Introduction

These paragraphs are from a story called Tunes for Bears to Dance To, by Robert Cormier. In the story, Henry works for a Mr. Hairston, who runs a shop.

"Henry had been impatient for the cast to be removed so that he could return to his job as the bender for Mr Hairston at the Corner Market. Mr Hairston had a back problem and found it hard to bend over. Henry did the bending for him. Picked up whatever fell on the floor. Reached for merchandise on the lower shelves to fill the customers' orders. He also had other duties. Helped unload the boxes and crates that arrived from the wholesalers. Stocked the shelves. Bagged the potatoes in the cellar, then carried them upstairs to the produce section. Mr Hairston was proud of his produce. Fresh lettuce and carrots and spinach and such extras as parsnips and mushrooms, all of them - in a neat display at the rear of the store.

Henry worked at the store every day after school and on Saturday mornings. Until, that is, he had broken his kneecap, tripping, then falling down the bottom steps of the house just as school ended in June. A hair-line fracture, the doctor had said, nothing serious, but serious enough for a cast that enclosed his calf and knee. Mr Hairston said he would keep his job open until his knee was healed."

Read the questions carefully before you attempt to answer. The questions concentrate on the information in the first of these two paragraphs: the second paragraph provides relevant information overall, but there are no specific questions connected to its content.

a Why had Henry been 'impatient' ? (2 - 1 - 0)

b Why did Mr. Hairston need a 'bender' ? (2 - 1 - 0)

c Write down three things Henry did as part of his 'other duties'. (2 - 1 - 0)

Here is a second extract from a different story. Read it carefully, study the accompanying question and then answer it. Check the real answer to see how you have done.

The passage is about two brothers - twins - who run a farm called The Vision.

"For miles around the twins had the reputation of being incredibly mean - but this was not always so.

They refused, for example, to make a penny out of hay. Hay, they said, was God's gift to the farmer; and providing The Vision had hay to spare, their poorer neighbours were welcome to what they needed. Even in the foul days of January, old Miss Fifield had only to send a message with the postman, and Lewis would drive the tractor over with a load of bales."

The question this time is -

'..the twins had the reputation of being incredibly mean...'

Explain clearly in your own words how the writer shows that they were not always mean.