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English
Quarter 1 – Module 1:
Clues For You
 Let Us Learn!

Hello! Our dear student, are you excited for your

lesson this week? I bet you are anxious. But
don’t worry, I know you can do this. Let us work
on this together.

Look at the bubble below and read our objective

for this week. Don’t forget to call your teacher if
you need any help with your module. Ok?

ning of words and expressions that reflect the local culture by noting context clues

Let Us Try!

Before you begin with the module proper, take this test to
find out how much you already know about our topic. You will
encounter and appreciate words from a different culture and use
your prior knowledge about context clues in taking this test.
Choose the letter only.

A. Many words in English come from different languages of

different cultures.Find theword that fits with the definition.

A. kimono B.barbecueC.impalaD. pajama E.syrup

F. okra G. sheik H. alligator I.magazine J. bandit

1. _________________are clothes worn for sleeping. (Word from Persian)

2. A _______________is along outer garment worn in Japan. (Word from
Japan)

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3. An ______________is a large reptile with leathery skin. (Word from
Spanish)
4. A _______________is an outdoor grill cooking meat. (Word from
Spanish)
5. A ______________ is a publication for reading. (Word from Arabic)
6. A ______________ is the chief or head of the family. (Word from Arabic)
7. ________________ is a plant used in stew or soap. (Word from Africa)
8. _______________ is a word from the Zulu people of Africa (Word from
Africa)
9. A______________ is a robber. (Word from Arabic)
10. A _____________ is a sweet, thick liquid such as molasses.(Word from
Arabic)

B. Choose the letter of your answer.

11. What is the meaning of malicious in this sentence?

Because his attacks are so mean, he is so malicious.
A B
12. They were indeed voracious ladies. The female READING club
members went to the library and read three books the whole
morning. The word voracious means-
A. lazy C. chill
B. enthusiastic D. idle
13. Which context clue does the following sentence utilize?
My own writing was utterly illegible.My professor could hardly read
those scribbles.
A. Definition
B. Restatement
C. Example
D. Multiple meanings, depending on neighboring words
14. Which context clue does the following sentence utilize?
Pedagogical institutions, including high schools, kindergartens, and
colleges, require community support to function efficiently.
A. Definition
B. Restatement
C. Example
D. Multiple meanings, depending on neighboring words
15. Which context clue does the following sentence utilize?
The word Vodou means “spirit” or “deity” in the Fon language of the
African kingdom of Dahomey).
A. Definition
B. Restatement
C. Example
D. Multiple meanings, depending on neighboring words

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 How is the word cell is used in each sentence? Select its appropriate
meaning from the choices given.

A. (biology) the basic structural and functional unit of all organisms;

they
may exist as independent units of life (as in monads) or may form
colonies or tissues as in higher plants and animals
B. small room in which a monk or nun lives
C. a room where a prisoner is kept
D. a small unit serving as part of or as the nucleus of a larger political
movement
E. a device that delivers an electric current as the result of a chemical
reaction

16.In the Christian context, Monastic cell is small and contains a

minimum of stuff.
17. Thousands of inmates are held in cramped cells along narrow
hallways of the City jail.
18. Batteries consist of one or more electrochemical cells that store
chemical energy for later conversion to electrical energy.
19. The guard-cells contain chlorophyll, which is absent from typical
epidermal cells, the latter acting as a tissue for water storage.
20. In a cell structure, each of the small group of people in the cell only
know the identities of the people in their cell.

Well, how was it? Do you think you fared well? Compare your
answers with those in the Answer Key. If you scored high, that’s
great but if you scored low, it’s Ok.
Did you find it amazing to learn the origin of those words? You
will learn more of these as you go further
Now, you can proceed to the next activity.

Let Us Study
Learning about different cultures helps us approach language
with new insights. It allows us to delve deeper into their
meaning of words and expressions and help us feel more connected to
each other.

This time, you will read about the life and character of an African
leader and how he became one of the great figures of the 20 th century.

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Literature and culture which could lead you to understand other peoples
of the world. The knowledge that you will gain is extended beyond your
world, and in the process, you will gain wisdom.

Stirring Up Trouble
(Adapted from “A Desire to Serve the People “ by Mary Benson )

When a son was born to Chief Henry Gadla Mandela and his wife,
Nonqaphi, on the 18th July 1918, they gave him the Xhosa, name of Rolihlahla
and, because it was the fashion to have a European name, preferably a heroic
one, they also called him Nelson.
The boy and his three sisters lived in the family kraal of whitewashed
huts not far from Umtata in the Transkei. Although the Mandelas were
members of the royal family of the Thembu people, Nelson, like most African
pupils, herded sheep and cattle and helped with the plough.
As a young boy, he was tall for his age, and was a fast runner. He hunted
buck and when hungry, stole mealie cobs from the maize fields. He loved the
countryside with its grassy rolling hills and stream which flowed eastward top
the Indian Ocean.
At night, under Africa’s brilliant stars, everyone used to gather around a
big open fire to listen to the elders of the tribe. The boy was fascinated by the
tales told by these bearded old men. Tales about the “good old days before the
coming of the white man,” and tales about the brave acts performed by their
ancestors, in defending their country against the European invaders.
Those tales, said Mandela many years later when he was on trial of his
life, stirred in him a desire to serve his people in their struggle to be free. A
desire which eventually led to his becoming the most famous political prisoner
of our time- a prisoner with songs written about him and streets named after

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him. How appropriate that Nelson Mandela’s Xhosa name, Rolihlahla, means
“stirring up trouble.”
When Nelson first went to school- a school for African pupils- it was a
shock to find the history books described only white heroes, and referred to his
people as savages and cattle thieves. All the same, he was eager for Western
education, and proud that his great-grandfather had given land on which to
build a mission school. Even when fellow pupils teased him about his clothes,
cast-offs from his father, he pretended not to mind.
Source:http://images.pcmac.org/SiSFiles/
Schools/GA/BryanCounty/RHMiddle/
Uploads/DocumentsCategories/Documents/
Source%20A%20Biography%20Mary%20
Benson.pdf

Nelsonn M: A Thembu Prince

Mandela was born in the simple surroundings of a peasant village on

the banks of the Mbashe River in Thembuland. But for his royal
connections, his childhood would have been no different from those many
others there. His great grandfather Ngubengcuka, however, was a Thembu
king. And although Mandela was descended from only a minor branch of
then dynasty, his link with the Thembu royal family was to have a marked
influence on both his character and his fortune.

His father, Gadla Henry Mphakanyiswa, was then village head at

Mverzo. A tall, respected figure, he presided over local ceremonies and
officiated at traditional rites for such occasions as births, marriages,
funerals, harvest, and initiation ceremonies. He had no formal education
and could not read nor write. But he had a keen sense of history and was
valued as a counselor to the royal family. He was also wealthy enough at one
time to afford four wives and had thirteen children.

Mandela’s mother, NosekeniNkedama, was the third of Gadla’s wives.

She bore four children, the eldest of whom, Mandela, was her only son but
the youngest of Gadla’s four sons. Like Gadlashe could neither read nor
write. While Gadla adhered to the traditional Qaba faith, involving the
worship of ancestral spirits, Nosekeni became a devout Christian, taking the
name Fanny.

His European name, Rolihlahla, which meant literally “pulling the

branch of a tree” meant more colloquially as “troublemaker.” But the name
by which he became popular known was English, Nelson, given to him by an
African teacher on the first day he attended school.

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 The landscape around Qunu- undulating hills, clear streams and lush
pastures grazed by cattle, sheep and goats- made a permanent impression
on Mandela. Qunu was the place where he felt his real roots lay. It was a
settlement of beehive-shaped huts in a narrow valley where life continued
much as it had done for generous past.

In Qunu, the people dyed their blankets with red ochre, a color said to
be beloved by ancestral spirits and the color of their faith. There were few
Christians in Qunu and those that were there stood out because of their
Western-style clothes.

The Mandela’s homestead, like most others in Qunu, was simple.

Their beehive huts- a cluster of three- were built without windows or
chimneys. The floor was made of crusted earth taken from anthills and kept
smooth with layers of fresh cow dung. There was no furniture, in the
Western sense. Everyone slept on mats, without pillows, resting their heads
on their arms. Smoke from the fire filtered through the grass roof. There was
no opening other than a low doorway. Their diet was also simple, mainly
maize, sorghum, beans and pumpkins grown in fields outside the village,
and amasi, fermented milk stored in calabashes. Only a few wealthy families
could afford luxuries like tea, coffee and sugar, brought from the local store.

Having four wives, each living in their own kraal several miles apart,
Gadla visited them in turn, spending perhaps one week a month with each
one.

Mandela’s household in Qunu was often full of relatives. Uncles and

aunts were as responsible for the children as the children’s own parents and
were rendered to as “little fathers” and “little mothers.” Even though
Mandela remembered his father for his stern expression, Mandela tried to
emulate him by rubbing white ash into his hair in imitation of the tuft of
white hair above Gadla’s forehead.

From the age of five, Mandela was set to work as a herd boy, looking
after sheep and calves and learning the central role cattle play in Thembu
society. Cattle were not only a source of meat and milk but the main
medium of exchange and the measure of a tribesman’s wealth. As the price
of a bride was paid in cattle, without cattle there could be no marriage.
Significant events like funerals were marked by their slaughter.

Much of Mandela’s time was spent in the open veld in the company of
members of his own age group, stick-throwing and fighting, gathering wild
honey and fruits, trapping birds and small animals that could be roasted,
and swimming in the cold streams.
Source:(http://www.worldcat.org/wcpa/servlet

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 DCARead?standardNo=0312181329&
standardNoType=1&excerpt=true)

Nelson: Cow’s Best Friend

(Adapted from “Nelson Mandela” by Benjamin Pogrund)

Mandela was born in the Transkei region of South Africa, in the small
village of Qunu- a collection of beehive- shaped huts with thatch roofs,
known as rondavels. His mother had three huts and Mandela lived with her
and three immediate sisters. One hut was used for sleeping, another for
cooking, and the third for storing grains and other food. Everyone slept on
mats placed on the ground, without pillows, His mother, as a married
woman, had her own field to tend and her own kraal – an enclosure for
cattle made from thorn bushes.

It was a quiet, tranquil existence. Qunu was a long way from

anywhere, especially in those days when local roads were undeveloped.

As soon as Nelson was old enough to walk properly, he took the job of
helping to look after the family’s cattle and goats.

Relatives remember that he loved animals and, while herding, he

would speak to each cow by its name as if it was a friend.

His mother could not read or write, but Nelson had to be educated,
and he started a pupil at the local school. He was noted as a quiet,
industrious boy who did not live up to his Xhosa name. The school had
classes for only the early years and when Nelson was ten, his father died
and there was no money for further education. So his father’s nephew, Chief
Jongintaba, took over.

In Xhosa society, that was the natural thing to do. Jongintaba was the
head of the Madiba clan. In terms of custom, all the members of the clan
were treated like people in the same family because they were all descended
from the same ancestor. Mandela, or anyone else, could go to the home of
any fellow Madiba member in the sake village or in the village miles away
and know that he would get food and shelter.

In 1928, Nelson moved to the Great Place and shared a rondavel with
his cousin, Justice. The school was a rough building, and the two classes
were held in one room at the same time. Nelson learnt English, Geography
and History. He did not have writing books so he wrote on slates.

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 Each day after school, He and Justice went to the fields to look after
the cattle, and to drive them back to the kraal in the evening for milking.
Source: www.readbag.com/oxfam-uk-education-
Resources-nelson-mandela-files-lesson1-
biography-and-autobiography-information-
exercise

An Autobiography
(Excerpt from” Long Walk to Freedom” by Nelson Mandela)

My mother presided over three rondavels at Qunu which, as I

remember, were always filled with the babies and children of my relations.
In fact, I hardly recall any occasion as a child when I was alone. In African
culture, the sons and daughters of one’s aunts or uncles are considered
brothers and sisters, not cousins. We do not make the same distinctions
among relations practiced by Europeans. We have no half- brothers or half-
sisters. My mother’s sister is my mother; my uncle’s son is my brother.

Of my mother’s three huts, one was used for cooking, one for sleeping
and one for storage. In the hut which we slept, there was no furniture.

We slept on mats and sat on the ground. I did not discover pillows
until I went away to school. The stove on which my mother cooked was a
three- legged iron pot that rested on a grate over a hole in the ground.
Everything we ate grew and made ourselves. My mother planted and
harvested her own mealies. After harvesting the mealies, the women ground
the kernels between two stones. The portion of this was made into bread,
while the rest was dried and stored in pots. Unlike mealies, which were
sometimes in short supply, milk from our cows and goats was always
plentiful.

From an early age, I spent most of my free time in the veld playing and
fighting with the other boys in the village. A boy who remained at home tied
to his mother’s apron strings was regarded as a sissy. At night, I shared my
food and blanket with these same boys. I was no more than five when I
became a herd boy, looking after sheep and calves in the fields. I discovered
the almost mystical attachment that the Xhosa have for cattle, not only as a
source of food and wealth, but as a blessing from God and a source of
happiness. It was in the fields that I learned how to knock birds out of the
sky with a slingshot, to gather wild honey and fruits and edible roots, to
drink warm, sweet milk straight from the udder of a cow, to swim in the
clear, cold streams, and to catch fish with twine and sharpened bits of wire.
I learned to stick-fight—essential knowledge to any rural African boy—and
became adept at its various techniques, parrying blows, feinting in one
direction, striking in another, breaking away from an opponent with quick

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footwork. From these days I date my love of the veld, of open spaces, the
simple beauties of nature, the clean lines of the horizon.

Source: https://archive.org/stream/Long
WalkToFreedomNelsonMandela.pdf/
Long%20walk%20to%20Freedom%20
Nelson%20Mandela.pdf_djvu.txt

Activity: Dig in!

A.Share your ideas about the passage that you just read. Whenever you
can refer back to the text to check your ideas and answers.

1. Who is Nelson Mandela?

_____________________________________________________________________
2. What does the text show about Mandela’s childhood?
_____________________________________________________________________
3. Why is Mandela considered a Thembu Prince?
_____________________________________________________________________
4. Describe Mandela’s family.
_____________________________________________________________________
5. What kind of picture did Mandela paint about his childhood?
_____________________________________________________________________

B.Below are African words taken from the passages above. Give the
meaning of these words. Look for the hint that will tell you the
meaning of these South African words.

1. Xhosa - _____________________________________________
2. Rolihlahla - _____________________________________________
3. Thembuland - _____________________________________________
4. Qaba - _____________________________________________
5. Qunu - _____________________________________________

Let Us Practice
Activity: Getting the Meaning of Words That Reflect Culture
The authors of the personal narratives above used a number of
South African words that reflect the local culture. Some of these words
have already been adapted by the English language. Locate the words in
the first column from the passages above. Then, give what is needed to
complete the tables.
Table A. Use context clues to determine the meaning of the words below.
Table B. Consult a dictionary to compare their meanings and get more
information about the words other spellings and pronunciations.
Table C. Use the given words in a sentence.

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A.
Word Derived Meaning ( Using Context Clues )
1. kraal

2. mealie

3. amasi

4. veld

5. rondavels

B.
Word Other Spellings Pronunciation Dictionary Meaning
1. kraal

2. mealie

3. amasi

4. veld

5. rondavels

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C.
Word Sentence
1. kraal

2. mealie

3. amasi

4. veld

5. rondavels

Let Us Practice More

You do not have to check the dictionary for every word you do
not understand. Very often, you can get its meaning from clues
in the sentence where the word is found. You call these hints context
clues.
There
are Context clues indicate which of the possible meanings of a word is
intended by the writer or speaker.

several types of clues:

1. Definition: You must try to fulfill your oath because it is a solemn
promise.
Notice that solemn promise defines oath.
*It defines the precise meaning of a vocabulary word in the
sentence itself, usually immediately or closely following the
vocabulary word.
2. Restatement: The result of the investigation is unpredictable. No one
knows what the result will be.
When no one knows what the result will be, the result is
unpredictable.
*Restatement is signaled by a word or a punctuation mark.

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3. Example: She went into seclusion. No one come to see her, and she
refused to see anymore.
The two details given in the second sentence explain what
seclusion means.
*Specific examples are also used to define the term.
Celestial bodies, such as the sun, moon, and stars, are
governed by predictable laws.
4. Multiple meanings, depending on neighboring words
a. This figure is a square. (geometrical figure)
b. Let us give him a square meal. (satisfying meal)
c. Try to square yourself. (adjust or set yourself right)
d. They will perform a square dance. (a kind of dance)
Square is used with different meaning in each sentence.

Activity: Getting Meaning through Context Clues

Find out the meaning of each italicized word by using context clues.
Write the definition based on your understanding on the line.

__________________________1. The fog was so heavy that it was impossible to

see and avoid the oncoming car. The collision
was inevitable.
__________________________2. This is a difficult experiment that requires
careful performance. You will not be able to get
correct results if you do it in a haphazard
manner.
__________________________3. That is a valid statement; I have no doubt that
it is true.
__________________________4. There was a general exodus from the room
when the alarm sounded; all the students left.

__________________________5. Anna can make a dull gift package look

beautiful; she is adept at gift wrapping and
tying ribbons.
__________________________6. This room is free from noise; it is conducive to
study.
__________________________7. These days, a computer is an indispensable
tool in many businesses. Companies cannot
live without it.
__________________________8. She does not like to meet people; she is an
introvert.
__________________________9. He is an extrovert; he is a very sociable person.
_________________________10. The scene was painted on the wall. It made an
attractive mural.
_________________________11. The man planned the bombing; it was certainly
premeditated.

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_________________________12. Because he is always boasting, he is known as
a braggart.
_________________________13. We must enter holy places with reverence.
_________________________14. Efren found the statement wrong and refuted
it.
_________________________15. The infirm old man was confined in bed and
looked after by a nurse.

Let Us Remember
To summarize your learnings, please answer the following
questions.
1. How did you answer the different activities presented?
What reading strategy did you use in unlocking the meaning of
unfamiliar words especially words that reflect culture?
2. What are the four types of clues?

Let Us Assess
Find out the meaning of the English words of African origin by
using context clues.Tell which context clue does the following
sentence utilize. Follow the format below.

Word Meaning Type of Context

Clue

*Definition,
*Restatement,
*Example,
*Multiple meanings
1. dengue
2.mambo
3.jumbo

1. Mosquitoes have been known to spread fatal illnesses such as dengue

fever and many other serious diseases.
2. Salsa embraces elements of rumba and mambo, Afro-Cuban jazz,
Bossa Nova, and Afro-American Soul or Latin Rock.
3. The Ninoy International Airportis jam-packed with jumbo jets, big
aircraft that can carry tourists, business people, airline personnel,
and others who were stranded due to the strong typhoon.
4. Boxing is a very technical sport and therefore has a unique
terminology. You should ask help to decipher the mumbo jumbo of
the association.
5. After COVID pandemic, we would like to go on an expedition to
photograph snakes and tigers in East Africa, it will be a great safari.

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 6. Because he feels bewitched, he claimed his neighbor had voodooed
him.
7. Basenji is a breed of hunting dogs, and deceivingly powerful for their
size.
8. They call the unfastened bag with parallel handles that emerge from
the sides of its pouch "tote."
9. The word lapa is an indigenous Southern African Sotho and Tswana
word that means'"enclosure" or "barbecue area."
10. We can hear loud rock and heavy metal music blaring from a music
box calledjukebox.

Let Us Enhance
Activity: Explaining word Meaning
Study the following paragraphs. Without using the dictionary,
explain the meaning of each underlined word using context clues.

Despite the (1) tremendous success of the space program, which is

really very great, much still remains to be done. It will be some time before
man will have the (2) capability to settle on planets- he has to use energy,
such as rocket power in space vehicles.

One step in making such flights possible is the development of a (3)

space station- a kind of (4) orbiting platform, going around the earth. This
will be used as a place for vehicles where astronauts can get off before
proceeding to the planets.

The next thing to be mastered is the (5) rendezvous- the meeting in

space of two or more vehicles, such as Gemini 6 and Gemini 7. When this
(6) maneuver- a complicated tie-up process- is perfected, large space
stations can be assembled after sending parts (7) aloft in space.

The first orbiting stations will probably be mere space laboratories

where human beings will test their ability to (8) survive under difficult
conditions for months or years. These space stations could be used to (9)
disseminate information to earth.

1. 6.
2. 7.
3. 8.
4. 9.
5.

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 Let Us Reflect

Reading is one of the core activities of study but reading with

comprehension is vital. It has a wide-ranging impact that influences
everything from daily life and will lead to success. But undeniably, some
words are hard to understand which interferes with your ability to
comprehend what is read. The skill that you learned will enhance your
comprehension. It will help you whenever a dictionary or internet is
unavailable during your readings or exams. Congratulations! You’ve
completed your first module.

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Answer key to Activities

Pre-Test Pre-Test
A
1. D B
2. A 11. B
3. H 12. B
4. B 13. B
5. I 14. C
6. G 15. A
7. F 16. B
8. C 17. C
9. J 18. E
10.E 19. A
20. D

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 Answer key to Activities

Activity: Dig in!

A. Answers may vary.
B.
1. Xhosa - African name
2. Rolihlahla - European name which meant literally “pulling the
branch of a tree” meant more colloquially as
“troublemaker”
3. Thembuland - Peasant village
4. Qaba - Faith that involves worshiping of ancestral spirits
5. Qunu - A settlement of beehive-shaped huts in a narrow valley

Activity: Getting the Meaning of Words That Reflect Culture

A.
Word Derived Meaning ( Using Context Clues )
1. kraal Whitewashed huts
2. mealie Corn
3. amasi Fermented milk
4. veld Open field
5. rondavels A collection of beehive-shaped huts with thatch roofs
B.
Word Other Spellings Pronunciation Dictionary Meaning
1. kraal craal or kraul \ ˈkrȯ l  , ˈkräl \ 1a: a village of southern
African
natives
b: the native village
community
2: an enclosure for
animals
especially in southern
Africa
2. mealie mielie  \ ˈmē-lē  \ corn, especially sweet corn
3. amasi Maas /æˈmɑsi/ fermented milk that tastes
like cottage cheese or plain
yogurt.
4. veld Veldt \ ˈvelt  \ a grassland especially of
southern Africa usually
with scattered shrubs or
trees
5. rondavels rondawel   \ ˈrändəˌvel \ 1: a round native hut of

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 southern Africa
usually
made of mud and
having a
thatched roof of grass
2: a round house
resembling a
native hut often used
as a
guesthouse or tourist
dwelling in southern
Africa

C.Answers may vary.

Activity: English words of African origin

1.Fatal illness caused by mosquitoes
2. A kind of dance
3. Big, large aircraft
4. A state of confusion
5. An expedition

Activity: Getting Meaning through Context Clues

1.impossible to see and avoid
2.is a difficult experiment that requires careful performance- should no be
done carelessly
3.it is true
4.all the students left-evacuate
5.can make a dull gift package look beautiful- skillful
6.free from noise- helpful
7.Companies cannot live without it- it is necessary or important
8.She does not like to meet people- shy
9.he is a very sociable person- friendly
10.The scene was painted on the wall- painting
11.The man planned the bombing- planned
12.Because he is always boasting- a boaster
13.enter holy places- respect
14.Efren found the statement wrong and- disproved or negated
15.was confined in bed and looked after by a nurse- sick

Let Us Assess

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 Word Meaning Type of Context
Clue
1. dengue Mosquitoes have been Example
known to spread fatal
illnesses
2. mambo music Example
3. jumbo Big/large Definition
4. mumbo jumbo has a unique Restatement
terminology/ jargon
5. safari an expedition Definition
6. voodooed bewitched Restatement
7. Basenji breed of hunting dogs Definition
8. tote unfastened bag with Definition
parallel handles that
emerge from the sides of
its pouch
9. lapa an indigenous Southern Definition
African Sotho and
Tswana word that
means '"enclosure" or
"barbecue area"
10. jukebox Loud rock and heavy Definition
metal music box

Let Us Enhance
1.really very great
2. ability or skill to use energy, such as rocket power in space vehicles
3.a place for vehicles
4. for vehicles where astronauts can get on or off before
5.the meeting in space of two or more vehicles
6.a complicated tie-up process/ movement
7.up
8.live
9.broadcast

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