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RELATIVES SHORT STORY QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS GRADE 12

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RELATIVES SHORT STORY QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS GRADE 12

RELATIVES BY CHRIS VAN WYK

Read the extract below and answer the questions that follow.

Extract A

[The narrator is remembering his journey.]

Then followed an hour’s drive to Carnarvon by way of long, hot, dusty, potholed roads past waving, poor people on foot or pushing bicycles, and carrying bundles of wood or things wrapped in newspaper.
Carnarvon was a place in the middle of nowhere where nothing happened. Simple breakfasts, lunches and suppers were linked together by chains of cigarettes and conversations consisting of long, trailing life histories that made the old men in their elbow patches stammer and squint into the past from behind their thick spectacles, as they dredged up anecdotes from the dry riverbeds of history.
Oh, how wonderful it was listening to those minutely detailed sagas. But after two weeks I was bored out of my wits. The novel could wait, I decided as I packed up and was driven back to Hutchinson Station. The train from Cape Town – the very same one that had brought me there two weeks before – slid into the station. I bade Uncle Henkie goodbye with a promise that I would feature him prominently and truthfully in my novel.
When the train slithered out, I turned to the passengers in the compartment with whom I was going to spend the next sixteen hours or so on the way to Johannesburg.
  1. Read the following statement and complete the sentences by filling in the missing Write only the words next to the question number (1(a) and1(b)).
    The narrator (person who is telling the story) is visiting Carnarvon because he wants to write a novel about his family (a) … Before going to Carnarvon, he spends a week in (b) …    (2)
  2. What are “chains of cigarettes” in line 7? (1)
  3. In lines 10–11, “the dry riverbeds of history” are mentioned
    1. Identify the figure of speech used here (1)
    2. Explain why the writer has used this figure of speech  (2)
  4. The narrator is surprised and pleased by the way the three big men in the compartment treat
    State TWO ways in which these men make him feel like an old friend. (2)
  5. Explain how the narrator feels about the other two passengers in the compartment at this point in the State TWO points. (2)
  6. When the three men leave, the behaviour of the two boys changes
    Give TWO reasons for the change in the boys’ behaviour.   (2)
  7. Give TWO reasons why the narrator decides not to ask the conductor to move him to another compartment. (2)
  8. Is the following statement TRUE or FALSE? Write “true” or “false” and give a reason for your answer.
    Before they tell him, the narrator is certain that the two boys are brothers.   (2)
  9. The narrator in this story researches his family Do you think it is a good idea for one to do this? Discuss your view.        (2) [18]
Answers

    1. history/roots/background/saga ✓
    2. Cape Town ✓ (2)
  2. Cigarettes smoked immediately after one another/in close ✓ (1)
    1. Metaphor ✓ (1)
    2. Historical facts are hard to find, just like water is hard to find in a dry riverbed. ✓
      OR
      History is as boring as a dry riverbed is dry and lifeless. ✓
      OR
      He wanted to convey/emphasise/show that historical facts are hard to find/boring ✓ (2)
  4. They smile at him. ✓
    They ask him about his visit/journey to Cape Town. ✓
    They listen to his conversation with real interest. ✓
    One of them offers him a beer. ✓
    They laugh at his story (about Georgie Abrahams). ✓
    When they leave, they shake his hand/slap his back. ✓                (2)
  5. He is scared of them✓
    They are not to be trusted. ✓
    He is worried that they might harm him. ✓
    He is afraid that they might steal his luggage. ✓
    He feels indifferent. ✓                                                                  (2)
  6. They are no longer outnumbered ✓
    They realise the narrator is scared. ✓
    The narrator is, more or less, the same age as the boys. ✓
    They are bullies, exploiting the fact that he is young and  scared. ✓         (2)
  7. He is afraid that they will steal his luggage while he is ✓
    He is afraid that they will know why he is going to the conductor. ✓        (2)
  8. True. They look exactly alike/identical./They have identical lips and eyes/features. ✓✓     (2)
  9. Yes. It is good to know one’s background/heritage. You might come across family members you never knew. ✓✓   (2)
    OR
    No. You may discover some disturbing facts. It is better to leave the past alone and start afresh. ✓✓    (2) [18]

Read the extract below and answer the questions that follow.

Extract B

[The narrator tells his fellow passengers about Georgie Abrahams.]

He threw the remains of the dead man out of the window in the dead of night, and wiped the blood carefully from the windowpane, the green leather seat, the floor. When the conductor questioned the whereabouts of the missing man, Georgie merely shrugged and uttered a melodious “How should I know? Nobody asked me to take care of him.”
But even as Georgie was relating this tale of theft and murder in all its horrific detail, I knew it was a lie, simply a more elaborate version of my mother’s dire warnings to yours truly at seven, “If you eat in bed you’ll grow horns”, or the more convincing “Go to bed with wet hair and you’ll suffer from a smelly nose for the rest of your life”. Georgie was in fact warning me to stay clear of his luggage! And the story had quite an amusing ending. When we reached Cape Town Station, a toothless woman in a lopsided jersey, stretched to twice its original size (which used to be XL) welcomed the murderer home with an unceremonious slap across his face, while I looked on together with a brood of his startled children who didn’t know if they should laugh with delight at their papa’s homecoming, or cry for the humiliating onslaught he was being subjected to.
“Ses maande en djy skryf niks, phone niks, not a blerry word van djou!”
  1. Why was Georgie’s wife angry with him when she met him at the station? State TWO points.      (2)
  2. Does the writer want his readers to believe that Georgie killed the man? Give a reason for your answer (2)
  3. After listening to the story of Georgie Abrahams the people in the compartment have different reactions.
    Describe the different reactions the friendly men and the two boys have (2)
    Why is the narrator not surprised by the boys’ reaction? (1)
  4. Read the following statement and complete the sentences by filling in the missing words. Write only the words next to the question number (4(a) and 4(b)).
    The two boys are on their way to their a) … funeral. He was a b) … leader in Coronationville.   (2)
  5. The narrator discovers that he is related to the two boys
    1. How does this fact change his feelings towards them?
    2. How does the boys’ behaviour change because of this new-found relationship?       (2)
  6. Choose the correct answer to complete the following sentence
    Write only the answer (A–D).      (1)
    One of the themes in this story is …

    1. romantic love.
    2. sibling rivalry.
    3. fear.
    4. greed.                                                                                           (1)
  7. Explain what makes the ending of the story (2)
  8. Discuss your views on the following statement:
    Family background does not determine what you will become in life.  (2) [17]

Answers 

  1. He had been away from home for 6 months/a long time✓
    He never wrote or phoned/made contact./She never heard from him. ✓          (2)
  2. No. He tells the story of Georgie’s wife slapping him in public – something a cold-blooded murderer would not allow. ✓✓
    OR
    No. The narrator states that he knew it was a lie/just a warning to him to leave Georgie’s luggage alone. ✓✓ (2)
  3. The friendly men laugh/chuckle/enjoy the story/his accent ✓
    The boys refuse to laugh (although they listen to the story). ✓        (2)
    The young writer is actually telling the story to the other three/is trying to ignore the boys. ✓      (1)
    1. brother’s ✓ (1)
    2. gang ✓ (1)
    1. He is no longer afraid of the /He becomes more relaxed/ at ease./His appetite returns. ✓        (1)
    2. They invite him to share their supper/meal. ✓
      They strike up a conversation with him. ✓
    3. They recognise him as aunty Ria’s grandchild/clever boy. ✓
      They become friendly. ✓      (2)
  6. C/fear ✓ (1)
  7. Both boys are killed✓
    They are still very young/not even 21. ✓
    OR
    They die a violent death at a young age. ✓                                   (2)
  8. The support of family strengthens one and often makes success easier to achieve. The three characters in this story come from the same family yet they all turn out  differently✓
    OR
    Your background does not necessarily determine your success or failure in life. People can rise above their circumstances. ✓       (2) [17]

AUTO WRECK POEM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS GRADE 12

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AUTO WRECK POEM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS GRADE 12 “Auto Wreck” is an impressionistic poem of three stanzas and thirty-nine lines that takes a hard look at the spectacle of injury and accident in a crassly technological world. The title, in trademark Karl Shapiro style, focuses attention on the unadorned, literalist description of a common event or experience.

AUTO WRECK POEM
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
GRADE 12

“Auto Wreck” by Karl Shapiro
Its quick soft silver bell beating, beating,
And down the dark one ruby flare
Pulsing out red light like an artery,
The ambulance at top speed floating down
Past beacons and illuminated clocks
Wings in a heavy curve, dips down,
And brakes speed, entering the crowd.
The doors leap open, emptying light;
Stretchers are laid out, the mangled lifted
And stowed into the little hospital.
Then the bell, breaking the hush, tolls once.
And the ambulance with its terrible cargo
Rocking, slightly rocking, moves away,
As the doors, an afterthought, are closed.

We are deranged, walking among the cops
Who sweep glass and are large and composed.
One is still making notes under the light.
One with a bucket douches ponds of blood
Into the street and gutter.
One hangs lanterns on the wrecks that cling,
Empty husks of locusts, to iron poles.

Our throats were tight as tourniquets,
Our feet were bound with splints, but now,
Like convalescents intimate and gauche,
We speak through sickly smiles and warn
With the stubborn saw of common sense,
The grim joke and the banal resolution.
The traffic moves around with care,
But we remain, touching a wound
That opens to our richest horror.
Already old, the question Who shall die?
Becomes unspoken Who is innocent?

For death in war is done by hands;
Suicide has cause and stillbirth, logic;
And cancer, simple as a flower, blooms.
But this invites the occult mind,
Cancels our physics with a sneer,
And spatters all we knew of denouement
Across the expedient and wicked stones.

QUESTIONS

Refer to the poem on page 31 and answer the questions below.

  1. Complete the following sentences by using the words provided in the list Write only the words next to the question number (1.1–1.3)
    police van; accident; dead; ambulance; break-down; injured

    This poem describes how the (1.1) … rushes to the scene of the (1.2) … The (1.3) … are picked up and taken to hospital.                                                           (3)

  2. Refer to stanza
    2.1 At what time of the day does this incident happen? (1)
    2.2 In lines 4-6 (“The ambulance at … and illuminated clocks”) the ambulance is compared to a bird. Quote TWO separate words that support this (1) (2)
  3. Choose the correct answer to complete the following Write only the answer (A-D).
    The word “mangled” in line 9 tells us that …

    1. The vehicles are badly damaged.
    2. Some of the bystanders are very upset.
    3. The policemen are emotionless.
    4. The accident victims are seriously injured.                       (1)
  4. Refer to lines 15 and 16 (“We are deranged … and composed”).
    Quote TWO separate words that show the difference in the reactions of the speaker and the policemen.                                                                             (2)
  5. Refer to line 25 (“We speak through sickly smiles …”).
    Explain why the onlookers have “sickly smiles”.                    (2)
  6. Refer to stanza
    Using your own words, name TWO things that the onlookers are concerned about.                                                            (2)
  7. Complete the following sentences by using the words provided in the list below.
    solution; confuses; reason; unnatural; clarifies; logical

    In the last stanza, the speaker argues that there is always a (7.1) … for Suicide, while stillbirth is (7.2) … However, a car crash (7.3)… the minds of ordinary people.  (3)

  8. Explain why the poet mentions war, suicide, stillbirth and cancer in a poem about a road (2)
  9. The poem was first published in Do you think it is still relevant today?
    Discuss your view.                                                                  (2)
  10. Has this poem changed your understanding of the causes of road deaths? Discuss your (2) [22]

ANSWERS

  1. 1.1 Ambulance ✓
    1.2 Accident ✓
    1.3  Injured ✓ (3)
  2. 2.1  At night / in the evening. ✓ (1)
    2.2  “floating”; “wings”; “dips” ✓✓ (2)
  3. D/the accident victims are seriously injured. ✓ (1)
  4. “deranged” ✓ and “composed” ✓ (2)
  5. It is a pretence/ a coping mechanism/ false appearance. ✓
    To hide their true feelings/ horror ✓ (2)
  6. Who has died/ who will die (next)/ who is responsible for this/ other accidents. ✓✓ (2)
  7. 7.1 Reason ✓
    7.2 Logical ✓
    7.3 Confuses ✓ (3)
  8. All these are logical reasons for death. ✓
    He is able to understand the cause of death for each of these, but not for road accidents./ No logical reasons are given for road accidents. ✓ (2)
  9. Yes. Road accidents are still very common/many lives are still lost because of road accidents. ✓✓
    OR
    No. There are many measures in place to reduce accidents. It is easy to establish the cause of accidents nowadays. ✓✓ (2)
  10. Yes, road deaths have definite causes, e.g. carelessness of drivers and pedestrians. ✓✓
    OR
    No, sometimes road deaths cannot be explained because they are often beyond human control. ✓✓ (2)  [22]

THE COFFEE-CART GIRL SHORT STORY QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS GRADE 12

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THE COFFEE-CART GIRL SHORT STORY QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS GRADE 12

THE COFFEE-CART GIRL BY ES’KIA MPHAHLELE

Read the extract below and answer the questions that follow.

Extract A

[China and Pinky meet again after the violent strike.]

“Oh!” She gave a gasp and her hand went to her mouth. “You’re the good uncle who saved my cart!”
“Don’t uncle me, please. My name is Ruben Lemeko. The boys at the factory call me China. Yours?”
“Zodwa.”
His eyes travelled from her small tender fingers as she washed a few things, to her man’s jersey which was a faded green and too big for her, her thin frock, and then to her peach-coloured face, not well fed, but well framed and compelling under a soiled black beret. As he ate hungrily she shot a side-glance at him occasionally.
There was something sly in those soft, moist, slit eyes, but the modest stoop at the shoulders gave him a benign appearance; otherwise he would have looked twisted and rather fiendish. There was something she felt in his presence: a repelling admiration. She felt he was the kind of man who could be quite attractive so long as he remained more than a touch away from the contemplator; just like those wax figures she once saw in the chamber of horrors.

  1. Describe the events that lead to China saving Pinkie’s cart
    Give THREE points.                                                                       (3)
  2. Why does Pinkie refer to China as “uncle” in line 2 of extract A? (1)
  3. Choose the correct answer to complete the following In line 3, China says: “Don’t uncle me, please.” His tone in this line is one of:
    1. happiness.
    2. satisfaction.
    3. annoyance.
    4. sadness.                                                                                     (1)
  4. Refer to lines 6-9 of extract A (“His eyes travelled … soiled black beret”). What do these lines show you about Pinkie’s circumstances?  (1)
  5. In lines 11–14 of extract A (“There was something .. a repelling admiration”), Pinkie has mixed feelings about China. What are these feelings? (2)
  6. Refer to lines 17 of extract A (“just like those … chamber of horrors”).
    1. Identify the figure of speech in these (1)
    2. In what way does China remind Pinkie of the wax figures? (1)
  7. How is China affected by the strike? (1)
  8. How are Pinkie and China victims of apartheid prejudice? (2)
  9. Later, Pinkie gives China coffee and pancakes. What does this behaviour tell us about the kind of person Pinkie is? State TWO points(2)
  10. At the end of the story Pinkie disappears because the police no longer allow her to operate her coffee-cart on the street. In your opinion, is the action of the police justified? Discuss your view (2)  [17]

Answers

  1. The strikers become violent. ✓ The strikers destroy some of the carts. ✓ China pulls Pinkie’s cart across the street. ✓
  2. To show respect. ✓/He is older than Pinkie. ✓
  3. C/annoyance ✓
  4. She is poor. ✓/She appears to be undernourished. ✓
  5. She finds him attractive yet repulsive. ✓ She is attracted to him but  realises that he might be dangerous. ✓
    1. simile ✓
    2. He is beautiful/scary/emotionless ✓
  7. He loses his job. ✓
  8. Pinkie leads a poor life. ✓/She cannot get a proper job. ✓/ She is no longer allowed to operate her cart. ✓ China is underpaid. ✓/He loses his job when he participates in a protest strike. ✓/He has trouble finding a new job. ✓ (2)
  9. She is ✓/ She is caring. ✓ / She is sympathetic. ✓/ She is unselfish. ✓ / She is grateful. ✓       (2)
  10. The action of the police is not justified because the coffee-cart was how Pinkie made her living and now she would have no work. ✓
    OR
    The action of the police is justified because it was enforcing the laws of the city to keep it clean. ✓                                                (2) [17]

Read the extract below and answer the questions that follow.

Extract B

[China attacks Pinky in her coffee-cart.]

At that very moment she realised fully the ghastliness of a man’s jealousy, which gleamed and glanced on the blade and seemed to have raised a film which steadied the slit eyes. Against the back wall she managed to speak.
“All right, China, maybe you’ve done this many times before. Go ahead and kill me; I won’t cry for help, do what you like with me.”
She panted like a timid little mouse cornered by a cat. He couldn’t finish the job he had set out to do. Why? He had sent two men packing with a knife before. They had tried to fight, but this creature wasn’t resisting at all. Why, why, why? He felt the heat pounding in his temples; the knife dropped, and he sank on to a stool and rested his head on the wall, his hands trembling.
After a moment he stood up, looking away from Pinkie. ‘I’m sorry, Pinkie, I pray you never in your life to think about this day.”
She looked at him, mystified.
“Say you forgive me.” She nodded twice.
Then she packed up for the day, much earlier than usual.
The following day China did not visit Pinkie; nor the next. He could not decide to go there. Things were all in a barbed wire tangle in his mind. But see her he must, he thought. He would just go and hug her; say nothing but just press her to himself because he felt too mean even to tell her not to be afraid of him any more.
  1. Complete the following sentences by using the words in the list below;
    jersey; guilty; ring; happy; compassionate; jealous; aggressive

    China sees Pinkie wearing a (a) …. He is (b) … because Naidoo gave it to her. China becomes (c) … towards Pinkie. Later, he feels (d) … about this behaviour.                       (4)

  2. How does Naidoo make a living? (1)
  3. Is the following statement TRUE or FALSE? Write “true” or “false” and give a reason for your answer.
    Pinkie accepted the gift from Naidoo as a token of his love.        (2)
  4. Refer to line 6 of extract B (“She panted like … by a cat”).
    Why does the writer compare Pinkie to a mouse and China to  a cat?            (2)
  5. Refer to lines 7-8 of extract B (“He had sent … a knife before”).
    What does this line show you about China’s past behaviour?       (1)
  6. Refer to line 12 of extract B (“She looked at him, mystified”). Explain why Pinkie feels this way.      (2)
  7. Refer to the last paragraph of extract B (“The following day … him any more”).
    1. Why does China’s behaviour change at this stage in the story? (1)
    2. In your opinion, is China being realistic when he hopes that Pinkie will not be afraid of him anymore?    (2)
  8. Does Pinkie really forgive China? Give a reason for your answer (1)
  9. Pinkie and China do not meet Is this an effective conclusion to this story? Discuss your view.    (2) [18]

Answers

    1. ring ✓
    2. jealous ✓
    3. aggressive ✓
    4. guilty ✓ (4)
  2. He is a cheapjack/hawker/vendor ✓ (1)
  3. False. Naidoo gave her the ring as payment for the coffee and cakes. ✓✓          (2)
  4. A cat is ferocious and a mouse is timid✓
    OR
    Just as a cat can overpower a mouse so, too, can China overpower Pinkie. ✓
    OR
    She has no chance against China, as he is much stronger than she is. ✓                     (2)
  5. He was aggressive ✓/violent ✓/He was a murderer✓ (1)
  6. She is puzzled ✓/does not understand that his aggressive behaviour has changed to that of being apologetic ✓ (2)
    1. He realises that she is ✓/He still loves her. ✓ (1)
    2. He is being realistic because she nods her head to say she forgives him and he knows he must never be violent with her again. ✓✓
      OR
      He is not being realistic. Now that she has seen for herself how violent China can be, she will never be able to trust him again. ✓✓ (2)
  8. Yes, Pinkie forgives She shows this by nodding twice when he asks for her forgiveness. ✓
    OR
    No, Pinkie has not forgiven China. She may have nodded that she had forgiven him, but she packs up early to get away from him because she is afraid. ✓  (1)
  9. It is an effective conclusion to the story because it shows how uncertain their lives are and keeps us guessing about what happens next ✓✓
    OR
    It is not an effective conclusion to the story because it is dissatisfying to the reader not to know what happens next. The writer should have been clearer about the outcome. ✓✓(2) [18]

RELATIVES SHORT STORY QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS GRADE 12

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RELATIVES SHORT STORY QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS GRADE 12

RELATIVES BY CHRIS VAN WYK

Read the extract below and answer the questions that follow.

Extract A

[The narrator is remembering his journey.]

Then followed an hour’s drive to Carnarvon by way of long, hot, dusty, potholed roads past waving, poor people on foot or pushing bicycles, and carrying bundles of wood or things wrapped in newspaper.
Carnarvon was a place in the middle of nowhere where nothing happened. Simple breakfasts, lunches and suppers were linked together by chains of cigarettes and conversations consisting of long, trailing life histories that made the old men in their elbow patches stammer and squint into the past from behind their thick spectacles, as they dredged up anecdotes from the dry riverbeds of history.
Oh, how wonderful it was listening to those minutely detailed sagas. But after two weeks I was bored out of my wits. The novel could wait, I decided as I packed up and was driven back to Hutchinson Station. The train from Cape Town – the very same one that had brought me there two weeks before – slid into the station. I bade Uncle Henkie goodbye with a promise that I would feature him prominently and truthfully in my novel.
When the train slithered out, I turned to the passengers in the compartment with whom I was going to spend the next sixteen hours or so on the way to Johannesburg.
  1. Read the following statement and complete the sentences by filling in the missing Write only the words next to the question number (1(a) and1(b)).
    The narrator (person who is telling the story) is visiting Carnarvon because he wants to write a novel about his family (a) … Before going to Carnarvon, he spends a week in (b) …    (2)
  2. What are “chains of cigarettes” in line 7? (1)
  3. In lines 10–11, “the dry riverbeds of history” are mentioned
    1. Identify the figure of speech used here (1)
    2. Explain why the writer has used this figure of speech  (2)
  4. The narrator is surprised and pleased by the way the three big men in the compartment treat
    State TWO ways in which these men make him feel like an old friend. (2)
  5. Explain how the narrator feels about the other two passengers in the compartment at this point in the State TWO points. (2)
  6. When the three men leave, the behaviour of the two boys changes
    Give TWO reasons for the change in the boys’ behaviour.   (2)
  7. Give TWO reasons why the narrator decides not to ask the conductor to move him to another compartment. (2)
  8. Is the following statement TRUE or FALSE? Write “true” or “false” and give a reason for your answer.
    Before they tell him, the narrator is certain that the two boys are brothers.   (2)
  9. The narrator in this story researches his family Do you think it is a good idea for one to do this? Discuss your view.        (2) [18]
Answers

    1. history/roots/background/saga ✓
    2. Cape Town ✓ (2)
  2. Cigarettes smoked immediately after one another/in close ✓ (1)
    1. Metaphor ✓ (1)
    2. Historical facts are hard to find, just like water is hard to find in a dry riverbed. ✓
      OR
      History is as boring as a dry riverbed is dry and lifeless. ✓
      OR
      He wanted to convey/emphasise/show that historical facts are hard to find/boring ✓ (2)
  4. They smile at him. ✓
    They ask him about his visit/journey to Cape Town. ✓
    They listen to his conversation with real interest. ✓
    One of them offers him a beer. ✓
    They laugh at his story (about Georgie Abrahams). ✓
    When they leave, they shake his hand/slap his back. ✓                (2)
  5. He is scared of them✓
    They are not to be trusted. ✓
    He is worried that they might harm him. ✓
    He is afraid that they might steal his luggage. ✓
    He feels indifferent. ✓                                                                  (2)
  6. They are no longer outnumbered ✓
    They realise the narrator is scared. ✓
    The narrator is, more or less, the same age as the boys. ✓
    They are bullies, exploiting the fact that he is young and  scared. ✓         (2)
  7. He is afraid that they will steal his luggage while he is ✓
    He is afraid that they will know why he is going to the conductor. ✓        (2)
  8. True. They look exactly alike/identical./They have identical lips and eyes/features. ✓✓     (2)
  9. Yes. It is good to know one’s background/heritage. You might come across family members you never knew. ✓✓   (2)
    OR
    No. You may discover some disturbing facts. It is better to leave the past alone and start afresh. ✓✓    (2) [18]

Read the extract below and answer the questions that follow.

Extract B

[The narrator tells his fellow passengers about Georgie Abrahams.]

He threw the remains of the dead man out of the window in the dead of night, and wiped the blood carefully from the windowpane, the green leather seat, the floor. When the conductor questioned the whereabouts of the missing man, Georgie merely shrugged and uttered a melodious “How should I know? Nobody asked me to take care of him.”
But even as Georgie was relating this tale of theft and murder in all its horrific detail, I knew it was a lie, simply a more elaborate version of my mother’s dire warnings to yours truly at seven, “If you eat in bed you’ll grow horns”, or the more convincing “Go to bed with wet hair and you’ll suffer from a smelly nose for the rest of your life”. Georgie was in fact warning me to stay clear of his luggage! And the story had quite an amusing ending. When we reached Cape Town Station, a toothless woman in a lopsided jersey, stretched to twice its original size (which used to be XL) welcomed the murderer home with an unceremonious slap across his face, while I looked on together with a brood of his startled children who didn’t know if they should laugh with delight at their papa’s homecoming, or cry for the humiliating onslaught he was being subjected to.
“Ses maande en djy skryf niks, phone niks, not a blerry word van djou!”
  1. Why was Georgie’s wife angry with him when she met him at the station? State TWO points.      (2)
  2. Does the writer want his readers to believe that Georgie killed the man? Give a reason for your answer (2)
  3. After listening to the story of Georgie Abrahams the people in the compartment have different reactions.
    Describe the different reactions the friendly men and the two boys have (2)
    Why is the narrator not surprised by the boys’ reaction? (1)
  4. Read the following statement and complete the sentences by filling in the missing words. Write only the words next to the question number (4(a) and 4(b)).
    The two boys are on their way to their a) … funeral. He was a b) … leader in Coronationville.   (2)
  5. The narrator discovers that he is related to the two boys
    1. How does this fact change his feelings towards them?
    2. How does the boys’ behaviour change because of this new-found relationship?       (2)
  6. Choose the correct answer to complete the following sentence
    Write only the answer (A–D).      (1)
    One of the themes in this story is …

    1. romantic love.
    2. sibling rivalry.
    3. fear.
    4. greed.                                                                                           (1)
  7. Explain what makes the ending of the story (2)
  8. Discuss your views on the following statement:
    Family background does not determine what you will become in life.  (2) [17]

Answers 

  1. He had been away from home for 6 months/a long time✓
    He never wrote or phoned/made contact./She never heard from him. ✓          (2)
  2. No. He tells the story of Georgie’s wife slapping him in public – something a cold-blooded murderer would not allow. ✓✓
    OR
    No. The narrator states that he knew it was a lie/just a warning to him to leave Georgie’s luggage alone. ✓✓ (2)
  3. The friendly men laugh/chuckle/enjoy the story/his accent ✓
    The boys refuse to laugh (although they listen to the story). ✓        (2)
    The young writer is actually telling the story to the other three/is trying to ignore the boys. ✓      (1)
    1. brother’s ✓ (1)
    2. gang ✓ (1)
    1. He is no longer afraid of the /He becomes more relaxed/ at ease./His appetite returns. ✓        (1)
    2. They invite him to share their supper/meal. ✓
      They strike up a conversation with him. ✓
    3. They recognise him as aunty Ria’s grandchild/clever boy. ✓
      They become friendly. ✓      (2)
  6. C/fear ✓ (1)
  7. Both boys are killed✓
    They are still very young/not even 21. ✓
    OR
    They die a violent death at a young age. ✓                                   (2)
  8. The support of family strengthens one and often makes success easier to achieve. The three characters in this story come from the same family yet they all turn out  differently✓
    OR
    Your background does not necessarily determine your success or failure in life. People can rise above their circumstances. ✓       (2) [17]

DEATH BE NOT PROUD POEM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS GRADE 12

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DEATH BE NOT PROUD POEM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS GRADE 12 “Sonnet X”, also known by its opening words as “Death Be Not Proud”, is a fourteen-line poem, or sonnet, by English poet John Donne, one of the leading figures in the metaphysical poets group of seventeenth-century English literature.

Death, be not proud (Holy Sonnet 10)

by JOHN DONNE – 1572-1631

Death, be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadful, for thou are not so;
For those whom thou think’st thou dost overthrow
Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be,
Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow,
And soonest our best men with thee do go,
Rest of their bones, and soul’s delivery.
Thou’art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,
And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell,
And poppy’or charms can make us sleep as well
And better than thy stroke; why swell’st thou then?
One short sleep past, we wake eternally,
And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.

QUESTIONS

Refer to the poem above and answer the questions below.

  1. Refer to the following words in line 1 (“Death be not proud”):
    Identify the figure of speech used (1)
  2. Explain why the poet has used this figure of (2)
    Hint: to explain this figure of speech, think of how and why the poet talks to Death as a person.
  3. Which three words from the list below could be used to describe Death? (3)
    arrogant; clever; proud; friendly; over-confident; loving
  4. Is the following statement TRUE or FALSE?
    Everyone fears Death.
    Quote ONE word from the poem to support your answer.       (2)
    note: Write down either true or false and then your one word answer. Remember that this is a quote so make sure you spell the word exactly as it is in the poem.
  5. Complete the following sentences by using the words provided in the list Write down only the words next to the question number.
     entertainment; temporary; relaxation; end; look; final

    The poet says that “rest and sleep” are “pictures” of Death, meaning they only (5.1) … like death. However, people rest and sleep for (5.2) …                                                                                   (2)

  6. Using your own words, write down THREE causes of death statedin the poem.                                                                          (3)
  7. Refer to the following words in line 12 (“why swell’st thou then?”) Explain the meaning of these words as they are used in the (1)
  8. Refer to lines 10-14. Name two things which have the sameeffect as Death.                                                                     (2)
  9. Write down the correct tone word in brackets for each of the lines below:
    1. “Death be not proud for, thou art not so” (lines 1- 2) (triumphant/critical/ mocking)
    2. “Thou art slave to Fate, Chance, kings, and desperate men” (line 9) (triumphant/critical/mocking)
    3. “And poppy, or charms can make us sleep as well, And better than thy stroke” (lines 11-12)
      (triumphant / critical / mocking)
    4. Death, thou shalt die.” (line 14) (triumphant/critical/mocking)                                               (4)
  10. In the last two lines (13–14) the speaker’s tone is …
    1. triumphant and victorious
    2. submissive and angry.
    3. sad and disappointed.
    4. thoughtful and fearful.                                                       (1)
  11. Discuss the message the poem has for its (2)   [23]

To get 2 marks, you must give 2 points.

ANSWERS

  1. Personification OR apostrophe ✓ (1)
  2. Personification: The poet gives Death human qualities in order to mock/poke fun at/ridicule/laugh at Death/ to show that Death is like an ordinary human/mortal/ not powerful ✓✓
    OR
    Apostrophe: He addresses Death as if Death is present/ in front of him. ✓✓ (2)
  3. arrogant ✓/proud ✓/over-confident ✓ (3)
  4. False. “some” ✓✓ (2)
  5. 5.1 look ✓ (1)
    5.2 relaxation ✓ (1)
    • You are destined to die in a certain way (Fate). ✓
    • You can die in an accident (Chance). ✓
    • Your death can be ordered by kings/powerful people. ✓
    • You can die in a war. ✓
    • You can be murdered. ✓
    • You can kill yourself/ suicide. ✓
    • You can die by taking poison. ✓
    • You can die from illness/disease. ✓ (3)
  7. The poet is questioning/asking why Death is filled with pride/proud/OR why Death is arrogant/pompous/haughty/ swollen with pride. ✓ (1)
  8. “poppy” ✓ and “charms” ✓ (2)
    1. critical ✓
    2. critical ✓
    3. mocking ✓
    4. triumphant ✓ (4)
  10. A / triumphant and victorious ✓ (1)
    • You should not be afraid to die. ✓
    • Death has no power. ✓
    • Death is temporary/does not last forever. ✓
    • There is life after death. ✓ (2)  [23]

NOTE:

  •  In question 4, a mark is awarded only if both parts of the answer are correct: False and “some”.
  • Any three of the answers in question 6 are acceptable
  • Any 2 of the answers n question11 are acceptable

THE SISTERS SHORT STORY QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS GRADE 12

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EXTACTS FROM THE SISTERS BY PAULINE SMITH

Read the extract below and answer the questions that follow.

Extract A

[Marta agrees to marry Jan Redlinghuis.]

And she said again: “Sukey, my darling, listen now! If I marry old Jan Redlinghuis he will let the water into my father’s furrow, and the lands of Zeekoegatt will be saved. I am going to do it, and God will help me.”
I cried to her: “Marta! Old Jan Redlinghuis is a sinful man, going at times a little mad in his head. God must help you before you marry him. Afterwards it will be too late.”
And Marta said: “Sukey, if I do right, right will come of it, and it is right for me to save the lands of my father. Think now, Sukey, my darling! There is not one of us that is without sin in the world and old Jan Redlinghuis is not always mad. Who am I to judge Jan Redlinghuis? And can I then let my father be driven like a poor- white to Platkops dorp?” And she drew me down on to the pillow beside her, and took me into her arms, and I cried there until far into the night.
The next day I went alone across the river to old Jan Redlinghuis’s farm. No one knew that I went, or what it was in my heart to do.

QUESTIONS

  1. Complete the following sentences by using the words provided in the list below. Write only the words next to the question numbers (1a) – 1d)).
    orange; Jan Redlinghuis; Sukey; Grootkops; Ghamka; Marta; Burgert de Jager; Platkops

    This short story is set near the a) … river in a place called b) … The narrator of the story is c) … and her father is d) … (4)

  2. Why does Marta’s father ask her to marry Jan Redlinghuis? State TWO points. (2)
  3. Using your own words, explain why Marta agrees to marry Jan Redlinghuis. (2)
  4. Choose the correct answer to complete the following sentence. Write only the answer (A–D).
    Sukey’s father’s agreement with Jan Redlinghuis proves that he is …

    1. arrogant.
    2. careful.
    3. selfless.
    4. selfish. (1)
  5. Sukey thinks that Jan is “a sinful man” and often “a little mad” (line 5).
    In your opinion, is he mad? Give a reason for your answer. (2)
  6. Briefly describe the relationship between the two sisters, Marta and Sukey. Give an example to substantiate your answer. (2)
  7. Name TWO aspects of Marta’s character that are shown in this extract. (2)
  8. Sukey goes to see Jan Redlinghuis the next day.
    1. Explain why Sukey goes to see Jan Redlinghuis. (2)
    2. Identify the theme which is shown here. (1)
  9. Discuss your views on Marta’s decision to marry Jan Redlinghuis. (2) [20]

ANSWERS

    1. Ghamka ✓
    2. Platkops ✓
    3.  Sukey ✓
    4.  Burgert de Jager ✓ (4)
  2.  Burgert bonded some of his lands to Jan Redlinghuis. He cannot repay Jan, who, in turn, demands to marry Marta. If Marta refuses to marry Jan her father will lose his water rights. ✓✓ (2)
  3. She wants to help her father/save the farm./ Her marriage to Jan will give her father access to the much-needed water. ✓✓
    OR
    She wants to spare her father the humiliation of poverty/being treated like a poor white. ✓✓ (2)
  4. D ✓ (1)
  5. Yes, he is mad because he kills Marta by humiliating her so much. ✓✓ (2)
  6. They love each other dearly./They care for each other’s well-being. ✓
    AND
    Examples: Sukey is willing to take Marta’s place with Jan./She often visits Marta./They share everything./Sukey nurses Marta when she is dying./Marta calls Sukey “darling”./Marta held Sukey in her arms./ Sukey cried in Marta’s arms. ✓ (2)
  7. She is selfless and will do anything for her father. ✓
    She is compassionate towards her sister. ✓
    She is not judgemental. ✓
    She is willing to accept her fate. ✓
    She is obedient. ✓ (2)
    1. She goes to ask Jan to marry her instead of Marta. ✓✓ (2)
    2. Sisterly love/love for her sister/ sacrifice. ✓ (1)
  9. Marta was foolish to sacrifice herself like that because marrying Jan ended up killing her. ✓✓
    OR
    Marta was very brave to sacrifice herself by marrying Jan because she saved her father’s lands so he didn’t have to live in poverty. ✓✓ (2) [20]

Read the extract below and answer the questions that follow.

Extract B

[Marta has died.]

We buried Marta in my mother’s grave at Zeekoegatt … And still they could not find Jan Redlinghuis. Six days they looked for him, and at last they found his body in the mountains. God knows what madness had driven old Jan Redlinghuis to the mountains when his wife lay dying, but there it was they found him, and at Bitterwater he was buried.
That night my father came to me and said: “It is true what you said to me, Sukey. It is blood that I have led on my lands to water them, and this night will I close the furrow that I built from the Ghamka river. God forgive me, I will do it.”
It was in my heart to say to him: “The blood is already so deep in the lands that nothing we can do will now wash it out.” But I did not say this. I do not know how it was, but there came before me the still, sad face of my sister, Marta, and it was as if she herself answered for me.
“Do now as it seems right to you,” I said to my father. “Who am I that I should judge you?”

QUESTIONS

  1. Which aspect of her personality caused Sukey’s mother to be severely saddened and upset by the feud between her husband and Jan Redlinghuis? (1)
  2. Is the following statement TRUE or FALSE? Write “true” or “false” and give a reason for your answer.
    Mrs de Jager died of cancer. (2)
  3.  Give ONE reason why the people are looking for Jan Redlinghuis (lines 1–3). (1)
  4. Explain why Jan Redlinghuis goes to the mountain. (2)
  5. Refer to line 8 (“It is blood … on my lands”).
    1. Identify the figure of speech used here. (1)
    2. Explain the meaning of this line in the context of the story. (2)
  6. Briefly explain how Burgert de Jager changes in this story. (2)
  7. Quote a sentence which proves that Sukey is submitting to her father. (1)
  8. In your opinion, who is to blame for Marta’s death? Explain your choice. (3) [15]

Answers 

  1. She was a very gentle/peace-loving/sensitive person. ✓ (1)
  2. False. She died of a broken heart./She died of a heart condition. ✓✓ (2)
  3. Marta had died. ✓
    OR
    He had disappeared. ✓ (1)
  4. He is feeling guilty. ✓
    He knows that he is responsible for Marta’s illness. ✓
    He probably wants to commit suicide. ✓
    He does not want to be present when Marta dies. ✓ (2)
    1. Metaphor ✓(1)
    2. The fight for water rights has caused the death of Marta (and his wife). ✓✓ (2)
  6. He changes from a greedy/selfish/cruel man to one who is sorry for his mistakes/actions. ✓✓
    OR
    He changes from a greedy/selfish/cruel man to one who wants to be a better/kinder person. ✓✓ (2)
  7. “Who am I that I should judge you?” ✓
    OR
    “Do now as it seems right to you.” ✓ (1)
  8. Her father Burgert and husband Jan are to blame for her death. ✓
    Burgert sold her to him knowing he was cruel, and Jan humiliated her so much it killed her. ✓✓
    OR
    Marta is responsible for her own death because she chose to marry Jan, even though it was clear that he was mad. ✓✓✓                    (3) [15]

AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CLASSROOM IN A SLUM POEM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS GRADE 12

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AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CLASSROOM IN A SLUM POEM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS GRADE 12 As per the Elementary School Classroom in a Slum Summary, the poet saw the kids coming from different families living in the slum to study. They had bright eyes but were marred by malnutrition and poverty, just like their parents. They have the eyes to dream but not the platform to make them come true.

An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum

BY  STEPHEN SPENDER
Far far from gusty waves these children’s faces.
Like rootless weeds, the hair torn round their pallor:
The tall girl with her weighed-down head. The paper-
seeming boy, with rat’s eyes. The stunted, unlucky heir
Of twisted bones, reciting a father’s gnarled disease,
His lesson, from his desk. At back of the dim class
One unnoted, sweet and young. His eyes live in a dream
Of squirrel’s game, in tree room, other than this.
On sour cream walls, donations. Shakespeare’s head,
Cloudless at dawn, civilized dome riding all cities.
Belled, flowery, Tyrolese valley. Open-handed map
Awarding the world its world. And yet, for these
Children, these windows, not this map, their world,
Where all their future’s painted with a fog,
A narrow street sealed in with a lead sky
Far far from rivers, capes, and stars of words.
Surely, Shakespeare is wicked, the map a bad example.
With ships and sun and love tempting them to steal —
For lives that slyly turn in their cramped holes
From fog to endless night? On their slag heap, these children
Wear skins peeped through by bones and spectacles of steel
With mended glass, like bottle bits on stones.
All of their time and space are foggy slum.
So blot their maps with slums as big as doom.
Unless, governor, inspector, visitor,
This map becomes their window and these windows
That shut upon their lives like catacombs,
Break O break open till they break the town
And show the children to green fields, and make their world
Run azure on gold sands, and let their tongues
Run naked into books the white and green leaves open
History theirs whose language is the sun.

QUESTIONS

Refer to the poem on above and answer the questions below.
  1. Complete the following sentences by using the words provided in the list Write down only the words next to the question number (1 – 3).
    good; primary; children; resources; high; poor

    The setting (background) of the poem is a (1) … school in a (2) … area. There are very few (3) … in the classroom.                                                                        (3)

  2. Using your own words, describe the children in the classroom
    State THREE points.                                                              (3)
    NOTE: in this question use your own words. Do not quote directly from the poem. For 3 marks, give 3 points.
  3. Refer to lines 6-8.
    In your OWN words, say how this child is different from the rest of the children in his class.                              (1)
  4. Refer to stanza
    How does the speaker feel about the “donations”? Give a reason for your answer.                                                                     (2)
    Note: When you are asked to give a reason, the reason must be based on the poem.
  5. Refer to line 15 (“A narrow street sealed in with a lead sky”).
    5.1 Identify the figure of speech used (1)
    5.2 Explain why the poet has used this figure of (2)
  6. Refer to stanza
    Is the following statement TRUE or FALSE? Quote TWO consecutive words to support your answer.
    The children’s homes are large and comfortable.                  (2)
  7. Choose the correct answer to complete the following sentence: In stanza 4, the speaker’s tone shows that he is …
    1. commenting critically.
    2. pleading passionately.
    3. complaining bitterly.
    4. demanding forcefully.                                                                                                (1)
  8. Refer to stanza
    Name ONE experience the speaker wishes the children to have.                                                                                   (1)
  9. In your view, how does the speaker (poet) feel about the children? Using your OWN words, give TWO reasons for your (3)  [19]
    Note: When asked for your view, the answer requires your emotional response and understanding of the poem. For 3 marks, make 1 point about the speaker,s feeling (1 mark) and then give 2 reasons (2 marks).

ANSWERS

  1. 1 = primary ✓; 2 = poor ✓; 3 = resources ✓ (3)
    • They are malnourished/ underfed/ very ✓
    • They are pale. Their hair is untidy. ✓
    • Some children are handicapped/ did not grow properly/ are too small for their age. ✓
    • Some have darting, suspicious, hungry eyes. ✓ The girl’s head seems too big for her body. ✓
    • The boy has red eyes. ✓
    • Some have diseases/ inherited diseases. ✓
    • They have broken glasses. ✓                                                      (3)
      Any of the above 3 answers are acceptable.
  3. He is a dreamer. ✓/ He has an active ✓/ He is unassuming. ✓/ He is almost invisible. ✓/ He looks younger/ more innocent. ✓/ He is not affected by his circumstances as muchas others. ✓  (1)
  4. He is against the donations because they show a world that the children have no experience of. ✓/The donations may tempt the children to steal/ their circumstances will not allow them to experience what the donations offer. ✓                                             (2)
  5.  5.1 Metaphor ✓ (1)
    5.2 He compares their circumstances to a lead sky/ a narrow ✓✓
    OR
    The poet suggests that the children are trapped/ caught/ cannot escape and that they are heavily burdened/ very poor/ live in bad circumstances. ✓✓                    (2)
  6. “cramped holes” ✓✓ (2)
  7. pleading passionately ✓ (1)
  8. He wishes them to get out of the ✓
    OR
    He wishes them to experience nature/a beach/green fields. ✓
    OR
    He wishes them to read/experience literature/be exposed to books/good education. ✓                                                           (1)
  9. He feels sorry for ✓
    AND
    He describes the conditions in which they live/ their appearance vividly./ He objects to the so-called donations./ He is concerned that they might resort to stealing./ He appeals to the authorities to make a difference/ to intervene/ to help/ to save the children. ✓
    OR
    He is unsympathetic/ he does not care. ✓
    AND
    He is merely making a social point/criticising a bad education system./ His description of the children is cold and detached/ unemotional./ This is just a typical protest poem.✓                                                                           (3)  [19

ON HIS BLINDNESS POEM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS GRADE 12

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ON HIS BLINDNESS POEM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS GRADE 12 “On His Blindness” centers on Milton’s faith in God as he is losing his sight. The poem is a sonnet that uses figurative language to express Milton’s fear, frustration, and acceptance. The poem signals a turn when Milton shifts from fear of punishment to realization

ON HIS BLINDNESS BY JOHN MILTON

When I consider how my light is spent
Ere half my days in this dark world and wide,
And that one talent which is death to hide
Lodg’d with me useless, though my soul more bent
To serve therewith my Maker, and present
My true account, lest he returning chide,
“Doth God exact day-labour, light denied?”
I fondly ask. But Patience, to prevent
That murmur, soon replies: “God doth not need
Either man’s work or his own gifts: who best
Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best. His state
Is kingly; thousands at his bidding speed
And post o’er land and ocean without rest:
They also serve who only stand and wait.”

QUESTIONS

Refer to the poem On His Blindness by John Milton and answer the questions below.

  1. Complete the following sentences by using the words provided in the list Write only the words next to the question number (1.1–1.3)
    ballad; sonnet; problem; solution; cause; result

    This poem is a Miltonic (1.1) … The octave gives the reader the (1.2) … and the sestet gives the reader the (1.3) …                                                                   (3)

  2. Refer to lines 1 and 2 (“When I consider … world and wide”)
    Quote TWO contrasting words that best describe the poet’s concern.                                                                 (2)
  3. Refer to line
    3.1 Quote a word from the first line which Milton uses in place of “eyesight”.                                                                              (1)
    3.2 Why do you think he uses this word? (2)
  4. Refer to lines 3 and 4 (“And that one … Soul more bent”).
    Why does the poet consider his talent to be useless?          (2)
  5. Refer to lines 6 and 7 (“My true account … labour, light denied?”).
    5.1 What is the poet’s fear in these lines? (1)
    5.2 Why does he have this fear? (1)
  6. Refer to line 8 (“I fondly But Patience, to prevent”).
    6.1 Identify the figure of speech used (1)
    6.2 Explain why the poet uses this figure of (2)
  7. How does the poet’s mood, or how do his feelings change in the course of the poem?
    Choose two words from the box below to complete this sentence:

    joy; acceptance; frustration; blind

    At the start of the poem the poet feels 7.1… but at the end of the poem the poet experiences 7.2…                                 (2)

  8. Refer to lines 10 and 11 “Who best/Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best”.
    Choose the correct word in brackets:
    8.1 “his/him” are pronouns referring to (God/ the poet). (1)
    8.2 “they” is a pronoun referring to (blind people/ all people). (1)
    8.3.1 What figure of speech has been used in these lines?

    1. Simile
    2. Metaphor
    3. Personification.                                                                  (1)
      8.3.2 Explain the figure of speech by choosing the correct answer to complete the sentence below.
      The speaker is comparing the “mild yoke” that God puts on us to:

      1. A donkey pulling a cart
      2. A small burden or job
      3. A kind joke                                                                             (1)
  9. Choose the correct answer to complete the following Write only the answer (A–D).
    The word which best describes the poet’s feeling in lines 9-14 (“That murmur, soon … stand and wait”) is:

    1. acceptance.
    2. anger.
    3. depression.
    4. joy.                                                                                      (1)
  10. Refer to the last 4 lines of the
    Is the following statement TRUE or FALSE? Write “true” or “false” and quote TWO consecutive words to support your answer.      (2)
    The poet feels that our burdens are not heavy.
  11. Consider the poem as a
    11.1 Do you feel sorry for the poet? Discuss your (2)
    11.2 Do you think a disabled person should be expected to perform at the same level as an able person? Discuss your (2)  [28]

Answers 

  1. 1.1 Sonnet ✓
    1.2 Problem ✓
    1.3 Solution ✓ (3)
  2. “Light” ✓ and “dark” ✓ (2)
  3. 3.1 “Light” ✓ (1)
    3.2 Joy/ hope/ clarity/ visibility/ warms/ shining/ inspiration ✓✓ (2)
  4. The poet’s talent is that he can write and he will not be able to use this talent if he is blind. ✓✓
    OR
    He is unable to see. Therefore, he cannot write poetry/ use his gift. ✓✓ (2)
  5. 5.1 He is afraid that God will punish him/ not be satisfied with what he has done. ✓ (1)
    5.2 He has not used the talent that God gave him./ He did not use his talent well./ He did not do a full day’s work. ✓ (1)
  6. 6.1 Personification ✓ (1)
    6.2 Personification: It becomes the voice of reason/ his conscience. ✓✓
    OR
    Patience becomes a person who is answering his question. ✓✓
    OR
    He personifies his thoughts in order to accept his burden. ✓✓ (2)
  7. 7.1 Frustration ✓ (2)
    7.2 Acceptance ✓ (1)
  8. 8.1 “His”/ “him” are pronouns referring to God. ✓ (1)
    8.2 “They” is a pronoun referring to all people. ✓ (1)
    8.3.1 Metaphor ✓ (1)
    8.3.2 The speaker is comparing the “mild yoke” to a small burden or job. ✓ (1)
  9. A/acceptance ✓ (1)
  10. True. “Mild yoke”. ✓✓ (2)
  11. 11.1 Yes. He has a talent and he cannot use it. ✓✓
    OR
    No. I admire him for accepting his blindness. ✓✓ (2)
    11.2 Yes. Disabled people often perform better than those without  disabilities and tend to feel insulted if you make allowances for them. ✓✓
    OR
    No. You have to make concessions to accommodate disabled people as they have barriers to overcome. ✓✓  (2)   [28]

SONNET 116 POEM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS GRADE 12

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SONNET 116 POEM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS GRADE 12 William Shakespeare’s sonnet 116 was first published in 1609. Its structure and form are a typical example of the Shakespearean sonnet.

SONNET 116 POEM
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
GRADE 12

SONNET 116: LET ME NOT TO THE MARRIAGE OF TRUE MINDS

BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove.
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wand’ring bark,
Whose worth’s unknown, although his height be taken.
Love’s not Time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle’s compass come;
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me prov’d,
I never writ, nor no man ever lov’d.

QUESTIONS

Refer to the poem above and answer the questions below.

  1. Complete the following sentence by using the words provided in the list below.
    Petrarchan; sestet; Elizabethan; Couplet; quatrains; octave

    This is a typical (1.1) … sonnet because of the three (1.2) … and the (1.3) … that rhymes.  (3)

  2. Quote a word in the first line which has connotations of love and unity. (1)
  3. Refer to the following words in line 1 (“… the marriage of true minds”).
    To what do these words refer?                                                (2)
  4. Refer to lines 2-4 (“Love is not love … remover to remove”).
    Using your own words, explain the meaning of these lines.   (2)
  5. Choose the correct answer to complete the following In line 5, the words “O, no …” show that the speaker is …
    1. uncertain.
    2. arrogant.
    3. doubtful.
    4. convinced.                (1)
  6. Refer to line 7 (“It is the star to every wand’ring bark”).
    Give the literal meaning of the underlined words.                 (1)
  7. Is the following statement TRUE or FALSE? Quote THREE consecutive words to support your answer.
    It is impossible to measure the value of love.                        (2)
  8. Refer to the following words in line 9 (“Love’s not Time’s fool”). Identify the figure of speech used (1)
  9. Refer to lines 13 and 14 (“If this be … man ever loved”).
    How does the poet use the last two lines to make his argument on true love convincing?   (2)
  10. Do you agree with the speaker’s view of love? Explain your (2)  [17]

Note:

  • Connotations – words with meanings linked to a key word. For example, the connotations of “morning” are fresh,new,early.
  • Consecutive words – words that directly follow after one another.

ANSWERS

  1.  Elizabethan ✓/ quatrains ✓/ couplet ✓ (3)
  2. “marriage” ✓ (1)
  3. The union/ joining together ✓ of like-minded people/ people who think the same way/people who have the same values. ✓ (2)
  4. True love does not change/ is constant ✓ when circumstances change/ when difficulties arise/ when the people change ✓ (2)
  5. D / convinced ✓ (1)
  6. A ship that is lost/moving aimlessly or with no direction ✓ (1)
  7. True. ✓ “whose worth’s unknown” ✓ (2)
  8. Personification [or apostrophe] ✓ (1)
  9. If what he says about love is not true, then it is also true that he did not write this poem. However, you are reading what he has written. Therefore, he did write this poem and therefore what he says about love is true. ✓✓ (2)
  10. Yes, I agree with the poet that love can last forever. People who really love each other can overcome any problems. ✓✓
    OR
    No, I disagree/ do not agree with the poet because these days love is superficial and often marriages do not last. ✓✓ (2)  [17]

 Hint ; In question 7, one mark will be given if the first part of the answer (true) is correct. To get 2 marks, give the correct answer and quote the correct three words.
Note: When a question asks for your own view or opinion, you must say if you agree or not and then give a reason for your viewpoint to get 2 marks.

THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY SHORT STORY QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS GRADE 12

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THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY SHORT STORY QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS GRADE 12 One such story that has captivated readers for generations is “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” by James Thurber. This iconic short story follows the daydreaming protagonist, Walter Mitty, on his mundane errands, while his imagination takes him on thrilling adventures. For Grade 12 students, dissecting this narrative provides an opportunity to explore themes, character development, and literary techniques.

THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY BY JAMES THURBER

Read the extract below and answer the questions that follow.

Extract A

[Walter waits for his wife.]

He found a big leather chair in the lobby, facing a window, and he put the overshoes and the puppy biscuit on the floor beside it. He picked up an old copy of Liberty and sank down into the chair. ‘Can Germany Conquer the World Through the Air?’ Walter Mitty looked at the pictures of bombing planes and of ruined streets.                    5
… “The cannonading has got the wind up in young Raleigh, sir,” said the sergeant. Captain Mitty looked up at him through tousled hair. “Get him, to bed”, he said wearily.” With the others. I’ll fly alone.”
  1. Where is Walter Mitty and why is he there? (2)
  2.  What is he doing? (1)
  3.  Explain the meaning and significance of “Can Germany Conquer the World Through the Air?” (2)
  4.  What grammatical signs do we have to show that he begins to fantasise? (2)
  5.  What is the challenge or problem facing Mitty in this fantasy?
    Give a reason for your answer. (2)
  6. Which THREE words could be used to describe Mitty as he is in his secret world. Choose the correct words from the list below.
    Sick, Heroic, Anxious, Brave, Respected, Fearful. (3)
  7.  Briefly explain why Mitty has this fantasy. (4)  [16]

Answers

  1. He is in a hotel waiting for his wife. ✓✓ (2)
  2. He is reading a newspaper or a magazine. ✓ (1)
  3. It is the headline of the article he is reading. ✓ The articles is about whether the German army can beat the Allies with its air-force. ✓ (2)
  4. The ellipsis and inverted commas. ✓ (2)
  5. He has to fight on his own because Raleigh is ill. ✓ (2)
  6. Heroic, ✓ Brave, ✓ Respected. ✓ (3)
  7. He wants to escape from his boring real life world where he is nagged by his wife and where he never achieves anything. ✓ (4)   [16]

QUESTIONS 2

Read the extract below and answer the questions that follow.

Extract B

[Walter and his wife drive in to town.]

“I don’t need overshoes,” said Mitty. She put her mirror back into her bag. “We’ve been all through that,” she said, getting out of the car. “You’re not a young man any longer.” He raced the engine a little. “Why don’t you wear your gloves? Have you lost your gloves?” Walter Mitty reached in a pocket and brought out the gloves. He     5 put them on, but after she had turned and gone into the building and he had driven on to a red light, he took them off again. “Pick it up, brother!” snapped a cop as the light changed, and Mitty hastily pulled on his gloves and lurched ahead. He drove around the streets aimlessly for a time, and then he drove past the hospital on his way to the parking lot.
  1. What evidence does this passage give that Mrs Mitty is a nagging wife? (2)
  2. What evidence does this passage give to show that Mitty tries to do things his way. (2)
  3. What else does he usually do to escape his wife? (2)
  4. What does driving past the hospital make him think of? Describe his thoughts in detail. (4)
  5. What word in the passage tells us that he is bored? (1)
  6. Answer TRUE or FALSE and give a reason for your answer. Do you agree that Walter Mitty is a good driver? (2) [13]

Answers

  1. She tells him he should use overshoes and that he should put on his gloves. ✓✓ (2)
  2. He takes the gloves off as soon as she has gone. ✓✓ (2)
  3. He goes into his secret life which means that he imagines he is is a different situation. ✓✓     (2)
  4. He thinks or fantasises that he is a famous surgeon who will operate well and help the other doctors. ✓✓ He will fix the machine and take over because the other doctors are not as good as he is. ✓✓ (4)
  5. aimlessly ✓ (1)
  6. False, because he races the engine and does not move fast enough when the lights change. ✓✓  (2)   [13]
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