TABLE OF CATEGORIES FOR READING COMPREHENSION

The table describes the four reading categories assessed in English 12 Reading Comprehension.
READING CATEGORIES
Retrieve Information (RI)
The reader locates information that is found in the text. No inferences or interpretations are
required. The information is usually contained within a phrase or sentence.
Recognize Meaning (RM)
The reader uses information provided in the text and understands an equivalent statement or
reformulates it in her/his own words. The reader comprehends the use of literary and stylistic
terms and devices. The information is usually contained within a phrase or sentence.
Interpret Texts (IT)
The reader integrates ideas and information to show an understanding or interpretation. The
information may be implicit and open to interpretation. Information may need to be inferred,
filled-in or linked across parts of a text. The information is generally derived across the text,
but may sometimes be found in a word or sentence.
Analyze Texts (AT)
The reader takes a stance, evaluating and making judgments about aspects of the text or the
authors purpose, perspective, craft and effectiveness. The evaluation may focus on personal
reactions and opinions, or on critical analysis. The evaluation may require information to be
integrated or transformed. The reader may make connections with other texts, or synthesize
information from multiple texts.
The following diagram illustrates that the four categories in the table are interconnected.
Subsequent categories subsume the preceding categories. For example, although closely related,
retrieving information is generally a prerequisite to recognizing meaning.

Analyze
Texts
Interpret
Texts

Recognize
Meaning

Retrieve
Information

Ministry of Education
2016/17 School Year

-1-

English 12
Table of Categories For Reading Comprehension

ENGLISH 12
TABLE OF SPECIFICATIONS AND DESCRIPTION OF EXAMINATION

TABLE OF SPECIFICATIONS
CURRICULUM
ORGANIZER

Reading and
Viewing

Writing and
Representing

Writing and
Representing

EXAMINATION
PART

QUESTION
TOTALS

READING CATEGORIES

WEIGHTING

RI

RM

IT

AT

Part A:
Stand-Alone Text

1
multiple
choice

2
multiple
choice

3
multiple
choice
1 written
response

1
multiple
choice

Part B:
Synthesis Texts
1 and 2

2
multiple
choice

4
multiple
choice

8
multiple
choice

14
multiple
choice

17%

2
multiple
choice
1 written
response

30%

Part C:
Analysis of
Synthesis Texts
1 and 2

Part D:
Composition

2
multiple
choice
1 written
response

4%

7%

27%

32%

WRITING

7
multiple
choice
1 written
response

Weighting of examination
for reading: 70%
1 written
response

1 written response

23%

30%

Weighting of examination
for writing: 30%
TOTALS

23
multiple
choice

100%

3 written
response
The number of questions given for each reading category is approximate.
Actual numbers may fluctuate.
The Table of Specifications provides weightings for the reading categories and for writing.

Ministry of Education
2016/17 School Year

-1-

English 12
Table of Specifications and Description of Examination

ENGLISH 12
SCORING GUIDE FOR STAND-ALONE TEXT
This is a first-draft response and should be assessed as such. The use of paragraph structure is assessed
holistically with reference to the clarity of expression and organization.

6
The six response is superior and may draw upon any number of factors, such as depth of discussion,

effectiveness of argument, or level of insight. It exhibits an effective writing style and a sophisticated use
of language. Despite its clarity and precision, the response need not be error-free.
5
The five response is proficient and reflects a strong grasp of the topic and the text. The references to the
passage may be explicit or implicit and convincingly support a thesis. The writing is well organized and
demonstrates a strong command of the conventions of language. Errors may be present, but are not
distracting.
4
The four response is competent. The assertions tend to be simplistic; there are no significant errors in
understanding. References are present and appropriate, but may be limited to only part of the text. The
writing is organized and straightforward. Conventions of language are usually followed, but some errors
are evident.
3
The three response is barely adequate. Understanding of the topic and/or the text may be partially flawed.
Support may consist of long references to the text which are not clearly connected to a central idea or may
be meagre or repetitive. The response may show some sense of purpose, but errors may be distracting.
2
The two response is inadequate. While there is an attempt to address the topic, understanding of the text or
the task may be seriously flawed. Errors are recurring, distracting, and often impede meaning.
1
The one response is unacceptable. Although the response attempts to address the question, it is too brief or
there is a complete lack of control in the writing.
0
The zero response reflects a complete misunderstanding of the text and/or the task, is off-topic, or is a
restatement of the question.
*Any zero paper must be cleared by the section leader.
NR
A blank paper with no response given.

Ministry of Education
2016/17 School Year

-1-

English 12
Scoring Guides

ENGLISH 12
SCORING GUIDE FOR ANALYSIS OF SYNTHESIS TEXTS 1 AND 2
This is a first-draft response and should be assessed as such.
The response is assessed holistically.

6
The six essay is superior, demonstrating an insightful understanding of the texts. The essay shows a
sophisticated approach to synthesis, including pertinent references. The writing style is effective and
demonstrates skillful control of language. Despite its clarity and precision, the essay need not be errorfree.
5
The five essay is proficient, demonstrating a clear understanding of the texts at an interpretive level.
The essay clearly synthesizes the concepts within the texts. References may be explicit or implicit and
convincingly support the analysis. The writing is well organized and reflects a strong command of the
conventions of language. Errors may be present, but are not distracting.
4
The four essay is competent. Understanding of the texts tends to be literal and superficial. Some synthesis
is apparent. The essay may rely heavily on paraphrasing. References are present and appropriate, but may
be limited. The writing is organized and straightforward. Conventions of language are usually followed,
but some errors are evident.
3
The three essay is barely adequate. Understanding of the texts may be partially flawed. An attempt at
synthesis is evident. References to the texts are not clearly connected to a central idea or may be
repetitive. The response may be somewhat underdeveloped. A sense of purpose may be evident, but errors
can be distracting.
2
The two essay is inadequate. While there is an attempt to address the topic, understanding of the texts or
the task may be seriously flawed. An essay that makes reference to both texts but refers only fleetingly to
one of them is inadequate. The response may be seriously underdeveloped. Errors are recurring,
distracting, and impede meaning.
1
The one essay is unacceptable. Although the essay mentions both texts, the essay is too brief to address
the topic or there may be a complete lack of control in the writing.
0
The zero essay reflects a complete misunderstanding of the texts and/or the task, or is a restatement of the
question. Exclusive reference to only one text does not constitute synthesis. Exclusively narrative
responses reflect a complete misunderstanding of the task.
*Any zero paper must be cleared by the section leader.
NR
A blank paper with no response given.

Ministry of Education
2016/17 School Year

-2-

English 12
Scoring Guides

ENGLISH 12
SCORING GUIDE FOR COMPOSITION
A composition may apply any effective and appropriate method of development which includes any combination
of exposition, persuasion, description, and narration. No one form of writing should be considered superior to
another. This is a first-draft response and should be assessed as such.
The use of paragraph structure is assessed holistically with reference to the clarity of expression and
organization.

6
The six paper is superior and may draw upon any number of factors, such as maturity of style, depth of
discussion, effectiveness of argument, use of literary and/or rhetorical devices, sophistication of wit, or
quality of imagination. This composition exhibits an effective writing style and a sophisticated use of
language. Despite its clarity and precision, this paper need not be error-free.
5
The five paper is proficient. The composition displays some manipulation of language to achieve a
desired effect and exhibits a clear sense of voice and of audience. The writing is thoughtful and
interesting. Vocabulary and sentence structure are varied and serve the writers purpose successfully.
Errors may be present, but are not distracting.
4
The four paper is competent. The composition conveys the writers ideas, but without flair or strong
control. Diction and syntax are usually appropriate, but lack variety. Structure, regardless of type, is
predictable and relatively mechanical. The paper shows a clear sense of the writers purpose. Conventions
of language are usually followed, but some errors are evident.
3
The three paper is barely adequate. The paper may feature somewhat underdeveloped or simplistic ideas.
Transition[s] may be weak or absent. Support is frequently in the form of listed details. Little variety in
diction and sentence structure is discernible. The composition may reflect some sense of purpose, but
errors may be distracting.
2
The two paper is inadequate. The ideas are seriously underdeveloped and awkwardly expressed. The
composition may be excessively colloquial or reflect inadequate knowledge of the conventions of
language. While meaning is apparent, errors are frequent and rudimentary.
1
The one paper is unacceptable and may be compromised by its deficiency of composition, content,
diction, syntax, structure, voice, or conventions of language.
0
The zero paper manifests an achievement less than outlined in a scale-point one, is written in verse,
is off-topic, or is a restatement of the topic.
*Any zero paper must be cleared by the section leader.
NR
A blank paper with no response given.

Ministry of Education
2016/17 School Year

-3-

English 12
Scoring Guides

MINISTRY USE ONLY

MINISTRY USE ONLY

MINISTRY USE ONLY

Question 1

Examination Rules
Marker 1

1. The time allotted for this examination is two hours.

You may, however, take up to 60 minutes of additional time to finish.
2. Answers entered in the Examination Booklet will not be marked.

0
Place Personal Education Number (PEN) here.

NR

NR

NR

NR

NR

NR

Place Personal Education Number (PEN) here.

Marker 2

3. Cheating on an examination will result in a mark of zero. The Ministry of Education

considers cheating to have occurred if students break any of the following rules:

Students must not be in possession of or have used any secure examination

materials prior to the examination session.
Students must not communicate with other students during the examination.

Question 2

Course Code = EN 12

Students must not give or receive assistance of any kind in answering an

examination question during an examination, including allowing their papers
to be viewed by others or copying answers from another students paper.

English 12

Students must not possess any book, paper or item that might assist in writing
an examination, including a dictionary or piece of electronic equipment, that is
not specifically authorized for the examination by ministry policy.

SAMPLE 2010/11
Response Booklet

12

Course Code = EN
SAMPLE 2010/11
,
Exam Booklet
Form/
,
Cahier d examen

Marker 1
0
E

Marker 2
0

Students must not copy, plagiarize or present as their own, work done by any
other person.

Student Instructions

Students must immediately follow the invigilators order to stop writing at the end
of the examination time and must not alter an Examination Booklet, Response
Booklet or Answer Sheet after the invigilator has asked students to hand in
examination papers.
Students must not remove any piece of the examination materials from the
examination room, including work pages.

Question 3

1. Place your Personal Education Number (PEN)

label at the top of this Booklet AND fill in the
bubble (Form A, B, C, D, E, F, G or H) that
corresponds to the letter on your Examination
Booklet.

Marker 1

2. Use a pencil to fill in bubbles when answering

questions on your Answer Sheet.

Marker 2

4. The use of inappropriate language or content may result in a mark of zero

beingawarded.

3. Use a blue- or black-ink pen when answering

written-response questions in this Booklet.

5. Upon completion of the examination, return all examination materials to the

supervising invigilator.

4. Read the Examination Rules on the back of

this Booklet.

Please note: A selection of students written answers may be posted as samples on the
Ministry website. Please be assured that the identity of individual students and schools
will be held strictly confidential.

15145

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Version 0901.1

MINISTRY USE ONLY

MINISTRY USE ONLY

MINISTRY USE ONLY

Question 1

Examination Rules
Marker 1

1. The time allotted for this examination is two hours.

You may, however, take up to 60 minutes of additional time to finish.
2. Answers entered in the Examination Booklet will not be marked.

0
Place Personal Education Number (PEN) here.

NR

NR

NR

NR

NR

NR

Place Personal Education Number (PEN) here.

Marker 2

3. Cheating on an examination will result in a mark of zero. The Ministry of Education

considers cheating to have occurred if students break any of the following rules:

Students must not be in possession of or have used any secure examination

materials prior to the examination session.
Students must not communicate with other students during the examination.

Question 2

Course Code = EN 12

Students must not give or receive assistance of any kind in answering an

examination question during an examination, including allowing their papers
to be viewed by others or copying answers from another students paper.

English 12

Students must not possess any book, paper or item that might assist in writing
an examination, including a dictionary or piece of electronic equipment, that is
not specifically authorized for the examination by ministry policy.

SAMPLE 2010/11
Response Booklet

12

Course Code = EN
SAMPLE 2010/11
,
Exam Booklet
Form/
,
Cahier d examen

Marker 1
0
E

Marker 2
0

Students must not copy, plagiarize or present as their own, work done by any
other person.

Student Instructions

Students must immediately follow the invigilators order to stop writing at the end
of the examination time and must not alter an Examination Booklet, Response
Booklet or Answer Sheet after the invigilator has asked students to hand in
examination papers.
Students must not remove any piece of the examination materials from the
examination room, including work pages.

Question 3

1. Place your Personal Education Number (PEN)

label at the top of this Booklet AND fill in the
bubble (Form A, B, C, D, E, F, G or H) that
corresponds to the letter on your Examination
Booklet.

Marker 1

2. Use a pencil to fill in bubbles when answering

questions on your Answer Sheet.

Marker 2

4. The use of inappropriate language or content may result in a mark of zero

beingawarded.

3. Use a blue- or black-ink pen when answering

written-response questions in this Booklet.

5. Upon completion of the examination, return all examination materials to the

supervising invigilator.

4. Read the Examination Rules on the back of

this Booklet.

Please note: A selection of students written answers may be posted as samples on the
Ministry website. Please be assured that the identity of individual students and schools
will be held strictly confidential.

15145

Province of British Columbia

Version 0901.1

WRITTEN-RESPONSE QUESTION
PART A: STAND-ALONE TEXT

You may wish to copy the question here to refresh your memory.

Question 1:

English 12 2010/11 Sample Response Booklet

Page 1

PART A: STAND-ALONE TEXT

1st
2nd

Page 2

English 12 2010/11 Sample Response Booklet

WRITTEN-RESPONSE QUESTION
PART C: ANALYSIS OF
SYNTHESIS TEXTS 1 AND 2

You may wish to copy the question here to refresh your memory.

Question 2:

English 12 2010/11 Sample Response Booklet

Page 3

PART C: ANALYSIS OF SYNTHESIS TEXTS 1 AND 2

Page 4

English 12 2010/11 Sample Response Booklet

PART C: ANALYSIS OF SYNTHESIS TEXTS 1 AND 2

English 12 2010/11 Sample Response Booklet

Page 5

PART C: ANALYSIS OF SYNTHESIS TEXTS 1 AND 2

1st
2nd
Page 6

English 12 2010/11 Sample Response Booklet

PART D: COMPOSITION

You may wish to copy the topic here to refresh your memory.

Question 3:

English 12 2010/11 Sample Response Booklet

Page 7

PART D: COMPOSITION

Page 8

English 12 2010/11 Sample Response Booklet

PART D: COMPOSITION

English 12 2010/11 Sample Response Booklet

Page 9

PART D: COMPOSITION

1st
2nd

Page 10

English 12 2010/11 Sample Response Booklet

MINISTRY USE ONLY

MINISTRY USE ONLY

MINISTRY USE ONLY

Question 1

Examination Rules
Marker 1

1. The time allotted for this examination is two hours.

You may, however, take up to 60 minutes of additional time to finish.
2. Answers entered in the Examination Booklet will not be marked.

0
Place Personal Education Number (PEN) here.

NR

NR

NR

NR

NR

NR

Place Personal Education Number (PEN) here.

Marker 2

3. Cheating on an examination will result in a mark of zero. The Ministry of Education

considers cheating to have occurred if students break any of the following rules:

Students must not be in possession of or have used any secure examination

materials prior to the examination session.
Students must not communicate with other students during the examination.

Question 2

Course Code = EN 12

Students must not give or receive assistance of any kind in answering an

examination question during an examination, including allowing their papers
to be viewed by others or copying answers from another students paper.

English 12

Students must not possess any book, paper or item that might assist in writing
an examination, including a dictionary or piece of electronic equipment, that is
not specifically authorized for the examination by ministry policy.

SAMPLE 2010/11
Response Booklet

12

Course Code = EN
SAMPLE 2010/11
,
Exam Booklet
Form/
,
Cahier d examen

Marker 1
0
E

Marker 2
0

Students must not copy, plagiarize or present as their own, work done by any
other person.

Student Instructions

Students must immediately follow the invigilators order to stop writing at the end
of the examination time and must not alter an Examination Booklet, Response
Booklet or Answer Sheet after the invigilator has asked students to hand in
examination papers.
Students must not remove any piece of the examination materials from the
examination room, including work pages.

Question 3

1. Place your Personal Education Number (PEN)

label at the top of this Booklet AND fill in the
bubble (Form A, B, C, D, E, F, G or H) that
corresponds to the letter on your Examination
Booklet.

Marker 1

2. Use a pencil to fill in bubbles when answering

questions on your Answer Sheet.

Marker 2

4. The use of inappropriate language or content may result in a mark of zero

beingawarded.

3. Use a blue- or black-ink pen when answering

written-response questions in this Booklet.

5. Upon completion of the examination, return all examination materials to the

supervising invigilator.

4. Read the Examination Rules on the back of

this Booklet.

Please note: A selection of students written answers may be posted as samples on the
Ministry website. Please be assured that the identity of individual students and schools
will be held strictly confidential.

15145

Province of British Columbia

Version 0901.1

ENGLISH 12
SAMPLE PASSAGES AND QUESTIONS
PART A: STAND-ALONE TEXT
INSTRUCTIONS: Read the following passage, Terry Fox dollar unveiled, and answer the multiplechoice questions. For each question, select the best answer and record your choice
on the Answer Sheet provided.
Terry Fox dollar unveiled
by Mike Beamish
It commemorates the 25th anniversary of Foxs Marathon of Hope for cancer research
1

To Terry Fox, the one-legged runner whose

life was the antithesis1 of self-aggrandizement2, the thought he would be the first
Canadian depicted on a circulating coin
would be considered loony.

Fox asked every Canadian for a dollar

toward cancer research when he dipped his
prosthesis into the frigid waters of St. Johns
harbour on April 12, 1980, and began his
cross-Canada marathon.

In 2005, that small change has added up to

more than $360 million through the annual
Terry Fox Marathon of Hope across Canada
and worldwide.

To mark the 25th anniversary of the run, the

Royal Canadian Mint unveiled a one-dollar
commemorative circulation coin Monday on
the campus of Simon Fraser University. Fox
was an undergraduate student and basketball
player at SFU when a malignant tumour was
discovered in his right leg in 1977. It
resulted in amputation. A bronze statue of
Fox, one of many such tributes across
Canada, looks over the academic quadrangle
of the university, just a short stroll from the
theatre where Mondays unveiling was held.

I think hed be a little uncomfortable with

it, says Darrell Fox, Terrys younger
brother and national director of the Terry
Fox Foundation, based in Chilliwack.
Terry always wanted to deflect attention to
the real heroes, the cancer patients in the
hospital wards. Ultimately hed gladly trade
a loonie with his picture on it for another
dollar to fight cancer, if he would recognize
its potential for fundraising.

Betty and Rolly Fox, Terrys parents,

accepted the first of 11 million Terry Fox
coins from mint employees. Another nine
million will be issued in September to
coincide with Terry Fox runs across Canada.

The Foxes nine grandchildren and Terrys

brother Fred and sister Judith Alder were in
the audience that watched a moving tribute
to the runner with a voice-over by Man in
Motion campaigner Rick Hansen. Betty Fox
said the pride the family feels in receiving
the honour is tempered by the fact Terry
could not be there to accept it.

The Royal Canadian Mint is based in

Winnipeg where Fox was born in 1958
before the family moved to Port Coquitlam.

1 antithesis: the direct opposite

2 self-aggrandizement: to make oneself more important in appearance or reality

Ministry of Education
2016/17 School Year

-1-

English 12
Sample Questions

Engraver Stan Witten, who designed the

coin image based on a picture from
photographer Gail Harvey, lives near Terry
Fox Drive in Ottawa and fills up his car at
Terry Fox Esso, but his connection to the
runner runs much deeper than that.
9

10

and evokes the loneliness of the long distance

runner.

I was in Grade 11 in Edmonton and Id

watch the run nightly on TV to see his
progress, Witten said. Ive participated in
the Terry Fox run myself. Its a real honour
to be part of Canadian history.
Terrys is the first Canadian coin ever struck
to show a human likeness other than a
monarch. The sideways view of Fox, caught
in his hypnotic hop-step gait, is displayed
against a background of the Canadian Shield

11

I wanted to capture the courage and

determination on his face, Witten said.
It was important that he towered over the
trees.

12

Although the Terry Fox Foundation receives

no direct benefit from the coin, Darrell Fox
is hoping that the image will have a catalytic
effect on fund-raising and awareness.

13

I think BCs population is over 4 million,

but we raised $1.8 million from the run last
year in the province, Fox says Theres a
lot of room to grow there. We hope people
respond to the challenge.

Small change adds up to millions

Fox commemorative coin is
a first for Canadait shows
the likeness of a person other
than a monarch

Terry Foxs image, designed by

Royal Canadian Mint engraver Stan Witten,
is the reverse of the coin. The obverse3 features
a rendering of Queen Elizabeth II by Susanna Blunt.
Fox, wearing his characteristic
Marathon of Hope T-shirt, is heading
west against a headwind, with the trees
bent to the east. Terry was often running
against the prevailing westerlies, Witten explained.
The rugged background of white pine, scrub
and rock, is representative of northwestern Ontario,
around Lake Superior, where Fox ended his run
Sept. 1, 1980, just outside of Thunder Bay.
The sideways view of Fox, caught in
his hypnotic hop-step gait, evokes the
loneliness of the long-distance runner.

Terry Fox during

his 1980 cross-country
attempt. He died in
June 1981 aged 21.

Done in collaboration with the Terry Fox Foundation,

the image shows the power of the runners left leg as
he ran the equivalent of a marathon a day for 143
straight days in the spring and summer of 1980.

3 obverse: the side of a coin bearing the head or principal symbol

Ministry of Education
2016/17 School Year

-2-

English 12
Sample Questions

(Recognize Meaning)

1. What does paragraph 1 suggest about Terry Foxs character?

*

A.
B.
C.
D.

He was humble.
He was humorous.
He was determined.
He was competitive.

(Interpret Texts)

2. What does the image of the trees bent to the east suggest about the run?
*

A.
B.
C.
D.

It was very difficult.

It was largely uneventful.
It was always bitterly cold.
It was assisted by the wind.

(Retrieve Information)

3. Which feature makes the coin unique in Canada?

A.
B.
C.
D.

No date appears on the coin.

No monarch appears on the coin.
It features a person other than a monarch.
It is made of special alloy that will not rust.

(Retrieve Information)

4. Whose image is found on the obverse of the Terry Fox coin?

A.
B.
C.
D.

Terry Fox
Stan Witten
Rick Hansen
Queen Elizabeth II

Ministry of Education
2016/17 School Year

-3-

English 12
Sample Questions

(Interpret Texts)

5. What does the last paragraph imply about British Columbians?

*

A.
B.
C.
D.

They are proud of the new Terry Fox coin.

They should give more money to the Terry Fox Foundation.
They should participate more regularly in the Terry Fox run.
They support the Terry Fox Foundation at a greater rate than other Canadians.

(Recognize Meaning)

6. By September of 2005, how many commemorative coins will be in circulation?

A. 2 million
B. 9 million
C. 11 million
D. 20 million

(Interpret Texts)

7. Which stylistic technique is used throughout the article?

A.
B.
C.
D.

analogy
statistics
cause and effect
emotional appeal

Ministry of Education
2016/17 School Year

-4-

English 12
Sample Questions

PART A: STAND-ALONE TEXT

INSTRUCTIONS: In paragraph form and in at least 150 words, answer question 1 in the Response
Booklet. Write in ink. Use the Organization and Planning space to plan your
work. The mark for your answer will be based on the appropriateness of the
examples you use as well as the adequacy of your explanation and the quality of
your written expression.
(Analyze Texts)

1. Assess Terry Foxs legacy in contemporary society.

KEY:
STEPS TO BE TAKEN

REFERENCE

He is depicted on a circulating coin

paragraph 1

The Terry Fox Marathon of Hope raised more

than $260 million by 2005

paragraph 3

Coin unveiling ceremony held at SFU

paragraph 4

Bronze statue of Terry Fox erected at SFU

paragraph 4

Terry Fox was a selfless person who would

gladly trade a loonie with his picture on it for
another dollar to fight cancer

paragraph 5

There are at least 20 million Terry Fox loonies

in circulation

paragraph 5

Honoured by a tribute from Rick Hansen

paragraph 7

The Terry Fox loonie is the first Canadian coin

ever struck to show a human likeness other than
a monarch

paragraph 10

The image on the coin shows his courage and

determination and him towering over the
trees

paragraph 11

Other responses are possible.

Ministry of Education
2016/17 School Year

-5-

English 12
Sample Questions

PART A: STAND-ALONE TEXT

INSTRUCTIONS: Read the following passage, Family physicians an endangered species? and
answer the multiple-choice questions. For each question, select the best answer and
record your choice on the Answer Sheet provided.

Family physicians an endangered species?

by Jack Burak
1

Many Canadians are aware that problems

with the nations health care system have
resulted in a lack of hospital beds and
medical equipment, overcrowded
emergency rooms, long surgical and
diagnostic waiting lists, and not enough
long term care homes. But with 3.6 million
Canadians unable to find a family doctor, a
particularly insidious1 and growing problem
is making itself evident.

Number of BC Doctors Accepting Patients

1500

Dec 99
1,370
Dec 00
1,225

1200

April 99
1,420
June 00
1,277

900

The family doctor is the cornerstone of the

nations health care system. The vast
majority of Canadians have said many times
over that they want their family doctor to be
their first point of contact in the health care
system. Nevertheless, family doctors are
becoming a dying breed. With diminishing
access to that first point of contact, many
Canadians in need of medical help are
finding it increasingly difficult to receive
timely and appropriate care. In my province
of British Columbia, the conservative
estimate is that 200,000 British Columbians
looking for a family doctor cannot find one.

May 01
1,068

May 03
633

600
Nov 03
607

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

choice. As of 1997, that proportion had

fallen to 35%; in 2004, it has declined
further to 24%. At a time when the
population is living longer and increasing in
size, these are alarming statistics.
4

March 04
599

There are many reasons for this

predicament. Over the last 10 years, the
number of medical students choosing family
practice as their lifelong career has been
dropping at a startling rate. It used to be that
50% of students chose family practice as
their first

When asked why they lack interest in family

medicine, students cite a daunting student
debt load (often more than $100,000 upon
graduation) and the long hours required of a
doctor who is managing a family practice.
As in other kinds of work, young doctors
today want a balance between their
professional and personal lives.

1insidious: working secretly or subtly

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2016/17 School Year

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English 12
Sample Questions

the world is modest. The result is that

obstetrics
is too much for many family physicians to
contend with today. Comprehensive family
practices see an increasing number of
patients, many of whom have an expanding
number of complex health problems. In
addition, many more patients than in the past
are in a holding pattern with conditions that
are being monitored by their family doctor
while they wait for specialist appointments
and care.

In BC this problem is compounded because

the province produces fewer medical
graduates per capita than any other province
in Canada with a medical school. The
number of graduates in BC is slowly rising
this year the University of British
Columbia faculty of medicine graduated 128
students, up from 120. The provincial
government has committed itself to
doubling the number of medical student
graduates to 256. When residency programs
are taken into account, however, we will not
see the full effects of this initiative until
some time between 2016 and 2019. This
strategy doesnt come close to giving us the
400 new doctors needed each year in BC to
replace those who are retiring, moving out
of the province, reducing their hours of
practice, or dying. And at our current rate,
we can expect only a small percentage of
these new recruits to choose family
medicine.
The primary care system is showing its
cracks. Ten years ago, 2,030 of BCs family
doctors (about half of the GP population)
were providing obstetrical care. Today just
945 are performing this invaluable service.
Although delivering babies is a good news
area of medicine, the hours are long,
malpractice insurance premiums are high and
the remuneration for bringing new life into

Its no surprise, then, that many of BCs

family doctors are no longer taking on new
patients. In 1999, there were 1,420 family
doctors accepting new patients in 2004
that number declined to 599, a drop of 58%.

The foundation of primary care needs to be

strengthened in order for it to be sustained.
The Working Agreement between the
doctors and government, ratified in July,
2004, by our membership of 8,000, includes
a series of primary care renewal projects
designed to make family practice more
attractive to medical graduates, improve
upon working conditions, and entice family
doctors from outside BC to hang up their
shingles here. Yet still more needs to be
done.

Dr. Jack Burak is the president of the BC Medical Association

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2016/17 School Year

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English 12
Sample Questions

(Recognize Meaning)

1. What does the title suggest about family doctors?

A.
B.
C.
D.

They are no longer needed.

They are too few in number.
They will soon become extinct.
They are rapidly leaving the province.

(Recognize Meaning)

2. Which stylistic device is used in paragraph 7?

A.
B.
C.
D.

analogy
repetition
expert testimony
statistical evidence

(Retrieve Information)

3. According to medical students, what is responsible for their reluctance to become

family physicians?
*

A.
B.
C.
D.

student debt and long working hours

high malpractice insurance premiums
a limited number of places in medical school
an increasing number of patients and long waiting lists for specialists

(Interpret Texts)

4. Which quotation from the article is stated as opinion rather than fact?
A. the province produces fewer medical graduates per capita than any other province in
Canada with a medical school. (paragraph 5)
B. Ten years ago 2,030 of BCs family doctorswere providing obstetrical care.
(paragraph 6)
C. In 1999, there were 1,420 family doctors accepting new patients in 2004 that number
declined to 599, a drop of 58%. (paragraph 7)
*

D. Yet still more needs to be done. (paragraph 8)

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2016/17 School Year

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English 12
Sample Questions

(Recognize Meaning)

5. Which literary device is used in The primary care system is showing its cracks? (paragraph
6)

A.
B.
C.
D.

pun
irony
metaphor
hyperbole

(Interpret Texts)

6. What is the primary purpose of the article?

A.
B.
C.
D.

to inspire young people to consider a career as a family doctor

to inform readers about the day to day stresses placed on a family doctor
to make readers feel sympathy for the difficulties experienced by family doctors
to convince readers that the declining number of family doctors must be addressed

(Retrieve Information)

7. With reference to Figure 1, which time period on the chart shows the greatest decrease in the
number of BC doctors accepting patients?

A.
B.
C.
D.

April 99 to Dec 99
Dec 00 to May 01
May 01 to May 03
May 03 to Nov 03

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Sample Questions

PART A: STAND-ALONE TEXT

INSTRUCTIONS: In paragraph form and in at least 150 words, answer question 1 in the Response
Booklet. Write in ink. Use the Organization and Planning space to plan your
work. The mark for your answer will be based on the appropriateness of the
examples you use as well as the adequacy of your explanation and the quality of
your written expression.

(Interpret Texts)

1. Explain what steps need to be taken to remedy the issues presented in the article Family
physicians an endangered species?
KEY:

STEPS TO BE TAKEN

REFERENCE

Make family practice more attractive to new

practitioners

paragraphs 3, 8

Reduce student debt load

paragraph 4

Restructure expectations so that young doctors can

balance their professional and personal lives

paragraph 4

Increase the number of doctors produced in BC

paragraph 5

Streamline the education of doctors

paragraph 5

Reduce the number of hours worked

paragraphs 6, 8

Reduce the price of malpractice insurance

paragraph 6

Increase the remuneration for obstetrical care

paragraph 6

Increase the number of specialists so general

practitioners can pass patients along rather than
keeping them in a holding pattern

paragraphs 7, 8

Entice doctors from outside BC to practice here

paragraph 8

Encourage a healthy lifestyle

paragraph 8

Other responses are possible.

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Sample Questions

PART B: SYNTHESIS TEXT 1

INSTRUCTIONS: Read the following excerpt from Circus in Town, and answer the multiple-choice
questions. For each question, select the best answer and record your choice on the
Answer Sheet provided.
Canadian author Sinclair Ross was writing during the Depression in the 1930s.
In his fiction, he reveals the difficulties of farming life on the Prairies.
adapted from

Circus in Town
by Sinclair Ross

It was Jennys first circus. A girl in purple tights, erect on a galloping horse, a red-coated brass band,
a clown, an elephant ripped through the middle. And did you see the elephant? she asked her
brother Tom, who had found the piece of poster in the street when he was in town marketing the
butter and eggs. Was it really there? And the clown?

But the ecstatic, eleven-year-old quiver in her voice, and the way she pirouetted on her bare toes as
he led the horse out of the buggy shafts, made him feel that perhaps in picking up the poster he had
been unworthy of his own seventeen years; so with an offhand shrug he drawled, Everybody said it
wouldnt amount to much. A few ponies and an elephant or twobut whats an elephant?

She wheeled from him, resenting his attempt to scoff away such wonders. The bit of poster had spun
a new world before her, excited her, given wild, soaring impetus to her imagination; and now,
without in the least understanding herself, she wanted the excitement and the soaring, even though it
might stab and rack her.

It was supper-time, her father just in from the field and turning the horses loose at the water-trough,
so off she sped to greet him, her bare legs flashing, her throat too tight to cry out, passionate to
communicate her excitement, to find response.

But the skittish old roan Billie took fright at the fluttering poster, and her father shouted for her to
watch what she was doing and keep away from the horses. For a minute she stood quite still, cold,
impaled by the rebuff; then again she wheeled, and, as swiftly as before, ran to the house.

A wave of dark heat, hotter than the summer heat, struck her at the door. Look she pierced it
shrilly what Tom brought mea circus, and with the poster outstretched she sprang to the stove
where her mother was frying pork.

There was no rebuff this time. Instead, an incredible kind of pitypity of all things on a day like this.
Never mind, Jenny. A hot hand gentle on her cheek a minute. Your days going to come. You
wont spend all your life among chickens and cows or Im not the woman I think I am! And then,
bewilderingly, an angry clatter of stovelids that made her shrink away dismayed, in sudden dread of
her fathers coming and the storm that was to break.

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2016/17 School Year

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Sample Questions

Not a word until he had washed and was sitting down at the table. Then as the platters were clumped
in front of him he asked, Whats wrong? and for answer her mother hurled back, Wrong? You
and the farmand the debtsthats whats wrong. Theres a circus in town, but do we go? Do we
ever go anywhere? Other children have things, and see things, and enjoy themselves, but look, look
at it! Thats how much of the circus my girl gets!

Jenny dared to be a little indignant at the scornful way her mother pointed to the piece of poster. A
beautiful postera band and half an elephantand she felt exasperated and guilty that there should
be a quarrel about it, her father looking so frightened and foolish, her mother so savage and red.

10

But even had she been bold enough to attempt an explanation it would have been lost in the din of
their voices. Her mother shouted about working her fingers to the bone and nothing for it but
skimping and debts. She didnt mind for herself but she wanted Jenny to have a chance. Look at her
clothes and her bare feet! Your own daughter! Why dont you take holddo something? Nothing
ahead of her but chickens and cows! Another ten yearscant you just see the big, gawky knownothing shes going
to be?

11

Jenny gulped, startled. Ten years from now it was a quite different kind of young lady she intended to
be. For a moment there was a sick little ball of consternation down near her midriff, a clammy fear
her mother might be rightand then she was furious. She wasnt gawky and she wasnt knownothing. She was farther on in school than any other girl her age. She could do fractions and
percentages and draw the map of North America with her eyes shut. Her mother to talk, who only last
Sunday when she was writing a letter had to ask how to spell necessary!

12

But suddenly the din between her mother and father split apart, and it was Tom speaking. Tom
unruffled and magisterial, rising to his seventeen years and the incumbency of maintaining adult
dignity at their table. Cant you hold on and let us eat in peace? Weve heard all that before.

13

Jenny shivered, it was so fine and brave of Tom.

14

Come on, Jenny, youre not eating anyway. Well go out and leave them to it.

15

It was dangerous, she thought swiftlyparents werent to be floutedbut she couldnt help herself.
Her pride in Tom was uncontrollable, mastering her discretion. Eyes down, bare feet padding quick
and silent, she followed him.

16

They walked gravely across the yard and sat down on the edge of the water-trough. Its too bad all
right you couldnt go to the circus, Tom consoled her, but everybody said it wouldnt be worth the
money.

17

She glanced up puzzled, impatient. Pity again! If only they would just keep quiet and leave her
alonejoin her, if they liked, to see the circus.

18

There was a sudden dilation of life within her, of the world around heran elephant, a brass band in
red coats, half a poster blown from a billboardand to recapture the moment was all she wanted, to
scale the glamour and wonder of it, slowly, exquisitely, to feel herself unfurl.

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Sample Questions

19

Theres Dad now, starting for the barn, Tom nudged her. Better go and finish your supper. I dont
want any more.

20

Neither did she, but to escape him she went. Uneasily, apprehensive that when she was alone with
her mother there might be a reckoning for her having taken sides with Tom. And she was afraid of
her mother tonight. Afraid because all at once she felt defenseless, perishable. This sudden dilation of
lifeit was like a bubble blown vast and fragile. In time it might subside, slowly, safely, or it might
even remain full-blown, gradually strengthening itself, gradually building up the filmy tissues to
make its vastness durable, but tonight she was afraid. Afraid that before the hack of her mothers
voice it might burst and crumple.

21

So when she found the kitchen deserted, there was a cool, isolated moment of relief, and then a
furtive pose, an alert, blind instinct for survival and escape. She glided across the kitchen, took down
the poster from where it still hung over the calendar, and fled with it to the barn.

22

There was a side door, and near it a ladder to the loft. No one saw her. She lay limp in the hay,
listening to her heart-beat subside. It was a big, solemn loft, with gloom and fragrance and sparrows
chattering against its vault of silence. And there, in its dim, high stillness, she had her circus. Not the
kind that would stop off at a little town. Not just a tent and an elephant or two. Nofor this was her
own circus; the splendid, matchless circus of a little girl who had never seen one.

23

Youll catch it, Tom said when he found her, hiding up here instead of helping with the dishes.

24

Catch it she did, but for once the threats of what would happen next time failed to touch her. The
circus went on. All night long she wore her purple tights and went riding Billie round and round the
pasture in them. A young, fleet-footed Billie. Caparisoned1 in blue and gold and scarlet, silver bells
on reins and bridleneck arched proudly to the music of the band.

1 caparison: a rich covering for a horse

(Interpret Texts)

8. What does she pirouetted on her bare toes (paragraph 2) imply about Jenny?
*

A.
B.
C.
D.

She is thrilled.
She is nervous.
She is confident.
She is frightened.

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2016/17 School Year

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English 12
Sample Questions

(Recognize Meaning)

9. Which term best fits the mothers vision of the future Jenny (paragraph 10) in relation to
Jennys vision of her future self (paragraph 11)?
*

A.
B.
C.
D.

paradox
contrast
anti-climax
falling action

(Interpret Texts)

10. What does paragraph 12 suggest about Tom?

*

A.
B.
C.
D.

He is behaving in a mature manner.

He is embarrassed by the familys poverty.
He is saddened by his sisters unrealistic hopes.
He is acting as if he were a law court magistrate.

(Analyze Texts)

11. What is the purpose of the extended metaphor in paragraph 20?

A.
B.
C.
D.

to stress Toms true nature

to demonstrate the mothers cruelty
to emphasize the fragility of Jennys dreams
to show that Jennys dreams have no substance

(Recognize Meaning)

12. She glided across the kitchen, took down the poster from where
it still hung over the calendar, and fled with it to the barn. (paragraph 21)?
Which technique is used in the above quotation?

A.
B.
C.
D.

repetition
run-on sentence
parallel structure
sentence fragments

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2016/17 School Year

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English 12
Sample Questions

(Interpret Texts)

13. What effect does the poster of the circus have on Jenny?

A.
B.
C.
D.

It motivates her to join the circus.

It allows her to fulfill her destiny.
It provides an inspiration for her future direction.
It enables her to use her imagination to fulfill her wishes.

(Interpret Texts)

14. What is the ultimate source of the conflict in the story?

A.
B.
C.
D.

sibling rivalry
lack of respect
marital breakdown
struggle against poverty

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2016/17 School Year

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Sample Questions

SYNTHESIS TEXT 2
INSTRUCTIONS: Read the following passage, Happyness for Sale, and answer the multiplechoice questions. For each question, select the best answer and record your choice
on the Answer Sheet provided.

The story of Chris Gardner was told in both a book and a movie. The curious
spelling of happyness comes from a sign that Chris Gardner saw when he
was homeless.

Happyness for Sale

Fortune Magazine, September 15, 2006
by Jia Lynn Yang
1

In 1982, Chris Gardner was just another

go-getter in the training program at Dean
Witters San Francisco office, making
$1,000 a month. He was also homeless.
Gardner couldnt afford both day care for
his 20-month-old son, whom he was raising
alone, and a place to live. So for a year he
and Chris Jr. slept where they couldcheap
hotel rooms in West Oakland, a shelter at a
church in the Tenderloin, under his office
desk, even, on occasion, the bathroom at the
Bay Area Rapid Transit MacArthur station.
He remembered the words of his mother,
Bettye Jean Triplett, another single parent,
who grew up during the Depression outside
Rayville, La., where slavery was still a
living memory: You can only depend on
yourself. The cavalry aint coming.

So Gardner worked, making 200 calls a day

to snag clients for Dean Witter. Every time
I picked up the phone, he recalls, I knew I
was getting closer to digging myself out of
the hole. Within five years he had opened
his own institutional brokerage firm in
Chicago called Gardner Rich, which is still
thriving today. Then, in 2002, a story on
local TV set in motion a series of events that
will culminate this December, when a movie
based on his life, The Pursuit of
Happyness, hits the theaters, with Will
Smith playing the lead role.

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And that is just the beginning. At 52,

Gardner has a new goal: to become a
household name. Oprah did okay, Gardner
says of the woman who is clearly one of his
role models. Shes helping people, and
shes making a ton of dough. In May he
released a memoir, which has the same title
as the movie; it is now No. 7 on the
Washington Post bestseller list. He has an
agent at William Morris, a literary agent at
Zachary Shuster Harmsworth, a publicist
with Rubenstein PR, and a speaking contract
with Keppler Speakers. He and Mark
Clayman, an executive producer on the
movie, have also formed a company called
Chris Gardner Inc. to turn him into a brand.
Among their ideas: another book, a CD of
songs that have inspired him, a daytime talk
show, and a reality-TV show with the same
folks who did MTVs Real World, in which
Gardner will lead a team of people into
blighted neighborhoods to help families
in need.

On a hot late-July day in Chicago the

humidity is stifling, and at the offices of
Gardner Rich, a few blocks from the Sears
Tower, the star of Chris Gardner Inc. is
rustling through the papers on his desk.
Gardner and his 14 employees work in a
two-story building that looks like a squat
glass box.
English 12
Sample Questions

The office dcor is as distinctive as the

bosss life story. Gardners desk is a
12-foot-long1 gleaming metal tail wing of
a DC-10. Mounted on the wall are two lifesized plaster elephant heads. Gardner,
6-foot-3 with a graying goatee, dresses in a
style both breezy and impeccable: loosefitting white linen shirt, cornflower-blue
Bermuda shorts, and leather slippers.
Gardners quirks (he wears two watches,
one on each wrist, to make sure hes always
on time), his people skills, and his powerful
personal story do have a made-for-TV
resonance to them.

Except that at this moment, as he smokes a

Kool, he sighs and declares, Im tired of
talking about myself. Right. Not only is he
speaking to Fortune (and Entrepreneur, the
San Francisco Chronicle, Tavis Smiley, and
so on), but he has also booked 50 speaking
appearances. It is only Gardners
willingness to talk about himself that makes
his plans plausible. Sure, hes something of
an operator. His period of homelessness
devastating at the timehas become the
dramatic center to his life story, the part that
makes people stop and listen. But his
sincerity is also compelling. Gardner is
using his personal historyplus his
persistence and manifest charismato sell
the sense of possibility that he never lost.

Born in 1954 in Wisconsin, Gardner didnt

know his father growing up, and his mother
was married to an abusive man. At 18,
Gardner graduated from high school and
joined the Navy. He worked as a medic in
North Carolina, then left the service in 1974
to work at a veterans hospital in San
Francisco. One day he saw a red Ferrari and,
intrigued by the beauty of the car, asked the
owner what he did for a living. Stockbroker,
the man replied. From that moment,
Gardner determined to become one too.

In 1982 he started at the Dean Witter

training program. By this time he was
sharing custody of an infant son. But his
girlfriend decided motherhood was not for
her, and Gardner began raising his son
alone. The boarding house where Gardner
lived did not allow children, and he
struggled to find an alternativethus the
long nights at the shelter or the BART
bathroom. All the while Gardner held his
job and slowly worked his way up and, by
the end of 1983, into an apartment in what
he calls the ghettos of Oakland. He
worked at Bear Stearns (Charts) as a broker
for 3 years before starting Gardner Rich.
(There is no Rich at the firm, of which
Gardner owns 75%. The rest is owned by a
hedge fund. He picked the name because he
considers Marc Rich, the commodities
trader pardoned by President Clinton in
2001, one of the most successful futures
traders in the world. The two have never
met.)

The brokerage firm, with assets of $475,326

in its last financial statement, earns its
revenues from commissions on trades it
does for its institutional clients. Mellody
Hobson, president of Ariel Capital
Management in Chicago, which has done
business with Gardner Rich for ten years,
says it is one of the top-tier firms we use
for trading.

10

Gardner eventually got his Ferrari but these

days drives a jet-black Bentley. His son,
Chris, is now 25 and trying to make his way
into the music business. His daughter,
Jacintha, 20, is a business student.

11

For all his lanhe favors bespoke suits

and Maui vacationsGardner was a lowprofile success story until late 2002, when a
San Francisco TV station aired a segment
about his occasional volunteer work at Glide
Memorial Church, where he used to stand in
line for food.

1 foot: 0.3 metre

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2016/17 School Year

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English 12
Sample Questions

12

13

14

15

how the story of his life has taken on a life

of its own. Look, you know what I do
know? All this could be real crazy, he says.
But I do believe, with all my heart, that
some of the things that I had to go through
were Gods way of getting me ready for
what He wants me to do.

Lynn Redmond, a television producer, saw

the segment, looked up Gardner, and
suggested he tell his story on ABCs
newsmagazine, 20/20. My first reaction
was, Why me? Gardner says. I was
scared to death. My position was, if you
want to do a piece about someone with
some houses, some money, and toys, then
no. But if you want to talk about someone
who tried to do something with their life,
with their family, and with their community,
then Im all for it.
The show ran on Jan. 17, 2003. Watching
that night was Clayman, 39, a TV-actorturned-producer, who is now working with
Gardner on other projects. In a pivotal
moment, the camera crew brought Gardner
and his son to the bathroom they slept in
back in 1982. Standing inside, Gardner
declared, A lot of hard decisions were
made right here about, What are you going
to do with your life?
Fired by the idea of turning Gardners story
into a movie, Clayman showed the 20/20
clip to the producers at Escape Artists, who
then sent it to Will Smith. It made people
come together and say, Lets go all out,
says Todd Black of Escape Artists, which
produced The Pursuit of Happyness (the
curious spelling comes from a sign that
Gardner saw when he was homeless).
Gardner flew out to Smiths home in L.A.
for dinner so that the actor could study him,
an experience Gardner describes as
surreal. He spent as much time as he
could on the set during the 59 days of
shooting, though some scenes were difficult
to watch.

16

In other words, Gardner wants his story to

inspire. And because he is at heart a
businessmanhe still runs Gardner Rich,
though he has delegated much of the day-today managementhe also has ideas on how
to make money while doing it. This one
TV producer I was talking to told me, The
next Oprah is going to be a man, he
explains. When asked if he was the next
Oprah, Gardner says cheerfully, You never
know.

17

People are responding to his story. A table

in Gardners office is piled six inches2 high
with lettersoffers to speak, requests for
political donations, and pleas for help from
people who feel they can relate to Gardners
past. On occasion, Gardner will pick up the
phone and call someone who has written in
about a personal crisis. I find myself saying
over and over: Baby steps count. But
youve always got to be moving forward,
says Gardner, who usually limits his
assistance to phone calls because he says
hope is sometimes all another person needs.

18

The Gardner gospel of persistence, progress,

and faith is spreadingand the movies not
even in theaters yet. His life is going to
change a lot from what he knows, says
Black. Gardner, too, can hear the rumbling
of oncoming fame. It may not be the
cavalry, but somethings coming.

Driving through the streets of downtown

Chicago in his Bentley, Gardner reflects on
2 inch: 2.54 cm

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2016/17 School Year

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English 12
Sample Questions

THE GARDNER FILE

1954

Born in Wisconsin

1972

Joins U.S. Navy

1974

Moves to San Francisco

1981

Birth of son Christopher

1982

Starts training program at Dean Witter;

becomes homeless

1983

Moves into apartment

1986

Birth of daughter Jacintha

1987

Starts Gardner Rich

2002

Radio station tells his story

2003

20/20 segment airs

2006

The Pursuit of Happyness, book and movie

Figure 1

(Recognize Meaning)

15. Which device is used in, I knew I was getting closer to digging myself out of the hole
(paragraph 2)?
*

A.
B.
C.
D.

clich
jargon
dialect
hyperbole

(Interpret Texts)

16. Which characteristic about Chris Gardner is emphasized in paragraph 3?

A.
B.
C.
D.

He is generous.
He is organized.
He is inquisitive.
He is determined.

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2016/17 School Year

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English 12
Sample Questions

(Recognize Meaning)

17. Which device is used in, Oprah did okay (paragraph 3)?

A.
B.
C.
D.

pun
stereotype
apostrophe
understatement

(Interpret Texts)

18. Why is the quotation, Im tired of talking about myself ironic (paragraph 6)?

A.
B.
C.
D.

Gardner is well-known.
Gardner is a private person.
Gardner has scheduled over 50 interviews.
Gardner should be grateful for the opportunity.

(Interpret Texts)

19. Which quotation best demonstrates Gardners level of success?

A. Gardner, 6-foot-3 with a graying goatee, dresses in a style both breezy

and impeccable (paragraph 5)
B. His daughter, Jacintha, 20, is a business student (paragraph 10)
C. People are responding to his story (paragraph 17)
D. The Gardner gospel of persistence, progress, and faith is spreading (paragraph 18)

(Interpret Texts)

20. Based on the article, which statement best expresses Gardners message?
*

A.
B.
C.
D.

Strong families build strong communities.

Individuals have the power to change their lives.
Charitable acts are the key to personal fulfillment.
Young people need role models in order to achieve their potential.

(Interpret Texts)

21. Which would be an appropriate title for the time line (Figure 1)?
*

A.
B.
C.
D.

Gardners path to financial freedom

The personal milestones of Gardners life
Gardners decisions create an unexpected outcome
A comprehensive chronology of Gardners achievements

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2016/17 School Year

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English 12
Sample Questions

PART C: ANALYSIS OF SYNTHESIS TEXTS 1 AND 2

Multiple-choice questions 22 and 23 and written-response question 2 are based on Circus in Town and
Happyness for Sale.

(Analyze Texts)

22. How would readers likely feel after reading both Circus in Town and Happyness for
Sale?
A.
B.
C.
D.

envious
uplifted
overjoyed
sympathetic

(Analyze Texts)

23. What do Jenny from Circus in Town and Chris Gardner from Happyness for Sale have
in common?

A.
B.
C.
D.

the ability to find humour amid despair

the ability to respect diverse points of view
the ability to imagine that their problems do not exist
the ability to escape from their difficult circumstances

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2016/17 School Year

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English 12
Sample Questions

PART C: ANALYSIS OF SYNTHESIS TEXTS 1 AND 2

INSTRUCTIONS: In a multi-paragraph (3 or more paragraphs) expository essay of at least
300 words, answer question 2 in the Response Booklet. Write in ink. Use the
Organization and Planning space to plan your work. The mark for your answer
will be based on the appropriateness of the examples you use as well as the
adequacy of your explanation and the quality of your written expression.

(Analyze Texts)

2. Assess the role that optimism plays in the lives of Jenny in Circus in Town and Chris
Gardner in Happyness for Sale. You must discuss both passages in your essay.
KEY:
Both the character Jenny and entrepreneur Chris Gardner come from impoverished
backgrounds and both are able to escape through the power of optimism and imagination.
CIRCUS IN TOWN

HAPPYNESS FOR SALE

Despite being denied the opportunity to attend the

circus and despite being caught in the middle of an
argument between her parents, Jenny is able to
escape through her imagination and envision a
circus that is likely more fantastic and glorious
than the actual event.

Despite being homeless and a single-father,

Chris Gardner was able to envision the
possibility of a more prosperous future and
as a result, he set his goals in order to
become the successful person that he is.

Pity again! If only they would just keep quiet

and leave her alonejoin her, if they liked, to see
the circus. (paragraph 17)
There was a sudden dilation of life within her, of
the world around heran elephant, a brass band
in red coats, half a poster blown from a
billboardand to recapture the moment was all
she wanted, to scale the glamour and wonder of
it, slowly, exquisitely, to feel herself unfurl.
(paragraph 18)
And there, in its dim, high stillness, she had her
circus. Not the kind that would stop off at a little
town. Not just a tent and an elephant or two.
Nofor this was her own circus; the splendid,
matchless circus of a little girl who had never
seen one. (paragraph 22)
The circus went on. All night long she wore her
purple tights and went riding Billie round and
round the pasture in them. (paragraph 24)

In 1982, Chris Gardner was just another

go-getter in the training program at Dean
Witters San Francisco office, making
$1000 a month. He was also homeless.
(paragraph 1)
He remembered the words of his
mother You can only depend on
yourself. The cavalry aint coming.
(paragraph 1)
So Gardner worked, making 200 calls a
day to snag clients for Dean Witter.
Every time I picked up the phone, he
recalls, I knew I was getting closer to
digging myself out of the hole.
(paragraph 2)
One day he saw a red Ferrari and,
intrigued by the beauty of the car, asked
the owner what he did for a living.
Stockbroker, the man replied. From that
moment, Gardner determined to become
one too. (paragraph 7)

Other responses are possible.

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2016/17 School Year

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English 12
Sample Questions

PART D: COMPOSITION
INSTRUCTIONS: Using standard English, write in the Response Booklet, a coherent, unified,
multi-paragraph (3 or more paragraphs) composition of at least 300 words on
the topic below. In your composition, you may apply any appropriate method
of development including exposition, persuasion, description, and narration.
Use the Organization and Planning space to plan your work.
(Writing)

3. Write a multi-paragraph composition on the topic below. In addressing the topic, consider all
possibilities. You may draw support from the experiences of others or from any aspect of your life:
your reading and your experiences. You do not have to accept the basic premise of the topic.
Topic:
Certain experiences can mark the beginnings of maturity.

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2016/17 School Year

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English 12
Sample Questions

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Beamish, Mike. Terry Fox dollar unveiled. Vancouver Sun. March 15, 2005.

Burak, Jack. Family physicians an endangered species? National Post.

November 18, 2004.

Ross, Sinclair. Circus in Town. The Lamp at Noon and Other Stories. McClelland
and Stewart. 1968. pp. 6872.

Yang, Jia Lynn. Happyness for Sale. FORTUNE. September 18, 2006.

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2016/17 School Year

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English 12
Sample Questions

Definitions for Key Verbs in Written-Response and Essay Questions

Successful results can be achieved by addressing the specifics of the question.
Most questions contain a key verb or command term. The following list will help
students to understand and respond to written-response questions effectively.
Any particular examination may use terms selected from this list.

Assess

Estimate the value of something based on some criteria; present

an informed judgment.

Compare

Describe how the elements or qualities of one event, issue or

character are similar to those of another. Often used in conjunction
with CONTRAST.

Contrast

Describe how the elements or qualities of one event, issue or

character are different from those of another. See COMPARE.

Describe

Give a detailed or graphic account of an object, event, or concept.

Discuss

Present the various points of view in a debate or argument;

engage in written discourse on a particular topic, process or
concept.

Evaluate

Use criteria or standards to make judgments about the strengths

and weaknesses of a position on a particular issue.
Give an account of a topic, process, or concept, providing
evidence and reasons.
Advance arguments in favour of a position or point of view and
respond to or take into account arguments opposed to that
position or point of view.

Explain
To What
Extent

ENGLISH 12
TERMS AND DEVICES
A
active voice
allegory
alliteration
allusion
analogy
antagonist
anti-climax
antithesis
apostrophe
argumentative essay
anecdotal evidence
archaic language
aside
assonance
atmosphere
audience
autobiography
B
ballad
ballad stanza
bias
biography
blank verse
C
cacophony
caricature
case study
catastrophe
cause and effect
character
characterization
character foil
chorus
chronological order
clich
climactic order
climax
colloquialism
colloquial language

comedy
comic relief
compare and contrast
comparison
conflict
connotation
consonance*
contrast
couplet
D
denotation
dnouement
descriptive essay
dialect
dialogue
diary
diction
didactic
dilemma
direct presentation
dissonance
drama
dramatic irony
dramatic monologue
dramatic form
dynamic character
E
editorial
elegy
emotional appeal
epic
epilogue
epiphany
epigram
epitaph
euphemism
euphony
expert testimony
exposition
expository essay

extended metaphor
external conflict
F
fable
falling action
fantasy
farce
figurative language
first person point of view
flashback
flat character
foil
foreshadowing
form
formal essay
formal language
frame story
free verse
G
genre
graphic text
H
hero
historical reference
hyperbole
I
iambic pentameter
idiom
image
imagery
indeterminate ending
indirect presentation
informal essay
informal language
interior monologue
internal conflict
internal rhyme
irony

* consonance is defined in two ways:

1) the repetition of consonant sounds before and after differing vowels, such as flip-flop, feel-fill.
OR
2) the repetition of consonant sounds at the ends of words only, as in east-west, or hid-bed.
Literary Terms: A Dictionary 3rd ed. (Karl Beckson, Arthur Ganz, 1989)

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2016/17 School Year

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English 12
Terms and Devices

J
jargon
juxtaposition
L
legend
limited omniscient
point of view
literal language
lyric
M
melodrama
metaphor
metre
monologue
mood
mystery
myth
N
narrative
narration
narrator
O
objective (language tone etc.)
objective point of view
octave
ode
omniscient point of view
onomatopoeia
oxymoron
P
paradox
parallelism
parody

Ministry of Education
2016/17 School Year

passive voice
pastoral
pathos
personal essay
personification
persuasive essay
persuasive technique
plot
point of view
pro and con argument
prologue
propaganda
protagonist
proverb
purpose
pun
Q
quatrain
question and answer
R
refrain
repetition
research
resolution
rhetorical question
rhyme
rhyme scheme
rhythm
rising action
round character

setting
simile
slang
soliloquy
sonnet
speaker
stanza
stream of consciousness
statistical evidence
static character
stereotype
stock / stereotyped character
story within a story
style
stylistic technique
subjective (language tone etc.)
surprise ending
suspense
symbol
symbolism
T
theme
thesis
thesis statement
third person point of view
tone
tragedy
U
understatement
V
voice

S
sarcasm
satire
sestet

W
wit

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English 12
Terms and Devices

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVINCIAL EXAMINATION

The provincial examination is divided into four parts:
Part A: Stand-Alone Text
Students will read one text and respond to multiple-choice questions and one written-response
question. The text may be informational, poetry or literary prose. In answering the written-response
question, students should develop a unified and coherent expository paragraph of at least 150 words.
Personal or narrative responses are not an appropriate format. Responses should be constructed using
complete and effective sentences and adhere to the conventions of standard written English. Students
will be provided with one question for response.
Part B: Synthesis Texts 1 and 2
Students will read two texts and respond to multiple-choice questions on both. The texts may be
informational, poetry or literary prose.
Part C: Analysis of Synthesis Texts 1 and 2
Students will respond to two multiple-choice questions and one written-response question based on
Synthesis Texts 1 and 2. The texts may be informational, poetry or literary prose.
In answering the written-response synthesis question, students must use the format of a multiparagraph expository essay of at least 300 words. The command term and the wording of the question
itself will shape the most appropriate form of response. The quality of that response, not its format is
paramount. Personal or narrative responses are not an appropriate format. Students should be able to
write on-topic and present a well-organized response. Students should note that lengthier responses
are not necessarily superior to shorter, more focussed responses.
Students should be able to support a position or interpretation by citing specific details, features and
information from the texts. They should be able to generate and shape their ideas using varied
sentences and an appropriate level of diction. They should also demonstrate an understanding of the
conventions of standard written English by monitoring their spelling, grammar, punctuation and
syntax. Students will be provided with one question.
In interpreting informational text, students will be expected to demonstrate comprehension at the
literal, inferential and critical levels. Students should be able to identify and analyze ways of
manipulating language to create a desired effect such as presenting information, developing an
argument, and supporting a thesis. Students will be asked to identify stylistic and persuasive
techniques used by writers to achieve their purpose. Students will be expected to differentiate between
subjective and objective language, and between fact and opinion.
In interpreting poetry and literary prose, students will be expected to comprehend at the literal,
inferential and critical levels. As well, they should be able to demonstrate an understanding of the
terms and devices relevant to the discussion of the work and be able to support a position or
interpretation by citing specific details, features and information from the poem or passage.
At least one graphic will be included to support texts in Part A, Part B or Part C of the examination.
The graphic may be placed with any of the three genres: informational, poetry or literary prose. At
least one question will be asked on the graphic.
A brief context statement may be provided above reading passages where appropriate to give relevant
information about the passage, source, or author, including historical background and setting. As
excerpts from longer works are sometimes used, context statements may explain the action or events
that preceded the passage. For these reasons, students should be encouraged to read context
statements.

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2016/17 School Year

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English 12
Table of Specifications and Description of Examination

TYPES OF READING PASSAGES

poems
short stories or excerpts
novel excerpts
drama or excerpts
newspaper and magazine articles, web pages, time lines, maps, charts, graphics, cartoons
non-fiction prose (such as essays, journals, interviews, biographies)

Part D: Composition
Students should be able to demonstrate the skills of written expression such as organizing ideas, using
effective transitions within and between sentences and paragraphs, constructing effective sentences,
and using conventions of standard written English.
In writing a multi-paragraph original composition of at least 300 words, students should be able to
limit the topic, decide on their purpose and audience and present a thesis statement or controlling idea
as appropriate. Students should be able to maintain a focus on the topic while developing ideas to
support their thesis or controlling idea. They should present a well-organized response. Students
should note that lengthier responses are not necessarily superior to shorter, more focussed responses.
Students should be able to generate and shape their ideas using varied sentences and an appropriate
level of diction. They should also demonstrate an understanding of the conventions of standard written
English by monitoring their spelling, grammar, punctuation and syntax. Students will be provided
with one topic for response.
In addressing the topic, students may apply any effective and appropriate method of development,
including:
expository, informative, persuasive and argumentative styles;
narrative, including use of first, second and third person;
descriptive, personal and reflective writing, including descriptions of characters, places,
situations, events, etc., real or imaginary.
Students may argue against the basic premise of the topic.
Students may draw support from the experiences of others or from any aspect of their lives, their
reading (including reading passages in the examination) and their experiences. There may be a subtle
thematic connection of the writing topic with the reading passages included in the examination.
Note to Teachers: Students written responses are scored holistically. Holistic impressions do not
place undue emphasis on any one writing error i.e., paragraph structure,
misspellings, fragments, run-ons, misplaced modifiers, poor transitions, etc.
Remind students to use language and content appropriate to the purpose and
audience of this examination. Failure to comply may result in the paper being
awarded a zero.
Acknowledgement
The Ministry of Education wishes to acknowledge the contribution of British Columbia teachers in
the preparation and review of this document.

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2016/17 School Year

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English 12
Table of Specifications and Description of Examination