Ameen is seventeen when the war breaks out / Mr. Moti - Multiple Choice & Short Question for SSC English First Paper - English for Today

Seen Comprehension (Unit-1, Lesson-1)

Ameen is seventeen when the war breaks out. One Monday, after supper, he announces he will go to war. Sonabhan shrieks in surprise. You want to leave me alone? It won't take long, Ma, he assures her. I'll be back soon after the training. That night Sonabhan cannot sleep.

After sun-up, she opens the duck coop. The flock streams out, stretches and quacks around her for their morning meal. She takes longer than usual. She mixes water with rice husks in an earthen bowl and puts it down. They gobble it up in five minutes and head for the pond. Ameen has let out the chickens by then. He lifts his 12-week-old cockerel, Moti, and sits on the veranda.

During his breakfast he doesn't strike up any conversation. Having noticed Sonabhan's puffy eyes, he knows not to mention last night's subject. He casts his glance to the side, down at the cockerel eating rice in silence. Today is haat bar, market day. Sonabhan has arranged the things Ameen will take to the bazaar to sell. Two dozen eggs, a sheaf of areca nuts, a bottle gourd. The bazaar is about a mile away.

Ameen wears his short-sleeved floral shirt over his lungi. He whistles as he looks into the cloudy mirror to comb his hair. Placing the rattan basket on his head before setting off, he hollers: I'm off, Ma. Sonabhan watches him go along the bank of the little river. For the first time it occurs to her that Ameen has grown up. He has reached the height of his dead father, has his long neck and straight shoulders.

In that moment, Sonabhan realizes it's not the war, it's the fighting that Ameen is fascinated with. Like his dead father, he is crazy about bullfighting, cockfighting and boat racing. The same stubbornness flows in his blood. Once he decides on something, nothing can stop him. Her little son! Now a man.

Even up to his fifteenth birthday barely a day passed without neighbours appearing with a slew of complaints. Sometimes one or two turned up from other villages. They peeked into the house and asked, Does Ameen live here? Sonabhan would sigh. What did he do? Your son stole my date juice! Emptied the juice pots hanging on the date trees! Sonabhan would sigh again. Then ask the visitor to pardon him. She hated saying that she'd raised her son alone. If she could spare them, she would bring half a dozen eggs and hand them to the visitor: Please take these for your children.

At night, Sonabhan climbs out of her bed, clutches the hurricane lamp and tiptoes into Ameen's room. She stands by his bed, looks at her sleeping son. He snores like his father. He has her light skin and button nose. She touches his cheek. His broad forehead. She suppresses a desire to lie beside him. Like the old days, when she slept cuddling her baby.

ALL QUESTIONS

Question No. 1: Multiple Choice Questions Choose the correct answer from the following alternatives:

a. "Ameen is seventeen when the war breaks out." What is the meaning of the phrase 'break out' here? i) to start ii) to finish iii) to break iv) to destroy

b. Ameen has assured her mother that the war will last for—. i) a long period of time ii) a short period of time iii) some years iv) some months

c. "Sonabhan shrieks in surprise." Here, the word 'shriek' means —. i) yell ii) sigh iii) whisper iv) murmur

d. Why can't the mother sleep that night? i) because of her son's decision to join the war ii) because of a lot of complaints against him iii) because of her son's unwillingness to live with her iv) because of thinking about her dead husband

e. "The same stubbornness flows in his blood". Here, 'stubbornness' best means —. i) fragility ii) tenacity iii) flexibility iv) harmony

Extra

1. 'Sometimes one or two turned up from other villages'. Here, the phrase 'turn up' implies—. i) run off ii) manage iii) leave iv) appear

2. Ameen's mother gets — to hear the announcement of Ameen. i) perplexed ii) stunned iii) frightened iv) furious

3. Ameen's mother takes longer time to feed the ducks. It is because—. i) She is disturbed because of her son's sudden decision to go to war. ii) She is busy with other domestic works. iii) She asks Ameen to do the job of feeding the ducks. iv) She is sick.

4. "They gobble it up in five minutes and head for the pond". Here, 'head' is a/an—. i) noun ii) adjective iii) verb iv) adverb

5. Mother's 'puffy eyes' indicate that—. i) She was having some problems in eyes. ii) She had cried at night and could not sleep. iii) She was suffering from headache. iv) She had injured her eyes the previous day.

6. What is meant by the phrase 'strike up' in the passage? i) to discontinue ii) to continue iii) to begin iv) to protest

7. "Placing the rattan basket on his head before setting off, he hollers." Here, the phrase 'set off' means—. i) to begin a journey ii) to place something in place iii) to initiate a plan iv) to make something happen

8. The word 'gobble' is synonymous with —. i) nibble ii) merge iii) bite iv) guzzle

9. What does the word 'holler' means in the passage? i) shout ii) to pacify iii) complain iv) whimper

10. "She suppresses a desire to lie beside him." In this sentence, the writer mentions about — in a very poetic way. i) mother's anger ii) mother's disappointment iii) mother's craving iv) mother's regret

11. "Like the old days, when she slept cuddling her baby." What is the synonym of the word 'cuddle' here? i) hug ii) care iii) love iv) adore

Answering Questions: SSC Exam Ques. No. 2 Answer the following questions:

a. How does the writer describe Ameen during the period of war?

b. What makes Ameen's mother stunned?

c. How has the author intensified motherly feeling in the text?

d. From the reading of the text, describe how the human world is inter-related with that of birds or animals.

e. What does Sonabhan realize regarding her son's decision to join the war?

Extra

1. Why does Ameen avoid mentioning last night's subject in the morning?

2. What resemblances between father and son does Sonabhan find while seeing her son going to the bazaar?

3. Why did the neighbours come to Sonabhan's home?

4. Where is Ameen going in the morning and why?

5. "She suppresses a desire to lie beside him. Like the old days, when she slept cuddling her baby." What does the author want to convey to us through these lines?

Gap Filling: SSC Exam Ques. No. 3 Fill in each gap with a suitable word based on the information of the text:

i. Ameen, a seventeen-year-old boy informs his mother about his (a) to go to war, surprising his mother, Sonabhan. Although he reassures her that he will return soon after (b) — his training, she is unable to sleep that (c). The next morning, she keeps herself busy with feeding the ducks, taking longer than (d) — due to her distress. Ameen then sits on the veranda with his (e). Observing his mother's condition, he avoids talking about the previous night's conversation.

ii. On a market day, Sonabhan has arranged eggs and nuts for Ameen to (a) — at the bazaar. Ameen puts on a floral shirt, whistles, and sets off. As she watches him leave, Sonabhan realises that he has (b) — into a man. He now stands the (c) — height as his dead father. She also realizes that his true obsession is not (d), but a stubborn passion for (e), including bullfighting and cockfighting, just like his father's.

iii. Ameen is now a man, though not long ago he was the village troublemaker. Until he turned (a) people often came to (b) that he had stolen date juice or emptied their pots. Sonabhan always said (c) — and sometimes gave them eggs. At night, she quietly goes into his room and (d) — him sleep. She sees both herself and his father in his face and misses the days when she used to (e) him as a little boy.

ALL ANSWERS

Answers to Question No. 1: Multiple Choice Questions

a. i) to start b. ii) a short period of time c. i) yell d. i) because of her son's decision to join the war e. ii) tenacity

Extra

1. iv) appear 2. ii) stunned 3. i) She is disturbed because of her son's sudden decision to go to war 4. iii) verb 5. ii) She had cried at night and could not sleep 6. iii) to begin 7. i) to begin a journey 8. iv) guzzle 9. i) shout 10. iii) mother's craving 11. i) hug

Answers to SSC Exam Ques. No. 2

a. The writer describes Ameen as a boy of seventeen years who is very stubborn. He is depicted as a boy having light skin and button nose and broad forehead. Like his father he is very crazy about fighting.

b. On a Monday night, after supper, Ameen announces that he will go to war. Ameen's mother cannot imagine her son's absence in her house. Moreover, she thinks about the safety of her son. So, his son's sudden announcement of going to war makes her stunned.

c. In several occasions of the text, the writer has intensified motherly feeling. Through the actions like disallowing her son to leave for war, realizing how her baby is not little anymore and expressing earnest desire to lie beside her son, the writer has depicted the intensified motherly feeling.

d. In the text, we can see that the human world is inter-related with the world of birds or animals very nicely. Both humans and animals depend on each other for various things. For example, Sonabhan and Ameen take good care of the ducks and the chickens, and then they can sell the eggs in the market and even give some to the neighbours.

e. Regarding her son's decision to join the war, Sonabhan realizes that her son has inherited the stubbornness from his father and nothing or nobody can prevent him from doing the things as per his own decision.

Extra

1. Ameen avoids mentioning last night's subject in the morning because he has seen her mother in puffy eyes. It appears to him that mentioning the last night's subject might hurt her again.

2. While seeing her son going to the bazaar, Sonabhan finds that her son's height is the same as his father. Like his father he has a long neck and straight shoulders. Her son's craziness about bullfighting, cockfighting and boat racing also reminds her of her husband's strong liking for the same things. Moreover, her son seems to be as stubborn as his father.

3. The neighbours came to Sonabhan's home to complain against her son, Ameen.

4. Ameen is going to the bazaar in the morning to sell two dozen eggs, a sheaf of areca nuts and a bottle gourd.

5. Sonabhan, Ameen's mother, finds it very difficult to accept the truth that her son has grown up. She wants to cuddle her son like she used to when he was a baby. Thus, the writer wants to convey the unconditional love of a mother for her son in poetic fashion through the lines.

Answers to Gap Filling: SSC Exam Ques. No. 3

i. (a) intention/willingness (b) completing (c) night (d) usual (e) cockerel

ii. (a) sell (b) grown (c) same (d) war (e) fighting

iii. (a) fifteen (b) complain (c) sorry (d) watches (e) hold

Bangla Translation (বাংলা অনুবাদ)

যুদ্ধ শুরু হওয়ার সময় আমীনের বয়স সতেরো। একদিন সোমবার, রাতের খাবারের পর, সে ঘোষণা করে যে সে যুদ্ধে যাবে। সোনোভান বিস্ময়ে চিৎকার করে ওঠে। তুমি আমাকে একা রেখে যেতে চাও? বেশি সময় লাগবে না, মা, সে তাকে আশ্বস্ত করে। আমি প্রশিক্ষণের পরপরই ফিরে আসব। সেই রাতে সোনোভান ঘুমাতে পারে না।

সূর্যোদয়ের পর, সে হাঁসের খোঁয়াড় খোলে। ঝাঁকটি বেরিয়ে আসে, ডানা ঝাপটায় এবং সকালের খাবারের জন্য তার চারপাশে প্যাক প্যাক শব্দ করতে থাকে। তার স্বাভাবিকের চেয়ে বেশি সময় লাগে। সে একটি মাটির পাত্রে ধানের তুষের সাথে পানি মেশায় এবং তা নিচে রাখে। তারা পাঁচ মিনিটের মধ্যে গোগ্রাসে তা খেয়ে ফেলে এবং পুকুরের দিকে রওনা হয়। আমীন ততক্ষণে মুরগিগুলোকে ছেড়ে দিয়েছে। সে তার ১২ সপ্তাহের মোরগ ছানা, মতিকে তুলে নেয় এবং বারান্দায় বসে।

সকালের নাস্তার সময় সে কোনো কথাবার্তা শুরু করে না। সোনোভানের ফোলা চোখ লক্ষ্য করে, সে জানে গত রাতের বিষয়টি উল্লেখ করা ঠিক হবে না। সে পাশে দৃষ্টি ফেরায়, নীরবে ভাত খাওয়া মোরগটির দিকে তাকায়। আজ হাটবার, বাজারের দিন। আমীন বাজারে বিক্রির জন্য যা যা নিয়ে যাবে সোনোভান তা গুছিয়ে রেখেছে। দুই ডজন ডিম, এক ছড়া সুপারি, একটি লাউ। বাজারটি প্রায় এক মাইল দূরে।

আমীন তার লুঙ্গির ওপর হাফ-হাতা ফুল-ছাপ শার্ট পরে। চুল আঁচড়ানোর জন্য ঘোলাটে আয়নায় তাকিয়ে সে শিস বাজায়। রওনা হওয়ার আগে বেতের ঝুড়িটি মাথায় রেখে সে জোরে বলে ওঠে: আমি গেলাম, মা। সোনোভান তাকে ছোট্ট নদীর পাড় ধরে যেতে দেখে। প্রথমবারের মতো তার মনে হয় যে আমীন বড় হয়ে গেছে। সে তার মৃত বাবার উচ্চতায় পৌঁছেছে, তার বাবার মতো লম্বা ঘাড় এবং সোজা কাঁধ পেয়েছে।

সেই মুহূর্তে, সোনোভান বুঝতে পারে যে এটি যুদ্ধ নয়, বরং লড়াই-ই আমীনকে মুগ্ধ করে। তার মৃত বাবার মতো সেও ষাঁড়ের লড়াই, মোরগ লড়াই এবং নৌকাবাইচের পাগল। একই একগুঁয়েমি তার রক্তে প্রবাহিত। একবার সে কোনো কিছুর সিদ্ধান্ত নিলে, কোনো কিছুই তাকে থামাতে পারে না। তার ছোট্ট ছেলে! এখন একজন পুরুষ।

এমনকি তার পনেরোতম জন্মদিন পর্যন্ত এমন কোনো দিন যায়নি যেদিন প্রতিবেশীরা একগাদা অভিযোগ নিয়ে হাজির হয়নি। কখনো কখনো অন্য গ্রাম থেকেও এক-দুজন হাজির হতো। তারা বাড়িতে উঁকি দিয়ে জিজ্ঞেস করত, আমীন কি এখানে থাকে? সোনোভান দীর্ঘশ্বাস ফেলত। সে কী করেছে? আপনার ছেলে আমার খেজুরের রস চুরি করেছে! খেজুর গাছে ঝোলানো রসের হাঁড়ি খালি করে দিয়েছে! সোনোভান আবার দীর্ঘশ্বাস ফেলত। তারপর দর্শনার্থীকে তাকে ক্ষমা করতে বলত। সে একা তার ছেলেকে বড় করেছে—এটা বলতে সে অপছন্দ করত। যদি তার কাছে অতিরিক্ত থাকত, তবে সে আধা ডজন ডিম এনে দর্শনার্থীর হাতে দিত: দয়া করে এগুলো আপনার সন্তানদের জন্য নিয়ে যান।

রাতে, সোনোভান বিছানা থেকে ওঠে, হ্যারিকেন বাতিটি আঁকড়ে ধরে এবং পা টিপে টিপে আমীনের ঘরে ঢোকে। সে তার বিছানার পাশে দাঁড়ায়, তার ঘুমন্ত ছেলের দিকে তাকায়। সে তার বাবার মতো নাক ডাকে। সে তার মায়ের ফর্সা গায়ের রঙ এবং ছোট বোঁচা নাক পেয়েছে। সে তার গাল স্পর্শ করে। তার প্রশস্ত কপাল। সে তার পাশে শোয়ার ইচ্ছা দমন করে। পুরোনো দিনের মতো, যখন সে তার শিশুকে জড়িয়ে ধরে ঘুমাত।

Word Meanings (শব্দার্থ)

Word	Bangla Meaning	Word	Bangla Meaning
Announce	ঘোষণা করা	Height	উচ্চতা
Areca nut	সুপারি	Holler	জোরে চিৎকার করে বলা / হাঁক দেওয়া
Assure	আশ্বস্ত করা	Lungi	লুঙ্গি (পোশাক)
Bazaar	বাজার	Mention	উল্লেখ করা
Bottle gourd	লাউ	Pardon	ক্ষমা করা
Broad	প্রশস্ত / চওড়া	Peek	উঁকি দেওয়া
Bullfighting	ষাঁড়ের লড়াই	Puffy	ফোলা
Clutch	শক্ত করে আঁকড়ে ধরা	Quack	হাঁসের ডাক (প্যাক প্যাক করা)
Cockfighting	মোরগ লড়াই	Rattan	বেত
Cockerel	মোরগ ছানা / অল্পবয়স্ক মোরগ	Sheaf	ছড়া / গোছা
Complain	অভিযোগ করা	Short-sleeved	হাফ-হাতা
Conversation	কথোপকথন	Shriek	তীক্ষ্ণ চিৎকার করা
Coop	খোঁয়াড় (হাঁস-মুরগি রাখার স্থান)	Sigh	দীর্ঘশ্বাস ফেলা
Cuddle	আদর করে জড়িয়ে ধরা	Silence	নীরবতা
Date juice	খেজুরের রস	Slew	একগাদা / প্রচুর পরিমাণ
Desire	ইচ্ছা / বাসনা	Snore	নাক ডাকা
Earthen	মাটির তৈরি	Straight	সোজা
Empty	খালি করা	Stream out	স্রোতের মতো বেরিয়ে আসা
Fascinated	মুগ্ধ	Stretch	প্রসারিত করা / ডানা ঝাপটানো
Flock	ঝাঁক / পাল	Stubbornness	একগুঁয়েমি / জেদ
Floral	ফুল-ছাপ দেওয়া / ফুলকাটা	Sun-up	সূর্যোদয়
Glance	দৃষ্টি / তাকানো	Supper	রাতের খাবার
Gobble up	গোগ্রাসে খাওয়া	Suppress	দমন করা / চেপে রাখা
Grown up	বড় হওয়া / প্রাপ্তবয়স্ক	Tiptoe	পা টিপে টিপে চলা
Hanging	ঝুলন্ত	Veranda	বারান্দা
Hate	অপছন্দ করা / ঘৃণা করা	Visitor	দর্শনার্থী

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