SULIT 1119/2

Section C
[25 marks]
[Time suggested: 50 minutes]

Questions 26 to 31 are based on the following passage

1 As the night closed in, Yazid reached out to caress his rifle lovingly and
make sure that it was close beside him. As long as it was, he felt safe.

2 Earlier, he had helped the new man to chop down some trees and cleared
a path with ten other men. There was going to be a visit the next day. They had
gone into the jungle with only a long knife. Unlike the rest, Yazid had saved 5
every cent he earned and bought himself a rifle. With it, he had established
himself as the protector of the village. The others were only
too willing to pay for the protection; for the villagers were terrified of the
creatures that came in the darkness. With that thought, Yazid went peacefully to
sleep. 10

He woke up suddenly in the middle of the night. He did not know what
3
awakened him. He listened intently, shaking off sleep, but there was no change
of the sounds in the jungle. Yet, he felt a strange stirring within him. Then, he
heard it. At the far end of the village, he could hear a goat bleating uneasily. Then
the goat was thrashing about and everything was silent again. 15

4 Yazid knew what it was. The creature had come for Pak Salleh’s goats.
Then, he went to sleep again, smiling to himself. He knew that Pak Salleh would
come to see him the next day.

5 The next morning, Yazid took his time to emerge from his house. He ate
his bread slowly, dipping it into a cup of hot, black coffee. He knew they were 20
anxious to come to him as he had the rifle. A few minutes later, he saw Pak Salleh
and his son, coming directly to his house. Other curious villagers also came out
for there was nothing that escaped the attention of the villagers, be it a quarrel, a
gossip or something as big as this. “A tiger came and attacked my goats. It
escaped with one of my goats,” Pak Salleh said in urgency. “Did you hear 25
anything?” Yazid asked.

6 “Yes, but I could not do anything. I came to ask you for help for you are
the only man who can do it.. I will give you one hundred ringgit if you can kill
the tiger.”
7 30
“Three hundred,” Yazid insisted. Finally they agreed on the price with a
few goats thrown in.

Later, Yazid carefully loaded his rifle and strapped his tapping knife. The
8
children hovered around him excitedly. The women whispered among
themselves, giving him appreciative glances. They worshipped him, Yazid
sauntered past the women, savouring the moment. When he reached the place 35
where the tiger had been, he examined the marks carefully. The imprint told him
it was a huge cat and it had an injured right front paw. Yazid could feel the
villagers’ eyes upon his back. They were looking at the expert at work for no one
had ever dared to venture into the tiger’s territory. So, the people were in awe of
SULIT 1119/2

Yazid. He could hear the collective sigh of admiration as he stepped through the 40
broken gate.

9 Once in the jungle and out of the villagers’ sight, Yazid underwent a
complete transformation. The show was over and another was about to begin. He
became vigilant. He knew that a good hunter must be alert at all times, otherwise
even his rifle could not save him. Impressing the villagers was one thing; hunting 45
a tiger was another. He moved quietly and from time to time, he glanced at the
ground before him. An occasional branch or two snapped under his feet. Then he
saw a distinct trail. There was an occasional drop of blood from the dead goat,
some paw prints in soft places. Within the first fifty metres, Yazid had learnt a
50
lot about this tiger.

He came upon it suddenly from behind a dead palm tree. Then to his
10
horror, he realised that he had come too near for his safety. He stopped in his
tracks and cold fear crept up his spine. Slowly, he brought his rifle to his shoulder
and aimed. He must shoot straight and true. He would not have time to reload. 55
He steadied the rifle. His finger tightened slowly at the trigger. His hands were
shaking but he steadied himself. Then, he fired. Yazid’s body became
momentarily numb! There was no gun roar nor any puff of black powder! Only
a tiny spark and a deafening silence as he stared wide-eyed at the tiger.

11 The spark was all that was needed to trigger the wrath of the tiger. It 60
looked up and charged at Yazid. He quickly put down his beloved rifle near a
tree and in the same motion, jerked his knife out. Yazid knew that he was going
to fight a losing battle for no man had ever killed a tiger with a knife. As the tiger
flung itself at him, he swerved and thrust his knife into the tiger’s throat with all
his might. Blood rushed from its throat and Yazid felt a rush of 65
nausea. It staggered towards Yazid and then stumbled and fell to the ground.
12
Yazid stared at the big cat. He had killed a tiger with just a knife. Then,
he took his rifle close to the wound that he had made, and pulled the trigger. All
traces of the knife were blown apart. This was the way it must be. The man who
owned the rifle must remain supreme.
70

26. From paragraph 1, what made Yazid feel secure at night?

…………………………………………………………………………………………… [ 1 mark ]
27. From paragraph 3,
(a) what woke Yazid from his sleep?
………………………………………………………………………………………. [ 1 mark ]
(b) which word means ‘very carefully’
………………………………………………………………………………………. [ 1 mark ]
SULIT 1119/2

28. From paragraph 6,

(a) Why did Pak Salleh come to ask Yazid’s help?
……………………………………………………………………………………… [ 1 mark ]
(b) How much did Pak Salleh have to pay Yazid for the task ?
……………………………………………………………………………………… [ 1 mark ]
29. From paragraph 9,
(a) ‘Yazid underwent a complete transformation’. Describe the transformation.
……………………………………………………………………………………… [ 1 mark ]
(b) i. Why was the transformation necessary?
……………………………………………………………………………………… [ 1 mark ]
ii. State two clues that showed that the tiger was nearby.
……………………………………………………………………………………… [ 1 mark ]
30. In your own word, state one quality a hunter should have.
Provide a reason to support your answer.
Quality : …………………………………………………………………………….. [ 1 mark ]
Reason : …………………………………………………………………………….. [ 1 mark ]

31. Yazid was very proud of his rifle and was eager to kill the tiger with it.
Write a summary about
 Yazid’s preparation before he tracked the tiger
 his observation on the surrounding and what he learnt of the tiger and how he killed
the tiger.
Credit will be given for use of own words but care must be taken not to change the original
meaning.
Your summary must :
 be in continuous writing form ( not in note form )
 use materials from line 25 to line 66
 not be longer than 130 words, including the 10 words given below

Begin your summary as follows :

After Yazid concluded the deal with Pak Salleh to kill the …..
[15 marks]

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