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Form 5 literature
PRACTICE 2014

SUCCESS ONLY BELONGS

TO THE ONES WHO ARE
PREPARED

Collected by: Mani Jack

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FORM 5 POEM PRACTICE

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May 5, 2012
FORM 5 POEMS PRACTICE (8 Practices with answers)
Posted by leelachakrabarty under FORM 5 POEM PRACTICE | Tags:POEMS |
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POEMS
Practice 1

IN THE MIDST OF HARDSHIP

At dawn they returned home

their soaky clothes torn
and approached the stove
their limbs marked by scratches
their legs full of wounds
but on their brows
there was not a sign of despair

The whole day and night just passed

they had to brave the horrendous flood
in the water all the time
between bloated carcasses
and tiny chips of tree barks
desperately looking for their sons
albino buffalo that was never found

There were born amidst hardship

and grew up without a sigh or a complaint
now they are in the kitchen, making
jokes while rolling their cigarette leaves

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By Latiff Mohidin Translated by Salleh Ben Joned

1. Why were their clothes soaky?

2. Write down the line in the poem which reveals that this incident took place in a
village?

3. What does the phrase bloated carcasses refer to?

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

Practice 2:

IN THE MIDST OF HARDSHIP (stanzas 1 and 2)

At dawn they returned home

their soaky clothes torn
and approached the stove
their limbs marked by scratches
their legs full of wounds
but on their brows
there was not a sign of despair

The whole day and night just passed

they had to brave the horrendous flood
in the water all the time
between bloated carcasses

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and tiny chips of tree barks

desperately looking for their sons
albino buffalo that was never found
By Latiff Mohidin Translated by Salleh Ben Joned

1. Write down the line which shows that they have been out for long hours?

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

3. What does the phrase albino buffalo reveal?

4. 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

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If only shed been wise

And had listened to the advice
Never to compromise
With pleasure-seeking guys
Shed be free from the hows and whys
Bibsy Soenharjo-1968

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

2. Which lines show that the man is saying I love you, and if you love me, prove it!

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

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

Practice 4:

He Had Such Quiet Eyes

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

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If only shed been wise

And had listened to the advice
Never to compromise
With pleasure-seeking guys
Shed be free from the hows and whys

Now heres a bit of advice

Be sure that nice really means nice
Then youll never be losing at dice
Though you may lose your heart once or twice
Bibsy Soenharjo-1968

1. What does the phrase thinnest ice imply?

2.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.

3.What is the main theme in this poem?

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

Practice 5:

Are You Still Playing Your Flute?

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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.

Are you still playing your flute?

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.

Are you still playing your flute?

The more it disturbs my conscience

to be thinking of you

in the hazard of you

my younger brothers unemployed and desperate

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my people disunited by politics

my friend slaughtered mercilessly

this world is too old and bleeding.

By Zurinah Hassan

1. Who is the persona in the poem?

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

3. Provide three phrases that depict the message of cruel realities of a nation in
uncertainty of its future.

4.In your own words describe why the poet used the word sick to describe the rice
fields.

Practice 6:

Are You Still Playing Your Flute? (Stanzas 1 and 2)

Are you still playing your flute?

When there is hardly time for our love

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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.

Are you still playing your flute?

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.

By Zurinah Hassan

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

2. Why is the persona feeling guilty?

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3. Why is the question Are you still playing your flute repeated as the starting line of
all the stanzas?

4.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.

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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.

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

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

..

3. 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.

4. 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:

Nature by H.D Carberry

We have neither Summer nor Winter

Neither Autumn nor Spring.

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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.

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

2. List three words related to nature.

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

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

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ANSWERS.

Poem

In The Midst Of Hardship

Practice 1

1. They were wet

2. desperately looking for their sons

albino buffalo that was never found

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

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

Practice 2

1. The whole day and night just passed

2. Facing hardship with optimism

3. They are in the village as people in the town will not rear buffaloes.

4. 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

1. The eyes are compared to deceit.

2. Imploring her to be nice

And to render him paradise.

3. Stanza 2

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4. The hows and whys is compared to a situation where one gets hurt emotionally
and tries to solve the problem.

Practice 4

1. dangerous

2. To her, those quiet eyes

Were breathing desolate sighs
Imploring her to be nice

3. Deceit

4. We sometimes encounter people who have ill intentions towards us. We should
take precaution against them.

Are You Still Playing Your Flute?

Practice 5

1. a very perceptive and reflective woman.

2. my younger brothers unemployed and desperate

3. my people disunited by politics

my friend slaughtered mercilessly

this world is too old and bleeding.

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

Practice 6

1. the villagers have left/migrated.

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

3. This is to stress on the activity as something that should not be done when the
nation is facing so much trouble.

4. 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.

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Nature

Practice 7

1. The poem highlights the appealing climate conditions on theislandofJamaica.

2. We must appreciate the beauty of nature.

3. 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.

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

conditions.

Practice 8

1. He wants to celebrate the richness of the lands produce and how alive and
plentiful Nature is.

2. b. gold sun, rain, trees.

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

4. 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.

FORM FIVE NOVEL PRACTICE

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May 6, 2012
FORM 5 NOVEL PRACTICE QUESTIONS
Posted by leelachakrabarty under FORM FIVE NOVEL PRACTICE |
Tags:novel |
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Novels (6 Practices)

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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. Provide evidence
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

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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?

SUGGESTED ANSWERS-

Practice 1

Through the novel The Curse, gender stereotyping is portrayed through how females
should behave. This can be seen especially through Azreen. For example, Azreens
school friends start to cast suspicious eyes towards her when she behaves unlady-like.
She plays hockey with the boys and even laughs like a bunch of hyenas with them. To
them, as a woman, Azreen is not expected to be tomboyish and hangs too closely with
boys.

Practice 2

An interesting character in the novel- The Curse is the old lady. She is an educated
woman as she has knowledge of herbal medicine to treat illnesses. Her house is always
neat and situated by the hillside. She is a caring and concerned woman as she takes
Azreen in and gives her food and shelter whenever she has fights and problems. She is
also a resourceful person and she is a good cook and her recipes and secret ingredients
are very much sought after.

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Practice 3

The value in life that I have learnt in the novel- Catch us if you can is The
Importance of Family. Sacrifices for family are honoured and explored, as are the
family bonds that survive adversity. Family responsibility in the novel is best
displayed by Rorys constant care of his grandfather. Very early in age, Rory has
realised that there was only Granda and me to make up a family. Rory does not know
any other family love. His father had left them when he was very young. Granda had
taken care of him all his life and now, as Granda is getting old and forgetful, and is never
quite well, it is his turn to look after him.

Practice 4

The incident which is memorable in Catch us if you can is when Granda is sent to
Rachnadar, Rory knows that he has to get him away from that place. Though torn with
desperation at times ( Grandas carelessness with the chip pan had landed him in
hospital and Rory atCastle Street), Rory plans the Great Escape and gets him away from
the hospital where they put old people in.

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

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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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