There was no light left save that of the stars. The three big boys went together to the next shelter. They lay restlessly and noisily among the dry leaves. Sometimes a littlun cried out from the other shelters. Then they too fell asleep. Overhead, beyond the horizon, there was an aerial battle when no child was awake to see it. There was a sudden bright explosion and a corkscrew trail across the sky.
There was a speck above the island, a figure dropping swiftly beneath a parachute, a figure that hung with dangling limbs. The changing winds of various altitudes took the figure where they would. The figure fell and crumpled among the blue flowers of the mountain side but now there was a gentle breeze at this height too and the parachute flopped and banged and pulled. So the figure with feet that dragged behind it, slid up the mountain, till it lay huddled among the shattered rocks of the mountain top.
Early in the next morning, there arose a noise from a rock falling down the mountain side. They were the twins on duty at the fire. They were adding kindling to the fire. Just then, they had seen something strange. They became motionless, gripped in each other's arms four unwinking eyes and two mouths open. Neither of the boys screamed but the grip of their arms tightened and their mouths peaked. For perhaps ten seconds they crouched like that. Then as though they had but one terrified mind between them they scrambled away over the rocks and fled. They came to Ralph to get him up and tell him that they had seen a beast. They lay still and waited till the morning light filtered into the shelter. They began to stir though still the world outside the shelter was dangerous. A single sea bird flapped upwards with a hoarse cry that was echoed presently, and something squawked in the forest. Ralph knelt in the entrance to the shelter and peered cautiously round him, then said,
"Sam'n Eric. Call them to an assembly. Quietly. Go on.’’
Question 1: What is the setting described at the beginning of the paragraph?
Answer: The setting described is night time, with only starlight illuminating the surroundings, and the boys lying among dry leaves in shelters.
Question 2: What unusual event occurs overhead while the boys are asleep?
Answer: An aerial battle takes place overhead, with a sudden bright explosion and a corkscrew trail across the sky.
Question 3: Describe the figure descending with a parachute. What happens to it?
Answer: The figure descends with a parachute, hanging with dangling limbs. As it falls, the changing winds cause it to drift, and it lands among the blue flowers on the mountainside. The parachute flops and bangs, pulling the figure up the mountain until it lies among the shattered rocks on the mountaintop.
Question 4: What noise interrupts the boys' sleep early in the next morning, and what do the twins report?
Answer: The noise of a rock falling down the mountainside interrupts their sleep. The twins, who were on duty at the fire, report seeing something strange and terrifying, which they describe as a beast.
Question 5: How do the twins react to what they saw, and what action do they take?
Answer: The twins become motionless, gripped in each other's arms with unwinking eyes and open mouths, showing their fear. They don't scream but tighten their grip on each other before eventually scrambling away over the rocks and fleeing.
Question 6: How does Ralph respond to the twins' report of seeing a beast, and what instruction does he give them?
Answer: Ralph responds by instructing the twins, Sam and Eric, to call an assembly quietly. He kneels in the entrance to the shelter, peers cautiously around, and then tells them to call for an assembly.
