Part 3

Your are going to read a passage. For questions 19 to 26, choose the correct answer (A, B, C or
D) and mark the correct letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet.
______________________________________________________________________________
The house of Pakcik Ibrahim, the famous kite-maker, is hidden behind some thick bushes
and shaded by some coconut trees. His is a lonesome hut tucked some distance away from the
hustle and bustle of Kuantan. After an hour’s lonely drive from Kuantan, we parked our car a
distance away from his house because the small path leading to his house is inaccessible to
motorcars.
Seated in the middle of his sitting room, Pak Cik was busy at work. The floor of his house
was littered with bamboo, wax paper, coloured paper and gum. Behind him were an impressive
array of his finished products - six completed waus in strong beautiful colours - red, blue,
purple and gold.
Pak Cik Ibrahim, aged 62, a father of six, has been in this trade for more than half the
span of his life. According to him, kite-making is not an easy task yet there is little monetary
gain. A kite will not fetch much in the market, although the intricate artwork that goes into
making it requires tremendous effort. Kite-making requires patience, skill and a strong sense of
devotion - to the art of kite-making itself. This is not an area for quick money and few people
are interested in this profession.
“A decorative kite may cost as much as RM200, not counting the physical effort put in by
its maker. Yet in the market, it fetches less than RM250,” sighed Pak Cik Ibrahim.

But what keeps Pak Cik Ibrahim going? It is his love of tradition and his pride in his
work. "I make kites for sheer love of it,” he said.

The wau-maker’s chores are many and varied: making the bamboo frame, cutting the wax
paper in the shape of a wau, pasting it onto the frame, cutting intricate designs or patterns from
different coloured papers and gluing them onto the wax paper. The process goes on until the
kite is made. The result is an object of beauty of which he is proud of.

Ibrahim had taken part in many wau competitions and he had been a winner in several of
them including the Pesta Pulau Pinang Wau Contest, the Singapore Wau Competition and the
Kedah Wau Championship.
“It is not easy to win a wau competition. Winning a competition depends on many factors. The
beauty of the wau on the ground is judged. Its airborne beauty and gracefulness are also taken
into consideration. The height attained by the kite when flown is also counted,” he said.

At these competitions, prizes are given. Pak Cik Ibrahim had the occasion of winning one
of the coveted prizes - a trophy and a cash prize of RM300, a miserly sum indeed considering
the kite he entered cost him RM250.
19. In paragraph 1, who is Pak Cik Ibrahim?
A He is a father of six.
B He is a well-known kite-maker.
C He is a lonely man.
D He is a devoted man.

20. All of the following words appropriately describe Pak Cik Ibrahim’s house except
A isolated
B small
C remote
D big

21. In paragraph 3, how many years has Pak Cik Ibrahim been involved in wau-making?
A 62 years
B More than 25 years
C More than 31 years
D It is not mentioned in the passage

22. What keeps Pak Cik Ibrahim in this kite-making profession?

A Monetary gain
B His ambition to win coveted prizes
C His love of tradition and a sense of pride in his work
D His loneliness

23. Which of the following factors is not taken into consideration in judging a kite in a wau
competition?
A The beauty of the kite in the air
B The height to which the kite can be flown
C Its graceful sways in the air
D The cost of making it

24. Kite-making requires all of the following except

A skill
B patience
C a strong sense of dedication
D great physical strength

25. Which of the following statements is false?

A Many people are beginning to take up wau-making as a profession.
B Prizes are always given in a wau competition.
C It is difficult to win a wau competition.
D Kite-making is not a profitable occupation.

26. Which of the following is not an activity in the kite-making process?

A Preparing the bamboo frame
B Pasting the wax paper onto the frame
C Painting the wax paper with a brush
D Cutting patterns or designs from coloured papers