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DAY 3 Passage and Questions

A blind man carrying a red box containing pencils walks the streets trying to sell them. He has difficulty navigating obstacles alone and has sold nothing. He becomes lost and turns into a street with playing children who try to take his box. A policeman intervenes and sends him on his way. The man continues wandering aimlessly in the heat until he accidentally wanders into the path of an oncoming trolley, which kills him.

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Aarti Rajanikant
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181 views

DAY 3 Passage and Questions

A blind man carrying a red box containing pencils walks the streets trying to sell them. He has difficulty navigating obstacles alone and has sold nothing. He becomes lost and turns into a street with playing children who try to take his box. A policeman intervenes and sends him on his way. The man continues wandering aimlessly in the heat until he accidentally wanders into the path of an oncoming trolley, which kills him.

Uploaded by

Aarti Rajanikant
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Read Text C1 and then answer Questions 2(a)-(c).

Text C1: The blind man


This short story extract is set in Louisiana, USA in the late-nineteenth century.
A man carrying a small red box in one
hand walked slowly down the street.
His old straw hat and faded garments
looked as if the rain had often beaten
upon them, and the sun had as many
times dried them upon his person. He
was not old, but he seemed feeble;
and he walked in the sun, along the
blistering asphalt pavement. On the
opposite side of the street there were
trees that threw a thick and pleasant shade; people were all walking on that side.
But the man did not know, for he was blind.
12
In the red box were lead pencils, which he was endeavoring to sell. He carried no
stick, but guided himself by trailing his foot along the stone copings or his hand
along the iron railings. When he came to the steps of a house, he would mount
them. Sometimes, after reaching the door with great difficulty, he could not find
the electric button, whereupon he would patiently descend and go his way. Some
of the iron gates were locked - their owners being away for the summer - and he
would consume much time striving to open them, which made little difference, as
he had all the time there was at his disposal.
20
The man had been out long and had walked far, but had sold nothing. Hunger,
with sharp fangs, was gnawing at his stomach and a consuming thirst parched
his mouth and tortured him. The sun was broiling. He wore too much clothing - a
waistcoat and coat over his shirt.
25
The man drifted into a side street, where there was a group of noisy, excited children at
play. The color of the box which he carried attracted them and they wanted to know what
was in it. One of them attempted to take it away from him. With the instinct to protect
his only means of sustenance, he resisted, shouted at the children and called them names.
A policeman, coming round the corner and
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seeing that he was the centre of a disturbance, jerked him violently around by the
collar, and sent him on his way. He walked on in the sun.
During his aimless rambling he turned into a street where there were monster electric
tramcars thundering up and down, clanging wild bells and literally shaking the
ground beneath his feet with their terrific impetus. He started to cross the street.
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Then something horrible happened that made the women faint and the strongest
men who saw it grow sick and dizzy. The motorman's lips were as gray as his
ashen face, and he shook and staggered from the superhuman effort he had put
forth to stop his car.
39
Where could the crowds have come from so suddenly, as if by magic? Boys on the
run, men and women tearing up on their wheels to see the sickening sight, doctors
dashing up in buggies as if directed by Providence.
42
And the horror grew when the mesmerized multitude recognized in the dead and
mangled figure one of the wealthiest, most useful and most influential men of the
town, a man noted for his prudence and foresight. How could such a terrible fate
have overtaken him? He was hastening from his business house, for he was late, to
join his family, who were to start in an hour or two for their summer home on the Atlantic
coast. In his hurry he did not perceive the other streetcar coming from the
opposite direction.
48
The blind man did not know what the commotion was all about. He had crossed the
street, and there he was, stumbling on in the sun, trailing his foot along the coping.
From 'The Blind Man' by Kate Chopin; Vogue (13 May 1897).

Note: American spelling is used throughout this text.


Question
A) Identify a word or phrase from the text which suggests the same idea as the
words underlined:
i The blind man was trying hard to get through the gates.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….[1]
ii His wandering led him to the street with tramcars.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….[1]
iii The tramcar moved with great force.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….[1]
iv The accident caused a disturbance
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….[1]

B) Using your own words, explain what the writer means by each of the words underlined.
And the horror grew when the mesmerised multitude recognized in the dead and
mangled figure one of the wealthiest, most useful and most influential men of the town,
a man noted for his prudence and foresight.
i . multitude.. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………[1]
ii. mangled…………………….………………………………………………………………………………………[1]
iii. prudence. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………[1]

C) Use one example from the text below to explain how the writer conveys the shocking
nature of sight. Use your own words in your explanation.
And the horror grew when the mesmerised multitude recognized in the dead and
mangled figure one of the wealthiest, most useful and most influential men of the town,
a man noted for his prudence and foresight.
• Of the several possible choices, select the one you think is most striking Phrases
are usually more powerful than single words)
• Comment on how the phrase works in the context.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………[3]

D) Re-read paragraphs 1 and 3 in Text C1.


• Paragraph 1 begins 'A man carrying a small red box ... ‘and describes the blind man's
appearance and the way he is walking.
• Paragraph 3 begins 'The man had been out long... and describes the blind man's
suffering.
Explain how the writer uses language to convey meaning and to create effect in these
paragraphs. Choosea and list relevant examples of words or phrases from each paragraph
and put meaningsb and effectsc beside each of them. Your choices should include the use
of imageryd. Then describe in one sentence how the choices are linked to each other. e

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