Upon a tropical island, a twelve-year-old boy with fair hair was climbing out of plane wreckage (referred to as "the scar") on a beach and towards a lagoon. He faced another child around his age, a fat boy with glasses. The two, who have not previously met, began a conversation. The fair-haired boy introduced himself as Ralph.
Through their conversation, it was revealed that the boys had survived a plane crash in the Pacific Ocean, and no adults were present among the survivors. They confirmed that both the pilot and "the man with the megaphone"-perhaps some sort of rescue worker-both had died in the crash. The boys appeared to have been escaping from an atomic war in their country, a place referred to only as the Home Counties (signaling England). When Ralph insisted that his father, a Commander in the Navy, would rescue the stranded boys, Piggy reminded him that "they"-perhaps the military, perhaps the adult population-were all killed "by the atom bomb."
Ralph was excited by the idea of being free from any adult supervision. He enjoyed the shore with Palm trees and all other new sights. He started playing on the sand at the beach. He stood on a relatively high platform and looked into the river water that was clear to the bottom. He found a natural pool there, formed, perhaps, by a typhoon that had banked sand inside the lagoon. Ralph plunged in and started taking a bath.
Question 1: What is the setting of the story?
Answer: The story is set on a tropical island.
Question 2: Who are the main characters introduced in the passage?
Answer: The main characters are a twelve-year-old boy named Ralph and another boy referred to as Piggy.
Question 3: What event led to the boys being stranded on the island?
Answer: The boys survived a plane crash in the Pacific Ocean.
Question 4: What did Ralph reveal about his background?
Answer: Ralph mentioned that his father is a Commander in the Navy.
Question 5: How do Ralph and Piggy react to the absence of adults on the island?
Answer: Ralph is excited by the idea of being free from adult supervision, while Piggy reminds Ralph that all adults were killed by the atom bomb.
Question 6: Describe Ralph's initial experience on the island?
Answer: Ralph enjoys exploring the beach with its palm trees and clear river water, and he even takes a bath in a natural pool formed by the lagoon.