Comprehension Test (Unseen) No.2 for Class-XII, WBCHSE

Read the following passage:

The girl got up and began to collect her things. I wondered if she wore her hair in a bun, or if it was plaited, or if it hung loose over her shoulders, or if they were cut very short.

The train drew slowly into the station. Outside, there was the shouting of porters and vendors and a high-pitched female voice near the carriage door which must have belonged to the girl’s aunt.

“Good-bye,” said the girl.

There was some confusion in the doorway. A man, getting into the compartment, stammered an apology. Then the door banged shut, and the world was shut out again. I returned to my berth. The guard blew his whistle and we moved off. Once again, I had a game to play and a new fellow-traveller.

The train gathered speed, the wheels took up their song, the carriage groaned and shook. I found the window and sat in front of it, staring into the daylight that was darkness for me.

So many things were happening outside the window. It could be a fascinating game, guessing what went on out there.

The man who had entered the compartment broke into my reverie.

“you must be disappointed,” he said. “I’m sorry I’m not as attractive a travelling companion as the one who just left.”

“she was an interesting girl,” I said. “Can you tell me—did she keep her hair long or short?”
“I don’t remember,” he said, sounding puzzled. “It was her eyes I noticed, not her hair. She had beautiful eyes—but they were of no use to her. She was completely blind. Didn’t you notice?”                        [Adapted from The Eyes Are Not Here by Ruskin Bond]
  

A) Complete each of the sentences which follow, choosing the correct answer from the alternative given:  1x7=7 

i)  The high-pitched voice belonged to a – a) man b) woman c) child. 

ii)  The girl bade good-bye to -- a) the narrator b) her aunt c) the guard. 

iii) The word ‘groaned’ evokes the image of – a) a hermit in meditation b) an animal in pain c) children at play. 
iv) The narrator stared into the daylight which – a) looked like the light of Heaven on the earth b) was totally dark for him c) increased the pain in his eyes. 
v) The word ‘reverie’ means – a) sleep b) day-dream c) anger. 
vi) The new fellow-traveller – a) thanked himself for being an agreeable companion b) appreciated the narrator’s power of observation c) regretted that he was not an attractive companion. 
vii) The narrator asked the man if the girl – a) had beautiful eyes b) kept her hair long or short c) was dressed gorgeously. 

B) Answer the questions which follow (each in about 20 words):   2x4=8 
i) What did the narrator wonder when the girl got up to collect the things? 
ii) What were the noises that came to the narrator in the station? 
iii) What did the narrator do as the train groaned and shook? 
iv) What did the man say about the girl’s eyes? 

C) Rearrange the following sentences in their proper order:    5

                     i.            The girl bade good-bye.

                   ii.            The train drew into the station.

                  iii.            The door was shut with a bang.

                 iv.            The girl got up to collect her things.

                   v.            A man got into the compartment.

Answers:

A)

                                 i.            b) woman.

                               ii.            a) the narrator.

                              iii.            b) an animal in pain.

                             iv.            b) was totally dark for him.

                               v.            b) day-dream.

                             vi.            c) regretted that he was not an attractive companion.

                            vii.            b) kept her hair long or short.

B)

                                 i.            The narrator wondered if she wore her hair in a bun, or if it was plaited, or if it hung loose over her shoulders, or if they were cut very short.

                               ii.            In the station, there was the shouting of porters and vendors and a high pitched female voice near the carriage door which must have belonged to the girl’s aunt.

                              iii.            The narrator found the window and sat in front of it, staring into the daylight that was darkness for him.

                             iv.            The man said that the girl had beautiful eyes, but they were of no use to her. She was completely blind.

C) The proper order of the given sentences is ---- (iv), (ii), (i), (v), (iii).