EXERCISE 1 Questions 26 31 are based on the following passage.

. The passage below describes how the writer and her sister escaped a shooting that broke out in her town. Read the passage carefully and answer the questions that follow. 1 Hurry up children, your ong ngoai must be hungry by now, Mother called out from the front room of our family home in Tay Ninh, Vietnam. She had carefully placed steamed rice, fried chicken and vegetables in each compartment of the lunch rack, all set to be delivered to ong ngoai, our grandfather. My father, a staff sergeant with the Philippine Air Force, worked as a surgical technician for eight years and had married Mother, a local girl. Because of his work, he was away from home for weeks at a time. Mother was a housewife who took great care of Trang and me. She gave us the daily noontime job of taking lunch to our grandfather, who lived alone in a small rented apartment. Here, send the food to ong ngoai quickly. Be careful not to spill the food, she added. I was six years old. Trang, my sister, who was eight years older, was helping me get dressed. I was excited at the thought of getting out of the house. Mother, ever-concerned, recited her list of reminders as she always did every day: Stay on the side of the road. Look both ways before crossing the street. Dont stop to talk to strangers. Come back straight to the house after you have delivered the food. Do not stop anywhere along the way. Run along now. So hand in hand, with Trang carrying the lunch rack, we scurried one block down the road to our grandfathers place. He was a retired judge and I was happy to see him every day. It was he who gave me my first cac (the equivalent of cents at that time). It was 1974 and war was spreading all over Vietnam, but in Tay Ninh life was peaceful and continued as usual. However, on that particular day, as Trang and I made our way to grandfathers place, whizz! Duck down! Trang cried as we walked along. Stay low and take cover! Ratatatatat! Somewhere in the mountains just outside town, Vietcong soldiers fired their flying bullets down our path. I bent so low that I actually dragged my face along the ground as I ran. As we squatted at the side of the road, covering our heads, I started to worry about ong ngoai. He liked his food served hot. If we did not get there on time and his lunch turned cold - oh, I did not like the thought of it! I refused to let this outbreak of shooting slow us down. Lets just run for it! I said. Trang suggested duckwalking down the road but it was not a good idea. After a few paces, my short little legs began cramping. We tried all the manoeuvres that could save our lives but nothing seemed to work. We were ready to sit things out until the shooting was over. Then I suddenly remembered. If we ever came under fire, our elders had told us time after time, we should run from side to side. Bullets travel in a straight line, they said. Run in a zigzag.

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So taking a deep breath, we set off again, running wildly back and forth across the road. After what seemed forever, the shooting ceased. God Almighty be praised, the food is still warm, was all I could say after we arrived at our grandfathers apartment, completely unaware of the danger from which we had just escaped. Five cents awaited each of us! As an adult, I sometimes look back on that eventful day. I now know what my young mind could not understand then: it is impossible to go through life without hardship and struggles being thrown at you. They come when you least think they would, like when you are happily walking down a street and bullets start flying at you. You can try to avoid them all you want, but as long as you are alive, they will keep coming, from all directions. Sure, you might get wounded, but you just have to bandage your wounds, pick yourself up and start walking again.
(Adapted from Readers Digest, May 2006)

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(a) From paragraph 1, what did the writer and her sister have to do every day at noon? ........[1 mark] (b) From paragraph 3, what made the writer feel happy and enthusiastic? ....... [1 mark] From paragraph 5, (a) which word has the same meaning as the word hurried? ....... [1 mark] (b) how did the writer feel when she met her grandfather each day? ....... [1 mark]

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From paragraph 6, (a) how was life in Tay Ninh different from the rest of Vietnam? ... [1 mark] (b) what do you think had made the whizz sound? .. [1 mark]

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From paragraph 11, what did the grandfather give the writer as a reward? ....... [1 mark] From paragraph 12, what does the word they in line 46 refer to? ....... [1 mark]

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Do you agree with the writer that when we are facing problems, we need to pick ourselves up and walk again? Give a reason for your answer. ............................................................................................................................................... .............................................................................................................................. [2 marks]

EXERCISE 2 Questions 26 31 are based on the following passage. The passage below describes how Erma Mata struggled to get treatment for her son. Read the passage carefully and answer the questions that follow. 1 2 Momma, Im going to die, the boy whispered, lying on his bed in the childrens ward of the Philippine General Hospital. No, darling, youll be okay, his mother murmured, stroking his brow. Erma Mata and her husband had spent everything they had to get help for the incurable blood disease that was eating up their sons body. Nearly nine years old, Caesar Mata weighed 30 pounds and stood three feet two inches tall. Doctors had given him only a few more years to live. Caesar had always seemed small for his age. His stomach was bloated out of proportion to his tiny arms and legs, and sometimes he had problems urinating. But he never complained. Like his mother Erma, Caesar was quiet and determined. Then, after his fourth birthday in 1978, the boy grew sickly pale. You must take him to a Manila hospital right away, a local doctor warned Erma. That night, Erma cried as she broke the news to her husband, Marco. They had only eight pesos, about US$1, and the Manila hospital was 210 miles away. Erma and Marco borrowed some money and they then hitched a ride to Manila with an uncle in a borrowed truck. Doctors at the hospital identified Caesars problem: thalassemia, a genetic disorder that disrupts the production of haemoglobin and causes severe anaemia. The long words meant nothing to Erma, but she understood what the doctors said next: There is no cure for the disease. There is nothing we can do except give your son blood transfusions whenever his haemoglobin count falls dangerously low, they told her. However, there would be complications. Iron, an essential ingredient for the formation of haemoglobin, would build up in Caesars body because of the frequent transfusions, slowing down his growth and eventually damaging his heart, liver and endocrine system. Patients with severe thalassemia rarely lived beyond their teens. Dont worry, Erma told Caesar as they boarded a crowded bus for the long ride home. God will take care of us. In the privacy of her own thoughts, she was less certain. Every six to twelve weeks for the next few years, Erma and Caesar made the 420-mile round trip to Manila for life-saving blood transfusions. Erma begged for passes from the National Railway and a bus company. One day, she walked for hours to Malacanang, the presidential palace. Her pleas to a palace secretary earned her a red card that allowed free laboratory tests for Caesar at government hospitals. All across Manila, Erma knocked on doors and stood in hallways. Word of her quest touched the heart of a newspaper editor. Caesar is not even aware that death is coming closer to him, read a story on June 15, 1979. The newspaper also published a picture of Caesar looking sad and pitiful. A television celebrity who read about Caesars illness visited Caesar in the hospital, bringing him gifts and helping his mother with money for expenses. Another lady who was a secretary in a government department was moved too. She helped Erma to find a job in the tax office near her home.

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Two years later, Caesars health worsened. Doctors at the Philippine General Hospital considered removing his spleen, but he was too tiny and weak. Watching her son suffering on a hospital bed, Erma decided to write to the president of the United States to ask for help. Finally, in late 1993, Erma received a letter from a childrens hospital in Memphis, Tennessee informing her that the hospital was willing to treat Caesar for free, and could provide air transportation within the United States as well as accommodation in Memphis. The excited Erma contacted her celebrity friend who arranged free airplane tickets for the mother and son. In the summer of 1994, their plane touched down in the USA. Caesar, almost 20, was just over four feet tall but his spirits were high as he and his mother walked into the childrens hospital.

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(Adapted from Readers Digest, July 1998) 26 (a) From paragraph 1, what did the patient think would happen to him? ........[1 mark] (b) From paragraph 2, who does the word their in line 5 refer to? ....... [1 mark] 27 (a) (b) From paragraph 3, how was Caesar similar to his mother Erma? ....... [1 mark] From paragraph 4, give evidence to prove that Erma and her husband were poor. ....... [1 mark] 28 From paragraph 5, which word has the same meaning as the word serious? ........ [1 mark] 29 (a) From paragraph 6, state two ways how too much iron could harm Caesars health. (i) .......... [1 mark] (ii).. [1 mark] (b) From paragraph 7, how did Erma comfort Caesar as they got on a bus to go home? ... [1 mark] 30 In your opinion, what kind of person is Erma? Using your own words, give a reason to support your answer. ............................................................................................................................................... .............................................................................................................................. [2 marks]

Section C 26 27 28 29 (a) He was going to die. (b) Erma Mata and her husband (a) Caesar was quiet. / Caesar was determined. (b) They had only eight pesos (US$1). / They borrowed some money. severe. (a) (i) slowing down his growth (ii) damaging his heart, liver and endocrine system. (b) God would take care of them / Not to worry. Accept any reasonable answer. *Award 1 mark for a word that describes Erma and 1 mark for a reason to support your answer.

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Section C 26 (a) (b) take lunch to their grandfather (who lived alone in a rented apartment). The thought of getting out of the house

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(a) scurried (b) (She was) happy to see him. (a) Life was peaceful (and continued as usual). (b) (The Vietcong soldiers) bullets (a) Five cents (b) Hardship and struggles Accept any reasonable answer. Award either 0 mark or 2 marks. If answer is only Yes or No, award 0 mark.