III. Questions and topics for analysis and discussion
1. Speak about the author of the book.
2. Where is the scene laid? What had happened on the island before Ralph and Piggy met? Give your idea of the time of the action.
3. Give a character sketch of Ralph relying on the references to his appearance, manner, background.
4. Sum up Piggy: his appearance, manner, background, Point out the grammar peculiarities of his speech, instances of his cleverness, of his being able to give good advice. Why was Piggy set apart from the others from the very start? Was it betrayal on Ralph's part to mention Piggy's nickname?
5. Discuss Jack: his appearance, manner, position in the choir, his features of a leader, his opinion of himself. What did his authority rest on?
6. Why did the children prefer Ralph for their chief? How did Ralph and Jack react to it?
7. Why did Ralph and Jack like each other?
8. Pay attention to the way Ralph, Piggy and Jack expressed their strong emotions. How does it characterize each?
9. How did Ralph, Piggy, Jack, Simon regard their finding themselves on an uninhabited island?
10. Discuss Ralph's first steps as a leader.
11. Dwell on the episode with the piglet.
12. Account for the title of the chapter. Trace all references to the shell, its physical properties, its functions power it gave to Ralph.
13. Make a list of words and expressions characteristic of schoolboys' slang.
ASSIGNMENT 2 Chapters 2, 3
I. ACTIVE VOCABULARY
to break in to catch smb's eye to convey smth to smb
savage n challengingly to shout smb down
hinder to set smth on fire nightmare
by tacit consent spontaneously
II. EXERCISES
1. Give definitions of the contextual meaning of these lexical units: to break in; to convey; to challenge; to hinder; spontaneously; by tacit consent; nightmare
2. Note the use of the active vocabulary in these word combinations; suggest some more: to look round challengingly, to challenge, to challenge a person to a duel; to convey some meaning (peace and understanding, amiable feelings, local colour); by tacit consent (understanding, agreement, approval); to act (react, answer) spontaneously, a spontaneous reaction (act, question)
3. Translate into Russian:
1. Words fail to convey my feelings. 2. The speech he made was spontaneous but impressive. 3. By tacit consent we went on working after the bell. 4. Please, don't break in till I have finished. 5. See to it that the child is not hindered in his work. 6. There was a challenge in his voice which nobody dared to answer. 7. The walk along the muddy road in the dark was a nightmare. 8. There was a tumult at the end of the meeting caused by the speaker's sarcasm. Somebody tried to shout him down but thought better of it after catching the chairman's eye. Don't drop matches here. You may set the forest on fire in this hot weather. 10. Fancy him calling us a mob of savages! Did savages dance to a tape-recorder?
4. Answer the questions:
1. What can one do challengingly? 2. Can you make a spontaneous five-minute speech in English? 3. Is it polite to break in when the speaker is in the middle of a phrase? 4. What is your reaction when you are hindered in your work? 5. What was the name of the ancient Greek whose ambition made set a temple on fire? 6. Are there any savage tribes in the world nowadays?
5. Describe an incident from your life when: 1. you had a nightmare; 2. somebody failed to convey something important to you; 3. something was done by tacit consent; 4. somebody tried to shout you down.
6. Recall the situations from the book under discussion suggested by the sentences:
1. Jack broke in, "All the same you need an army – for hunting."
2. All three of them tried to convey the sense of the pink live thing struggling in the creepers.
3. Jack slammed his knife into a trunk and looked round challengingly.
4. "You are hindering Ralph." 5. "He must have had a nightmare."
6. Spontaneously they began to clap and presently the platform was loud with applause.
7. Piggy opened his mouth to speak, caught Jack's eye, and shut it again.
8. "After all, we're not savages." 9. They stirred and began to shout him down.
10. "Now you... set the whole island on fire."
11. ...by tacit consent they left the shelter and went towards the bathing-pool.
7. Paraphrase or explain:
1. He stood now, warped out of the perpendicular the fierce light of publicity,... (p. 77)
2. The older boys agreed; but here and there among the little ones was the dubiety that required more than rational assurance. (p. 79)
3. Then, with the martyred expression of a parent who has to keep up with the senseless ebullience of the children, he picked up the conch,... (p. 82)
4. His voice lifted into the whine of virtuous recrimination. (p.89)
8. Explain the meaning of the words humour and heart in these sentences (p. 80-81):
1. The eyes that looked so intently at him were without humour.