‘ELENA FINDS EXCITEMENT’

1. ‘ELENA FINDS EXCITEMENT’ Narrative Writing Comprehension Practice

2. While we are reading….. Highlight/underline/circle any reference to the senses: Touch Taste Smell Sound Sight

3. What did you find? Touch – ‘only a few feet from her face’ (line 6), ‘the dusty, bumpy ride to the farm’ (line 7) Taste – ‘had gorged herself silly on durian’ (line 13) Smell – no references to smell – how could the author have included this? Sound – ‘the roar of the engine’ (line 4), ‘A wasp buzzed slowly by’ (line 13-14) Sight – ‘she had seen silver streams whiz by’ (line 5), ‘the sun was sinking in a great ball of fire in the west’ (line 9)

4. Why do writers use senses in their narrative writing? Makes the narrative more ALIVE for the reader Creates stronger images in the reader’s mind Without senses, it could sound like this….. Elena Lai had travelled by train. Then she went to her grandparents farm. She arrived at the end of the day.

5. Find the 9 points to use in the summary question • From a first-person’s voice, explain clearly, in no more than 50 words, describing Elena’s adventure. (9 marks) • I was bored • Decided to try and reach the sea • Set off through the rubber plantation • At first it was easy • Came to a stream and began wading across it • Slipped and fell • Caught by current • Luckily, managed to get to other side • Had a narrow escape.

6. Qn1 What thrilled Elena? (2 marks) It was the first time Elena had traveled by train and she felt a secret thrill at the roar of the engine as it hurtled over the steel tracks. The roar of the train going over /moving on the steel tracks thrilled her.

7. Qn2 Why are streams described as ‘silver’ in the first paragraph? (2 marks) They reflect sunlight and flash in the sun, looking like silver.

8. Qn3 Which single word in the first paragraph tells us that Elena wishes to go home? (1 mark) Elena Lai was bored. It was only the third day of her visit to her grandparent’s farm in Kulai, Malaysia and already she was longing to be home. The word is ‘longing’.

9. Qn4 Pick out an idiom from the first paragraph and explain what it means. (2 marks) Idiom – fixed expression which has a meaning different from the meanings of the separate words The idiom is ‘out of the blue’. It means an unexpected event occurred.

10. Qn5 Is Elena imaginative? Explain. (2 marks) “How beautiful,” she had thought, “it’s like a great drop of liquid fire falling from heaven.” Yes. She imagined that the sun looked like a ‘great ball of fire falling from heaven’.

11. Qn6 What did her grandparents rear chickens for? (1 mark) Her grandparents reared chickens and sold eggs in the market. For their eggs to be sold in the market.

12. Qn7 Elena’s grandparents rear chickens and grew durian trees. What does this information tell you about their living conditions and way of life? (4 marks) They lived a simple life and were self-sufficient as they were able to support themselves by rearing chickens and growing durian trees. Since they reared chickens and grew durians trees for a living, this tells me that they live in a rather rural area and lead a backdated lifestyle of doing everything manually without technology. (Subject to answer and evidence provided)

13. Qn8 Which single word in the second paragraph tells us that Elena’s grandparents’ job requires great effort? (1 mark) Her grandparents were very busy people. Running a farm is a full-time, backbreaking job. There are a thousand and one things to do, from cooking the meals to cleaning out the chicken coops. The word is ‘backbreaking’.

14. Qn9 Why was Elena bored? (1 mark) “I wish there was something to do,” she sighed. “I wish there was someone here to talk to.” She had nothing to do and no one to play with.

15. Qn10 Why couldn’t she talk to her grandparents? (1 mark) Her grandparents were very busy people. Running a farm is a full-time, backbreaking job. They were very busy running the farm.

16. Qn11 • ‘At first, the going was easy’ (line 23). • What is Elena trying to do here? (1 mark) • “Grandpa’s farm is close to the sea. Maybe if I walked through this plantation I could reach it.” • She was trying to get to the sea by walking through the plantation. • What does the phrase ‘the going was easy’ mean? (1 mark) • It was effortless and trouble-free making her way through the plantation to the sea.

17. Qn12 What does Elena’s decision to look for a way to the sea tell you about her? (1 mark) “Grandpa’s farm is close to the sea. Maybe if I walked through this plantation I could reach it. It would be so nice to see the waves and feel the sand.” So she jumped off the gate and started walking through the plantation. She is an adventurous person.

18. Qn13 Does Elena like water? Explain. (2 marks) “What a nice stream,” she thought. “I’ll wade over it instead of going by the bridge. Yes. She preferred to wade across the stream rather than use the bridge.

19. Qn14 Pick out an idiom from paragraph 4 and explain what it means. (2 marks) The idiom is ‘All of a sudden’. It means without warning, unexpectedly.

20. Qn15 Explain in your own words what she tried to do when she slipped (2 marks) She tried to regain her footing but found that she couldn’t; the stream was deep at this point. She tried to put her feet down on the stream bed and stand upright.

21. Qn16 What did Elena mean by the phrase ‘that was close’? (2 marks) Elena pulled herself out and sat down on a rock, breathing hard. “That was close,” she said. She had a narrow escape from drowning.

22. Qn17 Is the author using first, second or third person narration in this passage? What evidence/s shows it? (2 marks) 3rd person. There is a prescence of a narrator who explains the character’s thoughts and experience to the reader.

23. Qn18 • For each of the following words, give one word or a short phrase of not more than seven words that has the same meaning that the word has in the passage. (6 marks) • she felt a secret thrill at the roar of the engine as it hurtled over the steel tracks • hurtled (line 4) moved with great speed; sped; rushed; raced • over dirt tracks flanked by rubber trees and bleating goats • flanked (line 7) lined; skirted; bordered • Elena had gorged herself silly on durian until she was thoroughly sick of it • gorged (line 13) stuffed with food; gulped; gobbled

24. Qn18 • For each of the following words, give one word or a short phrase of not more than seven words that has the same meaning that the word has in the passage. (6 marks) • I’ll wade over it instead of going by the bridge • wade (line 26) to walk through water • She took her shoes off and walked into the water. It was delightfully cold • delightfully (line 28) pleasantly; pleasurably; enjoyably • All of a sudden she slipped and stumbled • stumbled (line 31) tripped

25. Qn19 • From a first-person’s voice, explain clearly, in no more than 50 words, describing Elena’s adventure. (9 marks) • I was bored • Decided to try and reach the sea • Set off through the rubber plantation • At first it was easy • Came to a stream and began wading across it • Slipped and fell • Caught by current • Luckily, managed to get to other side • Had a narrow escape.

26. Filing FAMILY & LIFESTYLE SECTION Class test corrections Elena Finds Excitement DOLLARS & SENSE SECTION Journal – What’s your maid to you? TipTop paragraphing worksheet The exposition worksheet Grammar and vocab practice test Journal – Celebrity Grammar & vocab test AFOREST/FAP worksheet