Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions on it.
The crowd was massive. Men, women, boys and girls from every nook and cranny of the village had gathered under the big iroko tree. Also in the crowd was an American couple, tourists, who were enjoying their holiday. At the centre of the large circle of people was the magician who had the reputation of performing unbelievable feats. Everybody was impressed with the feats which went along with the hilarious drumming. Then came the next item. The magician's three aides each took out a local gun while the magician danced even wilder. The gun-totting aides took up position in three different corners. The drumming became more frenzied and the magician performed more acrobatics. The people were not to wonder for long what the guns had to do with the whole show. One after the other, the aides aimed at the magician while he steadied himself to receive the shots. Each gun boomed with a loud report and the magician jumped up in celebration of his survival. The three shots seemingly got to him but he simply laughed to scorn the shooters. The American tourist was more than mystified. He could not explain it. How could a man receive bullet shots in his chest and still remain unscathed? In disbelief he shouted " This is amazing can't be explained But wait a minute. I II join the show myself." There and then, he went to his car took out his riffle and returned to the crowd "I'm gonna get this guy!" he proclaimed. He took aim. The magician saw him out of the corner of his eye. He surveyed the scenario and decided that he was not prepared for this. Quickly, he showed a clean pair of heels. Tearing through the crowd he ran for dear life. Some thought this was still part of the show. but when the man would not return it was clear that he had bidden the audience a hasty farewell. What the American and most others did not realise all the time was that the local guns had no bullets whatsoever only the gunpowder. (a) What suggests that the show was free? (b) What evidence is there that the performance was not a one-man show? (c) Why was the magician confident to receive the shots from his aides? (d) What did the American tourist set out to prove? (e) What might have happened if the American had completed his contemplated action? (f) ....he showed a clean pair of heels. What does this expression mean? (g) ... which went along with the hilarious drumming. (i) What is the grammatical name given to this expression as it is used in the passage? (ii) What is its function? (h) For each of the following words, find another word or phrase which means the same and which can replace it as it is used in the passage. (i) feats (ii) aides 1 (iii) steadied (iv) mystified (v) unscathed (vi) hasty
Explanation
(a). The fact is that it took place in the open/under the big iroko tree. (b) The evidence is that apart from the magician, there were drummers and the magician's three aides. (c) This is because he knew that there were no bullets in the guns (d) He set out to prove that the magician was not bullet-proof after all. (e) The magician might have died (f) It means that the man ran away. g) (i) Relative/adjectival clause (ii) It qualifies/modifies (the noun) "feats". (h) (i) feats — stunts, acts, tricks. (ii) aides — assistants, helpers, supporters. (iii) steadied — stabilised, positioned, braced, readied, balanced, prepared (iv) mystified — puzzled, baffled, perplexed, astonished, stupefied, bewildered, bemused (v) unscathed — unharmed, unhurt, uninjured, safe (vi) hasty — quick, speedy, hurried, rushed.
