input: Something roared like thunder. The earth shook a little and we heard the rat-a-tat-tat of gunfire. "Father!" Hassan cried. We sprung to our feet and raced out of the living room.

"Father! What's that sound? Hassan screamed, his hands outstretched toward Ali. Ali wrapped his arms around us. A white light flashed and lit the sky in silver. It flashed again and was followed by rapid sharp sounds of gunfire. "They're hunting ducks." Ali said in a hoarse voice. "They hunt ducks at night, you know." Don't be afraid.

A siren went off in the distance. Somewhere glass broke and someone shouted. I heard people on the street, jolted from sleep and probably still in their pajamas, with ruffled hair and puffy eyes. Hassan was crying. Ali pulled him close, clutched him with tenderness.

We stayed huddled that way until the early hours of the morning. The shootings and explosions had lasted less than an hour, but they had frightened us badly, because none of us had ever heard gunshots in the streets. They were foreign sounds to us then. The generation of Afghan children whose ears would know nothing but the sounds of bombs and gunfire was not yet born. Huddled together in the dining room and waiting for the sun to rise, none of us had any notion that a way of life had ended. The end came when Russian tanks were rolling into the very same streets where Hassan and I played, bringing the death of the Afghanistan I knew and marking the start of a still ongoing era of bloodletting.

Just before sunrise, Baba's car peeled into the driveway. His door slammed shut and his running footsteps pounded the stairs. Then he appeared in the doorway and I saw something on his face. Something I didn't recognize right away because I'd never seen it before: fear. "Amir! Hassan!" He cried as he ran to us, opening his arms wide. "They blocked all the roads and the telephone didn't work. I was so worried!"

We let him wrap us in his arms and, for a brief moment, I was glad about whatever had happened that night. 1. What was seen on his face?
2. Who was my playmate?
3. Why did we stop?
4. What brought it to an end?
5. How did they move?
6. What rolled?
7. Where?
8. What did they bring?
9. What was hunted?
10. When did the auto arrive? Return numbered answers in your output.

output: 1. fear
2. Hassan
3. Baba's car appeared?
4. Russian tanks appeared
5. unknown
6. Russian tanks
7. into the streets
8. the death of Afghanistan
9. ducks
10. Just before sunrise

question: Chapter IX

A Break in the Chain

It was late in the afternoon before I woke, strengthened and refreshed. Sherlock Holmes still sat exactly as I had left him, save that he had laid aside his violin and was deep in a book. He looked across at me, as I stirred, and I noticed that his face was dark and troubled.

"You have slept soundly," he said. "I feared that our talk would wake you."

"I heard nothing," I answered. "Have you had fresh news, then?"

"Unfortunately, no. I confess that I am surprised and disappointed. I expected something definite by this time. Wiggins has just been up to report. He says that no trace can be found of the launch. It is a provoking check, for every hour is of importance."

"Can I do anything? I am perfectly fresh now, and quite ready for another night's outing."

"No, we can do nothing. We can only wait. If we go ourselves, the message might come in our absence, and delay be caused. You can do what you will, but I must remain on guard."

"Then I shall run over to Camberwell and call upon Mrs. Cecil Forrester. She asked me to, yesterday."

"On Mrs. Cecil Forrester?" asked Holmes, with the twinkle of a smile in his eyes.

"Well, of course Miss Morstan too. They were anxious to hear what happened."

"I would not tell them too much," said Holmes. "Women are never to be entirely trusted,--not the best of them."

I did not pause to argue over this atrocious sentiment. "I shall be back in an hour or two," I remarked.
1. who is reading?
2. had he put something down?
3. what?
4. what time of day is it?
5. is there someone that is worth complete trust?
6. who?
7. are there any of them in this story?
8. who?
9. where does she live?
10. any other ladies?
11. who?
****
answer: 1. Sherlock Holmes
2. Yes
3. his violin
4. afternoon
5. Yes
6. Women
7. Yes
8. Mrs. Cecil Forrester
9. Camberwell
10. Yes
11. Miss Morstan

Question: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is one of the most loved children's books of all time, and many adults enjoy it as well. It tells the story of a young girl named Alice, who follows a rabbit entering a magical world called Wonderland: she has many experiences which seem to change the rules of reasoning or common sense. The popularity of the book comes from its imagination, interesting story, and art work. The writer of the book is Lewis Carroll. In fact, Lewis Carroll was not the writer's real name. His real name was Charles Dodgson. One day, he took a boat ride down the Thames River to have a picnic with three little girls who were friends of the family. To keep them entertained on the ride, he told them a story in which Alice, the middle child, was the main character. They enjoyed the story very much. Charles later wrote the story down under the name Alice's Adventures under Ground and gave it to Alice as a Christmas present. Later, he gave a copy to his friend George MacDonald. George read it to his children and they loved it. George suggested to Charles that he make a book from his story. Charles then wrote more parts to the story until it was around 35,000 words. It was first printed in 1866, with art work by John Tenniel, under the name Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. The book was an immediate success. One of its first fans was Queen Victoria. She immediately requested a collection of all of Lewis Carroll's works. She was surprised to find that they included many works on math. In fact, Charles Dodgson was a highly respected mathematician. This can be seen in many puzzles and plays on reasoning that appear in his books and poems. Since the story was first printed, it has kept selling up to the present day. It has been translated into over fifty languages and has had several movies based on it. The story is even mentioned in the popular 1999 film The Matrix by the character Morpheus. 1. Where is Alice's Adventures?
2. Who is the young girl?
3. What does she follow?
4. Was the book popular?
5. What made it popular?
6. Who is the author?
7. Is that his real name?
8. What is his real name?
9. Where did he ride his boat?
10. Was Alice an only child?
11. Who did he give a story to?
12. Who did he give a copy of the book to?
13. How many words was it?
14. When was it first printed?
15. Who did the art?
16. Was it a success?
17. What other thing was Carroll's books about?
18. How many languages has it been translated into?
19. What film is the book mentioned in?
20. By what character? Provide a numbered list of answers.
****
A numbered of answers:
1. in Wonderland
2. Alice
3. a rabbit
4. yes
5. its imagination
6. Lewis Carroll
7. no
8. Charles Dodgson
9. down the Thames River
10. no
11. three little girls
12. George MacDonald
13. around 35,000
14. in 1866
15. John Tenniel,
16. yes
17. many works on math
18. 50
19. The Matrix
20. Morpheus