COMPREHENSION

Read the following passage carefully and answer the

questions that follow:

Joanne Rowling was born on 31st July 1965 at Yate

General Hospital near Bristol, and grew up in
Gloucestershire in England and in Chepstow, Gwent, in
south-east Wales.
Her father, Peter, was an aircraft engineer at the Rolls
Royce factory in Bristol and her mother, Anne, was a
science technician in the Chemistry department at
Wyedean Comprehensive, where Jo herself went to
school. Anne was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis
when Jo was a teenager and died in 1990, before the
Harry Potter books were published. Jo also has a
younger sister, Di.
The young Jo grew up surrounded by books. “I lived for
books,’’ she has said. “I was your basic common-or-
garden bookworm, complete with freckles and National
Health spectacles.”
Jo wanted to be a writer from an early age. She wrote
her first book at the age of six – a story about a rabbit,
called ‘Rabbit’. At just eleven, she wrote her first novel
– about seven cursed diamonds and the people who
owned them.
Jo studied at Exeter University, where she read so
widely outside her French and Classics syllabus that
she clocked up a fine of £50 for overdue books at the
University library. Her knowledge of Classics would one
day come in handy for creating the spells in the Harry
Potter series, some of which are based on Latin.
Her course included a year in Paris. “I lived in Paris for
a year as a student,” Jo tweeted after the 2015
terrorist attacks there. “It’s one of my favorite places
on earth.”
After her degree, she moved to London and worked in a
series of jobs, including one as a researcher at Amnesty
International. “There in my little office I read hastily
scribbled letters smuggled out of totalitarian regimes
by men and women who were risking imprisonment to
inform the outside world of what was happening to
them.” She said later. “My small participation in that
process was one of the most humbling and inspiring
experiences of my life.”
Jo conceived the idea of Harry Potter in 1990 while
sitting on a delayed train from Manchester to London
King’s Cross. Over the next five years, she began to
map out all seven books of the series. She wrote mostly
in longhand and gradually built up a mass of notes,
many of which were scribbled on odd scraps of paper.
Taking her notes with her, she moved to northern
Portugal to teach English as a foreign language,
married Jorge Arantes in 1992 and had a daughter,
Jessica, in 1993. When the marriage ended later that
year, she returned to the UK to live in Edinburgh, with
Jessica and a suitcase containing the first three
chapters of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.
In Edinburgh, Jo trained as a teacher and began
teaching in the city’s schools, but she continued to
write in every spare moment.
Having completed the full manuscript, she sent the
first three chapters to a number of literary agents, one
of whom wrote back asking to see the rest of it. She
says it was “the best letter I had ever received in my
life.”
The book was first published by Bloomsbury Children’s
Books in June 1997, under the name J.K. Rowling.
The “K” stands for Kathleen, her paternal
grandmother’s name. It was added at her publisher’s
request, who thought a book by an obviously female
author might not appeal to the target audience of
young boys.
The book was published in the US by Scholastic under a
different title (again at the publisher’s request), Harry
Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, in 1998. Six further
titles followed in the Harry Potter series, each
achieving record-breaking success.
In 2001, the film adaptation of the first book was
released by Warner Bros., and was followed by six more
book adaptations, concluding with the release of the
eighth film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part
2, in 2011.
Under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith, J.K. Rowling
also writes crime novels, featuring private detective
Cormoran Strike. The first of these, The Cuckoo’s
Calling, was published to critical acclaim in 2013, at
first without its author’s true identity being known.
(a) For each word given below choose the correct
meaning (as used in the passage) from the options
provided: 5 marks
1. diagnosed:
A] discerned
B] to identify the nature of an illness
C] to investigate
D] to enquire

2. hastily:
A] slowly
B] carefully
C] hurriedly
D] moderately

3. conceived:
A] to create
B] to invent
C] to devise an idea in the mind
D] to discover
4. pseudonym:
A] a title awarded to writers
B] a rank
C] a fictitious name used by an author
D] a title

5. acclaim:
A] criticism
B] enthusiastic and public praise
C] a commentary
D] a report

6. Where did Joanne Rowling’s father work?

A] He worked at the Rolls Royce factory.
B] He was a freelance engineer.
C] He worked in Bristol.
D] He worked in London.

7. Which school did Jo go to?

A] London High
B] Wyedean Comprehensive
C] Bristol High School
D] Brentwood High

8. What caused Anne’s death?

A] Anne died in an accident.
B] Anne was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
C] Anne died of old age.
D] None of the above
9. What did Jo achieve at the age of six?
A] Jo won many literary awards.
B] Jo had mastered Latin.
C] She wrote her first book.
D] She wrote poems.

10. Who worked as a researcher at Amnesty

International?
A] J.K. Rowling
B] Anne
C] Jo’s father
D] Rowling’s friend
11. Jo loved books and spent a lot of time reading.
Which of the following combination of sentences best
summarizes the answer?
A] The young Jo grew up surrounded by books. “I lived
for books,’’ she has said. “I was your basic common-or-
garden bookworm, complete with freckles and National
Health spectacles.”
B] Joanne Rowling was born on 31st July 1965 at Yate
General Hospital near Bristol, and grew up in
Gloucestershire in England and in Chepstow, Gwent, in
south-east Wales.
C] Her course included a year in Paris. “I lived in Paris
for a year as a student,” Jo tweeted after the 2015
terrorist attacks there. “It’s one of my favourite places
on earth.”
D] In 2001, the film adaptation of the first book was
released by Warner Bros., and was followed by six more
book adaptations, concluding with the release of the
eighth film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part
2, in 2011.

12. How did the knowledge of classics help R.K.

Rowling? Which of the following combination of
sentences best summarizes the answer?
A] Jo wanted to be a writer from an early age. She
wrote her first book at the age of six – a story about a
rabbit, called ‘Rabbit’. At just eleven, she wrote her
first novel – about seven cursed diamonds and the
people who owned them.
B] Jo studied at Exeter University, where she read so
widely outside her French and Classics syllabus that
she clocked up a fine of £50 for overdue books at the
University library. Her knowledge of Classics would one
day come in handy for creating the spells in the Harry
Potter series, some of which are based on Latin.
C] Her course included a year in Paris. “I lived in Paris
for a year as a student,” Jo tweeted after the 2015
terrorist attacks there. “It’s one of my favourite places
on earth.”
D] None of the above
13. How did Jo conceive the idea of Harry Potter?
Which of the following combination of sentences best
summarizes the answer? 2 MARKS
A] Jo conceived the idea of Harry Potter in 1990 while
sitting on a delayed train from Manchester to London
King’s Cross. Over the next five years, she began to
map out all seven books of the series.
B] She wrote mostly in longhand and gradually built up
a mass of notes, many of which were scribbled on odd
scraps of paper.
C] Taking her notes with her, she moved to northern
Portugal to teach English as a foreign language,
married Jorge Arantes in 1992 and had a daughter,
Jessica, in 1993. When the marriage ended later that
year, she returned to the UK to live in Edinburgh, with
Jessica and a suitcase containing the first three
chapters of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.
D] Jo wanted to be a writer from an early age. She
wrote her first book at the age of six – a story about a
rabbit, called ‘Rabbit’. At just eleven, she wrote her
first novel – about seven cursed diamonds and the
people who owned them.
14. Harry Potter movies cemented their position
among the Hollywood classics. Which of the following
combination of sentences best summarizes the answer?
A] The book was first published by Bloomsbury
Children’s Books in June 1997, under the name J.K.
Rowling.
The “K” stands for Kathleen, her paternal
grandmother’s name. It was added at her publisher’s
request, who thought a book by an obviously female
author might not appeal to the target audience of
young boys.
B] In 2001, the film adaptation of the first book was
released by Warner Bros., and was followed by six more
book adaptations, concluding with the release of the
eighth film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part
2, in 2011.
C] Having completed the full manuscript, she sent the
first three chapters to a number of literary agents, one
of whom wrote back asking to see the rest of it. She
says it was “the best letter I had ever received in my
life.”
D] Having completed the full manuscript, she sent the
first three chapters to a number of literary agents, one
of whom wrote back asking to see the rest of it. She
says it was “the best letter I had ever received in my
life.”
15. Comment on J.K. Rowling’s success within the
realm of crime novels. Which of the following
combination of sentences best summarizes the answer?
A] Under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith, J.K. Rowling
also writes crime novels, featuring private detective
Cormoran Strike. The first of these, The Cuckoo’s
Calling, was published to critical acclaim in 2013, at
first without its author’s true identity being known.
B] In 2001, the film adaptation of the first book was
released by Warner Bros., and was followed by six more
book adaptations, concluding with the release of the
eighth film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part
2, in 2011.
C] The book was first published by Bloomsbury
Children’s Books in June 1997, under the name J.K.
Rowling.
D] All the above
Fill in the blanks with the correct forms of the words
provided after the passage:

Eye donor can (i) ------------ (belong) to any age group.

People who (ii) …………. (use) spectacles, or those (iii)
…………. (operate) for cataract, can still donate the
eyes. People who (iv) …………. (be) diabetic, have
hypertension, asthma patients and those without
communicable diseases can also (v) …………. (donate)
eyes. Eyes must (vi) …………. (remove) within 4-6 hours
after death. The eye bank team if (vii) …………. (inform)
immediately (viii) …………. (remove) the eyes at home
of the deceased or at a hospital. Eye removal (ix)
…………. (take) only 10-15 minutes. It is a simple
process and (x) ---------- (do) not lead to any
disfigurement.
Fill in the blanks with the correct forms of the words
provided after the passage:

After Christopher Columbus (I) ----------- (return) from

his famous voyage across the Atlantic, the king of
Spain (ii) …………. (wish) to celebrate the great event
and do honour to the man who (iii) …………. (make)
himself a national hero. He (iv) …………. (do) so by
holding a banquet in honour of the explorer. To this
banquet he (v) …………. (invite) many of the nobles of
the king’s court. Some of them (vi) …………. (be) jealous
of the success Columbus (vii) …………. (achieve). One of
them sat next to Columbus. He turned towards
Columbus and said, “Of course you (viii) …………. (be) a
brave man but anyone can take ship and sail on and on
till he (ix) …………. (reach) land.” Even to this day
people (x) ------------- (remember) Columbus.