POEMS

Practice 1
IN THE MIDST OF HARDSHIP
At dawn they returned home
their soaky clothes torn
and approached the stove
their limbs marked by scratches
their legs full of wounds
but on their brows
there was not a sign of despair
The whole day and night just passed
they had to brave the horrendous flood
in the water all the time
between bloated carcasses
and tiny chips of tree barks
desperately looking for their sons
albino buffalo that was never found
There were born amidst hardship
and grew up without a sigh or a complaint
now they are in the kitchen, making
jokes while rolling their cigarette leaves
a)

Why were their clothes soaky?

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b)

Write down the line in the poem which reveals that this incident took place in a village?
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c)

What does the phrase bloated carcasses refer to?

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d)

In your opinion, what kind of attitude do the last two lines imply? Explain.
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e)

Write down the line which shows that they have been out for long hours?
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f)

The theme may not be exactly about hardship as implied by the title. What is the theme
related to?
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g)

What does the phrase albino buffalo reveal?

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h)

What moral value did you learn from the poem? Explain.
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Practice 2
He Had Such Quiet Eyes
He had such quiet eyes
She did not realise
They were two pools of lies
Layered with thinnest ice
To her, those quiet eyes
Were breathing desolate sighs
Imploring her to be nice
And to render him paradise
If only shed been wise
And had listened to the advice
Never to compromise
With pleasure-seeking guys
Shed be free from the hows and whys
Now heres a bit of advice
Be sure that nice really means nice
Then youll never be losing at dice
Though you may lose your heart once or twice

a)

What does the phrase two pools of lies refer to?

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b)

Which lines show that the man is saying I love you, and if you love me, prove it!
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c)

Which stanza shows that there is a sense of regret?

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d)

What do you understand by the phrase the hows and whys?

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e)

What does the phrase thinnest ice imply?

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f)

In this poem, the poet talks about the betrayal of a young girls feelings for a man. She
believes in his sincerity to her as he had pleaded to her to surrender to him. Write the two
lines depicting this.
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g)

What is the main theme in this poem?

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h)

What did you learn from this poem? Explain.

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SHORT STORIES
FRUITCAKE SPECIAL
Read the extract from the short story FRUITCAKE SPECIAL below and answer the questions
that follow.
I dreamt that I was being awful to you, treating you as if you were just someone who worked for
me. The truth is that you mean so much more than that to me I wondered what he meant.
Was he going to raise my pay? He went on. You must realise that Im crazy about you, darling.
He was calling me darling again. He was being serious. I have to say that at this point I was
feeling very confused. Five minutes ago my boss didnt want to be seen with me. Now he was
saying he was crazy about me! What could be making him behave like this? Then, all at once, I
realised it was the fruitcake special! Intrigue might smell great, but it didnt make a girl attractive
to men. But my fruitcake perfume did.
a)

What does the word crazy imply?

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b)

Why was the writer confused?

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c)

What is Intrigue in the context of the story?

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d)

Describe the behaviour of the writers boss and why he behaved in such a way.
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Momma and Aunt Mini were very pleased, of course. They went off together to plan the wedding
and left me to get ready for the man they hoped would be my future husband. I was beginning to
wish I hadnt told them. After all, I had no idea why my boss had behaved towards me in that
way. He had never even noticed me before now. However, he had noticed the perfume I had
been wearing. Lately I had been wearing a perfume called intrigue. It was made by another
company and I actually preferred it to the perfumes we made. Mr. Amos did have a very good
nose for perfumes. Perhaps Intrigue was so good he just couldnt stop himself. Who knows?
Anyway, I had to get ready for my evening out. Although I couldnt explain why Mr. Amos had
suddenly found me attractive, I really wanted to find out. In my own way Im as bad as my Aunt
Mimi, I guess.

e)

Whose wedding is being planned? Name the bride and groom to be.
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f)

Why did the writer say wish I hadnt told them?

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g)

Why was the writers plan for the night?

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h)

Do you think the boss was attracted to the writer because of the perfume?
Give a reason for your answer.
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PRACTICE 3
Read the extract from the short story FRUITCAKE SPEACIAL below and answer the
questions that follow.
Momma seemed satisfied with my explanation that things had just not worked out between me
and Mr. Amos, although she thought it a wasted opportunity she wanted me to have a rich
husband. Still, happiness is what really counts, she said, with a note of sadness in her voice.
When I finally got back to the factory there was a message left on my desk could I see Mr.
Amos as soon as I got in. As I walked towards David Amoss office I felt like a schoolgirl who
had to go to see the head teacher. I was sure that the fruitcake special would not still be working
by now after all, he had not seen me for a few days. I knocked on his door. Mr. Amos was
sitting behind his big desk with a large black eye.
a. Describe the opportunity as in the context of the story?

b. Why was the opportunity considered as wasted?

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c. Why did the writer feel like a schoolgirl who had to go to see the head teacher?

d. Do you think Mr. Amos was angry at the writer? Give a reason

PRACTICE 4
Read the extract from the short story FRUITCAKE SPECIAL below and answer the questions
that follow.
Momma, I said, if its Aunt Mimi with news of another perfect boy for me, tell her Im not
interested. Its not Aunt Mimi, dear, said Momma.
Who is it? I asked. I think youd better come see for yourself Momma said.
I went to the front door. It was Armstrong, the pizza delivery man. He was holding up a pizza
box which had Armstrongs Peachy Pizzas in big letters on the front.
Armstrong now owned the pizza company. He explained that hed fallen in love with me when
he first delivered pizza to us, but he wanted to be a success before asking me out. He said I
deserved no less. Then he gave me some flowers. I never really noticed before, but Armstrong
is quite good looking: a bit short maybe, a little thin on top but nobodys perfect.
a. State one characteristic of a perfect boy in Aunt Mimis opinion.

b. What is the name of Armstrongs company?

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c. What does Armstrong mean when he said deserved no less?

d. Would you marry someone like Armstrong? Give a reason

QWERTYUIOP (4 practices)
PRACTICE 1
Read the extract from the short story QWERTYUIOP below and answer the
questions that follow.
She stared at it in horrified bewilderment. What had happened? What had she done? Not even
on her first day at the Belmont Secretarial College had she made such ridiculous mistakes.
Such strange mistakes QWERTYUIOP, the top line of letters on a typewriter, repeated over
and over again! Thank God there had been no one to notice. Theyd think she had gone mad.
She must be more careful. Keep her mind on the job, not allow it to wander out of the window
into the sunny shopping street below. Putting fresh paper into the typewriter, she began again.
She was tempted to look at the keyboard . . . Dont look at the keys! Keep your eyes away!
Mrs Price was always saying. No peeing. Youll never make a good typist if you cant do it by
touch. Rhythm, its all rhythm. Play it to music in your head.
a. What is QWERTYUIOP?

b. Why must she be careful?

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c. What did she decide to do after making the repeated mistakes?

d. Do you think you would make such mistakes. Give a reason for your answer.

PRACTICE 2
Read the extract from the short story QWERTYUIOP below and answer the
questions that follow.
For an hour, she battled with the machine. As fast as QWERTYUIOPs and unwanted capitals
appeared, she attacked with a loaded brush. The white fluid ran down the typing paper like
melting ice-cream, and dripped thickly into the depths of the typewriter.
YOURE DROWNING ME, it complained pathetically, and she swiped at the words with her
brush.
HELP!
Another swipe.

PLEASE!
But Lucy showed no mercy. The large bottle was half-empty when she reached the end of the
letter in triumph.
Yours faithfully,
George Ross,
She typed, and sat back with a sigh of relief.
The machine began to rattle. Too late, Lucy snatched the completed letter out of the typewriter.
Across the bottom of the otherwise faultless page, it now said in large, red capitals:
I HATE YOU!
Furiously she painted the words out.
a. What is the white fluid?

b. Why is Lucy battling with the machine?

c. Why is the large bottle half empty?

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d. What quality did Lucy display? Provide a reason for your answer.

PRACTICE 3
Read the extract from the short story QWERTYUIOP below and answer the
questions that follow.
Lucy typed quickly:
Are you from outer space?
The typewriter rocked, as if with laughter, its keys clicking like badly fitting false teeth.
IDIOT, it wrote.
Who are you? Lucy typed.
Miss Broome, it answered.
Lucy hesitated. She did not know quite how to reply to this. In the end she typed:
How do you do? I am Miss Beck.
GO AWAY, MISS BECK
Why should I?
I AM SECRETARY HERE, it sated, this time in red letters.
No, youre not! I am! Lucy typed angrily.
The machine went mad. Q U E R T Y U I O P / @ Q U E R T Y U I O P
&()*QWERTYUIOP+1, it screamed, shaking and snapping its keys like castanets.
a. What does the word rocked mean?

b. What is Lucys occupation?

c. Why did Lucy hesitate?

d. If you were Lucy do you think you would reply to Miss Broome? Give a reason for your
answer.

PRACTICE 4
Read the extract from the short story QWERTYUIOP below and answer the
questions that follow.
Lucy Beck was young and small and mouse-coloured, easily overlooked. She had a lonely O
level and a typing speed that would make a tortoise laugh.
Whoever will want to employ me? she had asked Mrs. Price once, and Mrs. Price had been at
a loss to answer.
Lucy wanted a job. More than anyone, more than anything, she wanted a job. She was tired of
being poor. She was fed up with macaroni cheese and baked beans. She was sick of secondhand clothes.
We are jumble sailors on the rough sea of life, her mother would say. Lucy loved her mother,
but could not help wishing she would sometimes lose her temper. Shout. Scream. Throw
saucepans at the spinning, grinning head of Uncle Bert.
a. Why is Lucy described as easily overlooked?

b. Why is finding a job so important to Lucy?

c. What was Mrs. Prices answer to Lucy when she asked whether she would ever find a job?

d. Describe Lucys feelings towards Uncle Bert. Provide reasons for your answer.

DRAMA (4 practices)
PRACTICE 1
Read the extract from the drama Gulp and Gasp below and answer the
questions that follow.
LORD SEPTIC: Its just like that night many years ago. I stood right here as my father tied Lady

Gatsby to the same track. She was the richest widow in town. He tricked her to meet him on this
station one dark night.
CROUCH: Killer trains must run in your family, sir!
LORD SEPTIC: Lady Gatsby came here with her baby in one arm and the Gatsby Gold in the
other. But somehow she hid it before we got our hands on it.
CROUCH: You wanted to get the baby?
LORD SEPTIC: No, the gold, you fool. Its worth a fortune. We tied her to this track to make her
tell us where shed hidden it.
a. Why was Lady Gatsby at the station?

b. What did Lady Gatsby do before her death?

b. Why was the Gatsby Gold not found?

d. Explain in your own words what is meant by crouch when he said killer trains.

Practice 2
Read the extract from the drama Gulp and Gasp below and answer the
questions that follow.
RO S E: Not since the fire at the match factory.
PERCY: Lord Septics match factory?
ROSE: Yes. I used to pack the match boxes. Big match boxes. Full of big matches.
PERCY: Wasnt there a big strike at the match factory?
ROSE: Yes. Lord Septic didnt pay us. He didnt keep the matches safe because it would cost
him money. There was a fire and many workers were killed. I was lucky. But the flames hurt my
eyes. I cant see any more.
PERCY: What a rotter that man is! Theyve just gone on strike at another one of his factories.
They all want a shorter working wick.
ROSE: [Laughing] I think you mean WEEK. They want a shorter working WEEK.
PERCY: No its a candle factory. I say, you look so pretty when you smile. Whats your name?
a. Why was Rose at the match factory?

b. In what way was Lord Septic responsible for the fire?

c. Why is there a strike at one of Lord Septics factories?

d. What would be an important value portrayed in the drama? Provide a reason for your answer.

Practice 3
Read the extract from the drama Gulp and Gasp below and answer the
questions that follow.
CROUCH: And you always want what you get, sir.

LORD SEPTIC: No, Crouch. I always get what I want. At last, I own this station. Soon I will own
all the stations from here to Kings Cross. And when I do do you know what Ill be?
CROUCH: Even more greedy, sir?
LORD SEPTIC: Ill be the richest man in the land. And do you know why?
CROUCH: Because youll own the biggest train set ever.
LORD SEPTIC: Because I will find the Gatsby Gold. Its hidden somewhere along this line. Ill
dig up the track. Ill look under every sleeper. Ill search every station. One day, it will be mine.
All mine. At last . . . And nothing will get in my way. [He trips over Crouch] Get out of my way,
you fool.
CROUCH: Most sorry, sir. Very sorry, sir. Really sorry,
sir.
LORD SEPTIC: Ill now go up to my office to plot more plans. I will get more ideas on being rich.
Filthy rich. Thick, black and oily. Thats how rich! Im going upstairs.
a. What is a sleeper?

b. What does Lord Septic hope to find under the sleepers?

c. What are Lord Septics plans?

d. What is your impression of Crouch? Explain.

Practice 4
Read the extract from the drama Gulp and Gasp below and answer the
questions that follow.
LORD SEPTIC : Yes, Clora my wife. Clora Septic. She nags for a living. I only
married her for her arms.
CROUCH : Are they nice to hug?
LORD SEPTIC : Not those arms. She owns a gun factory. We make weapons. We make
bombs. One day we will arm the world. We want a good war. Shes just made a tank that can kill
from a mile in one burst. Just like her! Its called the Septic Tank.
CROUCH : I bet thatll cause a bit of a stink, sir!
LORD SEPTIC : Crouch, I dont know why I keep you as my porter. You are dim, daft, dopey,
dozey and dippy. Whats more you annoy me. Im not nice when Im cross.
CROUCH : No, sir.
a. What is the meaning of the word arms?

b. Why did Lord Septic marry Clora?

c. What is the name of the tank that Clora has made?

d. Explain why Lord Septic called Crouch dim, daft, dopey, dozey and dippy

Novels (6 Practices)
PRACTICE SECTION
The following are the novels studied in the literature component in English Language
1. The Curse by Lee Su Ann
2. Step by Wicked Step by Ann Fine.
3. Catch Us If You Can by Catherine McPhail
Based on one novel above, write about the following.
Provide evidence from the text to support your answer.
Your response should be:
Not less than 50 words
In continuous writing (not in note form)
Practice 1
Based on one novel above, discuss one of the themes in the story. Provide evidence from the
text to support your answer
Practice 2
Write about a character that you find most interesting.
Support your answer with evidence from the novel.
Practice 3
Write about a moral value you have learnt in the story.
Support your answer with evidence from the novel
Practice 4
Based on one novel above, write about an episode that is memorable in the story. Provide
evidence from the text to support your answer.
Practice 5
Based on the novel of your choice, discuss the problems faced by a character. How does
he/she overcome the problems?
Practice 6
Compare two characters in the novel you have studied. How are they similar?
TEST 1
Form 4 Poem
In the Midst of Hardship
Read the following stanza of In the Midst of Hardship and answer the questions that follow.
At dawn they returned home
their soaky clothes torn
and approached the stove
their limbs marked by scratches
their legs full of wounds
but on their brows there was not a sign of despair
Latiff Mohidin
a. What does the word dawn mean?

b. Write down two phrases from the poem that indicates injury.

i.
ii.
c. Describe their feelings when they reached home. Provide a reason to support your answer.

Form 4 Short Story

QWERTYUIOP
Read the extract from the short story QWERTYUIOP below and answer the
questions that follow
She was early. She smoothed down her windy hair, and waited.
At five past nine, an elderly man, with small dark eyes like currants and a thick icing of white
hair, came hobbling up the stairs. He was jingling a bunch of keys.
Ah, he said, noticing Mary. Punctuality is the courtesy of kings but a hard necessity for new
brooms, eh? You are the new broom, I suppose? Not an impatient customer waiting to see our
new range of Sunburst cushions, by any chance?
a. What does the phrase new broom imply?

b. Describe the man who opened the door for Lucy.

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c. What is the meaning of hobbling?
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d. In your opinion, why did Lucy arrive early that Monday morning?
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Novel
The following are the novels studied in the literature component in English Language
4. The Curse by Lee Su Ann
5. Step by Wicked Step by Ann Fine.
6. Catch Us If You Can by Catherine McPhail
Based on the novel that you have studied, choose a character and discuss how good values are
being demonstrated through the character you have chosen.
Provide evidence from the text to support your answer.
Your response should be:
Not less than 50 words
In continuous writing (not in note form)
TEST 2
(Form 5 poem)
Nature by H.D Carberry
We have neither Summer nor Winter
Neither Autumn nor Spring.

We have instead the days

When the gold sun shines on the lush green canefieldsMagnificently.
The days when the rain beats like bullet on the roofs
And there is no sound but thee swish of water in the gullies
And trees struggling in the high Jamaica winds.
Also there are the days when leaves fade from off guango trees
And the reaped canefields lie bare and fallow to the sun.
But best of all there are the days when the mango and the logwood blossom
When bushes are full of the sound of bees and the scent of honey,
When the tall grass sways and shivers to the slightest breath of air,
When the buttercups have paved the earth with yellow stars
And beauty comes suddenly and the rains have gone.
a. What seasons did the poet say that they did not have?
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b. List out the verbs found in the poem Nature.
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c. List words that describe the following in the poem.
i) sunny days
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ii) rainy days
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d. Do you agree that the sunny days are the best days as compared to rainy days? Explain
why or why not?
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Form 4 drama/short story
LORD SEPTIC: The night, you fool. Its a foul and filthy night.
CROUCH: Very nasty, Lord Septic.
LORD SEPTIC: Angry.
CROUCH: Mmm.
LORD SEPTIC: Very angry.
CROUCH: Mmm. Mmmm.
LORD SEPTIC: And do you know why Im angry, Crouch? I hate nights like this.
CROUCH: Indeed, sir.
LORD SEPTIC: This fog is so thick. I cant see a thing out there. Its as thick as
CROUCH: Pea soup, sir. Very thick pea soup.
LORD SEPTIC: And theres nothing worse than pea soup is there, Crouch?
CROUCH: Not really, sir. Apart from sprouts. I would think a mushy sprout soup is pretty foul.
Worse than a pea in this fog.
LORDSEPTIC: I cant even see the railway track.
CROUCH: Dont get too near the edge of the platform, sir.
LORD SEPTIC: If this train doesnt come soon, Ill sack the driver. Ill sack everyone. After all,

next week Ill own this railway line.

CROUCH: Indeed, sir. Most true, your ever-so big lordship, sir.
a. Why is Lord Septic very angry?
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b. What does the word sack mean?
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c. Describe the condition at the station.
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d. How would you describe Lord Septic? Provide a reason for your answer.
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