GRAAD 12

NATIONAL
SENIOR CERTIFICATE

GRADE 12

ENGLISH HOME LANGUAGE P1

NOVEMBER 2023

MARKS: 70

TIME: 2 hours

This question paper consists of 13 pages.

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INSTRUCTIONS AND INFORMATION

1. This question paper consists of THREE sections:

SECTION A: Comprehension (30)

SECTION B: Summary (10)
SECTION C: Language structures and conventions (30)

2. Read ALL the instructions carefully.

3. Answer ALL the questions.

4. Start EACH section on a NEW page.

5. Rule off after each section.

6. Number the answers correctly according to the numbering system used in this
question paper.

7. Leave a line after each answer.

8. Pay special attention to spelling and sentence construction.

9. Suggested time allocation:

SECTION A: 50 minutes
SECTION B: 30 minutes
SECTION C: 40 minutes

10. Write neatly and legibly.

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SECTION A: COMPREHENSION

QUESTION 1: READING FOR MEANING AND UNDERSTANDING

Read TEXTS A and B below and answer the questions set.

TEXT A

LISTENING INSTEAD OF READING IS NOT CHEATING.

– Gaby Hinsliff

From audiobooks to podcasts and voice notes, there's a steady generational

shift in the way we understand the world.

1 Insomniacs¹ do it in the middle of the night. Dog owners do it while trudging

around the park. Some people do it in the gym, but lately I have taken to doing it
alone in the car, on long journeys north through the dark when I need distraction
from everything circling around my head.

2 Listening, that is; and perhaps more specifically, listening to things you might 5
once have read instead. The growth of audiobooks, podcasts and even voice
notes – those quick self-recorded clips that are steadily taking over from typed
messages on WhatsApp – reflects a steady generational shift, away from eyes
to ears, as the way we take in the world, and perhaps also in how we
understand it. 10

3 Reading instinctively feels like the higher art, perhaps because bedtime stories
used to be strictly for children and oral storytelling is associated with more
primitive cultures in the days before the printing press. But is that fair? If the
effort involved in sitting down and decoding written words with your actual eyes
were to gradually fade away in years to come – just as the old-fashioned cord of 15
a landline phone gave way to the freedom of a mobile in your pocket, and cash
yielded to the clinical efficiency of credit cards – what exactly would we have
lost?

4 Reading is still very far from dead. Lockdown rekindled the love of curling
up with a good novel, to publishers' delight, with more than a third of 20
people claiming to be reading more to fill their days. But the audiobook
market, while still small, also notched up its seventh year of double-digit
growth in the 2021 pandemic year. Millennials in particular seem to be all ears;
Katie Vanneck-Smith, the former Wall Street Journal president, admitted
recently that when its members (who are mostly under 39 years old) were 25
asked what they wanted to read, the consensus was, 'Actually, I listen, I don't
read.' But their parents do so too: all the overloaded, frantically multitasking
mid-lifers trying to keep up with whatever zeitgeist² they are afraid of missing
out on in an information-saturated world, while going for a run or cooking
dinner. 30

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5 Yet the idea prevails that listening is flighty or unserious. A snooty 55% of
respondents to one YouGov survey back in 2016 deemed audiobooks a 'lesser'
way of consuming literature, and only 10% thought listening to a book was
wholly equal to reading it. The view that listening is cheating prevails, even
though nobody thinks it is lazy for a student to sit through lectures, and going to 35
the theatre is not considered intellectually inferior to reading the play at home.
One study by Beth Rogowsky, Associate Professor of Education at Bloomsburg
University, asking students either to read a non-fiction book or listen to the audio
version, found no significant differences in how much of it they absorbed.

6 There is an intimacy too, a confessional air that suits soul-baring podcast 40

interviews and taboo³-busting discussions about sex or menopause or
parenting. And to hear a book read by its author is sometimes easier to
understand, by the inflections of their voice, a meaning you would not otherwise
have picked up. Voice notes suit the perennially4 anxious young in much the
same way because they are less intrusive than a phone call, and harder to 45
misunderstand than texts; people can hear when you are being ironic, lessening
the risk of accidentally causing offence.

7 What troubles me most about listening, I suppose, is that it is harder to share.

You can recommend a podcast to a friend but you cannot leave it on the train
seat for the next person when you get off, as I have done all my life with finished 50
newspapers. You cannot give your goddaughter your dog-eared, spine-cracked
copy of an audiobook that meant everything to you when you were her age. You
will never buy an old audiobook from a second-hand store and find somebody
else's faded notes scribbled in the margin, or a long-forgotten postcard used as
a bookmark that makes you want to know more about the life of the person who 55
sent it. Paper does not render itself useless in a power cut.

8 All of which makes me think reading will never yield to listening completely; that
like vinyl, handwritten love letters and cinema in the age of television, it will live
on for pleasure or for romance but also because there are times when nothing
else quite fits the bill. But if it turns out I am wrong – well, you did not hear it from 60
me.

[Adapted from theguardian.com]

Glossary:
1
insomniacs: those who have an inability to fall asleep easily
2
zeitgeist: the prevailing emotional atmosphere of a particular time period
3
taboo: something that is forbidden or frowned upon in society
4
perennially: something which re-occurs annually

AND

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TEXT B

Your commute just got a lot more

interesting with Audible.com. With
thousands of books to choose from, you
can listen to your favourite adventure
novels whenever you want. So you have
plenty of time to let your imagination
explore the jungle.

[Adapted from Audible.com]

GLOSSARY
1
Amazon: a vast jungle in South America

The text in small font reads as follows:

Your commute just got a lot more

interesting with Audible.com. With
thousands of books to choose from, you
can listen to your favourite adventure
novels whenever you want. So you have
plenty of time to let your imagination
explore the jungle.

1.1 Why does the writer use the word 'it' repeatedly in paragraph 1? (1)

1.2 Refer to paragraph 2.

Explain why listening to audiobooks is regarded as a 'generational shift'. (2)

1.3 What does the writer mean by the expression, 'Reading instinctively feels like
the higher art' (line 11)? (2)

1.4 Account for the use of the rhetorical question in, 'But is that fair?' (line 13) in
the context of paragraph 3. (2)
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1.5 Discuss the irony evident in paragraph 5. (3)

1.6 Refer to paragraph 6, lines 42–47: 'And to hear … accidentally causing

offence.'

1.6.1 Identify the tone used in these lines. (1)

1.6.2 Comment on the suitability of the tone used. (2)

1.7 Critically discuss how the diction in paragraph 7 conveys the writer's attitude
towards print media. Provide TWO examples of diction in your response. (3)

1.8 Refer to paragraph 8.

Is the final paragraph an appropriate conclusion to the article? Justify your

response. (3)

QUESTIONS: TEXT B

1.9 Refer to the verbal text.

How does Audible.com contribute to a more enjoyable journey? (2)

1.10 'So you have plenty of time to let your imagination explore the jungle.'

Identify how the imaginary jungle is depicted in the visual image. Provide its
purpose. (2)

1.11 Comment on the effectiveness of the portrayal of the woman in conveying the
message of TEXT B. (3)

QUESTION: TEXTS A AND B

1.12 Refer to both TEXT A and TEXT B.

Critically discuss the extent to which TEXT B supports the subheading, 'From
audiobooks to … understand the world' and paragraph 4 of TEXT A. (4)

TOTAL SECTION A: 30

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SECTION B: SUMMARY

QUESTION 2: SUMMARISING IN YOUR OWN WORDS

TEXT C discusses the benefits of silence. Summarise, in your own words, how
silence helps one to cope with everyday life.

NOTE: 1. Your summary should include SEVEN points and NOT exceed 90 words.
2. You must write a fluent paragraph.
3. You are NOT required to include a title for the summary.
4. Indicate your word count at the end of your summary.

TEXT C

SILENCE IS GOLDEN

The world around us is often a difficult place in which to cope. Many of us tend to lose
focus and find it difficult to remain consistently productive. With all the distractions of
our daily lives, it is easy to recognise that we need less noise in order to keep our
concentration. A little less noise is good for our well-being.

One of the major reasons why silence has become an important part of everyday life is
that it provides one with the ability to focus, because the modern world and its various
noises enter one's brain all at once. A silent environment helps one to concentrate
optimally. Studies have shown that solitude contributes to the success of the creative
process. It is reported that visionary scientists like Albert Einstein and Sir Isaac Newton
worked almost exclusively alone for the majority of their lives.

If people's attention is always being drawn away through daily distractions, they will
never know how their lives can be improved. Quiet time for self-reflection is important
to make a conscious improvement to the daily routines of life. Stress is one of the most
difficult aspects of modern life. A period of silence each day allows one the chance to
relax, thereby reducing stress levels.

There is a link between the level of noise that children are exposed to, and their
performance as students. The more noise children are exposed to, the more difficult
they find it to concentrate. Moreover, in the 21 st century, the exposure of children to a
plethora of electronic devices has resulted in hearing impairment which also affects
their achievements as students. In an article in Inc, research suggests that remaining
silent increases the production of new brain cells. Taking time to daydream may
improve productivity tenfold.

In today's fast-paced world, almost everyone has a short fuse for frustration. Learning
to relish silence cultivates calm and peace. When silence is practised regularly,
tolerance levels improve. People will have more patience with daily irritations, like
traffic jams and long lines at the store, if they learn to savour silent moments.
[Adapted from whisperroom.com]

TOTAL SECTION B: 10

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SECTION C: LANGUAGE STRUCTURES AND CONVENTIONS

QUESTION 3: ANALYSING ADVERTISING

Study the advertisement (TEXT D) below and answer the set questions.

TEXT D

LEVI’S 505™ JEANS.

NO ORDINARY
FLIGHT OF FASHION.
Call them fashion classic
if you like.
Just simple, honest 100%
cotton jeans that never wear out
their welcome.
Never? No, never!
Even that comfortable fit
grows friendlier with every
wearing.
Pre-shrunk, zipper fly,
Levi’s 505s. Timeless.
Dependable. Uncomplicated.
Sometimes, don’t you
wish everything was a little
more like that?
Available in Petites,
Juniors, Misses and Women’s
sizes.

[Adapted from pinterest.com]

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The text in small font reads as follows:

LEVI'S 505™ JEANS.

NO ORDINARY
FLIGHT OF FASHION.
Call them fashion classic
if you like.
Just simple, honest 100%
cotton jeans that never wear out
their welcome.
Never? No, never!
Even that comfortable fit
grows friendlier with every
wearing.
Pre-shrunk, zipper fly,
Levi's 505s. Timeless.
Dependable. Uncomplicated.
Sometimes, don't you
wish everything was a little
more like that?
Available in Petites,
Juniors, Misses and Women's
sizes.

QUESTIONS: TEXT D

3.1 How does the image of the birds link with the phrase, 'NO ORDINARY
FLIGHT'? (1)

3.2 Account for the use of the phrase, 'fashion classic'. (2)

3.3 Explain the persuasive appeal of ONE stylistic technique used by the
advertiser in the written text. (2)

3.4 Comment on how the depiction of the woman reinforces the message of the
advertisement. (3)

3.5 'Just simple, honest 100%

cotton jeans that never wear out
their welcome.'

The word 'welcome' has been used as a noun in the above sentence.

Use the word 'welcome' as a verb in a sentence of your choice. (1)

3.6 Account for the use of the apostrophe in 'LEVI'S', in the logo of the
advertisement. (1)
[10]

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QUESTION 4: UNDERSTANDING OTHER ASPECTS OF THE MEDIA

Study the cartoon (TEXT E) below and answer the set questions.

TEXT E

CALVIN AND HOBBES

FRAME 1 FRAME 2

YOU KNOW, I
A RELIGION? YEAH. ALL THESE EQUATIONS
DON’T THINK
MATH IS A ARE LIKE MIRACLES. YOU
SCIENCE. I TAKE TWO NUMBERS AND WHEN
THINK IT’S YOU ADD THEM, THEY MAGICALLY
A RELIGION. BECOME ONE NEW NUMBER!
NO ONE CAN SAY HOW IT
HAPPENS. YOU EITHER BELIEVE
IT OR YOU DON’T.

FRAME 3 FRAME 4

THIS WHOLE BOOK IS FULL AND IN THE AS A MATH

OF THINGS THAT HAVE TO PUBLIC ATHEIST, I
BE ACCEPTED ON FAITH! SCHOOLS NO SHOULD BE
IT’S A LESS. CALL EXCUSED FROM
RELIGION! A LAWYER. THIS.

[Source: mashupmaths.com]

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CHARACTERS:
Young boy: Calvin
Tiger: Hobbes

QUESTIONS: TEXT E

4.1 Refer to FRAME 1.

Provide ONE indicator reflecting Hobbes's confusion. (1)

4.2 How would Hobbes's tone change if 'A RELIGION?' were to be written in a
jagged speech bubble? (1)

4.3 Refer to FRAMES 1 and 3.

With close reference to the verbal cues in these frames, discuss the change
in Calvin's viewpoint. (3)

4.4 Critically discuss how humour is created in the final frame. (3)

4.5 Provide the suffix required for the adjectival form of 'RELIGION' (FRAME 1). (1)

4.6 Give a suitable synonym for 'LAWYER' (FRAME 4). (1)

[10]

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QUESTION 5: USING LANGUAGE CORRECTLY

Read TEXT F, which contains some deliberate errors, and answer the set questions.

TEXT F

HOW AFRICA IS GIVING FAST-FOOD A NEW SPIN

1 When Ebele Enunwa stopped for a bite to eat at his local fast-food restaurant, the
queue of people snaked all the way to the car park. The young investment banker
decided to start his own fast-food eatery. In 2004 he opened Kilimanjaro, a chain of
fast-food restaurants, which today has twenty outlets across Nigeria. The company
is one of a growing number of fast-food restaurants to sprout across Africa 5
recently.

2 'Kenya and Nigeria offers the desirable ingredients of an expanding middle-class,

and a strong private sector backbone,' says Elias Schulze, managing partner at
Africa Group.

3 Some international chains have tailored their products to local tastes. Popular local 10
ingredients have been added. In Nigeria, Domino's sells pizza topped with Jollof
rice, a West African staple. KFC in Kenya offers a product based on ugali,
a popular maize-based porridge. Apart from their profound knowledge of local,
home-grown tastes, their chains are also adapt at managing a business in
challenging circumstances, such as when electricity is in short supply. 15

4 'The other main obstacles include challenging and underdeveloped supply chains,
weak logistics networks, sensitive local partnerships and an unhelpful regulatory
environment,' said Schulze. He added that ultimately it was a gamble on the future.

[Adapted from edition.cnn.com]

QUESTIONS: TEXT F

5.1 Refer to the title.

Replace the word 'spin' with a formal English word. (1)

5.2 Provide the homophone of 'queue' (line 2). (1)

5.3 Replace the commas in lines 3 and 4 with suitable alternative punctuation
marks. (1)

5.4 Correct the concord error in paragraph 2. (1)

5.5 'Some international chains have tailored their products to local tastes.' (line 10)

Rewrite the above sentence in the passive voice. (1)

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5.6 Provide an antonym for the word 'profound' in the context of line 13. (1)

5.7 Refer to paragraph 3.

5.7.1 Remove the redundancy. (1)

5.7.2 Correct the malapropism. (1)

5.8 'He added that ultimately it was a gamble on the future' (line 18).

Rewrite the above sentence in direct speech. (2)

[10]

TOTAL SECTION C: 30
GRAND TOTAL: 70

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