SYBCom Sem 4 ACSE Comprehension Passage 3 Sons

 Passage 3

Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow.

Sons    -     Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar

On the day the stork chick died, Kalpana-di--my father's niece--visited us in the evening. By then, the death had been forgotten, and my siblings and I were laughing and joking with each other again. Viewed from a far, Kalpana-di led the sort of life any woman would have envied--she had a good husband, family, and plenty of money. Yet, by then, the bliss was souring, and she would visit us and share her troubles.

Kalpana-di had come to tell us that Suraj, her nineteen-year-old son, was absconding. She needn't have told us. We already knew about it. In fact, the whole town did. Suraj and his friends had tried to stage a robbery and had failed. A day prior to the attempt, Kalpana-di told us, he had asked his father for some money, which had been denied. Hence the robbery.

Kalpana-di's arrival, especially with the news of her absconding son, made us feel strange. We knew Kalpana-di--and her husband as well--were not really endowed with the gift of social nice ties. So, there were very few people she could go to with news like this. And though it relieved us to see that she had actually made the effort to dress up, look good, get into her car, and come to us to share with us a moment of sadness, instead of moping (brooding) alone in some corner of her huge house, her repeatedly claiming that her son had 'run away' failed to fill us with any kind of pity. On the other hand, we started losing any sympathy that we might have had for her and her family.

 "He's your son, Kalpana!" both my siblings and I wanted to tell her. "And you tell us that you didn't know what he was up to? Didn't your resourceful husband even try to track him down? Or is there something you are hiding from us?" In this entire world, it seemed there was only one place you found to come and pretend that you are sad and worried: our house. Right?

I could feel the smouldering (burning) desire inside both my siblings and me to snap at Kalpana-di, to speak the harshest of words to her, to pounce (attack) upon her and tell her that she had been an irresponsible wife and a useless mother. Yet they somehow restrained themselves and kept on piling Kalpana-di with those kind words which were, as they would tell each other later, as insincere as Kalpana-di's story.

Questions:

1. When does Kalpana-di come for a visit?

Kalpana-di comes to visit in the evening on the same day the stork chick died.

2. What impression do you form of Kalpana-di?

Kalpana-di seems unhappy despite having a good husband, family, and money. The narrator has an opinion that, she had been an irresponsible wife and a useless mother. She visits the narrator’s family to share her troubles but doesn't seem very close to anyone socially.

3. What is the narrator's response to Kalpana-di's arrival? How is this also depicted in the passage?

The narrator and siblings feel strange about her arrival. They are relieved she made the effort to visit but during her conversation they lose sympathy when she repeatedly says her son has "run away". She seems insincere to them.

4. Why does the narrator say, "... we started losing any sympathy that we might have had for her and her family."?

The narrator says this because Kalpana-di seems insincere and does not seem to know much about her son or her husband’s actions. They feel she is pretending to be sad and worried. Thus, they started losing sympathy for her and her family.

5. Do you think the narrator's siblings respect Kalpana-di? What makes you think so?

No, the siblings do not seem to respect her. The passage shows they want to snap at her, call her irresponsible, and they also think that her words are insincere.

6. Write in your own words what could have transpired between Suraj and his father before he staged a robbery.

It seems that there is something wrong in the relationship between Suraj and his father. Suraj asked his father for money, but his father denied it. Feeling upset and desperate, Suraj tried to stage a robbery with his friends but failed.

7. Comment on the social and cultural aspects of the community described in the passage.

The community values appearances and family responsibilities. There is a pressure to maintain a good image. People judge each other’s actions. However, relationships lack deep emotional connections.

8. Point out the difference between 'run away' and 'abscond'.

"Run away" means leaving a place, often without telling anyone, usually in fear or distress. "Abscond" means leaving secretly, often to avoid punishment or legal trouble.

9. Find the antonyms of the following words from the passage:

a. succeeded → failed

b. departure → arrival

c. revealing → hiding

d. sincere → insincere

e. need → plenty/enough

10. Make sentences of your own using the following words and phrases:

a. Abscond: The thief tried to abscond with the stolen money.

b. Resourceful: She is very resourceful and can solve problems quickly.

c. Smouldering: His smouldering anger was visible, even though he didn’t say anything.

d. To share one's troubles: It is good to have friends with whom you can share your troubles.

e. To stage a robbery: The gang planned to stage a robbery at the bank.

f. Make the effort: You should make the effort to study regularly to score well in exams.