THE SOFT VOICE OF THE SERPENT SHORT STORY
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
GRADE 12
THE SOFT VOICE OF THE SERPENT BY NADINE GORDIMER
Read the extract below and answer the questions that follow.
Extract A
[The lady wheels the man into the garden.]
| A first slight wind lifted again in the slack, furled sail of himself; he felt it belly gently, so gently he could just feel it, lifting inside him. So she wheeled him along, pushing hard and not particularly well with her thin pretty arms – but he would not for anything complain of the way she did it or suggest that the nurse might do better, for he knew that would hurt her – and when they came to a spot that he liked, she put the brake on the chair and settled him there for the morning. That was the first time and now he sat there every day. He read a lot, but his attention was arrested sometimes,
quite suddenly and compellingly, by the sunken place under the rug where his leg used to be. There was his one leg, and next to it, the rug flapped loose. Then looking, he felt his leg not there; he felt it go, slowly, from the toe to the thigh. He felt that he had no leg. After a few minutes he went back to his book. He never let the realisation quite reach him; he let himself realise it physically, but he never quite let it get at him. He felt it pressing up, coming, coming, dark, crushing, ready to burst – but he always turned away, just in time, back to his book. |
Related Items
- Complete the following sentences by filling in the missing words. Write down only the word(s) next to the question number (1(a) – 1(d)).
The man is being pushed in a (a) ... by his (b) ... He spends much time (c) ... in the garden. Sometimes he thinks about the (d) ... he lost. (4) - Refer to “slack, furled sail of himself” (line 1).
- Identify the figure of speech used (1)
- Explain why the writer has used this figure of (2)
- How do you know that the woman is not good at pushing the man? (1)
- The man does not complain about how the woman pushes him. What does this tell you about him? State TWO (2)
- Using your own words, briefly describe how the man feels about his loss. State TWO points. (2)
- Refer to lines 14-15. (“He felt it ... ready to burst.”)
What does the use of the word “crushing” tell you about the man’s feelings? (2) - In your view, should the man keep quiet about how he feels about his loss? Give a reason for your answer. (2) [16]
Answers-
- wheelchair ✓
- wife ✓
- reading ✓
- leg ✓
-
- metaphor ✓
- To show that he feels just like a sail that has lost its ✓✓
- She has to push hard. ✓/She is not doing particularly well. ✓/Her arms are thin. ✓/The man actually thinks that the nurse may do better. ✓
- He is sensitive. ✓
He is tolerant. ✓
He is patient. ✓ - Emotionally he has not come to terms with his loss and he feels a sense of helplessness/sadness/hopelessness. ✓✓
- It emphasises the impact the loss has on him. ✓
He feels devastated. ✓
He is extremely hurt. ✓ - No. It is better for him to share his feelings. It helps with the healing process. ✓✓
OR
Yes. He needs to come to terms with his loss./He must accept his loss before anybody else can help him. ✓✓
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Read the extract below and answer the questions that follow.
Extract B
[They talk about the locust.]
“Get another little chair made for him and you can wheel him out here with me.”
“Yes,” she laughed. “Only for him it would have to be a kind of little cart, with wheels.”
“Or maybe he could be taught to use crutches. I’m sure the farmers would like to know that he was being kept active.”
“The poor old thing,” she said, bending over the locust again. And reaching back somewhere into an inquisitive childhood she picked up a thin wand of twig and prodded the locust, very gently. “Funny thing is, it’s even the same leg, the left one.” She looked round at him and smiled.
“I know,” he nodded, laughing. “The two of us ...” And then he shook his head and, smiling, said it again: “The two of us.”
She was laughing and just then she flicked the twig more sharply than she meant to and at the touch of it there was a sudden flurried papery whirr, and the locust flew away.
She stood there with the stick in her hand, half afraid of the creature again, and appealed, unnerved as a child, “What happened. What happened.”
There was a moment of silence. “Don’t be a fool,” he said irritably.
They had forgotten that locusts can fly. |
- In line 1 the man says that the locust needs a “little chair”.
- Why does the locust need a chair? (1)
- Who does the man think is responsible for the locust’s injury? (1)
- Do you think he is being serious when he suggests that the woman should wheel the locust around? Explain your (2)
- What point is the man making in his statement in lines 5–6 when he says, “I’m sure the ... being kept active”. (2)
- Choose the correct answer to complete the following sentence:
When the man refers to “The two of us” in line 12, he means the ...- man and the locust.
- woman and the locust.
- man and the woman.
- man and his nurse. (1)
- At the end of the story the locust flies
- Explain how the man’s mood (2)
- Why does his mood change in this way? (2)
- Is the following statement TRUE or FALSE? Give a reason for your answer.
In the title of the story the serpent refers to a real snake in the garden. (2) - Consider the story as a whole. The woman experiences mixed feelings towards the What are these feelings? (2)
- Do you admire the woman? Discuss your (2)
- The main theme of the story is about coming to terms with one’s How can disabled people be helped to come to terms with their loss? Discuss your view stating at least TWO points. (2) [17]
Answers -
- The locust has lost its leg✓
- The woman / his wife ✓
- No. He is merely making a joke. He knows very well that it is not possible. ✓✓
OR
Yes. He is using the locust to point out/emphasise his own disability/difficulty in moving around. ✓✓ (2)
- Locusts are pests (that destroy crops). The farmers would be happy that the locust was kept busy elsewhere. ✓✓ (2)
- A /the man and the locust✓ (1)
-
- His mood changes from happiness to irritation✓
He was joking at first but he later became nasty/angry. ✓
He was happy but once the locust flew off he became unhappy. ✓ (2) - He realises that the locust is able to fly✓
The locust is able to move but he cannot. ✓
Although the has locust lost a leg just like he has, the locust can fly away but he is still stuck in the wheelchair. ✓ (2)
- False. The serpent refers to the locust. ✓
It refers to the temptation in the Garden of Eden. ✓
It refers to the temptation that there is hope in end. ✓
(False hope for the man). ✓
Everything can be fixed in the end. ✓ (2) - At first she is afraid of the locust and then she feels sorry for the locust. ✓
She feels sorry for the locust and then becomes afraid of the locust. ✓ (2) - Yes. She takes good care of her husband. /She is patient / tolerant. ✓✓
OR
No. ✓ It is her duty to take care of him even if he is disabled. ✓✓ (2) - They should be helped ✓
They should be helped to become independent. ✓
They should be counselled. ✓
They should not be treated like outcasts. ✓ (2) [17]
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