Read the following extract and do the given activities : (5 marks)A1. Complete the sentences with words from the extract : (2) (1) The villagers prayed that the misfortunes of mother’s ................. should decrease. (2) Mother twisted through and…

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

A1. Complete the sentences with words from the extract : (2) (1) The villagers prayed that the misfortunes of mother’s ................. should decrease. (2) Mother twisted through and through .................... on a mat. (3) My father was sceptic and a ..................... . (4) The poet watched the ........................... feeding on his mother.

May he sit still, they said
May the sins of your previous birth
be burned away tonight, they said.
May your suffering decrease
the misfortunes of your next birth, they said.
May the sum of all evil
balanced in this unreal world
against the sum of good
become diminished by your pain.
May the poison purify your flesh
of desire, and your spirit of ambition,
they said, and they sat around
on the floor with my mother in the centre,
the peace of understanding on each face.
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 blessings,
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.

A2. Why do you think mother thanked God that the scorpion picked her, not her children ? (2)

A3. Poetic device : (1) Name and explain the figure of speech in the following line : My mother twisted through and through, groaning on the mat.