Continuous Writing: Homework form 4 & 5

Write a composition of about 350 words on one of the following topics using the given guidelines:


1. Dreams
2. The hand phone is useful. Do you agree?
3. My Idol
4. Describe an unforgettable holiday
5. Write a short story with the ending as “That’s me”.

1.  Dreams
      - Discuss the topic as a narrative composition unless you have enough
       information to treat it like a factual essay
     
      Introduction

• Do your dreams come true?
• Poor boy but ambitious
• worked very hard at workshop
• Repaired bicycles, motorcycles, cars

      Body

• grew up
• enough savings-opened own workshop
• persevered
• expand business
• imported spare parts for vehicles
• supplied to other workshops

     Conclusion

• became a wealthy man despite being uneducated
• willing to persevere and sacrifice
• dreams do come true

2. The hand phone is useful. Do you agree?
     This is an argumentative essay and it requires you to make a stand.
   
     Introduction
     - example; Your stand : Agree

     Body
     Give reasons i.e the benefits of the hand phone

• convenient
• can contact parents when necessary
• public phones unreliable-vandalised
• during an emergency
• to impart news quickly

      Conclusion
      - state your stand again


3. My Idol
    This is a descriptive essay.
    
    Introduction

• state who your idol is
• describe the physical features of this person
• describe the person’s character which is peculiar to him/her
• give reasons why you idolise this person
• give amusing anecdotes to make this essay interesting

     Conclusion
     Emphasize the fact that he/she is your idol

4. Describe an unforgettable holiday
    This is a descriptive essay

     Introduction
     - state the place and the time


     Body

• Describe the physical features of this person
• describe an unexpected incident that happened during the holiday, it could be either a tragic or a happy one

          e.g a tragic incident  – drowned/lost in a jungle
                a happy one - a surprise birthday party/get to meet someone you admire

      Conclusion
      Emphasize that it was an unforgettable holiday, one you can never forget for the rest of
      your life

5. Write a short story with the ending as “That’s me”.
 
    Introduction
    Introduce yourself and describe yourself.

    Body 
    State one of your negative traits e.g selfishness

• Relate one or two incidents to demonstrate your selfishness
• Then, describe one major incident that happened due to your selfishness

          e.g had to look after two-year old brother
                - watched T.V, called friend to come over
                - forgot about brother
                - brother in kitchen
                - heard scream
                - went to kitchen to find brother scalded


     Conclusion

• regretted
• gets emotional every time sees brother’s scar
• end essay with ‘That’s me.’

Directed Writing: Speech/Talk (SPM) - Notes & Exercise

A Read the following text which is the introductory paragraph of a talk on the importance of a balanced diet for a healthy life. Then fill in the blanks.

I will start by telling you briefly what different members of the family need. First, I will talk about pregnant women. Next, I will look at what babies need. After that, I will deal with what young people need. In the second part of my talk, I will tell you about one case that I know of. In the last 30 minutes of my talk, I shall give some guidelines on how to prepare a balanced diet.

B The following outline of the introductory paragraph shows exactly what the speaker is going to talk about.

1. Needs of the different members of the family:

a) pregnant women

b) __________________________________

c) __________________________________

2. One case

3. ____________________________________

Tips

Here are some expressions to use when giving a talk.

• Today I will begin by telling ... • Then, I would like to

• In today’s talk, I will start ... • After that, …………

• First I am going to talk about

Exercise 1:

Write an introductory paragraph for your talk, based on the following outline. Remember to use the expressions above.

Television

1 Why television is popular

2 Functions of television: to inform, educate and entertain

3 Most important function of television: to entertain

Entertainment programmes:

• Situation comedies like the Cosby Show

• Dramas about doctors, lawyers and detectives like L.A. Law

• Variety shows

• Movies

4 In homes which have televisions:

• People watch at least 6 hours a day

• Important influence on how people spend their leisure time and what they see and learn

Exercise 2:

You are the chairperson of the school Welfare Club. You have decided to help the Melia Children’s Home where abused and underprivileged children live. You have to give a talk to the students in your school to get their co-operation and support to help these children. Based on these notes that you have made, write out your speech.

Children - need books, clothes.

Many children - can barely speak English.

Place – not clean, grass overgrown

Facilities - no television, no games, etc.

Action Plan:

Organize a project to collect money, clothes, books.

Get senior students to volunteer services, to help children learn languages.

Have weekly plan to clean Home, cut grass, teach children to help.

Hold a funfair to raise money to buy a television, some games equipment.

In your speech, you must elaborate on the notes given.

Looking For A Rain God: Exercise

Read the extract from the short story Looking for a Rain God below and answer the questions that follow.

The adults paid no attention to this: they did not even hear the funny chatter; they sat waiting for the rain; their nerves were stretched to breaking-point willing the rain to fall out of the sky. Nothing was important, beyond that. All their animals had been sold during the bad years to purchase food, and of all their herd only two goats were left. It was the women of the family who finally broke down under the strain of waiting for rain. It was really the two women who caused the death of the little girls.

(a) Whose funny chatter was it?

_______________________________________________________ (1 mark)

(b) What did the family do in order to survive the drought?

________________________________________________________ (1 mark)

(c) Who killed the little girls?

________________________________________________________ (1 mark)

(d) Do you think it is right for the girls to be killed? Give a reason.

________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________ (2 marks)

The Necklace: Exercise

Read the extract from the short story The Necklace and answer the questions that follow.

But one evening her husband had came home with a triumphant air and holding a large envelope in his hand.
“There,” said he, “there is something for you.”
She tore the paper quickly and drew out a printed card which bore these words:

The Minister of Public Instruction and Madame Georges Ramponneau request the honour of M. and Madamme Loisel’s company at the place of the Ministry on Monday evening, January 18th.


(a) i) When was the ball held ?

____________________________________________[1 mark]
ii) Who invited the Loisels?

____________________________________________[1 mark]
(b) Based on the extract above, what can you say about Mathilde when she tore the paper quickly?

_____________________________________________[1 mark]

(c) If you were Mathilde, what would your intention be by attending the ball?

_____________________________________________

_____________________________________________[2 marks ]

The Necklace: More exercises

Exercise 1

1. Why didn’t Jeanne recognize Mathilde at first?
2. What was the life Mathilde lived in the past ten years like?
3. Why did Mathilde borrow a necklace from her friend?
4. Where was Pierre Loisel working?
5. Why had she been working very hard?

Exercise 2

1. How did Mathilde feel when her husband told her the good news?
2. Why was Mathilde worried?
3. How much did her dress cost her?
4. What else did she want to wear?
5. What did Pierre suggest?
6. What did they decide to do? Why?
7. When did Mathilde decide to see her friend?

Exercise 3

1. What kind of necklace did she get?
2. How did they enjoy the ball at the palace？
3. What happened on their way home after the ball?
4. What did they do for Jeanne?
5. How much did the diamond necklace cost?
6. What did they do in order to pay back the debt?

The Drover's Wife: Exercises

Exploring the text

1. Make a list of the personal qualities of this woman as they are presented to the reader in the extract (for example, courage, cunning).

2. Divide into small groups. Complete the table below in your group and place each of the qualities from individual lists into the most appropriate column.

Positive qualities	Negative qualities

As a class, share your responses – appoint a recorder to draw up the same table on the board. Record the responses of each group – place a tick next to each word when it is repeated.

As a whole class, discuss:

• Are there more positive than negative qualities?
• Has there been disagreement about the category in which a particular quality belongs? Which one/s? Why do you think this is the case?
• What is the quality that you, as a class, think is the dominant one in this woman's personal make-up?
• As a class, discuss and develop a definition of ‘personal qualities’.

3. Draw a symbol map of the five qualities that you think are the most significant in this woman's character. Choose a visual symbol to represent each of the qualities. For example:

4. Write out two copies of the following questions on slips of paper:

• What are the elements of our lives which help to shape our ‘character’ and personal qualities?
• Do you think that we, as Australians, share certain character qualities? What do you think these are?
• What is Henry Lawson saying about the way the environment (that is, the bush) has shaped the character of the woman in this story?

Divide into six groups. Each group discusses a particular question. As groups, prepare answers to share with the rest of the class. All members of the group should be involved in the reporting back process.

5. Write your own short story set in present times about an incident that highlights a character's special personal qualities. The character is you.

Monsoon History: Exercises

Read the stanza below and answer the questions that follow.

The air is wet,
……soaks
Into mattresses,
….curls
In apparitions of smoke.
Like fat white slugs furled
Among the timber, ,
Or silver fish tunnelling
The damp linen covers
Of schoolbooks,
….or walking
Quietly like centipedes,
The air walking everywhere
On its hundred feet
Is filled with glare
Of tropical water.

1. What is the above stanza about?

2. What kind of imagery is used to depict the dampness?

3. What kind of climate is depicted in the above stanza?

Poetic Devices used in” Monsoon History”.

Simile - “The air is wet….. Like fat white slugs furled
- “The air still silent
Like sleepers rocked in the pantun”,

Metaphor - watch mother uncoil
Her snake hair

Onomatopoeia - silver fish tunnelling
- rolling darkness
- down pouring rain
- the air ticks with gnats……

Contrast - “Clashing their timid horns”

Read and understand the devices above.

Looking For A Rain God: Exercises

Character Review

Write a short description of the characters below:-
1. Mokgobja

2. Ramadi

3.Tiro and Nesta

4. Neo & Boseyong

Answer the following questions.

5. How did the villagers react to the sudden disappearance of the two girls?

6. The family tried to cover the truth of the girls’ deaths from the villagers. What gave the family away?

7.What was the reaction of the men to the women’s hysterics?

8.What did Mokgobja witness when he was young?

9. How did the police uncover the truth?

10. Who is the main character?

The Sound Machine: Exercises

1)Complete the story with the words from the box

The Sound Machine tells the story of Klausner’s ………………………………with sound. He makes a …………………that he thinks can hear flowers …………………when they are picked. He discovers this

when he claims he can listen to flowers screaming when his ………………………cuts them off. In order to confirm his idea, he tests the machine by cutting a tree with an axe and ………………………. the doctor to put ………………… on the cut. …………………….., he …………………………… his doctor to put iodine on the cut to ………………………….. the tree.

stitches-neighbour -persuades-cure-screaming-finally-machine-wants-obsession

2) Are these sentences true or false? Correct the false ones

a. Klausner has bought a machine to hear sounds that we cannot normally hear. …..

b. Klausner is a tall, strong man. …..

c. Klausner hears the flowers scream when they are cut. …..

d. He asks Mrs Saunders to cut another flower. …..

e. Klausner phones the doctor very late at night. …..

3) Write the questions for the following answers.

a. Because Klausner phones him.

b. Plants cry.

c. Because she is afraid of Klausner. She thinks he is acting crazy.

d. Because Klausner phones him again.

e. The branch makes a horrifying sound, as if it were crying.

f. Because he thinks Klausner is mad so agrees to use iodine.

4) ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS

In the garden…

a) What does Klausner hear??

b) In his opinion, what is making the noise?

c) How does Klausner prove his idea?

In the park…

a) What does the doctor hear?

b) What does the doctor think?

Your opinion…

a)Do you think that plants can feel??

b)What would you do if you were the doctor?

Continuous writing exercise

Continuous Writing (50 marks)

Question: A place you would like to visit most.

Suggested Approach
1. Type of Place

• Seaside
• Mountain
• City
• Village

2. A Brief History of Place

• How it started
• The first settlement
• What it was well-known for

3. Main Attractions

• Food
• People
• Place of interest
• Activities

4. Weather Conditions

• Nice, breezy
• Cool, fresh
• Hot, dusty

5. Why you like it

• Special things about the place

6. Description of a Recent Visit

• What happen
• An enjoyable time
• Happy memories

7. Conclusion

Continuous writing exercise

Continuous Writing (50 marks)

Question: The advantages of computer literacy

Suggested Approach
1. Define literacy

• computer literacy
• knowing how to use the computer

2. Advantages to students

3. Advantages in business sector

• banks
• marketings and sales
• manufacturing

4. Computer for information

5. Computer for entertainment

6. Computer for correspondence

7. Conclusion

• more advantages than disadvantages

Continuous writing exercise

Continuous Writing (50 marks)

Question: Describe an occasion when you did something foolish and regretted latter

Suggested Approach
1. Introduction

• words of regret about the foolish action

2. How it started

• background

3. What you did

4. What went wrong

• direct speech: a new paragraph for each piece of direct speech

5. What happened later

6. Conclusion

• refer to action, promise not to repeat action

Directed Writing: Report

Directed Writing (35 marks)

You are advised to spend about 45 minutes on this section.

Your friend was driving the car you were travelling in along a busy main road in the centre of town near the market. Suddenly, a van appeared from a junction and rammed into your friend's car. When you and your friend went to the police station to report the accident, the police asked one of you to write a report stating as clearly as possible what had happenend. As your friend cannot write reports well, he asked you to write the police report. You should include the following details and elaborate on them.

• the exact time and place
• description of the vehicles, including your friend's car
• how the accident happened
• whose fault you think it was

When writng the report, you should address it to the Traffic Police.

Looking For A Rain God

Answer the questions based on the short story.

1. How was the landscape before 1958? How was it after 1958, with the seven-year
drought?
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2. What did the people do to cope with the drought?
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3. Who was Mokgobja?
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4. Why did the Mokgobja and his family move off to the lands?
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5. Why did Ramadi and his family face difficulty in planting crops?
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6. Why did the earth appear to be alive at night?
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7. What did the people do to get food?
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8. How did the two girls spend their leisure hours?
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9. What did the people get from the incanters, charlatans and witch-doctors?
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10. Why did the two women use the thorn-bush to fix hedges to their vast ploughing area?
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11. Why were the adults not interested in what the children were doing?
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12. What did the two women do every night? Why did they behave in such a way?
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13. Why did the two men remain silent and controlled their emotions?
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14. What did the old man remember?
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15. What did the old man do to solve the family’s misery which was caused by the
drought? Who were sacrificed to the rain-god?
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16. What did they do to the bodies?
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17. Why did people become very suspicious?
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18 Why did the mother of the two children break down?
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19. Why did the court sentence the two men to death?
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20. What lessons can we learn from the story?
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The Road Not Taken

Which Is the Road Not Taken?

You may have noticed that the title of the poem can refer to either road. Here's why: The speaker takes the road "less traveled" (line 19). In other words, he chooses the road not taken by most other travelers. However, when he chooses this less-traveled road, the other road then becomes the road not taken.

Themes

Individualism: The speaker chooses to go his own way, taking the “road less traveled” (line 19).
Caution: Before deciding to take the "road less traveled" (line 19), the speaker takes time to consider the other road: "long I stood / And looked down one as far as I could" (lines 3-4).
Commitment: The speaker does not have second thoughts after making his decision.
Accepting a Challenge: It may be that the road the speaker chooses is less traveled because it presents trials or perils. Such challenges seem to appeal to the speaker.

Study Questions and Essay Topics

1. Do you think Frost intended the y in yellow (line 1) to suggest the diverging roads?
2. What is undergrowth (line 5)?
3. Does curiosity motivate the speaker when he makes his choice?
4. Write an essay about a time when you took a less-traveled road.
5. Write an essay that interprets the last line of the poem.

Sonnet 18:Questions

Look for clues in the poem and use them to answer the questions.

1. Who does the persona compare to a summer’s day?
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2. What does the persona refer to as darling buds of May?
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3. What are two qualities that the persona finds in his beloved in line two of the poem?
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4. Why does the persona say that summer has too short a date?
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5. Why is the sun seen as being at a disadvantage compared to the persona’s beloved?
Why do you say so?
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6. Who does the persona refer to as eternal summer? What does it mean?
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7. How would the persona’s beloved be remembered forever by people?
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8. What is the tone expressed by the persona in the couplet in the poem?
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9. State two themes that are present in the poem?
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10. What moral lessons can we learn from the poem?
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Directed Writing: Speech

Directed Writing (35 marks)

You are advised to spend about 45 minutes on this question.

You have just attended a talk on 'How the Internet Has and Will Influence Our Lives'. During the talk, you made the following notes.

• make us more aware of the world
• a source of knowledge
• a means of communication
• convenient banking and other transactions
• convenient way to study through E-learning

Write an article for your school magazine, based on the information given. Your article should inform students about the benefits of the Internet.

You must provide a title for your article. Add details of your own to make the article more interesting.

Directed Writing: Informal letter

Directed Writing (35 marks)

You are advised to spend about 45 minutes on this question.

Your cousin, who lives in another town, has written to you to ask your opinion regarding studying overseas. You are against studying overseas as you feel studying in local colleges and universities is better than in foreign universities. Based on the following points, write a reply to your cousin to convince him to study locally.

• studying abroad is more expensive
• local colleges and universities are also equipped with good facilites
• the quality of education in local universities equals their foreign counterparts
• will not feel homesick

In your letter, you can add any other information.

The Necklace - Sample Questions

“What do you mean? You brought it back.”

“I brought you back another exactly like it. And it has taken us 10 years to pay for it. You can understand that it was not easy for us, who had nothing. At last, it is ended and I am very glad.”

Madame Forrestier had stopped.

“You say that you bought a necklace of diamonds to replace mine?”

“Yes. You never noticed it then! They were very similar.”

Answer the given questions below.

a. How long did it take the Loisels to settle their debts? (1 mark)

b. How did Mathilde feel after having settled the debts? (1 mark)

c. Why didn’t Madame Forrestier notice that the necklace given to her was a diamond necklace? (1 mark)

d. If you were Mathilde, what would you have done when you discovered that the lost necklace was worth only 500 francs? Give a reason for your answer. (2 marks)

There’s been a death in the opposite house

There’s been a death in the opposite house
As lately as today.
I know it by the numb look Such houses have always.

The neighbours rustle in and out,
The doctor drives away.
A window opens like a pod, Abrupt, mechanically;

Somebody flings a mattress out,
The children hurry by;
They wonder if It died on that,
I used to when a boy.

The minister goes stiffly in
As if the house were his,
And he owned all the mourners now,
And little boys besides;

And then the milliner,
and the man Of the appalling trade,
To take the measure of the house.
There’ll be that dark parade

Of tassels and of coaches soon;
It’s easy as a sign,
The intuition of the news In just a country town.

Emily Dickinson

Explanation:
In stanza 1, the persona tells us that someone has died in the house opposite his. The death occurred recently and he knows this because of the sombre atmosphere of the house. The house is said to have a numb look because the occupants of the house are numb with grief.

In stanza 2, he tells us about the goings-on at the house of the deceased. The neighbours come and go, and they try to be quiet and this is conveyed by the word “rustle”. The doctor drives away probably because there is nothing he can do. Then a window opens suddenly, mechanically. This is also how the family of the deceased behaves because they are overcome with grief.

In stanza 3, we learn that a mattress is thrown out, frightening the children who walk past the house. They wonder if the deceased died on the mattress. We learn that the persona used to do the same when he was a boy. From the last line we can infer that the persona is now a grown man. The deceased is referred to as “It” because he/she is no longer alive.

Stanza 4 describes the minister’s arrival. He appears to be stern and takes charge of the funeral arrangements.

Stanza 5 focuses on two people, the milliner and the undertaker who have come to make arrangements for the funeral. The milliner is there to take measurements to make a hat for the deceased while the undertaker, “the man of the appalling trade”, is there to take measurements for the “house” (coffin).

Stanza 6 tells us that once arrangements have been made, there will be the funeral procession (“the dark parade”) where the coffin will be taken to the cemetery on a horse-drawn carriage with the mourners following it.

Setting: The death takes place in a country town where people know one another. This is why the persona is able to recognise the people who come and go.

Theme: Death is a natural occurrence. Yet, it is a sad event for those who lose a loved one (the people are numb with grief).

Tone: Though the theme of this poem is death, it does not have a sad and mournful tone. The persona tells us of the goings on in a matter-of-fact manner to convey the idea that death is a natural occurrence.

The present tense is used to convey the idea that death is an everyday occurrence.

Answer the given questions below.

a. How do the people of the house react to the death? (1 mark)
b. Who does the word “his” in line 14 of the poem refer to? (1 mark)
c. Why does the persona refer to the undertaker as “the man of the appalling trade”? (1 mark)
d. In your own words, explain what the speaker means when he says “then, there’ll be that dark parade”? (2 marks)

More questions...

a. How did the poet know that someone had died in the opposite house? (1 mark)
b. What were the neighbours doing? (2 marks)
c. Why do you think the word 'it' is used to describe the deceased? (2 marks)