The arrival of a stranger at an inn in winter was in any case an unusual event. A stranger of such uncommon appearance set all tongues wagging. Mrs. Hall, the landlord's wife, made every effort to be friendly. But Griffin had no desire to talk, and told her, "My reason for coming to Iping is a desire for solitude. I do not wish to be disturbed in my work. Besides, an accident has affected my face." Satisfied that her guest was an eccentric scientist, and in view of the fact that he had paid her in advance, Mrs. Hall was prepared to excuse his strange habits and irritable temper.
Read the following extract and answer the questions.
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · 2026-06-15 07:18 · grounding stimulus+chapter
Model Answer
(i) One inference about Griffin is that he was secretive and anti-social. He deliberately avoided interaction and used the excuse of an accident to explain his unusual appearance, hiding the truth that he was an invisible man.
(ii) False. Mrs. Hall was satisfied that Griffin was an eccentric scientist and, since he had paid her in advance, she was quite willing (not skeptical) to excuse his strange habits and irritable temper.
(iii) Griffin convinced Mrs. Hall by giving two reasons — his desire for solitude to carry out his work, and an accident that had affected his face. More importantly, he paid her in advance. This advance payment satisfied her practical concerns, making her willing to overlook his eccentricities without much suspicion.
(iv) The phrase that correctly substitutes "set all tongues wagging" is:
became the talk of the town / aroused everyone's curiosity
Source: Footprints Without Feet, Chapter 5 — "Footprints Without Feet" by H.G. Wells, Arrival at Iping and Strange Events at the Inn
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Explanation
- (i) The examiner wants a clear, direct inference — one point is enough. Link Griffin's words to his secretive, evasive nature.
- (ii) The passage explicitly says Mrs. Hall was prepared to excuse his habits — so "skeptical" makes the statement False.
- (iii) For 2 marks, mention both the verbal justification (solitude + accident) AND the advance payment — both are reasons Mrs. Hall was convinced.
- (iv) "Set all tongues wagging" is an idiom meaning everyone was talking about it. Acceptable substitutes: "became the talk of the town," "made everyone gossip," or "aroused general curiosity." Write the most standard one.