YELLOW WOOD ENVIRONMENTAL

PREPARATORY SCHOOL

ENGLISH FIRST LANGUAGE

GRADE 9 – FOUNDATION 2
BASELINE ASSESSMENT 2024

Student Name: .

Student Surname: .

Assessment Date: .

Mark: / 35 Percentage : %

Assessor: Moderator : .

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Ms Scott Yellow Wood Environmental Preparatory School
English First Language Grade 9 – Foundation 2

Yellow Wood Environmental Preparatory School

Grade 9 – Foundation 2| Term 1 | Formal Assessment

English First Language

Baseline Assessment
TOTAL: 35

INSTRUCTIONS
1. READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST
2. Read all questions carefully.
3. Please answer ALL questions in full.
4. Answer all questions in the spaces provided on the question paper.
5. You have 60 minutes.
6. You should pay attention to punctuation, spelling and handwriting.
7. The number of marks is given in brackets at the end of each question or part question.
8. The total number of marks for this paper is 35.
9. Please write in a BLUE PEN.
10. Good luck!!

SECTION A: Comprehension
Question 1 – Text A
Read the following newspaper article and answer the questions that follow.

Bird Brains at Work

by Anita N. Amin

Next time you see a pigeon flying across the sky, look at it carefully! Is it holding
a can? Or a camera? Or wearing a backpack? If it's a carrier pigeon, it just
might be a working bird.

You've probably heard of working dogs that help police officers, or horses that
help farmers. Did you know that carrier pigeons can be trained to help people
too? What kind of jobs do these birds perform?

Mailman
Carrier pigeons can be trained to carry messages to people. The note is placed
into a small skinny can.The can is tied to the pigeon’s leg. Then the pigeon flies
off to deliver the note.
Carrier pigeons are good messengers because they’re fast and can fly long
distances. They also have a good sense of direction. They can even reach
places that people can’t.
More than 800 years ago, Genghis Khan, an Asian ruler set up pigeon post
offices across his lands! As recently as 2010, Cuba used pigeons to send
election results to its mountain people.

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Ms Scott Yellow Wood Environmental Preparatory School
English First Language Grade 9 – Foundation 2

Lifeguard
From high up in the sky, specially trained pigeons
can spot orange life jackets in the ocean.
Sometimes it is difficult for humans to spot
people lost at sea, especially when the weather is
bad. However, pigeons can fly quickly over a
large area of water in search of people.

Spy
Many years ago, carrier pigeons were used to help our country during wars. “Spy
pigeons” had small cameras that were tied to their feet. As a pigeon flew over
enemy land, the camera snapped photos of the land below. This would allow
our military to see where the enemies were and what they were doing.The
pigeons have probably saved many soldiers' lives.These “spy” birds had a
dangerous job. They had to dodge bullets, poisonous gas, and bullies like
hawks.During World Wars 1 and 2, the USA and its allies even had huge pigeon
armies. Thousands of pigeons served! They were like flying soldiers. A few even
received medals for their brave work.

Scientist’s Helper
In 2006, a group of scientists used pigeons to study air pollution in California.
Special backpacks with miniature cell phones were strapped onto pigeons. As
the pigeons flew, machines in the backpacks tested to see what gases were in
the air. The cell phones sent information about the air to the scientists.

Bird Brains at Work

So next time you see a pigeon, stop and watch it closely. What might look like
an ordinary bird to most people might actually be a hard-working mailcarrier, a
scientist, a lifeguard, or even a spy!

Super Teacher Worksheets - www.superteacherworksheets.com 430 words

1.1. What did Genghis Kahn use pigeons for 800 years ago? (1)
a. He used pigeons to deliver election results.
b. He used pigeons to find people lost at sea.
c. He used pigeons to carry messages.
d. He kept pigeons as pets.
1.2. What was the author's purpose for writing this article? (2)
a. to share fictional stories about pigeons helping people
b. to teach readers about the lives of wild pigeons
c. to persuade readers into liking pigeons more
d. to teach readers about real jobs held by carrier pigeons
1.3. The meaning of the word “HAWK” is: (2)
a. Plane
b. Rocket
c. Bird
d. Security agency

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Ms Scott Yellow Wood Environmental Preparatory School
English First Language Grade 9 – Foundation 2

1.4. Explain how pigeons have helped our military during wartimes. (2)
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1.5. Do you think our country's military still uses carrier pigeons? Why or why not? (2)
__________________________________________________________________________________
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1.6. State if the following is TRUE or FALSE and provide an example to prove this. (2)
Pigeons are able to spot orange life jackets because the fly slowly over the ocean.
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1.7. Who is the author of this article? (1)
__________________________________________________________________________________
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1.8. Provide an antonym for the word “miniature”. (2)
__________________________________________________________________________________
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1.9. In which year were pigeons used to study gases in the air? (1)
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
[15]

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Ms Scott Yellow Wood Environmental Preparatory School
English First Language Grade 9 – Foundation 2

SECTION B: Language structures and conventions

Question 2 – Text B
Look at the advertisement below, and answer the questions that follow.

For kids 12 years and younger. 1 free kids’ meal (off the kids’ menu) per dining adult ordering a main meal (excludes starters and
desserts). Should there be more than 1 child per dining adult; the more expensive kids’ meal will be charged for. Not available when any
other special or promotion. Eat-in only.
2.1. What product is being advertised and by whom is it advertised? (2)
__________________________________________________________________________________
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2.2. Who is the target market of the advertisement? (1)
__________________________________________________________________________________
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2.3. When is this promotion valid? (1)
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
2.4. Did this advertisement catch your attention? Explain why. (2)
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________

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Ms Scott Yellow Wood Environmental Preparatory School
English First Language Grade 9 – Foundation 2

Question 3 – Text C
Read the text below and answer the questions which follow.

Dear Dudu

My husband and I have been happily married for five years. We have a young son. Three weeks ago,
he walked out on us. He said that he had had enough and was leaving because of the debt we are in.
We have debt, but it is not unmanageable and was never a big problem. I felt he was using debt as an
excuse.

He came over a few weeks ago and I looked at his cellphone messages. He is in love with another
woman. I phoned her and she says that she lives in Durban and met him when she was in
Johannesburg one weekend. He told her that he was not married.

My child cries for him every day and it is breaking my heart. I cannot believe this is happening to me
because we were so happy.

I haven’t told anybody because I am so ashamed. It is the last thing I would ever have expected to
happen to me. What should I do? I’m asking desperately.

Mrs. Welling
Sad and Hurt, Soweto
(Sowetan, 3 July 2009)
3.1. Match column A with column B. Only write the correct LETTER next to the question number. (5)
Column A Column B Answer
3.1.1. We have a young son. A Adverb
3.1.2. He is in love with another B Verb
woman.
3.1.3. I phoned her and she says that C Abstract noun
she lives in Durban
3.1.4. My child cries for him every day D Proper noun
3.1.5 I’m asking desperately E Adjective
F Collective noun
3.2. State if the following is said FIGURATIVELY or LITERALLY. Explain your answer. (2)
“My child cries for him every day and it is breaking my heart.”
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3.3. Find the TWO language errors in the following statement. Write them down and correct them. (2)
“I phond her and she says that she live in Durban and met him when she was in Johannesburg one
weekend.”
INCORRECT WORD CORRECT WORD

[15]
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Ms Scott Yellow Wood Environmental Preparatory School
English First Language Grade 9 – Foundation 2

SECTION C: Writing (5)

Question 4
Mrs. Welling did not use the correct format in her letter.
Show the correct format by writing in the needed information in the box provided.
Spelling, punctuation and the format is very important!
Dudu lives in Krugersdorp.
The postal code is 2255
DUDU’s ADDRESS
He lives in Red Street, house number 35
The date the letter was written on was the 5 January 2018

ANSWER

Dear Dudu

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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GRAND TOTAL 35