POEMS

Question 1 - Read the following poem and answer the questions that follow.

He Had Such Quiet Eyes

He had such quiet eyesShe did not realiseThey were two pools of liesLayered with thinnest iceTo her, those quiet eyesWere breathing desolate sighsImploring her to be niceAnd to render him paradise

If only she’d been wiseAnd had listened to the adviceNever to compromiseWith pleasure-seeking guysShe’d be free from “the hows and whys”

Now here’s a bit of adviceBe sure that nice really means niceThen you’ll never be losing at diceThough you may lose your heart once or twice

Bibsy Soenharjo

a) What made the girl become attracted to the man?

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________________________________________________________________________ (1 mark)

b) What does the line, “They were two pools of lies” tell us about what kind of guy the man actually is?

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c) From stanza 2, what do we learn about the girl’s feelings?

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d) “We should not judge a person from his or her appearance”. Do you agree? Give a reason.

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Question 2 - Read the following poem and answer the questions that follow.

He Had Such Quiet Eyes

He had such quiet eyesShe did not realiseThey were two pools of liesLayered with thinnest iceTo her, those quiet eyesWere breathing desolate sighsImploring her to be niceAnd to render him paradise

If only she’d been wiseAnd had listened to the adviceNever to compromiseWith pleasure-seeking guysShe’d be free from “the hows and whys”

Now here’s a bit of adviceBe sure that nice really means niceThen you’ll never be losing at diceThough you may lose your heart once or twice

Bibsy Soenharjo

a) Which word in stanza 1 suggests that the man is unhappy?

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________________________________________________________________________ (1 mark)

b) What do the man’s quiet eyes ask of the girl?

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________________________________________________________________________ (1 mark)

c) How was the girl’s action unwise?

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________________________________________________________________________ (1 mark)

d) If you were the girl, what could you do to avoid being cheated by the man? Give two suggestions.

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________________________________________________________________________ (2 marks)

Question 1 - Read the following poem and answer the questions that follow.

Are You Still Playing Your Flute?

Are you still playing your flute?When there is hardly time for our loveI am feeling guiltyTo be longing for your songThe melody concealed in the slim hollow of the bambooUncovered by the breath of an artistComposed by his fingersBlown by the windTo the depth of my heart.

Are you still playing your flute?In the village so quiet and desertedAmidst the sick rice fieldsWhile here it has become a luxuryTo spend time watching the rain Gazing at the evening raysCollecting dew dropsOr enjoying the fragrance of flowers.

Are you still playing your flute?The more it disturbs my conscienceto be thinking of youin the hazard of youmy younger brothers unemployed and desperatemy people disunited by politicsmy friend slaughtered mercilesslythis world is too old and bleeding.

Zurinah Hassan

a) What is the relationship of the persona to the man playing the flute?

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________________________________________________________________________ (1 mark)

b) Provide an example of words in the poem which show that the persona actually enjoys listening to the man playing the flute?

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c) From stanza 3, what happened to the persona’s people?

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d) Do you think that it is appropriate for the man to be playing his flute when a lot of problems are happening in his country? Give a reason to support your answer.

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________________________________________________________________________ (2 marks)

Question 2 - Read the following poem and answer the questions that follow.

Are You Still Playing Your Flute?

Are you still playing your flute?When there is hardly time for our loveI am feeling guiltyTo be longing for your songThe melody concealed in the slim hollow of the bambooUncovered by the breath of an artistComposed by his fingersBlown by the windTo the depth of my heart.

Are you still playing your flute?In the village so quiet and desertedAmidst the sick rice fieldsWhile here it has become a luxuryTo spend time watching the rain Gazing at the evening raysCollecting dew dropsOr enjoying the fragrance of flowers.

Are you still playing your flute?The more it disturbs my conscienceto be thinking of youin the hazard of youmy younger brothers unemployed and desperatemy people disunited by politicsmy friend slaughtered mercilesslythis world is too old and bleeding.

Zurinah Hassan

a) What is the atmosphere in the village as described in the poem?

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________________________________________________________________________ (1 mark)

b) What does the word, sick tell you about how the rice field probably looks like?

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________________________________________________________________________ (1 mark)

c) Why is it a rare opportunity for the persona to enjoy simple pleasures like collecting dew drops, in the place where she lives?

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d) What would you consider a luxury in your life? Give a reason to support your answer.

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________________________________________________________________________ (2 marks)

IN THE MIDST OF HARDSHIP (1)

32. Read the extract of the poem IN THE MIDST OF HARDSHIP below and answer the questions that follow.

The whole day and night just passed they had to brave the horrendous flood in the water all the time between bloated carcasses and tiny chips of tree barks desperately looking for their son’s albino buffalo that was never found

They were born amidst hardship

and grew up without a sigh or a complaint now they are in the kitchen, making jokes while rolling their cigarette leaves

Latiff Mohidin

(a) Why were they in the water all the time?

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(b) What had their son lost?

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(c) What type of life did the people have?

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(d) Do you think the people in the poem accepted their life? Give reasons for your answer.

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IN THE MIDST OF HARDSHIP (2)

32. Read the extract of the poem IN THE MIDST OF HARDSHIP below and answer the questions that follow.

At dawn they returned home their soaky clothes torn and approached the stove their limbs marked by scratches their legs full of wounds but on their brows there was not a sign of despair

The whole day and night just passed

they had to brave the horrendous flood in the water all the time between bloated carcasses and tiny chips of tree barks desperately looking for their son’s albino buffalo that was never found

Latiff Mohidin

(a) Their clothes were :

i) _______________________________________________________ ( 1m )

ii) _______________________________________________________ ( 1m )

(b) What happened to their legs?

______________________________________________________________ ( 1m )

(c) What do you think happened to their son’s albino buffalo? Give reasons for your answer.

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______________________________________________________________ ( 2m )

NATURE (1)

32. Read the extract of the poem NATURE below and answer the questions that follow.

We have neither Summer nor Winter Neither Autumn nor Spring. We have instead the days When the gold sun shines on the lush green canefields- Magnificiently. The days when the rain beats like bullets on the roofs And there is no sound but the swish of water in the gullies And trees struggling in the high Jamaica winds.

H. D. Carberry

(a) What does the poet’s country not have?

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(b) How does the sun shine on the canefields?

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(c) Which country is the poem about?

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(d) The days when the rain beats like bullets on the roofs Referring to the line above, how does the rain pour? Give a reason for your answer.

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NATURE (2)

32. Read the extract of the poem NATURE below and answer the questions that follow.

Also there are the days when leaves fade from off guango tree And the reaped canefields lie bare and fallow the sun. But best of all there are the days when the mango and the logwood blossom When the bushes are full of the sound of bees and the scent of honey, When the tall grass sway and shivers to the slightest breath of air, When the buttercups have paved the earth with yellow stars And beauty comes suddenly and the rains have gone. H. D. Carberry

(a) What has been reaped?

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(b) What is heard in the bushes?

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(c) What makes the tall grass sway and shiver?

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(d) Why do you think the poet is happy about the mango blossoming? Give a reason for your answer.

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_______________________________________________________________(2m)

SHORT STORIES

The Fruitcake Special

Question 1 - Read the extract from the short story The Fruitcake Special below and answer the questions that follow.

a) Who does he refer to?

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b) What is the relationship between him and Anna?

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c) In your opinion, what had caused Mr. Amos to show a sudden interest in Anna?

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d) Why was Anna surprised at the way Mr. Amos reacted towards her? Give two reasons.

i)______________________________________________________________________

ii)______________________________________________________________________ (2 marks)

Question 2 - Read the extract from the short story The Fruitcake Special below and answer the questions that follow.

I had never heard my boss speak to me like that before. Or to anybody else, come to think of it. David Amos is a dark, handsome English guy who would never dream of saying nice things to ordinary looking girls like me. He preferred to be with pretty young models who liked his appearance and his money. When he did speak to the chemists he was usually complaining about something. Was he playing some kind of joke today?

Suddenly he came over right next to me. He spoke in a quiet voice close to my ear.“You know, Anna, I’ve never really noticed it before – I can’t think why – but you

really are a beautiful woman!”“Mr. Amos. I …” I tried to answer but I didn’t know what to say.“No, it’s true, Anna,” he said. “ I must see you outside this dull factory. Will you

have dinner with me tonight?”“Well, I …” I was still too surprised to speak properly.“That’s great! I’ll pick you up at your place tonight at eight. See you then,” he said.He was gone before I could say anything.

a) What did Anna think had happened to her boss?

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b) How is the effect of the perfume on both Mr. Amos and the waiter similar?

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c) What did the waiter do to show his feelings?

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d) If you were Anna, how would you feel when two men confess their love to you in one night? Explain why?

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QWERTYUIOP (1)

Just then a waitress came to the table. She told me that I had a telephone call and asked me to answer it in the lounge.

I wondered what it was about.“Excuse me, David – I won’t be long,” I said.“A minute is a long time when you’re gone, Anna,” he said. His words were like

conversation from a bad movie. But I kept quiet about it – he was my boss, after all, even if he had gone crazy.

When I got to the lounge I took the phone. I noticed someone waving their arms at me from another phone across the large room. I could see it was that waiter again – there were bits of cake all over his trousers.

Now what could he want?I soon found out.“Miss …” his voice was excited at the other end of the line. “… I know I am only a

poor waiter but love makes me brave …”Why did everybody sound like bad movies tonight?“When I saw you just now,” said the waiter, “I couldn’t stop myself from falling in love

with you. You are so beautiful. Please tell me you will see me …

33. Read the extract from the short story QWERTYUIOP below and answer the questions that follow.

She must be very careful. Keep her mind on the job, not allow it to wander out the window into the sunny shopping street below. Putting fresh paper into the typewriter, she began again. She was tempted to look at the keyboard… “Don’t look at the keys! Keep your eyes away!” Mrs Price was always saying. “No peeping. You’ll never make a good typist if you can’t do it by touch. Rhythm, it’s all rhythm. Play it to music in your head.” So Lucy obediently looked away, and typed to a slow tune in her head, dum diddle dum dee, dum diddle dum dee… Why did her fingers feel funny? Why were goosepimples shivering her flesh? Was the typewriter really humming in tune?

(a) What can Lucy see out of the window?

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(b) Why did Lucy not want to look at the typewriter keys while typing?

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(c) Who told Lucy not to look at the keyboard when typing?

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(d) How would you feel if the typewriter was humming in tune with you and what would you do?

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QWERTYUIOP (2)

33. Read the extract from the short story QWERTYUIOP below and answer the questions that follow.

For an hour, she battled with the machine. As fast as QWERTYUIOPs and unwanted capitals appeared, she attacked with a loaded brush. The white fluid ran down the typing paper like melting ice-cream, and dripped thickly into the depths of the typewriter. YOU’RE DROWNING ME, it complained pathetically, and she swiped at the words with the brush. HELP! Another swipe. PLEASE! But Lucy showed no mercy. The large bottle was half-empty when she reached the end of the letter in triumph. Yours faithfully, George Ross,she typed, and sat back with a sigh of relief. The machine began to rattle. Too late, Lucy snatched the completed letter out of the typewriter. Across the bottom of the otherwise faultless page, it now said in large, red capitals: I HATE YOU! Furiously she painted the words out.

(a) What did Lucy do when the QWERTYUIOPs and unwanted capitals appeared?

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(b) Who was making QWERTYUIOPs and unwanted capitals appeared? Why?

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(c) If you were Lucy, would you have shown mercy to Miss Broome? Give reasons for your answer.

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