TUTORWAVES 11-PLUS CEM_021

Read this passage carefully, then answer the questions that follow.

The Swiss Family Robinson

by Johann David Wyss

This story is told by a father who has been shipwrecked on an island along with his wife and sons, Jack and Fritz, and their pet dogs. They have spent the winter safely in Falconhurst which is the home that they built. The weather has recently improved, and it is time to find out what effect the winter storms have had on their tree house and tents.

The winds at length were lulled, the sun shot his brilliant rays through the clouds, the rain ceased to fall – spring had come. No prisoners set free could have felt more joy than we did as we stepped out from our winter home. We refreshed our eyes with the pleasant greenery around us, and our ears with the merry songs of a thousand happy birds, and drank in the pure air of spring. Our tree house was our first care: filled with leaves and broken and torn by the wind, it looked indeed dilapidated. We worked hard, and in a few days it was again habitable. I was anxious to visit the tent, for I feared that much of our precious stores might have suffered.

The damage done to Falconhurst was nothing compared to the scene that awaited us. The tent was blown to the ground, the canvas torn to rags, and the provisions soaked. We immediately spread the things that we hoped to preserve in the sun to dry. The irreparable damage we had suffered made me resolve to find some safer and more stable winter-quarters before the arrival of the next rainy season. Fritz proposed that we should hollow out a cave in the rock. The difficulties such a task would present appeared almost insurmountable, yet I was determined to make the attempt. We might not, I thought, cut out a cavern of sufficient size to serve as a room, but we might at least make a cellar for the more valuable and perishable of our stores.

Some days afterwards we left Falconhurst with the cart laden with a cargo of spades, hammers, chisels, pickaxes and crowbars, and began the work. On the smooth face of the rock I drew out in chalk the size of the proposed entrance, and then, with minds bent on success, we battered away. Six days of hard and incessant toil made little impression; I do not think that the hole would have been a satisfactory shelter for even our smallest dog. But we still did not despair, and were soon rewarded by coming to a softer and more yielding substance; our work progressed, and our minds were relieved. On the tenth day, as our persevering blows were falling heavily, Jack, who was working hard with a hammer and crowbar, shouted:

‘Gone, father! Fritz, my bar has gone through the mountain! It went right through the rock; I heard it crash down inside. Oh, do come and see!’

We sprang to his side, and I thrust the handle of my hammer into the hole. I could turn it in any direction I chose. Fritz handed me a long pole; I tried the depth with that. Nothing could I feel. A thin wall, then, was all that stood between us and a great cavern.

With a shout of joy, we battered vigorously at the rock; piece by piece fell, and soon the hole was large enough for us to enter. Fritz and I enlarged the opening, while Jack, springing on his horse, thundered away to Falconhurst to bear the great and astonishing news to his mother.

He soon returned, quickly followed by the rest of our party in the cart. All were in the highest state of excitement.

Jack had stowed in the cart all the candles he could find, and we now, lighting these, entered. I led the way. Silently we marched – my wife, the boys, and even the dogs seeming overawed with the grandeur and beauty of the scene. We were in a cave of diamonds – a vast chamber of glittering crystal. The candles reflected on the walls a golden light, bright as the stars, while great crystal pillars rose from the floor like mighty trees, mingling their branches which sparkled and glittered with all the colours of the rainbow.

The floor of this magnificent palace was formed of hard, dry sand, so dry that I saw at once that we might safely make our home inside it.

 

At what time of the year is the passage set?

Read this passage carefully, then answer the questions that follow.

The Swiss Family Robinson

by Johann David Wyss

This story is told by a father who has been shipwrecked on an island along with his wife and sons, Jack and Fritz, and their pet dogs. They have spent the winter safely in Falconhurst which is the home that they built. The weather has recently improved, and it is time to find out what effect the winter storms have had on their tree house and tents.

The winds at length were lulled, the sun shot his brilliant rays through the clouds, the rain ceased to fall – spring had come. No prisoners set free could have felt more joy than we did as we stepped out from our winter home. We refreshed our eyes with the pleasant greenery around us, and our ears with the merry songs of a thousand happy birds, and drank in the pure air of spring. Our tree house was our first care: filled with leaves and broken and torn by the wind, it looked indeed dilapidated. We worked hard, and in a few days it was again habitable. I was anxious to visit the tent, for I feared that much of our precious stores might have suffered.

The damage done to Falconhurst was nothing compared to the scene that awaited us. The tent was blown to the ground, the canvas torn to rags, and the provisions soaked. We immediately spread the things that we hoped to preserve in the sun to dry. The irreparable damage we had suffered made me resolve to find some safer and more stable winter-quarters before the arrival of the next rainy season. Fritz proposed that we should hollow out a cave in the rock. The difficulties such a task would present appeared almost insurmountable, yet I was determined to make the attempt. We might not, I thought, cut out a cavern of sufficient size to serve as a room, but we might at least make a cellar for the more valuable and perishable of our stores.

Some days afterwards we left Falconhurst with the cart laden with a cargo of spades, hammers, chisels, pickaxes and crowbars, and began the work. On the smooth face of the rock I drew out in chalk the size of the proposed entrance, and then, with minds bent on success, we battered away. Six days of hard and incessant toil made little impression; I do not think that the hole would have been a satisfactory shelter for even our smallest dog. But we still did not despair, and were soon rewarded by coming to a softer and more yielding substance; our work progressed, and our minds were relieved. On the tenth day, as our persevering blows were falling heavily, Jack, who was working hard with a hammer and crowbar, shouted:

‘Gone, father! Fritz, my bar has gone through the mountain! It went right through the rock; I heard it crash down inside. Oh, do come and see!’

We sprang to his side, and I thrust the handle of my hammer into the hole. I could turn it in any direction I chose. Fritz handed me a long pole; I tried the depth with that. Nothing could I feel. A thin wall, then, was all that stood between us and a great cavern.

With a shout of joy, we battered vigorously at the rock; piece by piece fell, and soon the hole was large enough for us to enter. Fritz and I enlarged the opening, while Jack, springing on his horse, thundered away to Falconhurst to bear the great and astonishing news to his mother.

He soon returned, quickly followed by the rest of our party in the cart. All were in the highest state of excitement.

Jack had stowed in the cart all the candles he could find, and we now, lighting these, entered. I led the way. Silently we marched – my wife, the boys, and even the dogs seeming overawed with the grandeur and beauty of the scene. We were in a cave of diamonds – a vast chamber of glittering crystal. The candles reflected on the walls a golden light, bright as the stars, while great crystal pillars rose from the floor like mighty trees, mingling their branches which sparkled and glittered with all the colours of the rainbow.

The floor of this magnificent palace was formed of hard, dry sand, so dry that I saw at once that we might safely make our home inside it.

 

The father compares himself and his family to prisoners set free. Why?

Read this passage carefully, then answer the questions that follow.

The Swiss Family Robinson

by Johann David Wyss

This story is told by a father who has been shipwrecked on an island along with his wife and sons, Jack and Fritz, and their pet dogs. They have spent the winter safely in Falconhurst which is the home that they built. The weather has recently improved, and it is time to find out what effect the winter storms have had on their tree house and tents.

The winds at length were lulled, the sun shot his brilliant rays through the clouds, the rain ceased to fall – spring had come. No prisoners set free could have felt more joy than we did as we stepped out from our winter home. We refreshed our eyes with the pleasant greenery around us, and our ears with the merry songs of a thousand happy birds, and drank in the pure air of spring. Our tree house was our first care: filled with leaves and broken and torn by the wind, it looked indeed dilapidated. We worked hard, and in a few days it was again habitable. I was anxious to visit the tent, for I feared that much of our precious stores might have suffered.

The damage done to Falconhurst was nothing compared to the scene that awaited us. The tent was blown to the ground, the canvas torn to rags, and the provisions soaked. We immediately spread the things that we hoped to preserve in the sun to dry. The irreparable damage we had suffered made me resolve to find some safer and more stable winter-quarters before the arrival of the next rainy season. Fritz proposed that we should hollow out a cave in the rock. The difficulties such a task would present appeared almost insurmountable, yet I was determined to make the attempt. We might not, I thought, cut out a cavern of sufficient size to serve as a room, but we might at least make a cellar for the more valuable and perishable of our stores.

Some days afterwards we left Falconhurst with the cart laden with a cargo of spades, hammers, chisels, pickaxes and crowbars, and began the work. On the smooth face of the rock I drew out in chalk the size of the proposed entrance, and then, with minds bent on success, we battered away. Six days of hard and incessant toil made little impression; I do not think that the hole would have been a satisfactory shelter for even our smallest dog. But we still did not despair, and were soon rewarded by coming to a softer and more yielding substance; our work progressed, and our minds were relieved. On the tenth day, as our persevering blows were falling heavily, Jack, who was working hard with a hammer and crowbar, shouted:

‘Gone, father! Fritz, my bar has gone through the mountain! It went right through the rock; I heard it crash down inside. Oh, do come and see!’

We sprang to his side, and I thrust the handle of my hammer into the hole. I could turn it in any direction I chose. Fritz handed me a long pole; I tried the depth with that. Nothing could I feel. A thin wall, then, was all that stood between us and a great cavern.

With a shout of joy, we battered vigorously at the rock; piece by piece fell, and soon the hole was large enough for us to enter. Fritz and I enlarged the opening, while Jack, springing on his horse, thundered away to Falconhurst to bear the great and astonishing news to his mother.

He soon returned, quickly followed by the rest of our party in the cart. All were in the highest state of excitement.

Jack had stowed in the cart all the candles he could find, and we now, lighting these, entered. I led the way. Silently we marched – my wife, the boys, and even the dogs seeming overawed with the grandeur and beauty of the scene. We were in a cave of diamonds – a vast chamber of glittering crystal. The candles reflected on the walls a golden light, bright as the stars, while great crystal pillars rose from the floor like mighty trees, mingling their branches which sparkled and glittered with all the colours of the rainbow.

The floor of this magnificent palace was formed of hard, dry sand, so dry that I saw at once that we might safely make our home inside it.

 

‘The winds at length were lulled’ What is another way of saying ‘lulled’?

Read this passage carefully, then answer the questions that follow.

The Swiss Family Robinson

by Johann David Wyss

This story is told by a father who has been shipwrecked on an island along with his wife and sons, Jack and Fritz, and their pet dogs. They have spent the winter safely in Falconhurst which is the home that they built. The weather has recently improved, and it is time to find out what effect the winter storms have had on their tree house and tents.

The winds at length were lulled, the sun shot his brilliant rays through the clouds, the rain ceased to fall – spring had come. No prisoners set free could have felt more joy than we did as we stepped out from our winter home. We refreshed our eyes with the pleasant greenery around us, and our ears with the merry songs of a thousand happy birds, and drank in the pure air of spring. Our tree house was our first care: filled with leaves and broken and torn by the wind, it looked indeed dilapidated. We worked hard, and in a few days it was again habitable. I was anxious to visit the tent, for I feared that much of our precious stores might have suffered.

The damage done to Falconhurst was nothing compared to the scene that awaited us. The tent was blown to the ground, the canvas torn to rags, and the provisions soaked. We immediately spread the things that we hoped to preserve in the sun to dry. The irreparable damage we had suffered made me resolve to find some safer and more stable winter-quarters before the arrival of the next rainy season. Fritz proposed that we should hollow out a cave in the rock. The difficulties such a task would present appeared almost insurmountable, yet I was determined to make the attempt. We might not, I thought, cut out a cavern of sufficient size to serve as a room, but we might at least make a cellar for the more valuable and perishable of our stores.

Some days afterwards we left Falconhurst with the cart laden with a cargo of spades, hammers, chisels, pickaxes and crowbars, and began the work. On the smooth face of the rock I drew out in chalk the size of the proposed entrance, and then, with minds bent on success, we battered away. Six days of hard and incessant toil made little impression; I do not think that the hole would have been a satisfactory shelter for even our smallest dog. But we still did not despair, and were soon rewarded by coming to a softer and more yielding substance; our work progressed, and our minds were relieved. On the tenth day, as our persevering blows were falling heavily, Jack, who was working hard with a hammer and crowbar, shouted:

‘Gone, father! Fritz, my bar has gone through the mountain! It went right through the rock; I heard it crash down inside. Oh, do come and see!’

We sprang to his side, and I thrust the handle of my hammer into the hole. I could turn it in any direction I chose. Fritz handed me a long pole; I tried the depth with that. Nothing could I feel. A thin wall, then, was all that stood between us and a great cavern.

With a shout of joy, we battered vigorously at the rock; piece by piece fell, and soon the hole was large enough for us to enter. Fritz and I enlarged the opening, while Jack, springing on his horse, thundered away to Falconhurst to bear the great and astonishing news to his mother.

He soon returned, quickly followed by the rest of our party in the cart. All were in the highest state of excitement.

Jack had stowed in the cart all the candles he could find, and we now, lighting these, entered. I led the way. Silently we marched – my wife, the boys, and even the dogs seeming overawed with the grandeur and beauty of the scene. We were in a cave of diamonds – a vast chamber of glittering crystal. The candles reflected on the walls a golden light, bright as the stars, while great crystal pillars rose from the floor like mighty trees, mingling their branches which sparkled and glittered with all the colours of the rainbow.

The floor of this magnificent palace was formed of hard, dry sand, so dry that I saw at once that we might safely make our home inside it.

 

Read this passage carefully, then answer the questions that follow.

The Swiss Family Robinson

by Johann David Wyss

This story is told by a father who has been shipwrecked on an island along with his wife and sons, Jack and Fritz, and their pet dogs. They have spent the winter safely in Falconhurst which is the home that they built. The weather has recently improved, and it is time to find out what effect the winter storms have had on their tree house and tents.

The winds at length were lulled, the sun shot his brilliant rays through the clouds, the rain ceased to fall – spring had come. No prisoners set free could have felt more joy than we did as we stepped out from our winter home. We refreshed our eyes with the pleasant greenery around us, and our ears with the merry songs of a thousand happy birds, and drank in the pure air of spring. Our tree house was our first care: filled with leaves and broken and torn by the wind, it looked indeed dilapidated. We worked hard, and in a few days it was again habitable. I was anxious to visit the tent, for I feared that much of our precious stores might have suffered.

The damage done to Falconhurst was nothing compared to the scene that awaited us. The tent was blown to the ground, the canvas torn to rags, and the provisions soaked. We immediately spread the things that we hoped to preserve in the sun to dry. The irreparable damage we had suffered made me resolve to find some safer and more stable winter-quarters before the arrival of the next rainy season. Fritz proposed that we should hollow out a cave in the rock. The difficulties such a task would present appeared almost insurmountable, yet I was determined to make the attempt. We might not, I thought, cut out a cavern of sufficient size to serve as a room, but we might at least make a cellar for the more valuable and perishable of our stores.

Some days afterwards we left Falconhurst with the cart laden with a cargo of spades, hammers, chisels, pickaxes and crowbars, and began the work. On the smooth face of the rock I drew out in chalk the size of the proposed entrance, and then, with minds bent on success, we battered away. Six days of hard and incessant toil made little impression; I do not think that the hole would have been a satisfactory shelter for even our smallest dog. But we still did not despair, and were soon rewarded by coming to a softer and more yielding substance; our work progressed, and our minds were relieved. On the tenth day, as our persevering blows were falling heavily, Jack, who was working hard with a hammer and crowbar, shouted:

‘Gone, father! Fritz, my bar has gone through the mountain! It went right through the rock; I heard it crash down inside. Oh, do come and see!’

We sprang to his side, and I thrust the handle of my hammer into the hole. I could turn it in any direction I chose. Fritz handed me a long pole; I tried the depth with that. Nothing could I feel. A thin wall, then, was all that stood between us and a great cavern.

With a shout of joy, we battered vigorously at the rock; piece by piece fell, and soon the hole was large enough for us to enter. Fritz and I enlarged the opening, while Jack, springing on his horse, thundered away to Falconhurst to bear the great and astonishing news to his mother.

He soon returned, quickly followed by the rest of our party in the cart. All were in the highest state of excitement.

Jack had stowed in the cart all the candles he could find, and we now, lighting these, entered. I led the way. Silently we marched – my wife, the boys, and even the dogs seeming overawed with the grandeur and beauty of the scene. We were in a cave of diamonds – a vast chamber of glittering crystal. The candles reflected on the walls a golden light, bright as the stars, while great crystal pillars rose from the floor like mighty trees, mingling their branches which sparkled and glittered with all the colours of the rainbow.

The floor of this magnificent palace was formed of hard, dry sand, so dry that I saw at once that we might safely make our home inside it.

 

Where had the family kept their supplies over the winter?

Read this passage carefully, then answer the questions that follow.

The Swiss Family Robinson

by Johann David Wyss

This story is told by a father who has been shipwrecked on an island along with his wife and sons, Jack and Fritz, and their pet dogs. They have spent the winter safely in Falconhurst which is the home that they built. The weather has recently improved, and it is time to find out what effect the winter storms have had on their tree house and tents.

The winds at length were lulled, the sun shot his brilliant rays through the clouds, the rain ceased to fall – spring had come. No prisoners set free could have felt more joy than we did as we stepped out from our winter home. We refreshed our eyes with the pleasant greenery around us, and our ears with the merry songs of a thousand happy birds, and drank in the pure air of spring. Our tree house was our first care: filled with leaves and broken and torn by the wind, it looked indeed dilapidated. We worked hard, and in a few days it was again habitable. I was anxious to visit the tent, for I feared that much of our precious stores might have suffered.

The damage done to Falconhurst was nothing compared to the scene that awaited us. The tent was blown to the ground, the canvas torn to rags, and the provisions soaked. We immediately spread the things that we hoped to preserve in the sun to dry. The irreparable damage we had suffered made me resolve to find some safer and more stable winter-quarters before the arrival of the next rainy season. Fritz proposed that we should hollow out a cave in the rock. The difficulties such a task would present appeared almost insurmountable, yet I was determined to make the attempt. We might not, I thought, cut out a cavern of sufficient size to serve as a room, but we might at least make a cellar for the more valuable and perishable of our stores.

Some days afterwards we left Falconhurst with the cart laden with a cargo of spades, hammers, chisels, pickaxes and crowbars, and began the work. On the smooth face of the rock I drew out in chalk the size of the proposed entrance, and then, with minds bent on success, we battered away. Six days of hard and incessant toil made little impression; I do not think that the hole would have been a satisfactory shelter for even our smallest dog. But we still did not despair, and were soon rewarded by coming to a softer and more yielding substance; our work progressed, and our minds were relieved. On the tenth day, as our persevering blows were falling heavily, Jack, who was working hard with a hammer and crowbar, shouted:

‘Gone, father! Fritz, my bar has gone through the mountain! It went right through the rock; I heard it crash down inside. Oh, do come and see!’

We sprang to his side, and I thrust the handle of my hammer into the hole. I could turn it in any direction I chose. Fritz handed me a long pole; I tried the depth with that. Nothing could I feel. A thin wall, then, was all that stood between us and a great cavern.

With a shout of joy, we battered vigorously at the rock; piece by piece fell, and soon the hole was large enough for us to enter. Fritz and I enlarged the opening, while Jack, springing on his horse, thundered away to Falconhurst to bear the great and astonishing news to his mother.

He soon returned, quickly followed by the rest of our party in the cart. All were in the highest state of excitement.

Jack had stowed in the cart all the candles he could find, and we now, lighting these, entered. I led the way. Silently we marched – my wife, the boys, and even the dogs seeming overawed with the grandeur and beauty of the scene. We were in a cave of diamonds – a vast chamber of glittering crystal. The candles reflected on the walls a golden light, bright as the stars, while great crystal pillars rose from the floor like mighty trees, mingling their branches which sparkled and glittered with all the colours of the rainbow.

The floor of this magnificent palace was formed of hard, dry sand, so dry that I saw at once that we might safely make our home inside it.

 

How did the family attempt to rescue their supplies?

Read this passage carefully, then answer the questions that follow.

The Swiss Family Robinson

by Johann David Wyss

This story is told by a father who has been shipwrecked on an island along with his wife and sons, Jack and Fritz, and their pet dogs. They have spent the winter safely in Falconhurst which is the home that they built. The weather has recently improved, and it is time to find out what effect the winter storms have had on their tree house and tents.

The winds at length were lulled, the sun shot his brilliant rays through the clouds, the rain ceased to fall – spring had come. No prisoners set free could have felt more joy than we did as we stepped out from our winter home. We refreshed our eyes with the pleasant greenery around us, and our ears with the merry songs of a thousand happy birds, and drank in the pure air of spring. Our tree house was our first care: filled with leaves and broken and torn by the wind, it looked indeed dilapidated. We worked hard, and in a few days it was again habitable. I was anxious to visit the tent, for I feared that much of our precious stores might have suffered.

The damage done to Falconhurst was nothing compared to the scene that awaited us. The tent was blown to the ground, the canvas torn to rags, and the provisions soaked. We immediately spread the things that we hoped to preserve in the sun to dry. The irreparable damage we had suffered made me resolve to find some safer and more stable winter-quarters before the arrival of the next rainy season. Fritz proposed that we should hollow out a cave in the rock. The difficulties such a task would present appeared almost insurmountable, yet I was determined to make the attempt. We might not, I thought, cut out a cavern of sufficient size to serve as a room, but we might at least make a cellar for the more valuable and perishable of our stores.

Some days afterwards we left Falconhurst with the cart laden with a cargo of spades, hammers, chisels, pickaxes and crowbars, and began the work. On the smooth face of the rock I drew out in chalk the size of the proposed entrance, and then, with minds bent on success, we battered away. Six days of hard and incessant toil made little impression; I do not think that the hole would have been a satisfactory shelter for even our smallest dog. But we still did not despair, and were soon rewarded by coming to a softer and more yielding substance; our work progressed, and our minds were relieved. On the tenth day, as our persevering blows were falling heavily, Jack, who was working hard with a hammer and crowbar, shouted:

‘Gone, father! Fritz, my bar has gone through the mountain! It went right through the rock; I heard it crash down inside. Oh, do come and see!’

We sprang to his side, and I thrust the handle of my hammer into the hole. I could turn it in any direction I chose. Fritz handed me a long pole; I tried the depth with that. Nothing could I feel. A thin wall, then, was all that stood between us and a great cavern.

With a shout of joy, we battered vigorously at the rock; piece by piece fell, and soon the hole was large enough for us to enter. Fritz and I enlarged the opening, while Jack, springing on his horse, thundered away to Falconhurst to bear the great and astonishing news to his mother.

He soon returned, quickly followed by the rest of our party in the cart. All were in the highest state of excitement.

Jack had stowed in the cart all the candles he could find, and we now, lighting these, entered. I led the way. Silently we marched – my wife, the boys, and even the dogs seeming overawed with the grandeur and beauty of the scene. We were in a cave of diamonds – a vast chamber of glittering crystal. The candles reflected on the walls a golden light, bright as the stars, while great crystal pillars rose from the floor like mighty trees, mingling their branches which sparkled and glittered with all the colours of the rainbow.

The floor of this magnificent palace was formed of hard, dry sand, so dry that I saw at once that we might safely make our home inside it.

 

The father considered the damage inflicted on their property ‘irreparable’. What does this word; ‘irreparable’ suggest he thought about the damage?

Read this passage carefully, then answer the questions that follow.

The Swiss Family Robinson

by Johann David Wyss

This story is told by a father who has been shipwrecked on an island along with his wife and sons, Jack and Fritz, and their pet dogs. They have spent the winter safely in Falconhurst which is the home that they built. The weather has recently improved, and it is time to find out what effect the winter storms have had on their tree house and tents.

The winds at length were lulled, the sun shot his brilliant rays through the clouds, the rain ceased to fall – spring had come. No prisoners set free could have felt more joy than we did as we stepped out from our winter home. We refreshed our eyes with the pleasant greenery around us, and our ears with the merry songs of a thousand happy birds, and drank in the pure air of spring. Our tree house was our first care: filled with leaves and broken and torn by the wind, it looked indeed dilapidated. We worked hard, and in a few days it was again habitable. I was anxious to visit the tent, for I feared that much of our precious stores might have suffered.

The damage done to Falconhurst was nothing compared to the scene that awaited us. The tent was blown to the ground, the canvas torn to rags, and the provisions soaked. We immediately spread the things that we hoped to preserve in the sun to dry. The irreparable damage we had suffered made me resolve to find some safer and more stable winter-quarters before the arrival of the next rainy season. Fritz proposed that we should hollow out a cave in the rock. The difficulties such a task would present appeared almost insurmountable, yet I was determined to make the attempt. We might not, I thought, cut out a cavern of sufficient size to serve as a room, but we might at least make a cellar for the more valuable and perishable of our stores.

Some days afterwards we left Falconhurst with the cart laden with a cargo of spades, hammers, chisels, pickaxes and crowbars, and began the work. On the smooth face of the rock I drew out in chalk the size of the proposed entrance, and then, with minds bent on success, we battered away. Six days of hard and incessant toil made little impression; I do not think that the hole would have been a satisfactory shelter for even our smallest dog. But we still did not despair, and were soon rewarded by coming to a softer and more yielding substance; our work progressed, and our minds were relieved. On the tenth day, as our persevering blows were falling heavily, Jack, who was working hard with a hammer and crowbar, shouted:

‘Gone, father! Fritz, my bar has gone through the mountain! It went right through the rock; I heard it crash down inside. Oh, do come and see!’

We sprang to his side, and I thrust the handle of my hammer into the hole. I could turn it in any direction I chose. Fritz handed me a long pole; I tried the depth with that. Nothing could I feel. A thin wall, then, was all that stood between us and a great cavern.

With a shout of joy, we battered vigorously at the rock; piece by piece fell, and soon the hole was large enough for us to enter. Fritz and I enlarged the opening, while Jack, springing on his horse, thundered away to Falconhurst to bear the great and astonishing news to his mother.

He soon returned, quickly followed by the rest of our party in the cart. All were in the highest state of excitement.

Jack had stowed in the cart all the candles he could find, and we now, lighting these, entered. I led the way. Silently we marched – my wife, the boys, and even the dogs seeming overawed with the grandeur and beauty of the scene. We were in a cave of diamonds – a vast chamber of glittering crystal. The candles reflected on the walls a golden light, bright as the stars, while great crystal pillars rose from the floor like mighty trees, mingling their branches which sparkled and glittered with all the colours of the rainbow.

The floor of this magnificent palace was formed of hard, dry sand, so dry that I saw at once that we might safely make our home inside it.

 

What is meant by ‘quarters’ ?

Read this passage carefully, then answer the questions that follow.

The Swiss Family Robinson

by Johann David Wyss

This story is told by a father who has been shipwrecked on an island along with his wife and sons, Jack and Fritz, and their pet dogs. They have spent the winter safely in Falconhurst which is the home that they built. The weather has recently improved, and it is time to find out what effect the winter storms have had on their tree house and tents.

The winds at length were lulled, the sun shot his brilliant rays through the clouds, the rain ceased to fall – spring had come. No prisoners set free could have felt more joy than we did as we stepped out from our winter home. We refreshed our eyes with the pleasant greenery around us, and our ears with the merry songs of a thousand happy birds, and drank in the pure air of spring. Our tree house was our first care: filled with leaves and broken and torn by the wind, it looked indeed dilapidated. We worked hard, and in a few days it was again habitable. I was anxious to visit the tent, for I feared that much of our precious stores might have suffered.

The damage done to Falconhurst was nothing compared to the scene that awaited us. The tent was blown to the ground, the canvas torn to rags, and the provisions soaked. We immediately spread the things that we hoped to preserve in the sun to dry. The irreparable damage we had suffered made me resolve to find some safer and more stable winter-quarters before the arrival of the next rainy season. Fritz proposed that we should hollow out a cave in the rock. The difficulties such a task would present appeared almost insurmountable, yet I was determined to make the attempt. We might not, I thought, cut out a cavern of sufficient size to serve as a room, but we might at least make a cellar for the more valuable and perishable of our stores.

Some days afterwards we left Falconhurst with the cart laden with a cargo of spades, hammers, chisels, pickaxes and crowbars, and began the work. On the smooth face of the rock I drew out in chalk the size of the proposed entrance, and then, with minds bent on success, we battered away. Six days of hard and incessant toil made little impression; I do not think that the hole would have been a satisfactory shelter for even our smallest dog. But we still did not despair, and were soon rewarded by coming to a softer and more yielding substance; our work progressed, and our minds were relieved. On the tenth day, as our persevering blows were falling heavily, Jack, who was working hard with a hammer and crowbar, shouted:

‘Gone, father! Fritz, my bar has gone through the mountain! It went right through the rock; I heard it crash down inside. Oh, do come and see!’

We sprang to his side, and I thrust the handle of my hammer into the hole. I could turn it in any direction I chose. Fritz handed me a long pole; I tried the depth with that. Nothing could I feel. A thin wall, then, was all that stood between us and a great cavern.

With a shout of joy, we battered vigorously at the rock; piece by piece fell, and soon the hole was large enough for us to enter. Fritz and I enlarged the opening, while Jack, springing on his horse, thundered away to Falconhurst to bear the great and astonishing news to his mother.

He soon returned, quickly followed by the rest of our party in the cart. All were in the highest state of excitement.

Jack had stowed in the cart all the candles he could find, and we now, lighting these, entered. I led the way. Silently we marched – my wife, the boys, and even the dogs seeming overawed with the grandeur and beauty of the scene. We were in a cave of diamonds – a vast chamber of glittering crystal. The candles reflected on the walls a golden light, bright as the stars, while great crystal pillars rose from the floor like mighty trees, mingling their branches which sparkled and glittered with all the colours of the rainbow.

The floor of this magnificent palace was formed of hard, dry sand, so dry that I saw at once that we might safely make our home inside it.

 

What do we know about the climate on the island?

Read this passage carefully, then answer the questions that follow.

The Swiss Family Robinson

by Johann David Wyss

This story is told by a father who has been shipwrecked on an island along with his wife and sons, Jack and Fritz, and their pet dogs. They have spent the winter safely in Falconhurst which is the home that they built. The weather has recently improved, and it is time to find out what effect the winter storms have had on their tree house and tents.

The winds at length were lulled, the sun shot his brilliant rays through the clouds, the rain ceased to fall – spring had come. No prisoners set free could have felt more joy than we did as we stepped out from our winter home. We refreshed our eyes with the pleasant greenery around us, and our ears with the merry songs of a thousand happy birds, and drank in the pure air of spring. Our tree house was our first care: filled with leaves and broken and torn by the wind, it looked indeed dilapidated. We worked hard, and in a few days it was again habitable. I was anxious to visit the tent, for I feared that much of our precious stores might have suffered.

The damage done to Falconhurst was nothing compared to the scene that awaited us. The tent was blown to the ground, the canvas torn to rags, and the provisions soaked. We immediately spread the things that we hoped to preserve in the sun to dry. The irreparable damage we had suffered made me resolve to find some safer and more stable winter-quarters before the arrival of the next rainy season. Fritz proposed that we should hollow out a cave in the rock. The difficulties such a task would present appeared almost insurmountable, yet I was determined to make the attempt. We might not, I thought, cut out a cavern of sufficient size to serve as a room, but we might at least make a cellar for the more valuable and perishable of our stores.

Some days afterwards we left Falconhurst with the cart laden with a cargo of spades, hammers, chisels, pickaxes and crowbars, and began the work. On the smooth face of the rock I drew out in chalk the size of the proposed entrance, and then, with minds bent on success, we battered away. Six days of hard and incessant toil made little impression; I do not think that the hole would have been a satisfactory shelter for even our smallest dog. But we still did not despair, and were soon rewarded by coming to a softer and more yielding substance; our work progressed, and our minds were relieved. On the tenth day, as our persevering blows were falling heavily, Jack, who was working hard with a hammer and crowbar, shouted:

‘Gone, father! Fritz, my bar has gone through the mountain! It went right through the rock; I heard it crash down inside. Oh, do come and see!’

We sprang to his side, and I thrust the handle of my hammer into the hole. I could turn it in any direction I chose. Fritz handed me a long pole; I tried the depth with that. Nothing could I feel. A thin wall, then, was all that stood between us and a great cavern.

With a shout of joy, we battered vigorously at the rock; piece by piece fell, and soon the hole was large enough for us to enter. Fritz and I enlarged the opening, while Jack, springing on his horse, thundered away to Falconhurst to bear the great and astonishing news to his mother.

He soon returned, quickly followed by the rest of our party in the cart. All were in the highest state of excitement.

Jack had stowed in the cart all the candles he could find, and we now, lighting these, entered. I led the way. Silently we marched – my wife, the boys, and even the dogs seeming overawed with the grandeur and beauty of the scene. We were in a cave of diamonds – a vast chamber of glittering crystal. The candles reflected on the walls a golden light, bright as the stars, while great crystal pillars rose from the floor like mighty trees, mingling their branches which sparkled and glittered with all the colours of the rainbow.

The floor of this magnificent palace was formed of hard, dry sand, so dry that I saw at once that we might safely make our home inside it.

 

Based on the passage, what was the main goal of hollowing out a cave in the rock?

Childhood is a time when there are 11. _____ responsibilities to make life difficult. If a child 12.______ good parents, he is fed, looked 13._______ and loved, whatever he may do, it is improbable that he will ever again in his life 14._______ given so much without having to do anything 15._______ return. In addition, life is always 16._______ new things to the child. A child finds 17._______ in playing in the rain or in the snow. His first visit 18.________ the seaside is marvellous adventure. But a child has his pains; he is not free to do as he wishes; he is continually being 19._______ not to do things or is being 20._______ . His life is therefore not perfectly happy.

 

Childhood is a time when there are 11. _____ responsibilities to make life difficult.

Childhood is a time when there are 11. _____ responsibilities to make life difficult. If a child 12.______ good parents, he is fed, looked 13._______ and loved, whatever he may do, it is improbable that he will ever again in his life 14._______ given so much without having to do anything 15._______ return. In addition, life is always 16._______ new things to the child. A child finds 17._______ in playing in the rain or in the snow. His first visit 18.________ the seaside is marvellous adventure. But a child has his pains; he is not free to do as he wishes; he is continually being 19._______ not to do things or is being 20._______ . His life is therefore not perfectly happy.

Childhood is a time when there are 11. _____ responsibilities to make life difficult. If a child 12.______ good parents, he is fed, looked 13._______ and loved, whatever he may do, it is improbable that he will ever again in his life 14._______ given so much without having to do anything 15._______ return. In addition, life is always 16._______ new things to the child. A child finds 17._______ in playing in the rain or in the snow. His first visit 18.________ the seaside is marvellous adventure. But a child has his pains; he is not free to do as he wishes; he is continually being 19._______ not to do things or is being 20._______ . His life is therefore not perfectly happy.

Childhood is a time when there are 11. _____ responsibilities to make life difficult. If a child 12.______ good parents, he is fed, looked 13._______ and loved, whatever he may do, it is improbable that he will ever again in his life 14._______ given so much without having to do anything 15._______ return. In addition, life is always 16._______ new things to the child. A child finds 17._______ in playing in the rain or in the snow. His first visit 18.________ the seaside is marvellous adventure. But a child has his pains; he is not free to do as he wishes; he is continually being 19._______ not to do things or is being 20._______ . His life is therefore not perfectly happy.

Childhood is a time when there are 11. _____ responsibilities to make life difficult. If a child 12.______ good parents, he is fed, looked 13._______ and loved, whatever he may do, it is improbable that he will ever again in his life 14._______ given so much without having to do anything 15._______ return. In addition, life is always 16._______ new things to the child. A child finds 17._______ in playing in the rain or in the snow. His first visit 18.________ the seaside is marvellous adventure. But a child has his pains; he is not free to do as he wishes; he is continually being 19._______ not to do things or is being 20._______ . His life is therefore not perfectly happy.

Childhood is a time when there are 11. _____ responsibilities to make life difficult. If a child 12.______ good parents, he is fed, looked 13._______ and loved, whatever he may do, it is improbable that he will ever again in his life 14._______ given so much without having to do anything 15._______ return. In addition, life is always 16._______ new things to the child. A child finds 17._______ in playing in the rain or in the snow. His first visit 18.________ the seaside is marvellous adventure. But a child has his pains; he is not free to do as he wishes; he is continually being 19._______ not to do things or is being 20._______ . His life is therefore not perfectly happy.

Childhood is a time when there are 11. _____ responsibilities to make life difficult. If a child 12.______ good parents, he is fed, looked 13._______ and loved, whatever he may do, it is improbable that he will ever again in his life 14._______ given so much without having to do anything 15._______ return. In addition, life is always 16._______ new things to the child. A child finds 17._______ in playing in the rain or in the snow. His first visit 18.________ the seaside is marvellous adventure. But a child has his pains; he is not free to do as he wishes; he is continually being 19._______ not to do things or is being 20._______ . His life is therefore not perfectly happy.

Childhood is a time when there are 11. _____ responsibilities to make life difficult. If a child 12.______ good parents, he is fed, looked 13._______ and loved, whatever he may do, it is improbable that he will ever again in his life 14._______ given so much without having to do anything 15._______ return. In addition, life is always 16._______ new things to the child. A child finds 17._______ in playing in the rain or in the snow. His first visit 18.________ the seaside is marvellous adventure. But a child has his pains; he is not free to do as he wishes; he is continually being 19._______ not to do things or is being 20._______ . His life is therefore not perfectly happy.

Childhood is a time when there are 11. _____ responsibilities to make life difficult. If a child 12.______ good parents, he is fed, looked 13._______ and loved, whatever he may do, it is improbable that he will ever again in his life 14._______ given so much without having to do anything 15._______ return. In addition, life is always 16._______ new things to the child. A child finds 17._______ in playing in the rain or in the snow. His first visit 18.________ the seaside is marvellous adventure. But a child has his pains; he is not free to do as he wishes; he is continually being 19._______ not to do things or is being 20._______ . His life is therefore not perfectly happy.

Childhood is a time when there are 11. _____ responsibilities to make life difficult. If a child 12.______ good parents, he is fed, looked 13._______ and loved, whatever he may do, it is improbable that he will ever again in his life 14._______ given so much without having to do anything 15._______ return. In addition, life is always 16._______ new things to the child. A child finds 17._______ in playing in the rain or in the snow. His first visit 18.________ the seaside is marvellous adventure. But a child has his pains; he is not free to do as he wishes; he is continually being 19._______ not to do things or is being 20._______ . His life is therefore not perfectly happy.

Cloze - Synonyms

Find the synonym for the word provided below.

ACUTE          S_ _ _ P

 

Mr Cooper’s car uses 4 litres of petrol to travel 60 kilometres. Petrol costs £1.25 per litre. How much will Mr Cooper spend on petrol to drive 600 kilometres from Oxford to Glasgow?

This is what Diana sees when she glances at her clock in the mirror. Write the time her clock actually shows, using the 12-hour clock.

Field crickets chirp according to the temperature of their surroundings. You can use the following rule to work out the temperature: Temperature in °C = (number of chirps per minute - 40) ÷ 7 + 10. Philip, the field cricket, chirps 96 times per minute. Work out the temperature of Philip’s surroundings.

Field crickets chirp according to the temperature of their surroundings. You can use the following rule to work out the temperature: Temperature in °C = (number of chirps per minute - 40) ÷ 7 + 10. The temperature of Flossie’s surroundings is 38°C. Work out how many times Flossie chirps in 1 minute.

Fill in the next one number in each of the sequence: 5.1, 6.3, 7.5, 8.7, …………

Fill in the next one number in each of the sequence: 88, ……………, 122, 139.

Work out 1/2 of 1/3 of ¼ of 48.

Joseph has four rectangular tiles which he arranges as shown below, leaving a square hole in the middle of the tiles. The hole in the middle has an area of 484 sq.cm. Calculate the width of one of the tiles.

Which one of the figures in the boxes on the right is the missing figure?