REAKANTSWE SECONDARY SCHOOL

ENGLISH FIRST ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE

GRADE 9 LITERATURE TEST

MARKS: 30 DATE: SEPTEMBER 2023

Examiner: A Makaise

Moderator: MM Lebona

Instructions:

- This questions paper consists of THREE Sections:

A. Section A – Poetry
B. Section B – Folklore
C. Section C – Short Stories
- Answer ALL questions contained in this paper.
- Read your instructions clearly and thoroughly before you write.
- Write neatly and legibly.
SECTION A: POETRY

A Poison Tree (William Blake)

1. Read the poem below, and answer the questions that follow.

A Poison Tree
I was angry at my friend:
I told my wrath, my wrath did end.
I was angry at my foe:
I told it not, my wrath did grow.
And I watered it in fears,
Night and morning with my tears;
And I sunned it with smiles,
And with soft deceitful wiles.
And it grew both day and night,
Till it bore an apple bright.
And my foe beheld it shine.
And he knew that it was mine,
And into my garden stole
When the night had veiled the pole;
In the morning glad I see
My foe outstretched beneath the tree.

QUESTION 1

1.1. Provide the synonyms of the following words:

1.1.1. Foe (1)
1.1.2. Wrath (1)
1.2. Identify the form of comparison used in stanza 2. (1)
1.3. Define the form of comparison mentioned in 1.2. (2)
1.4. What happens in the last stanza? (2)
1.5. Explain in your own words, the theme or message of this poem. (3)

[10 marks]
SECTION B: FOLKLORE

QUESTION 2: THE SNAKE CHIEF

2. Read the extract below, and answer the questions that follow.

A huge snake appeared and slithered into the hut. This large serpent had five
heads, and as it coiled itself up in the corner of the hut it spoke to the girl in a
cold, hissing voice.
“Do you know that I am the chief?” asked the snake. “Bring the food to me!
Does my appearance scare you?” The girl was too fearful to speak, but she
took the bread to the snake and he started to eat it. He uttered a piercing
scream and spat the food out and hissed, Thus supper is so badly cooked. I
refuse to have you for a wife, so I shall slay you!”

2.1. Why did the older sister leave her village alone? (1)
2.2. How did her father feel about her elder daughter leaving alone and why?
(2)
2.3. Identify one adjective used in the first sentence, from the passage above.
(1)
2.4. In your own words, how would you characterise the elderly daughter?
Provide two answers. (2)
2.5. Between the younger and the older daughter, who did the chief marry?
Provide two reasons for this. (3)
2.6. What happened to the older daughter? (1)
[10 marks]
SECTION C: SHORT STORY

QUESTION 3: THE DEAD MAN’S PATH

3. Read the passage below, and answer the questions that follow.

Michael Obi’s hopes were fulfilled much earlier than he had expected. He
was appointed headmaster of Ndume Central School in January 1949. It
had always been an unprogressive school, so the Mission authorities
decided to send a young and energetic man to run it. Obi accepted this
responsibility with enthusiasm. He had many wonderful ideas and this was
an opportunity to put them into practice. He had had sound secondary
school education which designated him a ‘pivotal teacher’ in the official
records and set him apart from the other headmasters in the mission field.
He was outspoken in his condemnation of the narrow views of these older
and often less-educated ones.

3.1. State two qualities of Mr Michael Obi from paragraph 1. (2)

3.2. State three reasons why the footpath was so important to the community.
(3)
3.3. Who came to plead with Mr Obi to re-open the path? (1)
3.4. Explain what happened two days after the headmaster closed the path. (2)
3.5. Who do you think destroyed the school gardens, hedges and building?
Explain why. (2)
[10 marks]

Grand total: 30 marks