Exercise 7 1 Reading Comprehension For SPM

Exercise 7.
1 (Reading Comprehension for SPM)
Questions 1 to 5 are based on the following passage.
1 Hungry Ghost Festival falls on the 7th moon, 15th day of the Chinese Lunar Calendar.
The build-up to this festive date begins roughly a week before. Chinese operas and Chinese
puppet shows are put together for audiences - the living and the non-living alike, at temples
and certain Chinese Associations for a week prior to the big day. These performances are
more rampant in towns and villages that are more Chinese (as in race) dominated, like in 5
Penang, Perak, Malacca etc.
2 On a particular visit to a small village close to the Kuala Gula Sanctuary in Perak
some years back, we found a Chinese opera performance in the grounds of a large Taoist
Temple. As these performances are open to public, we innocently seated ourselves at the
front row . After a short moment, villagers started to fill up the back row seats. Thinking that 10
strange as to why no one chose the front few rows, we happily sat at our chosen spots
supposedly the best seats around - only to find out that those seats were reserved for the
'visiting ghosts'!
3 There are many rituals and beliefs in the religion that sometimes even baffles
believers but for festivals like the Hungry Ghost Festival is typical of Chinese religions, 15
having materialised from a convergence of strains of Buddhist, Confucian, Taoist and
traditional religious teachings.
4 The Hungry Ghost Festival originated during the Buddhist fusion with classical
Chinese filial piety. However, with the introduction of Buddhism to the Chinese came a clash
of beliefs. Buddhism, upon entering China, immediately faced the opposition of Confucian 20
filial piety. According to Buddhism, one would have to leave one's home and family in
favour of celibacy and begging, which would mean having to relinquish all ancestral
commitments. Confucianism on the other hand, emphasises on filial piety and honouring of
ancestors. Hence, Sanskrit sutras were reinterpreted to include obedience to family and
upholding of family traditions. The maintenance of such task is passed onto the male heir of 25
the family tree.
5
For those with inquisitive minds may be wondering why then the festival is named
Hungry Ghosts? Taoists believe that the soul contains elements of both yin and yang. The yin
of the sold is called kui (demon) and the yang is named shen (spirit). At death the kui should
Prepared by: Ngoi Hui Chien (126651)

return to the earth and the shen remains in the grave, family shrine and the other world. If the
dead relative's soul is neglected by the family, it will persist as kui, eventually bringing 30
problems to the living. The kui are therefore categorised as hungry ghosts and ancestors are
categorised as shen. As the Chinese Spirit World is believed by followers to be in parallel
with the living world, spirits have the same basic needs such as food, clothing and sometimes
even material comforts that were once enjoyed in the living world. However, this spirit world
also exists homeless and hungry souls. These souls are perceived as spiritual beggars who are 35
driven by jealousy of the living hence are deemed to cause mischief in the realm of the living.
6 With this in mind, the Hungry Ghost Festival not only pays homage to ancestors but
to all other neglected souls roaming in between worlds. Just as most would not invite a
beggar into their homes, the same goes for spiritual beggars. Food for these homeless souls
are placed outside and sometimes prayer sessions are conducted. The feast usually consist of 40
a variety of meat and delicacies. Some believers even lay out cigarettes, beer etc. for them.
Adapted from https://www.journeymalaysia.com
1 (a) From paragraph 1, where are the Chinese operas and Chinese puppet shows performed
for the audiences?
........................................................................................................................ [1 mark]
(b) From paragraph 2, why did no one choose the front few rows?
........................................................................................................................ [1 mark]
2 From paragraph 3, why is the Hungry Ghost Festival typical of Chinese religions?
.............................................................................................................................. [1 mark]
3 From paragraph 4,
(a) which word has the same meaning as respect?
............................................................................................................................. [1 mark]
(b) what is the clash of beliefs between Buddhism and Confucianism?
............................................................................................................................. [1 mark]

4 (a) From paragraph 5,
(i) who are the kui categorised as hungry ghosts?
..............................................................................................................................[1 mark]
(ii) how is the Chinese Spirit World in parallel with the living world?
..................................................................................................................... [1 mark]
(b) How can one pay homage to the neglected souls roaming in between worlds?
..................................................................................................................... [1 mark]
5 In your opinion, what can we learn by preserving the Hungry Ghost Festival? Give a
reason for your answer.
What can we learn: ...

..[1 mark]
Reason: ....
....[1 mark]

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Exercise 7.

1 (Reading Comprehension for SPM)

Questions 1 to 5 are based on the following passage.

Prepared by: Ngoi Hui Chien (126651)

Adapted from https://www.journeymalaysia.com

for the audiences?

Prepared by: Ngoi Hui Chien (126651)

What can we learn: ...

Prepared by: Ngoi Hui Chien (126651)

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