ENGLISH TEST – GRADE 12

First term – April 2020

My Childhood

I have a very clear earliest memory. I, the first born, was three and half and my mother was expecting another child.
I was constantly asking God to send me a new brother or sister. The "me" was important because I loved receiving
presents. I was furious when the attention moved from me to this small red-faced thing in cot. It was a great
disappointment to me. I had been praying for this moment and now here was a “thing” which kept crying with
everybody saying how beautiful it was. ”Honestly” I said, “I would have preferred s rabbit!”

I got very used to walking as a child. I was the eldest of the four so there was always somebody in a pram to be
wheeled out for a walk.

My mother always had this view that if she made our home a centre for lots of our friends to come to, then she
would know where we all were and she would not have to worry about us. So our house became meeting point for
all ages. My mother didn’t have much of a home life when she was young: her parents had died when she was a
child and she had been brought up by relations. I think she tried to make up for this by ensuring that her own family
would be a very definite and important entity. I know that there is always the danger that you look back too
sympathetically – rose coloured speeches and all that – but my childhood was great joy.

My father always encouraged us to read. We had a lot of books at home and I was very lucky to grow up in such a
house of books. Of course, as a teenager I always felt that when my father advised you to do something you should
resist as much as possible, so, when my father used to tell me to read the English classics, I resisted. It was only
when I reached my late teens that started to read them and I began to think that they are good.

My Mother was terrific at explaining the facts of life to us. I had known from a very early age how children were
born because we had rabbits so there was no great mystery in birth, but I wanted to know how babies were
conceived. She told me and I refused to believe it. I thanked my mother very much and decided that this was
absolutely impossible. Wasn’t it terribly sad that my mother was going mad? I discussed the subject with my father.
“I’m very sorry to tell you Daddy, that Mummy is going insane.” I said. “Why?” he enquired.

“I could not tell you the things she has said,” I replied tactfully, “but she has a very peculiar explanation of how
children are conceived.” I gave him a broad outline of her description.

“Don’t you think we should get a doctor?” I asked with great concern. “Ah, no,” he said, I think she had a point. “I
think a lot of that is right.” I thought to myself, isn’t the a wonderfully loyal man!

I went to my first dance when I was 17. I thought that I looked so gorgeous that I could hardly keep my eyes off
myself. I wore a blue dress that my cousin had lent me, with a big blue velvet band set down the middle of the dress
to let it out. I wore earrings, which had made sores in my ears when I was rehearsing the dance, so I had put
sticking plaster on my ears and painted it blue to match the dress. I must have looked absolutely horrific.

Nobody – not one single person – danced with me that night. That was a black time. There weren’t many dark
passages in my childhood but that most definitely was one.
 Section I. Read the text and choose the best alternative (A, B, C or D) to complete the sentences.

1. When the baby arrived the author was....

A. excited at getting a new present. C. Was jealous.
B. Was disappointed with her mother. D. Was fascinated by the new arrival.

2. Friends were always welcome at the author´s house because her mother...
A. liked having children around the house. C. had been brought up by relations.
B. wanted to keep an eye on her own children. D. had been an orphan.

3. When the author´s father told her to read, she...

A. eventually followed his advice. C. naturally obeyed him.
B. felt lucky to be surrounded with books. D. never listened.

4. When the author was told how babies were conceived, she...
A. was not surprised as she had rabbits. C. was deeply shocked.
B. believed every word. D. checked with her father.

5. When the author went to the dance, she...

A. had good time. C. wore fancy dress.
B. dressed up. D. thought she looked awful.

Section II. Find a word in the passage, which means the same as each of the sentences below.

1. Something that is not understood or known about.

2. A vehicle like a baby´s cot on wheel, which you can push along when you want to take a small baby
somewhere.
3. Someone or something that is strange and sometimes rather unpleasant
4. Someone who remains firm in their friendship or support for someone or something.
5. Someone or something that is extremely pleasant or attractive.
6. To practice a play, dance or a piece of music.

Section III. Connect these sentences using the conjunction in parenthesis.

1. Michael got his Christmas presents. Sarah got hers too. (both...and)

2. I can’t find my towel. I can’t find my sunglasses. (neither ...nor)

3. We can rent an apartment. We can stay in a motel. (either...or)

4. Jim never reads newspapers. He doesn’t read magazines. (neither...nor)

5. My sandwich has cheese. My sandwich has ham. (both...and)

6. We can pay cash. We can pay with a credit card. (either...or)

Section IV: Choose one correct option A, B, C, or D that best completes each of the numbered spaces in the
text.
As a travel writer, I really enjoy the occasion when I can invite my daughter along as my companion,
sharing the wonderful --- 1 --- of travelling together. Unfortunately, it is at this special --- 2 --- that the
‘generation gap’ causes big --- 3 --- and I start to wonder if my --- 4 --- and I live on the same --- 5 ---. On
our last trip to New Zealand, I decided to invite my daughter’s best --- 6 --- along, thinking that it would
provide extra companionship for us both. What I failed to anticipate, however, was that I would be ignored
by this strange --- 7 --- immersed in their own little universe of --- 8 ---, clothes, shopping and --- 9 ---.
Afterwards, I was told that they’d had a great time, learned a lot and loved the --- 10 --- of the north island. I
was surprised that they even knew where they had been.

1. A experience B place C point D train

2. A class B house C planet D time
3. A father B mother C reason D trouble
4. A boy B daughter C friend D sister
5. A journey B planet C roof D table
6. A father B friend C husband D mother
7. A couple B ducks C people D son
8. A countries B music C planet D world
9. A boys B church C mosque D prison
10. A death B parent C enemy D sights

Section V: WRITING

Was your childhood particularly sad or happy one? Write a composition about your childhood (200 words).
Don’t forget to include the following: Up bringing (father, mother, relations / brothers, sisters, cousins, etc.),
First day/week at school (first impression, teachers, friends you made, etc.), remarkable moments (happiest
and saddest moments) and any other relevant information.

_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________

End