Passage 6 - Adam’s Good Deed
Read the passage carefully. Then answer the questions that follow.
The sharp ringing of the alarm clock woke Adam up. He quickly showered, had his usual breakfast of cereal and milk, and got ready for school in no time. It was a lovely day, and Adam walked to school as usual, enjoying the sights and sounds along the way. As he rounded a bend, he saw something out of the corner of his eye. There was an old lady hobbling across the road. She looked really frail and was struggling with two bags of groceries that seemed to be weighing her down. Adam was just about to walk over to offer assistance to her when he heard the screech of car tyres from a distance.
Shouting at the old lady to stop, Adam immediately took off running towards her, hoping that he would be able to reach her before an accident could happen. The old lady appeared not to have heard him as she continued moving forward. By then, the car was closing in on her. Thankfully Adam managed to pull the old lady back in time just as the car whizzed past them.
“Are you okay madam?” Adam asked. Although shocked, the old lady turned to Adam and began thanking him profusely. Looking as the scattered groceries on the road, Adam knew he could not leave the old lady alone. Gathering her groceries in his arms, he offered to walk her home.
Thankfully, it was a short walk to the old lady’s house. She opened the door to her home and Adam helped her to place her groceries down on the table. Stretching his arms above his head, he noticed the clock on the wall that was directly facing him. The clock face showed 7.45 am. Adam had totally forgotten about the time while he was helping the old lady! Knowing that he was going to be extremely late for school, Adam smiled at the old lady and told her that he had to make a move. Without waiting for an answer, he dashed out the front door.
Adam sprinted all the way to school. As he arrived at the school gate, he was confronted by the discipline master who was glaring angrily at him. The discipline master demanded to know the reason behind Adam’s lateness. When he explained that he had helped an old lady, the discipline master said, “Do you think you can fool me? This is a common excuse found in story books.” He sent Adam to the Principal’s office. He was scolded by the Principal who also did not believe what Adam told him.
The next morning, as Adam was in his Biology class, the Principal walked in. Behind him was the old lady Adam had helped the previous day. Behind the lady was a young man he did not recognize. The old lady smiled at Adam. The principal said to the class that Adam had helped the old lady the previous day, and then apologized to Adam for not believing him. The old lady then gave Adam a present for helping her. The young man, who turned out to be her son, thanked Adam profusely for helping his mother. Everybody in the class clapped. Adam thanked them and smiled, feeling good that he had done something good.
Questions
- Give two reasons why the old lady had trouble crossing the road.
- Quote a phrase of four words in paragraph 1 that suggests that the car was moving very fast.
- ‘Adam knew he could not leave the old lady alone.’ What does this suggest about Adam’s character?
- Give two reasons why Adam was sent to the Principal’s office.
- Why did the old lady come to Adam’s school?
- As he arrived at the school gate, he was confronted by the discipline master who was glaring angrily at him.
Which of the following words can replace the underlined word?
a) shouting b) yelling c) looking d) screaming
Answer Scheme
- The two reasons are
a) The lady was old and frail
b) She was carrying a bag of groceries that was weighing her down. - ‘screech of car tyres’
- Adam was kind, and wanted to do the right thing no matter what the consequences were.
- The two reasons are
a) Adam was late to school
b) Adam gave an excuse which the discipline master thought was made up. - The old lady wanted to thank Adam for helping her the previous day.
- c) looking
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