Black Beauty by Anna Sewell (Cambridge Connection English)
Comprehension
A. Fill in the blanks with the correct information.
1. Name : Black Beauty.
2. Born in : A large pleasant meadow.
3. Nature : Fine and good.
4. Went to work at : Squire Gordon's.
5. Friends : Merrylegs and Ginger.
B. Answer the questions.
1. Who was Black Beauty?
= Black Beauty was a fine and good horse.
2. How was his life till he went to work?
= His first home was a large, pleasant meadow where he used to live with his mother. Their master was a kind man. They all loved him very much.
3. Who was his new master and how was he?
= Squire Gordon was his new master. He was a kind person as well.
C. Read the lines and answers the questions with reference to the context.
1. "The colts here are well-bred but not well-behaved. You shouldn't be like them."
a. Who said these words and to whom?
= Black Beauty's mother said these words to Black Beauty.
b. Why does the speaker say so?
= The speaker says so to ask Black Beauty to be well-mannered and well-behaved.
c. What does the speaker mean by well-behaved?
= By well-behaved, the speaker means not to kick or bite anyone.
2. "I never had a kind master before I came here."
a. Who said this and to whom?
= Ginger said this to Black Beauty.
b. How was the speaker treated by her masters?
= The speaker had many unkind masters. One of her cruellest master was Samson. He put a painful bit on her mouth. She reared in fear and he started to flog her. The lashing was so painful that after a terrible struggle, she threw him.
c. Do you think the speaker had a reason for being a rough horse?
= I don't think the speaker had a total reason for being a rough horse. Yes, she was ill-treated and that made her mentally rough. But one must not be mischievous if other person did ill with him or her. For example we can see that the previous master of Black Beauty was very king. In spite of that there were many colts there who were not well-mannered and well-behaved. So it is up to oneself whether to be good or spoilt.
3. "But I was sure there was something wrong, and I dared not move.'
a. Who said this?
= Black Beauty said this.
b. Why did the speaker say that he dared not move?
= The speaker said that he dared not move because it was already dark and the weather was unfavourable.
c. Was something really wrong? What?
= Yes, something was really wrong. The toll-bridge was already washed away by the fierce tide of the river.
D. Think and answer.
1. How did Black Beauty save his master?
= Black Beauty saved his master by not crossing the toll-bridge. It was high tide. Black beauty was out to town to take his master to a business. The guard at the toll-gate warned them not to cross the river at night time.
They got late due to his master's business took a long time. The wind was very strong. They were returning through the forest. An oak tree fell across their path. They had to take the path across the river. By the time they reached the bridge, it was already dark. Black Beauty felt something was not right. He did not cross the bridge. Then the guard yelled at them from the other side of the river and asked them to stop. The river bridge was already broken by the fierce tide of the rive.
2. How do you think Black Beauty sensed something was wrong? Have you seen such behaviour in other animals/insects at any time?
= I think Black Beauty had some super power to sense danger like many other animals. They can get the premonition of upcoming danger.
Yes, I have seen our dog to bark before earthquake. Before a storm, many dragon flies fly together very near the ground.
About the Author :
Anna Sewell (1820-1878) was an English novelist. She is best known for her novel Black Beauty, one to the best selling novels for children ever written. Sewell wrote the book to encourage kindness, sympathy and an understanding treatment towards horses.