Comprehension

Bonsai is actually a method of training trees. The Egyptians were the first
to create bonsai mostly for practical reasons - mobility and convenience. The
Chinese later created it for aesthetic purposes before the Japanese perfected the
art. Not all plants are suitable to be created as bonsai. A tree with a classic 'old'
bonsai look should have all its parts - the trunk, branches, twigs, leaves, flowers,
fruits, buds and roots in perfect scale with the size of the tree. Among the plants
appropriate for bonsai are spruce, pine, bougainvillea and pomegranate.
To create your own bonsai, nursery stock can be a very good selection
since the plant's roots have already become accustomed to cramped conditions.
You can also collect plants for bonsai from the wild, but it is a slow method as
there are many unknown factors such as the age and health of the plant. It is
also possible to propagate your own bonsai. It is a slow method, but it has the
advantage of letting you shape the plant from the very beginning.
After having obtained the plant, your next step is to choose a suitable
bonsai container. For the initial containers called training pots, you can use any
pot that is large enough to hold the heavy roots. Make sure that the drain holes
in all training pots are large enough for good drainage. After a year or so,
transfer the plant to a traditional bonsai pot that is similar to the shape of the
training pot. They are either round, oval, square, rectangular or hexagonal.
Next, decide on the shape of your bonsai. Study the tree carefully and
take into account the natural form of the species. Make a rough sketch of what
you wish to create, and use it as a guide. Then, use the three basic operations to
accomplish that shape - pruning, nipping, and wiring. When pruning, remove only
the excess foliage and undesirable limbs. Once the basic form is established,
shaping is done by nipping or pinching back. Nipping is done to shape the plant
and to develop luxurious foliage. Trim the roots but keep all fibrous roots and
maintain a balance of one branch for one root if at all possible.
Your last step is to wire the branches. Copper wire is usually used as it is
flexible. Number 8 wire is the heaviest and should be used only on the trunk. Use
wire as light as number 16 for thin branches. Wire evergreen trees only during
their dormant period and deciduous trees during their growing season. After
that, maintain your tree just like you maintain other plants. Make sure they have
sufficient sunlight, fertilizers and water. Remember, the bonsai plant dies more
from over watering than from desiccation.
Taking care of bonsai plants is not a task for amateurs. This is because
they are unusual trees and they require unusual care. If you are serious about
growing your own bonsai plants, take more time to conduct your research. You
can also try discussing the matter with people who have experience in raising
bonsai.
Question
1. From paragraph 1,
(a) Why did the Egyptians create bonsai?
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(b) What is the essential characteristic of a perfect bonsai plant?
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2. From paragraph 3,
(a) Name two sources from which you can get trees for bonsai.
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(b) What is the advantage of selecting a tree from the nursery stock?
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3. From paragraph 4, why are drain holes important in training pots?
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4. From paragraph 5, what is the purpose of nipping the plant?
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5. From paragraph 6,
(a) Explain the meaning of desiccation.
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(b) When is wiring done and what is its purpose?
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Answer
Answers
1. (a) For mobility and convenience
(b) All the parts of the plant are in perfect scale with the size of the tree.
2. (a) Nursery - from the wild - through propagation. ( Any two )
(b) The plant's roots have already become accustomed to cramped conditions.
3.

To ensure good drainage.

4.

To shape the plant and to develop more leaves - luxurious foliage.

5. (a) The process of becoming very dry.

(b) Wiring follows pruning and nipping and is the last step in the operation to
shape the bonsai.

Answers
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

They were eaten up by the ducks.

It refers to the ducks.
They had so much to eat that they forgot to go home.
He saw it as he turned to go home.
It had been out of water for some time and was weak.
Eddie was very sad and felt a loss of hope.
He was hoping for some time to save the carp.
He bought another carp to replace the one he found.
He kept it in ice and sawdust.
He rested for a while to catch his breath after arriving at the cana.

Comprehension
It was the draught season. The sky was cloudless and blue, week after
week. Hence, the padi field was drying up. Soon, only little puddles of water were
left. Fish that once swam freely now crowded into these puddles; hoping to live
through the dry period. Ducks flocked to the padi field to eat the fish.
Often they had so much to eat that they forgot to go home. One evening
they did not return, so Eddie had to go and chase them home. He rounded them
up and shooed them in the direction of his house. In single file, the ducks
waddled homeward by themselves. The sun was behind the dark distant hills.
Eddie turned to go home too. Then, he caught a glimpse of something glistening
in a nearby puddle. He went to it and saw a big silver carp. Its scales were silvery
and its fins had a touch of red at the edges.
Eddie caught it in a second and ran home with the beautiful carp clasped
between his hands. He put it in a bucket and filled the bucket with water. It lay
still at first. Then, it began to swim. Day after day Eddie fed it and changed the
water regularly. The carp grew stronger and fatter.
One day his father said to him, "The carp will make a nice dish for all of
us". His mother agreed readily and suggested fish curry. Eddie's heart sank but
he said,
"Let's steam it tomorrow".
"No, let's fatten it for another week," his father said.
Early one morning, Eddie took all the money out of his piggy bank and
cycled to the market. He bought a carp. He cycled home quickly. Secretly, he
buried the carp he bought in ice and sawdust. When his parents had gone to bed
that night, Eddie took the bucket with his carp in it and sneaked out of the
house.
Finally, he arrived at the canal. He rested a while to catch his breath.
Then, he took a last look at his lovely carp, dragged the bucket to the water edge
and tipped it. The carp slid into the canal with the water. It surfaced, blew a
bubble and then sank out of sight. Eddie shed a tear.
Question
1. What happened to the fish in the dry season?
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2. What does 'they' in the second paragraph refer to?

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3. Why did Eddie have to chase the ducks home?
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4. When did Eddie see the big silver carp?
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5. Why did the carp lie still in the bucket at first?
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6. What does the phrase "Eddie's heart sank" tell us?
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7. Why did Eddie suggest that they steam the carp the next day?
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8. Why did Eddie buy another carp?
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9. How did Eddie buy another carp?
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10. How do you know that the canal was probably very far from Eddie's house?
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