Comprehension and interpretation

· COMPREHENSION AND INTERPRETATION
Read the text carefully then do the activities
By the summer of 1929, the Count Kornowski's affairs had reached a point he was losing most of his fortune. But neither his sick wife nor his children knew the fact. The Count's son Stephen was fifteen and his daughter Krystyna seventeen,
The Count was a small Polish aristocrat with close-dropped hair, wide red nose, and bow legs, whose only interests were to hunt birds and play cards with his friends. Actually, he spent little time with his sick wife and children.
One afternoon, Krystyna rode across to play tennis with Sonia Zulawska, her neighbour and friend. As they were changing their clothes, Sonia told Krystyna that the day before, as she was in the sitting beside her parents' bedroom, she heard a strange conversation.
' What did they say?' asked Krystyna.
' Your father was in debt' Sonia replied.
' Yes, perhaps, but I am sure it's only for a time.' Sonia said.
' Father said that your father will have to sell the farm to pay the bank' Sonia added.
' That's not true.' Krystyna claimed and went away weeping.
Adapted from Piers Paul Read's, Polonaise.

TASK ONE: Circle the letter that corresponds to the best answer.
The text is... a- argumentative b- descriptive c- narrative
TASK TWO: Complete the table below.
:Mr. Kornowski Name of the character

: Title

: Physical appearance

: Likes

: Family members

TASK THREE: Circle the letter that corresponds to the best answer.
1- The narrator is …………………
a- Stephen b- Krystyna c- Piers Paul Read
2- The story happened in ……………………………
a- November b- April c- July
3- Stephen is………………………………………..Krystyna.
a- as old as b- older than c- younger than
TASKFOUR: Answer the following questions according to the text.
1- Where is Count Kornowski from?
2- Did his wife and his son know he was going to lose his fortune?
3- How did Krystyna know about her father's problem?
TASK FIVE: Match the following words with their corresponding antonyms.
poor buy
uncertain healthy
sure sick
sell wealthy
· TEXT EXPLORATIOn
TASK ONE: Find in the text words close in meaning to the following.

WORDS OR PHRASES

SYNONYMS
The majority

A very small amount

Next to

False

TASK TWO: Join each pair of sentences with the connector in brackets.
1- The bank would take his farm. Count Kornowski did not pay his debt. (If)
2- Krystyna was driving back home. She had an accident. ( While )

TASK THREE: Fill in each blank space with one word from the list below.
which – as – beside – besides

In the morning, ………….Stephen was leaving to school, he saw a man …………….. the river …………… crossed their farm land. He did not talk to him. The man was strange. ..……………, he had a fierce look.
TASK FOUR: Imagine what Krystyna's father told her and complete the dialogue.
Krystyna: Is that true you have a huge debt?
Her father: .................................................. .......................................
Krystyna: How are we going to pay it?
Her father: .................................................. .......................................
Krystyna: Isn't there any other way than selling the farm?
Her father: .................................................. .......................................
PART TWO: WRITTEN EXPRESSION
Choose one of the following topics
TOPIC ONE: In not more than 08 lines, imagine what Krystyna did after she had left Sonia.
TOPIC TWO: In not more than 08 lines, using the notes below, write a short biography of the author.
Piers Paul Read – British novelist
7 March 1941 – born in Buckinghamshire
- father – poet and art critic
1971 - married Emily Boothby
- 04 children
1966 – wrote his first novelGame in Heaven
1974 – wrote his best known book Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors
2009 – lives in London