Question

Excerpt adapted from

Heidi
by Johanna Spyri

When Heidi opened her eyes on her first morning in Frankfurt, she could not think where she was. She was sitting up in a high white bed, on one side of a large, wide room, into which the light was falling through very, very long white curtains. Soon she remembered that she was in Frankfurt. Heidi jumped out of bed; then she ran first to one window and then another; she wanted to see the sky and country outside; she felt like a bird in a cage behind those great curtains. But they were too heavy for her to put aside.

As a bird, when it first finds itself in its bright new cage, darts hither and thither, trying the bars in turn to see if it cannot get through them and fly again into the open, so Heidi continued to run backwards and forwards, trying to open first one and then the other of the windows. But the windows remained immovable, try what Heidi would to open them, even endeavoring to push her little fingers under them to lift them up; but it was all no use.

At that moment a knock came to the door, and immediately after, Tinette put her head inside and said, "Breakfast is ready." Heidi had no idea what an invitation so worded meant, but soon caught on that she was to go to the kitchen. There, she found Clara, who had been some time at the breakfast table and gave Heidi a kindly greeting. Her face looking considerably more cheerful than usual, for she looked forward to all kinds of new things happening again that day.

As soon as the children were alone, Heidi asked, "How can one see out from here, and look right down on to the ground?"

"You must open the window and look out," replied Clara amused.

"But the windows won't open," responded Heidi sadly.

"Yes, they will," Clara assured her. "You cannot open them, nor I either, but when you see Sebastian, you can ask him to open one."

It was a great relief to Heidi to know that the windows could be opened and that one could look out, for she still felt as if she was shut up in prison. Clara now began to ask her questions about her home, and Heidi was delighted to tell her all about the mountain and the goats, and the flowery meadows which were so dear to her.






Select the correct answer.
What is a theme of the passage?

A.
New places can provide important lessons.
B.
People often want to explore.
C.
Change can be difficult at times.
D.
Young people are often wiser than adults.

Answer 1

Step-by-step explanation:

Question 1

The main purpose of the passage is to

(A) describe a main character and a significant change in her life.

(B) provide an overview of a family and a nearby neighbor.

(C) discuss some regrettable personality flaws in a main character.

(D) explain the relationship between a main character and her father.

Item Difficulty: Easy

Best Answer: A

Choice A is the best answer. Emma Woodhouse’s life and family are discussed,

including the marriage of her governess Miss Taylor who then moves out of

Emma’s home. In line 74, Emma wonders how she is to “bear the change” of Miss

Taylor’s departure, which indicates its significance.

Choices B and D are incorrect because the passage focuses more on Emma than

on her family and neighbors, and Emma’s relationship with her father is a

relatively minor consideration. Choice C is also incorrect because Emma is

characterized as handsome and clever with a happy disposition, and her arrogance

is only briefly mentioned.

Answer 2

C. Change can be difficult at times.

Step-by-step explanation:

In Chapter VII of the children story Heidi by Johanna Spyri, the orphan girl Heidi woke up in a strange house where she find it suffocating. The given passage shows Heidi on "her first morning in Frankfurt", at first dazed about her surrounding.

She then came to the realization that she was in Frankfurt, and when she tried to enjoy the sky outside and the countryside, she was left dejected for she couldn't open the window. But on further inquiry, she was told by Clara that she can ask Sebastian to open the windows for her. This somehow gave her some sense of relief, for she loves and enjoys the outside atmosphere. but overall, she finds it difficult to adjust to this new life in Frankfurt, as compared to the life she had always been living with her aunt. But now with her aunt getting anew job, she was taken to live with her grandfather at the mountaintops in the Alps. Heidi finds this change in atmosphere and company hard and difficult, with her need to adjust to everything new.

Thus, the main theme of the given passage is to show that change is at times difficult to adjust to.