ANNUAL NATIONAL ASSESSMENT

GRADE 9

ENGLISH HOME LANGUAGE

EXEMPLAR TEST 2012

Study the following passage and then answer questions 1 to 10.

1

He was startled to find the child looking at him with a full bold stare. There was
something very unchildlike about it and it displeased him. His glance flickered back to
the old woman. She was staring again and he even imagined that he saw a gleam in
the sunken old eyes.

My God, he thought, what a pair of vultures they are.

Aloud he said, Is the room ready now, mother?

She merely turned and pointed towards one of the huts. He stood up immediately,
relieved to be rid of their unpleasant company. It seemed to be a storage shed. A large
grain basket stood in one corner, and there were a number of earthenware pots
encircling the room. A space had been cleared on the floor on which were placed wide
square covers made of animal skins. He struck another match to take a better look at
what he was to sleep on. The feel of it was like thick, soft velvet squares upon squares
of the sewn-together skins of hundreds of wild animals. He only removed his shoes
and overcoat. The overcoat he flung over the top cover for extra warmth. The bed
seemed well worth ten shillings to him because it was very warm.

He lay on his back staring up at the dark, too tense to sleep. A good gulp of brandy
would have knocked him out cold but he dared not touch it. He distrusted the old hag.
She seemed to know too much about the border. What would prevent her from
stepping down there and informing the police? There was good money in it, if she knew
about that too. A cold sweat broke out on him as he imagined her at the fence,
shouting at the patrol van. And what about the child and her awful, unchildlike stare?
He listened alertly to their every movement. For a time there was a low murmured
conversation, and then he heard the fire being scraped out. Then the door of the next
hut was pushed open. The old hag coughed a bit. There was more murmured
conversation and a brief silence. Then the door opened again and he could tell that it
was the child who had gone out because the old hag was coughing inside.
(A short while later )

'Heres the money,' he said fiercely. 'Now go away.'

Her eyes were wide and uncomprehending in the brief glare of the match, but she
grasped the note and fled. From the hut next door he heard the brief, plaintive
explanation of the child and the loud surprised chatter of the old woman.

'You mean he gave you money for nothing?' she said, beside herself with excitement.
'This is a miracle! I have not yet known a man who did not regard a woman as a gift
from God! He must be mad! Let us lock the door to protect ourselves from that
madman.'

What a loathsome woman, he thought, and yet how nave she was in her evil. He had
known many such evils in his lifetime. He thought they were created by poverty and
oppression, and he had spent the last two years in jail in the belief that, in some way, a
protest would help to set the world right. It was the mentality of the old hag that ruined a
whole continent some sort of clinging, ancestral, tribal belief
[From Where Rainclouds Gather by Bessie Head]

Circle the letter of the correct answer for questions 1 to 5.

1.

What is the most important idea in the first paragraph?

A The man felt uncomfortable and intimidated.
B The child was full of anxiety and discomfort.
C The grandmother and the child were afraid.
D Both the females were timid and anxious.

(1)

2.1 What does the fact that the man thinks of the two women as 'a pair of vultures' tell
you about the old woman and the child?
A

They are definitely not very pretty.

They only want to get something from the man.

They want to give the man over to the patrol.

Their body shape resembles that of vultures.

(1)

2.2 What does the 'unchildlike' stare of the child tell us about her?

3.

She had lived through hardships.

She was forced to do grown-up things.

Her grandmother gave her a hard time.

She was not as young as she looked.

(1)

What is the setting in the extract?

A

The hut of the old woman

The actual border area

The old woman's village

The storage shed

(1)

4.1 What is the main idea in paragraph 5 concerned with?

A

The young man's irrational fear of the woman and the child.

The young man's unflattering impression of the woman and the child.

The man's fear of the woman telling the border police about him.

The young man's relief that he had found warm, safe accommodation.

(1)

4.2 What is the theme of the extract?

A

The way the young man distrusts the woman and the child.

The man's fear of the women calling the border police.

The haggard old woman not talking, just pointing out things to the man.

The disturbing adult manner in which the child looks at the young man.

(1)

5.1 Through whose eyes do we mainly experience the events in the excerpt (see
paragraph 8)?
A

The old woman's eyes

How the child sees the events

The man's view of the situation

Through the writer's eyes

(1)
3

5.2 Why does the writer use this point of view for the story?
A

It is more objective and fair.

It gives insight into the man's mind.

It results in giving credibility to the events.

The reader can distance himself from the events.

(1)

Use the lines provided to answer questions 6 to 9.

6.

Why is the man fearful that the old woman would reveal his presence to the
border police?

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7.

(2)

In paragraph 3, the man does not reveal his true feelings (as expressed in
paragraph 2). What would have happened if he had revealed his real feelings
towards the old woman?

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(2)

8.1 Identify the figure of speech in the following quote and say if it is based on
comparison or contrast. Motivate your answer.
' what a pair of vultures they are.' (Paragraph. 8)

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(2)

8.2 Why is the description of the old woman as 'an old hag' effective?

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9.

(1)

In the third paragraph the man addresses the old woman as mother as a term of
respect. In what other way could he have addressed her?

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(1)

10. Write an informal letter.

Imagine that you are the man in the extract you just read. Write a letter to a friend
expressing your feelings about your experience with the old woman and the child.

OR
Imagine that you are the child in the extract. Write a letter to your aunt, telling her
of the man who came to visit and relate what occurred.

Your letter should have the format and register of an informal letter and you must
include an introduction, body and conclusion.

Your letter should be 100 to 120 words long.

(12)

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6

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7

Read the following passage and answer questions 11 to 20.

DURBS GEARING UP FOR HOLIDAY
Beach buddies on call to ensure local is lekka
1

While the global COP17 climate change summit was winding up at the weekend,
Durban officials were bracing themselves for the influx of thousands of local and
international tourists streaming in for their annual holidays.

The city's hospitality industry is expecting a 'tremendous' season as hotels fill up

and thousands of cars an hour pass through the Marianhill toll plaza.

The hospitality industry has indicated that hotels are experiencing strong bookings
and this will continue until mid-January when Gauteng schools are due to reopen.

According to the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport, the city was already

experiencing a build-up to the holidays with increasing volumes of traffic entering
KwaZulu-Natal.

Durban Tourism, in anticipation of the influx, has put together a plan that will
provide additional resources to manage the increased numbers of visitors so
that all of them can have a safe, hassle-free holiday.

The Metro Police will be doing regular patrols on newly purchased e-bikes, which
are suitable and convenient for use on the promenade, and are also
environmentally friendly.

An additional 100 recycling bins have been placed around the city in the hope that
they will encourage people to recycle rubbish.

The municipality has employed ambassadors, known as beach buddies, to help

tourists with directions and other information.

As an extra safety precaution the municipality will issue wristbands that carry the
particulars of a childs guardians.

10

If a child is separated from his parents or guardians, these details will help to reunite
them.

11

Gazebos marked Separated Children will be set up on the beachfront. Minors who
have been separated from their guardians will be cared for by child-minders.

[Adapted from The Times, 12 December 2011]

11.1

What is the main idea of this article?

A Durbans hospitality industry
B The influx of holidaymakers to Durban
C The police patrols on the beach
D The recent COP17 Conference

11.2

(1)

Which of the alternatives given below does NOT support the main idea?
A Hotel accommodation is filling up.
B Many international tourists are expected.
C Marianhill Toll Plaza will be very busy.
(1)

D Rubbish bins will be provided.

12.

Do you agree that Durban is an environmentally-friendly city. Give two

quotations from the text to support your answer.

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(2)

13. Describe briefly the view expressed by the writer regarding Durban as a holiday
destination. (Your answer should not be longer than two short sentences.)

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(2)

14. Explain the comparison in beach-buddies and say why it is effective.

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(2)

15. Is there any factual information given to substantiate that 'hotels are experiencing
strong bookings' (paragraph 3)? Give a reason from the text for your answer.

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10

(2)

16.1 Which of the following explains the term e-bikes (paragraph 6) in full?
A

electric bikes

energy bicycles

electric bicycles

eco-friendly bikes

(1)

16.2 What is the full word for the 'Metro' in 'Metro Police'?
A

Metropolis

Metronome

Metrical

Metropolitan

(1)

17.1 Replace 'summit' (paragraph 1) with a word with more or less the same meaning
in the context.
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(1)

17.2 Replace 'lekka' (sub-heading) with a more formal word.

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18.

(1)

Rewrite the following using the correct punctuation.

To cope with lost children the following measure has been put in place
identification wristbands for children.
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11

(2)

19. Look at the accompanying picture carefully. Use this to

write a creative, original paragraph.

Your paragraph should be 60 to 80 words long.

Ensure that there is a topic sentence,

supporting sentences and a concluding
sentence.

Give your paragraph a suitable title.

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(6)

20. Write a factual report for your community newspaper on a holiday activity that took place in
your neighbourhood or town.

You must employ the register of a newspaper report. Use factual language and use the
appropriate format. The length should be 100 to 120 words.

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13

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TOTAL

14

(10)
60