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Imagery and Resilience

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Imagery and Resilience

Read the original passage, then answer the questions. Use evidence from the passage to explain how sensory details and figurative language develop the idea of resilience.

After the storm

At first light, the bush track looked bruised. Eucalyptus leaves clung to the mud, and a branch lay across the path like a fallen gate. The air smelt of wet bark and the sharp, peppery scent of crushed leaves. Somewhere above us, a wattlebird gave one scratchy call, then went quiet. Grace tightened her gloves. Yesterday’s storm had ripped through the reserve, flattening young plants and scattering mulch into the creek. The regeneration team had planned to plant thirty seedlings, but now the work seemed impossibly small beside the damage. “Small isn’t the same as useless,” Sienna said. She lifted a bent tube of protective mesh and straightened it against her knee. Tahnee found a seedling still upright beneath a mat of leaves. Its new green tip shone against the dark soil. They cleared the track first. Mud sucked at their boots; wet leaves whispered as they were dragged aside. Then the team reset the mesh guards and tucked fresh mulch around each plant. The creek ran brown and fast, carrying twigs downstream, but the seedlings held their ground. By midday, their backs ached and the sky had turned the colour of old tin. The reserve was not repaired. Still, thirty small green points stood in the earth, each one protected for another day. Grace looked along the row. The storm had changed the place, but it had not made the team stop caring for it.

Read between the details

Answer in complete sentences where appropriate. Support your interpretations with a word or phrase from the passage.

1.Which phrase most clearly appeals to the sense of smell?

“the sharp, peppery scent of crushed leaves”
“a branch lay across the path”
“the creek ran brown and fast”
“their backs ached”

2.Match each quoted detail to its strongest sensory appeal: “scratchy call”; “mud sucked at their boots”; “wet leaves whispered”; “green tip shone”.

“scratchy call”
“mud sucked at their boots”
“wet leaves whispered”
“green tip shone”

Sound
Sound
Touch
Sight

3.In “the bush track looked bruised”, what does the comparison suggest about the track after the storm?

4.The wattlebird calls once and then goes quiet. What mood does this detail help create at the beginning of the passage? Explain briefly.

5.What does Sienna mean when she says, “Small isn’t the same as useless”?

6.Select the best explanation of how the seedling image develops the theme of resilience.

The seedling’s green tip shows life continuing despite damage and difficult conditions.
The seedling proves the storm did not cause any real damage.
The seedling suggests the team should leave the reserve alone.
The seedling shows that only large plants can survive.

7.Find one example of personification or figurative language in the passage, other than “looked bruised”. Explain what it helps the reader imagine.

8.How does the contrast between the storm’s damage and the team’s work shape the message of the passage? Use evidence from both parts.

9.What does the final sentence suggest about the team’s resilience?

10.Write two original sentences about recovering from a setback: one using a sensory detail and one using a comparison or personification. Underline the language that creates imagery.