Section C

[25 marks]
[Time suggested : 50 minutes]

Questions 26 31 are based on the following passage.

Jasmin went to her grandmothers house in a village.

1 Jasmin awoke to the twittering and chattering of birds outside. Looking around, she
realized where she was and an overwhelming sadness engulfed her. This was a room in
her grandmothers house in the kampung, the house in which she had grown up. Her
grandmother had looked after her from the time she was a baby. When she was three
months old her mother left her with her grandmother and went to join her father who was 5
studying overseas. Jasmins parents wanted her to come and live with them but she was
not keen to do so as she was still very much attached to her grandmother. Her parents
allowed her to stay on in the kampung. They did not want to upset her as she was
happy in the kampung school and she was doing well there.

When Jasmin was in year six of primary school, her younger sister was born. Her 10
2 parents thought that it was important for the two sisters to be together and so Jasmin
went to live with them after she completed her primary school. She adjusted easily to her
new secondary school and she was pleased to have a baby sister to look after and play
with. She wished that her grandmother would join her family, but the old lady preferred
to stay by herself in her own house. Jasmin visited her grandmother during the school 15
holidays.

Jasmin sat up slowly and glanced at her sister beside her who was still asleep.
3 Quietly she rolled up the mengkuang mat on which she had lain and put it away behind
the clothes rack. She took her towel from the rack and moved towards the door. The
wooden floorboards creaked slightly as she stepped into the living room. It was bare 20
except for a cardboard box in one corner. There was something in that box that once
belonged to her grandmother and which was now hers. It was a tepak sireh. Jasmins
parents had asked her to choose something from the house as a memento. Jasmins
eyes blurred with tears. Her grandmother had passed away of a heart attack four months
ago. 25

Jasmin opened the kitchen door that led into the compound. She was going to the
4 bathroom. There was a well in the bathroom. Before the availability of piped water, the
well served all their domestic purposes. Wanting to feel the cool well water on her face
again, she lowered the pail into the well and expertly pulled up the attached rope. There
it was a pail full of refreshing ground water for her. She remembered that it had been 30
her duty to draw water from the well every evening to water the potted plants that her
grandmother had arranged neatly in front of the house.

Emerging from the bathroom, Jasmin strolled around the old house for the last
time, and with a heavy heart. It was a traditional Malay house, built on posts above the
5 ground. The raised floor kept dampness away and the spaces between the floor planks 35
provided good ventilation. Jasmin used to play with her childhood friends in the space
beneath the house. At that time they were small enough to stand beneath the house
without having to stoop. They whiled away the hours playing congkak or batu limbang.
 Jasmin walked past the verandah with its large windows. She rounded the
corner and noticed the front bedroom windows were open. Apparently, her parents 40
were awake. She went back into the kitchen. Her mother was preparing breakfast. They
6 were returning home later in the morning after handing over the house to its new owner.
Jasmins father who inherited the house decided to sell it.

After breakfast, they loaded some things into the car and waited for Encik Adam,
the new owner, to arrive. Jasmins sister was impatient to get back to their own home 45
whilst Jasmin longed to linger at that old house for a few more hours. Encik Adam
7 arrived punctually at the appointed time. Jasmins father gave him the house key. They
chatted for a while and then Jasmin and her family got into the car for the journey back
to home. As they drove away, Jasmin looked back at the old house and bade a silent
farewell to her childhood. 50

26. From paragraph 1,

(a) which word means to be plunged into something?

....................................................................................................................................... [1mark]

(b) why was Jasmin left in the care of her grandmother?

....................................................................................................................................... [1mark]

(c) Jasmins parents decided to allow her to stay on with her grandmother. Give two reasons
for their decision.

i. .........................................................................................................................[1mark]

ii. ........................................................................................................................ [1mark]

27. From paragraph 2, what event prompted Jasmins return to her parents?

....................................................................................................................................... [1mark]

28. From paragraph 4, what purpose did the well serve after the installation of piped water?

....................................................................................................................................... [1mark]

29. From paragraph 5, what are the advantages of building a house on posts?

(i) .............................................................................................................................. [1mark]

(ii) ............................................................................................................................. [1mark]

30. In your opinion, why do you think Jasmine wanted to linger at the old house for a few
more hours?

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...................................................................................................................................... [2 mark]

31. Jasmin recalled her childhood days at her grandmothers house. Write a summary on :

what she did that morning

what she remembered about the house

Credit will be given for use of own words but care must be taken not to change the original
meaning.

Your summary must:

o be in continuous form (not note form)

o use materials from line 18 to line 41
o must not be longer than 130 words, including the 10 words given below

Begin your summary as follows:

Jasmin slowly sat up and glanced at her sleeping sister ...

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[15 marks]
 Section C
[25 marks]
[Time suggested : 50 minutes]

Questions 26 31 are based on the following passage.

1 One day, a young man was cleaning out his late grandfathers belongings 1
when he came across a bright red envelope. Written on the front were the words,
"To my grandson. Recognising his grandfathers writing, the young man opened
the envelope. A letter inside read:
Dear Grandson, years ago you came to me for help. You said, 5
Grandpa, how is it that youve accomplished so much in your life and youre still
full of energy Im already tired of struggling. How can I get that same enthusiasm
that youve got?

2 I didnt know what to say to you then as you were still too young to
comprehend the complexities of life. But knowing my days are numbered, I figure 10
that I owe you an answer. So here is what I believe. I think a lot of it has to do
with how a person looks at things. I call it keeping your eyes wide open.

3 First, realise that life is filled with surprises, some not so pleasant and
others quite shocking but many are good ones. If you dont keep watching for
them, youll miss half the excitement. Expect to be thrilled once in a while, and 15
you will be. You attract what you think of the most in life.

4 When you meet up with challenges, welcome them. Do not bolt! Theyll
leave you wiser, stronger, and more capable than you were the day before.
Youll be glad you dare to take the bull by its horns. When you make a mistake,
be grateful for the things it taught you. Failure should not stop you from pursuing 20
your dreams. No one is perfect. Resolve to use that lesson to help you reach
your goals.

5 Always follow the rules even the little ones. When you follow the rules,
life works. If you think you ever really get by with breaking the rules, youre only
fooling yourself. Remember crime does not pay and our past has a sneaky way 25
of creeping up to us.Its also important to decide exactly what you want. Then,
keep your mind focused on it, and be prepared to receive it. Being focused on a
goal spurs us towards the right direction by channeling our energy on what is
actually important so that we are not too overwhelmed by obstacles.

6 But be ready to end up in some new places too. Change is part of 30

growing up. As you grow with the years, youll be given bigger shoes to fill. So be
ready for endings as well as challenging beginnings. Life will not be so
predictable. It can also be fun too.

7 Sometimes we have to be brave enough to move from the familiar to the

unfamiliar. Life isnt just reaching peaks. Part of it is moving from one peak to the 35
next. If you rest too long in between, you might be tempted to quit. Complacency
and contentment will set in. You will not desire to move on. You can become lazy
or indifferent.
8 Leave the past in the past. Climb the next mountain and enjoy the view.
Dump things that weigh you down emotionally and spiritually. When an old 40
resentment, belief or attitude becomes heavy, lighten your load. Shed those
hurtful attitudes that slow you down and drain your energy. Remember that your
choices will create your successes and your failures. So consider all the
pathways ahead, and decide which ones to follow. Then, believe in yourself get
up, and get going. 45

9 And be sure to take breaks once in a while. Everyone needs to recharge

their batteries. Theyll give you a renewed commitment to your dreams, and a
cheerful, healthy perception of the things that matter the most to you. Your vision
will be sharper and your goals clearer.

10 Most important of all, never give up on yourself. The person that ends up 50
a winner, is the one who resolves to win. Losers quit too early in the race. Give
life everything youve got, and life will give its best back to you.
Love always, Grandpa.

by Steve Brunkhorst

26 From paragraph 1, why did the young man open the letter in the bright red envelope?
....................................................................................................................................... [1mark]

27 (a) From paragraph 2, what inspired the grandfather to write this letter?
....................................................................................................................................... [1mark]

28 (a) From paragraph 4, how do challenges help us to be a better person?

....................................................................................................................................... [1mark]

(b) what does take the bull by its horns mean?

....................................................................................................................................... [1mark]

(c) From paragraph 5, how does being focused on a goal spurs us towards the right
direction?

....................................................................................................................................... [1mark]

29 (a) From paragraph 7, what will happen when we begin to feel satisfied with our
current achievement??
i. ........................................................................................................................[1mark]

ii. ...................................................................................................................... [1mark]

 (b) From paragraph 8, how why do we need to consider all the options and
decide which ones to follow?
................................................................................................................................. [1mark]

30 Do you think it is important not to be a loser in the race of life? Why?

....................................................................................................................................... .

................................................................................................................................. [2mark]

31 Based on the passage given, write a summary on:

the lessons of life given by the grandfather to his grandson.

Credit will be given for use of own words but care must be taken not to change the original
meaning.

Your summary must

be in continuous writing form (not in note from)
use materials from lines 11 to 52
not be longer than 130 words, including the 10 words given below

Begin your summary as follows:

I believe that it has a lot to do with

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[15 marks]
 Section C
[25 marks]
[Time suggested : 50 minutes]
Questions 26 31 are based on the following passage.
1 The village lay ahead; all around lay the dull green forest. Nearby, 1
a buffalo, fastened by rope to a tree, was placidly grazing. Sanjay turned
to his driver. Its a peaceful scene, isnt it? Not for the buffalo, the
driver said. Thats the bait for the tiger were looking for. At the moment
its lucky. The tiger never came. 5

2 They stopped the truck and got out. Immediately a woman came
running up, obviously distressed and anxious to tell Sanjay something.
Her husband, she said, had slept out last night to protect his familys
field. Today he had not returned. She and her neighbours had gone to
his little hut by the fields. It was smashed down. The tiger had taken him. 10
They had seen the footprints. The womans tears made Sanjay even
more determined to catch this murderous, man-eating tiger. Moreover, it
had now claimed two victims. Tomorrow he would talk with the villagers
about plans to hunt the tiger down.

3 Early next morning he decided to take a look around. He walked 15

around the dirt road that led out of the village, and then turn off on to a
narrow path at the edge of the jungle. The path began to take him
through an area of tall grass three or four metres high. He stopped. Just
in front of him lay a paw print. To his left were three more prints, each of
the ten centimeters wide. Obviously, a large male tiger had come this 20
way and from the look of the prints had crossed the path quite recently.

4 The surrounding high grass seemed dense and solid. Then,

looking harder, he spotted several bent and broken stems. An animal
had clearly pushed its way through the grass. He had hardly taken in this
evidence when a heavy, low, continuous growling started up inside the 25
grass. The tiger was there. It was so close he could feel the vibration of
its growls coming through the earth.

5 He stood there, his heart thudding. The growls instantly grew

louder. The tigers head could not be more than three metres from him; 2
one short bound But why could he not see it? 30

6 With a great effort he stood quite still. A remark of an old-time

hunter flashed into his mind. When tigers come across people, they
move away. This tiger, however, was not moving. Its behavior was
clearly abnormal. This must be a man-eater. Then he caught a glimpse
of movement. Yellow and black stripes glided swiftly through patch of 35
thinner grass. To his horror, Sanjay half-hearted, half-saw the tiger
circling back past him until it was moving parallel with the road. Then it
 stopped. It had cut him off from any escape back to the village. Sanjay
looked around for any trees to climb. There were none within fifty yards.
There was no means of retreat. 40

7 The growl has ceased, but a flicking, swishing noise came from
the tall grass. The tiger had stopped again. Staring intently into the grass,
Sanjay spotted some small movements. He realized the dry grass was
being disturbed by the tigers tail. Whatever he did, he knew he must
move slowly. He must not run it would set off the man-eaters attack. 45
Anyway, no matter how fast he sprinted the tiger would catch him.

8 He took two slow steps along the path. The tigers growls broke
out again. This time Sanjay retaliated with his own grunting order. Get
out of it! Get Away! he made his voice low and menacing as he could. 4
The animal fell silent, but did not move. Then he caught a glimpse of its 50
striped coat. It still had him cornered.

9 Sweat stood all over his body; he felt paralysed and unable to
think. Then came all together different noise: a squeaking and thudding
and the clatter of a diesel engine burst through the jungle. Suddenly, a
vehicle lurched into view along the path, with the driver at the wheel. He 55
caught sight of Sanjay and stopped a few metres away, keeping the
engine still running. Yet, the tiger still lay between Sanjay and safety. In
that instant, Sanjay made up his mind. Let it spring, he thought. Ive
only one chance left.

10 With one enormous leap Sanjay hurled himself at the open seat 60
of the truck, alongside the driver, but landed flat on the bonnet. Almost at
the same moment, a streak of black and yellow fur thundered onto the
vehicle, next to the driver, eyes blazing, claws slashing. As if, in a dream,
Sanjay felt the vehicle roar backwards, and saw his driver beating the
tiger over the head with an iron wrench. Again and again he hit it. The 65
tiger dropped to the ground; the vehicle carried on speeding backwards
down the path, with Sanjay clawing madly at the windscreen in his
attempt to hang on. The vehicle slowed down and came to a halt, safe on
the open road.

11 Sanjay sat up and stared dumbly at the tall forest grass. There 70
was no sign of the tiger. Then he looked at his driver and saw a grin
slowly spreading across his face. The buffalo lives another day, he
said.

26 (a) From paragraph 1, why was the buffalo tied to the tree?
...........................................................................................................................[1mark]
(b) From paragraph 2, how did the woman know that it was a tiger that had taken
her husband away?
...........................................................................................................................[1mark]

27 From paragraph 4,
a) Although the tiger was very near, why could Sanjay not see it?
...........................................................................................................................[1mark]

b) Which sentence shows that Sanjay was convinced that the tiger was near?
...........................................................................................................................[1mark]

28 (a) From paragraph 6, what was peculiar about the tigers behaviour?
...........................................................................................................................[1mark]

(b) From paragraph 7, which word means quick, lightning movement?

...........................................................................................................................[1mark]

29 (a) From paragraph 8, explain what was the effect of Sanjays grunting order
on the tiger?
...........................................................................................................................[1mark]

(b) From paragraph 11, Sanjay stared dumbly at the tall forest grass once
he had escaped from the tigers. State the feelings.
...........................................................................................................................[1mark]

30 The buffalo lives another day.

State the fate of the buffalo as suggested by the above sentence. Give reason for
your answer.

Fate:
...........................................................................................................................[1mark]

Reason:
...........................................................................................................................[1mark]
31. Sanjay found himself threatened by the man-eating tiger. Write a summary on

how he tried to deal with it and

what eventually saved him.

Credit will be given for the use of own words but care must be taken not to change
the original meaning.
Your summary must:
Be in continuous writing ( not in note form)
Use materials from line 26 54
Not be longer than 130 words, including the 10 words given below

[15 marks]

Begin your summary as follows:

Sanjay was in great danger when he saw the tiger
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[15 marks]