Lit Exercises Form 4&5

7/29/2019 Lit Exercises Form 4&5

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TFE (FROM 5) 2011Practice 1IN THE MIDST OF HARDSHIPAt dawn they returned hometheir soaky clothes tornand approached the stove

their limbs marked by scratchestheir legs full of woundsbut on their browsthere was not a sign of despair

The whole day and night just passedthey had to brave the horrendous floodin the water all the timebetween bloated carcassesand tiny chips of tree barksdesperately looking for their sons

albino buffalo that was never found

There were born amidst hardshipand grew up without a sigh or a complaintnow they are in the kitchen, making

jokes while rolling their cigarette leaves

a. Why were their clothes soaky?

b. Write down the line in the poem which reveals that this incident took place in avillage?

c. What does the phrase bloated carcasses refer to?

d. In your opinion, what kind of attitude do the last two lines imply? Explain

Practice 2:a. Write down the line which shows that they have been out for long hours?

b. The theme may not be exactly about hardship as implied by the title. What is thetheme related to?

c. What does the phrase albino buffalo reveal?

d. What moral value did you learn from the poem? Explain.

Practice 3:

He Had Such Quiet Eyes (Stanzas 1 and 2)

He had such quiet eyes

She did not realise

They were two pools of lies

Layered with thinnest ice

To her, those quiet eyes

Were breathing desolate sighs

Imploring her to be nice

And to render him paradise

If only shed been wise

And had listened to the adviceNever to compromise

With pleasure-seeking guys

Shed be free from the hows and whys

Bibsy Soenharjo-1968


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a. What does the phrase two pools of lies refer to?

.

b. Which lines show that the man is saying I love you, and if you love me,

prove it!.

.c. Which stanza shows that there is a sense of regret?

.

d. What do you understand by the phrase the hows and whys?

Practice 4:

a. What does the phrase thinnest ice imply?

..

..

b. In this poem, the poet talks about the betrayal of a young girls feelings for a

man. She believes in his sincerity to her as he had pleaded to her to surrender

to him. Write the two lines depicting this.

c. What is the main theme in this poem?

d. What did you learn from this poem? Explain.

Practice 5:

Are You Still Playing Your Flute?

Are you still playing your flute?

When there is hardly time for our love

I am feeling guilty

To be longing for your song

The melody concealed in the slim hollow of the bamboo

Uncovered by the breath of an artist

Composed by his fingers

Blown by the wind

To the depth of my heart.


In the village so quiet and deserted

Amidst the sick rice fields

While here it has become a luxury

To spend time watching the rain

Gazing at the evening rays

Collecting dew drops

Or enjoying the fragrance of flowers.


The more it disturbs my conscience

to be thinking of you

in the hazard of you

my younger brothers unemployed and desperate

my people disunited by politics

my friend slaughtered mercilessly

this world is too old and bleeding.

By Zurinah Hassan


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a. Who is the persona in the poem?

.

b. Write one line from the poem that depicts that people are jobless.

c. Provide three phrases that depict the message of cruel realities of a nation in

uncertainty of its future.

.

d. In your own words describe why the poet used the word sick to describe

the rice fields.

.

.

Practice 6:

a. What did the persona mean when she said deserted?

.

b. Why is the persona feeling guilty?

.

.

c. Why is the question Are you still playing your flute repeated as the starting

line of all the stanzas?

.

d. In your opinion, is this a romantic poem? Provide reasons for your answer.

..

.

Practice 7:

Nature by H.D Carberry

We have neither Summer nor Winter

Neither Autumn nor Spring.We have instead the days

When the gold sun shines on the lush green canefields-

Magnificently.

The days when the rain beats like bullet on the roofs

And there is no sound but thee swish of water in the gullies

And trees struggling in the high Jamaica winds.

Also there are the days when leaves fade from off guango trees

And the reaped canefields lie bare and fallow to the sun.

But best of all there are the days when the mango and the logwood blossom

When bushes are full of the sound of bees and the scent of honey,

When the tall grass sways and shivers to the slightest breath of air,

When the buttercups have paved the earth with yellow stars

And beauty comes suddenly and the rains have gone.

a. In your words describe the weather as depicted in the poem.

.

.b. State one moral value that you have learnt from the poem.

.

c. Note that the poem ends with the line and beauty comes suddenly and the

rains have gone. Describe how this bears a resemblance in our life.

..

..


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d. In the opening lines of the poem, the poet describes the things that are

absent. In your opinion, what is the poet trying to convey?

.

Practice 8:

a. Why do you think H.D.Carberry wrote the poem?

..

b. List three words related to nature.

..

c. Which line in the poem Nature suggests the sense of smell?.

d. Based on your knowledge of the poem Nature, describe a theme in the

poem.

..

..

Novels (6 Practices)

PRACTICE SECTION

The following are the novels studied in the literature component in English

Language

1. The Curse by Lee Su Ann

2. Step by Wicked Step by Ann Fine.

3. Catch Us If You Can by Catherine McPhail

Based on one novel above, write about the following.

Provide evidence from the text to support your answer.

Your response should be:

Not less than 50 words

In continuous writing (not in note form)

Practice 1

Based on one novel above, discuss one of the themes in the story. Provideevidence from the text to support your answer

Practice 2

Write about a character that you find most interesting.

Support your answer with evidence from the novel.

Practice 3

Write about a moral value you have learnt in the story.

Support your answer with evidence from the novel

Practice 4

Based on one novel above, write about an episode that is memorable in the

story. Provide evidence from the text to support your answer.

Practice 5

Based on the novel of your choice, discuss the problems faced by a character.

How does he/she overcome the problems?

Practice 6

Compare two characters in the novel you have studied. How are they similar?


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TEST 1

Form 4 Poem

In the Midst of Hardship

Read the following stanza of In the Midst of Hardship and answer the

questions that follow.

At dawn they returned home

their soaky clothes torn

and approached the stove

their limbs marked by scratchestheir legs full of wounds

but on their brows there was not a sign of despair

Latiff Mohidin

a. What does the word dawn mean?

b. Write down two phrases from the poem that indicates injury.

i.

ii.

c. Describe their feelings when they reached home. Provide a reason to support

your answer.

Novel


Language




Based on the novel that you have studied, choose a character and discuss how

good values are being demonstrated through the character you have chosen.

Provide evidence from the text to support your answer.Your response should be:



TEST 2

(Form 5 poem)

Nature by H.D Carberry

We have neither Summer nor Winter

Neither Autumn nor Spring.

We have instead the days

When the gold sun shines on the lush green canefields-

Magnificently.

The days when the rain beats like bullet on the roofs

And there is no sound but thee swish of water in the gullies


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And trees struggling in the high Jamaica winds.

Also there are the days when leaves fade from off guango trees

And the reaped canefields lie bare and fallow to the sun.

But best of all there are the days when the mango and the logwood blossom

When bushes are full of the sound of bees and the scent of honey,

When the tall grass sways and shivers to the slightest breath of air,

When the buttercups have paved the earth with yellow stars

And beauty comes suddenly and the rains have gone.

a. What seasons did the poet say that they did not have?

______________________________________________________

____________

b. List out the verbs found in the poem Nature.

______________________________________________________

____________

______________________________________________________

____________

c. List words that describe the following in the poem.

i) sunny days

______________________________________________________

______

ii) rainy days

______________________________________________________

______

d. Do you agree that the sunny days are the best days as compared to rainy

days? Explain why or why not?

______________________________________________________

____________

______________________________________________________

____________

Novel question


Language




Based on the novel that you have studied, describe two different settings or

situations.

Provide evidence from the text to support your answer.

Your response should be:



ANSWERS.

Poem

In The Midst Of Hardship

Practice 1

a. They were wet

b. desperately looking for their sons

albino buffalo that was never found


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c. animals killed as they drowned in the flood water.

d. Optimistic,- they were making jokes not crying or show signs of despair.

Practice 2

a. The whole day and night just passed

b. Facing hardship with optimism

c. They are in the village as people in the town will not rear buffaloes.d. Despite the hardship, we must remain resilient and strong. Often, the

difficult time is not a permanent one.

He Had Such Quiet Eyes

Practice 3

a. The eyes are compared to deceit.

b. Imploring her to be nice

And to render him paradise.

c. Stanza 2d. The hows and whys is compared to a situation where one gets hurt

emotionally and tries to solve the problem.

Practice 4

a. dangerous

b. To her, those quiet eyes

Were breathing desolate sighs

Imploring her to be nice

c. Deceitd. We sometimes encounter people who have ill intentions towards us. We

should take precaution against them.

Are You Still Playing Your Flute?

Practice 5

a. a very perceptive and reflective woman.

b. my younger brothers unemployed and desperate

c. my people disunited by politics

my friend slaughtered mercilessly

this world is too old and bleeding.

d. Perhaps the yield is not rewarding/ the harvest is destroyed due to bad

weather.

Practice 6

a. the villagers have left/migrated.

b. Feeling guilty as she is enjoying the music when the nation is plagued with

problems

c. This is to stress on the activity as something that should not be done when

the nation is facing so much trouble.

d. No, it is not a romantic poem. It is poem that shows the irony between a

leisure activity and problems faced by the nation at the same time.

Nature

Practice 7

a. The poem highlights the appealing climate conditions on the island of

Jamaica.

b. We must appreciate the beauty of nature.

c. This is a big resemblance to our life, as it has been our experience that after

bad times, good times will follow and sometimes ever so abruptly.

d. It is to highlight the pleasant climate on the island. It has no extreme

weather conditions.

Practice 8

a. He wants to celebrate the richness of the lands produce and how alive and

plentiful Nature is.

b. gold sun, rain, trees.

c. The line, When the bushes are full of the sound of bees and the scent of


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honey

d. Appreciating ones country-Life in ones country has its share of ups and

downs but one must always look at the brighter side of life. In this poem, the

poet stresses on his countrys weather being sunny, rainy and windy. The poet

states that we must appreciate what we have.

NOVELS

Practice 5

In the novel Step by Wicked Step, Richard reveals the pain of the knowledge of

his dying father and the intrusion of Mr. Coldstone into the family. Then

Richards father dies. Mr Coldstone is very harsh towards Richard. Richard

feels that his own happiness is not counted for. He wishes for his father to wake

up from the grave and tell him that all things in the house have gone wrong

since the fathers death. Richard had practically become a stranger in his own

house. His house was like a tomb. Richard leaves the house. He feels that his

presence is not wanted by his mother.

Practice 6

Colin and Claudia are the two characters I have chosen to compare and

contrast. Although they are two differing characters, they also have some

similarities. Both Colin and Claudia come from broken or separated families.

They both have step parents. Colins mother has left his biological father and

`took up with Jack. Jack is the only father figure Colin ever know. However,

Colins mum leaves Jack after a while. This causes him to miss Jack so badly

that it hurts. On the other hand, Claudias father has left her mother for

another woman, Stella. She feels disloyal to her mum whenever she has a good

time with her father and Stella. Both Colin and Claudia really want their

parents to reconcile as they pine for how it used to be when they were happy.

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Lit Exercises Form 4&5