Year 9 English examination 2013 page 1

Year 9 English Examination

November 2013
You have two hours to complete this examination.
You must write your answers on this paper and ask for extra paper if necessary.
Use blue or black pen. Do not use twink.
Attempt ALL questions.
You are advised to answer your essay responses FIRST.
Name:

____________________________________________________

Form Class:

____________________________________________________

English Teacher: ____________________________________________________

Time to
take
A

Literature/Film Essay

Marks

60 mins
Achieved / Merit / Excellence

Prose
Comprehension

20 mins

Poetry
Comprehension

20 mins

Static Image
Comprehension

20 mins

Total

2 hours

Achieved / Merit / Excellence

Achieved / Merit / Excellence

Achieved / Merit / Excellence

OVERALL COMPREHENSION GRADE:

Grade

Year 9 English examination 2013 page 2

Section A

LITERATURE/FILM ESSAY

INSTRUCTIONS
Write about ONE OR more texts that you have studied IN CLASS.
If you choose to write about more than one text, the texts you write about could be the same type
(eg, two poems) OR different text types (eg, a poem and a short story). You may have the same or
different authors. You may compare or contrast the texts if you wish.
The text(s) can be any of the following:

novel

non-fiction

short story

poetry / song lyric

drama / play

film

OR a combination of the above (inter-textual studies).

Choose ONE of the topics below (15) and complete the planning box at the top of page 3.
MakesureyouunderstandandcanwriteaboutBOTHpartsofthetopicbefore
youstartwriting.
Makesureyourchosentopicsuitsthetext(s).WriteanessayofATLEAST
200words.
Supportyourpointswithspecificdetailsfromthetext(s).
TOPICS(ChooseONEquestion)
1.

2.

3.

4.

Describeanimportantcharacterinthetext(s)youhavestudied.
Explainhowthischaracterhelpedyoutounderstandakeyideainthe
text(s).
DescribeatleastONEinterestingrelationshipinthetext(s)you
havestudied.
Explainhowtherelationship(s)helpedyoutounderstandoneormore
character(s).
Describeatleastoneimportantsettinginthetext(s)youhave
studied.
ExplainhowthissettinghelpedyouunderstandatleastONEkey
idea(s)inthetext(s).
(Note:Setting=timeorplacethattheeventsofthetextoccur)
DescribeatleastTWOinterestingtechniquesusedinthetext(s)you
havestudied.
Explainwhythesetechniqueswereused.
Note:Techniquescouldincludeimagery,style,vocabulary,or
symbolismORcinematography,editing,lighting,colouretc.

5.

Describeanimportanteventinthetext(s)youhavestudied.
ExplainhowthiseventhelpedyouunderstandacharacterORakey
ideainthetext(s).

Year 9 examination 2013 page 3

QUESTION: _____________________________________________________
TEXT(S):

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AUTHOR(S): _____________________________________________________
Planning Box

Begin your essay response here. Remember the quality of your writing is more important
than the length of your essay.
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Year 9 English examination 2013 page 8

Section B
Comprehension Prose
Extract from Laters Ngaire Vakaruru
Mary stared as the sea pounded into the gap in front of her, spraying her with its fury. Back
and forth it rushed like her mothers anger when the kitchen bench was cluttered with mess.
She started to shiver, her legs shaking. Calm down stupid. Breathe in. Breathe out. Youve
got to stay calm. She kept on talking to herself. After a few minutes her breathing steadied.
Her panic was under control. She moved back and sat down on a rock overlooking the gap.
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Could she jump across? No. Too far. Could she ease her way down the side and shorten
the distance she would have to jump? Perhaps. But the waves rushing in were so powerful.
Going anywhere near them freaked her out. She looked up at the near cloudless sky for
help. No answer. She turned to the bush-covered hill shed just scrambled down. She could
10 go back the way shed come. She sighed. Even the thought drained her of what little energy
she had left.
Sean, wish you were here. She could imagine him beside her, his long hair tousled and wet
with spray holding her hand and saying, Go for it. Hed jump first and then would wait to
catch her if she couldnt manage. The spray from an oversize wave shocked her out of her
15 daydreaming. Sean wasnt with her. Shed never even seen him, only a blurred photo and
chatting on Facebook. But hed know what to do. Surfies knew about water and rocksbut
she was on her own. She just had to do it. She moved along to the point where the couple
had made their jump. She cried out as flashes of white flew close to her. Seagulls going
about their business. Come on Mary, youve just got to do it. She got herself balanced. She
20 counted to three. She hurled herself across the gap. Her straining fingers touched the
rocks. In that very moment she knew she wouldnt make it.
She fell. The icy blue sea with its swirling white foam grabbed at her legs. It entered her
mouth. It pulled her under. It dragged her rag doll body out into deep water. Her head
bobbed up. Her brown hair clung to her face and the salt stung her eyes. She gasped for
25 air. She kept her eyes open. She has to see the rocks. They were her only hope. A wave
shook her forward. Another pulled her back. Each wave made way for the next in line.
Natures army was drawn up. It was going to wipe her out. The next wave carried her
towards the barnacled rocks. Mary made a huge effort. She couldnt get a hold. Under she
went again. Her arms thrashed the water. The sea continued its work overpowering her.
30 With a kick of her legs she raised her head. She got a mouthful of air. The next wave rose
to crash onto the shore. Mary used the last of her energy. She reached out. She felt her
hands touch the rocks. She held on in desperation. This was her last chance. The sea
retreated. Its strong swell ripped at her hands and legs. She held steady. With every muscle
straining she clambered up the rocks away from the army of waves. She sat down
35 breathless, the salt water stinging her grazed knees and torn hands. Her body was shaking,
out of control. She wanted to rest but she knew she must move. Pick yourself up and get
going or youll die out here. Mary looked up. The voice in her head had been so loud she
thought it was someone outside her body. She staggered to her feet and set off after the
couple who were specks in the distance. The squelching of her shoes joined with the cries
40 of the seagulls and the scurrying crabs. The wind bit into her wet skin, her saturated clothes
offering no protection. She tried to hurry but the uneven surface of the rocks made that
impossible.
She stopped and raised her head. She could see black sand. The beach. She set off again
willing herself to go faster. A movement in the seaweed set her heart racing but the stingray
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was intent on finding food. She ran the final few steps and collapsed onto the black sand,
feeling some of its warmth as it touched her body. Her nightmare was over!
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Year 9 English examination 2013 page 9

QUESTIONS SECTION B:
1.

What is Marys attitude towards the ocean in lines 1-8?

a)
b)
c)
d)

2.

Furious
Calm
Scared
Excited

N / A

Identify the language feature used in the sentence below. Explain the effect.

Back and forth it rushed like her mothers anger when the kitchen bench was cluttered with mess.

Language Feature: _________________________________________________________

Effect: ___________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
N/A/M
3.

Identify the parts of speech in the sentence below. Write in the space provided.

Mary

stared

as

the

sea

pounded

Into

the

gap

in

front

of

her,

spraying

her

with

its

fury.
N/A/M

4.

What are the three options that Mary considers in lines 1-11?
a.__________________________________________________________________
b.__________________________________________________________________
c.__________________________________________________________________
N/A/M

5.

Explain how the following techniques create tension in line below.

She got herself balanced. She counted to three. She hurled herself across the gap.
Simple sentences: ____________________________________________________
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Past tense:__________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
Repetition: __________________________________________________________
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N/A/M
Year 9 English examination 2013 page 10

6.

What mood is created in lines 22-29? Explain how at least two language features
have been used by the writer to create this mood. Include evidence from the text.
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N / A / M / E

7.

Identify two emotions Mary experiences in lines 30-45.

Explain how the writer has used language features to help show these emotions.
Emotion One: _______________________________________________________
Language feature: ___________________________________________________
Example: ___________________________________________________________
Explanation: ________________________________________________________
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Emotion Two: _______________________________________________________
Language feature: ___________________________________________________
Example: ___________________________________________________________
Explanation:________________________________________________________
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N / A / M / E
Year 9 English examination 2013 page 11

Section C

Comprehension - Poetry

Milking Before Dawn

In the drifting rain the cows in the yard are as black

And wet and shiny as rocks in an ebbing tide;
But they smell of the soil, as leaves lying under trees
Smell of the soil, damp and steaming, warm.
The shed is an island of light and warmth, the night
Was water-cold and starless out in the paddock.

Crouched on the stool, hearing only the beat

The monotonous beat and hiss of the smooth machines,
The choking gasp of the cups and rattle of hooves,
10 How easy to fall asleep again, to think
Of the man in the city asleep; he does not feel
The night encircle him, the grasp of mud.

But now the hills in the east return, are soft

And grey with mist, the night recedes, and the rain.
15 The earth as it turns towards the sun is young
Again, renewed, its history wiped away
Like the tears of a child. Can the earth be young again
And not the heart? Let the man in the city sleep.
Ruth Dallas, Country Road and other poems

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Year 9 English examination 2013 page 12

QUESTIONS SECTION C:
1.

What is the narrators job in the poem?

___________________________________________________________________
N / A

2.

Describe the weather in the opening stanza and identify the time of day.
___________________________________________________________________
N / A

3.

Identify examples of the following language features in stanza one.

Metaphor: __________________________________________________________
Simile: _____________________________________________________________
Alliteration:__________________________________________________________
What do these examples suggest about the narrators attitude toward their job?
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N / A/ M/ E

4.

Identify two examples of onomatopoeia in stanza two and explain the effect.
Example: ___________________________________________________________
Effect: ______________________________________________________________
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Example: ____________________________________________________________
Effect: ______________________________________________________________
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N / A/ M
Year 9 English examination 2013 page 13

5.

Describe the narrators attitude towards people who live in cities in stanza two.
Support your answer with evidence from the text.
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N / A / M

6.

In stanza three there is a change in attitude. How is the narrators attitude towards
their job different in stanzas one and two? Why has their attitude changed?
Support your answer with evidence from the text.
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Year 9 English examination 2013 page 14

Section D:

Comprehension - Static Image

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Year 9 English examination 2013 page 15

Grey background

Black and Silver

Red lettering

Red, orange, yellow

and green circles.

Black lettering

Red lettering

QUESTIONS SECTION D:
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1.

What is the issue raised in this static image and its overall message or purpose?
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N / A

2.

Who is the target audience of the static image? Be specific.

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N / A

3.

Where can you go to get more information about this issue?

Circle on the image where this information is provided and write the details below.
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N / A

4.

Identify an example of the following verbal techniques and explain the effect.
Emotive Language:____________________________________________________
Effect:______________________________________________________________
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Imperative Statement:__________________________________________________
Effect:______________________________________________________________
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Personal Pronoun:____________________________________________________
Effect:______________________________________________________________
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N / A / M /E

5.

Identify two ways that colour has been used effectively in this static image.
Explain the effect of each of these uses of colour.
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Example One:________________________________________________________
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Effect:______________________________________________________________
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Example Two:________________________________________________________
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Effect:______________________________________________________________
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N / A / M / E
6.

Describe the dominant visual image used in this static image.

Explain two ways that this image helps to convey the message of this static image.
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N / A / M / E

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