Question 35
MediumOriginal questionThe lights went out at eight, in the middle of the news, and the fan to a stop like a tired dancer.
For the first few minutes everyone in the Joshi family did the same thing: they picked up their phones. Then, one by one, they noticed the batteries. Papa's was at twelve per cent. Maya's was at five. Grandmother's phone, which she used only to call the vegetable seller, had been dead since Sunday.
So Grandmother lit a candle. And because there was nothing else to do, she began to tell a story about the year the river and her father the whole family to the temple on the hill in a boat made from the doors of their house.
Maya had never heard the story. Neither, it turned out, had Papa.
"You never told me that," he said.
"You never asked," said Grandmother. "You were always doing your homework. Then you were always doing your work."
The candle burned down. Grandmother told three more stories, and one of them was about Papa as a small boy, which made him put his face in his hands while Maya laughed until she could not breathe.
The lights came back at half past ten. Nobody moved to switch on the television.
What does the last sentence, "Nobody moved to switch on the television", suggest?
Show the answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
The power cut had given them an evening of stories and laughter they would not otherwise have had.
Not switching on the television shows they preferred to stay together.
Worth noting
The lights had come back, so the television could be used. The choice not to use it is the point.
- Concept
- Understanding what an ending suggests
- Typical timeTypical
- 50 s
- Your timeYours
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Ten questions from Narrative passages, at your own pace.