ZIMBABWE SCHOOL EXAMINATIONS COUNCIL

ENGLISH LANGUAGE

PAPER 2

OCTOBER 1996
SECTION A

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

Man‟s fascination with owls has been recorded since the earliest of
times. Some people adore them and have owl ornaments in their
living rooms, while others fear their presence and even their calls.
Owls are worshipped as supernatural beings or shunned because
people believe they have supernatural powers. They have earned a
special place in the folklore of every country in which they are found.
Thus there are more myths and beliefs about owls than there are
about any other bird on earth. The birds are portrayed either as the
wise old owl who is all seeing and friend to all or as the witch‟s close
companion who spies on people and carries out evil deeds at night.

There are two main reasons for man‟s interest in the owl family. The
first is that they look so very human, the way they stand upright on
their perches and the absence of a tail makes them look just like
humans. They do not dart about and flap their wings in the same
way as other birds but always seen to be composed and superior. It
is probably the owl‟s face that attracts man most, with its round head
and earnest looking expression. Owls have forward facing eyes,
something that few birds posses, and their narrow, curved beak is
particularly nose like. Some species look as if they are wearing
glasses, which reinforces their „wise‟ image, and others even seem to
have „ears‟ in the right place.

The second reason for the owls‟ appeal is that owls are completely at
home in the night, a place that is unfamiliar and alien to humans. In
the darkness man‟s senses are too weak to gather accurate
information about his surroundings. While owls appear to fly
effortlessly and without error, man stumbles and tips. Owls catch
running mice with complete case during the night while humans have
difficulty merely finding their way. Owls, with complete mastery of
the darkness, only show up the man‟s deficiencies. Thus owls have
come to stand for all that is mysterious about the night. It is hardly
surprising, therefore, that man believes these birds possess strange
and supernatural powers.

What, then, gives the owl its special ability to cope with the darkness
and to be such a successful hunter? To begin with, it has sharp eye
sight. Also, its eyes are forward facing, which enable it to scan the
ground far and wide ahead. However, this means that it cannot easily
see what could come from behind. To compensate for this inability,
the owl‟s head is joined to its neck in such a way that it can swivel
right round. This in turn has created the myth that the bird is all
seeing. In additional, the owl is perfectly equipped to catch prey, but
even its „weapons‟ are often misunderstood. Although the hooked
beak looks sharp and powerful, it is not the most dangerous part of
an owl‟s armoury and can do little damage. The muscles controlling
the beak are surprisingly weak and like all other birds the owl does
not have teeth. The beak is basically just a tool for tearing off small
pieces of flesh. Only if all else fails will the owl use it to kill small
animals such as mice. Instead, it uses it talons to deliver the final
blow to its prey. These talons are murderously sharp, and are much
stronger than they appear.

As far as food it concerned, owls are purely carnivorous. They kill and
cat other creatures simply because it is the only way too survive.
Unlike some humans, they do not kill for pleasure or out of danger,
but to feed themselves and their young, and occasionally to protect
their nests.

Before attempting to kill, the owl has to find suitable prey. The most
common techniques to sit on a convenient perch and wait until an
animal of the right size passes by. The owl watches from a high point
such as a branch or telegraph pole, and quietly surveys the ground
beneath. It is now that the ball and socket action of the owl‟s head
comes in useful. Nocturnal animals have a keen sense of hearing and
the small ones are constantly alert for the slightest noise that
announces the presence of a big animal. If the owl had to turn round
to turn round to search for prey behind it, then the sound of its talon
scraping on a branch would give a warning signal. Its prey would
know that something large and dangerous was nearby. To overcome
this problem, the owl uses its mobile neck to look around without
once having to move.

When prey is spotted the owl makes for it in one unswerving glide.
The owl pounces, with wings raised, head back and legs stretched
out towards the target. This means that the talons strike first, giving
the bird a grip that often kills within seconds, while its most
vulnerable part, the head, is kept as far away as possible in case the
selected prey makes a fight of it. Most owls also close their eyes a
split second before impact to protect their sight. This is why barn
owls are said to „fly blind‟. When that happens, it is the head which is
on a collision course with the prey, and it is not until the last moment
that the sharp talons are stretched out for their kill.

This wait and see method is very economical in terms of energy, but
it does need a perch that is alongside a rich hunting ground. During a
single night, a hungry owl might have to use a series of perches until
it has eaten enough.

The other main hunting technique involves looking for prey from the
air. Barn owls are probably the most expert at hunting on the wing.
They slowly float low over fields, occasionally dipping down into the
grass after a mouse or other similar rodent. Their light body- weight
and large wings make flight easy work and they can cover a lot of
ground in a short time. When they reach their prey they kill it as
described earlier on.

When striking in total darkness the behaviour of the owl differs. It

now relies more on ears than eyes. The moment it hears a rodent
rustle some leaves, the owl turns its head towards the possible prey.
Once it is in this position, it listens for the sound again before
striking. When it hears the sound a second time, the owl does not
glide towards the rodent, but flags its wings in a vigorous flight.
Meanwhile, its feet swing backwards and forwards beneath it, like
pendulum.
Once the prey is caught the owl then eats it. Small animals are
swallowed whole but the bigger ones need to be handled differently.
When eating a rabbit, for example, an owl will hold it down with one
foot and pull pieces off with the beak, using its strong neck muscles
to help tear the flesh away. If the owl is really hungry the whole
rabbit will be devoured. Owls also need to eat the bones and fur of
their prey. People who keep owls for the first time are unaware of
this fact. Trying to be kind, they feed their birds on high quality, lean
meat. For a while the bird will do well, but slowly it will weaken and
become more susceptible to disease and infection. An owl must have
the roughage, vitamins and minerals that are continued in the fur
and bones of its prey.

Adapted from: The Complete Owl by Micheal Leach

Answer all the questions.

You are recommended to answer them in the order set.

From Paragraph 1

1a)i. Some people „adore‟ owls.

What is the evidence for this in the paragraph?

ii). Other people regard owls as „supernatural” creatures

States the two different ways people react to this „supernatural‟
quality

iii). What do people see in owls that makes them regard them as
1. friends and 2. enemies?

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

From Paragraph 2
b). Why do owls seem superior to other birds?

From Paragraph 3

c)i. In lines 19- 20 the author contrasts the behaviour of owls and
humans at night as follows:

„owls appear to fly effortlessly and without error‟

„man stumbles and trips‟

In each case give a reason from this paragraph why this is so.

ii). Give one word or phrase of your own nations means the same
as „deficiencies‟ (1)

From Paragraph 4

d). The owl‟s head is „able to swivel right round‟

Quote a phrase of four consecutive words used later in the
passage to refer to this quality. (1)

Total 10 marks.

From Paragraph 5

2a). What does the word „carnivorous‟ tell about the owl‟s diet? (1)
b). What is the author‟s attitude towards some of man‟s reasons
for killing animals? (1)

From Paragraph 8:
b). The owl‟s wait and see method of hunting is very economical in
terms of energy. Using your own words, say (i) how the
method is economical and (ii) what disadvantage it also has.
(2)
From Paragraph 11

c). Why are some domesticated owls susceptible to disease and

infection? (1)

d). Choose five of the following words or phrases. For each of

them give one word or short phrase (of not more than seven
words) which has the same meaning as it has in the passage.

1. reinforces
2. appeal
3. surprisingly
4. occasionally
5. main
6. on the wing
7. vigorous

Total 10 marks

3. Write a summary of the different methods used by owls in

hunting down and catching their prey.

Use only the material from line 42 to line 73 of the passage.

Your summary, which must be in continuous writing, must not be

longer than 160 words, including 10 opening words given below.
Begin your summary as follows:

When out hunting for food the owl first has to…………..
(Total 20 marks)
SECTION B – 10 MARKS

4. Listed below are five situations, which are described briefly.

Read the description of each situation carefully and then
answer the questions which follow, briefly.

a). You are late for school by five minutes and the headboy is
about to write down your name for punishment. You say to
him:

i). “Please forgive me, the bus broke down on the way.”
ii). “You worry too much about time.”

What will the headboy‟s attitude to your lateness be in each case?

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

b). You walk into a shop five minutes before the shop is due to
close for lunch. The owner of the shop overhears the assistant
say to you:

i). “Good afternoon. Can I help you?”

ii). “It‟s almost lunch time. Come back at 2.00pm”

How is the owner of the shop likely to react to each of these

remarks.

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

c). You have won books worth $100 from a raffle organized to
raise funds for the library.

A classmate says:

i). “Congratulations! How wonderful.”

ii). “Trust you! I never seem to have such luck.”
What does each comment reveal about the feelings of the speaker
towards your success?

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

d). You ask a friend for advice about a family problem affecting
you. She replies:

“I‟m sorry but I don‟t think your problems are my concern.”

What will be the two different ways you react to her reply?

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

e). You are among a group of friends discussing the performance

of your team in a qualifying match for the Coca- Cola Trophy.
Listed below are four different comments some of you make to
express your feelings, numbered 1- 4.

1. “Jephta let in eight goals. Some achievement!”

2. “I couldn‟t care less.”

3. “It makes my blood boil when this sort of thing happens.”

4. “It is very disappointing.”

Write down the number only of each of the comments and against
that number write out the feeling which is appropriate to it.

Do not match more than one feeling to any one of the comments.

a). anger
b). sarcasm

c). sadness

d). indifference