NSC English FAL Comprehension: [Late one night in the Bamjee ho

Question

[Late one night in the Bamjee home.]

Jimmy, Pahad's son, appeared at the door with a suitcase; two or three of the girls were behind him. 'Here, Ma, you take my green jersey. I've found your clean blouse.' Bamjee had to keep moving out of their way as they helped their mother to make ready. It was like the preparation for one of the family festivals his wife made such a fuss over; wherever he put himself, they bumped into him. Even the two policemen mumbled, 'Excuse me', and pushed past into the rest of the house to continue their search. They took with them a tome that Nehru had written in prison; it had been bought from a persevering travelling salesman and kept, for years, on the mantelpiece. 'Oh, don't take that, please,' Mrs Bamjee said suddenly, clinging to the arm of the man who had picked it up.

The man held it away from her.

'What does it matter, Ma?'

It was true that no one in the house had ever read it; but she said, 'It's for my children.'

'Ma, leave it.' Jimmy, who was squat and plump, looked like a merchant advising a client against a roll of silk she had set her heart on.

She went into the bedroom and got dressed.

[Isabel tells her friends about the Kelvey girls.]

It was impossible not to laugh. And her little sister, our Else, wore a long white dress, rather like a nightgown, and a pair of little boy's boots. But what our Else wore would have looked strange. She was the windblown child, or the child who had never smiled. Nobody had ever seen her smile; she scarcely ever spoke. She went through life holding on to Lil, who wore a little girl's skirt secured at the waist. Where Lil controlled the pace of things, in the front our Else followed along behind. In the evenings, she loved to sit in the room and let her dreams flow on, telling stories about things that she saw in the world around her. The Kelveys never failed to amaze her.

One afternoon, she sat and stared round and round the room, ravel her silvery hair, so very good, so very pretty, and telling. The carpet made a splendid scene, but so did the beds with real bedclothes, and the stove with an oven door.

[Late one night in the Bamjee home.] Jimmy, Pahad's son, appeared at the door with a suitcase; two or three of the girls were behind him - NSC English FAL - Question 5 - 2019 - Paper 2

Worked Solution & Example Answer:[Late one night in the Bamjee home.] Jimmy, Pahad's son, appeared at the door with a suitcase; two or three of the girls were behind him - NSC English FAL - Question 5 - 2019 - Paper 2

5.1.1 What is the occupation of the Bamjee family?

5.1.2 Who is Jimmy to Mrs. Bamjee?

5.1.3 What can be inferred about the family dynamics?

5.1.4 Compare the preparation for Mrs. Bamjee's imprisonment to a family festival.

5.1.5 What role do the policemen play in the story?

5.1.6 Describe the character traits of Jimmy.

5.1.7 Discuss the topic of discrimination presented in the story.

5.1.8 Explain if Mrs. Bamjee’s actions can be viewed in a positive light.

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