Oxford

English for
Unit 3 End of unit test Cambridge
Primary

Unit 3 Stormy weather

Question Paper
Reading: Poetry
Read the poem and answer the questions

Mountains
Mountains are for today, yesterday and for ever,
They have no likes or dislikes, no opinions-
But moods, yes. Their moods change like the weather.
They argue and quarrel, loud
5 With angry thunder. They rain
Rivers of stinging tears.
They hide their sulky heads in cloud
For days and days. Then suddenly, all smiles again,
One by one
10 Their magic cliffs stand clear
And brave, above a sea of white wave,
Under the lighthouse of the sun.
Ian Serralier

Comprehension
A
1 The poet talks about the different moods that the mountains go through. Describe each mood.

[3]

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English for
Unit 3 End of unit test Cambridge
Primary

2 Why do you think the poet uses the word “magic” to describe the cliffs?

[1]
3 Which different weather conditions does the poet describe?

[1]

B
1 What does the poet mean when he says “under the lighthouse of the sun”?

[2]
2 Why does the poet say that the mountains have “sulky” heads?

[1]
3 Explain what the poet meant by “rivers of stinging tears”.

[2]

C
The poet allows the mountains to take on human emotions.
What words does he use to do this?
Do you think it is effective?
Give a reason to support your answer.

[3]

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 Oxford
English for
Unit 3 End of unit test Cambridge
Primary

Unit 3 Stormy weather

Question Paper
Reading: poetry
Read the poem and answer the questions

Death of a Snowman
I was awake all night,
Big as a polar bear,
Strong and firm and white.
The tall black hat I wear
5 Was draped with ermine fur.
Till the world began to stir
And the morning sun swell.
I was tired, began to yawn;
At noon in the humming sun
10 I caught a severe warm;
My nose began to run.
My hat grew black and fell,
Was followed by my grey head.
There was no funeral bell,
15 But by tea-time I was dead
Vernon Scannell

Glossary
ermine a small animal with white fur

Comprehension
A
1 Find words in the poem which rhyme with the words below.
yawn night fur fell

[1]
2 Find adjectives to describe the snowman before morning came.

[2]

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English for
Unit 3 End of unit test Cambridge
Primary

B
1 Which simile tells us that the snowman was a large sculpture at the start of the poem?

[1]
2 What words does the poet use to tell us that the sun shone on the following day?

[2]
3 How did the sun affect the snowman?

[3]

C
1 What does the poet mean by the words “I caught a severe warm”?

[1]
2 Why does the poet say “there was no funeral bell”?

[3]
3 Which are the key words that the poet used to lead us through the “life cycle” of the snowman?

[3]
4 In what way is the mountain portrayed in a completely contrasting way to how the snowman is
portrayed?

[3]

Writing: Poetry
Compare the two poems. Which poem did you prefer. Explain why.

Think about: the moods described in the poems; the figurative and descriptive language used.
Which poem evoked the strongest image in your head? [15]
Write a weather poem.
One of the topics in both poems is the weather and how this affects the landscape. Choose your
own type of weather (hot, sunny, windy etc.) Choose something from the environment (a tree, the
sea, your garden etc.) and write a poem describing how the weather affects the thing you have
chosen. Is the effect positive or negative? Does the mood of your poem reflect this?  [15]

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