PRACTICE 1

Section C

[25 marks]

Questions 26 – 31 are based on the following passage.

1 One day, a young man was cleaning out his late grandfather’s belongings
when he came across a bright red envelope. Written on the front were the
words, "To my grandson”. Recognising his grandfather’s writing, the young
man opened the envelope. A letter inside read:
2 “Dear Grandson, years ago you came to me for help. You said, 5
“Grandpa, how is it that you’ve accomplished so much in your life and
you’re still full of energy I’m already tired of struggling. How can I get that
same enthusiasm that you’ve got?”
3 “I didn’t know what to say to you then as you were still too young to
comprehend the complexities of life. But knowing my days are numbered, I 10
figure that I owe you an answer. So here is what I believe. I think a lot of it
has to do with how a person looks at things. I call it ‘keeping your eyes
4 wide open’.
First, realise that life is filled with surprises, some not so pleasant
and others quite shocking but many are good ones. If you don’t keep 15
watching for them, you’ll miss half the excitement. Expect to be thrilled
5 once in a while, and you will be. You attract what you think of the most in
life.
When you meet up with challenges, welcome them. Do not bolt!
6 They’ll leave you wiser, stronger, and more capable than you were the day 20
before. You’ll be glad you dare to take the bull by its horns.
When you make a mistake, be grateful for the things it taught you.
7 Failure should not stop you from pursuing your dreams. No one is perfect.
Resolve to use that lesson to help you reach your goals,
And always follow the rules — even the little ones. When you follow 25
the rules, life works. If you think you ever really get by with breaking the
8 rules, you’re only fooling yourself. Remember crime does not pay and our
past has a sneaky way of creeping up to us.
It’s also important to decide exactly what you want. Then, keep your
mind focused on it, and be prepared to receive it. Being focused on a goal 30
9 spurs us towards the right direction by channelling our energy on what is
actually important so that we are not too overwhelmed by obstacles.
But be ready to end up in some new places too. Change is part of
growing up. As you grow with the years. you’ll be given bigger shoes to fill.
10 So be ready for endings as well as challenging beginnings. Life will not be 35
so predictable. It can also be fun too.
Sometimes we have to be brave enough to move from the familiar to
 the unfamiliar. Life isn’t just reaching peaks. Part of it is moving from one
peak to the next. If you rest too long in between, you might be tempted to
quit. Complacency and contentment will set in. You will not desire to move
11 on. You can become lazy or indifferent. 40

Leave the past in the past. Climb the next mountain and enjoy the view.
Dump things that weigh you down emotionally and spiritually. When an old
12 resentment, belief or attitude becomes heavy, lighten your load. Shed
those hurtful attitudes that slow you down and drain your energy. 45
Remember that your choices will create your successes and your
13 failures. So consider all the pathways ahead, and decide which ones to
follow. Then, believe in yourself get up, and get going.
And be sure to take breaks once in a while. Everyone needs to
recharge their batteries. They’ll give you a renewed commitment to your 50
14 dreams, and a cheerful, healthy perception of the things that matter the
most to you. Your vision will be sharper and your goals clearer.
“Most important of all, never give up on yourself. The person that
ends up a winner is the one who resolves to win. Losers quit too early in
the race. Give life everything you’ve got, and life will give its best back to
you.”
Love always, Grandpa.
by Steve Brunkhorst

Vocabulary Practice

For each of the meaning of the words used in the article, find the word which matches
the meaning.

1 (Line 7) great eagerness to do something - …………………….

2 (Line 10) limited - …………………………………

3 (Line 15) a state in which you are very interested and enthusiastic about something -

……………………………………..

4 (Line 25) deceiving - …………………….

5 (Line 28) concentrated - ………………………..

6 (Line 36) highest point of achievement - ……………………

7 (Line 42) a feeling of betterment and anger - ……………………………..

8 (Line 43) make someone tired - ………………………….

9 (Line 48) made a new start - …………………………..

10 (Line 49) outlook - …………………….

26 (a) From paragraph 1, why did the young man open the letter in the bright red
envelope?

_____________________________________________________________ [1
mark]

(b) From paragraph 2, what inspired the grandfather to write this letter?

_____________________________________________________________ [1
mark]

27 (a) From paragraph 3, what does the phrase ‘keeping your eyes wide open’ mean?

_____________________________________________________________ [1
mark]

(b) From paragraph 4, what are some of the surprises in life if we keep our eyes
open?

_____________________________________________________________ [1
mark]

28 (a) From paragraph 5, how should the young man face challenges in life?

_____________________________________________________________ [1
mark]

(b) From paragraph 7, what was the grandfather’s advice with regards to rules?

_____________________________________________________________ [1
mark]
29 (b) From paragraph 9, explain the phrase ‘you’ll be given bigger shoes to fill.’

_____________________________________________________________ [1
mark]

(b) From paragraph 14, how can life give its best back to us?

_____________________________________________________________ [1
mark]

30 Do you think it is important not to be a quitter in the race of life? Why?

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________
[2
marks]

31 Based on the passage given, write a summary on:

 the lessons of life given by the grandfather to his grandson.

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 from)
 use materials from lines 11 to 53
 not be longer than 130 words, including the 10 words given below

Begin your summary as follows:

I believe that it has a lot to do with

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Practice 2
SECTION C
(25 MARKS)

QUESTIONS 26-31 are based on the following passage

1 The descent was endless. After lunch, Chip began to complain of weak legs
and a swollen knee. Before long he had to stop every ten minutes to rest. As I
watched him sitting down clutching his knee, fear began to creep back into me,
a different kind of fear, not for myself but for someone else.
2 It had never occurred to me that my husband would have trouble. I never 5
thought he would be the one who would be left behind. But in the twilight, with
1000 feet to go before the next camp, it looked like we wouldn’t make it before
 dark. His eyes were filled with stress .I took his daypack, and he put his arm
around one of the guides. I coaxed him on, trying to cheer him up with show
tunes, jokes, bad Swahili. When we finally fell upon the blue and yellow dome 10
tents and the raging bonfire, he could barely walk on his own.
3 The next day, with 3000 feet left to Mweka Gate, where our Land Cruisers
were waiting to pick us up, Chip’s knee was locked up and again he had to lean
on guide’s shoulder and limp down. The first to sign up was the last to finish.
And his reluctant wife? Her body was intact, but her mind well, her mind was not 15
the same. I thought Alex told us on the way up about two clients who after
suffering from altitude sickness were sure they would never recover their
4 faculties.
I knew I would never recover mine, but maybe that was good. I would never
take those urban comforts for granted again. I would relish, every manicure, 20
savor every meeting. And I would never climb another mountain. I gleefully
gave away all my gear to the porters. In the logbook, I wrote my name and the
date, and under comments I defiantly scrawled AGAINST MY RELIGION in
capital letters. The irony, of course, was that my experience on Kilimanjaro was
5 the closest i have come to acting on blind faith. 25
When we got home to the safe familiarity of city life, I embarrassed my
workday routine with gusto. Logging on to my email, I learnt of a 26 year old
climber who had hiked up Kilimanjaro a week after we did. He had developed a
severe respiratory illness and died during a nighttime evacuation attempt from
the crater camp – a death all the more tragic because he had planned to 30
propose to his girlfriend when they reached the summit. She found the ring later
among his possessions. The reality of adventure is chilling: even a walk-up like
Kilimanjaro can bite you. In retrospect, all my complaints about the clothing,
6 hygiene and gear seem so trivial. The essence of style in the wilderness has
nothing to do with clothes and everything to do with humility. 35
My husband still tells his friend his favourites story about the trip, a story I
swear I don’t remember. He recalls the day we drove out of Kilimanjaro National
Reserve, the sugar loaf vanishing in the distance behind us. I supposedly
turned to him and wistfully said “I miss the mountains”. It must have been the
altitude.

(An extract from Steep Impact by Katherine Betts,Vogue

October 1998)
Vocabulary Practice
For each of the meaning of the words used in the article, find the word which matches
the meaning.

1 (Line 1) go down - ………………………………………………………

2 (Line 6) faint half-light before sunrise ………………………………………………………

3 (Line 9) get somebody or something to do something by kindness or patience ……….

………………………………………………………………………………………………

4 (Line10) large fire made outdoors ………………………………………………………………..

5 (Line 15) untouched, undamaged, complete ………………………………………………….

6 (Line 17) ability to do something …………………………………………………

7 (Line 19) liking, zest ………………………………………………………

8( Line 26) enjoyment in doing something ………………………………………………..

9 (Line 31) view of past events ……………………………………………………………

10 (Line 3) most important quality of a thing ……………………………………………………..

26 (a) from paragraph 1, how did the author feel on her way down the mountain?

_____________________________________________________________ [1
mark]

(b) From paragraph 2, how did the author try to make her husband feel better?

_____________________________________________________________ [1
mark]

27 From paragraph 3,
a) Who was the first to sign up in the sentence?
_____________________________________________________________ [1
mark]
 b) In the line24, the word “they “refer to?
_____________________________________________________________ [1
mark]

28 From paragraph 4,
a) What lesson did the author learn from her climb?
_____________________________________________________________ [1
mark]

b) What did the author do to signify that she’ll not climb anymore?
_____________________________________________________________ [1
mark]

29 From paragraph 5,
a) What lesson did the author learn from the death of the younger climber?
_____________________________________________________________ [1
mark]

b) What did the author learn about herself?

_____________________________________________________________ [1
mark]

30 From paragraph 6, what does the author mean by it must have been the altitude?
_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________
[2 marks]

QUESTION 31
Based on the passage given write a summary on:
 The lessons the author learnt from her climb up Kilimanjaro
 How the lesson changed her altitude

Use material from line 18 till the end

Not be longer than 130 words including the 10 words given below

Begin your summary as follows:

She learnt to cherish and not to take for granted all...........................................................
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Practice 3
 SECTION C
(25 MARKS)

QUESTIONS 26 -31 are based on the following passage

1 One of the most common problems in schools are facing today is truancy.
Primary and secondary school students can be seen in shopping malls in their
school uniforms at any time of the day. What makes them want to play truant and
stay away from school?
2 Some students feel that the schools do not provide a conducive and exciting 5
environment to study in. It is the same routine, week in week out until the end the
year. They get bored and skip school. They find many exciting things to do out of
school with their friends.
3 Yet others complain that the school is very strict with lots of unnecessary
school rules. They can’t have slightly long hair, can’t wear earrings, can’t bring 10
hand phones or wear sports shoes. They can only wear canvas shoes! They feel
this kind of discipline is unnecessary and unduly harsh!
4 Another very important reason that causes some students to play truant is peer
pressure. They want to be part of the group and feel they have to be as “cool” as
their friends. They want to show they are independent and will purposely break 15
school rules and regulations and flout the law! This is their way of showing that
they won’t conform to anything that they feel is curbing their freedom in speech
and action. They are happy as long as they are part of the “group”.
5 Students who play truant are the losers in the end. They will lose out on their
formal education and will have a tough time finding jobs. When they can’t get 20
jobs, they won’t have money for their daily expenses. This will force them to steal
things or harass people to give them money.
6 Others start drinking or smoking just because their friends are doing so.
Sometimes, just to show they are cool, they might resort to vandalism. They want
to fight the discipline that tells them they should not destroy public amenities. 25
7 Yet others show off their artistic talents by writing graffiti anywhere they feel
like it.
8 Many times, the despair of not having money leads them to take drugs just to
get over their feeling of misery. Then, the whole cycle starts all over again.

9 This unnecessary pain and misery could have been avoided if only the students 30
 had some self-discipline and stayed in school to gain their academics certificates
and school leaving certificates.
1 But the fact remains that school is the place where they learn discipline. It is
0 this discipline that will help them when they become young adults and go into the
working world. It is this kind of discipline that will tell them “right” from “wrong” 35
and “good” from “bad”
It is only when students know how to stand up for their beliefs that they can
1 actually stand up to bullies and say “no” to begin pressurized into doing anything
1 negative or anything ethically and morally wrong. This comes with discipline
which is normally embedded in school and in the home. 40

Vocabulary Practice
For each of the meaning of the words used in the article, find the word which matches the
meaning.

1 (Line 5) comfortable...........................................................................................

2 (Line 12) improper manners.....................................................................................

3 (Line 12) rough and disagreeable.............................................................................

4 (Line 16) opposes / treats with contempt......................................................................

5 (Line 17) be in agreement......................................................................................

6 (Line 17) keep under control..................................................................................

7 (Line 22) cause trouble...........................................................................................

8 (Line 26) things that make life easy........................................................................

9 (Line 26) drawing or words scratched on hard surface..........................................

10 (Line 37) systems of moral principles....................................................................

26 From paragraphs 1 and 2,

 a) What are the main problems schools are facing?

_____________________________________________________________ [1
mark]

b) Why do students play truant?

_____________________________________________________________ [1
mark]

27 From paragraphs 3 and 4, what causes students to stay away from school?

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

[2 marks]

28 From paragraph 5, what will happen to students who play truant?

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

[2 marks]

29 From paragraphs 6 and 7 states the four bad habits that can arise from playing

truant?
_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

[2 marks]

30 From paragraph 11, where will children usually learn discipline?

a) _____________________________________________________________ [1
mark]

b) _____________________________________________________________ [1
mark]

QUESTION 31
Based on the passage, write a summary on
 Cause of students play truant
 The effects of students playing truant

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 writting
 Use material from line 5 to 31
 Not be longer than 130 words,including the words given below
Begin your summary as follows
Truancy is the most common problems schools face as students ………………………..

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