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Reading Comprehension: Tooth Extraction

Area of Language Focus Learning Objectives Score

▪ Process and comprehend grade-appropriate
▪ Reading & Viewing
texts at literal & inferential levels. 20

This passage follows two men who have been sent as prisoners for ‘re-education’ to a
rural village. Following orders, they fashion a makeshift dentist treadle drill to extract the
rotten tooth of their jailer, the Headman.

Read it carefully and answer Questions 1 – 10 in the Question Paper.

1 The headman’s teeth resembled a jagged mountain range. Three incisors protruded from
blackened inflamed gums while his tobacco-stained canines were like protruding rocks.
The troublesome tooth was all the way to the back of his jaw, a shaky, decayed wisdom
tooth. The headman couldn’t help himself and kept caressing it with his slimy, yellow
tongue. 5

2 This slimy tongue was interrupted by a thick steel sewing machine needle which entered
the headman’s mouth and hovered above the affected tooth. The tongue was immediately
attracted to the intruder and ran its tip up and down the cold, foreign object. It trembled,
and then drew back.

3 I pressed my foot on the lever of the sewing machine and the up-and-down motion set the 10
needle, which was attached by a string to the driving wheel, spinning round. The
headman’s tongue recoiled in alarm. Luo, steadying the makeshift drill between the tips of
his fingers, adjusted the position of his hand. He waited a few seconds for the treadle to
speed up, then attacked the tooth with the needle, eliciting an ear-splitting shriek from the
patient. The moment Luo withdrew the needle, the headman rolled off the bed that we had 15
set up next to the sewing machine.

4 ‘You nearly killed me!’ he fumed. ‘What do you think you’re doing? It hurts like hell!’

5 ‘I warned you,’ Luo said. ‘It’s bound to be painful. Do you realise the speed of an electric
drill in a proper hospital? It’s hundreds of rotations per second. The slower it turns, the
more painful it is. 20

6 ‘Try again,’ the headman said firmly, adjusting his cap. ‘I’ve gone without sleep and food
for a whole week already. Better to deal with this once and for all.’

7 He shut his eyes to avoid seeing the needle enter his mouth but the result was the same
as before. The excruciating pain propelled him off the bed and his violent reaction almost
upset the oil lamp. It was all so humourously serious but no one dared to laugh. 25

8 ‘If you want me to fix your tooth,’ Luo said, ‘I can’t see any other way than to tie you to the
bed.’

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9 ‘Strap me down?’ the headman cried indignantly. ‘You forget who I am. I am the
headman!’

10 ‘But as your body refuses to cooperate, I’m afraid we’ll have to take extreme measures.’ 30

11 I was flabbergasted. How could this tyrant ever resign himself to being restrained in this
way which was not only humiliating but also made him look utterly ridiculous? What the
devil had gotten into him? I had no time to ponder the question then as Luo quickly
strapped him down on the bed. Slightly trembling, I placed the ball of my foot on the lever
and braced myself to start again. 35

12 At the sign from Luo I set the drive wheel in motion, and soon my feet were pedaling away
to the relentless rhythm of the machine. I accelerated, feeling like a cyclist racing at full
speed; the needle juddered, trembled, made contact once more with the treacherous
tooth, whereupon a dreadful gurgling noise rose from the throat of the immobilised
headman. He was lashed to the bed with a length of strong rope, like a bad guy in a film 40
about to get his just desserts. His face was deathly pale and he was foaming at the
mouth.

13 Suddenly, I felt the stirring of an uncontrollably sadistic impulse, like a volcano about to
erupt. I thought about all the miseries of re-education, and slowed down the pace of the
lever. 45

14 Luo shot me a glace. I put on an air of innocent, calm deliberation to cover the hatred
smouldering in my eyes.

15 I pedalled even more slowly, this time to punish him for threatening us with physical
torture if we did not agree to remove his tooth. It was as if the drill was about to break
down. It was barely moving now, making just one rotation per second, maybe two – who 50
knows? Eventually, having penetrated the decay, the steel point became a chisel, cutting
into a ghastly prehistoric rock face and releasing little puffs of greasy yellow dust. I had
turned into a sadist.

(Adapted from ‘Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress’ by Dai Sijie)

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[20 marks]

Refer to the Text from pages 1 to 2 for Questions 1-15.

1 1. At the beginning of this text, the author describes the headman’s teeth. Explain how the
language used in paragraph 1 emphasises the terrible state of his teeth.

Support your ideas with three details from Paragraph 1. [3]

2 When the needle enters the headman’s mouth at the end of paragraph 2, the writer describes
that the headman’s tongue ‘trembled, and then drew back’.

(i) Which word from the given phrase suggests that the tongue is a person? [1]

(ii) Why do you think the writer describes the tongue in this way? [1]

3 Paragraph 3 states ‘He waited a few seconds for the treadle to speed up, then attacked the
tooth with the needle, eliciting an ear-splitting shriek from the patient.’ (line 14)

Identify the words or phrases in the given sentence which suggest

(i) a violent action [1]

(ii) a very loud sound [1]

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4 How did the headman suffer due to the rotten wisdom tooth? [1]

5 How did the headman react when the needle entered his mouth? Answer in your own
words. [1]

6 Paragraph 7 ends with the sentence, ‘It was all so humourously serious...’

What is unusual about the phrase ‘humourously serious’? [1]

7 Paragraph 11 ends with the sentence, ‘Slightly trembling, I placed the ball of my foot on the
lever and braced myself to start again.’

What two things does this suggest about how the writer was feeling at this moment? [2]

8 The writer uses similes ‘like a bad guy in a film about to get his just desserts (line 41) and
‘like a volcano about to erupt’ (line 43). What do these similes suggest about his feelings
towards the headman? [2]

Simile Writer’s Feelings Towards The Headman

‘like a bad guy in a film about to get his just
desserts’
‘like a volcano about to erupt’

9 Why did the writer ‘put on an air of innocent, calm and deliberation’ (line 46)? Answer in
your own words. [2]

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102. After Luo suggests tying the headman to the bed, the writer experiences different feelings as
he reacts to the progress of the situation. Complete the flow chart by choosing one word from
the box to summarise the main feeling experienced by the writer in each part. There are
some extra words in the box you do not need to use. [4]

Main focus

amused angry determined resigned

overwhelmed sympathetic vengeful

Flow chart

paragraph 11: (i) ...............................................

paragraph 12: (ii) ...............................................

paragraph 13: (iii) ...............................................

paragraph 14: (iv) ...............................................

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