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Let’s read and find out what happened on the day of the last examination.

‘So our exams will be over today,’ I said to Gopal, ‘and we will be free.’

Gopal was equally anxious for the exams to be over. He said, ‘Yes. We will be free
tomorrow and the first thing we will do is to go to the mango groves by the side of the hill
and eat mangoes.’

‘Yes, we will start early in the morning.’

The last paper was in the afternoon session.
It was very hot, and we were perspiring from
head to foot. At the crossroads, Sridhar

joined us. We walked to our school. Soon
the grey walls of the school at a distance
came into view. We walked fast.

At the school, we saw everyone in
a frantic hurry doing last-minute
brushing up. Some were squatting on the
playground, some leaning against trees—

their eyes glued to their notebooks. Our
last paper was British History.

Sridhar, who was afraid of History, was nervous. When Can you connect the
we reached the school, he asked me, ‘Any guess about the idiom ‘Bounce off the
questions? Will they be difficult?’ walls’ with the story?
Just a Minute!
‘Our History teacher, Krishna Pillai, is rather strict. So

anything can be expected.’ My answer made him more uneasy.

The bell rang. Leaving our books on the platform inside the examination hall, we
hastened to our seats.

The answer papers were already there on our desks. I wrote my number on the fly-sheet of
the answer book, and the subject—British History.

As the second bell rang, there was a rustle of papers. The
question papers were distributed. As soon as I glanced grove: a small group of trees

through the questions, a wave of joy surged within me. They perspiring: having sweat on the
were quite easy and they were ‘expected’. body
frantic: almost out of control
To gain more confidence, I raised my hand and asked for due to worry
brushing up: refreshing one’s
water. The school peon, Raman Nair, brought a glass of cold memory
water from the mudka (earthen pitcher). After drinking it, I hastened: (here) walked quickly
surged: rose suddenly to an
started to write. I did not know that I could write so fast. excessive or abnormal value

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