CSEC English A 2016 Student's Resource Booklet

CSEC English A Resource Booklet
CURRICULUM PLANNING
AND DEVELOPMENT
DIVISION
Contents
Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 1
JUNE 2007 ..................................................................................................................................................... 2
SECTION ONE ............................................................................................................................................ 2
SECTION TWO, Comprehension Passage 1 ............................................................................................... 6
SECTION TWO: Comprehension Passage 2 ............................................................................................... 9
JUNE 2010 ................................................................................................................................................... 12
SECTION ONE .......................................................................................................................................... 12
SECTION TWO: Comprehension Passage 1 ............................................................................................. 16
JUNE 2013 ................................................................................................................................................... 22
JUNE 2014 ................................................................................................................................................... 34
SECTION ONE .......................................................................................................................................... 34
JANUARY 2014 ............................................................................................................................................ 38
SECTION ONE .......................................................................................................................................... 38
MODEL ANSWER 2004………………………...……………………………………………..41
CSEC English A Questions and Answers……………………………………………………50
1
Introduction
This package has been prepared to assist you as you prepare for Sections one and two of the Paper
2 CSEC English A examination. Section one focuses on summary writing, while Section Two
presents two Comprehension passages. The following are some general tips on writing summaries
and answering comprehension questions.
Some Tips for Writing a Good Summary
Before writing the summary:
1. Read the instructions carefully.
2. Read the information that you’ve been given to summarise.
3. Underline the main ideas and/or cross out irrelevant details.
(Irrelevant details may include RAIOES (repetitions, anecdotes, illustrations
opinions, examples and statistics)
4. Combine similar ideas where necessary.
When writing the summary:

1. Write down only the main ideas.
2. Use your own words, but not your opinion.
3. Organise your summary in a logical manner using appropriate transitional words and
phrases.
4. Stick to the word limit. (Remember only the words that fall within the word limit will be
read and assessed by the examiner).
5. Write the number of words at the bottom.
After writing the summary:
1. Re-read your work to ensure that you captured the main ideas and that they flow logically.
Some Tips for Answering Comprehension Questions

When answering the questions in the comprehension passage, it is a good idea to follow the
following steps:
STEP I:
Read through the questions which appear at the end of the reading first. Reading the questions
helps in predicting what the selection is about and also assists in providing a mental framework for
you to focus your reading.
STEP II: Read the entire passage.

STEP III: Read one question at a time, find the information in the passage that helps you answer
the question and record your answer in your answer booklet.
1
CARIBBEAN SECONDARY EDUCATION CERTIFICATE EXAMINATION
ENGLISH A
JUNE 2007
SECTION ONE
(Suggested time: 35 minutes)
Read the following extract carefully and then write a summary of it.
Your summary must be in continuous prose, in paragraph form and it must not be more
than 120 words in length. Only the first 120 words of your answer will be read and assessed.
Since the beginning of civilization, they have served as marks of identification, spiritual protection
and decoration. Now at the cusp of another millennium, tattoos and other varieties of body
markings are resurfacing as a popular form of individual self-expression.
Tattoos are timeless and can be as unique as the bearers they adorn. They don’t fade away like
favourite t-shirts, or get lost or broken like school rings. They stay with you forever, until death.
They become a part of you from the day you sit in the artist’s chair, etching your emotions
alongside the needle’s sting, transforming an instant of your life into a symbol for the world to see.
Tattoos and other body markings arrived in the Caribbean with African slaves and indentured
workers from China and India. They were sometimes the only permanent keepsakes of peoples
snatched from their ancestral places. The Caribbean’s original Amerindian inhabitants also used
tattoos to mark spiritual milestones. The Taino of the Northern Caribbean Islands, for instance,
used vegetable dyes to affix images of their guardians onto their skin. These images also indicated
an individual’s lineage, or his or her social position. Each tattoo was both a personal history book
and a mark of belonging.
Over the centuries, however, tattoos and other forms of bodily adornment have mutated,
exchanging religious and cultural significance for individualist associations. Sometimes that mark
of individuality has been confused with rebellion and non-conformity, often alluding to a stain of
bad character. Tattoo-wearers have seemed wild, dangerous, even just plain bad.
But today, tattoos have come full circle. Celebrities, writers, lawyers, housewives, all proudly
display their marks of rebellion. An entirely new perception of the art of tattooing has arisen,
which is more than just a preoccupation with style. The re-discovered form of expression has
spawned an entire sub-culture of individuals among us. They carry this common bond of
distinction through their daily routines. Via the images on their forearms, shoulders, ankles, or
torsos, they connect to each other, announcing to the world that it is OK to be unique and
different.
Adapted from “Pictures made flesh”
Caribbean Beat, July/August 2003
2
COMMENTS CONTENT FROM PASSAGE SUMMARY BY
PARAGRAPH
Since the beginning of civilization, they have Tattoos have been
served as marks of identification, spiritual around for centuries,
protection and decoration. Now at the cusp of but are once again
another millennium, tattoos and other becoming a popular
varieties of body markings are resurfacing as way of expressing
a popular form of individual self-expression. one’s individuality.
The main idea is Tattoos are timeless and can be as Tattoos are an
found in the first line. unique as the bearers they adorn. They don’t enduring way to show
The other sentences fade away like favourite t-shirts, or get lost or a person’s
explain why tattoos broken like school rings. They stay with you individuality.
are “timeless”. forever, until death. They become a part of you
from the day you sit in the artist’s chair, etching
your emotions alongside the needle’s sting,
transforming an instant of your life into a symbol
for the world to see.
Underlined are Tattoos and other body markings Tattoos were brought to
various ways in arrived in the Caribbean with African slaves the Caribbean from
which tattoos were and indentured workers from China and Africa, China and India,
used. These can be India. (1)They were sometimes the only but the Amerindians
classified into permanent keepsakes of peoples snatched from wore them
even before.
groups. their ancestral places. (2)The Caribbean’s
original Amerindian inhabitants also used tattoos
They were used for
Be careful to spot to mark spiritual milestones. The Taino of the religious, ethnic and
words/phrases that Northern Caribbean Islands, for instance, used cultural purposes.
introduce examples. vegetable dyes to affix images of their guardians
onto their skin. These images also indicated an
(3) individual’s lineage, or his or her social
position. Each tattoo was both a personal
history book and a mark of belonging.
Over the centuries, however, tattoos and Over the years, tattoos
other forms of bodily adornment have have changed from a
mutated, exchanging religious and cultural religious or cultural
significance for individualist associations. symbol to a mark of
Sometimes that mark of individuality has been rebellion and
confused with rebellion and non-conformity, deviance.
often alluding to a stain of bad character.
Tattoo-wearers have seemed wild, dangerous,
even just plain bad.
But today, tattoos have come full circle. Today, tattoos are now
Watch out for long Celebrities, writers, lawyers, housewives, all being seen as an
lists: they may be proudly display their marks of rebellion. An acceptable way to
examples that have to entirely new perception of the art of tattooing show a person’s
be omitted or has arisen, which is more than just a uniqueness.
categorised. preoccupation with style. The re-discovered form
of expression has spawned an entire sub-culture
of individuals among us. They carry this
3
common bond of distinction through their daily
routines. Via the images on their forearms,
shoulders, ankles, or torsos, they connect to each
other, announcing to the world that it is OK to
be unique and different.
4
SAMPLE SUMMARIES
Sample 1
From the beginning of civilization tattoos and other body markings have been marks of
identification, spiritual protection and decoration. Tattoos are permanent markings which vary
greatly and can be personally very revealing. A tattoo is an instant of your life etched forever on
you for the world to see.
Tattoos and other body markings were characteristic of the Amerindians of the Caribbean as well
as of the Africans, Chinese and Indians who came here. For all these people, they had cultural,
spiritual and ethnic significance. Over the centuries, tattoos and other body markings have changed
back and forth from group significance to individual significance, presenting a daily image of
difference and uniqueness.
(112 words)
Sample 2
Tattoos have been around from the beginning of time and were used originally as identification
marks, spiritual protection and decoration, but now they are a popular form of self -expression.
Tattoos are permanent markings on the body which were brought to the Caribbean by slaves from
Africa and indentured labourers from China and India, but were also used earlier by Amerindians.
Over the years tattoos have changed from being positive to negative, often being confused with
rebellion and deviance (non-conformity). Today, tattoos are once again seen as something positive:
they are worn by people from all walks of life, on all parts of their body, saying to the world it's all
right to be different.
(115 words)
Sample 3
Tattoos have been around from the earliest of times for identification as well as for spiritual and
decorative purposes. They are more unique and permanent than other symbols and ornaments and
can be seen by everyone.
Tattoos and other body markings came to the Caribbean from Africa, China and India with slaves
and indentured workers. Indigenous people also used tattoos for spiritual, cultural and personal
reasons and to indicate social status.
Over time, tattoos displayed more personal expressions and were perceived by some to display
antisocial or deviant behaviour. Today, however, tattoos have re-emerged as signs of personal
expression, have gained respectability and are linked and individuality and not merely with style.
(116 words)
Samples sourced from:
Report on Candidates’ Work in the Secondary Education Certificate Examinations
May/June 2007
https://www.cxc.org/SiteAssets/2007SchoolReports/2007JunENGLISHA.pdf
5
SECTION TWO, Comprehension Passage 1
This village appeared to be the end of the world, and it seemed as though each day was a
deliberate effort. Dawn came slowly; the cold air flowing off the sea, the smell of fish and the wet
smell of the nets fading away as the light climbed up the sky. Midday brought a blazing heat that
softened the raw pitch with which the road was made in the village. Cars parked too long out in the
heat sank slowly, tyre-deep, into the soft asphalt, and the hot sun and the heavy air filled with the
smell of cooking drove people into the shade as the torpor settled over the whole village. Evening
saw the huge red ball of the sun dipping across the sky into the sea leaving glorious and stunning
sunsets that coloured the bay red, burning off the hulls of the tankers that tied up against the long
oil-jetty, matching the flares of the oil refinery in the distance as the excess gas was burned off.
The evening smell was that of oil.
There was death in the village, but hat death was not a final horror, it was not the heart-
rending, bitter cry of a sudden and unexpected grief. No! it was the sad, lingering, whimsical death
found in the eyes of broken, old men as they patted young boys on the head and considered the
foolishness of youth; it was the empty death found on abandoned coasts at the end of small islands
dwarfed by the hugeness of the Atlantic; it was the hopelessness of this backwater village, swept
clean of the talent and vitality, missed and ignored by political turmoil sweeping the city,
dependent upon a poor stony earth and dwindling oil. Death here was a vision of a hopeless future.
Noel Woodroffe, “Wing’s Way”. Best West Indian Stories.
Nelson Caribbean, 1982, p. 138.
6
This village appeared to be the end of the world, and it seemed as Answers to question (a)
though each day was a deliberate effort. Dawn came slowly; the are circled.
Answer to question (b)
cold air flowing off the sea, the smell of fish and the wet smell of
the nets fading away as the light climbed up the sky. Midday Answer to question (e).
brought a blazing heat that softened the raw pitch with which the Light is given the human
quality of climbing up the
road was made in the village. Cars parked too long out in the heat sky.
sank slowly, tyre-deep, into the soft asphalt, and the hot sun and
the heavy air filled with the smell of cooking drove people into the Answer to question (g)
shade as the torpor settled over the whole village. Evening saw the
huge red ball of the sun dipping across the sky into the sea leaving Answer to question (c)
glorious and stunning sunsets that coloured the bay red, burning off
the hulls of the tankers that tied up against the long oil-jetty,
matching the flares of the oil refinery in the distance as the excess
gas was burned off. The evening smell was that of oil.
There was death in the village, but that death was not a final horror, it
was not the heart-rending, bitter cry of a sudden and unexpected
Answer to question (d)
grief. No! it was the sad, lingering, whimsical death found in the
eyes of broken, old men as they patted young boys on the head
and considered the foolishness of youth; it was the empty death
found on abandoned coasts at the end of small islands dwarfed by
the hugeness of the Atlantic; it was the hopelessness of this Possible answers to (h) are
underlined.
backwater village, swept clean of the talent and vitality, missed and
ignored by political turmoil sweeping the city, dependent upon a
poor stony earth and dwindling oil. Death here was a vision of a
hopeless future.
7
Answers
a) What times of the day does the writer describe in paragraph 1? (2 marks)
Dawn; Midday; Evening
b) Identify the contrasting smells of the day mentioned by the writer in paragraph 1. (2 marks)
fish/ nets; cooking; oil
c) To what does the writer compare the colour of the setting sun (lines 7 – 10)? (2 marks)
the flares of the oil refinery, a huge red ball
d) Identify ONE example of what the writer refers to as “whimsical death” (lines 12 – 13). (2
marks)
the kind of death) found in the eyes of broken, old men
the kind of death) found on abandoned coasts ...
the hopelessness of this backwater village
e) Identify ONE word that illustrates personification in line 3. (1 mark )

Climbed
f) What impression is suggested about the village by the use of “each day was a deliberate
effort” (lines 1 -2)? (2 marks)
An answer which suggested struggle and difficulty
g) Why did cars parked too long sink slowly? (2 marks)

The weight of the cars on the sun-softened pitch
h) Identify TWO phrases in the last four lines that create the atmosphere of abandonment. (2
marks)
backwater village; missed and ignored; hopelessness of this backwater; swept clean of
talent and vitality; dependent upon a stony earth and dwindling oil; vision of a
hopeless future.
8
SECTION TWO: Comprehension Passage 2
Gradually, every parent becomes aware that his or her child has adult concerns, wants acres of
privacy and no longer trusts the goodwill of parents in the same old way. These are the biggest of
all changes in the child-parent relations, and are almost always in the place by age 13. This shift
occurs not because of bad influences and the media but because your child’s brain has matured and
is capable of more independent judgement. Please remember, however, that the change is not
locked in place. A young adolescent can bounce back and forth between ages 8 and 13 (and
sometimes 15) in a matter of seconds, scorning your values yet, at times, still wanting to sit on
your lap.
For girls, the central action is their social lives and the intensity of their feelings. No matter
how much a girl and her friends are torturing one another with gossip in school or instant messages
10 from home computers she is convinced that if you knew what she was saying, you would
disapprove or, even worse, try to interfere and make a bad situation uglier.
What is she talking about to her friends? A. Social power: who’s popular, who’s feminine,
who’s really weird. Parents: their faults and their inability to understand 13 year olds.
Girls are talking about their powerful feelings; they have complex and sometimes
overwhelming insights into life. Their joy can be great and visible, but their despair is hidden in
solitary late-night crying, journal entries, weight obsession.
Boys are preoccupied by their power and the opinion of other boys, their anxiety about
whether they live up to the test of masculinity, a new, deeper range of feelings that they may be
20unable to put into words. In the kitchen a boy looks down into his mother’s eyes and thinks, why
is this woman giving me orders? I love her but I’m bigger than she is. That perplexes him because
he still needs her so much. Boys, like girls, are having a lot of dark nights of soul in which they see
how disappointing adults can be and how unjust society is, but they may not be able to put their
fears into words, or they do not want to because it makes them feel weak.
Adapted from Michael Thompson, “What They Won’t Tell You

and Why”. Times, August 8, 2005, p. 63.
9
Gradually, every parent becomes aware that (1) his or her child has The word “acres”
adult concerns, (2) wants acres of privacy and (3) no longer trusts suggests a large amount
the goodwill of parents in the same old way. These are the biggest of space.
of all changes in the child-parent relations, and are almost always in
the place by age 13. This shift occurs not because of bad influences Possible answers to
question (b) are
and the media but because your child’s brain has matured and is underlined.
capable of more independent judgement. Please remember, Answer to question (d)
however, that the change is not locked in place. A young adolescent
can bounce back and forth between ages 8 and 13 (and sometimes
15) in a matter of seconds, scorning your values yet, at times, still
wanting to sit on your lap. Answer to question (c).
The sentence following
the phrase “locked in
place” explains the
concept.
For girls, the central action is their social lives and the intensity of
their feelings. No matter how much a girl and her friends are torturing
one another with gossip in school or instant messages from home
computers she is convinced that if you knew what she was saying, you The idea is implied that
would disapprove or, even worse, try to interfere and make a bad “you” is referring to
parents.
situation uglier.
What is she talking about to her friends? Social power: who’s Words in the bold discuss
popular, who’s feminine, who’s really weird. Parents: their faults and to question girls’
their inability to understand 13 year olds. preoccupations (question
(f))
Girls are talking about their powerful feelings; they have complex
and sometimes overwhelming insights into life. Their joy can be great
and visible, but their despair is hidden in solitary late-night crying,
journal entries, weight obsession.
Boys are preoccupied by their power and the opinion of other Words in bold discuss to
boys, their anxiety about whether they live up to the test of question boys’
masculinity, a new, deeper range of feelings that they may be unable preoccupations (question
to put into words. In the kitchen a boy looks down into his mother’s (f))
eyes and thinks, why is this woman giving me orders? I love her but
I’m bigger than she is. That perplexes him because he still needs her
so much. Boys, like girls, are having a lot of dark nights of soul in
which they see how disappointing adults can be and how unjust
society is, but they may not be able to put their fears into words, or
they do not want to because it makes them feel weak.
10
Answers
a) What meaning is conveyed by the word “acres” in line 1? (2 marks)
The meaning conveyed is that the child wants the parents to give him/her a lot of/ a
large amount of personal space.
b) Identify TWO of the “biggest of all the changes in child-parent relations”, (lines 2 – 3)
according to the writer. (2 marks)
Any two of the following: his or her child has adult concerns; wants acres of privacy;
no longer trusts the goodwill of parents in the same old way.
c) What does the phrase “not locked in place” (line 5) mean? (2 marks)
This phrase means that the young person’s change is not fixed or constant (or any
word/phrase that conveys that idea)
d) What, according to the passage, are the causes of the shifts in child-parent relations? (2
marks)
Causes of shifts in child-parent relations can result from the young person’s process
of moving from childhood to adulthood with the brain maturing and the young
person becoming more capable of making judgements.
e) To whom does the pronoun “you” (line 10) refer? (1 mark )

The pronoun ‘you’ refers to the parent.
f) What according to the passage is the preoccupation of (i) girls and (ii) boys? (3 marks)
The preoccupation of girls is their social lives/social power/their powerful feelings
Boys are pre-occupied with the issue of their manhood/their personal power/the
opinions of their peers
g) Why, according to the writer, are the boys perplexed? (2 marks)

The boys are confused by their need for their mothers’ care despite the fact that they
are physically bigger and stronger than they are.
h) What conjunction of ‘contrast’ is used repeatedly (four times) in the passage? (1 mark )
But
Total 15 marks
11
ENGLISH A
JUNE 2010
SECTION ONE
Cassava takes about nine months to harvest. The roots or sticks of the plant are pulled out
and can be used to start a new crop. Once harvested, cassava roots spoil quickly and must be
processed within three to seven days to preserve their food value.
After reaping the cassava, the women place the tubers in woven baskets called dupao, each
of which holds up to 150 lbs, carrying them home to start the separation process. The cassava is
separated into fibre, starch and juice.
After peeling and grating, the cassava is placed into a basket-weave press to extract the
weave press to extract the juice; this is a matapee. A small receptacle beneath the matapee collects
the juice and starch. The fibrous remains are sun-dried, pounded and sifted. The resulting flour is
used to make cassava bread. This is eaten with stews or can be toasted, buttered and eaten alone.
The flour can be used to make tapioca and foufou as well.
The juice of bitter cassava, boiled and caramelized to the consistency of thick syrup, is called
Casareep. This is sold commercially throughout the Caribbean and worldwide. Casareep is used as
a food preservative in addition to flavouring and can keep a pot of pepper-pot on a stove for years
as long as it is brought to a boil at least once a day!
Cassava can be used for a variety of snack items. There are the popular cassava balls which
can be found in almost all school canteens, lunch rooms and road-side vendors, cassava pone,
puffs, cakes and cassava surprise. It can be peeled, washed, boiled and fried as part of a main meal,
complementing fish, meat and poultry dishes. It is also used in the popular metagee – a soup-like
dish – that includes a variety of ground provisions as well as plantains, all of which are boiled in
coconut milk.
Cassava also serves as a base for many exotic drinks. The indigenous people of Guyana
and Suriname make piwari, an alcoholic drink which is used at festivals and celebrations. Cassava
wine is also very popular, especially in the rural areas.
All in all, cassava plays an integral part in the diet and culture of the Guyanese people and
is now the third most important food crop in the world.
Adapted from Indira Anandjit, “Cassava: A Versatile Vegetable”.
Liat The Caribbean Airline
West Indies Publishing Ltd., 2006, pp. 40—41
12
COMMENTS ANNOTATED PASSAGE SUMMARY BY
PARAGRAPH
This paragraph has Cassava takes about nine months to Cassava takes
three ideas. I need to harvest. The roots or sticks of the plant are approximately nine
put them in my own pulled out and can be used to start a new crop. months to harvest, but
words. Once harvested, cassava roots spoil quickly must be processed in
and must be processed within three to seven seven days to prevent
days to preserve their food value. spoilage. The roots
can be used to start a
new crop.
These three After reaping the cassava, the women After reaping, the
paragraphs discuss place the tubers in woven baskets called tubers are taken home
the separation dupao, each of which holds up to 150 lbs, to be separated into
process of the carrying them home to start the separation fibre, starch and juice.
cassava. Find a way process. The cassava is separated into fibre,
to order the process starch and juice.
as concisely as After peeling and grating, the cassava First, the cassavas are
possible. All is placed into a basket-weave press to extract peeled, grated and
explanations and the weave press to extract the juice; this is a placed into a basket-
elaborations must be matapee. A small receptacle beneath the matapee weave press to extract
removed. collects the juice and starch. The fibrous the juice and starch.
remains are sun-dried, pounded and sifted. The remaining fibre is
The resulting flour is used to make cassava sun-dried, pounded
bread. This is eaten with stews or can be toasted, and sifted into flour.
buttered and eaten alone. The flour can be used
to make tapioca and foufou as well.
The juice of bitter cassava, boiled and The cassava juice is
caramelized to the consistency of thick syrup, boiled and
is called Casareep. This is sold commercially caramelized into a
throughout the Caribbean and worldwide. thick syrup called
Casareep is used as a food preservative in Casareep, which is an
addition to flavouring and can keep a pot of effective food
pepper-pot on a stove for years as long as it is preservative.
brought to a boil at least once a day!
Examples are given Cassava can be used for a variety of Cassava can be eaten
of different ways snack items. There are the popular cassava balls as a snack, part of a
cassava can be eaten. which can be found in almost all school canteens, main meal or in soups.
Find the broad lunch rooms and road-side vendors, cassava
categories and omit pone, puffs, cakes and cassava surprise. It can be
the specific peeled, washed, boiled and fried as part of a
examples. main meal, complementing fish, meat and
poultry dishes. It is also used in the popular
metagee – a soup-like dish – that includes a
variety of ground provisions as well as plantains,
all of which are boiled in coconut milk.
Omit specific Cassava also serves as a base for many Cassava can also be
13
examples of different exotic drinks. The indigenous people of Guyana the base for many
kinds of drinks. and Suriname make piwari, an alcoholic drink alcoholic drinks
which is used at festivals and celebrations. served at festivals and
Cassava wine is also very popular, especially in celebrations.
the rural areas.
This is a general All in all, cassava plays an integral part Cassava is an

statement about how in the diet and culture of the Guyanese people important part of the
important cassava is. and is now the third most important food crop diet and culture of the
It may make sense in the world. Guyanese people and
putting it first. is the third most
important food crop
internationally.
Summary version 1: Pulling together of ideas from each paragraph
Cassava is an important part of the diet and culture of the

Remove.:
Guyanese people and is the third most important food crop unnecessary detail.
internationally.
Cassava takes approximately nine months to harvest, but must
Remove. This is
be processed in seven days to prevent spoilage. The roots can be used implied in the
process itself.
to start a new crop.
After reaping, the tubers are separated into fibre, starch and
Remove. I can make
juice. First, the cassavas are peeled, grated and placed into a basket- peeled and grated
adjectives and won’t
weave press to extract the juice and starch. The remaining fibre is sun-
need to use “are”.
dried, pounded and sifted into flour. The cassava juice is boiled and
caramelized into a thick syrup called Casareep, which is an effective A dash or a colon can
be used to replace
food preservative. “which is”.
Cassava can be eaten as a snack, part of a main meal or in

soups. It can also be the base for many alcoholic drinks served at
festivals and celebrations.
138 words (over by 18 words)
14
Revised Summary
Cassava is an important part of the diet and culture of the Guyanese people
and is the third most important food crop in the world.
Cassava takes approximately nine months to harvest and must be processed
Comprehension Passage 1
within seven days of reaping to prevent spoilage. During the process, the peeled and
grated cassavas are placed into a basket-weave press to extract the juice and starch.
The remaining fibre is sun-dried, pounded and sifted into flour. The juice is boiled
and caramelized into a thick syrup called Casareep: an effective food preservative.
Cassava can be eaten as a snack, part of a main meal or in soups. It can also
be the base for many alcoholic drinks served at festivals and celebrations.
(120 words)
15
The trip to La Nouvelle Dame Marie took five minutes in a rocky van. However, Aunty
Atie thought that I couldn’t leave for New York without my grandmother’s blessing. Besides,
Granny Ife was getting on in years and this could be my last year to see her.
The van from Croix-des-Rosets let us off in the marketplace in Dame Marie. The roads to
my grandmother’s house were too rough for anything but wheelbarrows, mules, or feet.
Aunty Atie and I decided to go on foot. We walked by a line of thatched huts where a
group of women were pounding millet in a large mortar with a pestle. Others were cooking large
cassava cakes in flat pans over charcoal pits.
In the cane fields, the men chopped cane stalks as they sang back and forth to one another.
A crammed wheelbarrow rolled towards us. We stopped aside and allowed the boys to pass. They
were bare chested and soaked with sweat, with no protection from the sun except old straw hats.
We passed a farm with a bamboo fence around it. The owner was Man Grace, a tall woman
who had hair patches growing out of her chin. Man Grace and her daughter were working in the
yard, throwing handfuls of purple corn at a flock of guinea fowls.
My mother had sent money for the reconstruction of her old home. The house stood out
from all the others in Dame Marie. It was a flat brick house with wide windows and a shingled
roof. A barbed wire fence bordered my grandmother’s pumpkin wines and tuberose stems.
I raced up to the front of the house to stand under the rooster-shaped weather vanes
spinning on my grandmother’s porch. My grandmother was in the yard, pulling a rope out her
stone well.
“Old woman, I brought your child,” Aunty Atie said.
The rope slipped out of my grandmother’s hands, the bucket crashing with an echoing
splash. I leaped into her arms, nearly knocking her down.
“It does my heart a lot of good to see you,” she said.
Aunty Atie kissed my grandmother on the cheek and then went inside the house.
Granny Ife wrapped her arms around my body. Her head came up to my chin, her mop of
shrubby white hair tickling my lips.
16
The trip to La Nouvelle Dame Marie took five minutes Answer to question (a)
in a rocky van. However, Aunty Atie thought that I couldn’t
leave for New York without my grandmother’s blessing.
Besides, Granny Ife was getting on in years and this could
be my last year to see her.
Possible answer to question (b)
The van from Croix-des-Rosets let us off in the Answer to question (c)
marketplace in Dame Marie. The roads to my grandmother’s
house were too rough for anything but wheelbarrows,
mules, or feet. Answer to question (e)
Aunty Atie and I decided to go on foot. We walked by
a line of thatched huts where a group of women were pounding
millet in a large mortar with a pestle. Others were cooking
large cassava cakes in flat pans over charcoal pits.
In the cane fields, the men chopped cane stalks as Information needed for the
they sang back and forth to one another. A crammed answer to question (d)
wheelbarrow rolled towards us. We stopped aside and
allowed the boys to pass. They were bare chested and
soaked with sweat, with no protection from the sun except
old straw hats.
We passed a farm with a bamboo fence around it.
The owner was Man Grace, a tall woman who had hair patches
growing out of her chin. Man Grace and her daughter were
working in the yard, throwing handfuls of purple corn at a
flock of guinea fowls.
My mother had sent money for the reconstruction of Answer to question (f)
her old home. The house stood out from all the others in
Dame Marie. It was a flat brick house with wide windows and
a shingled roof. A barbed wire fence bordered my
grandmother’s pumpkin wines and tuberose stems.
I raced up to the front of the house to stand under the
rooster-shaped weather vanes spinning on my grandmother’s
porch. My grandmother was in the yard, pulling a rope out her
stone well.
“Old woman, I brought your child,” Aunty Atie said. Possible answer to question (b)
The rope slipped out of my grandmother’s hands, the
bucket crashing with an echoing splash. I leaped into her Answer to question (h)
arms, nearly knocking her down.
“It does my heart a lot of good to see you,” she said.
Aunty Atie kissed my grandmother on the cheek and then went
inside the house.
Granny Ife wrapped her arms around my body. Her
head came up to my chin, her mop of shrubby white hair Possible answer to question (b)
tickling my lips.
17
Answers
(a) According to the passage, why was the author going to visit Granny Ife? (2 marks)
The author was going to visit Granny Ife for her blessing and also because it may have
been the last time she would see her granny again given her advanced age.
(b) What evidence is there in the passage that suggests that Granny Ife was old? (2 marks)
Any two of the following:
“Granny Ife was getting on in years” (line 3), “Old woman, I brought your child”(line
24), “shrubby white hair” (line30)
(c) What was the name of the village from which the author travelled? (1 mark)
Croix-des-Rosets
(d) According to the passage, what was the main occupation of the people in La Nouvelle Dame
Marie? (2 marks)
The main occupation was farming/planting
(e) Why did the author and Aunty Atie have to walk to Granny Ife’s house? (2 marks)
The roads to her house were too rough to do anything else but walk.
(f) Identify the phrase in paragraph 6 that indicates that Granny Ife’s house was different. (2
marks)
“stood out from all the others in Dame Marie” (lines 18-19) indicates that Granny Ife’s
house was different.
(g) Identify TWO expressions that show the author was glad to see her grandmother. (2
marks)
Any two: “I raced up to the front of the house” (line 21) “leaped into her arms”, “ nearly
knocking her down.” (line 26)
(h) Identify the sentence in the passage that indicates the joy that Granny Ife felt in seeing her
grandchild. (2 marks)
“It does my heart a lot of good to see you,” (line 27) indicates that joy that Granny Ife felt
in seeing her child.
Total: 15 marks
18
IQ and EQ
For many years people enjoyed respect, even preferential treatment, if they scored high on
intelligence tests. However, high IQ does not necessarily predict who will succeed in life.
Psychologists agree that IQ contributes only about 20% of the factors that determine success. A
full 80% comes from other factors, including what is called EQ (Emotional Quotient. Some of the
major qualities that make up EQ are: self-awareness, self-motivation, mood management and
impulse control.
Self-awareness refers to the ability to recognise a feeling as it happens. It requires that the
individual tunes in to ‘gut feeling’, a response that is often unconscious Awareness of ‘gut
feeling’ has to be deliberately developed. EQ allows one to evaluate feelings and change them if
necessary, so one does not develop bad situations.
Positive self-motivation requires clear goals, perseverance, and a ‘can-do’ attitude. Failure is seen
as meaning that the wrong approach is being used, and the individual strategize afresh, while those
with low EQ are more likely to feel rejected.
Mood management is the act of controlling emotion. Rage, for instance, is a common emotion.
When incidents cause anger and that anger goes unchecked or is allowed to build up, it can cause
hypertension and leads us to create bad situations. Popular techniques known to work in reducing
anger include, not ventilating as is often thought, but seeking pleasant distractions, deep
breathing, meditation or some quiet, solitary activity.
Impulse control is illustrated by the ability to delay gratification. It is a skill that can be developed
with practice. When one is faced with temptation, for instance, it helps to remember long-
term goals and not to give in to quick pleasures.
The individual with a high EQ is better able to understand other people’s feelings and practise
better interpersonal skills. No matter what the IQ, those with high EQ rise above the average.
19
IQ and EQ
For many years people enjoyed respect, even preferential treatment, if

they scored high on intelligence tests. However, high IQ does not Answer to question (b)
necessarily predict who will succeed in life. Psychologists agree that IQ
contributes only about 20% of the factors that determine success. A full
80% comes from other factors, including what is called EQ (Emotional
Quotient. Some of the major qualities that make up EQ are: self- Answer to question (a)
awareness, self-motivation, mood management and impulse control.
Answer to question (a)
Self-awareness refers to the ability to recognise a feeling as it happens. It
requires that the individual tunes in to ‘gut feeling’, a response that is
often unconscious Awareness of ‘gut feeling’ has to be deliberately Answer to question (c)
developed. EQ allows one to evaluate feelings and change them if
necessary, so one does not develop bad situations. Answer to question (d)
Positive self-motivation requires clear goals, perseverance, and a ‘can-
do’ attitude. Failure is seen as meaning that the wrong approach is being
used, and the individual strategize afresh, while those with low EQ are
more likely to feel rejected.
Mood management is the act of controlling emotion. Rage, for instance,

is a common emotion. When incidents cause anger and that anger goes
unchecked or is allowed to build up, it can cause hypertension and leads
us to create bad situations. Popular techniques known to work in reducing
anger include, not ventilating as is often thought, but seeking pleasant Answer to (f)
distractions, deep breathing, meditation or some quiet, solitary Possible answers to (e)
activity.
Impulse control is illustrated by the ability to delay gratification. It is a One can infer the
skill that can be developed with practice. When one is faced with answer to question (g)
temptation, for instance, it helps to remember long-term goals and
not to give in to quick pleasures.
The individual with a high EQ is better able to understand other people’s

feelings and practise better interpersonal skills. No matter what the IQ,
those with high EQ rise above the average.
20
Answers
(a) What FOUR qualities in EQ does the writer explain in the body of the passage? (1 mark)
Self-awareness, self-motivation, mood management and impulse control are the four
qualities (Students may also observe that paragraphs 2-5 deal with each quality
respectively).
(b) What do the letters ‘I’ and ‘Q’ in the abbreviation IQ stand for? (2 marks)
Intelligence Quotient (Students have to infer the “quotient” based on the linking of the
word to EQ: Emotional Quotient)
(c) Why does awareness of ‘gut feeling’ have to be deliberately developed? (2 marks)
The awareness of ‘gut feeling’ has to be deliberately developed because people do not
normally think consciously about it. Therefore effort must be made to do so.
(d) According to the passage, in what way does one avoid developing ‘bad situations’?(2 marks)
Evaluating and changing feelings helps one to avoid developing ‘bad situations’.
(e) Identify TWO techniques which the writer says are known to reduce anger. (2 marks)
Any two of the following: seeking pleasant distractions, deep breathing, meditation or
some quiet, solitary activity.
(f) According to the writer, what technique does not really work to reduce anger? (2 marks)
ventilating/airing one’s views (NB, students may be tempted to write “not
ventilating”/supressing feelings because of how the sentence is written)
(g) What is the meaning of ‘gratification’ (line 19) as used in the passage? (2 marks)
Pleasing oneself /satisfying oneself
(h) What is the writer’s intention in the passage? (2 marks)

The writer’s intention is to illustrate different qualities of Emotional Quotient/show
different ways a person can show emotional intelligence
NB, If students understand the basic structure of different modes of writing (expository:
to explain/inform, persuasive (to convince), narrative (to tell a story) etc., they will be
able to match purpose with mode very easily.
Total 15 marks
21
ENGLISH A
JUNE 2013
SECTION A
1. Read carefully the following magazine article on the use of water and write a summary of
it in NOT MORE THAN 120 WORDS. As far as possible use your own words. If the limit
is exceeded, only the first 120 words of your answer will be read and assessed. Your
summary must be in continuous prose. You may make notes or plan your summary in
your answer booklet.
In your answer you will be assessed on how well you

a) were able to identify the main ideas and opinions on the extract
b) organized and expressed these ideas appropriately for audience and purpose.
c) controlled your grammar, sentence structure and vocabulary.
Total 30 marks
Water
Imagine that you get up in the morning with the sweet sound of rain against the windows. You
look out and the world sings to you. Water makes it possible. Crystal clear water is available right
in the comfort of your home. Shortage is not even in the back of your mind because you know that
the process of getting that water to you is in the hands of responsible persons.
Some forecasts show that by 2025 more than 3 billion people will face water scarcity, but this is
not because the world lacks water. The world water crisis is a crisis of management – not one of
scarcity. At the global scale, there is enough water to provide “water security” for all, but only if
we change the way we manage and develop it. The scarcity of water is a very relative concept that
can only be seriously addressed by looking at a basket of factors, including socio-economic,
technical and institutional aspects of water use.
Water is important to our national economies, our leisure and even to our culture. The
sustainable management of water resources is of central importance to poverty alleviation,
people’s health and the protection of the environment. The best initiatives are those that make a
political commitment to consider water as an integral part of sustainable human development, and
those which strive to adapt management of the resources to the needs of the poor.
Our culture and lifestyles are key factors in the inequitable distribution of water. Changes in
attitude and actions will bring about a positive difference, even when those attitudes and actions
are as simple as realizing the value of water and remembering conservation practices. Our water
22
use must be through sustainable with the aim of safeguarding this resource for our future
generations.
There is no quick fix or simple solution when it comes to safeguarding and managing a
resource that is in as much demand as water. It is evident that to maintain our most precious
resource, our managerial capacity has to be upgraded since the current strategies were developed
for past human and natural needs and are now inappropriate to our present needs.
2. Read carefully the following magazine article on the use of Adhere to this
water and write a summary of it in NOT MORE THAN 120 instruction.
WORDS. As far as possible use your own words. If the limit is
Paraphrase as far as
exceeded, only the first 120 words of your answer will be read
possible, but be
and assessed. Your summary must be in continuous prose. You concise.
may make notes or plan your summary in your answer booklet.

d) were able to identify the main ideas and opinions on the
extract
e) organized and expressed these ideas appropriately for
audience and purpose.
f) controlled your grammar, sentence structure and
vocabulary.
Total 30 marks

PARAGRAPH
Title of the passage is Water
a clear idea of what it
is about.
Imagine that you get up in the morning with
the sweet sound of rain against the windows. You Water is often taken
look out and the world sings to you. Water for granted and its
makes it possible. Crystal clear water is value is overlooked.
available right in the comfort of your home.
Shortage is not even in the back of your mind
because you know that the process of getting that
water to you is in the hands of responsible
persons.
Exclude statistics Some forecasts show that by 2025 more than 3 Water scarcity will
billion people will face water scarcity, but this occur in 2025 not
is not because the world lacks water. The because the world
world water crisis is a crisis of management – lacks water but due to
not one of scarcity. At the global scale, there is a crisis in management
enough water to provide “water security” for all, of it.
23
but only if we change the way we manage and
develop it. The scarcity of water is a very Water scarcity means
relative concept that can only be seriously different things in
addressed by looking at a basket of factors, different places and
Look out for words including socio-economic, technical and can be addressed by
that indicate that an institutional aspects of water use. looking at a variety of
example will follow. ways in which water is
Omit, or classify the used.
examples.
This paragraph Water is important to our national Water is vital to all
expands on the idea economies, our leisure and even to our culture. aspects of human life
raised in paragraph The sustainable management of water and human activity
one about why water resources is of central importance to poverty and therefore water
is important. alleviation, people’s health and the protection resources must be
of the environment. The best initiatives are managed in a
The third sentence those that make a political commitment to sustainable way.
gives a further consider water as an integral part of sustainable
explanation of how human development, and those which strive to
water resources adapt management of the resources to the needs
should be managed. of the poor.
Our culture and lifestyles are key factors in Changes in attitudes

the inequitable distribution of water. Changes in and actions will help
attitude and actions will bring about a positive to adjust the unequal
difference, even when those attitudes and actions distribution of water.
are as simple as realizing the value of water and
remembering conservation practices. Our water
use must be through sustainable with the aim of
safeguarding this resource for our future
generations.
There is no quick fix or simple solution Protecting and

when it comes to safeguarding and managing a managing water
resource that is in as much demand as water. It is requires updating the
evident that to maintain our most precious strategies that are
resource, our managerial capacity has to be presently used.
upgraded since the current strategies were
developed for past human and natural needs
and are now inappropriate to our present
needs.
24
MAIN POINTS FOR SUMMARY
 Water is vital to all aspects of life and human activity. It is often taken for granted and its
value is overlooked.
 Water scarcity means different things in different places but everywhere it relates to a
country’s economic and social activities and to people’s attitudes to water.
 World shortage is not actual because there is really enough water for all, but is caused by
careless attitudes, outdated management of resources and waste. The impact is that a very
large portion of the world will face real scarcity by 2025.
 Attention must be given to the problem in order to ensure that future generations have
water and that the needs of the poor are addressed.
 The solutions will come from a change in our attitude to water use, appropriate valuing of
water, and updated management strategies.
SAMPLE SUMMARIES
Sample 1
Everyone enjoys water and it is often taken for granted. We do not think about shortage but there is
looming worldwide water scarcity. This is not because of a lack of water but because of the poor
management. There is actually enough water for all. Water is important to every aspect of human
society, and therefore a change in our attitude to water use is necessary. Sustainable management
of this resource can reduce poverty, contribute to people’s well-being and help protect the
environment. We must realize the value of water and how important its conservation is for future
generations. To maintain this most precious resource, we must upgrade our management strategies
to meet our present needs.
(118 words)
Sample 2
People today do not even think of water shortage; however, it is predicted that by 2025 this could
become a reality for billions. The crisis will not result from water scarcity but from poor
management and attitudes, which must be addressed by considering all factors related to water use.
Water is critical to a country’s economic and cultural well-being, and ideal practices must focus on
sustainable human development and the reduction of poverty. If water is to be distributed equitably
we have to recognise its value and the need to conserve for the future. The answer will not be easy
but management practices will have to be updated to meet modern day requirements.
(109 words)
Sample 3
We take the ready availability of water for granted and seldom think that scarcity is possible.
However, there is a looming crisis which will peak by 2025. The predicted crisis will not result
from scarcity but from poor management. A sustainable water supply is critical to protecting the
environment, alleviating poverty and maintaining a nation’s physical and economic health.
Sustainable management of water resources is possible through simple lifestyle changes and
changes in attitude. This cannot be a flash-in-the-pan approach. We must recognise the value of
25
water and the importance of conserving this valuable resource to protect future generations.
Outmoded management practices must be replaced by strategies more suited to our present needs.
(116 words)
26
1. Read the following poem carefully and then answer all the questions that follow.
Carrion Crows
Yes, I have seen them perched on paling posts-
Brooding with evil eyes upon the road,
Their black wings hooded – and they left these roosts
When I have hissed at them. Away they strode
Clapping their wings in a man’s stride, away
Over the fields. And I have seen them feast
On swollen carrion in the broad eye of day,
Pestered by flies, and yet they never ceased
But I have seen them emperors of the sky,

Balancing gracefully in the wind’s drive
With their broad sails just shifting, or again
Throwing huge shadows from the sun’s eye
To brush so swiftly over the field’s plain,
And winnowing the air like beauty come alive.
A J. Seymour, Extracted from: West Indian Poetry:
Edited by Kenneth Ramchand and Cecil Gray, 1971. P.
7
27
Carrion Crows Question (a) “them” refers to the birds
specifically the Carrion Crows. Here
students must make the connection to
the title of the poem.
Yes, I have seen them perched on paling posts- Question (b) Words and phrases used in
Brooding with evil eyes upon the road, the first stanza to create an image of the
Their black wings hooded – and they left these roosts birds are underlined with a broken line.
When I have hissed at them. Away they strode
Clapping their wings in a man’s stride, away Question (c) Examples of where the
poet gives human qualities to the crows
Over the fields. And I have seen them feast are circled. (Here the poet uses the
On swollen carrion in the broad eye of day, literary device of personification.
Pestered by flies, and yet they never ceased Personification is the attribution of a
personal nature or human characteristics
But I have seen them emperors of the sky, to something non-human)
Balancing gracefully in the wind’s drive
With their broad sails just shifting, or again (See Answers to (d) to (f) in the page
Throwing huge shadows from the sun’s eye below).
To brush so swiftly over the field’s plain,
And winnowing the air like beauty come alive. Question (h) Alliteration is found in the
phrases in bold.
Alliteration is the occurrence of the
same letter or sound at the beginning of
adjacent or closely connected words.
Question (i) Metaphors are all
underlined. A metaphor is a word or
phrase that is used to make a
comparison between two people, things,
animals, or places.
Answers
(a) To whom or what does the pronoun “them” in line 1 refer? (1 mark)
Carrion crows/ crows/ birds *accept ‘john crow’, ‘corbeau’(x)
(b) Identify TWO words or phrases in the first stanza that the poet uses to create an image
of the birds. (2 marks)
Evil eyes / black wings hooded / brooding / brooding with evil eyes / perched / perched
on paling posts/ feast/feast on swollen carrion / clapping their wings
(Any two, one mark each)
(c) Which TWO words in lines 4 and 5 does the poet use to give human qualities to the crows?
(2 marks)
1 mark for each of the following: stride / strode / clapping
2 marks for: they strode / man’s stride.
(Any two, one mark each)
28
(d) Explain the effect which the poet achieves in his description of the scene in lines 6 to 8.
(2 marks)
The poet creates a picture (idea, image) of ugliness (1 element) which repulses (1
element) (disturbs, disgusts) the reader / creates a negative impression of the crows (1
element) which cause the reader to dislike the crows (1 element).
Both elements – 2 marks
One element – 1 mark
(e) What do lines 7 and 8 show about the crows’ attitude? (2 marks)
They pay no attention no disapproval / they are arrogant / bold/ determined / will eat
any meat/ are too hungry to bother about being seen or disturbed*
(f) Why does the poet use the word “But” in line 9? (2 marks)
To indicate a change (1 element) in attitude (1 element) / to show contrast (1 element)
between the two images of the crows (1 element)
Both elements – 2 marks
One element – 1 marks
(g) What different attitudes does the poet show to the carrion crows in lines 1-8 and lines 9-
14? (2 marks)
In lines 1 – 8 he suggests distaste, in lines 9- 14 he shows amazement / great
admiration.
1 mark for either if the student specifies the lines
(h) Quote ONE example of alliteration from the poem. (1 mark)

Line 1 – “perched on paling posts” / “sails just shifting”
(i) Quote ONE example of metaphor from the poem. (1mark)

“emperors of the sky”/ “broad eye of day” / Throwing huge shadows/ broad
sails/clapping their wings in a man’s stride/sun’s eye.
*Accept any other reasonable/relevant response

Total 15 marks
29
1. Read the following extract carefully and then answer all the questions that follow.
In the Indian Ocean, off the Horn of Africa, lies an island called Socotra, the largest island in a
group of four. It has a reputation that is legendary. While sailors in the past shunned its rocky
coastal waters and dreaded being caught near to it in a storm, there were others who, at the same
time, had heard of the natural wealth of the land and were drawn there in search of its riches.
Ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans visited in search of the aromatic frankincense, the aloe,
and the dark sap from the dragon’s blood tree, used for healing and for artist’s colour.
Socotra’s climate is tropical desert and semi-desert. Yearly rainfall is light, but is fairly evenly
spread throughout the year. Generally the higher inland areas receive more rain than the coastal
lowlands, due to the interior mountains. The people live like their ancestors did: the mountain folk
keeping their goats and the coastal people fishing and everyone harvests dates. The modern world
still seeks Socotra’s exotic products.
Socotra is so different that the landscape is the most alien-looking on Earth, according to some
visitors. One visitor described the landscape as a jumble of limestone rocks eroded into knife-edge
shapes. There is generally a burnt-brown harshness interrupted here and there by the brilliant
crimson flowers growing on a succulent plant. A third of the plant life in the island is found
nowhere else on the planet.
According to environmental experts, there are numerous threats to the future of Socotra
Island and its wildlife. Road-building presents one of the greatest threats. Roadways far in excess
of local people’s needs have already destroyed and fragmented delicate and rare habitats. Grander
schemes which threaten to further damage Socotra’s unique and fragile ecosystems and threaten to
cause the extinction of endemic wild life are on the drawing board. The experts have also warned
that over-fishing may disrupt food chains with potentially calamitous effects on the marine
environment.
30
In the Indian Ocean, off the Horn of Africa, lies an island This opening line gives a
clear idea of what the passage
called Socotra, the largest island in a group of four. It has a is about.
reputation that is legendary. While sailors in the past shunned its
Question (a) Here it is
rocky coastal waters and dreaded being caught near to it in a implied that sailors shunned
its rocky coastal waters and
storm, there were others who, at the same time, had heard of the dreaded being near to it in a
natural wealth of the land and were drawn there in search of its storm because they felt it was
dangerous.
riches. Ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans visited in search of
Question (b) The use of the
the aromatic frankincense, the aloe, and the dark sap from the phrase “while sailors in the
dragon’s blood tree, used for healing and for artist’s colour. past shunned…” and “the
land drew others” illustrates
Socotra’s climate is tropical desert and semi-desert. Yearly that the writer is using
rainfall is light, but is fairly evenly spread throughout the year. comparison and contrast.
Some sailors avoided the
Generally the higher inland areas receive more rain than the place, but others were drawn
to it for its wealth.
coastal lowlands, due to the interior mountains. The people live
like their ancestors did: the mountain folk keeping their goats Question (c) These two
sentences clearly imply that
and the coastal people fishing and everyone harvests dates. the island has not changed
with time.
The modern world still seeks Socotra’s exotic products.
Socotra is so different that the landscape is the most alien-
looking on Earth, according to some visitors. One visitor described Answer to question (d)
the landscape as a jumble of limestone rocks eroded into knife-
edge shapes. There is generally a burnt-brown harshness
interrupted here and there by the brilliant crimson flowers growing
on a succulent plant. A third of the plant life in the island is found
nowhere else on the planet. Answers to question (f)
According to environmental experts, there are numerous threats
to the future of Socotra Island and its wildlife. Road-building
presents one of the greatest threats. Roadways far in excess of Answers to question (g)
local people’s needs have already destroyed and fragmented
delicate and rare habitats. Grander schemes which threaten to
further damage Socotra’s unique and fragile ecosystems and
threaten to cause the extinction of endemic wild life are on the
drawing board. The experts have also warned that over-fishing
may disrupt food chains with potentially calamitous effects on the
31
marine environment. Question (h) this question
requires a synthesis of all
information presented in the
final paragraph in order for
recommendations to be made
to the government. The
action that can be
recommended based on this
paragraph is to be careful
about development which
disturbs / destroys the natural
environment. Specific actions
can also be recommended
such as: stop unnecessary
road building / stop other
plans aimed to develop but
which will cause destruction /
stop people from overfishing
or any expression that speaks
protect or conservation.
Answers
(a) How do we know that the coastal water of Socotra are dangerous? (1 mark)
Sailors avoided the island/ sailors feared being caught near to it in a storm/rocky
coastal waters.
Any one, one mark
(b) Quote TWO words of phrases from paragraph 1 which suggest that the writer is using
comparison and contrast. (2 marks)
While … at the same time/ sailors shunned … the land drew others/ largest island in a
group of four …
While…. At the same time
Sailors shunned…. The land drew others
(c) From paragraph 2, identify TWO things about the island that have not changed with time.
(2 marks)
(1) The natives have the same occupations/ they keep goats/ they fish/ they harvest dates.
Allow no mark if their items follow “live like their ancestors”.
(2) People still come looking for the exotic products/ the island still produces exotic
products.
(d) Quote the sentence from paragraph 3 which BEST suggest Socotra’s uniqueness. (2 marks)
“A third of the planet life on the island is found nowhere else on the planet, “/ Socotra
is so different that the landscape is the most alien-looking place on earth.
32
(e) Why is the write careful to describe the land and plant life in detail? (2 marks)
To explain why the landscape is alien-looking / to suggest that the place should be
protected for its uniqueness/to suggest that the land is unique/ to encourage people to
appreciate the island/ to give a picture or image of the island
(f) What are the specific behaviours that are seen as threats to Socotra’s ecosystem? (2 marks)
road building and overfishing
(g) What words in the final paragraph indicate that developers are not thinking about the
degrading of the natural environment? (2marks)
“Grander schemes which threaten to further damage…”/ “Roadways far in excess….”
(h) What actions concerning the environment would be recommended to the government of
Socotra, based on the information in the last paragraph? (2 marks)
Be careful about development which disturbs/destroys the natural environment
OR
specific actions e.g., Stop unnecessary road building/ stop other plans aimed to
develop but which will cause destruction/ stop people from overfishing or nay
expression that’s speaks protection or conservation.
1 action = 1 mark
1 action with reason = 2 marks
General piece of advice regarding environment = 2 marks.
Total 15 marks
33
ENGLISH A
JUNE 2014
SECTION ONE
Read the following article on the moon and write a summary of it in NOT MORE THAN
120 words. Your summary must be in continuous prose. You may use your answer booklet
to jot down a plan of your points or make notes. THIS WILL NOT BE MARKED.
(a) were able to identify the main ideas and opinions in the extract
(b) organized and expressed these ideas in your own words.
(c) used appropriate grammar, sentence structure, vocabulary, spelling and
punctuation.
For centuries the moon has been associated with various activities, phases and conditions in life.
Insanity is an example – the word ‘lunatic’ comes from the Latin word for moon. ‘luna’. In
Britain, the Lunacy Act of 1824 actually stated that people went mad when the moon was full.
Today, despite the fact that many of the myths have been found to be invalid, the moon still grips
our imaginations and we are still caught between scientific and poetic attitudes to the moon.
Researchers continue to study the moon, and many believe that there are clear links between its
cycle, natural events and human activities like agriculture, crime, and even our health.
The human body is 70% water, and since the moon has gravitational effect on water, the moon
should therefore affect our bodies. The fact is, our moon has gravity which is about one-sixth of
that on earth, and although that force is considered very small by the time it reaches us, it still has
an amazingly powerful effect on our planet. For instance, the moon’s gravitational pull causes the
tides, shifting billion of tons of water twice a day. But lunar gravity only works on large masses,
such as oceans. It has no effect on even very large lakes. So how can it affect us?
Scientists accept the strange effect the moon seems to have on reproduction: on marine life it
affects the breeding patterns of oysters and crabs; with women it affects the menstrual cycle.
Midwives say that they are busier delivering babies around the full moon, though this is not
confirmed by scientific statistics.
One of the oldest beliefs is that a full moon can turn someone who is sane into a mad person. The
story “Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde” was inspired by this belief. An investigation in Miami suggests
that the homicide rate peaks with the full moon; in India there seems to be much more violent
crime around the time when the moon is full, but this might be influenced by their strong interest
in astrology. Psychiatric nurses say patients become more disturbed when the moon is full, and
firemen report more cases of arson. The large number of anecdotes has inspired scientific
research, and though it indeed shows a correlation between changed behaviour and the full moon,
conclusions are mixed.
34
A lecturer in medical psychology, Dr. David Nias, has suggested that the shifts in behaviour are
explained by the small number of people who believe in the “full moon effect” and change their
behaviour accordingly, in much the same way as believers in astrology might modify their
behaviour to match that associated with the star signs.
Adapted from J. Rahim, “New Moons and Old Wives’

Tales, Reflections on the Moon”, British Airways
Highlife, August 1998, pp. 127-128.

PARAGRAPH
The first sentence For centuries the moon has been For centuries, the
and the last sentence associated with various activities, phases and moon’s cycle has been
are saying almost the conditions in life. Insanity is an example – the linked to a variety of
same thing. word ‘lunatic’ comes from the Latin word for natural events and
moon ‘luna’. In Britain, the Lunacy Act of 1824 human activities.
Look out for all of actually stated that people went mad when the
the words that moon was full. Today, despite the fact that may
indicate that an of the myths have been found to be invalid, the
example is being moon still grips our imaginations and we are still
presented. caught between scientific and poetic attitudes to
the moon. Researchers continue to study the
moon, and many believe that there are clear links
between its cycle, natural events and human
activities like agriculture, crime, and even our
health.
Look out for all of The human body is 70% water, and The moon has a strong
the words that since the moon has gravitational effect on gravitational effect on
indicate that an water, the moon should therefore affect our large masses of water
example is being bodies. The fact is, our moon has gravity which which leads some to
presented. is about one-sixth of that on earth, and although expect that it could
that force is considered very small by the time it affect the human body.
Avoid the use of reaches us, it still has an amazingly powerful
statistics. effect on our planet. For instance, the moon’s
gravitational pull causes the tides, shifting billion
of tons of water twice a day. But lunar gravity
only works on large masses, such as oceans. It
has no effect on even very large lakes. So how
can it affect us?
A colon often Scientists accept the strange effect the The moon appears to
indicates that moon seems to have on reproduction: on affect reproduction
examples are going marine life it affects the breeding patterns of patterns in both
to follow. Find one oysters and crabs; with women it affects the humans and marine
word to incorporate menstrual cycle. Midwives say that they are life.
“oysters and clams”. busier delivering babies around the full moon,
The comment about though this is not confirmed by scientific
35
the midwives is an statistics.
opinion and should
be omitted.
The words that are One of the oldest beliefs is that a full It has long
crossed out are moon can turn someone who is sane into a been believed that a
illustrations and mad person. The story “Dr Jekyll and Mr full moon can cause a
examples of how the Hyde” was inspired by this belief. An person to become
moon has been linked investigation in Miami suggests that the insane. However,
to insanity and homicide rate peaks with the full moon; in India while scientific
therefore are there seems to be much more violent crime research shows a
irrelevant. around the time when the moon is full, but this possible connection
might be influenced by their strong interest in between the moon’s
Try to restate the astrology. Psychiatric nurses say patients cycle and erratic
sentence in your own become more disturbed when the moon is full, behaviour, the results
words. and firemen report more cases of arson. The are inconclusive.
large number of anecdotes has inspired
scientific research, and though it indeed shows
a correlation between changed behaviour and
the full moon, conclusions are mixed.
A lecturer is medical psychology, Dr. One lecturer has
Omit this point, since David Nias, has suggested that the shifts in suggested that changes
it is the opinion of behaviour are explained by the small number of in behaviour may be
one researcher. people who believe in the “full moon effect” and caused by people who
change their behaviour accordingly, in much the believe in the effect of
same way as believers in astrology might modify the full moon and
their behaviour to match that associated with the adjust their behaviour
star signs. according to the moon.
Summary (First draft)
For centuries, the moon’s cycle has been linked to a variety of natural events and human
activities. The moon has a strong gravitational effect on large masses of water which leads some to
expect that it could affect the human body. The moon appears to affect reproduction patterns in
both human beings and marine life.
It has long been believed that a full moon can cause a person to become insane. However,
while scientific research shows a possible connection between the moon’s cycle and erratic
behaviour, the results are not conclusive.
(91 words)
For centuries, the moon’s cycle has been linked to a variety of Replace with a
natural events and human activities. The moon It has a strong pronoun.
gravitational effect on large masses of water which leads some to
expect that it could affect the human body. In fact, the moon appears
to affect reproduction patterns in both human and marine life. Add a phrase to
It has long been believed that a full moon can cause a person to transition from one
become insane. However, while scientific research shows a possible idea to the other.
36
connection between the moon’s cycle and erratic behaviour, the results
are not conclusive.
.
Final summary
For centuries, the moon’s cycle has been linked to a variety of natural events and human
activities. It has a strong gravitational effect on large masses of water which leads some to expect
that it could affect the human body. In fact, the moon appears to effect reproduction patterns in
both human and marine life.
Many people believe that a full moon can cause a person to become insane. However,
while scientific research shows a possible connection between the moon’s cycle and erratic
behaviour, the results are not conclusive.
(89 words)
37
JANUARY 2014
SECTION ONE
1. Read the following newspaper article on university education and then write a summary of it
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. You may use your answer booklet to jot down a plan of your
points or make notes. THIS WILL NOT BE MARKED.
(b) organized and expressed these ideas.
(c) used appropriate grammar, sentence structure, vocabulary, spelling and punctuation.
By the late 1990’s, several countries had decided that university education would no longer be
mainly for the middle and upper classes. The time had come to offer it to whoever wanted it.
Unfortunately, this wish to offer higher education to all is proving difficult to achieve, especially in
countries now facing financial difficulties that affect employment and salaries.
For the first time, in more than a decade, politicians are daring to say publicly what many in the
society are thinking: that it may not have been wise to throw open the doors to university education.
The offer of university education has encouraged unrealistic hopes and reinforced the idea that a
university education is vital for all – which a growing chorus of advocates disputes. Students have
been told they have to go to university if they want to get a good job, but they’re now finding it’s
going to be very difficult.
Placed under pressure by the increasing numbers seeking admission, universities are pressing for
hefty raises in the tuition fees, but governments are cash-strapped. Governments could set an upper
limit on the number of university places as experts have suggested is necessary, but many students
would be disappointed. Yet experts see this as a necessary correction.
Another unfortunate development noted by academics and students, and causing much grumbling is
that standards are sliding. This follows form the rising numbers and lower entry requirements.
Too much time is now needed for remedial training to bring students up to the basic level needed
for a degree. After all, as Frank Furedi, professor of sociology at the University of Kent puts it, a
degree is not necessarily the benchmark of a good education.
Politicians and professors are also beginning to ask whether we are producing too many graduates
In the wrong subjects. The problem, put simply, is that we cannot supply enough jobs to match our
university output. “We are distorting the labour market,” says Anastasia de Waal, author of
“Unqualified Success”, an upcoming study of the UK’s universities. “We have made a lot of jobs
that weren’t considered graduate jobs, into graduate jobs, and that squeezes the opportunities for
those that don’t have degrees.”
Adapted form Williams Underhill, “The Great Retreat”

Newsweek, August 10 & 17, 2009, pp. 39-40.
38
PARAGRAPH
By the late 1990’s, several countries had decided that The 1990s widespread
university education would no longer be mainly for encouragement of lower
the middle and upper classes. The time had come to income persons to enter
offer it to whoever wanted it. Unfortunately, this wish university has led to
to offer higher education to all is proving difficult to disappointment and
achieve, especially in countries now facing financial frustration.
difficulties that affect employment and salaries. Governments cannot
maintain the costs.
For the first time, in more than a decade, politicians Students entering
are daring to say publicly what many in the society university have
are thinking: that it may not have been wise to throw unrealistic hopes and
open the doors to university education. The offer of expectations from the
university education has encouraged unrealistic degrees.
hopes and reinforced the idea that a university
education is vital for all – which a growing chorus
of advocates disputes. Students have been told they
have to go to university if they want to get a good job,
but they’re now finding it’s going to be very difficult.
Placed under pressure by the increasing numbers With the increasing

seeking admission, universities are pressing for numbers of students
hefty raises in the tuition fees, but governments are seeking admission,
cash-strapped. Governments could set an upper limit universities are raising
on the number of university places as experts have their tuition fees. One
suggested is necessary, but many students would be option is to limit the
disappointed. Yet experts see this as a necessary number of university
correction. places offered, but this
will disappoint students.
Another unfortunate development noted by academics Students entering

and students, and causing much grumbling is that university require
standards are sliding. This follows form the rising remedial help.
numbers and lower entry requirements. Too much Falling standards have
time is now needed for remedial training to bring resulted from lower level
students up to the basic level needed for a degree. entry requirements.
After all, as Frank Furedi, professor of sociology at
the University of Kent puts it, a degree is not
necessarily the benchmark of a good education.
Politicians and professors are also beginning to ask There are too many
whether we are producing too many graduates in the graduates in areas which
wrong subjects. The problem, put simply, is that we are not vital to national
cannot supply enough jobs to match our university development.
output. “We are distorting the labour market,” says Jobs formerly held by
Anastasia de Waal, author of “Unqualified Success”, those without degrees
an upcoming study of the UK’s universities. “We are now claimed by the
have made a lot of jobs that weren’t considered high numbers of
graduate jobs, into graduate jobs, and that squeezes graduates, thus causing
39
the opportunities for those that don’t have degrees.” employment and job
dislocation.
Use the box provided to write a summary using the points listed above. Remember to state
the number of words used.
40
MODEL ANSWER
CSEC English Past Paper
Paper 2 (2004)
The following pages contain some model answers that have been written to guide
you as you work towards writing the CSEC exam.
For sections 1, 3 and 4 guidelines have also been given on the process of writing the
answers.
41
SECTION 1: SUMMARY WRITING
Key points:
Paragraph 1:
 The IOM divides international migrants into two main categories: those who leave by personal
choice, and those who are trying to escape something negative in their home country.
Paragraph 2:
 Most migrants come from poor countries, and leave to go to more developed countries to find
employment opportunities.
 International migration has increased within the last few years.
Paragraph 3:
 In Europe, the population is decreasing, and ageing. This is causing a scarcity of labour in
some sectors.
 This has led to a relaxing of the “zero-immigration” policies within recent years.
Paragraph 4:
 The money that migrants send to their families at home often leads to a development of the
local economy. (may be omitted if word limit does not allow)
 However, there is a greater loss to the developing country if qualified people migrate.
 In order to remedy this problem, these countries are developing programmes they hope will
attract migrants back home. (all of this can be replaced with the word “incentive)
 This “brain drain” will persist, as long as wealthier countries need labour, and can offer
attractive salaries. (Implied in last paragraph of summary below).
Summary in Prose Form
According to the IOM there are two main groups of international migrants: those who
leave by personal choice and those seeking to escape their home country. (Paragraph 1 main
point NB, examples from passage were omitted.)
An increasing number of migrants, the majority who are from poorer countries, go to
developed countries to find jobs. (Paragraph 2 main points collapsed into one sentence.)
In the past, this practice was discouraged; however, because the population in Europe is
ageing and these countries’ manpower is decreasing, they are now attracting migrants to help
increase their labour market. (Paragraph 3 main points)
Unfortunately, the “home’ countries are losing their most qualified people, and they are
now attempting to offer incentives to attract migrants back home. (Paragraph 4 main points.)
(100 words)
42
SECTION 2: COMPREHENSION
Question 2
(a) “None” refers to the Parillon Sisters.
(b) The writer believes that the Parillon men were successful in their business activities.
(c) The Parillon women did volunteer activities instead of working.
(d) Two words or phrases which show the attitude and behaviour of the Parillon women in the
general Tortola community are “aloofness”, and “air of superior apartness”.
(e) “Noblesse oblige” is put in italics to indicate that it was not an English phrase/ to show that
it is written in another language.
(f) The words “protected” and “insulated’ both express the image the writer creates from the
use of the word, “cocooned”. NB. The passage does not ask for words from the passage.
Always read the questions carefully and ensure you don’t limit yourself unnecessarily.
(g) The writer means that people felt that they had not lived a full life/ they hadn’t experienced
all that they could have experienced in their lives.
(h) The word “whisperings” suggests that the neighbours felt sorry for the sisters/pitied the
sisters.
Question 3
(a) The phrase that indicates the writer’s view of the importance of law enforcement is “crucial
to”. (NB: DO NOT quote an entire sentence if you are asked to quote a phrase. This
will lead to a needless loss of marks, even if the answer is in the quoted sentence.)
(b) “Wild claims for freedom” means the misinterpretation of freedom to mean to do whatever
you want/a desire to do whatever one wants without thought of consequences.
(c) By using the word, “ironically”, the writer is showing that it is not expected that freedom
can lead to positive as well as negative results at the same time.
(d) The negative aspect of freedom is what the writer advises us to guard against.
(e) The supreme law of a country is its Constitution.
(f) The writer considers truth to be fundamental.
(g) Making people accountable for their actions under the law and making people become
more socially responsible are needed to ensure the “safety of our future”. (Another
possible answer is the reinforcing of traditional moral and spiritual values.)
43
SECTION 3: STORY TELLING
4. (Write a story based on the picture below)
Story Plan
Before you start to write a story based on a picture, ask yourself some key questions. Brainstorm
some points that will guide your story.
Who is in the picture?
 a dishevelled old man, dressed in an old suit and worn boots;

 sitting, arms wrapped around legs
 lopsided glasses
 straggly beard
 I’ll call him John Henry
Where is the person?

 Seated on straw…perhaps a barn? A wooded area?
 Cold atmosphere, hence the sitting position and clothes?
 May be sheltering from weather?
What is the person’s problem/How did he get there?
 Worked hard all his life but became an alcoholic

 Has hit rock bottom?
What will my story’s climax: The day he lost everything…
Resolution: He decides to change his life.
First person or third person narrative? Third…
Story structure:
Begin with description of present setting/character…make reader pity him…incorporate his

thoughts and feelings (two or three paragraphs)
Flashback to his glory days…make him do something terrible…steal? Hit wife? Lose house? (two
or three paragraphs)
End with decision to change life…
44
4) John Henry opened his eyes and slowly sat up from the uncomfortable position in which he
had fallen asleep the night before. When he had stumbled into the clearing in the woods, the straw
on the ground had looked like a king’s mattress. That’s what alcohol does. It makes the most
intelligent man a fool.
“That’s what I am,” John thought to himself. “I’m a doddering old fool!”
John sighed. His old grey jacket and ancient woollen pants could no longer defend him
against the chilly air. Slowly, painfully, he drew his thin legs up to his chest, hoping to feel some
warmth, but only feeling an overwhelming sense of stupidity.
“What am I doing here?” his raspy voice echoed through the morning air. Of course, no
one answered, because he had pushed them all out of his life.
John drew his legs tighter against himself, the veins on his sixty year old hands standing
out like dirt tracks on an abandoned road. His worn, once-black boots scraped against the ground;
the sound adding to the annoying chirp of a noisy cricket who had decided that it was his time to
sing.
John bent his head in defeat; his thick, rimmed glasses perched crookedly on his pointy
nose. It was hard to believe that this pitiful man had once had a devoted wife, and two perfect
children. John’s mouth twisted into a grimace as the memories surfaced..
He remembered the first day he drank alcohol. He was eighteen and trying to impress his
friends. How it had burned his throat! But somehow, you forget that part of it. What he
remembered was that after a few of those drinks his shyness vanished, and he became the perfect
entertainer. It was during one of his clownish performances that he had met and charmed the
woman who would eventually become his wife.
John sighed. “Ah Claire,” he said, as he stared at the toes of his boots. “You didn’t deserve
a husband like me.” He closed his eyes, but couldn’t erase the memory of the pain etched on
Claire’s face when he would drunkenly call her all the foul names he could think of.
Letting go of his legs, John passed his hands through his dishevelled hair, trying to silence
the memory of his children’s screams.
“Please Daddy! Don’t beat me! I promise I’ll behave! Daddy, what did I do?”
Twenty five years is a long time for anyone to endure such horror. When he was sober,
John understood that and would beg them to forgive him. They always would.
Then, one day he came home, and they were gone.
45
“I can’t take it anymore,” Claire’s note had read.” I don’t want to die, and I don’t want my
children to die. Goodbye.”
John tried to drown his sorrows for two years after that. He stopped caring about
everything. First he lost his car, then his house, but still he drank.
And now, here he was, an old drunk nobody wanted.
Tears formed in John’s eyes, his shoulders heaving as an avalanche of regret fell over him.
Resting his palms on the ground, John pushed himself up to a standing position. With a
sudden moment of clarity, he enunciated, “I…will…not…die…”
Slowly, he walked toward the sunlight.
(544 words)
A few key points to remember about story writing during exams
 Always remember to include the question number at the side of your question.
 Always try to incorporate aspects of the picture into your story: the person’s dress, facial
expressions, aspects of the setting etc.
 Don’t just report what happened to the character. Try to let him or her feel an emotion or
express a thought in between the narration of what is happening. This breaks the monotony,
and prevents the story from sounding like a newspaper report.
 Remember this is supposed to be a story and not a description, so don’t just describe what
is happening in the picture. Include the elements of short story writing (problem, climax,
resolution etc.) Build these things into your story plan.
 Remember that conversation helps a person to come alive (even when he or she is alone).
Although the picture does not lend itself to the use of the local Caribbean dialect, do not be
afraid to use it, if it fits the character and the story.)
 The word count is put there to give you a guide as to what 500 plus words look like. This
was easy because the story was written using a Word Processing program. Do not waste
time counting the words in your story. Approximately 2 sides and a half of written text on a
folder page should suffice.
 While writing your essay, try to track your time. Give yourself roughly 45 minutes to write
your story. By the end of half an hour, you should have at least reached close to the climax
of your story (unless you chose to start with your climax and work your way back).
46
SECTION 4: ARGUMENT
7. “Military service and training for at least five years should be compulsory for all young men
between the ages of 15 and 25 who are not engaged in studying and gainful employment.”
Write a letter to your local newspaper giving your views on this issue.
 Always try to jot down all the ideas that come to you, before you write this essay. It’s
a good idea to record the ideas for, as well as against the issue. This enables you to
rebut opposing views.
 Remember that you may not be able to use all of the points that you brainstormed
because of time. You usually have about 35 minutes to complete this essay, which
means that you may only have time for about 5 paragraphs or so: an introduction, a
discussion of three main points and a conclusion.
 Remember too that you don’t have to agree with the proposed statement. You will not
be penalised for arguing against it, once you present strong arguments.
For Against
 Encourages discipline in young  A person’s right to free choice is

men undermined. Five years of training
 Instils a sense of discipline are a long time!
 Keeps the unemployed from  Encourages a culture of violence
becoming idle and turning to crime among young men/glamorises
(this training is for people who are instruments of war (guns, tanks
not studying or gainfully employed. etc.)
 Encourages a sense of pride in  Does not take into consideration
country and civil responsibility that some people are just not “cut
 Provides opportunities for future out” to be involved in army
employment activities. What about the provision
of other programmes for them?
47
The following pages contain the completed essay.
7)
The Editor
The Daily News
29th November 2007
I believe that is an excellent idea to make military training compulsory for young men who
are not studying or employed. For too long, young males have idly sat down after school sponging
off their long suffering parents, or angrily demanding that the government should “do something”
for them. Five years of training may seem like a long time to some, but these five years could go a
long way towards encouraging discipline and a sense of responsibility in these young men.
Military training can also provide career guidance to young men who may not know what to do
with their lives.
Some may argue that young men in the free world have the right to choose their careers.
However, presently, lawful citizens in our “free country” are being held hostage, both literally and
figuratively by young, unemployed, uneducated men, who have refused to exercise the principles
of hard work and discipline in their lives.
While free choice for all is a wonderful ideal, young men also need discipline. If they have
reached a point in their lives where they are not studying, or have not found gainful employment,
then it is time for the country to prevent them from falling victim to recruiting drug dealers and
gang members. It is time for them to learn about structure and life consequences. All of which they
will learn in the army.
Joining the military could also instil a sense of civic responsibility into these young men.
People in the military are taught that they must fiercely defend their country from anyone who puts
it at risk. This kind of training is needed for young men who feel that their country owes them
something, just because they are breathing. The notion of giving back to the nation should be one
of the fruits of military training.
Military training will not only instil a sense of discipline and civil responsibility in its
recruits, it also opens doors of employment for them. There is a lot more to military training than
learning to fire a gun during war. In these days of technology, there is also training in aviation,
engineering, and computer programming. For some young men who have lost their way in society,
exposure to this kind of training could lead to eventual specialisation and employment in any one
48
of these areas. Isn’t this much better than “hanging out” on the block waiting for idle minds and
hands to do damage to our beloved country?
In conclusion, some may feel that compulsory military training is too harsh. However, the
curtailing of a young man’s freedom for a few years with the potential benefit of instilling
discipline, civil responsibility and creating employment would be worth it – for the young men, as
well as the country.
49
SECTION A
You MUST answer question 1.
1. Read the following newspaper article on university education and then write a summary of
it 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. You may use your answer booklet to jot down a plan of your points or make
notes. THIS WILL NOT BE MARKED.
(b) organized and expressed these ideas
(c) used appropriate grammar, sentence structure, vocabulary, spelling and punctuation
By the late 1990’s, several countries had decided that university education would no longer be
mainly for the middle and upper classes. The time had come to offer it to whoever wanted it.
Unfortunately, this wish to offer higher education to all is proving difficult to achieve, especially in
countries now facing financial difficulties that affect employment and salaries.
For the first time, in more than an decade, politicians are daring to say publicly what many in the
society are thinking: that it may not have been wise to throw open the doors to university
education. The offer of university education has encouraged unrealistic hopes and reinforced the
idea that a university education is vital for all – which a growing chorus of advocates disputes.
Students have been told they have to go to university if they want to get a good job, but they’re
now finding it’s going to be very difficult.
Placed under pressure by the increasing numbers seeking admission, universities are pressing for
hefty raises in the tuition fees, but governments are cash-strapped. Governments could set an
upper limit on the number of university places as experts have suggested is necessary, but many
students would be disappointed. Yet experts see this as a necessary correction.
50
Another unfortunate development noted by academics and students, and causing much grumbling
is that standards are sliding. This follows form the rising numbers and lower entry requirements.
Too much time is now needed for remedial training to bring students up to the basic level needed
for a degree. After all, as Frank Furedi, professor of sociology at the University of Kent puts it, a
degree is not necessarily the benchmark of a good education.
Politicians and professors are also beginning to ask whether we are producing too many graduates
In the wrong subjects, the problem, put simply, is that we cannot supply enough jobs to match our
university output. “We are distorting the labour market,” says Anastasia de Waal, author of
“Unqualified Success”, an upcoming study of the UK’s universities. “We have made a lot of jobs
that weren’t considered graduate jobs, into graduate jobs, and that squeezes the opportunities for
those that don’t have degrees.”
Adapted from Williams Underhill, “The Great Retreat”

Newsweek, August 10 & 17, 2009, pp. 39-40.
51
SECTION B
Answer both Questions 2 and 3.

Country Baskets
“We arrived in unbearable humidity under a golden orange and blue sunset. We took a taxi to
a local hotel. For two weeks my mother, my sister and I lived in a double-occupancy room,
watching as out funds dwindled to nothing. When we didn’t even have enough left to buy
food, we had no choice but to go to a shelter. This turned out to be a house of madness,
5 packed with frustrated adults, crying babies and bored, restless children.
One of the hardest thing to get used to was the lack of privacy. In a shelter, strangers watch
you all the time, even in the bathroom, which is usually communal. It was as if we had
stepped into the pit of hell. My mom discovered that she wasn’t eligible for any social
programmes because she and quit her job voluntarily. That’s when we started travelling
10 to different states, trying to find social services that would keep us afloat. My mom found out
about a state that would cut you a welfare cheque within days if you were homeless with kids,
so we went there. Then we would go to another state, another shelter, another welfare line,
chasing another cheque. We lived on food stamps and those cheques, which we’d cash to buy
things we needed, like bus tickets to another state, where my mother was convinced
15 a better life awaited us. To my surprise, homeless was an epidemic in every state we
visited.
The story my mother told was that she had divorced and was fleeing an abusive husband.
School officials always bought the story, because despite our circumstances, my mother was
college educated, and she always dressed and spoke well. If I tried to tell them the truth
20 about how we were living, they dismissed me as a rebellious teenager.
I couldn’t stand the thought of getting on another bus, waiting in another welfare line, or
sleeping in another shelter or cheap hotel. I hated the way people looked at us when we
carried our bags stuffed with all our belongings through the streets. I couldn’t imagine things
getting any worse. But one night , they did.
Adapted from L. Ballard, “God Bless the Child”.

Essence, September 2006, pp. 169-170.
52
(a) What does the expression “funds dwindled to nothing” (line 3) mean? (1 mark)
(b) (I) Name the literacy device used in the expression “homelessness was an
epidemic” (line 15). (1 mark)
(ii) Why does the writer use the expression? (2 marks)
(c) What effect does the writer achieve by using the words “another state, another shelter,
another welfare line” (lines 12-13)? (2 mark)
(d) (I) According to paragraph 2, what step did the mother take which created hardship
for the family? (1 mark)
(ii) List TWO ways in which the family was affected because of the mother’s
action. (2 marks)
(e) Identify an example of sarcasm in paragraph 2. (1 marks)
(f) What does the phrase “always bought the story” (line 18) tell you about the narrator’s
mother? (2 marks)
(g) What is the narrator’s attitude to the situation described in the passage? (2 marks)
(h) What is the purpose of the last short sentence in the passage? (2 marks)
Total 15 marks
53
Yoga is a commonly known term for physical, mental, and spiritual disciplines which had
their beginnings in Ancient India. The practice of yoga was once thought to be only for the very
flexible, but today it is used by people all over the planet, with a single goal: to combine the forces
of the mind, body and spirit, so as to strengthen the self and find inner peace. Yoga takes
5 many different forms: gentle, aligning and calming or fast, hot and challenging, purists or adapted
to particular needs.
Nowadays, more people use the physical postures of yoga to reduce stress and health
problems, and make the spine supple. Yoga is also used as a complete exercise program and
physical therapy routine. Studies have tried to determine the effectiveness of yoga as a
10 complementary treatments for cancer, asthma and heart problems.
Practitioners of yoga in the Caribbean have sought to add a local flavour, especially where
it is offered to tourists seeking to return to good health through a holiday in the region. There are
tranquil air-conditioned areas, but Caribbean Yoga instructors can take their students outside into
completely natural surroundings. Since we are blessed with beautiful weather most of the year,
15 yoga studios in the region are mostly open-air: sunny verandas, breezy rooms. Classes might trek
occasionally to hilltops, coasts or countryside hideaways for a change of scene or a day-long retreat.
The traditional methods of yoga are still very much a part of the Caribbean as well.
Chinese and Indian practitioners incorporate meditation, introspection and contemplation as
20 integral parts of the daily routines; they place less emphasis on physical postures, and more on
spiritual teaching. Yoga brings benefits. It encourages everyone to realize their creative power,
and to experience the real joy of achievement. When people tap into their mental and emotional
strengths, they can use them in every aspect of their lives. Yoga is therefore planting seeds of
social change.
Adapted from Denise Chin, “A Path to Inner Peace”,

Caribbean Beat No. 116 July/August 2012, pp. 62-63.
54
(a) According to the passage, where did yoga originate? (1 mark)
(b) Why does the writer use the word “but” in line 3? (1 mark)
(c) Select TWO words from paragraph 1 which indicate contrast. (1 mark)
(d) What phrase in paragraph 1 conveys the idea that yoga encourages person to experience
fulfilment? (3 marks)
(e) What does the writer mean by the expression “yoga as a complementary treatment…..”
(lines 9-10)? (2 marks)
(f) (i) Explain the word “flavour” as used in line 11. (1 mark)
(ii) What is the Caribbean “flavour” that was added to yoga? (2 mark)
(g) Quote TWO statements from paragraph 3 which BEST illustrate differences between yoga
in the Caribbean and yoga in other places. (2 marks)
(h) (i) Select ONE word from paragraph 4 which indicates the spiritual aspect of yoga.
(1 marks)
(ii) Which statement in paragraph 4 BEST shows that yoga has more than just
personal benefits? (1 mark)
Total 15 marks
55
SECTION A
You MUST answer the question in this section.

1. Read the following article on the moon and write a summary of it in NOT MORE THAN 120
words. Your summary must be in continuous prose. You may use your answer booklet to jot
down a plan of your points or make notes.
THIS WILL NOT BE MARKED.
(b) organized and expressed these ideas
(c) used appropriate grammar, sentence structure, vocabulary, spelling and punctuation
For centuries the moon has been associated with various activities, phases and conditions in
life. Insanity is an example – the word ‘lunatic’ comes from the Latin word for moon. ‘luna’. In
Britain, the Lunacy Act of 1824 actually stated that people went mad when the moon was full.
Today, despite the fact that may of the myths have been found to be invalid, the moon still grips our
imaginations and we are still caught between scientific and poetic attitudes to the moon.
Researchers continue to study the moon, and many believe that there are clear links between its
cycle, natural events and human activities like agriculture, crime, and even our health.
The human body is 70% water, and since the moon has gravitational effect on water, the
moon should therefore affect our bodies. The fact is, our moon has gravity which is about one-sixth
of that on earth, and although that force is considered very small by the time it reaches us, it still
has an amazingly powerful effect on our planet. For instance, the moon’s gravitational pull causes
the tides, shifting billion of tons of water twice a day. But lunar gravity only works on large
masses, such as oceans. It has no effect on even very large lakes. So how can it affect us?
Scientists accept the strange effect the moon seems to have on reproduction: on marine life
it affects the breeding patterns of oysters and crabs; with women it affects the menstrual cycle.
Midwives say that they are busier delivering babies around the full moon, though this is not
confirmed by scientific statistics.
One of the oldest beliefs is that a full moon can turn someone who is sane into a mad
person. The story “Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde” was inspired by this belief. An investigation in Miami
suggests that the homicide rate peaks with the full moon; in India there seems to be much more
violent crime around the time when the moon is full, but this might be influenced by their strong
interest in astrology. Psychiatric nurses say patients become more disturbed when the moon is full,
and firemen report more cases of arson. The large number of anecdotes has inspired scientific
research, and though it indeed shows a correlation between changed behaviour and the full moon,
conclusions are mixed.
56
A lecturer is medical psychology, Dr. David Nias, has suggested that the shifts in behaviour
are explained by the small number of people who believe in the “full moon effect” and change their
behaviour accordingly; in much the same way as believers in astrology might modify their
behaviour to match that associated with the star signs.
Adapted from J. Rahim, “New Moons and Old Wives’

Tales, Reflections on the Moon”, British Airways
Highlife, August 1998, pp. 127-128.
57
SECTION B
Answer ALL questions in this section.

Country Baskets
“Hard Life” was an ill-mannered visitor who came to call on you in order to search up your
cupboard when your back was turned so that it could go and tell everyone how things were bad
with you. Hard Life would have trapped you if it were not for your own strength, and for the ties of
blood, the generosity of some relatives who, as soon as they heard you were living hard
5 life in the city, began to send you regular food baskets.
All over the city happiness and contentment would be generated in cramped tenements with
the arrival of these baskets sent by friends and relatives in the country. Families would partake of
generous oily-mouthed feasts, and children would be told stories about life in the village where this
food came from. Normally ill-tempered mothers, nerves frayed form hard life
10 in town and fathers burdened by hard work or lack of employment, would become carefree children
again as they enjoyed the sense of ease and plenty generated by the thoughtfulness of those back
home in the country. “See this soursop here? It come from a tree that my grandfather plant and my
navel string bury at the root.” These food baskets were brought to the city on the backs of market
trucks, or labelled and loaded onto the train and watched over by kind considerate
15 conductresses who knew they were doing a form of angel-work by delivering them. The
conductresses knew how gratefully, eagerly, the people in the city greeted the arrival of the country
baskets filled with fresh, life-sustaining things to eat.
Out family began to receive regular baskets form Harvey River s soon as my mother’s
relatives found out she was living in the city, and the first thing she would do when she opened
20 one of them was to pass on some of the food to others who were even more in need. She would
also share our good fortune with others whenever we received the sweet-smelling parcels that
contained clothes, shoes, books, toys and “delicacies” like sweets and biscuits form her sisters
Albertha and Rose in Canada.
Adapted from Harvey River:

A Memoir of My Mother and Her Island,
Lorna Goodison, 2007, pp. 183-185.
58
(a) State ONE action from paragraph 1 which shows that “Hard Life was an ill-mannered
visitor” (line1). (1 mark)
(b) Why can the visit of “Hard Life” be viewed as ironic? (2 marks)
(c) What is the writer’s purpose in the first paragraph? (1 mark)
(d) From paragraph 2, identify THREE effects of the arrival of the food basket. (3 marks)
(e) What feeling does the writer evoke by the statement “See this soursop her..bury at the
Root” (lines 12-13)? (1 marks)
(f) What effect does the writer achieve by linking the conductresses with the angels?
(2 marks)
(g) What word could BEST describe the mother’s character, based on her actions in paragraph
3? (2 marks)
(h) What evidence in paragraph 3 indicates that the people of Harvey River felt that life in the
city was difficult for the narrator’s family? (1 marks)
(i) Quote ONE phrase which the writer uses to suggest the negative effects of hard life on
individuals. (1 marks)
Total 15 marks
59
The term “fast food” generally refers to packaged convenience food that can be prepared very
quickly because it is precooked/preheated for restaurants and takeaway stores primarily located in
urban areas. Fast foods commonly contain highly refined, processed, and artificial ingredients that are
high in fats, sugars, and salt, which make them unhealthy and deadly when excessively
5 consumed, It’s official: the most harmful and life threatening diets originate from Western nations .
The USA has the largest fast food industry in the world that employs approximately 2 million workers,
according to the US Bureau of Labour Statistics. The US also spends more on fast foods/convenience
meals than any other country in spite of the obesity epidemic. The Centre for Disease Control and
Prevention, states that “More than one-third of US adults are obese.
10 Approximately 12.5 million children and adolescents aged 2-19 years are obese.” According to
the US Department of Health and Human Services, unhealthy eating inactivity cause nearly half a
million deaths every year. Tobacco and alcohol follow. Yet most highly processed fast or snack foods,
loaded with deadly ingredients, do not carry a serious health warning, as tobacco products are required
to do by law.
15 The UK is the largest consumer in Europe of ready meals and fast foods, and not surprisingly,
has one of the highest rates of heart disease in the world, responsible for 40% of premature deaths of
men (dying before the age of retirement). In a 2010 report, the National Institute for Health and
Clinical Excellence (NICE), stated that more than 40,000 Britons are dying unnecessarily every year
because of high levels of salt and fat in their diets from fast foods.
20 A 2011 study published in The Lancet, the world’s leading general medical journal, notes that
more than 350 million people in the world now have diabetes, one of the biggest cause of mortality
worldwide. Scientists claim that the problem with diabetes should be blamed on the spread of a fast
food diet to developing nations.
Adapted from Next Generation, Issue No. 7,

April – June 2012, p.60.
60
(a) State TWO reasons why some foods are described as “fast foods”. (2 mark)
(b) What is the writer’s intention in using the expression “Its official” (line 5) (2 marks)
(c) What is the writer’s attitude to the effects of fast food consumption as expressed in lines 8-
14? (1 mark)
(d) (i) What does the writer suggest should be done about fast foods? (3 marks)
(ii) Write the sentence which suggests the action stated in (i) above (1 marks)
(e) Explain what is meant by the phrase “obesity epidemic” (line 8) as used in the extract
(2 marks)
(f) What does the writer imply by indicating “that more than 40,000 Britons are dying
unnecessarily” (line 18)? (2 marks)
(g) Why does the writer give information from agencies such as the US Department of Labour
and the Centres for Disease Control? (1 marks)
(h) What is the writer’s purpose in the extract? (1 marks)
Total 15 marks
61
SECTION A
Answer Question 1.
Write your answer on the RULED PAGE provided. There is a blank page for any notes
you may want to make. THIS WILL NOT BE MARKED.
1. Read the following magazine article carefully and then write a summary of it in
NOT MORE THAN 120 words. If this limit is ex ceded, 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.
(b) organized and expressed these ideas in your own words
(c) used appropriate grammar, sentence structure, vocabulary, spelling and
Punctuation.
Consumerism
A popular and simple definition of ‘consumerism’ might be: the buying and
using of goods and services. It is behaviour encouraged by those with something to
sell or trade. We are all traders, selling and buying everything because everything can
be turned into a commodity. Consuming involves conscious choices and we are called
upon to be responsible. This view provides us with a useful perspective from which to
analyse our behaviour.
Responsible consumers weigh up the pros and cons of their choices. Each
choice has different consequences. We are active consumers of the food that will affect
our health; we are active and passive consumers of the news that will influence our
thinking on a variety of subjects. Our choices are based on information as to w hat are
good choices in any of the things we make decisions about. There are situations,
however, where fact ors over which we have had no control have limited our ability to
choose and to act responsibly. For instance, the choices made in the past by our
parents, teachers and leaders of other generations have affected our capacity, and our
ability to make decisions.
We may have voted for, or accepted some action proposed by the church or
school, and now, we are passively consuming the consequences of the actions our
leaders took on our behalf. We may not any longer think these actions are responsible.
Based on the information we had, we thought we were able to choose wisely, but now
we are not sure, and we must live with the consequences of our choice. Whether we
like it or not, we participate in a network of choices in which we exercise responsibility,
s individuals, on the future choices of others.
62
Information and communication devices can force us into giving instantaneous,
insufficiently considered Reponses. If we give in to the pressure, we find ourselves
caving in to mindless instant consumerism. However, we still have the ability to
choose to defer or postpone a decision, in order to improve our ability to choose by
gathering more information, and by reflecting objectively on the available choices,
before we consume.
Adapted from Majmako Dei, “Consumerism &Response-Ability, Nex Generation.

Empowering the Caribbean Family and Commu nity. Issue No 6
63
SECTION B
Answer both Questions 2 and 3
2. Read the following poem carefully and then answer all the questions that follow.
Write answer on the ruled lines provided after each question.
Summer Morn in Hampshire

All yesterday it poured, and all night long
I could not sleep: the rain unceasing beat
Upon the shingled roof like a weird song,
Upon the grass like running children’s feet.
5 And down the mountains by the dark cloud kissed,
Like a strange shape in filmy veiling dressed.
Slid slowly, silently, the wraith-like mist,
And nestled softly against the earth’s wet breast.
But, lo there was a miracle at dawn!

10 The still air stirred at touch of the faint breeze.
The sun a sheet of gold bequeathed the lawn,
The songsters twittered in t he rustling trees.
And all things were transfigured in the day.
But me whom radiant beauty could not move;
15 For you, more wonderful, were far away,
And I was blind with hunger for your love.
Adapted from Claude McKay.

Selected Poems of Claude McKay.
Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1953, p. 16.
(a) Identify TWO senses to which the poet appeals in stanza 1.
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
(2 marks)
64
(b) For EACH sense you identified in (a) on page 8, quote an appropriate example from
the stanza.
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
(2 marks)
(c) Name the literary device which the poet uses MOST in stanza 1 and quote ONE
example from the stanza to support your answer.
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
(2 marks)
(d) According to stanza 2, what caused the character’s mood?
__________________________________________________________________
(2 marks)
(e) What is the difference in atmosphere between stanza 1 and stanza 2?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
(2 marks)
(f) What expression does the poet use to prepare the reader for the change in stanza 2?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
(2 marks)
65
(g) What was the “miracle” (line 9) that happened at dawn?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
(2 marks)
(h) Identify the device used in “The sun a sheet of gold” (line 11).
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
(1 marks)
Total 15 marks
66
Write your answer on the ruled lines provided after each question.
Walks of Life
As India’s poor pay a deadly price for the country’s population growth and spiralling
development, the launch of Emeralds for Elephants India 2011 was an urgent bide to save
human lives and protect threatened wildlife. The project saw 10 of India’s top designers
create a special collection of emerald jewellery, to be auctioned at Sotheby’s, at an exclusive
5 event in the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai, India.
Behind the glamour of Emeralds for Elephants, there was the plight of a third of the world’s
poorest people. As India’s natural landscape disappears, making way for new roads, housing
and industry, people are often forced to live in the migration paths of animals, traditional
routes that the animals have used for generations. This is intensifying the conflict between
10 people and wildlife. The result is inevitable: 200 elephants were killed by humans last year,
while 500 people were killed by elephants.
The World Land Trust, a UK based conservation charity, is working in partnership with the
Wildlife trust of India to create protected wildlife corridors connecting national parks and
protected areas. The Emeralds for Elephants project saw the two charities team up with
15 Gemfields, the leading coloured-gemstone mining company, to create wildlife corridors.
The Wildlife Trust of India also helps move people out of harm’s way through voluntary
relocation. The need for this was highlighted when, between October and March 2011,
tigers killed seven people from villages settled within a migration route in Uttarakhand.
The positive news is that, because of the tiger attacks, villagers are now in favour of moving
20 away from the migration routes, and the local government and the Forest and Wildlife
Departments gave their full permission for the Wildlife trust of India to begin turning the
area into a protected wildlife corridor.
Vivek Menon, Wildlife Trust of India’s executive director, said: “You can’t continue to
have over a billion people live in such close proximity to 65 per cent of the world’s largest
tigers, 85 per cent of the elephants in Asia, and 90 per cent of the rhinos in Asia. These
animals need space. I have only one solution: give them space.”
67
(a) State TWO objectives of Emeralds for Elephants India 2011 identified in paragraph 1.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
(2 marks)
(b) What is the meaning of “exclusive” as used in line 4?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
(1 mark)
(c) What implied by the phrase “Behind the glamour” (line 6)?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
(1 mark)
(d) According to paragraph 2, what is the impact of development on the people?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
(2 marks)
(e) Name TWO activities that are undertaken by the Wildlife Trust of India.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
(2 marks)
(f) What, according to the passage, are “protected wildlife corridors” (line 13)?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
68
(g) Why does the writer use the expression “positive news” (lines 18-19) with reference to the
tiger attacks?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
(2 marks)
(h) What effect does the writer hope to create by using the statistics in paragraph 5?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
(2 marks)
Total15 marks
69
SECTION A
Answer Question 1.
Write your answer on the RULED PAGE provided. There is a space for any notes you may
want to make. THIS WILL NOT BE MARKED.
1. Read the following magazine article carefully and then write a summary of it 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.
(b) organized and expressed these ideas and opinions
(c) used appropriate grammar, sentence structure, vocabulary, spelling and punctuation.
Carifesta and Caribbean Diversity
Despite their geographical closeness and their common history, the common history, the
countries of the Caribbean are richly diverse and take pride in their diversity. Cricket is popularly
seen as the activity t hat brings them together, but the cultural festival, Carifesta, is just as effective in
a different way. The main purpose of Carifesta is to gather artist, musicians and authors, and to
exhibit the folkloric and artistic manifestations of the Caribbean and Latin American region, in an
international multicultural event organized on a periodic basis by the countries of the Caribbean.
The idea of a Caribbean art festival was first proposed at a convention of writers and artists
held in 1970 in Guyana. It involved a vision of the region’s peoples with roots deep in Asia, Europe
and Africa, coming together to share their art forms, literature inspired by the Caribbean’s own
peculiar temperament painting drawn from the awe inspiring tropical ecology and the visionary
inheritance of our forefathers.
Two years later, Carifesta I was billed as a grand cultural exposition and was held in Guyana
with almost 1 -000 participants from 30 countries in the Caribbean, Central and South America. It
was originally hoped that Carifesta would be held every two years in a different country, but the
second festival, in Jamaica, did not take place until 1976. It was followed by a Cuban Carifesta in
1979, then Carifesta IV in Barbados in 1981. Various problems prevented the staging of other
festivals until 1992. Jamaica was due to host the fifth Carifesta in 1988 but economic problems and
the ravages of Hurricane Gilbert made it impossible. The islands of Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis
and Antigua and Barbuda offered to co-host the festival in 1989, but the idea was not practicable.
Subsequent festivals were hosted in Trinidad, St. Kitts and Nevis, Suriname and The Bahamas.
Carifesta aims to depict the lives and heritage of people of the region, show their similarities
and their difference, and by creating a climate in which arts can flourish, persuade artists who have
migrated for their art’s sake, to return to the region.
70
The Carifesta slogan, selected after a regional contest, was created by a Guyanese who lives in
Jamaica. It aptly sums up Carifesta and is vision: “Sea of sounds, medley of images, world of
peoples, common heritage”
Total 30 marks
71
SECTION B
Answer Question 2 and 3.
2. Read the passage below carefully and then answer all the questions that follow. Write your answer
on the ruled lines provided after each question.
When he had resolved the threatening conflict in his stomach, Paul stood up and placed his
ear against the door. Al sounds seem3ed to be coming from the front of the house. He inched the
door open gingerly, and seeing that nobody was in the vicinity, with hands outstretched for support
from the walls on both sides of the passage, he began feeling his way towards the room
5 in which they were dancing.
Bright-eyed young people spun and writhed before him in a confusion of movement and
colour, while the older, more sedate couples glided effortlessly between the gyrating figures, lost in
the smoothness of their rhythm. Then, suddenly, it was not only the dancers who were moving;
grey streaks like heavy rain shot across his vision, and the music receded in the background and
10 was replaced by a monotonous, low humming in his ears. Then the whole room began to turn.
Around and around, and around; his head seemed to be revolving with rapidly increasing
momentum through a narrowing tunnel of sound in ever tightening spirals – faster, faster, faster.
Where to? He fought down the mounting pangs of nausea and pushed his head back hard against
the wall, fixing his eyes on the illuminated text opposite him God is the Head of the is House. It
15 was as if he was standing in a constantly shaken kaleidoscope. And then slowly, it gained control
over his own internal movement, and he was able to separate the stationary objects from the dancers
who continued to move, swaying and twisting.
As Paul watched, he noticed that some dancers glanced occasionally in his direction and
then turned and whispered to their partners, who looked at him with furtive, suppressed smiles
20 But, although these smiles were directed at him, they did not invite his participation. He inspected
his clothing, but could find no possible cause of mirth. But hen they were not quite smiles of mirth.
They were rather the sort that set him apart…that isolated him. As he watched, he longed to
participate, to be accepted as one of them.
Adapted from A. Wannenbaugh,

An Anthology of African and Caribbean Writing in English,
J.J. Figuera (Ed.), Heinemann Educational Books, 1982, pp. 24-25.
72
(a) What problem had Paul been experiencing according to the words “When he had resolved
the threatening conflict in his stomach” (line 1)?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
(1 mark)
(b) What does the word “gingerly” (line 3) suggest about Paul’s actions?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
(1 mark)
(c) Explain, in your own words, the contrast described in lines 6-8.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
(2 marks)
(d) Quote the specific expression from paragraph 2 which suggests that Paul’s earlier problem
was not resolved.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
(1 mark)
73
(e) What word or phrase can be used to replace the word “receded” in line 9?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
(1 mark)
(f) (i) What is the effect of the writer’s use of repetition in “Around and around, and
around and around” (line 11) and “faster, faster, faster” (line 12)?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
(2 marks)
(ii) How did Paul bring his problem under control?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
(2 marks)
(g) What was the attitude of the dancers towards Paul?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
(2 marks)
(h) (i) What word can be used to describe Paul’s feeling as he saw the dancers’ smiles?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
(1 mark)
74
(ii) Quote TWO expressions which show that Paul understood that he would not be
invited to the dance.
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
(2 marks)
Total 15 marks
75
Read the passage below carefully then answer all the questions that follow. Write your
answer on the ruled lines provided after each question.
Formal education commonly referred to as schooling, can be defined as a country’s system

of compulsory teaching and learning. But as one writer suggested, there is a difference between
schooling and education. The objective of schooling is to reinforce what exists in society and this
is largely influenced by what governments do through the availability of resources. Education is
5 a broader learning activity not confined to the classroom.
Schools, colleges and universities have long carried out the business of formal education by
using the traditional ‘chalk and talk’ teaching methods, In recent times, however, this education
has been changed by the introduction of technologies by which the students themselves are
involved in acquiring knowledge. Chalk and talk approaches in front of a class with students in
the same place
10 have been replaced by the technology that allows students to participate from any location at any
time.
Despite this introduction of the latest technologies, education still has to encourage students
to change the way they look at the world. No matter how important formal education is and what
happens in the classroom, the discovery of self and the mastery of life skills take place both inside
15 and outside the formal classroom. Too much emphasis is placed on achieving academic success
and far too often one’s place in society is based on academic achievements.
Academic qualifications alone cannot satisfy an individual’s need to be recognized and

respected, and to develop healthy social relationships. Formal education should not only seek to
satisfy qualifications for employment, but should provide the opportunities for individuals to
20 make meaningful contributions to their communities and the wider society. Formal education
means little if students cannot find a place where they can be recognized and valued in a world that
is very materialistic.
Adapted from Sandra Richards,

“Assessing the Role of Education in the Real World”,
Nex Generation, Issue No. 5, Autumn 2011, p. 24.
76
(a) According to paragraph 1, what is formal education?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
(1 mark)
(b) What word can he used to replace “objective” in line 3?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
(1 mark)
(c) According to the passage, what are TWO advantages of using technology over “chalk and
talk” (line 7)?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
(2 mark)
(d) Apart from satisfying “qualifications for employment” (line 19), give THREE examples
from the passage that highlight the writer’s view of what formal education should allow
students to do.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
(3 mark)
77
(e) Identify TWO outcomes of formal education that the writer suggests are over-emphasized.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
(2 mark)
(e) Identify TWO outcomes of formal education that the writer suggests are over-emphasized.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
(2 mark)
(f) What is implied by the expression “not only” (line 18)?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
(2 mark)
(g) Quote TWO examples from the final paragraph that sum up the writer’s view of what
individuals require from education.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
78
(2 mark)
(h) What is the writer’s MAIN purpose in this passage?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
(2 mark)
Total 15 marks)
79
January, 2016
Question 1 Summary
 Consumerism refers to the activity of buying and selling in which we all participate.
 Responsible consumerism requires the application of information to decision making.
 Choices have consequences and if we make the choices we must live with the
consequences.
 Choices are sometimes made using information or conditions set down by others. These
early decisions affect what we can now know, and condition how we choose. Choices that
may have once been wise may no longer be.
 The choice we make become part of a network, in which our choices affect others.
 Modern technology, with its insistence on immediate response, can negatively affect our
ability to make wise choices, so we need to resist, while we explore all the information.
Sample Summaries
1. Since we buy, sell and use goods and services, we are consumers. In choosing or buying we are
expected to use the ability to make responsible decisions. This ability and responsibility allows us
to analyse our behaviour as consumers. Recognizing that each choice has consequences with
which we will need to live, we apply knowledge to help us choose. Sometimes, we are hampered
by decisions made by others, which affect what we can know or do. Our ability to choose and to
act responsibly is affected by a network of choices. In addition, modern technology which insists
on immediate response, can negatively affect our ability to make wise choices, unless we resist,
while we explore all the information. 119
2. “Consumerism” can be defined as the buying and selling of goods and services. We are
considered to be consumers. Consuming requires us to make proper choices and also provides us
with an opportunity to examine our behaviour. As responsible consumers we must look at the
advantages and disadvantages of our choices, and the consequences that could follow. Usually, our
choices will be based on information, but there are some situations over which we have no control.
In addition, modern technology pressures us into giving immediate, impulsive responses and this
can negatively affect our ability to choose wisely. If we want to make the right choice, we must do
our research and reflect objectively on our choices before we consume. 120
3. We are all consumers and, as such, have to make choices which will affect how we and others
live. Since such choices will inevitably affect us positively or negatively we gather information
and, wherever possible, try to make what seems at the time to be the choice which will benefit us
the most. Since we are all connected, our ability to choose wisely depends on the choices others
made before, based on the information they had. In turn, our choices may negatively affect others.
In addition, modern technology which demands instant consumerism, tries to force us into making
impulsive decisions. However, we must not give in, but try to explore all options before we decide.
80
Question 2 Comprehension
(a) Two examples of sensory appeal made in stanza one: hearing, sight, feeling, touch, movement.
(b) Hearing: unceasing beat/ running children’s feet/ silently
Sight: dark cloud/ filmy veiling/ wraith-like mist
Feeling/Touch: nestled softly/wet breast
Movement: running, skid, nestled
Accept a word that is a clear reference to one of the senses
(c) Simile
Any one of the following: ‘like a weird song’/’like running children’s feet’/’like a strange’
Award 1 mark for simile, 1 mark for the quotation
(d) The absence of the person he loves causes the poet’s mood/his lover was far away.
(e) Stanza 1 conveys a mood of gloominess, mystery and coldness, while Stanza 2 suggests
warmth, brightness and excitement. (Answers must refer to both sets of lines)
(f) ‘But/‘But, lo’ (No mark for quoting the full line)
(g) The sun came out and (any one of the following) brightened everything / brought the beauty
back to everything / the breeze picked up /birds began to chirp
(h) The device used is a metaphor.
81
Question 3 Comprehension
(a) Save human lives and protect wildlife
(b) With special attendance only/invited guests only/restricted attendance.
(c) Motive/reason/motivation for the project/the real purpose is hidden/there was another
purpose/the real reason was to save lives of people and animals/there were other important
issues/there is more to it than people are aware of/there is a truth that people are unaware of
(d) People are sometimes forced to move into unsafe areas/live in the migration path of
wildlife/many people killed by animals
(e) Helps people to relocate; creates corridors which connect parks and resources/protected/works
to prevent the loss of animal and human life
(f) Pathways that provide the animals with protection/pathways the animals can take without being
killed
(g) To draw attention to the fact that people more willingly agreed to relocation away from animal
migration paths/To show satisfaction that Government departments agreed to creating protected
wildlife corridors/to draw attention to the fact that when something bad happens because of a
situation, people are more willing to change.
(h) To show how unlikely it is for the people to survive a conflict with the animals/to show
partiality to the animals/to suggest that the animals have rights to the space/hopes that statistics
will show how important the work of the Wildlife trust is/to create the picture that people’s lives
are in danger and that the animals need their space/to make people realise how dangerous or how
serious the situation really is/to inform of the urgent need for the projects
Award 1 mark for below:
To shock the audience through scientific argument
82
June, 2016
Points for Summary:
 Caribbean lifestyle is influenced by a variety of histories and cultures.

 Carifesta was visualized as an opportunity to focus on the artistic, creative and cultural
diversity in a single place.
 Carifesta is just as effective as cricket in uniting the people but for different reasons.
 It was hoped that the region’s artists who migrated would be inspired by the cultural
richness to return.
 Carifesta is mounted in different countries at regular intervals but the original plan was to
hold it every two years.
 The intervals of Carifesta vary as the region has to cope with economic, physical and other
challenges.
Sample Summary 1:
The Caribbean is an area with people of many different origins, histories, cultures and life styles, a
diversity shown in the multiplicity of art forms. Carifesta is a festival of the creative arts. It was
visualized as another means and opportunity, besides cricket, of bringing this diversity into a
single space so that it could be known and appreciated by the people and help to define a regional
identity. It was hoped through the festival’s richness to influence artists who had moved away
from the region, to return. It was planned to mount the event in different countries at regular
intervals, but the intervals have varied because of physical and economic challenges.
(120 words)
Sample Summary 2:
Caribbean people share a common history and enjoy close proximity but they are culturally
diverse. The cultural festival, Carifesta, unites them as much as cricket does but differently. The
goal of the festival is to showcase Caribbean and South American culture and creativity. It was
conceived of, to highlight the multicultural heritage of the region and to create an environment for
the development of the arts. It also hopes to encourage the return of migrant artists. While the
intention was to make Carifesta a biennial event, this has not materialized because of economic,
environmental and other problems. Nevertheless, the festival has been held several times and has
become a major regional and international event.
(114 words)
83
Question 2
(a) stomach ache/upset stomach/nausea/nervousness/feeling to vomit
(b) He opened the door carefully/he opened the door timidly (cautiously)/he took his time opening
the door slowly to avoid making a sound
(c) - The way the young people danced vs the way the older people danced
- The writhing movement of the young people vs the sedate and calm movements of the older
people.
Candidates MUST state the two aspects
(d) ‘‘He fought down the mounting pangs of nausea’’
(e) faded/became less/became low/softened/decreased/lowered
(f) (i) It -
- emphasizes the character’s disorientation
- allows the readers to share in his discomfort/dizziness
- shows the sensation that the character was feeling
- helps the reader to feel sorry for the character
(ii) Paul pressed his head into the wall./Paul stared at the illuminated message...
(g) Condescension/Pity/Tolerance/Curiosity
(h) (i) puzzlement/uncertainty/hurt/rejection/longing/despondency/isolation
(ii) ‘‘...set him apart’’ / ‘‘...isolated him’’ / ‘‘longed to participate’’ ‘‘...did not invite...’’
84
Question 3
(a) system of compulsory teaching and learning
(b) purpose/aim/goal/reason/intention/focus/mission/outcome
(c) students participate in their own learning; students log on from any location; students log on at
any time 1 mark each
(d) to make meaningful contribution...; discover themselves; change the way they look at the
world/mastering life skills Any three, 1 mark each
(e) Too much emphasis is placed on achieving success; too often one’s place is based on academic
achievement 1 mark each
(f) This is a limited outcome of formal education/this is only one aspect of formal education/that
formal education should seek to satisfy needed qualifications and also provide other benefits (2
marks)
(g) ‘‘to be recognized and valued’’; ‘‘to develop healthy social relationships’’; ‘‘to make
meaningful contributions...society’’ Any two, 1 mark each
(h) To promote education over schooling/to argue for a broader education/to make the point that
formal education can no longer focus only on academic success/formal education should satisfy
the social and emotional needs of the individual and the society/should encourage and equip
individuals to function in society.
85
86

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When writing the summary:

After writing the summary:

Some Tips for Answering Comprehension Questions

STEP II: Read the entire passage.

e) Identify ONE word that illustrates personification in line 3. (1 mark )

g) Why did cars parked too long sink slowly? (2 marks)

Adapted from Michael Thompson, “What They Won’t Tell You

e) To whom does the pronoun “you” (line 10) refer? (1 mark )

g) Why, according to the writer, are the boys perplexed? (2 marks)

This is a general All in all, cassava plays an integral part Cassava is an

Summary version 1: Pulling together of ideas from each paragraph

Cassava is an important part of the diet and culture of the

Cassava can be eaten as a snack, part of a main meal or in

For many years people enjoyed respect, even preferential treatment, if

Mood management is the act of controlling emotion. Rage, for instance,

The individual with a high EQ is better able to understand other people’s

(h) What is the writer’s intention in the passage? (2 marks)

In your answer you will be assessed on how well you

In your answer you will be assessed on how well you

COMMENTS ANNOTATED PASSAGE SUMMARY BY

Our culture and lifestyles are key factors in Changes in attitudes

There is no quick fix or simple solution Protecting and

But I have seen them emperors of the sky,

(h) Quote ONE example of alliteration from the poem. (1 mark)

(i) Quote ONE example of metaphor from the poem. (1mark)

*Accept any other reasonable/relevant response

Be careful about development which disturbs/destroys the natural environment

In your answer you will be assessed on how well you

Adapted from J. Rahim, “New Moons and Old Wives’

COMMENTS ANNOTATED PASSAGE SUMMARY BY

Summary (First draft)

In your answer you will be assessed on how well you

Adapted form Williams Underhill, “The Great Retreat”

Placed under pressure by the increasing numbers With the increasing

Another unfortunate development noted by academics Students entering

CSEC English Past Paper

Summary in Prose Form

(c) The Parillon women did volunteer activities instead of working.

(e) The supreme law of a country is its Constitution.

(f) The writer considers truth to be fundamental.

Who is in the picture?

 a dishevelled old man, dressed in an old suit and worn boots;

Where is the person?

What is the person’s problem/How did he get there?

 Worked hard all his life but became an alcoholic

What will my story’s climax: The day he lost everything…

Resolution: He decides to change his life.

First person or third person narrative? Third…

Begin with description of present setting/character…make reader pity him…incorporate his

End with decision to change life…

 Encourages discipline in young  A person’s right to free choice is

In your answer you will be assessed on how well you

Adapted from Williams Underhill, “The Great Retreat”

(Suggested time: 40 minutes)

Answer both Questions 2 and 3.

Adapted from L. Ballard, “God Bless the Child”.

(ii) Why does the writer use the expression? (2 marks)

(e) Identify an example of sarcasm in paragraph 2. (1 marks)