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Read the passage and answer the questions that follow.
(1) I have often thought it would be a blessing if each human being were stricken blind and deaf…
(1) I have often thought it would be a blessing if each human being were stricken blind and deaf for a few days at some time during his early adult life. Darkness would make him more appreciative of sight; silence would teach him the joys of sound.
(2) And I have imagined what I should most like to see if I were given the use of my eyes, say, for just three days. I should divide the period into three parts. On the first day, I should want to see the people whose kindness and companionship have made my life worth living.
(3) I do not know what it is to see into the heart of a friend through that ‘window of the soul’, the eye. I can only ‘see’ through my fingertips the outline of a face I know my friends from the feel of their faces.
(4) How much easier, how much more satisfying it is for you who can see to grasp quickly the essential qualities of another person by watching the subtleties of expression, that quiver of a muscle, the flutter of a hand.
(5) Oh, the things I should see if I had the power of sight for just three days!
(6) The first day would be a busy one. I should call to me all my dear friends and look long into their faces, imprinting upon my mind the outward evidence of the beauty that is within them. I should like to see the books which have been read to me, and which have revealed to me the deepest channels of human life. And I should like to look into the loyal, trusting eyes of my dogs, the little Scottie and the stalwart Great Dane. In the afternoon I should take a long walk in the woods and intoxicate my eyes on the beauties of the world of nature. And I should pray for the glory of a colourful sunset. That night, I think, I should not be able to sleep.
(7) The next day I should arise with the dawn and see the thrilling miracle by which night is transformed into day. I should behold with awe the magnificent panorama of light with which the sun awakens the sleeping Earth.
(8) My next stop would be the Museum of Art. So, on this, my second day, I should try to probe into the soul of man through his art. The things I knew through touch I should now see.
(9) The evening of my second day I should spend at a theatre or at the movies. How I should like to see the fascinating figure of Hamlet, or the gusty Falstaff amid colourful Elizabethan trappings!
(10) The following morning, I shall spend in the workaday world, amid the haunts of men going about the business of life. The city becomes my destination. First, I stand at a busy corner, merely looking at people, trying by sight of them to understand something of their daily lives. I see smiles, and I am happy. I see serious determination, and I am proud. I see suffering, and I am compassionate. I stroll down Fifth Avenue in New York City. I throw my eyes out of focus, so that I see no particular object but only a seething kaleidoscope of colour. Always my eyes are open wide to all the sights of both happiness and misery so that I may probe deep and add to my understanding of how people work and live.
(11) My third day of sight is drawing to an end. At midnight, the permanent night would close in on me again. Naturally in those three short days, I should not have seen all I wanted to see.
(12) I am, however, sure that if you faced that fate, you would use your eyes as never before. Make the most of every sense; glory in all the facets of pleasure and beauty which the world reveals to you through the several means of contact that nature provides. But of all the senses, I am sure that sight must be the most delightful.
Adapted from: Three days to see
By Hellen Keller
27[1.0]
Find a single word from the passage that will exactly replace the underlined word or words in the following sentence:
The contribution was absolutely necessary for the survival of the family.
28[1.0]
Find a single word from the passage that will exactly replace the underlined word or words in the following sentence:
The unbelievable magic that happened in their lives is beyond imagination.
29[1.0]
Find a single word from the passage that will exactly replace the underlined word or words in the following sentence:
The rooftop gave a complete view of every direction of the landscape.
30[1.0]
Parts (Paragraph 2)
- (a)Parting is such sweet sorrow.
- (b)The two parts look similar to the rest of the diagram.
- (c)There are always tears when she parts from her mother.
- (d)Part of the fault lies in your behaviour.
31[1.0]
Sense (Paragraph 12)
- (a)I sensed tension in the room.
- (b)My hearing is sharper than the other senses.
- (c)There is no sense in repeating the task.
- (d)A dog’s sense of smell is ten times stronger than a human’s.
32[1.0]
Haunts (Paragraph 10)
- (a)They say that a ghost haunts this mansion.
- (b)The ice cream parlour is our favourite haunt.
- (c)She has a haunted look about her.
- (d)Gardens and meadows are the usual haunts of poets.
33[2.0]
Why do you think Helen Keller would not be able to sleep on the day after receiving her sight?
34[2.0]
What evidence is provided in the passage that Helen Keller harboured an attitude of gratitude?
35[2.0]
Why do you think she says she is sure that sight must be the most delightful of all the senses?
36[2.0]
According to Helen Keller, why would it be a blessing if all human beings became blind and deaf for a few days?
37[2.0]
What difference would sight make to her with regard to her friends?
38[2.0]
What do you understand about Helen Keller’s character from the advice she gives to people who have the gift of sight?
39[2.0]
What does the phrase ‘subtleties of expression’ mean in the context of this passage? Why does Helen Keller wish to see them?
40[8.0]
Using material from Paragraphs 6 to 9, write in not more than 100 words, what would Helen Keller like to do for the first two days if she were to gain sight.
Word limit: 100
Answer
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From ISC 2025 Practice English Language, question Passage II.