Comprehension (A)
"Here, Lamby," called Joel, opening the door to the barn where the sheep are kept in the winter. The lamb sprang up from her warm straw bedding and sucked down the bottle in thirty seconds. Her mother had died giving birth to her a week before. This may have been Joel's thirty- three-thousandth trip to the barn, since he goes in and out of barns at least ten times a day. Joel knows these farm buildings better than he knows his own bedroom. He surely spends more waking hours in them. He knows how to care for the animals they shelter as well as he knows how to care for himself. Farming is Joel's world.
Joel Holland has lived on this 245-acre farm since, he was born, thirteen years ago. It is the farm of his ancestors. He lives in the house that his great-grandfather built. The land 'he helps his father and brothers' is the land that his great-great-grandfather James Holland bought in 1860. James was an Irish immigrant. He drove a team of horses to plough the land and make it ready for corn. Now, five generations later, Joel ploughs the same land atop a tractor that has the power of 120 horses. The rich, black soil has been pampered by Hollands for over 120 years. Farming is Joel's heritage.
The Holland farm is near Scales Mound, a tiny town of 400 people snuggled in the north-western corner of Illinois. The land there is hilly, rolling in great waves. In fact, just a few miles away is the highest point in the state.
Questions:
i. Summarize the passage and what titles could be given to each paragraph in the passage to summarize its content?
ii. Explain the meaning of the expressions "sucked down the bottle in thirty seconds" and "rolling in great waves" in the context of the passage.
iii. Analyze Joel's relationship with the farm buildings and his knowledge of farming, highlighting how it shapes his daily life.
iv. How does Joel's perspective on farming differ from that of his ancestors, and what does it reveal about the evolution of farming practices?
v. What theme or message about the connection between an individual, their heritage, and the land can be inferred from the passage?
vi. How might Joel's experience of living on and caring for a farm be applied to real-life situations where individuals are connected to and responsible for their family's traditions and legacies?
