ENGLISH COMPREHENSION-2

Directions-(1 to 10) Read the following passage and answer the questions given after it-

Every afternoon, on their way back from school, the children used to go and play in the Giant's garden. It was a large lovely garden, with soft green grass. Over the grass stood beautiful flowers like stars, and there were twelve peach-trees that bore rich fruit. The birds would sit on the trees and sing sweetly to the children playing below. One day the Giant came back. He had been on a long tour and was now determined to

return to his own castle. When he arrived he saw the children playing in the garden and was outrageous. "What are you doing here ?" He shouted in a very gruff voice, and the children ran away. "I will not allow anybody to play in my garden but myself" said the Giant. And so, he built a high wall around it, and put up a notice-board that read TRESPASSERS WILL BE PROSECUTED. He was a very selfish Giant. The poor children had now, nowhere to play. They tried to play on the road, but the road was very dusty and full of stones, and they did not like it. On their way back from school, they used to wander around the high wall and remember the good times.

Then came spring, and all over the country there were little blossoms and little birds. Only in the garden of the Selfish Giant it was still winter. The birds did not care to sing in it as there were no children and the trees forgot to blossom. The only people who were pleased were the snow and the frost. "Spring has forgotten this garden," they cried, "so we will live here all the year round." I cannot understand why the spring is so late in coming," said the selfish Giant, as he sat at the window and looked out at his cold white garden, "I hope there will be a change in the weather." But the spring never came, nor did the summer. The autumn gave golden fruit to every garden, but to the Giant's garden she gave none. "He was too selfish," she said. So it was always winter there.

One morning the Giant was lying awake in bed when he heard the birds singing. "I believe the spring has come at last," said the Giant, and he jumped out of bed and looked out. He saw the most wonderful sight. Through the little hole in the wall the children had crept in, and they were sitting on the branches of the trees. On every tree there was a child. The birds were flying about and twittering with delight, and the flowers were looking up through the green grass and laughing. It was a lovely scenehowever, in one corner it was still winter. It was the farthest corner of the garden, and in it was standing a little boy. He was so small that he could not reach the branches of the tree, and he was wandering all around it crying bitterly. The Giant's heart melted as he looked out. "How selfish I have been '" he said, "now I know why spring would not come here. I will put that poor little boy on the top of the tree, and then I will knock down the wall, and my garden shall be the children's play-ground forever and ever." He was really sorry for what he had done.

1. What did the Giant do to keep the children away from his garden?

(1) He built a high wall around the garden
(2) He displayed a message on a notice board
(3) He threatened to complain to their parents
(4) Only (1) and (2)
(5) He made it snow all year round

2. Why did the autumn trees refuse to bear fruit ? (1) The snow and the winter took over 
(2) The Giant was enjoying the winter in his garden 
(3) It was one way of keeping the children away 
(4) The Giant refused to change his behaviour 
(5) The Giant was selfish

3. When did the Giant realize that he was being selfish ? (1) When the long winters would not end 
(2) When he witnessed the spring after the children reentered the garden 
(3) When he heard the song of a bird 
(4) When he felt he was lonely 
(5) When he realized he had no friends to play within the garden

4. What incident brought about a change in the Giant's heart ?

(1) The little boy in the corner of the garden
(2) The long unending winter
(3) The change of weather from winter to spring
(4) The blossoming of the trees
(5) The singing of the birds

5. What could be an appropriate title for the story ? (1) The Corner Boy 
(2) The Winter Season 
(3) The Selfish Giant 
(4) The Little Children 
(5) The Paradise Garden

Directions-(6 -7) Choose the word/phrase which is most nearly the samein meaning as the word/ phrase printed in bold as used in the passage.

6. Scene (1) Wish     
(2) Drawing 
(3) Fantasy     
(4) Picture 
(5) Dream

7. Farthest (1) Extreme     
(2) Nearest 
(3) Close     
(4) Shortest 
(5) Exposure

Directions-(8 - 10) Choose the word which is most opposite in meaning of the word printed in bold as used in the passage

8. Gruff (1) Unfriendly 
(2) Friendly 
(3) Bad-tempered     
(4) Indecent 
(5) Rough

9. Outrageous(1) Commendable     
(2) Shameful 
(3) Offensive     
(4) Shocking 
(5) Extreme

10. Awake (1) Alert     
(2) Conscious 
(3) Aware 
(4) Asleep 
(5) Wakeful

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Answers:

1.(4)  2.(1) 3.(2) 4.(3)  5.(5)6. (4) 7.(1) 8. (2) 9.(1) 10.(4)