Read the passage carefully :
Tom Sawyer found Monday morning miserable. He always found it so because it began another week's slow suffering in school. Tom lay thinking. Presently it occurred to him that if he wished he was sick; then he could stay home from school. Here was a vague possibility. But no ailment was found. Suddenly, he discovered something, one of his upper front teeth was loose. This was lucky; he was about to groan, when it occurred to him that his aunt would pull it out, and that would hurt. So, he thought he would hold the tooth in reserve for the present, and seek further. Then he remembered hearing the doctor telling about a certain thing that threatened to make patients lose a finger. So, the boy eagerly drew his sore toe from under the sheet and held it up for inspection. It seemed worthwhile to chance it, so he started groaning with considerable spirit.
But Sid slept on.
Tom groaned louder.
No result from Sid! Sid snored on.
Tom said, "Sid, Sid" and shook him and began to groan again. Sid said : " Tom ! Say, Tom I" (No response.) "Here, Tom ! Tom! What is the matter, Ton?" And he shook him and looked at his face anxiously.
"Don't groan so much, Tom, it's awful. How long have you been this way ?"
"Hours Ouch! Oh, so don't stir, Sid, you'll kill me".
"Tom, why didn't you wake me sooner ? Oh, Tom don't! It makes my flesh crawl to hear you. Tom, What is the matter ?"
"1 forgive you everything, Sid. (Groan.) Everything you've ever done to me. When I'm gone." "Oh, Tom, you am't dying, are you? Don't, Tom -oh, don't May be."
"1 forgive everybody, Sid. (Groan.) Tell'em so, Sid.
But Sid had snatched his clothes and gone.
Sid flew down - stairs and said :
"Oh, Aunt Polly, come ! Tom's dying !"
"Dying!"
But she fled up - stairs, nevertheless, with Sid and Mary at her heels. And her face grew white, too, and her lip trembled. When she reached the bedside she gasped out.
"You, Tom ! Tom, what's the matter with you ?"
"Oh, auntie, I'm."
"What's the matter with you - what is the matter with you, child ?"
"Oh, auntie, my some toe's mortified !"
The old lady sank down into a chair and laughed a little, then cried a little, then did both together. This restored her and she said :
"Torn , what a turn you did give me ! Now you shut up that nonsense and climb out of this." The groans ceased. The boy felt a little foolish and he said :
"Aunt Polly, it seemed mortified, and it hurt so I never minded my tooth at all".
"Your tooth, indeed I What's the matter with your tooth ?"
"One of them's loose, and it aches perfectly awful."
"There, there, now, don't begin that groaning again. Open your mouth Well — your tooth is loose, but you're not going to die about that Mary, get me a silk thread, and a chunk of fire out of the kitchen ."
Tom said : "Oh, please, auntie, don't pull it out. It don't hurt any more. Please don't, auntie. I don't want to stay home from school"
"Oh, you don't, don't you ? So, all this row was because you thought you'd get to stay home from school and go for fishing ? Tom, Torn, I love you so, and you seem to try every way you can to break my old heart with your outrageousness." By this time the dental instruments were ready. The old lady made one end of the silk thread fast to Tom's tooth with a loop and tied the other to the bedpost Then she seized, the chunk of fire and suddenly thrust it almost into the boy's face. The tooth hung dangling by the bedpost, now.
(A) Answer the following questions:
(a) (i) Why did Tom hate Monday mornings ?
(ii) Why did he lay in bed thinking ?
(b) Why did Tom decide to use his sore toe as an excuse ?
(c) Why did Aunt Polly laugh and cry at the same tirne ?
(d) How did Aunt Polly pull out Tom's loose tooth ?
(B) Find words from the passage which mean the same as the following :
(e) unclear :
(1) miserable (ii) hazy
MO vague (iv) sore
(f) minor illness :
(1) ailment possibility
(iii) hurt (iv) inspection
(g) large piece :
(1) row (ii) outrageousness
(Hi) chunk (iv) thrust
(h) Give one word for 'a curved shape that Dosses itself'
(I) loose (ii) loop
(Ili) tied (iv) row