GOOD SHEPHERD INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

HOLIDAY HOMEWORK

GRADE: Form 5 

                                                                  Dec-2022
Text A

Encounters with Ice Bears

In the following passage the writer, Michelle Paver, describes her experience of meeting polar

bears in a remote part of Canada.

The Inuit name for the polar bear is Nanuq: the most feared and respected of all Arctic creatures.

And no wonder. The polar bear is the largest land predator in the world, and an incredibly skilled

hunter, equally at home on ice, a mountain, or in the sea. Unlike the grizzly or black bears, which
usually leave people alone if they behave themselves, polar bears quite naturally regard

a solitary human being as prey.

As soon as I arrived at the town of Churchill in Canada, I put on my winter gear and went for a

walk. I was warned not to go out into the scrubland beyond the town, in case I met a bear. It’s

always best to heed local advice, especially when it concerns polar bears, so instead I headed

toward the broad, snowy main street. I turned down a side road, hoping to dip my hand in the

waters of Hudson Bay. A large sign warned me back: POLAR BEAR ALERT—STOP! I decided

to pay attention, and turned back.

Even in town, I knew that I could get unlucky and meet a bear, and I often saw a small truck

bearing the logo “Polar Bear Patrol” crawling through town, keeping a lookout 24 hours a day.

I was told that if I did meet a bear, I should duck into the nearest house. In Churchill, nobody

locks their doors. I learned, too, that the previous year, a curious bear had battered down the

front door of a house, to see what was inside. Luckily, nobody was hurt. In Churchill, most

householders keep a loaded gun close by, for the purpose of scaring off bears.

Night fell: a beautiful, crisp Arctic night, glittering with stars. I really wanted to go for a solitary,

moonlit walk, but I decided against it. This turned out to have been a good idea. A little later, a

polar bear clambered on to the balcony of my guest house, and had to be chased away with

shots fired into the air.

To get closer to polar bears without being eaten, I went out in what’s called a “tundra buggy”—

a large truck, but with an open-air viewing platform made of strong metal mesh stuck on to

the back. This platform is a meter above the snow, so that polar bears can’t jump up and eat

occupants.

The first time we went out was at night, and the moon and headlights lit up the humped, snowy

scrubland for kilometers around—but no bears. Then, as I stood on the open-air platform
peering into the gloom, one of the “humps” about ten meters away rose and ambled toward

me. What struck me most about the bear was its silence. The enormous creature was walking

across a crisp snow-crust and yet his huge paws made not a sound—my hiking boots would

have crunched loudly with every step.

In the days that followed, I watched bears by night: playing like giant children in the snow, or

sleeping in the seaweed at the edge of the bay, and by day: sparring, lounging, eating ice to

keep cool (it was only –8C, too warm for them!). Most memorably of all, on one freezing, snowy

afternoon, a young male meandered under the grille of the platform on which I stood. I knelt

down. He gazed up at me. For a few heart-stopping minutes, we locked gazes. I’ll never forget

the look in those strangely innocent, dark eye

Answer all questions using your own words as far as possible.

Question 1

(a) Which one word in paragraph one has a similar meaning to “predator”?

HUNTER [1]

(b) State two details about the town of Churchill that tell you the authorities there take the danger

of polar bears seriously (lines 10–13).

THERE IS A WARNING SIGN AND THERE IS A POLAR BEAR TRUCKS [2]

(c) Using your own words, explain the ways in which the residents of Churchill attempt to

protect themselves from polar bear attacks (lines 14–17).

THEY KEEP LOADED GUNS AND THEY LEAVE THEIR DOORS UNLOCKED SO PEOPLE CAN EASILY
ESCAPE [2]

(d) (i) Using your own words, describe the “tundra buggy” in which the writer went out to search for
polar bears (paragraph five, “To get closer to . . .”)

IT IS A VERY LARGE TRUCK AND IT IS VERY STRONG[2]

(ii) Why is the platform of the buggy so high off the ground?

SO BEARS CAN REACH THE PEOPLE [1]

(e) Give one thing that surprised the writer about the polar bear that she saw (paragraph six,

“The first time . . .”).

IT MOVED WITHOUT MAKING A SOUND [1]

(f) Using your own words, explain the writer’s thoughts about the young male bear that she

describes (paragraph seven, “In the days that followed . . .”).

SHE WAS IMPRESSED [2]

TEXT B

Norse Mythology In Popular Culture

Director Kenneth Branagh, best known for bringing Shakespearean classics such as Henry V and
Hamlet to the big screen, is pitch perfect with his celluloid reimagining of the super heroic story of
Thor, God of Thunder.

Before he became a comic superhero and joined Iron Man, the Hulk and Captain America as a
member of Marvel’s Avengers, Thor was immortalized by the Vikings as one of the mightiest and
most venerated Norse gods; the first recorded mention of the hammer-wielding deity was actually
by the Roman historian Tacitus in 1 A.D. For members of the audience, whose memory of the comic
book or ancient Thor legends may be a tad hazy, the line between myth and moviemaking is difficult
to discern.

In Norse mythology, Thor is most often described as a hulking, mighty, hot-tempered god with red
hair and red beard. In addition to being the god of thunder, he is also, variously, credited with being
the deity responsible for lightning, storms, oak trees, strength, destruction, fertility, healing and the
general protection of mankind.

His primary divine weapon is a huge hammer called Mjolnir, but he is also equipped with a belt,
gloves and a staff that also possess special powers. The Norse Thor travels in a chariot pulled by two
magical goats and is married to the golden-tressed goddess Sif. While in the film version, Sif is
portrayed as a brunette and more a partner in crime as she battles alongside Thor and a trio of other
god and less shown as involved in a romantic relationship with Thor.

Odin, also known as the “All-Father,” Odin is the most powerful god and Thor’s father. In the film
(portrayed by Anthony Hopkins) he rules Asgard with great wisdom — he has only one eye, having
traded the other, according to myth, to the Fates in order to drink from the “well of wisdom.”
Hopkins’ Odin also has a certain tenderness that eludes the Norse Odin.

Odin is the most compelling of the gods in Branagh’s film, ruling with tough love more than an iron
fist. He is thoroughly beneficent, yet fully embodies his Norse personality as a fierce and victorious
warrior. Hopkins’ Odin has more of the qualities of the Christian God (grace, justice, mercy, love)
than the Norse deity.

According to the film, Loki was a child of “frost giants,” the archenemies of Asgard, whom Odin
rescued as an orphan. Odin raises Loki as his own and doesn’t reveal his true paternity until the roots
of Loki’s jealousy and troublemaking are immovable.

In the ancient myth, Loki is a frost giant, but the All-Father brings him into this fold in a debt of
gratitude. The ancients (and the film) believed Loki to be a troublemaker and a shape-shifter who
wreaks havoc wherever he goes. He famously cut the (magically powerful) hair of Thor’s wife Sif, and
slayed Baldr, another of Odin’s sons and the “god of light,” renowned for his pretty looks and
gracious demeanor.

Read Text A, ‘Norse Mythology In Popular Culture’ and then answer Questions 1(a)–(e) on this
question paper.

Question 1

How is Director Kenneth Branagh associated with the representation of classics in media?

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

…………………………………………………………………..............................................................................................

......................................[1]
Using your own words, explain what the text means by:

‘the line between myth and moviemaking is difficult to discern.’…(line 9  )

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...............................................................................................................................[2]

(ii)  ‘who wreaks havoc wherever he goes’ (line  ):    ...............................................................................

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  ...................................................................................................................................... [2]

According to the passage, where do we find Thor being represented before he was presented in the
Marvel movie?

• ................................................................................................................................................

• ........................................................................................................................................... [2]

Re-read paragraphs and answer the following:

How close is Hopkin’s depiction of Odin to the real Norse god?

• .........................................................................................................................................

• ....................................................................................................................................

[2]

How is the Norse myth twisted with regard to the depiction of Sif in the movie?

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...................................................................................................................................... [3]

(e)   Which Norse God is believed to be the troublemaker? What do you understand about his
origins?

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.............................................................................................................................................. [3]