Text comprehension questions. 1. 1. Issues for discussion

1.1. Issues for Discussion

1. Characterize the text under study from the point of view of its form. Is it a description of a scene, an account of some event, a portrayal of some individuals etc.?

2. State where the scene is laid. Are there any indications of time and place of the action in the extract?

3. What is the general impression of Crescent Bay in the predawn hours as described in the first two physical paragraphs?

4. What elements of nature form the details of the landscape in these paragraphs?

5. How is the atmosphere of the early foggy morning pictured?

6. Comment on the way in which the stillness of that early hour is emphasized. At what expense is the effect of calmness and serenity achieved?

7. What are the main features of the author’s artistic method in depicting the sea? What are the predominant stylistic devices and the prevalent mood of the sea description?

8. Through what artistic means is the effect of heavy dew described? Is the impression of wetness sustained throughout the narration? How does its verbal manifestation diversify?

9. Comment on the use of interjections and their stylistic potential in depicting the nature.

10. What is the role of the rhetorical questions “how far”? and “what was it? ” in the 1^st and in the 2^nd physical paragraphs? Is the reader expected to find an answer to them or do they serve to enhance the lyrical mood permeating the description?

11. How does the general atmosphere of the scene described change in the 3^rd physical paragraph? What lexical means make for enlivening the dreamy scene depicted in the first two physical paragraphs?

12. Comment on the way the flock of sheep moves focussing on the verbs of motion.

13. How is the humorous effect in the description of the dog achieved?

14. Do you find the portrayal of the animals in the passage symbolic?

15. Is the character drawing of the shepherd direct? What poetic details does it comprise (appearance, clothes, behaviour etc.)?

16. Find the words thematically united by the common notion of:

· water

· moisture

· movement

· different light effects

· sounds

· plants

· shades of colour

· clothes

17. Find the sentence in the 3^rd physical paragraph which seems to divide the paragraph into two parts. What underlies this division?

18. What poetic details are employed in picturing the glory of the rising sun?

19. Find instances of the author’s feeling of sincere admiration for the break of the day.

20. How does the author project herself into the description? How are her remarkable feeling of nature and keenness of observation expressed in the extract? Find such instances in the first and in the concluding logical parts.