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| The Little Match Girl - Evergreen Publication |
COMPREHENSION (UNSOLVED PASSAGES)
Passage 1
(1) She huddled down in a heap in a corner formed by two houses to escape the cold. She tucked her little feet underneath herself. In spite of this she felt colder and colder.
(ii) She was scared of her father because he was very harsh, strict and cruel. Her father would beat her when she failed to sell the matches and earn money.
(iii) The roof above the little girl's home had many cracks through which the wind whistled. The largest cracks in the roof were stuffed with straw and rags. Even then the cold wind passed through them.
(iv) Due to extreme cold the little girl's fingers had become numb. She lit a match to warm her fingers. The match had a warm bright flame like a tiny candle. When she held her hand over the flame she felt its comforting warmth.
(V) The fire produced by lightening a match gave out a warm bright flame. It looked like a tiny candle. The girl held out her hand over it and felt its warmth.
Passage 2
(1) The stove that she had visualized in the light of the burning match vanished when the flame of the match went out.
(ii) She visualized that she was sitting under the most beautiful Christmas tree. It was much larger and lovelier than the one she had seen last year through the glass doors of the rich merchant's house.
(iil) She visualized that thousands of candles were burning on the green branches and little painted figures, like she had seen in shop windows, looked down on her.
(iv) The candles on the Christmas tree rose higher and higher through the air. Then they turned into bright stars.
(v) The little girl said that someone was dying because her grandmother had told her that whenever a star fell, a soul went up to God. Now that she had seen a star falling, she concluded that someone was dying.
Passage 3
(1) The Christmas tree that she visualized was better because there were many candles on the tree. They were shining brightly. As soon as she reached forward with both hands the match went out and the tree disappeared.
(ii) She observed that the candles on the Christmas tree rose higher and higher through the air and then they turned into bright stars.
(iii) The little girls' grandmother who was now dead, had told her that whenever a star falls a soul goes up to heaven.
(iv) The little girl lighted another match and visualized her grandmother who stood before her, a bright and shining figure looking extremely kind, gentle and loving.
(V) The little girl told her grandmother that she knew that she (grandmother) would disappear when the match was burnt out. She quickly struck all the matches because she wanted to keep her grandmother with her.
Passage 4
(1) When the matches flared up, it was brighter than broad daylight. In this light, the grandmother appeared extremely beautiful and majestic.
(ii) The grandmother took the little girl in her arms and flew high up to heaven, the world of glory and joy where God lived.
(iil) Cold, hunger and fear had no effect on the grandmother and the little girl because they were both now in heaven with God.
(iv) On the last evening of the year, the little girl could not endure the biting cold of winter night and she got frozen to death.
(V) People said that the little girl was tyring to warm herself. They did not know what beautiful visions the girl had seen and in what a blaze of glory she had entered into the heavenly joy of a new year with her grandmother.
LONG ANSWER QUESTIONS
ASSIGNMENT Develop the following hints into your own answers:
1. Hints
- bitterly cold, snow was falling
- little girl bareheaded and barefoot
- lost her slippers, feet red and blue with cold
- picture of hunger, misery
- smell of roasted goose, New Year Eve
- afraid of her strict father, dared not go home
- had sold no matches, frozen to death
2. Hints
- pathetic tale of poor, little girl, sells matches
- walks along the street, bareheaded, naked feet
- New year's Eve, extremely cold, fails to sell matches
- fears her cruel father-flakes of snow cover her hair
- sits in a corner between two houses
- lits the match, comfortable, visualizes magnificent Christmas tree
- another match, someone is dead
- life full of pain, tells grandmother to take her with her
- death comes to her rescue
3. Hints
- poor little girl, sells matches, bareheaded, naked feet
- fails to sell, fears her father
- starts lighting matches to keep warm
- last match, visualizes her grandmother, who is dead
- asks her, take me with you
- told her, a star falls, someone dies
- fears her grandmother would disappear
- lights all the matches, life full of pain and agony
