Footprints Without Feet - Reading Comprehension

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Footprints Without Feet - Reading Comprehension Passages

Reading Comprehension 1

     THE two boys started in surprise at the fresh muddy imprints of a pair of bare feet. What was a barefooted man doing on the steps of a house, in the middle of London? And where was the man?

     As they gazed, a remarkable sight met their eyes. A fresh footmark appeared from nowhere!

     Further footprints followed, one after another, descending the steps and progressing down the street. The boys followed, fascinated, until the muddy impressions became fainter and fainter, and at last disappeared altogether.

     The explanation of the mystery was really simple enough. The bewildered boys had been following a scientist who had just discovered how to make the human body transparent.

1. What surprised the two boys at the beginning?
A) Fresh muddy imprints of bare feet 
B) A pair of shoes on the steps
C) A strange shadow moving alone
Answer: A) Fresh muddy imprints of bare feet

2. What made the sight even more remarkable for the boys?
A) The footprints were glowing
B) A fresh footmark appeared from nowhere
C) They heard a mysterious laugh
Answer: B) A fresh footmark appeared from nowhere

3. Why did the boys lose the trail of footprints?
A) The man began to fly
B) The impressions became faint and disappeared
C) The scientist washed them away
Answer: B) The impressions became faint and disappeared

4. Who were the boys actually following without knowing it?
A) A thief escaping the police
B) A ghost wandering in London
C) A scientist who made his body transparent
Answer: C) A scientist who made his body transparent

5. Do you think the scientist’s discovery of invisibility is more dangerous or more useful?
A) Dangerous, because it could be misused
B) Useful, because it could help mankind
C) Both, depending on how it is used
Answer: C) Both, depending on how it is used

Reading Comprehension 2

     Griffin, the scientist, had carried out experiment after experiment to prove that the human body could become invisible. Finally he swallowed certain rare drugs and his body became as transparent as a sheet of glass — though it also remained as solid as glass.

     Brilliant scientist though he was, Griffin was rather a lawless person. His landlord disliked him and tried to eject him. In revenge Griffin set fire to the house. To get away without being seen he had to remove his clothes. Thus it was that he became a homeless wanderer, without clothes, without money, and quite invisible — until he happened to step in some mud, and left footprints as he walked!

 

     He escaped easily enough from the boys who followed his footprints in London. But his adventures were by no means over. He had chosen a bad time of the year to wander about London without clothes. It was mid-winter. The air was bitterly cold and he could not do without clothes. Instead of walking about the streets he decided to slip into a big London store for warmth.

1. How did Griffin finally make his body invisible?
A) By applying a special chemical on his skin
B) By swallowing rare drugs
C) By standing under a special light
Answer: B) By swallowing rare drugs

2. Why did Griffin set fire to his landlord’s house?
A) To destroy his experiment notes
B) In revenge, because the landlord tried to evict him
C) To make people believe he had died
Answer: B) In revenge, because the landlord tried to evict him

3. Why did Griffin have to remove his clothes after the fire?
A) To escape detection and remain unseen
B) Because they caught fire
C) Because he wanted to test his invisibility fully
Answer: A) To escape detection and remain unseen

4. Why was London’s winter a bad time for Griffin’s wandering?
A) Because it rained heavily
B) Because the nights were very dark
C) Because he needed clothes in the bitter cold
Answer: C) Because he needed clothes in the bitter cold

5. Do you think Griffin’s brilliance as a scientist is overshadowed by his lack of morals?
A) Yes, because his misuse of science harmed society
B) No, because discoveries matter more than character
C) Maybe, since both science and morality are important
Answer: A) Yes, because his misuse of science harmed society

Reading Comprehension 3

     Closing time arrived, and as soon as the doors were shut Griffin was able to give himself the pleasure of clothing and feeding himself without regard to expense. He broke open boxes and wrappers and fitted himself out with warm clothes. Soon, with shoes, an overcoat and a wide-brimmed hat, he became a fully dressed and visible person. In the kitchen of the restaurant he found cold meat and coffee, and he followed up the meal with sweets and wine taken from the grocery store. Finally he settled down to sleep on a pile of quilts.

     If only Griffin had managed to wake up in good time all might have been well. As it was, he did not wake up until the assistants were already arriving next morning. When he saw a couple of them approaching, he panicked and began to run. They naturally gave chase. In the end he was able to escape only by quickly taking off his newly- found clothes. So once more he found himself invisible but naked in the chill January air.

1. What did Griffin do once the store was closed?
A) He broke open boxes and helped himself to clothes and food
B) He tried to escape through the back door
C) He hid quietly without touching anything
Answer: A) He broke open boxes and helped himself to clothes and food

2. What made Griffin visible again?
A) Wearing warm clothes, shoes, and a hat
B) Drinking coffee in the restaurant
C) Sleeping under the quilts
Answer: A) Wearing warm clothes, shoes, and a hat

3. Why did Griffin panic the next morning?
A) He saw policemen outside the store
B) The assistants had already arrived
C) His invisibility had stopped working
Answer: B) The assistants had already arrived

4. How did Griffin finally escape from the assistants?
A) He hid in the kitchen
B) He knocked them down and ran
C) He removed his clothes and became invisible again
Answer: C) He removed his clothes and became invisible again

5. Do you think Griffin’s greed for luxury (clothes, wine, sweets) was more harmful than his invisibility itself?
A) Yes, because it exposed him to danger
B) No, invisibility was the real problem
C) Both were equally harmful to him
Answer: A) Yes, because it exposed him to danger

Reading Comprehension 4

     This time he decided to try the stock of a theatrical company in the hope of finding not only clothes but also something that would hide the empty space above his shoulders. Shivering with cold he hurried to Drury Lane, the centre of the theatre world.

     He soon found a suitable shop. He made his way, invisible, upstairs and came out a little later wearing bandages round his forehead, dark glasses, false nose, big bushy side-whiskers, and a large hat. To escape without being seen, he callously attacked the shopkeeper from behind, after which he robbed him of all the money he could find.

 

     Eager to get away from crowded London he took a train to the village of Iping, where he booked two rooms at the local inn.

     The arrival of a stranger at an inn in winter was in any case an unusual event. A stranger of such uncommon appearance set all tongues wagging. Mrs Hall, the landlord’s wife, made every effort to be friendly. But Griffin had no desire to talk, and told her, “My reason for coming to Iping is a desire for solitude. I do not wish to be disturbed in my work. Besides, an accident has affected my face.”

1. Why did Griffin go to a theatrical shop?
A) To watch a play secretly
B) To buy books about science
C) To find clothes and hide his invisible head 
Answer: C) To find clothes and hide his invisible head

2. What disguise did Griffin use to cover his invisibility?
A) A mask and a cloak
B) Bandages, dark glasses, false nose, whiskers, and a large hat
C) Paint on his face and gloves
Answer: B) Bandages, dark glasses, false nose, whiskers, and a large hat

3. How did Griffin escape from the shop unseen?
A) He paid the shopkeeper generously
B) He slipped away quietly without hurting anyone
C) He attacked the shopkeeper from behind and stole money 
Answer: C) He attacked the shopkeeper from behind and stole money

4. Where did Griffin travel after leaving London?
A) To Iping village
B) To Oxford
C) To Dover
Answer: A) To Iping village

5. Why did Mrs Hall, the innkeeper’s wife, become curious about Griffin?
A) He asked too many questions
B) He looked very strange and avoided talking
C) He often told funny stories about his life
Answer: B) He looked very strange and avoided talking

Reading Comprehension 5

     Satisfied that her guest was an eccentric scientist, and in view of the fact that he had paid her in advance, Mrs Hall was prepared to excuse his strange habits and irritable temper. But the stolen money did not last long, and presently Griffin had to admit that he had no more ready cash. He pretended, however, that he was expecting a cheque to arrive at any moment.

     Shortly afterwards a curious episode occurred. Very early in the morning a clergyman and his wife were awakened by noises in the study. Creeping downstairs, they heard the chink of money being taken from the clergyman’s desk.

     Without making any noise and with a poker grasped firmly in his hand, the clergyman flung open the door.

     “Surrender!”

 

     Then to his amazement he realised that the room appeared to be empty. He and his wife looked under the desk, and behind the curtains, and even up the chimney. There wasn’t a sign of anybody. Yet the desk had been opened and the housekeeping money was missing.

     “Extraordinary affair!” the clergyman kept saying for the rest of the day.

     But it was not as extraordinary as the behaviour of Mrs Hall’s furniture a little later that morning.

1. Why did Mrs Hall excuse Griffin’s strange behaviour at first?
A) He seemed very polite
B) He paid her in advance
C) He worked hard day and night
D) He promised to help her
Answer: B) He paid her in advance

2. What excuse did Griffin give when his money was finished?
A) He had lost his purse
B) He was waiting for a cheque to arrive
C) He would borrow money from friends
D) He had hidden money in London
Answer: B) He was waiting for a cheque to arrive

3. What did the clergyman hear in his study early morning?
A) Someone moving furniture
B) A knock at the window
C) The sound of money being taken from his desk
D) Whispering voices
Answer: C) The sound of money being taken from his desk

4. What surprised the clergyman and his wife after opening the door?
A) The room was completely empty though money was missing
B) The thief escaped through the chimney
C) Griffin was asleep at the desk
D) A policeman was already there
Answer: A) The room was completely empty though money was missing

5. Which word best describes the clergyman’s reaction?
A) Joyful
B) Indifferent
C) Amazed
D) Angry
Answer: C) Amazed

Reading Comprehension 6

     The landlord and his wife were up very early, and were surprised to see the scientist’s door wide open. Usually it was shut and locked, and he was furious if anyone entered his room. The opportunity seemed too good to be missed. They peeped round the door, saw nobody, and decided to investigate. The bedclothes were cold, showing that the scientist must have been up for some time; and stranger still, the clothes and bandages that he always wore were lying about the room.

 

     All of a sudden Mrs Hall heard a sniff close to her ear. A moment later the hat on the bedpost leapt up and dashed itself into her face. Then the bedroom chair became alive. Springing into the air it charged straight at her, legs foremost. As she and her husband turned away in terror, the extraordinary chair pushed them both out of the room and then appeared to slam and lock the door after them.

1. What surprised the landlord and his wife about Griffin’s room?
A) It was wide open instead of locked
B) Griffin was talking loudly inside
C) There was food spread across the table
D) A policeman was already there
Answer: A) It was wide open instead of locked

2. What did the cold bedclothes show?
A) Griffin was sick
B) Griffin had left the bed long ago
C) Griffin was hiding under the bed
D) Someone else had used the bed
Answer: B) Griffin had left the bed long ago

3. What unusual thing did Mrs Hall hear close to her ear?
A) A loud knock
B) A sniff
C) A whisper
D) A scream
Answer: B) A sniff

4. What object first attacked Mrs Hall?
A) A chair
B) A book
C) A hat
D) A lamp
Answer: C) A hat

5. How did the chair behave in Griffin’s room?
A) It broke into pieces
B) It flew out of the window
C) It sprang into the air and pushed them out
D) It caught fire suddenly
Answer: C) It sprang into the air and pushed them out

Reading Comprehension 7

     Mrs Hall almost fell down the stairs in hysterics. She was convinced that the room was haunted by spirits, and that the stranger had somehow caused these to enter into her furniture.

     “My poor mother used to sit in that chair,” she moaned. “To think it should rise up against me now!”

     The feeling among the neighbours was that the trouble was caused by witchcraft. But witchcraft or not, when news of the burglary at the clergyman’s home became known, the strange scientist was strongly suspected of having had a hand in it. Suspicion grew even stronger when he suddenly produced some ready cash, though he had admitted not long before that he had no money.

     The village constable was secretly sent for. Instead of waiting for the constable, Mrs Hall went to the scientist, who had somehow mysteriously appeared from his empty bedroom.

     “I want to know what you have been doing to my chair upstairs,” she demanded. “And I want to know how it is you came out of an empty room and how you entered a locked room.”

 

     The scientist was always quick-tempered; now he became furious.

     “You don’t understand who or what I am!” he shouted. “Very well — I’ll show you.”

     Suddenly he threw off bandages, whiskers, spectacles, and even nose. It took him only a minute to do this. The horrified people in the bar found themselves staring at a headless man!

1. Why did Mrs Hall almost fall down the stairs?
A) She slipped on water
B) She was laughing too much
C) She was hysterical, thinking the room was haunted
D) The constable pushed her
Answer: C) She was hysterical, thinking the room was haunted

2. What did Mrs Hall say about the chair?
A) It was her husband’s favourite chair
B) Her poor mother used to sit in it
C) It belonged to the clergyman
D) It was new and expensive
Answer: B) Her poor mother used to sit in it

3. What did the villagers think was the cause of the trouble?
A) Ghosts
B) Witchcraft
C) A wild animal
D) A thief hiding in the inn
Answer: B) Witchcraft

4. Why did suspicion fall on Griffin after the burglary?
A) He was seen near the church
B) He quarreled with the clergyman
C) He suddenly had money after saying he had none 
D) His room was found broken into
Answer: C) He suddenly had money after saying he had none

5. What shocking act did Griffin finally do in anger?
A) He ran away to London
B) He burned the furniture
C) He attacked Mrs Hall with a chair
D) He removed his bandages and showed he had no head 
Answer: D) He removed his bandages and showed he had no head

Reading Comprehension 8

     Mr Jaffers, the constable, now arrived, and was quite surprised to find that he had to arrest a man without a head. But Jaffers was not easily prevented from doing his duty. If a magistrate’s warrant ordered a person’s arrest, then that person had to be arrested, with or without his head.

     There followed a remarkable scene as the policeman tried to get hold of a man who was becoming more and more invisible as he threw off one garment after another. Finally a shirt flew into the air, and the constable found himself struggling with someone he could not see at all. Some people tried to help him, but found themselves hit by blows that seemed to come from nowhere.

     In the end Jaffers was knocked unconscious as he made a last attempt to hold on to the unseen scientist.

     There were nervous, excited cries of “Hold him!” But this was easier said than done. Griffin had shaken himself free, and no one knew where to lay hands on him.

 

1. Why was Constable Jaffers surprised?
A) He had to arrest a man without a head 
B) He saw Griffin stealing money
C) The magistrate canceled the warrant
D) The villagers attacked him
Answer: A) He had to arrest a man without a head

2. What was unusual about the arrest attempt?
A) Griffin turned into smoke
B) Griffin kept removing his clothes and became invisible
C) Griffin disguised himself as the clergyman
D) Griffin hid under the bed
Answer: B) Griffin kept removing his clothes and became invisible

3. Why was it difficult for the people to help the constable?
A) Griffin was hiding in the chimney
B) The constable refused their help
C) They were struck by invisible blows
D) They were afraid of witchcraft
Answer: C) They were struck by invisible blows

4. What happened to Constable Jaffers in the end?
A) He arrested Griffin successfully
B) He chased Griffin into the woods
C) He locked Griffin inside the inn
D) He was knocked unconscious 
Answer: D) He was knocked unconscious

5. What was the result of the struggle?
A) Griffin was tied up by the villagers
B) Griffin escaped and no one could catch him
C) Jaffers dragged Griffin to jail
D) The magistrate stopped the fight
Answer: B) Griffin escaped and no one could catch him