When Jonathan (the seagull) came, it was well after dark

When Jonathan (the seagull) came, it was well after dark, and he floated in moonlight on the surface of the ocean. His wings were ragged bars of lead, but the weight of failure was even heavier on his back. He wished, feebly, that the weight would be just enough to drag him gently down to the bottom, and end it all. But soon he came back to normal. He pushed wearily away from the dark water and flew towards the land, grateful for what he had learned about work-saving low-altitude flying.

1. The word "wearily" means

  1. tireless
  2. exhausted
  3. sadly
  4. unconscious

2. The seagull suffered because

  1. he had tried to do something that other seagulls had not done.
  2. probably he had been attacked by a stronger bird.
  3. probably he had been attacked by some strong creature in the sea.
  4. he had swooned and fallen into the water.

3. 'His wings were ragged bars of lead' means that

  1. his wings were damaged and supported by bars of lead.
  2. his wings were damaged and therefore very heavy.
  3. he had rags and bars of lead on his wings.
  4. his wings were broken like pieces of lead.

4. The lesson that he had learnt that day was about

  1. not fighting with stronger birds.
  2. flying carrying bars of lead on his wings.
  3. diving too deep into the sea.
  4. flying at low altitudes.

Answers

  1. B
  2. A
  3. B
  4. D

The text is from the book, Jonathan Livingston Seagull, written by Richard Bach. It is a fable in novella form about a seagull learning about life and flight. The book tells the story of Jonathan Livingston Seagull, a seagull who is bored with daily squabbles over food. Seized by a passion for flight, he pushes himself, learning everything he can about flying.

The lead is a very heavy metal. To give the feeling of something heavy, author means that his wings were heavy.