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Frances Hodgson Burnett. The Secret Garden, From Chapter 2

Frances Hodgson Burnett. The Secret Garden, From Chapter 2.

Mary had liked to look at her mother from a distance and she had thought her very pretty, but as she knew very little of her she could scarcely have been expected to love her or to miss her very much when she was gone. She did not miss her at all, in fact, and as she was a self-absorbed child she gave her entire thought to herself, as she had always done. If she had been older she would no doubt have been very anxious at being left alone in the world, but she was very young, and as she had always been taken care of, she supposed she always would be. What she thought was that she would like to know if she was going to nice people, who would be polite to her and give her her own way as her Ayah and the other native servants had done.

She knew that she was not going to stay at the English clergyman’s house where she was taken at first. She did not want to stay. The English clergyman was poor and he had five children nearly all the same age and they wore shabby clothes and were always quarreling and snatching toys from each other. Mary hated their untidy bungalow and was so disagreeable to them that after the first day or two nobody would play with her. By the second day they had given her a nickname which made her furious.

It was Basil who thought of it first. Basil was a little boy with impudent blue eyes and a turned-up nose, and Mary hated him. She was playing by herself under a tree, just as she had been playing the day the cholera broke out. She was making heaps of earth and paths for a garden and Basil came and stood near to watch her. Presently he got rather interested and suddenly made a suggestion.

Define Each Word

  • scarcely
  • polite
  • quarreling
  • bungalow
  • impudent

Write the Correct Word from the Vocabulary

  1. During the Great Depression in the United States of America, there was _______________ enough food to feed a family.
  2. Being _________________ is usually not taught in schools, although, it should be.
  3. Siblings can often be found __________________ because of differences in opinion.
  4. Many times, a _________________ will be a couple's first home as these houses are more likely to be cost effective.
  5. Students are often __________________ towards their teachers.

Comprehension and Discussion: Answer Each Question in Complete Sentences

  1. According to the passage, what kind of attitude does Mary Lenox appear to have? Provide one piece of evidence.
  2. What can you predict might happen between Basil and Mary based on the tone of the passage and how they interact with one another?

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