English Literature Examination-Grade 10

Paper One-Comprehension
Answer ALL questions on this paper. EACH !E"#$O% $" &O'#H ($(#EE% )A'*"
"EC#$O% O%E-POE#'+
1. Read the following poem carefully and answer ALL the questions which follow.
#he Carpenter,s Complaint
Now you think that is right, sah? Talk the truth.
The man was mi friend. I build it, I
uild the house that him li!e in" but now
That him dead, that mawga#foot bwoy, him son,
$ %ome say him want nice &ob for the coffin,
'o him gi!e it to Mister elna!is to make#
That big belly crook who don(t know him arse
)rom a chisel, but because him is big#shot because
*im make big shot coffin, fi#him coffin must better
1+ Than mine, woy, it hot me, it hot me
)or tue. )i- we a ne-( one .iss )ergie#
That man coulda knock back him waters, you know sah,
I remember the day in this said#same bar
/hen him drink 0ld rown and %o-s(n into
1$ The ground, then stand up straight as a plumbs#line
1nd keel him felt hat on him head and walk
*ome cool, cool, cool. 2em was water#bird brother,
)uneral? Me, sah? That bwoy ha!e to learn
That a man ha!e him pride. ut bless mi days,
3+ 4ood enough& t o make the house that him li!e in,
ut not good enough to make him coffin,
I woulda do it for nutt(n, The man
/as mi friend. 2amn mawga#foot bwoy.
Is uni!ersity turn him fool. I tell you,
It burn me, it burn me for true,
Edward -augh
a5 6i5 In what setting is the carpenter making his complaint? 6 1 mk5
6ii5 *ow do you know? 63 mks5
b5 riefly describe the speaker(s feelings about EACH of the following using e!idence
from the poem in support of your answer7
i. The dead man(s son 63 mks5
ii. The dead man 63 mks5
iii. elna!is 63 mks5
c5 8-plain the significance of the repeated 9I( 6italici:ed5 in line 3. 63 mks5
d5 ;oint out 0N8 instance in lines 1#1< that indicates that the speaker is aware of his
audience. 61 mk5
e5 ;oint out 0N8 way in which the poet(s use of creole contributes to the effect of the
poem. 63 mks5
"EC#$O% #&O-P'O"E
3. Read the following prose passage carefully and answer ALL the questions which follow
#he "treet
'he looked down at his hand. The skin was the colour of the underside of a fish#a
greyish white. There were long black hairs on the back of it#e!en on the fingers. It was a
boneless hand, thick co!ered with fat. 'he drew her arm away. *e was so saturated with
the smell of tobacco that it seeped from his skin, his clothing. The cigar in his flabby
fingers was rank, strong. 'een close to, the sodden mass of tobacco where he had
chewed the end of it sent a qui!er of re!ulsion through her.
9=ou know a good looking girl like you shouldn(t ha!e to worry about money,( he said
softly. 'he didn(t say anything and he continued, 9In fact if you and me can get together
a couple of nights a week in *arlem, those lessons won(t cost you a cent. No sir not a
cent.(
=es she thought, if you were born black and not too ugly, this is what you get, this is
what you find. It was a pity he hadn(t li!ed back in the days of sla!ery, so he could ha!e
raided the sla!e quarters for a likely wench any hour of the day or night. This is the
superior race, she said to herself, take a good look at him7 black, oily hair" slack, gross
body" grease spots on his !est" wrinkled shirt collar" cigar ashes on his suit" small pig
eyes engulfed in the fat of his face.
'he remembered the inkwell on the desk in back of him. 'he picked it up in a motion so
swift he had no time to guess her intent. 'he hurled it full force in his face. The ink
paused for a moment at the obstruction of his eyebrows, then dripped down o!er the fat
&owls, o!er the wrinkled collar, the grease stained !est" trickled o!er his mouth.
8-cerpt from #HE "#'EE# by 1nn ;etry
a. *ow does the woman in the passage characteri:e herself? 63
mks5
b. /hy does the character draw her arm away in paragraph 1 6lines1#>5? 63
mks5
c. In line 13 when the woman thinks, ?This is the superior race,@
i. /hat tone is she using
ii. /hat emotions does she feel 6A mks5
d. /hat does the comparison ?small pig eyes@ 6line 1A5 suggest about the man?
6A mks5
e. /hy does the female character react the way she does in the final paragraph?
6B mks5