Cambridge International AS Level English General Paper

Answers to coursebook questions

Chapter 4.2 Parts of speech that add detail
All answers were written by the author. In examination, the way marks would be awarded to answers
like these may be different.

Activity 1
2–3 Answers will vary.

Activity 2
a–e Answers will vary, but each phrase should include the preposition + a noun or pronoun as the
object. Students may (but are not required to) include modifiers.

Activity 3
1    a in 1899; for his simplified style; of writing
b on an ambulance unit; in the Italian army
c Following an injury; by the Italian government
d as a reporter; for both Canadian and US news sources; to Europe; like the Greek Revolution
e like these; for some; of the greatest works; of literature; in the US literary canon
f about a group; of American and British expatriates; in Paris; of post-war resilience
g on his experiences; in the Spanish Civil War
2    a American writer Ernest Hemingway used his military experiences as the basis for some of his
greatest literary works.
b Without prepositional phrases, ideas feel vague and incomplete, for example, sentence c
would merely read, ‘He was decorated’, which is vague, and sentence f would make little
sense at all: ‘The Sun Also Rises is and explores the notion.’

Activity 4
In his first novel; of Ivanhoe; with its mix; of realist and surrealist depictions; of his hometown; of
Glasgow; as a cult classic; for his extraordinary imagination; about love and persistence; With regard;
to his style; of international icons; like Dante, Kafka, Joyce and Carroll

Activity 5
Fragments include:
•• And use it to escape the mundane [mundanity] of everyday life.
•• For this reason, the intriguing plot lines of tales like George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones.
•• The dragon eggs, for example.
•• Hatching formidable beasts which help one of the main characters fight her adversaries for
the throne.
•• Making selections like Martin’s a ‘good read’, indeed.
For the revisions, answers will vary, but students may add verbs to complete a thought, use
coordinating conjunctions as well as punctuation to join ideas, etc.

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Cambridge International AS Level English General Paper

Activity 6
Edits will vary; you can use the following examples as a guide regarding which sentences contain
errors and how they may be edited:
•• He thought he was in luck because the lettuce was fresh and the tomatoes were ripe.
•• However, while he was waiting for a deli order, the lights began to flicker.
•• He watched the salad dressing oozing slowly across the floor.
•• The tomatoes fell onto the pavement as he came out of the market.
•• Suddenly, as he was driving down the road, he saw an injured dog.
•• Jackson led the cat, whose tail was held high, to the car.

Activity 7
In each of the following answers, the adjective is emboldened and the noun/pronoun it modifies
is underlined. You may choose to include (or not) the articles a, an and the. The terms ‘subsistence
farming’, ‘radio motor’, ‘wind turbines’, ‘wind energy’, ‘fan blades’ ‘scrap yard’ and ‘shock absorber’
are treated as compound nouns.
1 A twenty-nine-year-old Malawian native, William Kamkwamba, is now famous for his recent
remarkable achievements and brilliant mind.
2 His book, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, tells the autobiographical tale of how he saved
his poverty-stricken village from devastating circumstances.
3 Kamkwamba was born in a poor rural community in Malawi, so his early life was difficult; his
family relied on the meagre fruits of subsistence farming for survival.
4 In 2001, when he was just 13, a major famine swept through Malawi, claiming innocent lives and
destroying entire communities.
5 At the peak of this crisis, roughly 70 per cent of the nation’s farmers were considered at risk
of starvation.
6 Food was scarce, and without steady income, Kamkwamba’s family could not afford to send him
to a proper secondary school.
7 A natural and avid learner, William felt devastated.
8 Determined to maintain a sharp mind, Kamkwamba spent many hours studying science books
at the local lending library where he developed a deep passion for engineering.
9 One book concerning wind turbines attracted a lot of interest from him.
10 He was astounded to learn that wind energy could provide reliable electricity and could
power irrigation.
11 A crude, Kerosene-powered generator was the only source of energy his family possessed at
that time.
12 Since the engine was costly, expensive and unreliable, Kamkwamba started by fashioning a
prototype windmill from an old radio motor.
13 He set about building his first real windmill, salvaging what he could from an old scrap yard.
14 Most villagers felt sceptical, but Kamkwamba continued to build his windmill with an old
bicycle, one dynamo, several flimsy PVC pipes, the fan blades from a defunct tractor, and a
shock absorber.
15 News of this jaw-dropping achievement spread across the country, and before long, his
remarkable foundation, Moving Windmills, began delivering numerous life-changing
development projects across the country.

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Cambridge International AS Level English General Paper

Activity 8
Adjective Noun or pronoun it modifies
my parents
these, earliest settlers
tribal reserves
so-called, independent homeland
northwestern corner
specious independence
no, other country
Pretoria regime
other two
these archipelagos
their, political rights
Venda people
anointed dictator
two elections
untempered repression

Activity 9
In each of the following answers, the adverb is emboldened, and the verb/adjective/adverb it
modifies is underlined.
1 Enjoy the spring of your youth now because time passes rather quickly.
2 Like wine, life oozes ceaselessly from our cup; like falling leaves, life floats daintily away from
our grasp.
(Note: the adverb away modifies floats, and daintily modifies away.)
3 There is only one way to live: graciously appreciate the present!
4 The journey of life continues forward; do not worry needlessly about the future.
5 Today you should enjoy the fruits of life: music, leisure, and love!
6 We can hardly believe what the future brings until we experience it ourselves.
7 We are quite surprised by our inability to change the past, but our actions cannot be reversed, so
choose your path wisely.
8 If we could grasp our fate entirely, we could control the outcome better, but it is not our
decision to make.

Activity 10
Answers will vary; possible options are listed here in bold within brackets.
A ‘Top 10’ list of recommended literature for high schoolers will (usually, mostly) reveal the works
of ‘greats’ like Shakespeare, Kafka, Socrates, Melville, among others. (Hardly anyone / Almost
no-one) will argue that these selections are valuable, even today. Yet more and more teachers are
looking to contemporary reads like Life of Pi and The Kite Runner as opposed to Metamorphosis or
the work of Socrates. A more multicultural approach to writing is (somewhat, definitely, probably)
needed these days. Classic literature is (hardly ever, barely, rarely) written by anyone other than
dead white males, which is (probably) why the shift began in the first place. Moreover, (most, many)
of the teachers blame the battle against technology to maintain students’ attention. Students are
(usually, often, definitely, apparently, somewhat, arguably, probably, mainly) more entertained

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by smartphones, tablet technology and video games, making the competition to regain their
interests hard. If classic literature stays in the curriculum, enticing them to love reading (probably
won’t / may not (necessarily, really)) happen.

Activity 11
Possible answers:
1 Some options may include: Also, Furthermore, Meanwhile, However
2 however
3 Consequently, Still, Nevertheless
4 therefore, thus, still
5 Meanwhile, Consequently

Activity 12
1 Incorrect: include a semicolon after ‘identify’ and a comma after ‘moreover’
A wide-ranging variety of literature offers so many different characters, personalities and
experiences with which students can identify; moreover, this helps teachers open conversations
on hard issues such as race, gender and opportunity.
2 Incorrect: include a semicolon after ‘students’ and a comma after ‘meanwhile’
Some school districts provide a required reading list for students; meanwhile, others let the
teachers decide on which texts to pursue.
3 Incorrect: include a comma after ‘furthermore’
Furthermore, instead of grappling with ancient language, students can immerse themselves in
tales they can relate to and rush head first into a love for reading.
4 Correct

Exam-style questions
Answers will vary. Refer to the coursebook Chapter 1.1, section E Criteria for assessing essays for
more guidance on assessing essays.

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