Galvez Victoria Francesca

Primary 5 Suggested Comprehension Open-Ended (COE) Passage

Adapted from The Silver Sword (page 9 to 13), by Ian Serraillier, Victoria
Galvezs own copy, Puffin Books (1956; 1960), 159 pages.
1 This is the story of a Polish family, and of what happened to them during
the Second World War and immediately afterwards. Their home was in the
suburb of Warsaw, where the father, Joseph Balicki, was headmaster of a
primary school. He and his Swiss wife, Margrit, had three children. In early
1940, the year when the Nazis took Joseph away to prison, Ruth the eldest
was nearly thirteen, Edek was eleven, and the fair-headed Bronia three.
2 The prison camp which the Nazis sent Joseph to was in the mountains of
South Poland. A few wooden huts clung to the edge of the bleak hillside.
Day and night the wind beat down upon them, for the pine trees were thin
and gave little shelter. For five months of the year, snow lay thick upon the
ground. It smothered the huts. It gave a coating of white fur to the twelvefoot double fence of wire that surrounded the clearing. In stormy weather,
the snow blew into the bare huts through cracks in the walls. There was no
comfort in Zakyna.
3 Few prisoners had the strength or the spirit to escape. Several had got
away, but they only had the clothes on their backs and little food to fend
against the conditions on the mountains.
4 But Joseph was determined to escape. During the first winter, he was too
ill and disheartened to try. He would sit around the hut, reminiscing about
his family and staring at the few tattered photographs of them that he had
been allowed to keep. His mind drifted to his school in Warsaw and he
wondered what was happening there now.
5 When the Nazis came, they had not closed the school. But they had
taken away the Polish textbooks and made Joseph teach in German. Once,
Joseph turned the picture of Hitler, the great German leader, to the wall.
Someone had reported this to the Nazis. Then the Nazi Storm Troops had
come for Joseph in the middle of the night and bundled him off to Zakyna.
They had left Margrit and the three children behind.
6 During summer, Josephs health mended, but the number of guards
doubled. A group of six he was one of them tried to break away, but
the attempt failed. For this, he endured a month of solitary confinement.
7 The following winter, Joseph was no less determined to escape. He
thought of cutting the wire fence, but it was of no use. There was an alarm
in the double fence, which would go off if anyone who crossed the fence.
They would be shot. There was only one way out the way the guards
went, through the gate and past the guardhouse. Josephs idea was to
disguise himself as one of the guards and follow them as they went off
duty. But how was he to get hold of the guard uniform?
8 At the back of each block was a leaky and unheated hut known as the
cooler. It consisted of three or four cells to which unruly prisoners were

sent to cool off. To be sent there, one only had to be late for roll-call or
offend a guard. It was quite a popular place in summer, as it was so quiet.
But in winter, one could freeze to death there.
9 One Monday morning, during the morning hut inspection, Joseph flicked
a paper pellet at the guard. It stung the guard behind the ear. There was
all there was time for. Within five minutes, Joseph was in a cell in the
cooler.
10 In the evening, a guard came to Josephs cell. When Joseph heard the
soft thud of his footsteps in the snow, he crouched down on the floor at
the back of his tiny cell. He had a smooth round stone and a catapult in his
hands. His eyes were fixed on the flap in the door. In a moment the guard
would unlock it, peer inside and hand in the food.
11 Joseph hid and waited behind the door. He heard the key grate, and the
hinges creaked open. Heavy boots clumped across the floor towards him.
Joseph drew back the elastic as the flap slid aside.
12 The guard had not spotted Joseph when the stone struck him in the
forehead and knocked him out cold. The floor shook as the guard tumbled.
13 Joseph knew he needed to act swiftly, before the guard came to his
senses. He knew the guard kept his keys in his coat pocket. He must get
hold of them without delay. He took a hook and line from under his bed.
After several attempts, the hook caught in the top fastened button of the
guards coat. Joseph tugged at the line and drew the guard towards him.
14 Suddenly the line snapped. The guard fell back. The hook was lost.
Joseph had one spare hook, and that was all.
15 Joseph tried again. This time the coat pocket gave way. Josephs heart
was in his mouth. Then he saw them the keys! They were lying on the
floor, shaken out of the coat pocket when the guard fell.
16 Quickly, Joseph fished for the keys and hauled them up. He unlocked
his cell and knelt beside the senseless body, hastily stripping off the
uniform. There was no time to lose. Already he could hear the footsteps of
the other guards. He dressed himself hurriedly.
17 Stepping out of the cooler, Josephs eyes glimmered with hope but he
also bit his lip. This meant either freedom or a return to the prison. His
opportunity to escape could make or break him.
P.S. You can consider inserting a footnote about Warsaw and World War
Two in the first paragraph, to give some context to the passage. Also, if
you feel that the passage is too lengthy, please feel free to remove
irrelevant portions. Thanks! :)

Possible COE questions

1. Why was there no comfort in the mountains of Zakyna? (Direct) (Clue:
paragraph 2)
The wind battered the huts in Zakyna and the flimsy pine trees offered
little respite (Day and night the wind beat down upon them, for the pine
trees were thin and gave little shelter.) (1). Thick snow buried the huts for
five months (For five months of the year, snow lay thick upon the ground.
It smothered the huts.) (1). During a storm, the snow entered the huts
through openings in the walls (In stormy weather, the snow blew into the
bare huts through cracks in the walls.) (1).
Teacher to accept any two answers.
2. Why did the prisoners, who had not been caught, die from the
conditions on the mountains? (Direct and Inference) (Clue: paragraph 3)
The prisoners did not have sufficient clothing and food (Several had got
away, but they only had the clothes on their backs and little food.) (1),
and probably could not tolerate the harsh and cold conditions on the
mountains (1) (Inference).
3. Why do you think Joseph was determined to escape the prison? (Direct
and Inference) (Clue: paragraph 4)
Joseph often thought about his family and school in Warsaw (He would sit
around the hut, reminiscing about his family and staring at the few
tattered photographs of them that he had been allowed to keep. His mind
drifted to his school in Warsaw and he wondered what was happening
there now.) (1). He missed his family and school and longed to return to
them (1) (Inference).
4. Why do you think the Nazi Storm Troops arrested Joseph? (Direct and
Inference) (Clue: paragraph 5)
Joseph had turned Hitlers portrait to the wall, and the Nazis were alerted
of this (Once, Joseph turned the picture of Hitler, the great German
leader, to the wall. Someone had reported this to the Nazis.) (1). This was
a sign of blatant / open disrespect and disregard for the great German
leader (1) (Inference).
5. According to paragraph 7, how did Joseph plan to escape from the
prison? (Direct) (Clue: paragraph 7)
Joseph planned to dress as a guard (Josephs idea was to disguise himself
as one of the guards) (1) and tail the guards as they were dismissed from
their duties (follow them as they went off duty (1).
6. How did Joseph prepare to knock the guard out? (Direct) (Clue:
Paragraph 10 and 11)
Joseph hid behind the door of his cell and waited for the guard to open it
(Joseph hid and waited behind the door) (1). He prepared a rock and

catapult to hit the guard (He had a smooth round stone and a catapult in
his hands. (1).
7. Why do you think Joseph wanted to reach for the guards coat pocket?
(Direct and Inference) (Clue: paragraph 13)
Joseph wanted to fish out the guards keys from his coat pocket (He knew
the guard kept his keys in his coat pocket. (1), unlock the door of his cell
and escape quickly (1) (Inference).
8. Which sentence suggests that Joseph was starting to feel anxious when
his second hook gave way? (Language) (Clue: paragraph 15)
The sentence is Josephs heart was in his mouth.
9. Why do you think that there was no time to lose when Joseph stripped
off the guards uniform? (Inference and Language) (Clue: paragraph 16)
Joseph had little time to waste (1) (Language) because the other guards
were about to enter his cell and could discover his attempt to escape (1)
(Inference).
10. How do you think Joseph felt after exiting the cooler? (Direct and
Inference) (Clue: 17)
Joseph felt nervous / anxious / worried / ambivalent (1) (Inference)
because his bid to escape could meant that he would be free or result in
his arrest (This meant either freedom or a return to the prison.) (1).
11. True / False and Reason questions
11a. Joseph believed that cutting the wire fence was a good way to escape
the prison. (Clue: paragraph 7)
False. The fence contained an alarm that would sound, and the offender
would later be shot.
11b. The conditions in the cooler during winter were extremely harsh.
(Clue: paragraph 8)
True. A prisoner could freeze to death in the cooler during winter.
11c. The cooler was a collection of cells in which prisoners were sent
when they flouted prison rules. (Clue: paragraph 8)
True. The prisoners were sent to the cooler when they were late for rollcall or had provoked a guard.
12. Arranging the sequence of events
Joseph planned to get hold of a guards uniform: 2
Josephs attempt to escape from the prison failed: 1

Joseph fished for the guards keys in the guards coat pocket: 4
Joseph equipped himself with a stone and catapult to fire at the guard: 3

Cousin words
headmaster: the person in charge of a private school
bleak: bare / desolate / depressing / dreary
smothered: covered or enveloped thickly and closely
fend against: ward off / defend
disheartened: discouraged / depressed
reminiscing: recalling past experiences in a longing manner
tattered: torn / ragged
solitary confinement: the enclosure of a single person in a cell
crouched: stooped or bent low
grate: rub together with a harsh, jarring sound
clumped: walked heavily and clumsily
hauled: pulled forcefully