Subject ENGLISH

Term 1: Summative Assessment

Educator Ms K Bolton
Duration 1 hour, 10
minutes

MEMO Gr. 6 ___

Educator signature / Sectio Sectio TOTAL %

nA nB
Comments:

25 25 50 100

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INSTRUCTIONS

1. This paper consists of 12 pages and 2 sections.

2. Read each instruction carefully before answering each question.
3. Pay special attention to spelling and sentence construction.
4. Write neatly and legibly.
5. Answer all longer form questions in FULL SENTENCES as far as possible.

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 Section A: Reading Non-Fiction
(Spend 30 minutes on this section)

Read the text extract, Text A, below. Then answer questions 1–13.

TEXT A
Gerald Durrell was a famous naturalist. As a child, he collected lots of
different animals. Kokino, a local fisherman, liked to help him. In this
account, Gerald tells us about one very exciting day.
3

One morning, I was looking through a pile of seaweed and Kokino came
over to help me. There was the usual assortment of squids the size of a
matchbox, crabs and tiny fish. Suddenly, Kokino picked something out of
tangled seaweed and held it out to me. I could hardly believe my eyes, for
it was a seahorse*. Browny-green, it lay on Kokino’s hand, gasping, with
its tail coiling and uncoiling frantically. 8

Hurriedly, I snatched it from him and plunged it into a jar which was full of
sea water. To my delight it righted itself*, its tiny fins fluttering. Excitedly,
I scrabbled through the rest of the seaweed. I was soon rewarded, for in a
few minutes, I had six seahorses in the jar.
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Thrilled by my good luck, I raced back to our villa. I knew that the oxygen
in the jar would not last long. If I wanted to keep them alive, I would have
to move quickly. Carrying an aquarium*, I ran down to the sea again, filled
the bottom with sand and dashed back to the villa with it; then I had to
run down to the sea again three times with buckets to fill it up with the
required amount of water. I began to wonder whether the seahorses were
worth all this trouble. 18

But as soon as I tipped them into the aquarium, I knew that they were. I
had anchored a small branch in the sand, and as the seahorses plopped
out of the jar they sped round and round the aquarium, their fins moving
so fast that you could not see them. After that, they all made for the
branch and wrapped their tails round it lovingly. The seahorses were an
instant success with all the family. Even Larry used to watch them
zooming and bobbing around their tank.
24

*Glossary:
seahorse – a small fish that swims in an upright position and has a head like a horse
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righted itself – turned the right way up
aquarium – a glass tank for keeping fish
1. Is Text A is a biographical or an autobiographical account? [2]

Tick (✓) the correct box.

Biographical

Autobiographical ✓

Give a reason for your answer.

Uses the pronouns ‘I’ and ‘me’.

(Any other relevant answer)

2. Name three of the sea creatures that Gerald finds before he finds the seahorse. [3]
 squids (the size of a matchbox)
 crabs
 (tiny) fish

3. Find a phrase from paragraph 2 which implies that Gerald was amazed. [1]

(I could) hardly believe my eyes.

4. Why is the seahorse gasping?

It can’t breathe / it needs water to breathe / it can’t live out

of the water. [1]

5. What does the word ‘it’ refer to in the sentence, ‘Hurriedly, I snatched it from him’?
(Paragraph 3)
Tick (✓) one box.
[1]
Jar
Hand
Seahorse ✓

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 Sea water

5. Give two verbs from Text A which mean ‘to run quickly’. [2]
• raced
• dashed

6. Name the punctuation mark used in the word ‘browny-green’ from paragraph 2. [1]
Tick (✓) the correct box.

hyphen ✓

dash

Explain the purpose of the punctuation mark mentioned above. [1]

Join two words to create a new word.

7. Why do you think Gerald wonders ‘whether the seahorses were worth all this trouble’? [1]

• It was hard work (filling the aquarium) (several times with water)

OR

• He had to run down to the sea (again) three times (to fill the aquarium with water).

8. Give one phrase from the text that tells us that Gerald’s relatives immediately liked the
seahorses. [1]

(The seahorses were) an instant success.

9. Do you think Gerald is a kind person? Tick (✓) one box.

Give evidence from the text to support your answer. [1]

Yes, he is kind to animals / the sea horses because, for

example, he rescued the seahorse from the seaweed / he
makes an effort filling the aquarium with sea water.

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OR

No, he is not kind because, for example, it is unkind / bad for

the sea horses / animals to remove them from their homes /
natural habitat.

10. Look at the last sentence (lines 23-24).

How do you think Larry (Gerald’s brother) usually feels about Gerald’s animals?
Explain your answer using evidence from the text. [2]

• He doesn’t usually like / he’s not usually interested in

Gerald’s animals, because the
writer uses the word even.
OR
• Larry must like the seahorses because he watches them.

11. Determine the word classes (Parts of Speech) of the underlined words in the following
sentences. [5]

Kokino picked something out of tangled seaweed. Adjective

I knew that the oxygen in the jar would not last long. pronoun

I snatched it from him. verb

I plunged it into a jar which was full of sea water. conjunction

They all made for the branch and wrapped their tails round it lovingly. adverb

12. Add a prefix to the underlined word in the sentence below to create the opposite meaning.

There was the usual assortment of squids. [1]

Usual: unusual

13. Fill in the correct article on the lines provided in the sentences below. [2]

Gerald had the most exciting day of his life.

The sea was calling Gerald’s name.

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 SECTION A TOTAL: ______________ / 25

_______________________________________________________________________
_

Section B: Reading
(Spend 30 minutes on this section)
Read the text extract below from ‘The Good Thieves’ by Katherine Rundell. Then answer
questions 1–16.

TEXT B
Vita’s grandfather lives in another country. He has a problem, and Vita and her
mother have come to help. 2

Vita set her jaw and nodded at the city in greeting, as a boxer greets an opponent
before a fight. She stood alone on the deck of the ship. The sea was wild and
stormy, casting salt spray thirty feet into the air, and all the other passengers on the
ocean liner, including her mother, had taken sensible refuge in their cabins. 6

But it is not always sensible to be sensible. Vita had slipped away and stood out in
the open, gripping the rail with both hands as the boat crested a wave the size of an
opera house. So it was that she alone had the first sight of the city. 9

‘There she is!’ called a deck hand*. 10

New York climbed out of the mist, tall and grey-blue and beautiful; so beautiful that it
pulled Vita forwards to the bow of the boat to stare. 12

******
They took a cab from the docks. Vita’s mother carefully counted out a handful of
coins and gave the driver the address. ‘As close as we can get for that, please,’ she
said, and he took in her carefully mended hems* and nodded. 15

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 TEXT B CONTINUED…
When the money ran out, they walked. They went as fast as Vita could go, suitcases
in hand. 17

‘There!’ said Vita’s mother. ‘That’s Grandpa’s flat.’

‘It all looks very … smart,’ said Vita. ‘Are you sure this is the place?’ 19

‘I’m sure,’ said her mother. ‘He’s on the top floor, right under the roof. It’ll be a
squeeze, but it’s not for long.’ Their return ticket was booked for three weeks’ time.
‘Come on!’ Her mother’s voice sounded unnaturally bright. ‘Let’s go and find him.’ 22
The lift was broken, so Vita half ran up the stairs to Grandpa’s apartment, jerkily,
ignoring the pain in her left foot. She came to rest, breathless, outside the door. 24

******
Vita’s mother came, panting, up the final flight of stairs. She opened the door, and
Vita went tearing down the hall. 26

‘Grandpa!’
‘Rapscallion!’ He stood and Vita hurled herself into his arms, and he laughed,
winded by the impact. 29

‘Julia,’ he said, as Vita’s mother came in, ‘I only got your telegram three days ago,
or I would have stopped you–’
Vita’s mother shook her head. ‘Just try to hold us back, Dad.’ 32

‘It’s good to see you. But there was no need.’

Julia pushed Vita towards the door. ‘Go and find your room, darling,’ she said.
‘It’s the one at the end of the corridor,’ said Grandpa. ‘More of a cupboard than a
room, I’m afraid,’ he said, ‘but the view is very fine.’ 36

Vita went slowly down the corridor, her suitcase in hand. She noticed how the
floorboards squeaked; how the paint peeled from the wall. She pushed at the door. It
stuck; she kicked it with her stronger foot. It flew open scattering thin shards of
plaster. 40

The room was so small she could practically touch all four walls at once, but it had a
window looking out over the street. Vita sat on the bed and tried to think. 42

Glossary:
*deck hand: sailor
*hem: the bottom edge of a skirt or dress

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 1. Which narrative voice has Text B been written in? Tick (✓) one box. [2]
First-person narrative
Third-person narrative ✓

Give a reason for your answer above.

Uses the pronouns ‘she’ , ‘her’.

OR
The story is told from an outsider’s perspective.
(Any other relevant answer.)

2. Vita is going on a boat. Where is the boat going? [1]

New York / America / USA

3. Look at the first sentence in line 3. (Vita set her jaw and nodded at the city in greeting.)
How does Vita feel about arriving at her destination? [1]

excited
relieved
annoyed
determined ✓

4. Why are there no passengers on deck? [1]

 Because the sea was wild and stormy (casting spray 30 ft

in the air - neutral).

 Because the weather was bad.

 They were (being sensible and staying) in their cabins

(because of the weather) / they were taking refuge in
their cabins (because of the strong storm.) / all the
passengers on the ocean liner, including her mother, had
taken refuge in their cabins.

 So they did not get caught in the storm

5. Look at lines 7-10.

Give a short phrase which means ‘left quietly, without being noticed’. [1]

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 (Vita had / has) slipped away.
6. Provide two synonyms for the word ‘’opponent’. (Line 3, paragraph 2)
Tick (✓) two boxes. [2]

friend

protagonist

rival ✓

character

foe ✓

7. Do you think the cab driver is a kind man? Tick (✓) one box. [1]

Yes

No

NB: a box must be ticked for the mark to be awarded.

Give evidence from the text to support your answer. [1]

Yes:
• He agrees to take Vita and her mother as far as their
money will take them.
• He sees that Vita’s mother’s hems/clothes were
(carefully) mended and he doesn’t
say anything – accept ‘just nodded’ as an alternative to
‘doesn’t say anything’
• He understands Vita and her mother are poor.
• He is sympathetic because they are poor.
• He accepted the request of Vita’s mother /he did what
Vita’s mother asked.

No:
• He doesn’t take Vita and her mother all the way to
Grandpa’s flat.

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 • He makes/lets them walk when the money runs out /when
money ran out they had
to walk
• He’s just doing his job.
• Even if the money ran out, he should have driven them to
the flat.

8. Look at line 19. (‘It all looks very … smart,’ said Vita.)

(a) Why is an ellipsis used? [1]

 It shows a (short) pause/break (in her speaking) / tell

reader she stopped talking for a while / shows a pause
(‘or drifting off’ = neutral) / a pause in thoughts / a
pause in trail of thought

 It shows hesitation (and confusion while she is talking –

neutral)

 It shows she is searching for the right word / took time

to find the right word

 To show she is thinking (how to describe the house.) /

struggling to find words
(b) What does this tell you about how Vita is feeling? [1]

 It tells us that Vita is unsure /confused

 It tells us that Vita is surprised / amazed / shocked

 She is unconvinced / uncertain

9. Look at line 22. (‘Come on!’ Her mother’s voice sounded unnaturally bright.)
What does the phrase ‘unnaturally bright’ tell us about how Vita’s mother is feeling?
[1]

 She wasn’t really cheerful / happy / excited / bright / in

good spirits / optimistic / positive / confident. She was
putting on an act.

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  She was (only) pretending to be cheerful / happy /
excited / bright / in good spirits / optimistic / positive /
confident.

 She wanted Vita to think she was more cheerful /

happy / excited / bright / in good spirits / optimistic /
positive / confident than she really was.
10. Look at lines 25-29. Vita is excited to see her grandpa. Give two pieces of evidence from
the text to show this. [2]

 She runs towards him. / (‘She opened the door and Vita)
went tearing down the hall’

 She calls excitedly to him. / ‘Grandpa!’

 She gives him a big hug. / ( he stood and Vita) hurled

herself into his arms’

11. Look at line 32. (‘Just try to hold us back, Dad.’)

What does Vita’s mother mean? Tick (✓) one box. [1]

‘You can’t prevent us, Dad.’ ✓

‘You can make more effort, Dad.’

‘You shouldn’t hide things from us, Dad.’

‘You should show your emotions, Dad.’

12. Look at line 34. Why does Mum tell Vita to go and find her room. Tick (✓) one box. [1]

She thought Via was tired and wanted to rest.

She wanted to talk to her dad without Vita around. ✓

She thought Vita would want to look around the flat.

She wanted Vita to enjoy the view from her window.

13. Would you want to live in a flat like Grandpa’s? Tick (✓) one box.

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 Yes

No

Give one reason and one piece of evidence from the text to support your answer. [2]

Yes:

Reason: His apartment is in a smart / posh / expensive (-

looking) area (of New York). Evidence: – ‘It all looks very …
smart,’

Reason: Vita’s room had a good view.

Evidence:– ‘the view is very fine’

No:
Reason: His apartment was very small.
Evidence: – ‘it’ll be a squeeze’, or Evidence: – ‘More of a
cupboard than a room’ or Evidence: – she could practically
touch all four walls at once

Reason: His apartment was up several flights of stairs / not

in a good position / difficult to get to.
Evidence:– ‘He’s on the top floor, (right under the roof)’

Reason: His apartment was in bad condition / not taken care

of / not maintained well
Evidence: – the lift was broken, or Evidence: – (In the
corridor) the floorboards squeaked – the paint peeled from
the wall – the door to Vita’s bedroom stuck / had to be
kicked open – plaster fell off (when Vita kicked the door)
14. The writer gradually lets us know that Vita has a problem walking. Provide evidence from
the text to support this statement.

Give one piece of evidence from the second section (lines 13-24): [1]
 They went as fast as Vita could go.
(Do not allow: extra words ‘suitcases in hand’)

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  so Vita half ran up the stairs to Grandpa’s apartment,
jerkily
(Do not allow: extra words ‘The lift was broken’)

 (ignoring) the pain in her left foot.

Give one piece of evidence from the third section (lines 25-40): [1]

(It stuck: she kicked it with) her stronger / better foot

15. Give two ways we know this story was set many years ago. [2]

 They travel to America by boat / ship / ocean liner. /

They don’t travel to America by plane. / They don’t fly.

 ‘carefully mended hems’ / People don’t usually repair

their clothes.

 They use coins (to pay the cab driver.)

 (They send Grandpa) a telegram (not a text). / They

don’t call Grandpa by phone / text / email / Zoom, etc.

 Vita and her mother don’t have suitcases with wheels /

only have (small) suitcases (they can carry).

16. Rewrite the dialogue below with the correct punctuation.

I am excited to see Grandpa said Vita excitedly [4÷2=2]

“I am excited to see Grandpa,” said Vita excitedly.

SECTION B TOTAL: _______________ / 25

GRAND TOTAL: 50 MARKS

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