Critical Reading For Exams / Short Reading Comprehension 6


It was four o’clock when he landed on the rocks, which the rays of an intensely scorching sun had rendered so  hot that I could scarcely place my foot upon them. How the people without shoes bore it I cannot imagine. Never  shall I forget the extraordinary spectacle that met our sight the moment we passed the low range of bushes, which  formed a screen in front of the river. A crowd of many hundred Irish emigrants had been landed during the present  and former day and all this motley crew—men, women, and children, who were not confined by sickness to the sheds  (which greatly resembled cattle-pens)—were employed in washing clothes or spreading them out on the rocks and  bushes to dry. 
 



The reader may infer all of the following from the passage except:.

The narrator was wearing shoes
The narrator had been hidden from view of the emigrants by natural boundaries
It was summertime or on a latitude close to the equator
There was a goodly number of sick among the emigrants
The memory of the sight of the emigrants will fade over time

Which is the best description of the word “motley” as used in line (5)?

A group who was in need of bathing
A group including all sexes and ages
A diverse mix of emigrants
A group with dirty clothes
A mix of rich and poor settlers

The use of the term “spectacle” in line (3) suggests the narrator was

Understandably elated to find others who were seeking to establish homes
Surprised to see so many people who had landed within two days
Expecting to see an eclectic mix of emigrants at the river
Shocked to see the scene presented with so many emigrants and what they were doing
Thrilled at the final joining up with the remainder of the emigrant settlers

 
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