CEME0421
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.
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.
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?
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.
If they only managed to carve out a smaller cave, what did the father hope to use it as?
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 easy did the father think it would be to carve out a cave?
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.
“……..with minds bent on success” What does this imply about their attitude to the work?
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.
‘incessant toil’. What does the word ‘incessant’ say about the work they were doing?
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.
“Six days of hard and incessant toil made little impression;………….”
What would be another word for ‘impression’?
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.
Why did the family feel ‘relieved’ after they had started their work?
What type of a word is ‘persevering’?
What type of words are the following?
heavily, hard, vigorously, quickly
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 was the reaction when Jack lost his crowbar?
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 was the family’s reaction to the cave?
Childhood is a time when there are 21. _____ responsibilities to make life difficult. If a child 22.______ good parents, he is fed, looked 23._______ and loved, whatever he may do, it is improbable that he will ever again in his life 24._______ given so much without having to do anything 25._______ return. In addition, life is always 26._______ new things to the child. A child finds 27._______ in playing in the rain or in the snow. His first visit 28.________ the seaside is marvellous adventure. But a child has his pains; he is not free to do as he wishes; he is continually being 29._______ not to do things or is being 30._______ . His life is therefore not perfectly happy.
Childhood is a time when there are 21. _____ responsibilities to make life difficult.
Cloze - Vocabulary
Fill in the blanks with appropriate words.
Childhood is a time when there are 21. _____ responsibilities to make life difficult. If a child 22.______ good parents, he is fed, looked 23._______ and loved, whatever he may do, it is improbable that he will ever again in his life 24._______ given so much without having to do anything 25._______ return. In addition, life is always 26._______ new things to the child. A child finds 27._______ in playing in the rain or in the snow. His first visit 28.________ the seaside is marvellous adventure. But a child has his pains; he is not free to do as he wishes; he is continually being 29._______ not to do things or is being 30._______ . His life is therefore not perfectly happy.
If a child 22.______ good parents, he is fed, looked....
Cloze - Vocabulary
Fill in the blanks with appropriate words.
Childhood is a time when there are 21. _____ responsibilities to make life difficult. If a child 22.______ good parents, he is fed, looked 23._______ and loved, whatever he may do, it is improbable that he will ever again in his life 24._______ given so much without having to do anything 25._______ return. In addition, life is always 26._______ new things to the child. A child finds 27._______ in playing in the rain or in the snow. His first visit 28.________ the seaside is marvellous adventure. But a child has his pains; he is not free to do as he wishes; he is continually being 29._______ not to do things or is being 30._______ . His life is therefore not perfectly happy.
...he is fed, looked 23._______ and loved, whatever he may do...
Cloze - Vocabulary
Fill in the blanks with appropriate words.
Childhood is a time when there are 21. _____ responsibilities to make life difficult. If a child 22.______ good parents, he is fed, looked 23._______ and loved, whatever he may do, it is improbable that he will ever again in his life 24._______ given so much without having to do anything 25._______ return. In addition, life is always 26._______ new things to the child. A child finds 27._______ in playing in the rain or in the snow. His first visit 28.________ the seaside is marvellous adventure. But a child has his pains; he is not free to do as he wishes; he is continually being 29._______ not to do things or is being 30._______ . His life is therefore not perfectly happy.
... It is improbable that he will ever again in his life 24._______ given so much without ...
Cloze - Vocabulary
Fill in the blanks with appropriate words.
Childhood is a time when there are 21. _____ responsibilities to make life difficult. If a child 22.______ good parents, he is fed, looked 23._______ and loved, whatever he may do, it is improbable that he will ever again in his life 24._______ given so much without having to do anything 25._______ return. In addition, life is always 26._______ new things to the child. A child finds 27._______ in playing in the rain or in the snow. His first visit 28.________ the seaside is marvellous adventure. But a child has his pains; he is not free to do as he wishes; he is continually being 29._______ not to do things or is being 30._______ . His life is therefore not perfectly happy.
given so much without having to do anything 25._______ return.
Cloze - Vocabulary
Fill in the blanks with appropriate words.
Childhood is a time when there are 21. _____ responsibilities to make life difficult. If a child 22.______ good parents, he is fed, looked 23._______ and loved, whatever he may do, it is improbable that he will ever again in his life 24._______ given so much without having to do anything 25._______ return. In addition, life is always 26._______ new things to the child. A child finds 27._______ in playing in the rain or in the snow. His first visit 28.________ the seaside is marvellous adventure. But a child has his pains; he is not free to do as he wishes; he is continually being 29._______ not to do things or is being 30._______ . His life is therefore not perfectly happy.
In addition, life is always 26._______ new things to the child.
Cloze - Vocabulary
Fill in the blanks with appropriate words.
Childhood is a time when there are 21. _____ responsibilities to make life difficult. If a child 22.______ good parents, he is fed, looked 23._______ and loved, whatever he may do, it is improbable that he will ever again in his life 24._______ given so much without having to do anything 25._______ return. In addition, life is always 26._______ new things to the child. A child finds 27._______ in playing in the rain or in the snow. His first visit 28.________ the seaside is marvellous adventure. But a child has his pains; he is not free to do as he wishes; he is continually being 29._______ not to do things or is being 30._______ . His life is therefore not perfectly happy.
A child finds 27._______ in playing in the rain or in the snow.
Cloze - Vocabulary
Fill in the blanks with appropriate words.
Childhood is a time when there are 21. _____ responsibilities to make life difficult. If a child 22.______ good parents, he is fed, looked 23._______ and loved, whatever he may do, it is improbable that he will ever again in his life 24._______ given so much without having to do anything 25._______ return. In addition, life is always 26._______ new things to the child. A child finds 27._______ in playing in the rain or in the snow. His first visit 28.________ the seaside is marvellous adventure. But a child has his pains; he is not free to do as he wishes; he is continually being 29._______ not to do things or is being 30._______ . His life is therefore not perfectly happy.
His first visit 28.________ the seaside is marvellous adventure.
Cloze - Vocabulary
Fill in the blanks with appropriate words.
Childhood is a time when there are 21. _____ responsibilities to make life difficult. If a child 22.______ good parents, he is fed, looked 23._______ and loved, whatever he may do, it is improbable that he will ever again in his life 24._______ given so much without having to do anything 25._______ return. In addition, life is always 26._______ new things to the child. A child finds 27._______ in playing in the rain or in the snow. His first visit 28.________ the seaside is marvellous adventure. But a child has his pains; he is not free to do as he wishes; he is continually being 29._______ not to do things or is being 30._______ . His life is therefore not perfectly happy.
But a child has his pains; he is not free to do as he wishes; he is continually being 29._______ not to do things...
Cloze - Vocabulary
Fill in the blanks with appropriate words.
Childhood is a time when there are 21. _____ responsibilities to make life difficult. If a child 22.______ good parents, he is fed, looked 23._______ and loved, whatever he may do, it is improbable that he will ever again in his life 24._______ given so much without having to do anything 25._______ return. In addition, life is always 26._______ new things to the child. A child finds 27._______ in playing in the rain or in the snow. His first visit 28.________ the seaside is marvellous adventure. But a child has his pains; he is not free to do as he wishes; he is continually being 29._______ not to do things or is being 30._______ . His life is therefore not perfectly happy.
...not to do things or is being 30._______ . His life is therefore not perfectly happy.
In the following passage there are blanks, each of which has been numbered. These numbers are given below the passage and against each, four words are suggested, one of which fits the blank appropriately. Find out the appropriate word in each case.
Visual experiences can (31) ……………children, teenagers and even adults learn and absorb more due to its highly stimulating and (32) ………….. Engaging impact. It is for this reason that we are seeing an increase in schools across the globe (33) ……….. Content provider programmes into their class curriculum to (34) …………… lessons through video. Visual excursions and school collaborations are (35) ……………..by advances in high definition video, high fidelity audio and content sharing allowing students to experience a richer and more stimulating learning experience.
Visual experiences can (31) ……………children, teenagers and even adults learn and absorb...
Use of English
In the following passage there are blanks, each of which has been numbered. These numbers are given below the passage and against each, four words are suggested, one of which fits the blank appropriately. Find out the appropriate word in each case.
Visual experiences can (31) ……………children, teenagers and even adults learn and absorb more due to its highly stimulating and (32) ………….. Engaging impact. It is for this reason that we are seeing an increase in schools across the globe (33) ……….. Content provider programmes into their class curriculum to (34) …………… lessons through video. Visual excursions and school collaborations are (35) ……………..by advances in high definition video, high fidelity audio and content sharing allowing students to experience a richer and more stimulating learning experience.
... Learn and absorb more due to its highly stimulating and (32) ………….. Engaging impact.
Use of English
In the following passage there are blanks, each of which has been numbered. These numbers are given below the passage and against each, four words are suggested, one of which fits the blank appropriately. Find out the appropriate word in each case.
Visual experiences can (31) ……………children, teenagers and even adults learn and absorb more due to its highly stimulating and (32) ………….. Engaging impact. It is for this reason that we are seeing an increase in schools across the globe (33) ……….. Content provider programmes into their class curriculum to (34) …………… lessons through video. Visual excursions and school collaborations are (35) ……………..by advances in high definition video, high fidelity audio and content sharing allowing students to experience a richer and more stimulating learning experience.
It is for this reason that we are seeing an increase in schools across the globe (33) ……….. Content provider ...
Use of English
In the following passage there are blanks, each of which has been numbered. These numbers are given below the passage and against each, four words are suggested, one of which fits the blank appropriately. Find out the appropriate word in each case.
Visual experiences can (31) ……………children, teenagers and even adults learn and absorb more due to its highly stimulating and (32) ………….. Engaging impact. It is for this reason that we are seeing an increase in schools across the globe (33) ……….. Content provider programmes into their class curriculum to (34) …………… lessons through video. Visual excursions and school collaborations are (35) ……………..by advances in high definition video, high fidelity audio and content sharing allowing students to experience a richer and more stimulating learning experience.
... Content provider programmes into their class curriculum to (34) …………… lessons through video.
Use of English
In the following passage there are blanks, each of which has been numbered. These numbers are given below the passage and against each, four words are suggested, one of which fits the blank appropriately. Find out the appropriate word in each case.
Visual experiences can (31) ……………children, teenagers and even adults learn and absorb more due to its highly stimulating and (32) ………….. Engaging impact. It is for this reason that we are seeing an increase in schools across the globe (33) ……….. Content provider programmes into their class curriculum to (34) …………… lessons through video. Visual excursions and school collaborations are (35) ……………..by advances in high definition video, high fidelity audio and content sharing allowing students to experience a richer and more stimulating learning experience.
Visual excursions and school collaborations are (35) ……………..by advances in high definition video, high fidelity audio and content sharing allowing students to experience a richer and more stimulating learning experience.
Use of English
In the following passage there are blanks, each of which has been numbered. These numbers are given below the passage and against each, four words are suggested, one of which fits the blank appropriately. Find out the appropriate word in each case.
Schools that have previously transported students to excursions in (36) ………….., now face increased transportation costs, higher insurance premiums, attendance costs for the families and strict duty of care policies for students while (37) ………………….school property. Virtual excursions (38) ……………..students to improve their presentation, research, learning and speaking skills while they engage in a live learning session. Students also now have the ability to meet peers from many cultures, speak to subject-matter (39) …………………..like scientists or authors practise a foreign language with students from another country, and learn about global issues from the (40) ……………of their own classrooms.
Schools that have previously transported students to excursions in (36) ………….., now face increased transportation costs, ...
Use of English
In the following passage there are blanks, each of which has been numbered. These numbers are given below the passage and against each, four words are suggested, one of which fits the blank appropriately. Find out the appropriate word in each case.
Schools that have previously transported students to excursions in (36) ………….., now face increased transportation costs, higher insurance premiums, attendance costs for the families and strict duty of care policies for students while (37) ………………….school property. Virtual excursions (38) ……………..students to improve their presentation, research, learning and speaking skills while they engage in a live learning session. Students also now have the ability to meet peers from many cultures, speak to subject-matter (39) …………………..like scientists or authors practise a foreign language with students from another country, and learn about global issues from the (40) ……………of their own classrooms.
... Higher insurance premiums, attendance costs for the families and strict duty of care policies for students while (37) ………………….school property.
Use of English
In the following passage there are blanks, each of which has been numbered. These numbers are given below the passage and against each, four words are suggested, one of which fits the blank appropriately. Find out the appropriate word in each case.
Schools that have previously transported students to excursions in (36) ………….., now face increased transportation costs, higher insurance premiums, attendance costs for the families and strict duty of care policies for students while (37) ………………….school property. Virtual excursions (38) ……………..students to improve their presentation, research, learning and speaking skills while they engage in a live learning session. Students also now have the ability to meet peers from many cultures, speak to subject-matter (39) …………………..like scientists or authors practise a foreign language with students from another country, and learn about global issues from the (40) ……………of their own classrooms.
Virtual excursions (38) ……………..students to improve their presentation, research, learning and speaking skills while they engage in a live learning session.
Use of English
In the following passage there are blanks, each of which has been numbered. These numbers are given below the passage and against each, four words are suggested, one of which fits the blank appropriately. Find out the appropriate word in each case.
Schools that have previously transported students to excursions in (36) ………….., now face increased transportation costs, higher insurance premiums, attendance costs for the families and strict duty of care policies for students while (37) ………………….school property. Virtual excursions (38) ……………..students to improve their presentation, research, learning and speaking skills while they engage in a live learning session. Students also now have the ability to meet peers from many cultures, speak to subject-matter (39) …………………..like scientists or authors practise a foreign language with students from another country, and learn about global issues from the (40) ……………of their own classrooms.
Students also now have the ability to meet peers from many cultures, speak to subject-matter (39) …………………..like scientists or authors practise a foreign language
Use of English
In the following passage there are blanks, each of which has been numbered. These numbers are given below the passage and against each, four words are suggested, one of which fits the blank appropriately. Find out the appropriate word in each case.
Schools that have previously transported students to excursions in (36) ………….., now face increased transportation costs, higher insurance premiums, attendance costs for the families and strict duty of care policies for students while (37) ………………….school property. Virtual excursions (38) ……………..students to improve their presentation, research, learning and speaking skills while they engage in a live learning session. Students also now have the ability to meet peers from many cultures, speak to subject-matter (39) …………………..like scientists or authors practise a foreign language with students from another country, and learn about global issues from the (40) ……………of their own classrooms.
... A foreign language with students from another country, and learn about global issues from the (40) ……………of their own classrooms.