'Mother Lee's Home' Reading Comprehension

Crafting the narrative, Unraveling the message within Thach Lam's 'Mother Lee's Home'.

I. Reading Comprehension for 'Mother Lee's Home' - Sample 1:

'Mother and her children lived in a dilapidated house at the end of the street, just like any other house. The cramped space accommodated them with only two thin mattresses and a broken bed. During the cold season, they slept on a bed of straw spread across the floor, resembling a dog's nest, with mother and pups huddling together. For the impoverished like them, such shelter was already a luxury. But what about sustenance? Mr. Lê struggled tirelessly, his daily toils insufficient to feed his hungry brood. From the crack of dawn, through scorching summers and chilling winters, he labored on others' fields in the village for a meager wage. On days when someone needed laborers for planting, despite the hardships, he'd earn a few bowls of rice and coins to feed his starving children at home.

Those were the days of joy. However, come the harvest season, when the rice fields had been reaped, and the land lay barren, the biting cold pierced through like sharp daggers, and Mr. Lê fretted, for there were no more jobs to be had. Thus, the whole family endured hunger. The youngest, little Tý, Phún, and Hy, whom their elder sister carried, cried incessantly without food. Beneath tattered clothes, their skin turned purple from the cold, resembling that of dead cattle. Mr. Lê cradled his child in the straw bed, hoping to impart his warmth onto it. The eldest son would venture out early with his father to search for snails, shellfish, or after the harvest season, to gather leftover grains in the rice paddies. It was a moment of delight if they found a handful, on lucky days. Hurriedly, Mr. Lê pushed his child to pick up the sheaves of rice, crushed them underfoot, and sifted the grains from the chaff. Then, a hot dinner awaited them on cold evenings, the family gathered around the steaming pot of rice while outside, the icy chill seeped through the thatched roof.'

(Excerpt from 'Mother Lee's Home' - Thạch Lam)

Question 1: Identify the expressive method present in the excerpt above.

Question 2: Find a sentence employing the rhetorical device of simile in the excerpt above and explain its purpose.

Question 3: What is the content of the excerpt above?

Question 4: Write a paragraph of 5-7 sentences expressing your thoughts on the excerpt above.

* Answer to Reading Comprehension Test 1:

Question 1:

Expressive Method: Self-narration, description

Question 2:

Students elucidate and specify the function of the simile rhetorical device in one of the following sentences:

- 'During the cold season, they slept on a bed of straw spread across the floor, resembling a dog's nest, with mother and pups huddling together.'

+ Comparing the sleeping place of Mother Lê's home to a dog's nest, portraying Mother Lê and her children like a mother dog and her pups.

+ Function: Comparing the living conditions of humans to those of animals highlights the poverty and hardship of Mother Lê's family.

- 'Beneath tattered clothes, their skin turned purple from the cold, resembling the flesh of a dead buffalo.'

+ Comparing the skin color of humans to that of a dead buffalo.

+ Effect: The imagery evokes a sense of grim death, engraving the poverty, pity, and misery of Mother Lê's family.

- 'The biting cold pierced through like sharp daggers into the skin.'

+ Comparing the cold wind to sharp daggers piercing the skin.

+ Effect: Clearly portrays the harsh, freezing weather of winter. Emphasizes the dire circumstances of Mother Lê's family.

Question 3:

The excerpt discusses: The difficult and impoverished life of Mother Lê's family. Sometimes Mother Lê works as a day laborer to earn rice for her children. During harsh winter days, when there's no work, her hungry children cry. Some of them go to gather leftover rice in the rice paddies for food.

Question 4:

The student's composition should include the following points:

- Summarize the main content of the excerpt: The everyday life of poverty, hardship, and struggling for each meal of Mother Lê's family.

- Analyze the main content of the excerpt:

+ Mother Lê deeply loves her children: She works tirelessly to provide food for them. She embraces and keeps them warm during cold winter days.

+ On hungry days, the older children go to gather leftover rice to cook for their mother.

=> Despite living in poverty and hunger, Mother Lê's family is filled with love and mutual support.

- My impression of the excerpt: Admiration for the spirit and determination of the impoverished mother.

Read and summarize the work 'Mother Lê' concisely and effectively.

II. Concise Summary of Mother Lê - Sample 2:

'Mother Lê is a family of one mother and eleven children. Mrs. Lê is a sturdy and short rural woman, with a weathered face and limbs like dried betel nuts. When she first arrived in town, everyone noticed her children: eleven of them, with the eldest only seventeen! The youngest still had to be carried in her arms.

Mother Lê and her children lived in a dilapidated house at the end of the street, just like any other house. The crowded space accommodated them with only two thin mattresses, with a broken bed. During the cold season, they slept on a bed of straw spread across the floor, resembling a dog's nest, with mother and pups huddling together. For the impoverished like them, such shelter was already a luxury. But what about sustenance? Mrs. Lê struggled tirelessly, her daily toils insufficient to feed her brood. From the crack of dawn, through scorching summers and chilling winters, she labored on others' fields in the village for a meager wage. On days when someone needed laborers, though it was hard work, she'd surely bring home a few bowls of rice and a few coins to feed her hungry children waiting at home.'

(Excerpt from 'Mother Lê' - Thạch Lam)

Question 1: Determine the expressive method used in the above excerpt.

Question 2: Who is the main character in the excerpt, and what is their situation?

Question 3: The sentence 'During the cold season, they slept on a bed of straw spread across the floor, resembling a dog's nest, with mother and pups huddling together.' employs which rhetorical device? Explain its effect.

Question 4: Write a paragraph of 5-7 sentences about the character Mother Lê in the above excerpt.

* Answer to Reading Comprehension Test 2:

Question 1:

The expressive method used in the above excerpt is self-narration and description.

Question 2:

- The main character in the text is Mother Lê.

- The main character has to live in poverty, with eleven children. Whether hot or cold, she always has to wake up early in the morning, go to work in the fields to earn money to feed her children.

Question 3:

- Rhetorical device: Comparing the sleeping place of Mother Lê and her children to a dog's nest; Mother Lê is the mother dog and her children are the pups.

=> Effect: Implies that human life is similar to that of animals -> Emphasizes the harsh and difficult life of Mother Lê's family.

Question 4:

a) Opening: Introduce the excerpt 'Mother Lê' by Thạch Lam.

b) Body paragraph:

- Mother Lê has a total of eleven children.

- Living in poverty and hardship.

- The mother always strives to wake up early, work in the fields to earn money to provide meals for her children => The mother is diligent and loving towards her children.

=> Sacred and warm maternal love. Despite being poor, the mother never abandons any of her children, always striving to provide them with food and prevent hunger.

c) Conclusion: Express your feelings about Mother Lê.

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'Mother Lê' is a relatively gentle yet profound text. Hopefully, you have improved your reading comprehension skills through this short story. Check out other sample essays for grade 11 on Mytour such as: Reflections on the poem 'Fishing in Autumn' - Grade 11 sample literature; Opening about the poem 'Self-Love 2' - Grade 11 sample literature.