F5 Holiday Homework With Sample Answers PDF

Form 5 Holiday Homework
Directed Writing: Formal Letter
Online reference:
http://englishvibes.blogspot.com/2017/07/directed-writing-writing-formal-letter.html
Imagine that you were very dissatisfied with the food and service at an expensive
restaurant where you entertained your family. Write a formal letter of complaint to
the restaurant’s management. Include the following points:
- Rude waiters
- Poorly cooked food
- Unhygienic conditions
- Wrongly totalled bill
- Noisy surroundings
- Old and uncomfortable furniture
In your letter you should:

- state your complaint
- elaborate on your complaints
- ask the management to rectify the complaints
- express your thoughts about dining at the restaurant again
Follow SPM’s marking format

A wedding is a ceremony in which two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions
vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries and social classes. Most
weddings involve an exchange of wedding vows by the couple and a public proclamation of
marriage by a religious leader. Special wedding gowns are worn and the ceremony is usually
followed by a wedding reception. People all over the world practise numerous wedding
customs that have been passed on through many generations. Although each has a long
history and significance, many seem strange and out of place today.
A rather interesting German tradition involves the shattering of a large number of dishes
before the wedding and having the bride and groom clean the mess up. It is believed that
having the bride and groom collect all the broken pieces will bring good luck and help the
couple prepare for their new life together. It may be a little destructive but everyone enjoys
themselves. Another German custom that tests the couple’s physical skills is ‘log-sawing’.
After the couple is married, a log is placed between two saw horses and both the newlyweds
must saw the log in half. This is supposedly a sign of how they will handle things together
once they are married.
The French have an interesting after-wedding tradition known as ‘Chiverie’. Friends and
family of the newly-married couple gather in the evening and clang pots and pans, ring bells,
and blow horns intended to startle and disturb the couple. Upon hearing all the noise the
newlyweds are to come out and provide their tormentor with various refreshments.
In Italy, it was customary for the groom to carry a talisman, a piece of iron, in his pocket on
the day of his wedding. The talisman was believed to ward off misfortune and protect him.
The bride wore a veil which was believed to protect her from evil spirits. In the early days of
arranged marriages, the bride and groom often never saw each other at all before the
wedding. Even when couples were well acquainted before marriage, it was still considered
bad luck for the groom to glimpse the bride before the wedding. After the wedding the
newlyweds would shatter a vase or glass into many pieces. The number of pieces
represented the expected number of years they would be happily married.
In Ireland, newlyweds celebrate the month after the wedding by drinking ‘mead’ – a drink
made of fermented honey. Following the wedding, the bride and groom were given a
sufficient amount of mead along with special goblets so they could share their unique brew
for one full moon or a month after the wedding. It is believed that this delicate and potent
drink was the best way to ensure a good beginning to a new marriage. Incidentally, the word
‘honeymoon’ may have originated from this tradition.
Eggs which represent fertility and righteousness in many Muslim cultures are often given to
guests as symbolic gifts. Also the bride and groom may be showered with rice, sweets and
flowers as they exit the wedding reception. In Indonesia, the groom steps on an egg to show
his approval of the marriage. In Morocco, an egg is broken during the reception because the
egg white signifies light and luck for the couple. Moroccan weddings can last up to seven
days. The first three days are spent preparing for the wedding. On the fourth day, a sheikh
unites the couple. On the fifth and sixth day there will be parties and feasts. On the seventh
day, friends and family place the bride in the arms of the groom, signaling the end of the
ceremony. The couple depart in a shower of figs and raisins. Once the bride arrives at her
new home, she has to circle it three times to establish ownership before she can enter.
In Korea, the groom gives the bride’s mother a wild goose. Traditionally, a live goose was
presented but today a wooden goose is often used. Wild geese are true to their mates and
thus this gift is a promise that he will care for her daughter for the rest of his life. The
traditional Korean wedding is held at the bride’s home. Vows are taken in a ceremony called
‘Kunbere’. The bride and groom bow to each other and seal their vows by sipping a special
drink poured into a gourd grown by the bride’s mother. Korean wedding banquets are very
simple. Noodles boiled in beef soup is the only required dish. Long noodles symbolize a wish
for a long and happy life.
Answer the following questions.
1. From paragraph 1, how would you define a wedding?

A wedding is a ceremony in which two people are united in marriage.
2. From paragraph 2,
a) i. what are two unique German customs?
1. shattering of a large number of dishes before the wedding and having the bride and
groom clean the mess up
2. After the couple is married, a log is placed between two saw horses and both the
newlyweds must saw the log in half.
ii. what do they signify?
Clean up the shattered dishes will bring good luck and help the couple prepare for their new
life together. The log-sawing is supposedly a sign of how they will handle things together
once they are married.
3. From paragraph 3,
a) i. what was the French tradition called?
Chiverie
ii. ‘… provide their tormentors with various refreshments’. Who were the tormentors?
Their friends and family
b) When do the tormentors gather?

In the evening
4.
From paragraph 5, which word means strong?
potent
5. From paragraph 7, what do the following signify?

a) The gift of the wild goose

Wild geese are true to their mates and thus this gift is a promise that he will care for
her daughter for the rest of his life.
b) Noodles
Long noodles symbolize a wish for a long and happy life.

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Form 5 Holiday Homework

Directed Writing: Formal Letter

In your letter you should:

Follow SPM’s marking format

Answer the following questions.

1. From paragraph 1, how would you define a wedding?

ii. what do they signify?

b) When do the tormentors gather?

5. From paragraph 7, what do the following signify?

a) The gift of the wild goose

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