Read the following passage and try to answer the questions given below:
One late afternoon when Father came up from down town, he found his home much upset. Our cook had walked out and left us. I was a child of four, George was two, and there was a new baby besides. Mother was ill. She hadn’t been able to leave us to go to an agency. And as she was no hand at cooking herself, the outlook for dinner was poor.
This state of affairs was unprecedented in all Father’s experience. In his father’s home, they never changed their servants suddenly, they seldom changed them at all; and as his mother was a past mistress of cooking, he had always been doubly protected. Since his marriage, he had to live a much bumpier life. But this was the worst yet.
He asked Mother, who was lying in bed, what she was going to do about it. There were no telephones then, and she couldn’t do anything at all, at the moment; but she said she would try to go to an agency in the morning and see what she could find. ‘In the morning? Good God!’ Father said. ‘Where is the place, anyhow?’ And he clapped on his hat and strode out again, over towards Sixth Avenue.
From “Life With Father”
by Clarence Day
Questions
- Why was Father’s home much upset?
- Why wasn’t Mother able to go an agency?
- How had Father been doubly protected in his childhood?
- When was Mother planning to go to the agency?
- Give the opposites of the following words: late, never, found, ill, suddenly, worst.
Answers
- Father’s home was much upset because the cook had left.
- Mother was not able to go to an agency because she was ill and she could not leave the children alone. 3. Father had been doubly protected in his childhood because his parents seldom changed servants, and even if they did his mother was an excellent cook.
- Mother was planning to go to the agency in the morning.
- late – early
never – always
found – lost
ill – well
suddenly – gradually
worst – best
