Question

summarising a single paragraph 10
the war of the worlds

read the passage and then complete the comment on the underlined part using words from the passage. -5 each

there was a general movement backwards. i saw the shopman struggling still on the edge of the pit. i found myself alone, and saw the people on the other side of the pit running off, stent among them. i looked again at the cylinder, and ungovernable terror gripped me. i stood petrified and staring.

a big greyish rounded bulk, the size, perhaps, of a bear, was rising slowly and painfully out of the cylinder. as it bulged up and caught the light, it glistened like wet leather.

two large dark-coloured eyes were regarding me steadfastly. the mass that framed them, the head of the thing, was rounded, and had, one might say, a face. there was a mouth under the eyes, the lipless brim of which quivered and panted, and dropped saliva. the whole creature heaved and pulsated convulsively. a lank tentacular appendage* gripped the edge of the cylinder, another swayed in the air.

• tentacular appendage a tentacle

the underlined part gives us our first description of a martian. the writer portrays a truly loathsome creature, with a 1) \\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_ that has no lips and drops 2) \\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_. the verbs that the writer uses - quivered, panted, 3) \\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_, pulsated - add to this repulsive image.

Explanation:

The task requires completing the summary of the underlined passage using exact words from the text:

• For blank 1), the passage states "There was a mouth under the eyes...", which corresponds to "with a mouth that has no lips".
• For blank 2), the passage states the mouth "...dropped saliva", which corresponds to "drops saliva".
• For blank 3), the summary lists the verbs used in the underlined sentence: "quivered, panted, and dropped saliva. The whole creature heaved and pulsated...". The missing verb in the list "quivered, panted, [blank], pulsated" is "dropped" (or "heaved"). Looking at the sequence of verbs describing the physical actions of the creature, "dropped" directly completes the list of verbs from that specific sentence.

Answer:

1. mouth
2. saliva
3. dropped