About the passage

A.  Read to understand

Answer the following questions.

        1.   What was Lloyd’s theory about an object that was perfectly black?

 

        2.   ‘Well, I have begun my experiments.’ What did Lloyd hope to discover through his experiments?

 

        3.   When does a substance appear to be white? When does it look black?

 

        4.   What was Paul looking to obtain through his experiments?

 

        5.   What surprise awaited the narrator when he reached Lloyd’s place of work?

 

        6.   What did the narrator discover when he went to meet Paul that same day?

 

7. What would reveal Paul’s position on the other side of the net to the narrator?

 

8. How did the narrator make sure of Lloyd’s presence at the tennis court?



B.  Read to infer

         1.   Do you think Paul and Lloyd both succeeded in achieving perfect invisibility? Give reasons for your answer.

 

         2.   The narrator said that he ‘tremble(d) for the success of either’ of his friends. What was it that he feared? How did his fears prove to be true?

 

         3.   ‘I can carry a sunshade, you know.’ What possible situation is Lloyd referring to, and how would carrying a ‘sunshade’ help in this situation?

 

         4.   ‘Look here, Paul, you’ll keep out of this if you know what’s good for you.’ What did Lloyd want Paul to ‘keep out of’?

 

         5.   What do you think happened to Paul and Lloyd by the end of the story? What proof is available in the text to support this?

 

 

C.  Discuss

         1.   The over-competitiveness displayed by Paul and Lloyd was beneficial in term of scientific achievement but harmful with respect to their own lives. Discuss in class.

 

         2.   Do you think all scientific discoveries are useful to humans? Would invisibility be a beneficial or harmful discovery? Give a reason for your answer.

 

         3.   Have you read any other stories or seen any films which deal with the topic of invisibility? Share what you have read or seen with the rest of the class.

 

Last modified: Saturday, 24 November 2018, 8:33 PM