Q1. [5]
Did you finish your homework, Amanda?
Did you tidy your room, Amanda?
I thought I told you to clean your shoes, Amanda!
(I am an orphan, roaming the street.
I pattern soft dust with my hushed, bare feet.
The silence is golden, the freedom is sweet.)
(Amanda!)
Read the following extract and answer the questions.
- (i) Complete the sentence appropriately:
Amanda wants to be an orphan because ___________. [1]
- (ii) What does the image of Amanda "roaming barefoot in the dusty street" signify? [2]
- (iii) Amanda's tone while imagining herself as an orphan is: [1]
- (A) excited
- (B) fearful
- (C) angry
- (D) peaceful
- (iv) What does the speaker do on the dust? [1]
Previously asked in CBSE board exam
2026 2/2/1 Q7(b)
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · 2026-06-15 07:15 · grounding stimulus+chapter
Model Answer
(i) Amanda wants to be an orphan because she longs for complete freedom and golden silence, with no one to constantly nag or give her instructions.
(ii) The image of Amanda roaming barefoot on dusty streets signifies her deep desire for freedom from constant nagging. It shows she craves a carefree, unrestricted life where she is answerable to no one. The "hushed, bare feet" suggest peaceful solitude she longs for.
(iii) (D) peaceful
(iv) The speaker (Amanda) patterns soft dust with her hushed, bare feet.
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Explanation
- (i) Focus on the key idea: freedom + silence + no nagging. One clear sentence is enough.
- (ii) 2-mark answer needs two distinct points — freedom/escape from nagging AND the peaceful/carefree nature of that imagined life. Don't just paraphrase the line.
- (iii) "The silence is golden, the freedom is sweet" clearly conveys peace, not excitement, fear, or anger. Always link choice to textual evidence mentally.
- (iv) Direct retrieval question — answer is directly in the line "I pattern soft dust with my hushed, bare feet." Keep it one line.
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