Answer in full sentences.
1.Reading Comprehension: The Banana Tree by James Berry
1.
In the first paragraph, James Berry writes about ‘a bullet drop’ of rain. What does this
make you think the rain is like? (2 marks)
2. Look at the second paragraph. How does Gustus react to the powerful wind? Use a
quotation to describe his feelings and how he shows his feelings. (2 marks)
3. Find a sentence below which you think best shows the power of the hurricane.
a) ‘Above the tormented trees a zinc sheet writhed, twisted and
somersaulted in the tempestuous flurry.’
b) ‘But a hard gust of wind slammed the wreck, pinning him like a motionless
lizard.’
c) ‘The terrorized trees that stood writing in turmoil. Their thatched house
had collapsed like an open umbrella that was given a heavy blow.’
d) ‘As darkness began to move in rapidly, the wind grew more vicious and
surged a mighty gust which struck the resisting kitchen’
Using your own words and carefully focussing on the words in the sentence, explain why you
think this shows the power of the hurricane. (3 marks)
4. In paragraph 10, when Gustus says ‘Dat’s a miracle’, what is he talking about? (2 marks)
5. Look at these descriptions of the wind:
a) ‘The invisible hand of the wind tugged...’
b) ‘...the wind had no mercy for him...’
c) ‘It shoved him, poked him, and molested his clothes...’
For each of these quotations, explain the picture of the wind that these images/phrases
create. (6 marks)
6. What impression do you get of Gustus from the extract?
a) He is stupid
b) He is brave
c) He is determined
d) He is scared
Explain which of the above that you agree with and why using quotations from the story
to support your ideas. (4 marks)
Answer in full sentences.
2.Reading Comprehension: The Banana Tree by James Berry
1. In the first paragraph, James Berry writes about ‘a bullet drop’ of rain.
What does this make you think the rain is like? (2 marks)
2. Look at the second paragraph. How does Gustus react to the powerful
wind? Use a quotation to explain your ideas. (2 marks)
3. Find a sentence in the story which you think best shows the power of the
hurricane and explain how it shows this. (3 marks)
4. Is the wind totally against Gustus, or does it also seem, at times, to be on
his side? (2 marks)
5. When Gustus says ‘Dat’s a miracle’, what is he talking about? (2 marks)
6. Look at these descriptions of the wind:
‘The invisible hand of the wind tugged...’
‘...the wind had no mercy for him...’
‘It shoved him, poked him, and molested his clothes...’
For each of this quotations, explain the picture of the wind that these
images/phrases create. (6 marks)
7. What impression do you get of Gustus from the extract? Explain why you
think that. Use quotations from the story to support your ideas.
(4 marks)