ZIMBABWE SCHOOL EXAMINATIONS COUNCIL

GCE O’ LEVEL

ENGLISH LANGUAGE

PAPER 2

NOVEMBER 2005
SECTION A

Read the following passage very carefully before you attempt any
questions.

The writer was studying a family of wolves and had named some of them
– George, Angeline and Albert.

1. One factor concerning the organization of the family of wolves

mystified me very much at first. During my early visit to the den, I
had seen three adult wolves, and during the first few days of
observing the den, I had again glimpsed the odd wolf several times.
He posed a major puzzle, for while I could accept the idea of a
contented domestic group consist of mated male and female and a
bevy of pups. I had not yet progressed far enough into the wolf to
be able to explain, or to accept, the apparent existence of a conflict
situation in which two male wolves wanted the same female wolf for
a mate.

2. Whoever the third wolf was, he was definitely a character. He was

smaller than George, but apparently more agile and vigorous, and
with a grey overcast to his otherwise white coat. He became „Uncle
Albert‟ to me after the first time I saw him with the pups.

3. The sixth morning of my vigil had dawned bright and sunny, and
Angeline and the pups took advantage of the good weather. Hardly
had the sun risen than they all left the den and adjourned to a
nearby sandy hill. Here pups worked over their mother with an
enthusiasm that would certainly have driven any human female into
hysterics. They were hungry. Two of them did their best to chew off
Angeline‟s tail, worrying it and fighting over it, while the other two
did what they could to remove her ears.

4. Angeline stood it with noble endurance for about an hour and then,
sadly disengaged. She attempted to protect herself by sitting on her
trail and tucking her moulded head down between her legs. This
was a fruitless effort. The pups went for her feet, one to each paw,
and I was treated to the spectacle of the demon killer of the wilds
 trying desperately to cover her paws, her tail and her head at one
and the same instant.

5. Eventually she gave up. Harassed beyond endurance, she leapt

away from her brood and raced to the top of a high and sandy ridge
behind the den. The four pups rolled cheerfully off in pursuit, but
before they could reach her, she gave vent to a most peculiar cry.

6. The whole question of wolf communication was to intrigue me more

and more as time went on, but on this occasion I was still labouring
under the delusion that complex communication among animals
other than man did not exist. I could make nothing definite of
Angeline‟s high pitched and yearning whine-cum-howl. I did,
however, detect a sorrowful quality in it which made sympathies go
out to her.

7. I was not alone. Within seconds of her loud cry, and before the mob
of pups could reach her, a saviour appeared. It was the third wolf.
He had been sleeping in a bed followed in the sand at the southern
side of the den where it dipped down to disappear beneath the
waters of the bay. I had not known he was there until I saw his
head come up. He jumped to his feet, shook himself, and trotted
straight towards the den – intercepting the pups as they prepared to
scale the last lope to reach their mother.

8. I watched, fascinated, as he used his shoulders to bowl the leading

pup over onto its back and send it sliding down the lower slope
toward the den. He then nipped another pup lightly on its fat
behind: then he shepherded the lot of them back to what I later
came to recognize as the playground area. I hesitated to put human
words into a wolf‟s mouth, but the effect of what followed was
crystal clear. “If it‟s a workout you kids want,” he might have said,
„then I am your wolf!‟

9. And so he was. For the next hour he played with the pups with as
much energy as if he was still one himself. The games were varied,
but many of them were quite recognizable. Leaping, rolling and
weaving among the pups, he never left the area of the nursery
sandy hill, while at the same time leading the youngsters on such a
chase that they eventually gave up. Albert looked them over for a
moment and then, after a quick glance toward the crest where
 Angeline was now lying in a state of peaceful relaxation, he flung
himself among the tired pups, sprawled on his back, and deliberately
asked to be assaulted. They were game. One by one they rose and
went into battle. They were really roused this time, and no holds
were barred; by them at any rate.

10. Some of them tried to choke the life out of Albert, although their
small teeth, sharp as they were, could never have penetrated the
thick fur around his neck. One of them, obviously deriving delight
from excessive cruelty, turned its back on him and pawed a shower
of sand into his face. The other took to leaping as high as their
bowed little legs would propel them, coming down with a satisfying
thump on Albert‟s vulnerable belly. In between jumps they tried to
chew the life out of whatever unprotected parts came to tooth.

11. I began to wonder how much he could stand. Evidently, he could

stand a lot, for not until the pups were totally exhausted and had
collapsed into complete sleep, did he get to his feet, careful not to
step on the small sprawled forms and disengaged himself. Even
then, he did not return to the comfort of his own bed but scuttled
himself instead on the edge of the nursery sandy hill where he
began wolf napping, taking a quick look at the pups every few
minutes to make sure they sure were still safety near at hand.

12. His true relationship to the rest of the family was still uncertain, but
as far as I was concerned, he had become, and would remain, „good
old Uncle Albert.‟

Adapted from Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat. Published by Little, Brown
and Co, Ltd.

From Paragraph 1

1a)i. Give one word from this paragraph which suggests that one of the
wolves was apparently not part of the family. (1)

ii). There was an „apparent existence of a conflict situation.‟ Why was

this so? (1)
From Paragraph 2

b). The third wolf was „apparently more agile and vigorous…‟ When is
this quality of Uncle Albert demonstrates later in the passage? (1)

From Paragraph 3 and 4

c). What does it refer to in each of the following cases?

i). “….fighting over it.‟ (1)

ii). „Angeline stood it.‟ (1)

d). from the information in paragraph 4, how many pups were involved
in the struggle with their mother? (1)

From Paragraph 6

e). Briefly state the purpose for which Angeline produced the „high
pitched and yearning whine – corn – howl.‟

From Paragraph 9

2a)i. What advantage did Angeline get from Albert‟s preoccupation with
the pups? (1)
ii). Why did the pups eventually give up the chase? (1)

iii). In line 54, Uncle Albert flung himself among the pups and sprawled
on his back. In your own words what was the purpose of this
action? (2)

From Paragraph 10

b). Give two reasons why the pups attempts „to chew life out whatever
Albert‟s unprotected parts were not successful‟. (2)

From Paragraph 12

c). In your own words explain the greatest puzzle that the author
completely failed to resolve in his mind. (1)
From the whole passage

d). Choose five of the following words of phrases. For each of them,
give one word or short phrase (of not more than seven words)
which has the same meaning that the word or phrase has in the
passage.

1. vigil
2. fruitless
3. in pursuit
4. intrigue
5. fascinated
6. penetrated
7. evidently
8. disengage (5)

3. Part of the passage describes how the third wolf, Uncle Albert, rescued
Angeline from continuous attacks by her pups.

Write a summary of the actions he took to prevent the pups from charging
at their mother and how the pups reacted to the challenge.

Use only material from paragraph 7 to paragraph 10.

Your summary, which should be in continuous writing (not note form),

must not be longer than 160 words, including the 10 words given below.

Begin your summary as follows:

After Angeline‟s cry, Albert came to her rescue, and he….. (20)
Section B – 10 marks

4. Listed below are five situations. Read the description of each

situation carefully and then answer briefly the questions which
follow.

a). A student at a school has both parents working out of the country.
She misbehaves and the incident is discussed by members of the
disciplinary committee. The following comments are made.

i). “This girl‟s parents are both out of the country. She is under
pressure as she tries to study and look after her young brothers and
sisters. We should understand her situation.”

ii). “That behaviour is totally unacceptable regardless of her situation.

No one should get away with such misbehaviour.”

What does each statement reveal about each speaker‟s attitude to the
situation.

Number your answers separately (i) and (ii). (2)

b). Two students in Mhondoro are discussing the Rural Electrification

Programme.

i). One says, “We can now watch TV. Isn‟t electricity a great thing?”

ii). The other says, “That means nothing to me. We can do without it.
After all how have we coped all along?

In each case, how has the student reacted to the programme?

Number your answers separately (i) and (ii). (2)

c). An advertisement provides information about a talent show that

includes singing and dancing competitions. Two teenagers express
the following sentiments as they look at the advertisement:
i). “Why don‟t we give it a try! You never know, we might win.”

ii). “Interesting competition. We will never win in any of those

categories so why bother to enter.”

In each case, what feelings are being expressed by the speaker?

Number your answers separately (i) and (ii). (2)

d). Match each of the following statements with one of the reactions
from the list below.

Statements

A “So what! What are you going to do about it hey?”

B “That‟s a brilliant idea. Lets organize it right away.”

C “You really don‟t need to get so worked up. I‟m sure that it‟s a
misunderstanding and all will be explained.”

D “Nothing good will ever come out of his efforts. I‟m sure this will be
a flop despite all the hard work.”

Reactions

1. pessimism
2. confrontation
3. recklessness
4. enthusiasm
5. placating
6. resentment (2)