Listening Skills

Fish

In the context of the passage about Vandana's family who are fishermen, 'catch' refers to the fish that have been caught. The passage mentions that her father and grandfather set out to catch fish every day, and the boats come in with their catch. Later, it describes how Vandana helps sort the fish, with Bombils (Bombay Ducks) being strung out on bamboo racks and shrimps spread out on concrete rectangles. This makes it clear that 'catch' means the fish they have caught.

25

In the passage, Aaji tells her listeners that 'though people think Bombay was made up of seven islands, a long time ago, there were 25 islands.' This directly answers the question. The number 7 is what people commonly think, 36 refers to the number of koliwadas left today, and 27 is not mentioned in the passage. Aaji's statement clearly indicates that originally there were 25 islands, not the commonly believed 7.

Strong winds and rough seas make it dangerous for tiny boats

The passage clearly states: 'By the last week of May, the strong winds and rough seas make it too dangerous for their tiny boats to ride the waves.' This directly explains why fishing becomes dangerous. The other options are not the reasons given in the text - families listening to stories happens during monsoon when they can't fish, but it's not the reason fishing becomes dangerous. The strong winds and rough seas are the specific environmental conditions that make it unsafe for small fishing boats.

The family sits around Aaji listening to stories

The passage describes the monsoon period: 'When the monsoon sky sends down rain, day after day, night after night, there is plenty of time to talk and rest. The family sits around Aaji. They listen to her stories and mend fishing nets.' This shows that during monsoon, when fishing is not possible due to continuous rains, the family spends time together listening to Aaji's stories and mending their fishing equipment. This is a time of rest and family bonding.