Painting the Fence
by Mark Twain
(Adapted by Bill Scurato) (Roots)
Comprehension
Read and answer
1. Match the characters in Column A to their descriptions in Column B.
=
|
Column A |
Column B |
|---|---|
|
a. Tom Sawyer |
i. looks after tow boys. [b] |
|
b. Aunty Polly |
ii. does not play hooky. [d] |
|
c. Ben Rogers |
iii. gets into trouble. [a] |
|
d. Sid |
iv. wants to go swimming. [c] |
2. Circle the objects that Tom collected from the other children.
=
Reference to context
3. "Well, sure.... ya' see Aunt Polly, this is probably new since you went to school. Ya' see, there used to be a bunch a' oceans, but here about a few years ago, all them oceans in the world flowed right here into the Mississippi River."
a. Who is talking? Why is the person talking about oceans?
= Tom Sawyer is talking.
The person is talking about ocean because Aunt Polly asked him about what did he learn on the previous day at school. Tom replied her that he had learnt about oceans. Then Aunt Polly asked him to tell how many oceans were there.
b. Do you think he is right about the oceans? Why?
= I don't think he is right about the oceans. Because he did not go to school the previous day. He played hooky. Besides, there are five oceans in the world. Tom was talking rubbish about oceans.
c. Does Aunt Polly believe the speaker? Why/Why not?
= Aunt Polly does not believe the speaker. Because she knew that Tom did not go to school that previous day. Rather he played hooky.
4. "Sid, bring me Tom's shirt."
a. Who is asking to bring Tom's shirt? Why?
= Aunt Polly is asking to bring Tom's shirt. Because she wants to show Tom that the shirt is a proof that he did not go to school.
b. How did Tom's shirt look?
= Tom's shirt looked dirty.
c. When does Tom admit to having not gone to school?
= Tom admits to having not gone to school while Aunt Polly showed him his dirty shirt and said that is he were at school, the shirt would have not been so dirty.
5. "Oh com, now, you don't mean to let on that you like it?"
a. Who is speaking? What activity does he refer to?
= Ben Rogers is the speaking.
He refers to Tom's whitewashing the fence.
b. What does Tom say in reply?
= In reply, Tom said that he is absolutely liking it. And why should he not like it. As a boy seldom gets a chance to whitewash a fence.
c. What happens next in the story?
= Ben comes in the trick of Tom and Tom used him to do his task along with the other boys.
6. "Down and up, round and round
I love my life, says I."
a. Summarize Tom's song in two sentences.
= The other boys are doing Tom's task of whitewashing the fence. Tom is enjoying the moment.
b. Why is Tom so happy?
= Tom is successful in playing a trick. He has managed Ben and the other boys to do his task i.e. whitewashing the fence. He also got many things from them in return of letting them do so. Tom has got double profit.
c. What do you think he did next?
= I think he completed the task very soon with the help of many and headed out to play.
Reflect and answer
7. From reading this play, what kind of boy do you think Tom Sawyer is? Provide lines from the play to support your answer where possible.
= Tom is a 12 years old boy. He stays with her Aunt Polly and cousin Sid. He is very evasive boy. He loves to roam around and play all day long. He is a loafer. He does not love to go to school. He plays hooky. He tells lie. He tried to befool Aunt Polly about going to school.
He is very clever. He played trick on Ben and on his other friends. He took their things. Further he used them to whitewash fence which was his punishment.
8. Why did so many children want to whitewash the fence? Give reasons for your answer.
= Tom tricked on Ben. Ben came into it. He got engaged whitewashing the fence. Tom took his apple. Tom sat on a barrel and chomped the apple as Ben paints the fence. Other boys arrived at first to ridicule. But Tom was clever enough to pitch them and make them realise that it is a matter of fortune to get to paint the fence. For the opportunity they traded a kite, a glass stopper, a brass doorknob, a dog-collar and four pieces of orange-peel.
9. Your friends had planned a picnic on Sunday. However, there's a lot of work at home and you cannot go to picnic. What would you do to make yourself feel better about it and enjoy the day?
= If my friends are going for a picnic on Sunday and I can not join them, I will accept the reality first. Then I should complete my tasks at home. Then I shall call my cousins in the afternoon and have a picnic at home with them. We shall play, sing and cook and spend a good time.
ad7
About the Author :
Mark Twain (1835-1910) was the pen name of Samuel Langhorne Clemens. He was born in Florida, USA. Twain lived an adventurous life, he was riverboat pilot and he served in the army briefly. He is famous for The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.