CSEC ENGLISH

Hello there! We are at the end of October already! Time, as ever, is flying! What that means for you is that you need to get serious about your study timetable NOW. Don’t wait until March or April! Re-read your literature texts. Make sure you know your poetic and dramatic devices and can give examples. Read as much as you can, making a note of new words to learn. And keep working on that journal so you don’t get ‘writer’s block’ when the exams come around. Now read on, and enjoy your CSEC English page.

ENGLISH B—Paper 1

Here is the prose passage that came on the 2014 ENG B exam paper. We suggest you answer the questions BEFORE you check our answers at the bottom of the page so that you can see where you lost marks. Remember that if three marks are being awarded, you should aim to make three different points in order to win those marks.

N.B. The format is slightly different in more recent exams, but the skills required are the same.

Ralph listened. He was not really far from the Castle Rock, and during the first panic he had thought he heard sounds of pursuit. But the hunters had only sneaked into the fringes of the greenery, retrieving spears perhaps, and then had rushed back to the sunny rock as if terrified of the darkness under the leaves. He had even glimpsed one of them striped brown, black, and red, and had judged that it was Bill. But really, thought Ralph, this was not Bill. This was a savage whose image refused to blend with that ancient picture of a boy in shorts and shirts.

The afternoon died away; the circular spots of sunlight moved steadily over green fronds and brown fibre but no sound came from behind the rock. At last Ralph wormed out of the ferns and sneaked forward to the edge of that impenetrable thicket that fronted the neck of land. He peered with elaborate caution between branches at the edge and could see Robert sitting on guard at the top of the cliff. He held a spear in his left hand and was tossing up a pebble and catching it again with the right. Behind him a column of smoke rose thickly, so that Ralph’s nostrils flared and his mouth dribbled. He wiped his nose and mouth with the back of his hand and for the first time since the morning felt hungry. The tribe must be sitting round the gutted pig, watching the fat ooze and burn among the ashes. They would be intent.

(Adapted from William Golding, Lord of the Flies.)

(a) Where is the event taking place? Support your answer with evidence from the passage. (2 marks) (b)

i Why is Ralph hiding? (2 marks) ii Briefly describe his state of mind (2 marks)

(c) Explain the writer’s use of contrast in paragraph 1 (3 marks)

(d) Identify the literary device used in ONE of the following and

comment on its effectiveness:

● “The afternoon died away”

● “Ralph wormed out of the ferns.” (3 marks)

(e) What impressions does the reader get from ONE of the following: “impenetrable thicket”

● “He peered with elaborate caution.” (2 marks)

(f) Explain how the writer maintains suspense in the passage.

(3 marks)

(g) What is the overall mood of the passage? Support your answer

using information from the passage. (3 marks)

DICTIONARY WORK

Last week gave you some homework, and warned that we would test you on that homework this week. Here we go!

In the sentences below, replace the items in italics with the appropriate phrase from this list:

A to be held in abeyance, B gnarled , C to run concurrently, D to run consecutively, E to collaborate, F to aid and abet someone, G to be an accessory to the crime, H to have shown due diligence, I to be guilty of dereliction of duty.

1. Unfortunately, the judge ruled that the five-year and the two-year sentences were to be served one after the other, so Tom would be in jail for seven years.

2. The young woman who passed secret information to the thieves about the shop’s security was found to be a partner in their wrongdoing.

3. Some local fishermen and restaurant owners plan to work together

on this new project.

4. Since the five-year sentence and the two-year sentence were to be

served at the same time, Tom would be in jail for only 5 years. 5. A building constructor whose workmen were injured was found

not to have taken reasonable precautions on site.

6. The man failed to close the koker, causing extensive flooding, so

he was found to be seriously neglecting his responsibilities.

7. If you are driving the get-away car for the robbers, you evidently

aim to encourage and assist them in the crime.

8. The judge declared that any further hearings would be put on hold

pending a settlement on the other matter raised by the plaintiff. 9. The elderly woman gentle caressed the baby’s face with her worn,

knobbly hands.

SLIPS IN LETTER WRITING

Here are two common slips in making a request in a letter:

I am kindly asking if you could send me an application form. (Wrong) I am asking if you could kindly send me an application form. (Correct) I will be grateful if you can send me an application form. (Wrong)

I would be grateful if you could send me an application form. (Correct) Memorize the correct form, and try to use it.

MAKING COMPARISONS

One way to make a comparison is by using the words “like” or “unlike.” Look at this sentence:

Like mangoes, peaches have a single, large seed.

Notice that the two items being compared (mangoes and peaches) sit either side of that comma.

In the following exercise, the writer has forgotten this rule. Rewrite each sentence, putting the two items to be compared either side of the comma as in the example above. (You may need to change the sentence around a little.)

1. Like chameleons, camouflage is the chief way in which stick

insects defend themselves.

2. Unlike aspirin, there are no undesirable side effects with Paingone. 3. Like the rivers in Guyana, silt carried from up-river creates a delta

at the mouth of the Nile.

4. Like my cousin, it is my hope to own a boat with an outboard

engine.

5. Unlike Guyana, strict regulations govern public transportation in

Japan.