I. Read the passage and answer the questions. (10) marks “My dear Mr. Bennet,” said his wife one day, “have you heard that Netherfiled Park

has been let at last?”

Mr. Bennet replied that he had not.

“But it has,” she replied. “Mrs. Long has just been here and she told me all about it.”

“Well, Mrs. Long says that Netherfield is taken by a young man of large fortune from

the north England, that he came down on Monday to see the place and was so

delighted with it that he agreed to take possession immediately.”

“What is his name?”

“Bingley,” she said.

“Is he married?”

“Oh, no, an unmarried man of large fortune, four or five thousand a year. What a fine

thing for our girls!”

“How can that be?”

“Mr. Bennet,” replied his wife, “you must know that I am thinking of his marrying

one of them.” “You must visit him as soon as he comes.”

“You and the girls may go, or, even better, you may send them by themselves,

because as you are as good-looking Mr. Bingley might like you the best of the party.”

“My dear, you praise me too highly. But when a woman has five grown-up daughters,

she ought to give up thinking of her own appearance. But you must go and see Mr.

Bingley when he comes.”

“But consider your daughters. You must go, because it will be impossible for us to

visit him, if you do not.”“I dare say Mr. Bingley will be very glad to see you, and I will send him a few words

by you to inform him of my hearty agreement to his marrying whichever of the girls

he chooses, though I most throw in a good word for my little Lizzy.”

“Lizzy is not a bit better than the others, but you are always giving her the

preference.”

He said, “They are all silly and empty-headed like other girls, but Lizzy is little more

intelligent than her sisters.

“Mr. Bennet, how can you speak of your own daughters in such a way?”

Mr. Bennet was such an odd mixture of cleverness, sharp humour, silence and

unexpected changes of mind, that the experience of twenty-three years had not been

enough to make his wife understand his character. Her mind was less difficult to

understand. The business of her life was to get her daughters married; its pleasure was

visiting and news.

a. What is the main idea of the whole passage?

b. Describe the character of Mr. Bennet.

c. Explain the character of Mrs. Bennet.

d. Give the synomyms for the word “fortune” used in the paragraph.

e. Find the word in the passage which means the same as “satisfied”.