Name_____________________ School and Class_____________

Grade 9 – End of term 1 Review - Reading

Ana slowly pulled her bedroom door closed behind her. Eventually, it closed with a quiet click. She stood
frozen in cold moonlight, looking longingly at the stairs and listening. A dog barked somewhere outside,
in the darkness of the night. Her grandmother snored. The warm breeze whispered gently among the
leaves of the acacia trees in the front garden.

Slowly, so slowly, Ana lifted her right foot and placed it in front of her left foot. A little faster, she lifted
the left foot and placed it in front of the right foot. She paused, listened for a moment to her
grandmother’s loud, rhythmic snoring, and smiled. Silently, so silently, Ana walked to the top of the
stairs.

Clenching every muscle, Ana lowered her right foot onto the first step, then lowered her left foot to
meet it. One foot at a time, one step at a time, slowly and silently, Ana climbed down the dark stairs.

In the hallway, a puddle of moonlight spilled through a narrow window onto the dark, tiled floor. Ana
paused for a moment, keeping out of the moonlight, hiding in the shadows, her back pressed against the
white wall opposite the narrow window. She narrowed her eyes to peer through it to the outside world.
The sky glowed a luminous dark blue, dotted with gleaming stars, rising above the black outlines of trees
and houses.

In the silence, Ana became aware of the beat of her heart, the blood pulsing in her ears. She became
aware of her breathing: short breaths, each one held, then silently released. She became aware of her
clenched fists, short jagged nails digging into her palms. She became aware of the skin and sweat of her
warm, clammy feet sticking to the cold floor, squeaking as she turned to face the front door.

Ana closed her eyes and tried to calm herself. She opened her eyes, took two steps forward, placed one
hand on the handle of the front door and turned it, easing the front door open. Cold, fresh, clean night
air rushed in, and the thick, warm, lifeless air of her grandmother’s house rushed out. Ana breathed
deeply, taking in the smells of the night: pine trees, flowers, damp earth and dust. Ana stepped through
the door, out into the night, and pulled the door closed behind her.

Freedom.

She had no key, no way to go back inside, no way to go back to bed without ringing the bell and waking
her grandmother. Her choice was made. She was on her own, outside and alone.

Without another thought in her head, she began to laugh. And then she began to run.
1. Look at the first paragraph. Which is true about the text?

A It is in first person.

B It is in present tense.

C It is in future tense.

D It is in third person.

2. Identify three adverbs in the first paragraph.

A Eventually, happily, slowly

B Slowly, longingly, gently
C Whispering, frozen, quiet
D Barking, whispering, snoring

3. Which answer best describes what the writer suggests about Ana’s movements in the second
paragraph?

A She moves silently and quickly.

B She moves slowly and carefully.

C She moves silently and carelessly.

D She moves quickly and carefully.

4. Which of the following is not true about the fourth paragraph?

A The writer used a metaphor to describe the moonlight.

B The writer used sensory language to make the scene come alive.

C The writer used strong verbs and adjectives to describe the scene.

D The writer used short sentences to build tension.

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5. Look at paragraph five. Where does the writer use sensory language to describe Ana? Explain how
she is feeling and give evidence.

A Her “nails digging into her palms” show that Ana is anxious.

B The “blood pulsing in her ears” shows that Ana is angry.

C Her “short breaths” show that Ana is tired.

D “She became aware” shows that she is surprised.

6. Which of the following is not true about paragraph six?

A The writer uses the strong verb “rushed out” to make the moment more
dramatic and to interest the reader.
B The writer says Ana “closed her eyes” to help show the reader the idea of
calming herself.

C The writer describes the “fresh, clean night air” because Ana is relieved to be
outside.

D The writer uses the metaphor “two steps forward” to show Ana is feeling
optimistic.

7. Look at paragraph seven: “Freedom.” Why did the writer use a short sentence here?

A To emphasise how Ana felt escaping from the house.

B To use “show don’t tell” to describe how Ana was feeling.

C To give the reader a detailed description of the setting.

D To build tension in the exposition of the story.

8. Look at the last paragraph: “Without another thought in her head, she began to laugh. And then she
began to run.” Which of the following is true?

A This is the exposition because the narrator is describing a character.

B This is the rising action because something dangerous has started to chase Ana.

C This is a cliffhanger because we don’t know how the story is going to resolve for Ana.

D This is the point of highest tension because Ana is the most scared at this moment.

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 Grade 9 – End of term 1 Review – Writing

Setting
The setting is w________ and w________ a story takes place. You should use s________ language
(s______, hearing, smell, _______ and taste) to describe the setting.

Choose words that create an at___________ that matches your story and creates the right emotions,
or m_______, for the reader.

The town had many houses in it and many people lived there. There were lots of buildings,
including a restaurant, a school and a library. It was 10pm, and it was very scary there.
My Improved Version:
___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

Conflict
The conflict is the problem or challenge that the story’s characters must solve. There are seven main
types of conflict, including:

 Character vs. character

(Examples: _________________________________________________________________)

 Character vs. n___________

(Examples: earthquakes, ______________________________________________________)

 Character vs. the s____________

(Examples: ghosts, ___________________________________________________________)

 Character vs. t___________

(Examples: robots, __________________________________________________________)

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Opening
In the opening to a story, you need to h_____ the reader, or grab their attention. You can do this by
using:
 Interesting d___________ (or direct speech)
 Description of s__________ or ch___________
 Opening with questions, d________ statements, or a_________.

It was a normal day. Alison woke up and ate breakfast as usual. She met her friends on the
way to school and they went to English class together. Later, during breaktime at school,
something bad happened!
My Improved Version:
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___
Techniques
 Use a________ (-ly words) with simple verbs to help describe actions.
 Use stronger versions of v_________ and a___________.
 Use s________ (with “like” or “as”) and m_________ (with the verb “be”) to make interesting
comparisons.
 S________, don’t t________ the reader about characters’ emotions by using description, action
and dialogue.

Simple writing “Upgraded” writing

He ran through the park. He _______________ through the park.
He ran through the park. He ran ______________ through the park.
The child was scared of
the big animal. The child was ____________ of the _____________ animal.

She is tall. She is as ______________________________________________.

It was hot in the room. This room was _________________________________________.

He is scared. He __________________________________________________.