Direction: Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it. Certain words are printed in bold to help you locate them while answering some of the questions.
The balance wheel whirled and the rusty food pedal clattered up and down. The needle hopped over the smooth stitching pleats, folds and moving smoothly around the neckline. The reel of cotton thread jumped and shook on its needle stand. “Stop, you are making me dizzy”, said the reel. “stop, grumbling, you foolish thing”,
said the pedal. “If anyone should grumble, it is me”, said the small reel inside the bobbin. When the needle moved, it took the thread from the bobbin and made stitches under the cloth “I do all the important work and here I am stuck up day and night in this stuffy box. You all have a fine time sitting there staring at the world”, he continued.
“Now children”, said the kindly old balance wheel,' 'You all know what important work the lady is doing today. She is stitching a school dress for her daughter who will be admitted in school tomorrow. We must all work hard and stitch it beautifully”. “I have had enough food today. It is too hot here and I am tired of the needle poking his nose in all the time”, said the small reel. “Listen my children”, continued the old wheel. “I have been with this machine for about hundred years. At first we belonged to a dress maker. He made us work hard. One day this lady's grandfather come to the shop. He liked the machine and bought it. The old gentleman wanted his daughters to learn sewing but they did not use us much. Still, we were fed regularly with oil and cleaned by the servants for years. We have stood in this corner and seen many things. We saw the old gentleman die. His children then started quarrelling. Slowly they became poor. The servants were dismissed. Then one by one, the children went away and the house was closed. After many years this lady came with her husband. She had a daughter after a few years. The lady started using us after pouring oil into these old joints. She did not listen to her husband's suggestion to sell us off to a scrapdealer.”
As the wheel finished everyone was quiet for some time. Then the reel said, “We are very sorry and we would rather break into pieces than let down the lady.” They all continued to work till the scissors snipped the thread and the beautiful dress was ready.