Page 1 - THE LITTLE GIRL

Beehive
The Little Girl

Questions based on Extracts

A. “To the little girl he was a figure to be feared and avoided. Every morning before going to work he came
into her room and gave her a casual kiss, to which she responded with ‘Goodbye, Father’. And oh, the
glad sense of relief when she heard the noise of the carriage growing fainter and fainter down the long
road!”

Questions

Q1. Why was the little girl afraid of her father?

Q2. What does the phrase “a figure to be feared and avoided” tell us about Kezia’s feelings?

Q3. What does the “glad sense of relief” suggest about her relationship with her father?

Q4. Identify the literary device used in “the noise of the carriage growing fainter and fainter.”

B. “But the same old nightmare came — the butcher with a knife and a rope, who came nearer and nearer,
smiling that dreadful smile, while she could not move, could only stand still, crying out, ‘Grandma!
Grandma!”

Questions

Q1. What is the little girl experiencing in this passage?

Q2. How does this dream reflect her emotional state?

Q3. Why does she call out to her grandmother and not her parents?

Q4. What effect does the repetition of “nearer and nearer” have?

C. “Father came into her room with a ruler in his hands. ‘I am going to beat you for this,’ he said. ‘Oh, no,
no,’ she screamed, hiding under the bedclothes.”

Questions

Q1. Why did Kezia’s father come into her room with a ruler?

Q2. What emotion is Kezia feeling in this moment?

Q3. What does this incident reveal about the father’s parenting style?

Q4. Do you think the punishment was fair? Why or why not?

D. “What did God make fathers for?’ she sobbed.”