Q.3 (A) Read the following extract and do the given activities : (5 marks)More candles, more lanterns, more neighbours,more insects, and the endless rain.My mother twisted through and through,groaning on a mat.My father, sceptic, rationalist,trying e…

Q.3 (A) Read the following extract and do the given activities : (5 marks)

More candles, more lanterns, more neighbours,
more insects, and the endless rain.
My mother twisted through and through,
groaning on a mat.
My father, sceptic, rationalist,
trying every curse and blessing,
powder, mixture, herb and hybrid.
He even poured a little paraffin
upon the bitten toe and put a match to it.
I watched the flame feeding on my mother.
I watched the holy man perform his rites to tame the
poison with an incantation.
After twenty hours
it lost its sting.
My mother only said
Thank God the scorpion picked on me
And spared my children.

A1. State whether the following statements are true or false : (2)
(i) The narrator’s father was a rationalist –
(ii) It was summer when the incident took place –
(iii) Mother found relief after twenty hours –
(iv) Mother thanked the neighbours for sparing her children –

A2. What were the efforts taken by the father and the holy man to reduce the pain of the mother ? (2)

A3. Find out an example of ‘Antithesis’ from the extract : (1)