Question 2

(a) Read this extract from the text:
"There was no reply; Jack was too angry to speak. He had never before been prevented from completing a journey by the weather." (lines 26-27)
What does the writer want to suggest to us about the situation at this point in the story? [1]

(b) Explain why the writer uses the word 'briskly' to describe how the conductor "sprang down into the snow" (line 28). [1]

(c) What two impressions does the writer want to convey to the reader in the sentence:
"The windows went down; the people called out and questioned one another; a regular confusion ensued." (lines 31-32)?
(i) .....
(ii) .......

(d) With the fire made up, the pressure rose just in time, for the train had entered a dip between two banks where it had to plough through a metre of snow. At first, it advanced with an energetic effort, vibrating in every part. Then, for an instant, it faltered and seemed about to grind to a halt. What increased the weight it had to carry was the snow, which had accumulated in a heavy layer on the roofs of the carriages.

They continued moving, a dark line in the whiteness that spread out around them like a vast white blanket, while the snowflakes settled in a dense mass on the carriages. Once more, despite the weight, the train freed itself. At the top of an embankment, that made a great curve, the train could still be seen moving with some difficulty, looking like a strip of shadow lost in a field of sparkling whiteness.

Further on, the snow became a dense white sheet and Jack, the driver, who could sense the train was struggling, tried to ignore the effects of the cold and stood firmly at the controls. He felt the engine shuddering pathetically, and the final halt came slowly and without a shock. It stayed there as if glued to the spot, exhausted, with all its wheels clogged with snow. It had ceased moving; the end had come; the deep snow held the engine powerless.

"That does it!" Jack muttered angrily to himself. He remained a few seconds longer, his hand on the wheel, opening every valve to see if the obstacle would give way. Then, hearing the train puffing and snorting in vain, he shut the accelerator with a furious curse. Steam hissed from the valves as the engine settled and ceased its efforts.

(e) Identify and explain the effect of the snow on the train's movement in the passage above. [2]