On the run

The world has transformed into one of flame and smoke. Burning branches crack from
trees and fall in showers of sparks at my feet. All I can do is follow the others, the
rabbits and the I, deer, and I even spot a wild-dog pack shooting through the woods. I
trust their sense of direction because their instincts are sharper than mine. But they are
much faster, flying through the underbrush so gracefully as my boots catch on roots and
fallen tree limbs, that there's no way I can keep pace with them. The heat is horrible,
but worse than the heat is the smoke, which threatens to suffocate me at any moment.
I pull the top of my shirt up over my nose, grateful to find it soaked in sweat, and it
offers a thin veil of protection. And I run, choking, my bag banging against my back, my
face cut with branches that materialize from the grey haze without warning, because I
know I am supposed to run.

From The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Glossary
● instincts: fixed patterns of behaviour in animals in response to certain stimuli
● veil: a piece of thin, transparent material worn over the face

Comprehension
Give evidence from the extract to support your answers.
1. What parts of the trees are burning?
Branches.
2. List three animals that are on the run.
Deer, wild dog, rabbits
3. Explain why the writer wants to follow the animals.
Because they have very sharp insctincts
4. What poses the greatest danger to the writer? Circle the correct option.

a. Heat

b. Smoke

c. Wild animals

d. Falling over

5. 'And I run, choking...' What is making the writer choke?

Choke its like when you can´t breath and something its blocking your throught.
6. What is the writer most afraid of?
I think its dying because he or she its on a blaze.
1