I85PREP
⌘ K
WBBSE Madhyamik English (Second Language) study materials
WBBSE Madhyamik English (Second Language) study resources

WBBSE Madhyamik English (Second Language) practice questions

One question at a time. Build your WBBSE Madhyamik English (Second Language) understanding.

First 50 of 200 questions. Each one lists the choices, the correct answer, and an explanation. The checker at the top of this page saves progress in this browser when it is available.

Continue in the practice tool above to load more questions, 50 at a time.

Question 1Reading comprehension of unseen prose passage

Read this sentence from an unseen prose passage: 'The old ferryman had poled his boat across the river every dawn for thirty years, and not once had he failed to reach the far bank.' Which statement best describes what the passage tells us about the ferryman?

  1. He has stopped working as a ferryman after thirty years.
  2. He has crossed the river reliably and without failure for three decades. Correct answer.
  3. He crosses the river only when the weather is favourable.
  4. He has recently learned to steer his boat across the river.

Explanation

The clause 'not once had he failed to reach the far bank' states an unbroken record, and 'every dawn for thirty years' fixes the span at three decades. Together they present habitual, dependable service rather than a recent or interrupted practice.

Question 2Reading comprehension of unseen prose passage

In an unseen passage you read: 'Though the lane was narrow, the crowd parted before the procession as water yields to the prow of a ship.' The comparison mainly suggests that the crowd

  1. was angry at being pushed off the road.
  2. moved aside smoothly and without resistance. Correct answer.
  3. stood still and refused to make way.
  4. was larger than the procession itself.

Explanation

A simile compares two things to transfer a quality; here the crowd's parting is likened to water yielding before a ship's prow. Water opens effortlessly, so the image conveys smooth, unresisting movement.

Question 3Reading comprehension of unseen prose passage

A passage states: 'The teacher glanced at the clock, then at the restless class, and closed the book a full ten minutes early.' What can a reader most reasonably infer about the teacher's decision?

  1. She had forgotten which page the class had reached.
  2. She was waiting for the headmaster to arrive.
  3. She wanted the students to copy the remaining notes at home.
  4. She judged that continuing the lesson would serve no purpose. Correct answer.

Explanation

An inference must be supported by textual clues; the glance at the clock and the restless class together explain the early closing. The action implies a judgement that further teaching was pointless, not an accident or an outside event.

Question 4Reading comprehension of unseen prose passage

Which word from the sentence 'The villagers greeted the news with sullen silence, their faces turned away' best carries the meaning of resentful gloom?

  1. greeted
  2. turned
  3. sullen Correct answer.
  4. villagers

Explanation

A word's meaning in context must match the surrounding details; 'silence' and faces turned away support a mood of gloomy resentment. 'Sullen' is the adjective that names that mood directly.

Question 5Reading comprehension of unseen prose passage

A passage says: 'The library was not merely a room of books; it was the town's memory, keeping what no single person could hold.' What is the main idea of this sentence?

  1. The library contains more books than any person can read.
  2. The library is quieter than other rooms in the town.
  3. The library was built long before the present residents arrived.
  4. The library preserves the community's shared knowledge. Correct answer.

Explanation

The metaphor 'the town's memory' and the clause 'keeping what no single person could hold' point to collective preservation. The main idea is therefore about shared knowledge, not physical size or age.

Question 6Reading comprehension of unseen prose passage

In the sentence 'Having finished the harvest, the farmers stacked the bundles before the rain came', which part is a participial phrase?

  1. before the rain came
  2. the farmers stacked
  3. Having finished the harvest Correct answer.
  4. the bundles

Explanation

A participial phrase begins with a participle and modifies a noun; 'Having finished the harvest' opens with the perfect participle and describes the farmers. It is not a full clause because it has no subject of its own.

Question 7Reading comprehension of unseen prose passage

Read: 'The letter lay unopened for a week. On the eighth day she finally broke the seal.' Which word best describes the change in the woman's behaviour across the two sentences?

  1. from forgetfulness to regret
  2. from hesitation to resolve Correct answer.
  3. from anger to forgiveness
  4. from generosity to selfishness

Explanation

Leaving a letter unopened for a week suggests avoidance or delay, while 'finally broke the seal' marks a decision to act. The contrast is between holding back and then resolving to proceed.

Question 8Reading comprehension of unseen prose passage

A passage describes a street: 'Shopkeepers called out their prices, bicycles wove between carts, and a radio blared from an upper window.' The writer creates a sense of

  1. bustling activity. Correct answer.
  2. peaceful stillness.
  3. formal ceremony.
  4. empty desolation.

Explanation

Three details of sound and movement are listed in quick succession, which builds an impression of busy, energetic life. Such cumulative sensory detail is a standard technique for conveying atmosphere.

Question 9Reading comprehension of unseen prose passage

Which sentence from an unseen passage uses the passive voice?

  1. Villagers repaired the bridge before winter.
  2. Before winter the villagers repaired the bridge.
  3. The villagers repaired the bridge before winter.
  4. The bridge was repaired by the villagers themselves. Correct answer.

Explanation

In the passive voice the object of the action becomes the subject and the verb takes the form 'be + past participle'. Only the first sentence shows 'was repaired' with the doer introduced by 'by'.

Question 10Reading comprehension of unseen prose passage

A passage says: 'The scientist repeated the experiment four times, each time with a fresh sample, before she published her conclusion.' Why does the writer mention the repetition?

  1. To indicate that the first samples were costly
  2. To explain why the report was long delayed
  3. To suggest that she distrusted her colleagues
  4. To show that her finding was carefully checked Correct answer.

Explanation

Details in a passage usually serve a purpose; repeated trials with fresh samples indicate a concern for reliability. The writer is stressing the care taken before publishing, not personal suspicion or expense.

Question 11Reading comprehension of unseen prose passage

In the sentence 'The path, which had once been clear, was now choked with bramble', the clause 'which had once been clear' is

  1. a non-defining relative clause. Correct answer.
  2. a noun clause acting as subject.
  3. an adverbial clause of reason.
  4. a defining relative clause.

Explanation

A relative clause beginning with 'which' and set off by commas gives extra, non-essential information about an already identified noun. Removing it would not change which path is meant, so it is non-defining.

Question 12Reading comprehension of unseen prose passage

A passage reads: 'He was a man of few words, yet when the village needed a spokesman, every door opened to him.' What does the second half of the sentence reveal about him?

  1. His quiet manner earned him trust. Correct answer.
  2. He avoided all village gatherings.
  3. He disliked speaking in public.
  4. He owned most of the houses in the village.

Explanation

The conjunction 'yet' signals a contrast: though he spoke little, he was chosen to represent the village. This implies that his reticence inspired confidence rather than suspicion.

Question 13Reading comprehension of unseen prose passage

Choose the option that best states the difference between skimming and scanning when reading an unseen passage.

  1. Skimming reads every word aloud; scanning reads silently.
  2. Skimming gives a general impression; scanning hunts for specific details. Correct answer.
  3. Skimming is done only in exams; scanning is done only at home.
  4. Skimming looks for specific details; scanning gives a general impression.

Explanation

These are two distinct reading strategies taught for unseen comprehension. Skimming moves quickly through a text to grasp its overall sense, while scanning moves the eye rapidly to locate a particular word, name or figure.

Question 14Reading comprehension of unseen prose passage

A passage contains the line: 'The monsoon came late that year, and the fields wore a patient brown.' The word 'patient' is used here to

  1. give the fields a human quality of endurance. Correct answer.
  2. state how long the monsoon lasted.
  3. describe the colour of the soil precisely.
  4. show that the farmers had lost hope.

Explanation

'Patient' normally describes people who wait calmly, so applying it to fields is personification. The device lends the landscape a human quality of quiet endurance during drought.

Question 15Reading comprehension of unseen prose passage

Which of these opening lines from an unseen passage most clearly establishes a first-person narrative?

  1. The town had not looked so small for years.
  2. Small as it was, the town had changed.
  3. I had not expected the town to look so small. Correct answer.
  4. Never had the town looked so small.

Explanation

First-person narrative is marked by the pronoun 'I' as the narrator and subject of the verb. Only the first option uses 'I', placing the reader inside a particular observer's experience.

Question 16Reading comprehension of unseen prose passage

A passage says of a character: 'She had a habit of finishing other people's sentences, and she was usually right.' What is the effect of adding 'and she was usually right'?

  1. It turns a possible fault into an admired trait. Correct answer.
  2. It shows that the other people disliked her.
  3. It proves that she was fond of arguing.
  4. It explains why she spoke so quickly.

Explanation

Interrupting others would normally seem rude, but the added clause changes the reader's judgement by suggesting she was accurate. The writer thus converts an irritating habit into something impressive.

Question 17Reading comprehension of unseen prose passage

In the sentence 'Not until the last bell rang did the children leave the ground', why is 'did' placed before 'the children'?

  1. Because the sentence begins with a negative adverbial, requiring inversion. Correct answer.
  2. Because 'children' is a collective noun.
  3. Because the sentence is a question.
  4. Because 'leave' is a passive participle.

Explanation

When a negative adverbial such as 'not until...' is placed first for emphasis, standard English inverts subject and auxiliary. The auxiliary 'did' therefore comes before the subject, though the sentence remains a statement.

Question 18Reading comprehension of unseen prose passage

A passage describes an old man who 'counted the coins twice, then a third time, before slipping them into a knotted cloth'. What does the detail chiefly convey about him?

  1. He is dishonest with customers.
  2. He is generous with his money.
  3. He is forgetful of small sums.
  4. He is careful and probably poor. Correct answer.

Explanation

Counting money repeatedly suggests caution, while a knotted cloth rather than a purse or wallet suggests modest means. The two details together build a picture of thrifty care.

Question 19Reading comprehension of unseen prose passage

Which option correctly identifies the tone of this sentence from a passage: 'Wonderful, I thought, another delay of three hours.'?

  1. Formal
  2. Nostalgic
  3. Sincere
  4. Sarcastic Correct answer.

Explanation

Tone is the writer's attitude, often signalled by contrast between words and situation. 'Wonderful' clashes with 'another delay of three hours', so the praise is ironic and the tone sarcastic.

Question 20Reading comprehension of unseen prose passage

A passage includes the sentence: 'The road climbed, twisted, and finally surrendered to the mountain.' The word 'surrendered' is effective because it

  1. presents the road as defeated by the landscape. Correct answer.
  2. describes the surface of the road accurately.
  3. shows that the road was newly built.
  4. indicates the exact height of the mountain.

Explanation

'Surrender' is a verb of yielding normally used of people or armies, so here it personifies the road. The effect is to show the road unable to continue against the mountain's resistance.

Question 21Reading comprehension of unseen prose passage

In an unseen passage, a paragraph begins: 'But the harvest told a different story.' What is the chief function of this sentence in the passage?

  1. It introduces a completely new setting.
  2. It summarises the whole passage.
  3. It marks the end of the narrative.
  4. It signals a contrast with what was said before. Correct answer.

Explanation

The conjunction 'but' at the start of a paragraph is a signpost of contrast, directing the reader to revise an earlier impression. 'Told a different story' reinforces that a change of direction is coming.

Question 22Reading comprehension of unseen prose passage

Which sentence uses the word 'still' as an adjective?

  1. She still writes to her old teacher.
  2. He stood still and waited.
  3. The lake lay still beneath the morning mist. Correct answer.
  4. Still, the journey was worth the trouble.

Explanation

An adjective modifies a noun and can be tested by placing it before the noun or after a linking verb. In 'the lake lay still', 'still' describes the lake's condition, so it functions as an adjective.

Question 23Reading comprehension of unseen prose passage

A passage says: 'The museum's oldest exhibit is a clay pot, cracked and unremarkable, yet visitors stop before it longest.' What does the writer suggest about the pot?

  1. Its ordinary appearance hides its historical importance. Correct answer.
  2. It was recently repaired by the museum.
  3. It is popular because of its great size.
  4. It is more beautiful than the other exhibits.

Explanation

The contrast between 'cracked and unremarkable' and the fact that visitors linger longest creates an implied meaning. The writer suggests that value lies in age and history rather than in outward beauty.

Question 24Reading comprehension of unseen prose passage

Which option best explains why a writer might use short, clipped sentences in a passage describing an emergency?

  1. To show that the narrator is calm
  2. To make the passage more formal and polite
  3. To quicken the pace and convey urgency Correct answer.
  4. To provide detailed background information

Explanation

Sentence length is a deliberate stylistic choice that affects pace. Short sentences delivered in succession create speed and tension, matching the feeling of an emergency.

Question 25Reading comprehension of unseen prose passage

A passage states: 'Nobody in the family mentioned the empty chair at dinner.' What does the omission most strongly suggest?

  1. That the chair had been sold
  2. That the family had forgotten the person
  3. That dinner was served unusually early
  4. A shared grief that words cannot address Correct answer.

Explanation

What characters avoid saying can be as revealing as what they say; silence around a significant object implies painful feeling. The empty chair points to an absent person, and the family's silence implies collective sorrow.

Question 26Reading comprehension of unseen prose passage

An unseen passage begins: 'The train was already moving when I reached the platform, and my suitcase handle chose that moment to break.' Which narrative detail most directly creates the sense of misfortune?

  1. The mention of a platform at all
  2. The train already being in motion
  3. The suitcase handle breaking at that exact moment Correct answer.
  4. The narrator reaching the platform

Explanation

Misfortune in narrative is built by the collision of two events that make the situation worse for the character. Here the broken handle is placed precisely when the narrator is already too late, so the two details combine to produce helplessness. The other details are neutral stage-setting rather than an added blow.

Question 27Reading comprehension of unseen prose passage

In an unseen passage, a paragraph opens: 'The ledger was accurate to the last paisa, and nobody in the office trusted it.' Which reading of the second clause is best supported?

  1. The ledger was accurate because everyone checked it
  2. The office preferred ledgers that were badly kept
  3. The clerk who kept the ledger was careless with figures
  4. Accuracy in the ledger has become a sign of something suspicious Correct answer.

Explanation

The contrast signalled by 'and nobody... trusted it' sets exactness against trust, so precision itself is presented as troubling. A reader should notice that the passage never says the figures are wrong; it says the accuracy unsettles people. That inversion is the point of the sentence.

Question 28Reading comprehension of unseen prose passage

A passage describes a village well: 'By June the water had sunk to a brown ring of mud, and the women walked further each morning.' Which phrase most strongly conveys the growing scarcity?

  1. a brown ring of mud
  2. the women
  3. By June
  4. walked further each morning Correct answer.

Explanation

Scarcity is shown through consequence: as water recedes, the daily journey lengthens. The phrase 'walked further each morning' measures the shortage in human effort and repetition. The other phrases supply time, imagery, or subject but do not themselves indicate a worsening shortage.

Question 29Reading comprehension of unseen prose passage

An unseen passage ends with: 'He locked the shop, counted the day's takings, and put the money in the tin under the counter, as he had done for thirty years.' Which quality of the character does the closing sentence chiefly establish?

  1. Sudden generosity
  2. Fear of robbery
  3. Ambition for wealth
  4. Habitual orderliness Correct answer.

Explanation

The repeated routine, closed by 'as he had done for thirty years', emphasises settled habit rather than any single motive. The sequence of small, orderly actions reinforces this. The passage gives no evidence of giving money away, of fear, or of wanting to grow rich.

Question 30Reading comprehension of unseen prose passage

A passage says: 'The new bridge was praised in every report, though the ferrymen who lost their trade were not asked to write one.' What does the sentence imply about the reports?

  1. They present only the viewpoint of those who benefited Correct answer.
  2. They contain false figures about the bridge
  3. They were never actually published
  4. They were written by the ferrymen themselves

Explanation

The concessive 'though' clause points out whose voice is absent, implying the reports are one-sided rather than untrue. The passage criticises selection of witnesses, not accuracy of data. A careful reader distinguishes an incomplete account from a deliberately false one.

Question 31Reading comprehension of unseen prose passage

Read this sentence from an unseen passage: 'Grandmother's recipes were never written down, and so each daughter learned them by standing at her elbow.' Which inference is best supported?

  1. Grandmother could not read or write at all
  2. The daughters refused to write the recipes down
  3. The recipes were deliberately kept secret from sons
  4. The recipes survived through demonstration rather than text Correct answer.

Explanation

The causal 'and so' links the absence of written recipes to learning by watching. The passage explains a method of transmission, not a motive for secrecy or a claim about literacy. Only the first option follows strictly from what is stated.

Question 32Reading comprehension of unseen prose passage

In an unseen passage, a character says: 'I have read every book in this room twice, and I am still the stupidest man in the district.' Which effect does the speaker's self-description create?

  1. Irony, because his reading suggests the opposite of stupidity Correct answer.
  2. Boasting about the size of his library
  3. Straightforward confession of genuine ignorance
  4. Sarcasm aimed at the district's other residents

Explanation

The speaker reports wide reading and then calls himself stupid, and the reader sees the gap between the two. That gap is irony: the claim undercuts itself. It is not a sincere admission, nor is it mainly a boast or an attack on others.

Question 33Reading comprehension of unseen prose passage

A passage describes a market at dawn: 'Vendors unfolded their cloth, set out the vegetables in neat pyramids, and waited, hands folded, for the first customer.' What does the description chiefly convey about the vendors?

  1. Anxiety about selling out of stock
  2. Refusal to bargain with customers
  3. Patient preparation before trade begins Correct answer.
  4. Indifference to how their goods look

Explanation

The verbs 'unfolded', 'set out', and 'waited' describe orderly preparation followed by calm expectation. 'Hands folded' reinforces patience rather than worry or resistance. The neat pyramids also contradict any suggestion of indifference to appearance.

Question 34Reading comprehension of unseen prose passage

An unseen passage contains: 'The letter was short, but I read it four times before I understood that it was not addressed to me.' Which element makes the passage's ending effective?

  1. A summary of the writer's feelings about the post
  2. A detailed description of the letter's handwriting
  3. A late revelation that changes the meaning of what came before Correct answer.
  4. An explanation of how the letter was delivered

Explanation

The final clause reinterprets the repeated reading: the narrator lingered not from emotion but because the letter was never his. A delayed disclosure that recasts earlier details is the source of the effect. Handwriting, postal feelings, and delivery play no part in the sentence.

Question 35Reading comprehension of unseen prose passage

Which sentence from an unseen passage most clearly shows a character trying to hide an emotional reaction?

  1. She straightened the cups on the tray and asked whether anyone wanted more tea. Correct answer.
  2. She wept openly at the news and made no attempt to leave the room.
  3. She laughed so loudly that the neighbours came to the door.
  4. She argued with her brother until both of them were hoarse.

Explanation

Concealment is shown through displacement: the character turns to a small, ordinary task and a neutral question instead of responding to the news. The other sentences display emotion openly and directly. A reader should look for action that substitutes for feeling.

Question 36Reading comprehension of unseen prose passage

A passage states: 'The school had no library, so the teacher lent her own books, one at a time, and wrote each borrower's name in a notebook.' What does the detail of the notebook chiefly suggest?

  1. She had been ordered to keep records
  2. She distrusted every pupil in the class
  3. She treated the lending with care and seriousness Correct answer.
  4. She intended to sell the books later

Explanation

Recording each borrower's name in a notebook is a small act of system applied to a personal sacrifice. The detail shows responsibility for the books rather than suspicion of pupils. Nothing in the sentence refers to selling or to an official instruction.

Question 37Reading comprehension of unseen prose passage

In an unseen passage, the writer describes a monsoon cloud as 'a grey debt gathering over the town'. Which comment best explains the effect of this comparison?

  1. It presents the coming rain as something owed and unavoidable Correct answer.
  2. It shows the town has paid for good weather
  3. It indicates that the cloud is moving away
  4. It suggests the cloud is lighter than it appears

Explanation

A debt is something that must eventually be settled, so comparing the cloud to a debt makes the rain feel inevitable and pressing. The image also carries a hint of anxiety. Lightness, payment, and retreat all run against the sense of gathering obligation.

Question 38Reading comprehension of unseen prose passage

A passage reads: 'My uncle never raised his voice. When the roof blew off, he fetched a ladder, and by evening the tarpaulin was on.' What does the passage most strongly imply about the uncle?

  1. He is careless about household repairs
  2. He prefers to wait for help from neighbours
  3. He responds to crisis with practical calm Correct answer.
  4. He does not understand the danger of storms

Explanation

The contrast between the dramatic event and the uncle's quiet, prompt action defines his character. Fetching a ladder and finishing before evening shows competence, not indifference. No neighbour, no delay, and no misunderstanding appear in the passage.

Question 39Reading comprehension of unseen prose passage

An unseen passage includes: 'The old cinema showed three films a week, and the town's memory of them was longer than the films themselves.' Which interpretation of the second clause is best?

  1. The films were unusually long and slow
  2. The town forgot the films almost immediately
  3. The cinema kept copies of every film it showed
  4. People remembered the cinema-going experience far longer than the films lasted Correct answer.

Explanation

The comparison sets the films' brief running time against a much longer communal memory. What endures is the shared experience around the screenings. The clause says nothing about film length, archives, or forgetting.

Question 40Reading comprehension of unseen prose passage

A passage describes a clerk: 'He sharpened six pencils every morning and used none of them, but the desk always looked ready for work.' What does the detail reveal about him?

  1. He is preparing for a visiting inspector
  2. He cannot afford to buy more pencils
  3. He values the appearance of readiness more than the work itself Correct answer.
  4. He is the busiest worker in the office

Explanation

The gap between preparing six pencils and using none is the key: the desk is arranged to look productive. The detail gently mocks appearances rather than praising industry. No inspector, no poverty, and no unusual workload is mentioned.

Question 41Reading comprehension of unseen poem extract

In the Madhyamik unseen-poem section, a stanza reads: 'The tired river creeps beneath the bridge, / carrying the morning's broken light.' Which reading best captures what the river is doing in these lines?

  1. It floods violently and destroys the bridge above it.
  2. It dries up because the morning sun is too strong.
  3. It moves slowly and bears fragmented reflections of daylight. Correct answer.
  4. It flows backwards towards its source at dawn.

Explanation

The verb 'creeps' signals slow, sluggish movement, and 'broken light' suggests the sunlight scattered into fragments on the water. Together the images personify a weary river carrying shimmering pieces of morning light.

Question 42Reading comprehension of unseen poem extract

A poem in the Madhyamik paper contains the line 'The moon is a silver coin tossed into the sky.' Which figure of speech is used, and what does it achieve?

  1. Simile, comparing the moon to a coin using 'like'.
  2. Onomatopoeia, imitating the sound of a coin.
  3. Personification, giving the moon human actions.
  4. Metaphor, directly calling the moon a silver coin. Correct answer.

Explanation

A metaphor states that one thing is another without using 'like' or 'as'. Here the moon is directly identified as a silver coin, creating a bright, compact visual image of its round, shining shape.

Question 43Reading comprehension of unseen poem extract

Read this extract: 'Old house, your windows stare / like empty eyes at the road.' Which word most strongly creates the poem's eerie mood?

  1. windows
  2. house
  3. stare Correct answer.
  4. road

Explanation

'Stare' gives the house a watching, almost hostile presence, which produces the eerie feeling. The other words are neutral nouns that only set the scene without adding unease.

Question 44Reading comprehension of unseen poem extract

A poem opens: 'When winter loosens its grey grip / and the first bird tries its voice...' What does the image of winter 'loosening its grip' mainly suggest?

  1. The bird is afraid to sing.
  2. Winter is growing harsher and colder.
  3. The grey colour is spreading everywhere.
  4. Winter is losing its hold as spring approaches. Correct answer.

Explanation

To 'loosen its grip' means to relax control, so winter is pictured weakening and releasing the land. The singing bird that follows confirms the arrival of spring and the end of winter's power.

Question 45Reading comprehension of unseen poem extract

In a Madhyamik unseen poem, the poet writes: 'I have walked these lanes a thousand times.' What is the most likely purpose of the exaggeration?

  1. To stress how deeply familiar and habitual the walk is. Correct answer.
  2. To state the exact number of times the poet walked.
  3. To show that the poet is lost in the lanes.
  4. To prove the lanes are unusually long.

Explanation

'A thousand times' is hyperbole, an exaggeration used for emphasis rather than literal counting. It conveys long familiarity and routine, showing how well the poet knows those lanes.

Question 46Reading comprehension of unseen poem extract

A stanza ends with the line 'And still the empty chair waits by the door.' Which feeling does this closing image most directly create?

  1. Absence and longing Correct answer.
  2. Joyful celebration
  3. Calm indifference
  4. Anger and revenge

Explanation

An empty chair that 'waits' suggests someone is missing and expected but absent. The personified waiting chair conveys longing and loss rather than any happy or neutral feeling.

Question 47Reading comprehension of unseen poem extract

Read the extract: 'The train sighed, then slid from the platform.' Which statement best explains the effect of the poet's word choice here?

  1. The train is compared to a platform using a simile.
  2. The verb 'sighed' gives the train a human quality, making its departure feel reluctant. Correct answer.
  3. The word 'slid' shows the train was moving backwards.
  4. The line uses onomatopoeia to imitate the engine's exact sound.

Explanation

'Sighed' is a human action applied to a machine, which is personification. It makes the departure seem weary or reluctant, adding an emotional colour to a plain event.

Question 48Reading comprehension of unseen poem extract

A poem contains the line 'Not a leaf stirred; the whole garden held its breath.' What is the main effect of this sentence in the poem?

  1. It proves that the wind is blowing strongly.
  2. It creates a tense stillness just before something happens. Correct answer.
  3. It shows the garden is full of noisy activity.
  4. It describes the gardener's tiredness.

Explanation

'Not a leaf stirred' and the personified 'held its breath' together create suspension and stillness. Such imagery is typically used to build tension before a significant moment.

Question 49Reading comprehension of unseen poem extract

In an unseen poem the speaker says: 'My father's hands were maps of every field he ploughed.' Which interpretation of the metaphor is most defensible?

  1. The father literally drew maps of fields on his hands.
  2. The father's hands were soft and unused.
  3. The father's hands bore the marks of a lifetime of labour. Correct answer.
  4. The father worked in a map-making office.

Explanation

Calling the hands 'maps' suggests lines and marks that record where the father worked. The metaphor thus conveys a life of hard agricultural labour written on his body.

Question 50Reading comprehension of unseen poem extract

A two-line stanza reads: 'The seed remembers the dark, / the dark remembers the rain.' Which device is most clearly at work in these lines?

  1. A list of rhyming words with no connection.
  2. A direct address to the reader in the second person.
  3. A question asked by the speaker.
  4. Repetition with a shifting focus, linking seed, darkness and rain. Correct answer.

Explanation

The phrase 'the dark' is repeated and becomes the subject of the second line, creating a chain that links seed, darkness and rain. This repetition with variation builds a sense of natural continuity.