Chapter 3, "The Little Girl":
1. Why did Kezia go slowly towards the drawing-room when mother asked her to come
downstairs?
Kezia went slowly towards the drawing-room because she was afraid of her father and felt
uncomfortable in his presence, especially when he was strict or angry.
2. What was unusual about Kezia's stuttering?
Kezia's stuttering was unusual because she only stuttered when she was speaking to her father,
not with other people. This indicated her fear and anxiety around him.
3. Why did Kezia feel that her father was like a giant?
Kezia felt her father was like a giant due to his large physical presence and intimidating
demeanor, especially his big hands, neck, and mouth when he yawned, which made her feel
small and fearful.
4. In what ways did Kezia's grandmother encourage her to get to know her parents better?
Kezia's grandmother encouraged her by suggesting she make a pin-cushion as a birthday present
for her father, hoping this act of creation would foster a closer bond.
5. That night there was a hue and cry in the house. What night was that? Why was there an
uproar?
That night was the night Kezia mistakenly tore up her father's important speech to stuff the pin-
cushion. There was an uproar because her father was furious about the loss of his speech for the
Port Authority.
6. "Father's great speech for the Port Authority had been lost." What had happened to father's
speech?
Kezia had unknowingly torn her father's important speech into tiny pieces to fill the pin-cushion
she was making for his birthday present.
7. Who dragged Kezia down to the dining-room at night? Why?
Kezia's father dragged her down to the dining-room at night because he discovered she had
destroyed his important speech papers.
8. How did Father punish Kezia? What was the impact of the punishment?
Kezia's father punished her by hitting her with a ruler on her palms. The impact was that Kezia
became even more terrified of him and felt a deep sense of injustice and fear.
9. Who was Mr. Macdonald?
Mr. Macdonald was Kezia's neighbor, a kind and playful father who often played with his five
children, presenting a stark contrast to Kezia's own strict father.
10. Read the extract and answer the questions that follow:
"What's the matter? What are you looking so wretched about? Mother, I wish you taught this
child not to appear on the brink of suicide... Here, Kezia, carry my teacup back to the table
carefully." He was so big-his hands and his neck, especially his mouth when he yawned.
Thinking about him alone was like thinking about a giant.
(a) Who is the speaker in these lines?
The speaker in these lines is Kezia's father.
(b) Where are they at the moment? What time is it?
They are likely in the drawing-room or a common area of the house, and it is likely during the
day or evening when the family would gather.
(c) How does Kezia look in her father's presence? Why?
Kezia looks "wretched" or miserable in her father's presence because she is intimidated and
fearful of him, especially given his stern demeanor and large physical appearance described in
the extract.
(d) Why was she scared of her father?
She was scared of her father due to his strictness, his imposing physical presence, and the fear of
punishment, which is evident in his harsh tone in the extract and her perception of him as a
"giant."
