11. Answer the questions and do the given assignments:

a) 1. Who was the man who arrived one Sunday afternoon to the house? 2. Why was the man looking for the young woman of colour? 3. Why was the girl Sarah accustomed to sit¬ting at the window? 4. What made Sarah ask Mother send the visitor away? 5. Why was Mother outraged when she returned downstairs? 6. Why did Mother decide to give him more of a visit next time? 7. Why did the Negro suffer no embarrassment in the parlour? 8. How did the Negro describe his career as a pianist? 9. What was the source of Father's irritation when he finally asked the Negro to play the piano? 10. Why did the Negro agree to play the piano for them? 11. What was it in the music he played that changed the mood of the family. 12. Do you think the Negro accomplished what he had hoped for from the visit?

b) The title "Ragtime" is supposed to be the symbolic re¬presentation of the atmosphere which characterizes the scene of the novel. Do you feel that the rhythm and the intonation of E. Doctorow's prose imitate those of ragtime? (whose charac¬teristic features are syncopation, swing, high tension, fluctua¬tion between the regular rhythm of sharp harmonic accents and a lively irregular ragged melodic line, the incongruity, that is a special charm of the music).

c) 1. Discuss the stylistic means the author uses to create tension:
1) the incongruity of the sensational plot and the dry tone in which it is described, 2) the common situation and the for¬mal tone, 3) the contrast of different styles, 4) the contrast of actions and their implications.
2. Describe how the author contrasts the young man's be¬haviour and appearance with the music he plays. Pay attention to the epithets, similes, metaphors, repetitions and gradation, abrupt changes from short sentences to long ones, and then back again. Observe the proportion of short sentences, the tele¬graphic style, the use of asyndeton, polysyndeton, inversion and parallel constructions; how is the compact, dynamic way in the speech of the characters presented? Pay attention to the fact that the characters have no names. What effect is achieved by this? Should proper names have been used, in your opinion? Justify your answer, hi whose voice is the narra¬tion of the story? Where do the narrator's sympathies lie?

12. Explain what is meant by:

1. He was dressed in the affection of wealth to which co¬loured people lent themselves. 2. She is said to reside in one of these houses. 3. A bouquet of yellow chrysanthemums which in this season had to have cost him a pretty penny. 4. The sur¬roundings did not awe him nor was his manner deferential. 5. Oh, yes, Mother said, we are terrible about that. 6. There seemed to be no possibilities for life than those delineated by the music. 7. This was a most robust composition, a vigorous music that roused the senses and never stood still a moment. 8. ... until the entire room was made to glow with its own being. 9. His taste ran to Carrie Jacobs Bond. 10. He thought Negro music had to have smiling and cakewalking.

13. Give a summary of the text (p. 104).

14. Make up and act out dialogues between:

1. Mother and Father before the tea.
2. Mother and Sarah after the visit of the Negro pianist.
3. Father and Mother's Younger Brother about the pieces the pianist had played.

V
15. Sometimes we accept invitations to go to the event, just to be polite, so we don't hurt other people's feelings. Write about an experience you didn't enjoy, but which you felt obliged to participate in.

VOCABULARY EXERCISES

1. Study the essential vocabulary and translate the illustrative examples into Russian.

2. Translate the following sentences into Russian:

A. 1. He was given a little money and at times, in the spirit of adventure, he would set off to explore the town. 2. You should set aside some money for a rainy day. 3. He tried to set aside his dislike of his daughter's fiancee. 4. We should set off before dawn to get there on time. 5. The redundancies set off strikes throughout the area. 6. The bank helps peple wanting to set up business. 7. He set out to climb Everest. 8. Put the jelly

into the ice-box to set. 9. We are all set, 10.1 like the setting of the show. 11. He has set his heart on becoming a ballet dancer. 12. They sat up till the small hours seating the world to rights. 13. Did someone set fire to the house deliberately? 14. Di had never set foot in Italy before. 15. Jill is very set in her ways. 16. Stephen tut-tutted his way through the end-of-vacation examination papers he had set his freshmen students. 17. The chauffeur regretfully abandoned his plans for an afternoon at the railings. 18. Anthony could not have blamed Steve if through resentment he now decided to abandon his brother to the dreadful struggle that was to come. 19. The Forsytes resented encroachments on their property. 20. Kit had been called out once before during the night and his body resented the second disturbance. 21. He was a big man who resented the buttons on his shirts.

B. 1. It is said that the business of words in prose is primari¬ly to state; in poetry not only to state but also (and sometimes primarily) to suggest. 2. White gloves to the elbow suggested a Royal Garden party. 3. It would be dreadful if something terrible happened and I were not at hand. 4. He spoke German without any suggestion of French accent. 5. Gentlemen, give a big hand to the band. 6. "I'm old enough to play poker and do something with it. I'll try my hand to-night," thought Hurstwood. 7. My doubts on that point, if I had any, were soon cleared. 8. The debate was conducted in the depressing atmosphere of a half-empty Chamber. 9. The curator's conduct through the museum was informative. 10. A pianist, bandlead¬er, composer and arranger, Duke Ellingfon, had a major impact on jazz composition and playing. 11. It is the highland nearest to the shore which falls most abruptly. 12. When the adjective "abrupt" is used speaking about words and manners we mean that they are sudden and unconnected. 13. They say that to be ignorant of one's ignorance is the malady of the ignorant. 14. He had been working at hospital for so long that he ignored the "No smoking" sign.

3. Give the English equivalents for:

приводить в определенное состояние, в движение; освобождать; пускать в ход машину; начать дело; сосредоточить мысль на чём-л.; твердеть; заживать; положить на музыку; задерживать; бросить привычку; бросить курить; бросить жену; оставить (потерять) на-

дежду; оставить друга в беде; покинуть свой пост; отказаться от усилий; покинуть тонущий корабль; возмущаться чьим-л. поведением; негодовать на чье-л. отноше¬ние; обижаться на замечание; затаить обиду; внушать; вызывать; подсказывать (мысль); намекать; наводить на мысль; говорить о; говорить само за себя; рабочий сцены; из первых рук; продолжительные аплодисмен¬ты; сделанный ручным способом; имеющийся в распоряжении; на руках; руки прочь; с одной/другой стороны; убирать со стола; от-кашливаться; распутывать дело; проясняться (о погоде); вести разго¬вор; дирижировать оркестром; вести дела; вести переговоры; водить группу туристов; проводить урок; проводник; кондуктор; писать му¬зыку; улаживать ссору; успокаиваться; крутой поворот; резкие ма¬неры; отрывистый стиль; крутая тропинка; сказать что-л. резко (от¬рывисто); не принять к сведению чеи-л. совет; пропустить замечание мимо ушей; не обратить внимание; игнорировать чье-л. присут¬ствие; ничего не понимать в искусстве; не подозревать о существова¬нии кого-л. (чего-л.); невежественный человек; держать кого-л. в не¬ведении; пренебречь обязанностями; запустить дом (дела); не забо¬титься о детях; запустить занятия.

4. Paraphrase the following sentences using the essential vocabulary:

1. Please, will somebody start the discussion? 2. Mrs Cassidi was fully determined to give her son a good education. 3. If you don't want to get some lung disease you must givemp smoking altogether. 4. Is there any wonder she felt injured about your criticism, it was so bitter. 5. Let's resolve this problem once and for all. 6. After many attempts the scientist eventually managed to carry put his experiment successfully. 7. The path was so steep that we could hardly make it. 8. She knew so many things that the average girl of eight did not know. 9. She paid no attention to the hint. 10. The bad mistakes you sometimes make bring to mind the idea of bad knowledge of. grammar. 11. When working he always keeps his tools within easy reach. 12. Pull yourself together, and start from the very beginning.

5. Use the essential vocabulary in answering the following questions:

1. When do people carry a chip on their shoulder? 2. What do some people do when they are in a tight corner and they can see no way out? 3. Why didn't you have a chance to tell him what you think of the whole situation before he left? 4. Why hasn't the orchestra played yet? 5. Why does the man