POEMS

Practice 1

IN THE MIDST OF HARDSHIP

At dawn they returned home

their soaky clothes torn
and approached the stove
their limbs marked by scratches
their legs full of wounds
but on their brows
there was not a sign of despair

The whole day and night just passed

they had to brave the horrendous flood
in the water all the time
between bloated carcasses
and tiny chips of tree barks
desperately looking for their son’s
albino buffalo that was never found

There were born amidst hardship

and grew up without a sigh or a complaint
now they are in the kitchen, making
jokes while rolling their cigarette leaves

By Latiff Mohidin Translated by Salleh Ben Joned

a. Why were their clothes ‘soaky’?

…………………………………………………………………………………….………………………………………………………………

b. Write down the line in the poem which reveals that this incident took place in a village?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

c. What does the phrase “bloated carcasses” refer to?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

d. In your opinion, what kind of attitude do the last two lines imply? Explain.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Practice 2:

IN THE MIDST OF HARDSHIP (stanzas 1 and 2)

At dawn they returned home
their soaky clothes torn
and approached the stove
their limbs marked by scratches
their legs full of wounds
but on their brows
there was not a sign of despair

The whole day and night just passed

they had to brave the horrendous flood
in the water all the time
between bloated carcasses
and tiny chips of tree barks
desperately looking for their son’s
albino buffalo that was never found
By Latiff Mohidin Translated by Salleh Ben Joned

a. Write down the line which shows that they have been out for long hours?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….....

b. The theme may not be exactly about hardship as implied by the title. What is the theme
related to?

………………………………………………………………………………….…………………………………………………………………

c. What does the phrase ‘albino buffalo’ reveal?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

d. What moral value did you learn from the poem? Explain.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Practice 3:

He Had Such Quiet Eyes (Stanzas 1 and 2)

He had such quiet eyes

She did not realise
They were two pools of lies
Layered with thinnest ice
To her, those quiet eyes
Were breathing desolate sighs
Imploring her to be nice
And to render him paradise

If only she’d been wise

And had listened to the advice
Never to compromise
With pleasure-seeking guys
She’d be free from “the hows and whys”
Bibsy Soenharjo-1968

a. What does the phrase ‘two pools of lies’ refer to?

………………………………………………………………………….………………………………………………………………………….

b. Which lines show that the man is saying “I love you, and if you love me, prove it!”

………………………………………………………………………….………………………………………………………………………….

c. Which stanza shows that there is a sense of regret?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

d. What do you understand by the phrase “the hows and whys”?

………………………………………………………………………….………………………………………………………………………….
Practice 4:

He Had Such Quiet Eyes

He had such quiet eyes

She did not realise
They were two pools of lies
Layered with thinnest ice
To her, those quiet eyes
Were breathing desolate sighs
Imploring her to be nice
And to render him paradise

If only she’d been wise

And had listened to the advice
Never to compromise
With pleasure-seeking guys
She’d be free from “the hows and whys”

Now here’s a bit of advice

Be sure that nice really means nice
Then you’ll never be losing at dice
Though you may lose your heart once or twice
Bibsy Soenharjo-1968

a. What does the phrase ‘thinnest ice’ imply?

…………………………………………………………………………….………………………………………………………………………

b. In this poem, the poet talks about the betrayal of a young girl’s feelings for a man. She
believes in his sincerity to her as he had pleaded to her to surrender to him. Write the two lines
depicting this.

…………………………………………………………………………….………………………………………………………………………

c. What is the main theme in this poem?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

d. What did you learn from this poem? Explain.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Practice 5:

Are You Still Playing Your Flute?

Are you still playing your flute?

When there is hardly time for our love
I am feeling guilty
To be longing for your song
The melody concealed in the slim hollow of the bamboo
Uncovered by the breath of an artist
Composed by his fingers
Blown by the wind
To the depth of my heart.

Are you still playing your flute?

In the village so quiet and deserted
Amidst the sick rice fields
While here it has become a luxury
To spend time watching the rain
Gazing at the evening rays
Collecting dew drops
Or enjoying the fragrance of flowers.

Are you still playing your flute?

The more it disturbs my conscience
to be thinking of you
in the hazard of you
my younger brothers unemployed and desperate
my people disunited by politics
my friend slaughtered mercilessly
this world is too old and bleeding.
By Zurinah Hassan

a. Who is the persona in the poem?

………………………………………………………………………….………………………………………………………………………….

b. Write one line from the poem that depicts that people are jobless.

………………………………………………………………………….………………………………………………………………………….

c. Provide three phrases that depict the message of cruel realities of a nation in uncertainty of
its future.

……………………………………………………………………………….……………………………………………………………………

d. In your own words describe why the poet used the word “sick” to describe the rice fields.

………………………………………………………………………………….…………………………………………………………………
Practice 6:

Are You Still Playing Your Flute? (Stanzas 1 and 2)

Are you still playing your flute?

When there is hardly time for our love
I am feeling guilty
To be longing for your song
The melody concealed in the slim hollow of the bamboo
Uncovered by the breath of an artist
Composed by his fingers
Blown by the wind
To the depth of my heart.

Are you still playing your flute?

In the village so quiet and deserted
Amidst the sick rice fields
While here it has become a luxury
To spend time watching the rain
Gazing at the evening rays
Collecting dew drops
Or enjoying the fragrance of flowers.

By Zurinah Hassan

a. What did the persona mean when she said ‘deserted’?

………………………………………………………………………….………………………………………………………………………….

b. Why is the persona feeling guilty?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

c. Why is the question “Are you still playing your flute’ repeated as the starting line of all the
stanzas?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

d. In your opinion, is this a romantic poem? Provide reasons for your answer.

…………………………………………………………………………….………………………………………………………………………
Practice 7:

Nature by H.D Carberry

We have neither Summer nor Winter

Neither Autumn nor Spring.
We have instead the days
When the gold sun shines on the lush green canefields-
Magnificently.
The days when the rain beats like bullet on the roofs
And there is no sound but thee swish of water in the gullies
And trees struggling in the high Jamaica winds.
Also there are the days when leaves fade from off guango trees’
And the reaped canefields lie bare and fallow to the sun.
But best of all there are the days when the mango and the logwood blossom
When bushes are full of the sound of bees and the scent of honey,
When the tall grass sways and shivers to the slightest breath of air,
When the buttercups have paved the earth with yellow stars
And beauty comes suddenly and the rains have gone.

a. In your words describe the weather as depicted in the poem.

…………………………………………………………………………….………………………………………………………………………

b. State one moral value that you have learnt from the poem.

……………………………………………………………………………..………………………………………………………………………

c. Note that the poem ends with the line “and beauty comes suddenly and the rains have gone”.
Describe how this bears a resemblance in our life.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

d. In the opening lines of the poem, the poet describes the things that are absent. In your
opinion, what is the poet trying to convey?

………………………………………………………………………………..……………………………………………………………………
Practice 8:

Nature by H.D Carberry

We have neither Summer nor Winter

Neither Autumn nor Spring.
We have instead the days
When the gold sun shines on the lush green canefields-
Magnificently.
The days when the rain beats like bullet on the roofs
And there is no sound but thee swish of water in the gullies
And trees struggling in the high Jamaica winds.
Also there are the days when leaves fade from off guango trees’
And the reaped canefields lie bare and fallow to the sun.
But best of all there are the days when the mango and the logwood blossom
When bushes are full of the sound of bees and the scent of honey,
When the tall grass sways and shivers to the slightest breath of air,
When the buttercups have paved the earth with yellow stars
And beauty comes suddenly and the rains have gone.

a. Why do you think H.D.Carberry wrote the poem?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

b. List three words related to nature.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

c. Which line in the poem ‘Nature’ suggests the sense of smell?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

d. Based on your knowledge of the poem ‘Nature’, describe a theme in the poem.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
SHORT STORIES

FRUITCAKE SPECIAL (4 practices)

PRACTICE 1

Read the extract from the short story “FRUITCAKE SPECIAL” below and answer the questions
that follow.

‘I dreamt that I was being awful to you, treating you as if you were just someone who worked
for me. The truth is that you mean so much more than that to me …’I wondered what he meant.
Was he going to raise my pay? He went on. ‘You must realise that I’m crazy about you, darling.’
He was calling me darling again. He was being serious. I have to say that at this point I was
feeling very confused. Five minutes ago my boss didn’t want to be seen with me. Now he was
saying he was crazy about me! What could be making him behave like this? Then, all at once, I
realised it was the fruitcake special! Intrigue might smell great, but it didn’t make a girl
attractive to men. But my fruitcake perfume did.

a. What does the word ‘crazy’ imply?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

b. Why was the writer confused?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

c. What is “Intrigue’ in the context of the story?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

d. Describe the behaviour of the writer’s boss and why he behaved in such a way.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
PRACTICE 2

Read the extract from the short story “FRUITCAKE SPECIAL” below and answer the questions
that follow.

Momma and Aunt Mini were very pleased, of course. They went off together to plan the
wedding and left me to get ready for the man they hoped would be my future husband. I was
beginning to wish I hadn’t told them. After all, I had no idea why my boss had behaved towards
me in that way. He had never even noticed me before now. However, he had noticed the
perfume I had been wearing. Lately I had been wearing a perfume called intrigue. It was made
by another company and I actually preferred it to the perfumes we made. Mr. Amos did have a
very good nose for perfumes. Perhaps Intrigue was so good he just couldn’t stop himself. Who
knows? Anyway, I had to get ready for my evening out. Although I couldn’t explain why Mr.
Amos had suddenly found me attractive, I really wanted to find out. In my own way I’m as bad
as my Aunt Mimi, I guess.

a. Whose wedding is being planned? Name the bride and groom to be.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

b. Why did the writer say “wish I hadn’t told them”?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

c. Why was the writer’s plan for the night?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

d. Do you think the boss was attracted to the writer because of the perfume?
Give a reason for your answer.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
PRACTICE 3

Read the extract from the short story “FRUITCAKE SPEACIAL” below and answer the questions
that follow.

Momma seemed satisfied with my explanation that things had just not worked out between me
and Mr. Amos, although she thought it a wasted opportunity she wanted me to have a rich
husband. Still, happiness is what really counts, she said, with a note of sadness in her voice.
When I finally got back to the factory there was a message left on my desk – could I see Mr.
Amos as soon as I got in. As I walked towards David Amos’s office I felt like a schoolgirl who had
to go to see the head teacher. I was sure that the fruitcake special would not still be working by
now – after all, he had not seen me for a few days. I knocked on his door. Mr. Amos was sitting
behind his big desk with a large black eye.

a. Describe the ‘opportunity’ as in the context of the story?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

b. Why was the ‘opportunity’ considered as wasted?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

c. Why did the writer feel ‘like a schoolgirl who had to go to see the head teacher’?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….....

d. Do you think Mr. Amos was angry at the writer? Give a reason

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
PRACTICE 4

Read the extract from the short story “FRUITCAKE SPECIAL” below and answer the questions
that follow.

‘Momma,’ I said, ‘if it’s Aunt Mimi with news of another “perfect boy” for me, tell her I’m not
interested.’ ‘It’s not Aunt Mimi, dear,’ said Momma.
‘Who is it?’ I asked. ‘I think you’d better come see for yourself ’ Momma said.
I went to the front door. It was Armstrong, the pizza delivery man. He was holding up a pizza
box which had ‘Armstrong’s Peachy Pizzas’ in big letters on the front.
Armstrong now owned the pizza company. He explained that he’d fallen in love with me when
he first delivered pizza to us, but he wanted to be a success before asking me out. He said I
deserved no less. Then he gave me some flowers. I never really noticed before, but Armstrong is
quite good looking: a bit short maybe, a little thin on top –but nobody’s perfect.

a. State one characteristic of a ‘perfect boy” in Aunt Mimi’s opinion.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

b. What is the name of Armstrong’s company?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

c. What does Armstrong mean when he said “ … deserved no less’?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

d. Would you marry someone like Armstrong? Give a reason

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
QWERTYUIOP (4 practices)

PRACTICE 1

Read the extract from the short story QWERTYUIOP below and answer the
questions that follow.

She stared at it in horrified bewilderment. What had happened? What had she done? Not even
on her first day at the Belmont Secretarial College had she made such ridiculous mistakes. Such
strange mistakes – QWERTYUIOP, the top line of letters on a typewriter, repeated over and over
again! Thank God there had been no one to notice. They’d think she had gone mad.
She must be more careful. Keep her mind on the job, not allow it to wander out of the window
into the sunny shopping street below. Putting fresh paper into the typewriter, she began again.
She was tempted to look at the keyboard . . . “Don’t look at the keys! Keep your eyes away!”
Mrs Price was always saying. “No peeing. You’ll never make a good typist if you can’t do it by
touch. Rhythm, it’s all rhythm. Play it to music in your head.”

a. What is QWERTYUIOP?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

b. Why must she be careful?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..………………………………..

c. What did she decide to do after making the repeated mistakes?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

d. Do you think you would make such mistakes. Give a reason for your answer.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
PRACTICE 2

Read the extract from the short story QWERTYUIOP below and answer the questions that
follow.

For an hour, she battled with the machine. As fast as QWERTYUIOPs and unwanted capitals
appeared, she attacked with a loaded brush. The white fluid ran down the typing paper like
melting ice-cream, and dripped thickly into the depths of the typewriter.
YOU’RE DROWNING ME, it complained pathetically, and she swiped at the words with her
brush.
HELP!
Another swipe.
PLEASE!
But Lucy showed no mercy. The large bottle was half-empty when she reached the end of the
letter in triumph.
Yours faithfully,
George Ross,
She typed, and sat back with a sigh of relief.
The machine began to rattle. Too late, Lucy snatched the completed letter out of the
typewriter. Across the bottom of the otherwise faultless page, it now said in large, red capitals:
I HATE YOU!
Furiously she painted the words out.

a. What is the white fluid?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

b. Why is Lucy battling with the machine?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

c. Why is the large bottle half empty?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……………………………

d. What quality did Lucy display? Provide a reason for your answer.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
PRACTICE 3

Read the extract from the short story QWERTYUIOP below and answer the questions that
follow.

Lucy typed quickly:

Are you from outer space?
The typewriter rocked, as if with laughter, its keys clicking like badly fitting false teeth.
IDIOT, it wrote.
Who are you? Lucy typed.
Miss Broome, it answered.
Lucy hesitated. She did not know quite how to reply to this. In the end she typed:
How do you do? I am Miss Beck.
GO AWAY, MISS BECK
Why should I?
I AM SECRETARY HERE, it sated, this time in red letters.
No, you’re not! I am! Lucy typed angrily.
The machine went mad. Q U E R T Y U I O P “ / @ Q U E R T Y U I O P £ – &()*QWERTYUIOP+1, it
screamed, shaking and snapping its keys like castanets.

a. What does the word ‘rocked’ mean?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

b. What is Lucy’s occupation?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

c. Why did Lucy hesitate?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

d. If you were Lucy do you think you would reply to Miss Broome? Give a reason for your
answer.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
PRACTICE 4

Read the extract from the short story QWERTYUIOP below and answer the questions that
follow.

Lucy Beck was young and small and mouse-coloured, easily overlooked. She had a lonely ‘O’
level and a typing speed that would make a tortoise laugh.
“Whoever will want to employ me?” she had asked Mrs. Price once, and Mrs. Price had been at
a loss to answer.
Lucy wanted a job. More than anyone, more than anything, she wanted a job. She was tired of
being poor. She was fed up with macaroni cheese and baked beans. She was sick of second-hand
clothes.
“We are jumble sailors on the rough sea of life,” her mother would say. Lucy loved her mother,
but could not help wishing she would sometimes lose her temper. Shout. Scream. Throw
saucepans at the spinning, grinning head of Uncle Bert.

a. Why is Lucy described as ‘easily overlooked’?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

b. Why is finding a job so important to Lucy?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

c. What was Mrs. Price’s answer to Lucy when she asked whether she would ever find a job?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

d. Describe Lucy’s feelings towards Uncle Bert. Provide reasons for your answer.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

DRAMA (4 practices)
PRACTICE 1

Read the extract from the drama Gulp and Gasp below and answer the questions that follow.

LORD SEPTIC: It’s just like that night many years ago. I stood right here as my father tied Lady
Gatsby to the same track. She was the richest widow in town. He tricked her to meet him on this
station one dark night.
CROUCH: Killer trains must run in your family, sir!
LORD SEPTIC: Lady Gatsby came here with her baby in one arm and the Gatsby Gold in the
other. But somehow she hid it before we got our hands on it.
CROUCH: You wanted to get the baby?
LORD SEPTIC: No, the gold, you fool. It’s worth a fortune. We tied her to this track to make her
tell us where she’d hidden it.

a. Why was Lady Gatsby at the station?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

b. What did Lady Gatsby do before her death?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

b. Why was the Gatsby Gold not found?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

d. Explain in your own words what is meant by crouch when he said ‘killer trains’.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Practice 2

Read the extract from the drama Gulp and Gasp below and answer the questions that follow.

RO S E: Not since the fire at the match factory.

PERCY: Lord Septic’s match factory?
ROSE: Yes. I used to pack the match boxes. Big match boxes. Full of big matches.
PERCY: Wasn’t there a big strike at the match factory?
ROSE: Yes. Lord Septic didn’t pay us. He didn’t keep the matches safe because it would cost him
money. There was a fire and many workers were killed. I was lucky. But the flames hurt my eyes.
I can’t see any more.
PERCY: What a rotter that man is! They’ve just gone on strike at another one of his factories.
They all want a shorter working wick.
ROSE: [Laughing] I think you mean WEEK. They want a shorter working WEEK.
PERCY: No – it’s a candle factory. I say, you look so pretty when you smile. What’s your name?

a. Why was Rose at the match factory?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

b. In what way was Lord Septic responsible for the fire?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

c. Why is there a strike at one of Lord Septic’s factories?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

d. What would be an important value portrayed in the drama? Provide a reason for your
answer.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Practice 3

Read the extract from the drama Gulp and Gasp below and answer the questions that follow.

CROUCH: And you always want what you get, sir.

LORD SEPTIC: No, Crouch. I always get what I want. At last, I own this station. Soon I will own all
the stations from here to King’s Cross. And when I do … do you know what I’ll be?
CROUCH: Even more greedy, sir?
LORD SEPTIC: I’ll be the richest man in the land. And do you know why?
CROUCH: Because you’ll own the biggest train set ever.
LORD SEPTIC: Because I will find the Gatsby Gold. It’s hidden somewhere along this line. I’ll dig
up the track. I’ll look under every sleeper. I’ll search every station. One day, it will be mine. All
mine. At last . . . And nothing will get in my way. [He trips over Crouch] Get out of my way, you
fool.
CROUCH: Most sorry, sir. Very sorry, sir. Really sorry,
sir.
LORD SEPTIC: I’ll now go up to my office to plot more plans. I will get more ideas on being rich.
Filthy rich. Thick, black and oily. That’s how rich! I’m going upstairs.

a. What is a sleeper?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

b. What does Lord Septic hope to find under the sleepers?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

c. What are Lord Septic’s plans?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

d. What is your impression of Crouch? Explain.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Practice 4

Read the extract from the drama Gulp and Gasp below and answer the questions that follow.

LORD SEPTIC : Yes, Clora – my wife. Clora Septic. She nags for a living. I only married her for her
arms.

CROUCH : Are they nice to hug?

LORD SEPTIC : Not those arms. She owns a gun factory. We make weapons. We make bombs.
One day we will arm the world. We want a good war. She’s just made a tank that can kill from a
mile in one burst. Just like her! It’s called the Septic Tank.

CROUCH : I bet that’ll cause a bit of a stink, sir!

LORD SEPTIC : Crouch, I don’t know why I keep you as my porter. You are dim, daft, dopey,
dozey and dippy. What’s more you annoy me. I’m not nice when I’m cross.

CROUCH : No, sir.

a. What is the meaning of the word ‘arms’?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

b. Why did Lord Septic marry Clora?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

c. What is the name of the tank that Clora has made?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

d. Explain why Lord Septic called Crouch ‘dim, daft, dopey, dozey and dippy’

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Novels (6 Practices)
PRACTICE SECTION

The following are the novels studied in the literature component in English Language
1. The Curse by Lee Su Ann
2. Step by Wicked Step by Ann Fine.
3. Catch Us If You Can by Catherine McPhail

Based on one novel above, write about the following:

Provide evidence from the text to support your answer.

Your response should be:
• Not less than 50 words
• In continuous writing (not in note form)

Practice 1
Based on one novel above, discuss one of the themes in the story. Provide evidence from the
text to support your answer

Practice 2
Write about a character that you find most interesting.
Support your answer with evidence from the novel.

Practice 3
Write about a moral value you have learnt in the story.
Support your answer with evidence from the novel

Practice 4
Based on one novel above, write about an episode that is memorable in the story. Provide
evidence from the text to support your answer.

Practice 5

Based on the novel of your choice, discuss the problems faced by a character. How does he/she
overcome the problems?

Practice 6

Compare two characters in the novel you have studied. How are they similar?
TEST 1

Form 4 Poem
In the Midst of Hardship
Read the following stanza of In the Midst of Hardship and answer the questions that follow.

At dawn they returned home

their soaky clothes torn
and approached the stove
their limbs marked by scratches
their legs full of wounds
but on their brows there was not a sign of despair
Latiff Mohidin

a. What does the word dawn mean?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

b. Write down two phrases from the poem that indicates injury.

i. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

ii. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

c. Describe their feelings when they reached home. Provide a reason to support your answer.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Form 4 Short Story
QWERTYUIOP
Read the extract from the short story QWERTYUIOP below and answer the questions that
follow.

She was early. She smoothed down her windy hair, and waited.
At five past nine, an elderly man, with small dark eyes like currants and a thick icing of white
hair, came hobbling up the stairs. He was jingling a bunch of keys.
“Ah,” he said, noticing Mary. “Punctuality is the courtesy of kings – but a hard necessity for new
brooms, eh? You are the new broom, I suppose? Not an impatient customer waiting to see our
new range of Sunburst cushions, by any chance?”

a. What does the phrase ‘new broom’ imply?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

b. Describe the man who opened the door for Lucy.

…………………………………………………………………………………..…………………………………………………………..

c. What is the meaning of ‘hobbling’?

…………………………………………………………………………………..…………………………………………………………..

d. In your opinion, why did Lucy arrive early that Monday morning?

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Novel

The following are the novels studied in the literature component in English Language
1. The Curse by Lee Su Ann
2. Step by Wicked Step by Ann Fine.
3. Catch Us If You Can by Catherine McPhail

Based on the novel that you have studied, choose a character and discuss how good values are
being demonstrated through the character you have chosen.

Provide evidence from the text to support your answer.

Your response should be:
• Not less than 50 words
• In continuous writing (not in note form)
TEST 2
(Form 5 poem)

Nature by H.D Carberry

We have neither Summer nor Winter

Neither Autumn nor Spring.
We have instead the days
When the gold sun shines on the lush green canefields-
Magnificently.
The days when the rain beats like bullet on the roofs
And there is no sound but thee swish of water in the gullies
And trees struggling in the high Jamaica winds.
Also there are the days when leaves fade from off guango trees’
And the reaped canefields lie bare and fallow to the sun.
But best of all there are the days when the mango and the logwood blossom
When bushes are full of the sound of bees and the scent of honey,
When the tall grass sways and shivers to the slightest breath of air,
When the buttercups have paved the earth with yellow stars
And beauty comes suddenly and the rains have gone.

a. “What seasons did the poet say that they did not have?”

………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………………………………………………

b. List out the verbs found in the poem ‘Nature’.

………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………………………………………………

c. List words that describe the following in the poem.

i) sunny days

………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………………………………………………

ii) rainy days

………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………………………………………………

d. Do you agree that the sunny days are “the best days” as compared to rainy days? Explain why
or why not?

………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………………………………………………
Form 4 drama/short story
LORD SEPTIC: The night, you fool. It’s a foul and filthy night.
CROUCH: Very nasty, Lord Septic.
LORD SEPTIC: Angry.
CROUCH: Mmm.
LORD SEPTIC: Very angry.
CROUCH: Mmm. Mmmm.
LORD SEPTIC: And do you know why I’m angry, Crouch? I hate nights like this.
CROUCH: Indeed, sir.
LORD SEPTIC: This fog is so thick. I can’t see a thing out there. It’s as thick as…
CROUCH: Pea soup, sir. Very thick pea soup.
LORD SEPTIC: And there’s nothing worse than pea soup is there, Crouch?
CROUCH: Not really, sir. Apart from sprouts. I would think a mushy sprout soup is pretty foul.
Worse than a pea in this fog.
LORDSEPTIC: I can’t even see the railway track.
CROUCH: Don’t get too near the edge of the platform, sir.
LORD SEPTIC: If this train doesn’t come soon, I’ll sack the driver. I’ll sack everyone. After all,
next week I’ll own this railway line.
CROUCH: Indeed, sir. Most true, your ever-so big lordship, sir.

a. Why is Lord Septic very angry?

………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………………………………………………

b. What does the word ‘sack’ mean?

………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………………………………………………

c. Describe the condition at the station.

………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………………………………………………

d. How would you describe Lord Septic? Provide a reason for your answer.

………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………………………………………………
Novel question

The following are the novels studied in the literature component in English Language
1. The Curse by Lee Su Ann
2. Step by Wicked Step by Ann Fine.
3. Catch Us If You Can by Catherine McPhail

Based on the novel that you have studied, describe two different settings or situations.

Provide evidence from the text to support your answer.

Your response should be:
• Not less than 50 words
• In continuous writing (not in note form)