to know him better in any other way.
5. Kezia’s efforts to please her father resulted in displeasing him very much. How did this happen?
Ans; Kezia’s efforts to please her father resulted in displeasing him very much because she accidentally used the scraps of paper that contained her father’s important speech for the Port Authority to fill her pin cushion. This caused a hue and cry in the house and her father was furious when he found out about it.
6. Kezia decides that there are “different kinds of fathers”. What kind of father was Mr Macdonald, and how was he different from Kezia’s father?
7. How does Kezia begin to see her father as a human being who needs her sympathy?
Ans; It is not specified in the text that Kezia begins to see her father as a human being who needs her sympathy. It is mentioned that she is afraid of him, that he is strict and demanding, and that he beats her when she makes a mistake. It is also not mentioned that she has any specific change of attitude towards him.
Difficult words
- Feared – Regarded with fear; held in fear.
- Avoided – Refrained from doing or engaging in.
- Spectacles – Eyeglasses worn to correct or assist defective eyesight.
- Terrors – Extreme fear or apprehension; a state of intense fear.
- Stuttered – Speak with involuntary disruption of speech.
- Hue and cry – A loud and persistent outcry from many people.
- Port Authority – An organization that manages and regulates the use of a port and its facilities.
- Speech – A formal address or discourse delivered to an audience.
- Servants – A person employed to do domestic duties.
- Instinct – An innate, typically fixed pattern of behaviour in animals in response to certain stimuli.
- Wretched – In a very poor or pitiful state.
- Surprised – To cause (someone) to feel startled or perplexed.
- Hue – The property of light by which the color of an object is classified as red, yellow, green, blue, or purple.
- Cry – A loud or passionate expression of emotion
- Authority – The power or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience.
- Persistent – Continuing firmly or obstinately in an opinion or course of action.
- Outcry – A loud and persistent expression of protest or opposition.
- Question – An inquiry or request for information.
- Instance – An occurrence or example of something; a case in point.
- Ruler – A person who governs or rules a country or organization.
- Beat – Strike repeatedly with a hard implement.
- Damned – Condemned or doomed to eternal punishment in the afterlife.
- Shadowed – Covered by or as if by a shadow; shady.
- Pattern – A regular and intelligible form or sequence discernible in certain actions or situations.
- Hue – The property of light by which the color of an object is classified as red, yellow, green, blue, or purple.
- Cry – A loud or passionate expression of emotion.
- Authority – The power or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience.
- Persistent – Continuing firmly or obstinately in an opinion or course of action.
- Outcry – A loud and persistent expression of protest or opposition.
- Question – An inquiry or request for information.