Lesson 15 l Text A

LESSON 15
Text A: My Skydiving Journey
As a young man, I had always been fascinated by the idea of skydiving. The thrill of leaping out of an
aircraft thousands of feet above the ground, hurtling through the air at breakneck speed, and finally
deploying a parachute to glide safely back down to earth seemed like the ultimate test of courage and
adventure. But it was not until I joined the army that I had the opportunity to turn this dream into a
reality. 5

The training began with physical exercises and drills, such as jumping off a platform onto a mattress
with your feet together. It was all in preparation for the real thing, but as the days drew closer, I became
increasingly nervous about jumping out of an aircraft. I was not alone in my fear; all the other trainees
were feeling the same way, and even our tough-as-nails instructor admitted that no matter how many
times he had jumped, he always felt a sense of dread before each new jump. 10

On the day of the jump, there were nine of us in the aircraft, and the first eight would be jumping in
pairs. This meant that only two people would be exiting the aircraft at a time, allowing for a safe landing
even if they were slow to deploy their parachutes. I was in the fourth pair, so I would have to watch
most others jump before it was my turn. It was nerve-wracking, but watching the other trainees
complete their jumps did help to build my confidence. 15

The aircraft circled over the landing area as we waited, chewing gum to prevent thirst and calm our
nerves. The door through which we would jump was open, and we could hear the rushing of the air
outside. The first man in the pair ahead us took hold of either side of the door, with his feet together
and almost out of the aircraft. He had to wrench himself through the door before the air stream could
knock him against the side of the door, and then the green light went on. The dispatcher gave him the 20
order to jump, and he disappeared through the door. We could hear little over the engine noise and
the slipstream, but we knew that the first two parachutes had opened, and the pair were already drifting
down hundreds of yards away.

When my turn finally came, I was determined to jump out properly. As the man in front of me shot out
of the aircraft, I clutched the sides of the doorway, feeling the full force of the airstream outside. The 25
dispatcher was beside me, counting with his arm like a boxing referee. Then it was my turn. I looked
straight ahead, trying not to look down, and wrenched myself through the door.

The sensation of jumping out of an aircraft and free-falling through the air at such a tremendous speed
was indescribable. It felt as if I had been thrown into a raging river, with the wind and the sound of the
air rushing past my ears drowning out all other sensations. But then, with a sudden jolt, my parachute 30
deployed, and I looked up to see it unfurling above me, a bright red and white canopy against the blue
sky. The sudden slowing of my descent was both a relief and a thrill, and I could feel my heart pounding
with excitement.

But the thrill of the jump was far from over. As I began to descend more slowly towards the ground, I
realised that I had drifted off course and was now headed towards a cluster of trees near the edge of 35
the landing area. I tried to steer myself away, but my efforts were futile as the wind was too strong.
Panic set in as I realised that I would crash into the trees, and I prepared myself for impact.

The moment of impact was sudden and jarring as I crashed through the branches and leaves, hitting
the ground hard. Pain shot through my body, and I lay there for a moment, dazed and disoriented.
When I finally managed to sit up, I saw that I had landed in a small clearing surrounded by trees and 40
that my parachute had become entangled in the branches above.

As I tried to free myself from the parachute, I heard gunfire in the distance, and my heart rate
skyrocketed. I knew that I had to move quickly to get out of there alive. With great effort, I managed to
free myself from the parachute, and I took off running towards the sound of the gunfire, hoping to find
my fellow soldiers. 45

As I ran through the trees, I stumbled upon a group of enemy soldiers who had spotted me and were
now chasing me. Adrenaline kicked in, and I began sprinting as fast as possible, dodging trees and
leaping over obstacles in my path.

1 Reading Comprehension | Nazibul Ahsan

 Lesson 15 l Text A

The sound of gunfire was getting closer, and I knew that I was getting closer to my comrades. I could
see the clearing up ahead where they were supposed to be waiting for me, and I pushed myself even 50
harder, running with every bit of energy I had left.

Just as I burst out of the trees and into the clearing, I saw one of my fellow soldiers fall to the ground,
hit by enemy fire. I could feel the fear and tension as the remaining soldiers tried to fight off the enemy
attackers. Without a second thought, I ran towards my fallen comrade, grabbing his rifle and joining
the fight. The sound of gunfire was deafening, and my heart pounded as I fired round after round at 55
the enemy soldiers.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the gunfire died down, and the enemy soldiers retreated. We
had won the battle but at a great cost. We had lost some of our fellow soldiers, and the survivors were
left with scars that would never fully heal.

Section A

Read Text A, My Skydiving Journey, and answer Question 1 and Question 2.

Question 1

(b) Using your own words, explain what the text means by ‘ultimate test of courage and adventure’ (lines
3–4).

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………... [2]

(b) What physical strength did the instructor possess, as described by the writer (lines 8–10)?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………... [1]

(c) Why do you think the instructor emphasised that 'he always felt a sense of dread' (line 10)?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………... [1]

(d) Give two effects caused by the chewing gum (lines 16–17).

• ..………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

• ..………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..… [2]

(e) Explain what happened after the green light went on (lines 20–23).

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………... [2]

2 Reading Comprehension | Nazibul Ahsan

 Lesson 15 l Text A

(f) Why was the dispatcher ‘counting with his arm like a boxing referee’ (line 26)?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………... [2]

(g) What happened to the writer’s parachute during his descent (lines 38–41)?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………... [1]

(h) What did the writer do when he burst out of the trees and into the clearing (lines 52–56)?

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……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………... [2]

(i) Explain using your own words the nervousness experienced by the writer throughout the story.

Give three details from anywhere in the text to support your answer.

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……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………... [3]

[Total: 16]

Question 2

(a) Identify one example from the text below of how the writer uses language effectively to convey his feelings
during skydiving:

‘The sensation of jumping out of an aircraft and free-falling through the air at such a tremendous speed
was indescribable. It felt as if I had been thrown into a raging river, with the wind and the sound of the air
rushing past my ears drowning out all other sensations. But then, with a sudden jolt, my parachute
deployed, and I looked up to see it unfurling above me, a bright red and white canopy against the blue
sky. The sudden slowing of my descent was both a relief and a thrill, and I could feel my heart pounding
with excitement.’ (lines 28–33)

Explain the impression the writer creates in the example you have identified.

3 Reading Comprehension | Nazibul Ahsan

 Lesson 15 l Text A

example ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

explanation …………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………... [3]

(b) Read this sentence from the text:

‘Panic set in as I realised that I would crash into the trees, and I prepared myself for impact.’ (line 37)

What does the writer want to suggest to us about the situation at this point in the story?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………... [1]

(c) Explain why the writer uses the word ‘skyrocketed’ (line 43) to depict the situation.

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……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………... [1]

(d) Read this sentence from the text:

‘Adrenaline kicked in, and I began sprinting as fast as possible, dodging trees and leaping over obstacles
in my path.’ (lines 47–48)

What effects does the writer suggest about the situation by using the words ‘Adrenaline kicked in’?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………... [2]

(e) What two impressions does the writer want to convey to the reader in the sentence:

‘We had lost some of our fellow soldiers, and the survivors were left with scars that would never fully heal.’
(lines 58–59)?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………... [2]

[Total: 9]

4 Reading Comprehension | Nazibul Ahsan