Professional Documents
Culture Documents
ENGLISH A
2 hours 40 minutes
3. Section B consists of TWO questions. You MUST answer both questions from this
section.
4. Section C consists of THREE questions. You MUST answer ONE question from this
section.
5. Section D consists of TWO questions. You MUST answer ONE question from this
section.
8. You are advised to take some time to read through the paper and plan your answers.
9. If you need to rewrite any answer and there is not enough space to do so on the
original page, you must use the extra lined page(s) provided at the back of this booklet.
Remember to draw a line through your original answer.
10. If you use the extra page(s) you MUST write the question number clearly in the
box provided at the top of the extra page(s) and, where relevant, include the
question part beside the answer.
Write your answer on the RULED PAGE provided, page 7. There may be more space than you
need. There is a blank space, page 6, for any notes you may want to make. THIS WILL NOT BE
MARKED.
1. Read the following article on the benefits of learning a foreign language carefully and then
write a summary of the article in NOT MORE THAN 120 words. If this limit is exceeded,
only the first 120 words of your answer will be read and assessed. As far as possible, use
your own words. Your summary must be in continuous prose.
Teenagers generally either think they know exactly what they want to do after graduation, or they
suffer from indecision and the unquestioning acceptance of what teachers or parents tell them. In
addition to being teenagers, our school leavers live in the Caribbean, which has a reputation for
being an easygoing, noncompetitive environment. The reality is that teenagers do not prepare
themselves, nor do we who parent or teach them adequately prepare them to take the best advantage
of the opportunities available.
For instance, geographically, we have large, highly populated Spanish-speaking neighbours like
Venezuela, Mexico, Cuba and others. Cuba is once again showing itself as a force to be reckoned
with, not only as a strong country whose potential and prospects for future prosperity look very
good, but one determined to fulfil the potential. The USA has more Spanish speakers than Spain,
with an extremely strong influence in southern USA especially. More Spanish-speaking people
are visiting the English-speaking territories and more businesses than before are showing interest.
The suggestion is that our teenagers would improve their own chances of success in the local, DO NOT WRITE IN THIS AREA
regional and global markets if they give themselves the competitive edge and learn to speak a
foreign language, particularly Spanish.
How can our youngsters build careers in the hospitality industry which supports our economies,
without being able to communicate with the guests? Do they recognize how many hotels there are
across the Caribbean where Spanish is the main language spoken? There are also tour companies,
and airlines from Spanish-speaking countries doing business with the region.
We in the English-speaking Caribbean think we know everything about anything when in fact we
do not. We are not as competitive as we ought to be linguistically, culturally and socially. Given
that we have so many Spanish-speaking neighbours, it should be automatic that we learn to speak
Spanish in order to develop mutually beneficial relationships with them. We need to understand
that learning Spanish is more than merely memorizing the rules of grammar and the vocabulary;
it involves appreciating the architecture and learning about artistic and literary movements. It
involves appreciating culture and the differences that exist in the world today.
Total 30 marks
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SECTION A
Question 1
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Write your answers on the RULED LINES provided after each question.
2. Read the passage below carefully and then answer all the questions that follow.
She was walking forward going back, back in her mind to see the old man, the one they called
Captain, sitting on the bench, the same bench that he sat on every afternoon at five o’clock. She could
see Captain cross the road at the traffic lights and walk his bike across the three lanes and then up
onto the pavement, toward his two friends already seated on their Savannah bench; Bird Man with the
5 birdcage right in front of him, and the one they called Express hiding behind his newspapers. The two
always left a space on the far right for Captain and his bike. How many afternoons had they passed
Captain in his cap, crisp white short-sleeved shirt, loose-fitting navy blue trousers, thick, heavy, black-
framed glasses and an old portable antenna radio slung across the handlebars of his bike, his pale
skin spotted with liver spots, and the hair showing from beneath his cap was a jet black even though
She had woken up at five that morning in the darkness. Her room was on the ground floor of
15 the hotel; it opened onto the pool. Pulling back the curtain, she could see it was still dark outside. The
grounds were empty. She slid open the door, felt the cool morning air on her face, heard the birds and
a swishing sound that may have been a groundsman, but she couldn’t see anyone. She kept the room
dark, tried to lie down again, telling herself to go back to sleep, but her thoughts were already running
away from her, and there would be no more sleep.
1.
The Trinidad Express is a local newspaper in Trinidad and Tobago.
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(2 marks)
(b) Give TWO quotations from paragraph 1 which suggest customary actions.
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(c) Identify ONE expression in paragraph 1 which highlights the men’s sense of ownership of the
place.
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(1 mark)
(d) Explain why the names of the following characters are appropriate:
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• Captain
• Bird Man
• Express
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(2 marks)
Sense ....................................................................................................................................
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(g) What literary device is used in the expression “her thoughts were already running away
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(1 mark)
Total 15 marks
3. Write your answers on the RULED LINES provided after each question. Read the passage
below carefully and then answer all the questions that follow.
Stereotypes are one way in which we ‘define’ the world in order to ‘see’ it. They classify the
infinite variety of humans into a convenient handful of types, then we react to them in a stereotyped
fashion. The danger is not the stereotype itself, but that they make us mentally lazy. When we
stereotype, we fail to observe; and when we do observe, we refuse to accept the details and differences.
5 Quite aside from the injustices which stereotypes do to others, they impoverish us who
do the stereotyping. Persons who lump the world into simple groups, who typecast all politicians
as ‘racketeers’ and all businessmen as thieves, are in danger of becoming stereotypes themselves.
Stereotypes vote for the person that fits their own standards of looks and behaviour.
Persons who have formed rigid preconceptions of foreigners as wealthy, or who see all boys
10 over 10 being dishonest, do not change those views when they meet someone who does not fit. They
brush aside the different person as ‘the exception which proves the rule’. Of course, if they meet
someone who is true to the type, they see it as proof that their assessment is right.
Nor do we suddenly drop our standardized pictures for a vision of the truth. Sharp swings
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of ideas about people often just substitute one stereotype for another. The true process of change is a
15 slow one that adds bits and pieces of reality to the pictures in our heads, until gradually they take on
some blurriness and relation to real life. Little by little we learn that each and every person is unique,
special, different and individual. Often we do not know that we have a stereotyping lapse until we
hear someone else saying: ‘all-so-and-sos look like such-and-such’.
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(d) Explain the meaning of EACH of the following as used in the passage:
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(h) Give THREE expressions in paragraph 4 which suggest that overcoming the urge to
stereotype takes a long time.
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(3 marks)
Total 15 marks
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Write your answer on the RULED PAGES provided, pages 17–20. You are expected to write within
the word limit. There may be more space than you need. There is a blank space, page 16, for any
notes you may want to make. THIS WILL NOT BE MARKED.
You MUST write in Standard English. However, dialect may be used in conversation.
EITHER
SHORT STORY
(35 marks)
OR
5. “As soon as classes ended, Kari wasted no time in getting a taxi. Arriving home on time that
afternoon was very important.”
OR
DESCRIPTION
6. Sitting at the window in her luxurious bedroom, she was thinking of the coming change. She
would now be moving to her grandmother’s house in a run-down part of town.
Describe the area she thought she was moving to, and her feelings as she imagined the new experience.
(35 marks)
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SECTION C
Write your answer to the question you have chosen to answer in Section C here.
Remember to write your question number in the box provided below.
Question No.
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SECTION C
Write your answer to the question you have chosen to answer in Section C here.
Remember to write your question number in the box provided below.
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SECTION D
Write your answer on the RULED PAGES provided, pages 23–25. You are expected to write within
the word limit. There may be more space than you need. There is a blank space, page 22, for any
notes you may want to make. THIS WILL NOT BE MARKED.
EITHER
7. “Some subjects should be dropped from the curriculum. These subjects contribute nothing to
life.”
OR
8. The government of your country has indicated that all primary school students MUST attend the
primary school in their area.
Write an essay EITHER supporting or opposing this position of the government. (35 marks)
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SECTION D
Write your answer to the question you have chosen to answer in Section D here.
Remember to write your question number in the box provided below.
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Write your answer to the question you have chosen to answer in Section D here.
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SECTION D
Write your answer to the question you have chosen to answer in Section D here.
Remember to write your question number in the box provided below.
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END OF TEST
IF YOU FINISH BEFORE TIME IS CALLED, CHECK YOUR WORK ON THIS TEST.
The Council has made every effort to trace copyright holders. However, if any have been inadvertently
overlooked, or any material has been incorrectly acknowledged, CXC will be pleased to correct this at
the earliest opportunity.
01218020/JANUARY 2018
‘‘*’’Barcode Area”*”
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