48. Reading Skills Comprehension: CHILDHOOD

CHILDHOOD

Read the passage given below:

1.I remember my childhood as being generally happy and can recall experiencing some of the most carefree times of my life. But I can also remember, even more vividly, moments of being deeply frightened. As a child, I was truly terrified of the dark and getting lost. These fears were very real and caused me some extremely uncomfortable moments.

2. Maybe it was the strange way things looked and sounded in my familiar room at night that scared me so much. There was never total darkness, but a street light or passing car lights made clothes hung over a chair take on the shape of an unknown beast. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw curtains move when there was no breeze. A tiny creak in the floor would sound a hundred times louder than in the daylight and my imagination would take over, creating burglars and monsters. Darkness always made me feel helpless. My heart would pound and I would like very still so that the enemy’ wouldn’t discover me.

3. Another childhood fear of mine was that I would get lost, especially on the way home from school. Every morning, I got on the school bus right near my home – that was no problem. After school, though, when all the buses were lined up along the curve, I was terrified that I would get on the wrong one and be taken to some unfamiliar neighbourhood. I would scan the bus for the faces of my friends, make sure that the bus driver was the same one that had been there in the morning, and even then ask the others over and over again to be sure I was in the right bus. On a school or family trips to an amusement park or a museum. I wouldn’t let the leaders out of my sight. And of course, I was never very adventurous when it came to taking walks or hikes because I would go only where I was sure I would never get lost.

4. Perhaps, one of the worst fears I had as a child was that of not being liked or accepted by others. First of all, I was quite shy. Secondly, I worried constantly about my looks, thinking people wouldn’t like me because I was too fat or wore braces. I tried to wear the right clothes’ and had intense arguments with my mother over the importance of wearing flats instead of saddled shoes to school. Being popular was very to me then and the fear of not being liked was a powerful one.

5. One of the processes of evolving from a child to an adult is being able to recognize and overcome our fears. I have learnt that darkness does not have to take on a life of its own, that others can help me, people, to like me. Understanding the things that scared us as children help to cope with our lives as adults.

Choose the correct alternatives from the options given below:

(a) There was never total darkness in the room of the writer because

(i) of the night lamp burning in his room

(ii) the light from other rooms would shine into his room

 (iii) the light of the cars passing by or the street light would shine into his room

(iv) his neighbours would often shine a light into his room

(b) The main fears that troubled the narrator throughout his childhood were

 (i) of getting into the wrong bus on his way back home from school

(ii) of darkness and monsters hiding in his room

(iii) of not being liked for who he was

 (iv) of getting lost, of darkness and not being liked by others

Answer the following questions briefly in your own words:

 (c) What does the narrator mean by saying that his imagination would ‘take over’ at night?

 (d) Did the narrator enjoy his school trips with his friends? Give reasons for your answer.

(e) What was the main reason for the narrator’s arguments with his mother?

(f) What were the things that the narrator realized about the following when he grew up

(i) getting lost(ii) getting people to like him

 (iii) darkness

Find words from the passage which mean the same as each of the following:             

(g) deeply frightened (para 1)

 (h) opposite of worried and anxious (para 1)

ANSWERS:-

 (a) (iii)            (b) (iv)

 (c) To the writer, familiar things in his room seemed strange at night. He imagined curtains moving when there was no breeze, and clothes hung over a chair to resemble a beast. At night, noises like floorboards creaking seemed much louder and the writer imagined burglars and monsters creating these noises. This is how the writer’s imagination would “take over” at night.

 (d) No, the narrator possibly did not enjoy school trips with friends. He was terrified of getting lost. As such, on school trips, he would stay close to the leaders and did not do adventurous things, such as go hiking or walking to unfamiliar places.

(e) The main reason behind the narrator’s arguments with his mother was over the importance of his wearing flat shoes to school instead of saddle shoes.

(f) (i) (The passage does not mention anything specific about him coming to terms with his fear of getting lost. So, the following is made up). The narrator says that understanding one’s childhood fears helps one cope with life as an adult. The fear of getting lost is common among children. Perhaps, as with his other fears, this fear also lessened as the narrator grew into an adult and learned to depend upon himself.

 (ii) When he grew up, the narrator realized that other people could help him like and accept himself.

 (iii) When he grew up, the narrator understood that darkness does not have to take on a life of its own. This means that he learnt not let his imagination and fear of darkness get the better of him.

 (g) Terrified               (h) Carefree.

Download the above Passage in PDF Worksheet (Printable)

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