WBBSE Solutions For Class 8 English Reading Skill Seen Lesson 11 Midnight Express

Reading Skill Seen Lesson 11 Midnight Express

Word meanings

Part 1

battered (ব্যাটাড)—জরাজীর্ণ; bound (বাউন্ড) – বাঁধানো; library (লাইব্রেরী) – গ্রন্থাগার ; rest (রেস্ট)— বাকি / অবশিষ্ট; candle light (ক্যান্ড্ল লাইট)— মোমবাতির আলো; ticked (টি)—টিক্ টিক্ শব্দ করছিল; fascinated (ফ্যাসিনেটেড্)—আকৃষ্ট হল; illustration (ইলাস্ট্রেশন)— ছবি; threatened (থ্রেটেন্‌ড্)—ভয় দেখিয়েছিল; empty (এমট্)ি—খালি, ফাঁকা; lit (লিট্‌) – আলোকিত; tunnel (টার্নেল) – সুড়ঙ্গ; midnight (মিডনাইট)—মধ্যরাত্রি।

Part 2

glowing (গ্লোয়িং)—জ্বলছিল; suddenly (সাডেলি) – হঠাৎ; solitary (সলিটারি) – নিঃসঙ্গ; instinct (ইটিংক্ট) —তাৎক্ষণিক প্রতিক্রিয়া; staring (স্টেয়ারিং)—একদৃষ্টিতে তাকিয়ে থাকা; panic (প্যানিক্)—আতঙ্ক; surged (সার্জড্) —উত্তাল হয়ে বয়ে গেল; gasp ( গ্যাপ ) – হাঁপিয়ে ওঠা, কষ্টে শ্বাস নেওয়া; stumbled (স্টাম্বলড্)— ছুটে দৌঁড়ে বেরল; moonlit (মুনলিট)—চন্দ্রালোকিত; echo (ইকো) – প্রতিধ্বনি; paused (পজড্) – থামল; shaken with — বিপর্যস্ত হয়ে পড়েছিল; desperate (ডেস্পারেট) — মরিয়া ; pounded (পাউন্ডেড্) –সজোরে ধাক্কা দিল; creaking (ক্রীকিং)—মচমচ শব্দ করে; shadowy figure — ছায়ামূর্তি; beckoned (বেকন্ড্)—ইশারা করে ডাকল।

Read And Learn Also WBBSE Class 8 English Reading Skills

Part 3

arm chair (আরম্ চেয়ার) – হাতল লাগানো আরাম কেদারা; departed (ডিপার্টেড)—চলে গেল; collapsed (কোলাসড্)—এলিয়ে পড়ল; realised (রিয়ালাইজ্‌ড্)—বুঝতে পারল; afraid (অ্যাফ্রেড) – ভীত; trembling (ট্রেম্বলিং) –কম্পিত; frightening (ফ্রাইটেনিং) – ভয়াবহ ; grasp (গ্র্যাম্প) – বুঝতে পারা, বোঝা; acute (এ্যাকিউট্) –তীব্র; dread (ড্রেড্‌)—আতঙ্ক; host (হোস্ট)— গৃহকর্তা; edged (এড্) – ধীরে-ধীরে এগিয়ে এলো; chill (চিল্‌)—শিহরণ; spine (স্পাইন্)—শিরদাঁড়া; flickered (ফ্লিকার্ড্)— দপদপ করে কাঁপছিল।

Reading Skill Seen Lesson 11 Midnight Express Examples

Read the texts below and do as directed.

Question 1. It was a battered old book, bound in red leather. When Mortimer was twelve years old, he found the book in his father’s library. When the rest of his large, old house was covered in darkness, he took the book to his bedroom to read by candlelight. The clock ticked in the hall below and the sea roared outside.

Mortimer was fascinated by the battered old book. It contained a story called the ‘Midnight Express’. There was an illustration on page fifty, which threatened him for some unknown reason. The illustration showed an empty railway platform at night lit by a dull, yellow lamp. A single man stood under the lamp, his face turned towards the black mouth of a tunnel. Mortimer never read beyond page fifty.

1. Answer the questions below:

1. Where did Mortimer find the book?
2. How did the book look?
3. When and where did Mortimer read the book?
4. What did the illustration depict?
5. Why do you think Mortimer never read beyond page fifty of the book?

Answer:

1. Mortimer found the book in his father’s library.
2. The book looked old and damaged.”
3. When the rest of his large house was covered in darkness. Mortimer took the book to his bedroom and read it by candlelight.
4. The illustration showed an empty railway platform at night lit by a dull, yellow lamp. A man stood there under the lamp with his face turned towards the black mouth of the tunnel.
5. The picture on page fifty threatened Mortimer for some unknown reason. So he never read the book beyond page fifty.

2. Choose the correct answers from the alternatives given:

Question 1. The book was bound in—

1. Red cloth,
2. Green leather,
3. Red leather.

Answer: 3. Red leather

Question 2. Here Midnight Express is the name of

1. An express train,
2. A story in a book,
3. A railway station.

Answer: 2. A story in a book

Question 3. Mortimer was very fascinated by-

1. The story “Midnight Express”,
2. The old battered book,
3. The books in the library.

Answer: 2. The old battered book

Question 4. Mortimer was able to read up to

1. Page fifty of the book,
2. Page sixty of the book,
3. The last page of the book.

Answer: 1. Page fifty of the book

3. Rearrange the following sentences in the proper order as they happened. Write the numbers in the boxes.

1. He took the book to his bedroom.

2. The illustration of the story frightened him.

3. Mortimer got an old, battered book.

4. He read the book only up to page fifty.

5. He started reading the book by candlelight.

Answer:

2. The illustration of the story frightened him.

4. He read the book only up to page fifty.

1. He took the book to his bedroom.

5. He started reading the book by candlelight.

3. Mortimer got an old, battered book.

4. Find words in the text which mean the following:

1. The room preserved for sleeping
2. Damaged
3. Very loud sound
4. Attracted
5. Picture

Answer:

1. Bedroom,
2. Battered,
3. Roar,
4. Fascinated,
5. Illustration.

Question 2. There was a single dull lamp glowing. Mortimer, in the lamplight, suddenly noticed a dark and solitary figure he knew. It was seen on page fifty of his book in his childhood. The figure faced the black mouth of a tunnel.

Mortimer’s instincts were aroused. He walked quickly towards the figure and looked into its face. Mortimer was shocked. He was staring into his own face.

A wave of panic surged through Mortimer. He turned, gasped, and broke into a wild run. He stumbled out of the platform and rushed down a moonlit road. He could hear the echo of his own footsteps behind him. The footsteps were steadily gaining on him. Mortimer paused for a moment. He was completely shaken with fear. He began to run again.

A quarter of a mile down, Mortimer saw a small white cottage. Seeking desperate shelter, Mortimer pounded on the wooden door. He heard heavy footsteps coming down creaking stairs. The door opened and a shadowy figure stood with a candle. They exchanged no words. The shadowy figure beckoned him inside. They went up the creaking stairs.

1. Answer the questions below:

1. What did Mortimer notice in the lamplight?
2. When had Mortimer seen the dark and solitary figure in his childhood?
3. When was Mortimer shocked and why?
4. Why did he begin to run?
5. What could Mortimer hear as he was rushing down the road?
6. What did Mortinier do on seeing a small white cottage?

Answer:

1. Mortimer suddenly noticed a dark and solitary figure standing on the empty platform with his face turned towards the tunnel.
2. While reading a book from his father’s library in his childhood, he had seen the figure in an illustration on page fifty of the book.
3. Mortimer was reminded of his childhood book on the seeing the solitary figure on the platform, and when he walked towards the figure and looked into its face he was shocked as he was staring at his own face.
4. He began to run as a wave of panick surged through him when he saw that the man’s face resembled his own.
5. As he was rushing down the road, Mortimer could hear the echoe of his own footsteps behind him which were steadily gaining on him.

2. Write ‘T’ for true and ‘F’ for false statements.

Question 1. Mortimer saw a host of figures.
Answer: False

Question 2. Mortimer saw the figure in his childhood in a book
Answer: True

Question 3. Mortimer was frightened.
Answer: True

Question 4. Mortimer pounded on the iron door.
Answer: False

Question 5. The door opened but nobody was found.
Answer: False

3. Rearrange the following sentences in the proper order as they happened. Write the numbers in the boxes.

1. He banged on the door.

2. Mortimer became panicky

3. The door of the cottage opened.

4. Mortimer and the shadowy figure went up the stairs.

5. A shadowy figure beckoned him inside.

6. He noticed a cottage.

7. He began to run along the road.

Answer:

4. Mortimer and the shadowy figure went up the stairs.

1. He banged on the door.

5. A shadowy figure beckoned him inside.

7. He began to run along the road.

6. He noticed a cottage.

3. The door of the cottage opened.

2. Mortimer became panicky

3. Match the words in A and with their meanings in B.

Answer:

Question 3. The shadowy figure took him. to an upper room where a bright fire was burning. There was an armchair beside the fire. By the armchair was a small, oak table on which lay a battered old book bound in red leather. The shadowy figure put the candle on the table and departed silently.

Mortimer collapsed into the armchair and picked up the old book. With a shock, he realized it was the same book from his childhood, the book which contained the story of ‘Midnight Express’. Mortimer was greatly afraid. He turned the pages with trembling hands. He began to read. The story was about a man who in his childhood had read a book which contained a frightening picture.

1. Answer the questions below:

1. Where did the shadowy figure lead Mortimer to? Give a small description of the room.
2. What happened to Mortimer after he went to the room?
3. Why was Mortimer shocked?
4. What did he do then?
5. Why do you think Mortimer’s hands trembled when he turned the pages of the book?

Answer:

1. The shadowy figure led Mortimer to an upper room where a bright fire was burning. There was an armchair beside the fire, and a small oak table on which lay a battered old book in red leather. There was also a candle on the table.
2. Mortimer collapsed into the armchair and picked up an old book and started reading it.
3. He was shocked when he realized that it was the same book containing the story of “Midnight Express” which he had read in his childhood. He was greatly afraid.
4. He turned the pages with trembling hands and began to read it.
5. Mortimer’s hands trembled with fear when he realized that it was the same book as he had read in his childhood and which had an illustration that frightened him.
   Supporting sentence

2. Write ‘T’ for true and ‘F’ for false statements. Give supporting sentences for each of your answers.

Question 1. The room where Mortimer was taken was in the ground floor.
Answer:  False

The shadowy figure took him to an upper room.

Question 2. Mortimer sat on an armchair in the room.
Answer: True

Mortimer collapsed into the armchair.

Question 3. Midnight Express” was a story.
Answer: True

The book which contained the story of “Midnight Express”.

Question 4. Mortimer was greatly delighted.
Answer: False

Mortimer was greatly afraid

Question 5. The figure who led Mortimer to the room was with him all the time.
Answer: False

The shadowy figure put the candle on the table and departed silently.

3. Complete the sentences with information from the text.

Question 1. On the oak table was __________
Answer: On the oak table was lying a battered old book bound in red leather.

Question 2. The shadowy figure took Mortimer to_________
Answer: The shadowy figure took Mortimer to an upper room: where a bright fire was burning.

Question 3. After sitting on the armchair, Mortimer, __________
Answer: After sitting on the armchair, Mortimer picked up the old book.

Question 4. Mortimer was greatly afraid because ____________
Answer: Mortimer was greatly afraid because he realized that it was the same book from his childhood that contained the story of “Midnight Express” that frightened him.

Question 5. The story was about ___________
Answer: The story was about a man who in his childhood had read a book that contained a frightening picture.

4. Find words in the text which are opposite in meaning of the following.

1. Dim,
2. Arrived,
3. Different,
4. Reassuring,
5. Steady.

Answer:

1. Right,
2. Departed,
3. Same,
4. Frightening,
5. Trembling.

Question 4. Mortimer tried to grasp the strange cycle of events he was going through. He was filled with acute dread. “Who is the strange man who asked me into this cottage ?”Mortimer asked himself fearfully.

At that very moment the door opened and the strange host came in. His face was covered in darkness. The candle on the table cast huge shadows on the walls. The shadowy figure stood before Mortimer. Slowly he edged forward.

Mortimer, sitting on the armchair, felt a chill run up his spine. He looked up into the face of the shadowy figure. Mortimer realized he was looking at himself.

The clock ticked in the hall below and sea roared outside. The candlelight flickered. The old, battered book bound in red leather lay open on the table.

1. Answer the questions below:

1. What was the strange cycle of events Mortimer was going through?
2. What did Mortimer try to understand?
3. What is the question that upset his mind with a sense of fear?
4. Do you think the strange incidents that happened to Mortimer would not have occurred if he had not read the book?
5. What did he feel when Mortimer looked up in the face of the shadowy figure?

Answer:

1. Mortimer was undergoing through the same experiences as he had while reading a story in his childhood. All the incidents of the book were coming alive in front of him.
2. Mortimer tried to understand the strange cycle of events he was going through.
3. The question that upset his mind was “who is the strange man who asked me into this cottage.”
4. Reading the book had implanted a sense of fear in Mortimer’s mind. The illustration on page fifty had made a permanent dent in his subconscious mind. The strange incidents that happened to Mortimer would not have occurred if he had not read the book.
5. When Mortimer looked up in the face of the shadowy figure, he realized he was looking at himself.

2. Write ‘T’ for true and ‘F’ for false statements.

Question 1. Mortimer tried to understand the strange cycle of events he was going through.
Answer: True

Question 2. Mortimer faced the situation confidently.
Answer: False

Question 3. Mortimer could recognise the strange host.
Answer: False

Question 4. Mortimer realised that he was looking at himself.
Answer: True

Question 5. The old battered book disappeared all on a sudden.
Answer: False

3. Rearrange the events in proper order as they happened.

1. The shadowy figure stood before Mortimer.

2. Mortimer felt a chill run up his spine.

3. The door opened.

4. He realized that he was looking at himself.

5. The strange host came in.

6. Mortimer looked up in the face of the figure.

7. Slowly he came forward.

Answer:

3. The door opened.

5. The strange host came in.

1. The shadowy figure stood before Mortimer.

7. Slowly he came forward.

2. Mortimer felt a chill run up his spine.

6. Mortimer looked up in the face of the figure.

4. He realized that he was looking at himself.

4. Match the words in A and with their opposite words (antonyms) in B.

Question 1.

Answer: