READ THE PASSAGE AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS THAT FOLLOW.
A zoo employee was bitten recently by a large poisonous snake called an African
puff adder. He was trying to put the snake into a bag so that it could be moved
to a new snake house. The snake handler was wearing thick gloves and thick
boots, but the adder still bit him in his arm. The handler squeezed the snake's
neck tightly, forcing the snake to withdraw its fangs. He then put the snake into
the bag and tied the bag.
He called the emergency services to report that the adder had bitten him; when
doctors arrived at the new snake house, they could not find the snake or man.
They started walking back toward the old snake house. A few moments later, they
found the handler lying unconscious on a pathway. Curiously, the bag with the
snake still in it was covering the man's head and part of his chest.
The paramedics handed the bag to another zoo employee, who delivered the snake
to its new home. They then transported the handler to the city hospital. Later, a
hospital spokesman said that the handler was in good condition. He said that viper
bites can cause a lot of damage in the immediate area of the bite if not treated
properly and quickly, but it looked like this man would recover completely.
The zoo director said that this particular adder had a nasty reputation. This was
the fifth time in six years that it had managed to bite someone. Fortunately, the
previous victims also recovered fully. Although the penultimate one now has a fear
of snakes which is why the new handler that was bitten was working with the
snakes. In the future, the director joked, they might call the bomb disposal unit
to handle the snake.
What does the word 'penultimate' mean in final paragraph?
A Second to last
B First
C Most recent
D Last