The Last Leaf
COMPREHENSION SKILLS
A. Choose the correct options to complete the sentences.
- cold
- pneumonia
- typhoid
- jaundice
- tea
- coffee
- juice
- broth
- painter
- sculptor
- gardener
- carpenter
- thirty
- four
- forty
- ten
ALTERNATIVE RESPONSE QUESTIONS
B. Tick (✓) the correct statements and cross (X) the incorrect ones.
1 Joanna had given up the desire to live. (✓)
2 The presence of the last leaf made Joanna weak to fight her illness. (X)
3. Behrman acted as a guardian to the two young artists. (✓)
4. Behrman had never wanted to paint a masterpiece. (X)
MATCHING TYPE QUESTIONS
C. Match the words given in column A with the words given in column B to form meaningful sentences.
| Column A | Column B |
|---|---|
| 1. The ivy leaves | (a) two days ago, helpless with pain |
| 2. The lonely ivy leaf | (b) were falling faster. |
| 3. Joanna wanted to have | (c) fluttered when the wind blew |
| 4. the caretaker found Behrman | (d) clung to its stem. |
| 5. The ivy leaf never | (e) a little broth and some milk |
Answer:
- (b) were falling faster
- (d) clung to its stem.
- (e) a little broth and some milk
- (a) two days ago, helpless with pain
- (c) fluttered when the wind blew
VERY SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS
D. Answer each question in 35-40 words.
1. What made Joanna's recovery difficult?
Answer: Jonna's recovery was becoming difficult as she had given up the desire to live. The doctor warned her friend Sue that Joanna would only recover if she became happy and optimistic.
2. What did Joanna want Sue to do?
Answer: Joanna wanted Sue to pull up the shades of the window. She wanted to check out the ive-vine which clung to the crumbling brick wall. Joanna wanted to see how many leaves were still left on the ivy-vine in the morning.
3. How was Behrman related to Sue and Joanna?
Answer: Behrman lived on the ground floor of the building in which Sue and Joanna resided. Although he had been painting for forty years, Behrman was not a successful artist.
4. When did Behrman paint his masterpiece?
Answer: Behrman had come to know about Joanna's illness through Sue, He also knew how Joanna had wasted. Not caring for his health he painted an ivy leaf on the wall in front of Joanna's window and the masterpiece was done on a stormy night.
SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS
E. Answer each question in 50-60 words.
1. Why was Joanna counting the falling leaves?
Answer: Joanna in her suffering and pain had somehow attached her life to the leaves on the ivy-vine that grew against the wall. She somehow got this notion in her head that the number of leaves on the vine symbolized the number of days she would be alive. So, she took to counting the number of leaves on the ivy-vine.
2. Who was Behrman and how did he react when Sue told him about Joanna?
Answer: Old Behrman was a painter who lived on the ground floor of Sue and Joanna's building. Although he had been painting for forty years, he was not a successful artist. When Sue told Behrman about Joanna's notion about the ivy leaves he was upset and sad. His eyes red with tears, he shouted at the foolishness of such ideas.
3. What gave Joanna the power to fight her illness?
Answer: The presence of the last leaf that had clung to the ivy-vine all through the stormy night gave Joanna the power to fight her illness. Incidentally, the leaf which had given her hope to live was not real. That masterpiece was painted on the wall by Behrman to give Joanna the will to get well again.
4. Why did the last leaf not fall from the ivy vine?
Answer: The last leaf did not fall from the vine as it was not real. That particular leaf was painted by old Behrman when he came to know about Joanna's foolish notion. She had told Behrman how Joanna had attached the days of her life to the number of leaves left clinging on the ivy-vine. Behrman had been very upset about the whole thing and wanted to give Joanna hope to live.
LONG ANSWER QUESTIONS
F. Answer each question in 60-80 words.
1. What do you understand of Behrman's character from the story?
Answer: Old Behrman might not have made it big in the materialistic world that he lived in, but by giving Joanna a new lease of life in the shape of the painted leaf, he had proved his worth. Behrman was a conscientious artist. He had been painting for the last forty years in the hope of creating a masterpiece.
By painting a leaf on the wall through a stormy night, to give hope to a young life, he has proved that he cared mightily for those around him. In the process of giving life to someone else Behrman lost his. But, maybe, to him that was a worthy cause to die for.
2. Do you think Behrman was successful in painting his masterpiece?
Answer: Yes, in the end Behrman was successful in painting his masterpiece. It was this masterpiece, painted in a dark and stormy night which had given hope and power to Joanna to fight her illness. The presence of that last leaf clinging to the vine, although fake had filled Joanna with a new vigour for life.
3. How did Joanna's false notion create a life-threatening situation for her?
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