NCERT Class 9 English Words and Expressions Unit 3

 

Read the following text and answer the questions that follow.

 

This is an extract from Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mocking Bird. After supper, Atticus sat down with the paper and called, “Scout, ready to read?”. I ran crying, went to the front porch. Atticus followed me. “Something wrong, Scout?” I told Atticus I didn’t feel very well and didn’t think I’d go to school any more if it was alright with him. Atticus sat down in the swing and crossed his legs. His fingers wandered to his watch pocket; he said that was the only way he could think. He waited in amiable silence, and I sought to reinforce my position: “You never went to school and you do alright, so I’ll just stay home too. You can teach me like Granddaddy taught you ‘n’ Uncle Jack.” “No I can’t”, said Atticus. “I have to make a living. Besides, they’d put me in jail if I kept you at home. Now what’s the matter? Bit by bit, I told him the day’s misfortunes. “And the teacher said you taught me all wrong, so we can’t ever read any more, ever. Please don’t send me back, please Sir.” Atticus stood up and walked to the end of the porch. When he completed his examination of the wisteria vine he strolled back to me. “First of all”, he said, “if you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view-” “Sir?” “-until you climb into his skin and walk around in it”. “But if I keep on goin’ to school, we can’t ever read any more…” “That’s really

bothering you, isn’t it?” “Yes sir.

When Atticus looked down at me I saw the expression on his face that always made me expect something. “Do you know what a compromise is?”, he asked. “Bending the law?” “No, an agreement reached by mutual concessions. It works this way”, he said. “If you’ll concede the necessity of going to school, we’ll go on reading every night just as we always have. Is it a bargain?”

“Yes sir!”

“We’ll consider it sealed without the usual formality”, Atticus said, when he saw me preparing to spit.

As I opened the front screen door Atticus said, “By the way, Scout, you’d better not say anything at school about our agreement”. “Why not?” “I’m afraid our activities would be received with considerable disapprobation by the more learned authorities.”

My brother and I were accustomed to our father’s diction, and we were at all times free to interrupt Atticus for a translation when it was beyond our understanding. “Huh, Sir?”

“I never went to school”, he said, “but I have a feeling that if you tell Miss Caroline we read every night she’ll get after me, and I wouldn’t want her after me”.