TEST CODE 01218020

FORM TP 2013071 MAY/JUNE 2013

CARIBBEAN E XAM I NAT I O N S COUNCIL

CARIBBEAN SECONDARY EDUCATION CERTIFICATE®

EXAMINATION

ENGLISH A

Paper 02 – General Proficiency

2 hours 40 minutes

21 MAY 2013 (a.m.)

READ THE FOLLOWING INTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY.

1. Section A consists of ONE question. You MUST answer this question.

2. Section B consists of TWO questions. You MUST answer both questions from
this section.

3. Section C consists of THREE questions. You MUST answer ONE question

from this section.

4. Section D consists of TWO questions. You MUST answer ONE question from
this section.

5. You are advised to take some time to read through the paper and plan your
answers.

DO NOT TURN THIS PAGE UNTIL YOU ARE TOLD TO DO SO.

Copyright © 2012 Caribbean Examinations Council

All rights reserved.

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SECTION A

(Suggested time: 35 minutes)

You MUST answer the question in this section.

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 in the extract
(b) organized and expressed these ideas appropriately for audience and purpose
(c) controlled your grammar, sentence structure and vocabulary.

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
use must be through sustainable practices 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.

Adapted from Global Environment Outlook for Youth

in the Caribbean – A Vision for Change! p. 69.

Total 30 marks
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SECTION B

(Suggested time: 40 minutes)

Answer ALL the questions in this section.

2. 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
5 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,

10 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.

(a) To whom or what does the pronoun “them” in line 1 refer? (1 mark)

(b) Identify TWO words or phrases in the first stanza that the poet uses to create an image of
the birds. (2 marks)

(c) Which TWO words in lines 4 and 5 does the poet use to give human qualities to the crows?
(2 marks)

(d) Explain the effect which the poet achieves in his description of the scene in lines 6 to 8.
(2 marks)

(e) What do lines 7 and 8 show about the crows’ attitude? (2 marks)

(f) Why does the poet use the word “But” in line 9? (2 marks)

(g) What different attitudes does the poet show to the carrion crows in lines 1–8 and lines
9–14? (2 marks)

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

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

Total 15 marks

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3. 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
5 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
the 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
10 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 harvesting
dates. The modern world still seeks Socotra’s exotic products.
Socotra is so different that the landscape is the most alien-looking place on Earth,
according to some visitors. One visitor described the landscape as a jumble of limestone
15 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. The isolation,
fierce heat and drought have combined to create a unique and spectacular species. 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
20 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
25 on the marine environment.

(a) How do we know that the coastal waters of Socotra are dangerous? (1 mark)

(b) Quote TWO words or phrases from paragraph 1 which suggest that the writer is using
comparison and contrast. (2 marks)

(c) From paragraph 2, identify TWO things about the island that have not changed with
time. (2 marks)

(d) Quote the sentence from paragraph 3 which BEST suggests Socotra’s uniqueness.
(2 marks)

(e) Why is the writer careful to describe the land and plant life in detail? (2 marks)

(f) What are the specific behaviours that are seen as threats to Socotra’s ecosystem?
(2 marks)

(g) What words in the final paragraph indicate that developers are not thinking about the
degrading of the natural environment? (2 marks)

(h) What action concerning the environment would be recommended to the government of
Socotra, based on the information in the last paragraph? (2 marks)

Total 15 marks
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SECTION C

(Suggested time: 45 minutes)

Answer ONE question from this section.

Your answer in this section should be approximately 400 to 450 words in length.

You MUST write in Standard English. However, dialect may be used in conversation.
You may use the answer booklet to jot down your notes as you plan your response.

In your answer you will be assessed on how well you

(a) developed and organized the content of your essay

(b) used language appropriate to your audience, purpose and content
(c) controlled your grammar, sentence structure, paragraphs and vocabulary.

EITHER

SHORT STORY

4. Write a story based on the picture below.

(35 marks)

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OR

5. She ran through the door laughing, but her friend Dari was stunned. It was no laughing matter.

Write a story which includes these sentences. (35 marks)

OR

DESCRIPTION

6. It was all done; all the groups were sure that nothing more could be added. Emotions were mixed
as we quietly studied the large room.

Describe the scenes and reactions you saw. (35 marks)

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SECTION D

(Suggested time: 30 minutes)

Answer ONE question from this section.

Your answer in this section should be approximately 250 to 300 words in length.

You MUST write in Standard English.

You may use the answer booklet to jot down a plan of your points or make notes.

In your answer you will be assessed on

(a) use of paragraphs in structuring the essay

(b) clarity of your argument
(c) range of vocabulary and accuracy of grammar
(d) appropriateness of style.

EITHER

7. Governments should offer free health care for everyone residing in a country, nationals and non-
nationals alike.

Write an essay EITHER supporting or OPPOSING this view. (35 marks)

OR

8. School principals should consult with the student body on ALL matters affecting the lives of
students.

Write an essay giving your views on this statement. (35 marks)

END OF TEST

IF YOU FINISH BEFORE TIME IS CALLED, CHECK YOUR WORK ON THIS TEST.

The Council has made every effort to trace copyright holders. However, if any have been inadvertently
overlooked, or any material has been incorrectly acknowledged, CXC will be pleased to correct this at
the earliest opportunity.

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