It was early for Grandpa Tanner to be out of bed. He was up early because the heat was stifling, and the sun was already glaring, and the north-west wind that had blown all night was still searing the leaves off the trees as it had seared them the day before. Grandpa hated the north wind. He had hated it all his life. It was an evil wind, a wind that angered men and dismayed women and frightened small children. The long grass growing up to the house was as dry as straw, and dust was in the air, and the smell of smoke. It was the smell of smoke more than anything that had got Grandpa out of bed and out of doors in his pyjamas.

He could see no smoke in the sky, but it was in his nostrils, teasing them, and in his mind, in a way, prompting his memory back down the years to that one desperate hour when he had faced an inferno on his own and fought it on his own and beaten it on his own. He had prayed hard at the time, prayed for a wind change, for rain, for an army of men with beaters; but none of these had come, and he had done it on his own, and had stood blackened and burnt and bare-headed in the paddock, in the prime of his strength, shaking his fist at the heavens.

An old bushman like Grandpa could smell eucalyptus smoke on the wind from a fire burning fifteen or twenty miles away; he could smell it and feel it and see it with his eyes shut, with tingling senses, with an awareness that was electric. He stood almost motionless, every part of him tuned to that faint signal of smoke.

Not in years had Grandpa seen real smoke - the savage, boiling, black-red smoke of a forest fire on the rampage. He had seen the smoke of scrub fires that had got a little out of hand for an hour or two; the smoke when farmers burnt off new ground, or when shire-workers burnt off the roadsides; and the smoke when fire brigades were cleaning up hazardous pockets of bush before the full heat of summer (the boys of the fire brigades enjoyed a good blaze now and then). But he hadn't seen real smoke close to home since 1913. He had read of bad fires and seen far-off glows in the sky by night, particularly in 1939, but those days seemed to have gone; there were too many people now.

Though the presence of fire always frightened him, Grandpa had never been unduly afraid of it. He knew that fires, unlike earthquakes or avalanches or erupting volcanoes, could be stopped or turned. Men who knew what they were doing could even fight fire with fire. That was what Grandpa had done in 1913, and he had saved his farm though others not so far away had been wiped out. Even the township of Prescott had gone that day, 13th January. It had been there in the morning, and in the afternoon it was a heap of charred rubbish and the Gibson family had been burnt to death.

That dreadful day had started like this one, even to the date of the month - the same searing northerly, the same faint smell of smoke, the same sort of temperature that had climbed and climbed to over 112 degrees in the shade. And when the fire had come over the top of the range and thundered into the valley like a thousand locomotives steaming abreast, it had become still hotter and hotter - so hot that birds on the wing fell dead and grass started burning almost of its own accord and locked-up houses exploded and creeks boiled. But that had been a long time ago. It couldn't happen now.

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(A) What is the main reason given in the first paragraph for Grandpa Tanner being up and out so early?

(B) Read lines 3–5. In your own words, explain the different feelings people had about the north wind.

(C) What piece of information given in paragraph one suggests that this would be a very dangerous time for a fire to start? Explain your answer.

(D) Read lines 19–22. Explain in your own words TWO reasons why fires were sometimes started deliberately.

(E) In paragraph six, the writer describes some of the dramatic effects of a bush fire. Which one of these do you find most amazing? Explain why.

(C) The information given in paragraph one suggesting that the timeline of the story would be a dangerous time for a fire to start is that the "evil" north wind is so strong until it blew off all the leaves the previous day and still was that day.

(D) Fires were sometimes started deliberately because in the older times, even in 1913, wars and the committing of many criminal acts were present. Men were smart enough to know that fire could fight attacks aimed at them, as an act of retaliation.

(E) Your own opinion, but explanation below

Explanation:

(A) The sentence "It was the smell of smoke more than anything that had got Grandpa out of bed and out of doors in his pyjamas." implies that even with other things that could also be considered a reason for Grandpa Tanner to get out of bed, the smell if smoke was the one that made him react the most. The phrase "more than anything" acts as a way to highlight the smell of smoke.

(B) Lines 3-5 shows how many people hated the north wind. Lines 3 and 4 are self-explanatory. Line 5, however, will be in the spotlight. The adjective "evil" is used by the author to describe the wind. Multiple verbs like "angered", "dismayed", and "frightened" helps in delivering the point the author is trying to. Those verbs describe what the wind does to people of both genders and even different age groups.

(C) As we know, winds influence the strength of fire. The stronger the wind is, the more likely it is for a dangerous fire to occur. The north wind itself had been considered evil by people (refer back to B).

(D) The phrase "could even fight fire with fire" implies that fire is used to fight attacks. Attacks may be actual fire (so they might have just set fire back on the attackers), but it might be many, many scenarios, such as an act of revenge, war crimes, etc.

(E) "...come over the top of the range..."

- In the phrase "...come over the top of the range...", the author included a metaphor, "come over the top", implying that the fire was so big and tall it can reach everything it came across. This metaphor builds up an effect of monstrosity.

"...thundered into the valley..."

- The phrase "...thundered into the valley..." included a metaphor, making the fire seem to be very loud and frightening but at the same time making it powerful, especially to kids like thunders typically do. This creates an effect of negative dominance.

"...like a thousand locomotives steaming abreast..."

- The phrase "...like a thousand locomotives steaming abreast..." contains a hyperbole that creates the image of hot, grey smoke brought by the big fire. The hyperbole mainly is in the word "thousand". Usually, a locomotive already releases lots of smoke. A thousand locomotives would be much worse. Lots of smoke could also make people unable to breathe properly, thus creating an effect of hopelessness.

"...so hot that birds on the wing fell dead and grass started burning almost of its own accord..."

- The phrase above contains short, simple, but powerful words to describe the extremity of that situation. The use of simple words can also make readers relate to them, so that readers can also "feel" how it is like to be stuck in that situation. Readers will also see that humans are not the only ones affected, but also other living organisms, like birds and grass, to the point that they lost their lives during the fire. This creates an effect of urgency.

"...and locked up houses exploded and creeks boiled."

- The phrase above contains verbs that provide power, helping to dramatize the event. The author implied that the non-living surroundings can also be affected and destroyed, even if they did absolutely nothing. The author also creates the image of the heat from the fire is scorching that houses not only crack from expansion, but to the point that they explode. Creeks, containing water (water is a symbolism of peace and tranquil) were also affected, showing that nothing can escape the terrible fire's grasp. This creates an effect of chaos.

harshsi745 harshsi745 · Answer 2 · 2024-10-21T15:56:17-04:00

Final answer:

Grandpa Tanner was prompted to wake early due to the smell of smoke, fearing a fire because of past experiences. The north wind has a universally negative impact on people, suggesting its ominous nature. Controlled burns are mentioned as preventive measures against uncontrolled wildfires.

Explanation:

The main reason Grandpa Tanner was up and out of bed so early, as mentioned in the first paragraph, was due to the smell of smoke, which alarmed him given his past experiences with fire. This smell, alongside the intolerable heat, prompted him to investigate, fearing the onset of a fire.

Regarding the north wind, it is described negatively by different reactions from people: it angers men, dismays women, and frightens small children, indicating a universally aversive and foreboding feeling towards it.

The indication that it would be a dangerous time for a fire to start is given by the dryness of the long grass up to the house and the dust in the air, which could easily fuel a fire.

Fires were sometimes started deliberately for reasons such as when farmers burnt off new ground to clear it or fire brigades burnt off hazardous pockets of bush to prevent uncontrolled fires during the full heat of summer, showing controlled burning as a fire prevention measure.

Among the dramatic effects of a bushfire, the detail that birds fell dead from the sky due to the extreme heat is particularly astonishing, illustrating the severe and immediate impact of such extreme temperatures on living creatures.