English Grade 10 June Exam 2019
English Grade 10 June Exam 2019
English Grade 10 June Exam 2019
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3. You may answer the questions in whatever order you wish but number your answers
correctly.
5. It is in your own interest to write legibly and present your work neatly.
1.1 In paragraph 1, the writer decides “to see in the flesh all of the paintings by the 17th-century Dutch
painter Johannes Vermeer”. What is suggested by the expression “to see in the flesh” as used
here? (2)
1.2 “Smitten by the lovely girl with her blue and yellow turban, her wide eyes and her enigmatic(a)
expression, I bought(b) myself a copy. While knowing nothing about Vermeer(c), I decided to seek(d)
out more of his work. They are beautifully(e) lit and have a calm, transcendent quality that makes
us(f) want to climb inside to experience that feeling too.”
1.2.1 Identify the parts of speech of the underlined words. Write the letter and the part of speech
in each case. (3)
1.2.3 Choose the word below that has a similar meaning to “smitten”:
(a) repulsed
(b) captivated
(c) bored (1)
1.2.4 Discuss the impact of the final sentence when the writer says that the painting “makes us
want to climb inside to experience that feeling too”. (2)
1.3 In paragraph 2, the writer states: “At first I didn’t make special trips, but made sure to seek out
Vermeer when I was visiting a city. Dublin, tick. Edinburgh, tick. Paris, tick.”
Which word in this extract confirms that her search for Vermeer paintings was going well? (1)
1.4 In paragraph 2, the writer states: “I would be lying in bed looking at my poster and would suddenly
wonder, “What did Vermeer do to her to make her look at him like that?” So began the creation of
the story that became one of my novels. I based the plot on the few details we know about the
painting: that Vermeer had a large household that he had different women wear his wife’s clothes in
various works that he painted slowly. A pretty girl wearing a borrowed earring, modelling for months
in a studio away from the family, with that look on her face?”
After this extract, the writer claims that “the drama practically wrote itself”. Using the clues given in
the extract above, make at least two of your own predictions about the plot of her novel. Use
specific references to substantiate your predictions.
(4)
1.5 Refer to paragraphs 3 and 4. Using your own words, list three advantages in favour of viewing a
painting in the flesh as opposed to viewing it online. Use one sentence per point. (4)
1.6.1 How does the writer feel by the end of the article? Quote to substantiate your
answer? (2)
1.6.2 Why has the writer put “collect” in quotation marks? (1)
1.7 The meme below juxtaposes Girl with a Pearl Earring with another well-known painting, Portrait of a
Young Woman and comments on the similar expression on the subjects’ faces. Study the meme
and answer the questions that follow:
1.7.2 Correct the poor grammar in balfies comment by rewriting the sentence. Start by removing
the incorrectly placed #. (3)
[25]
QUESTION 2: VISUAL LITERACY
Refer to TEXTS 2A and 2B on page 7 and answer the questions that follow:
2.2.2 How is the dialogue in frames 2 and 3 supported by the visual clues? (2)
2.2.3 Correct the three errors in the fourth frame by rewriting the dialogue. (3)
2.2.4 Correct both the errors in the fifth frame by writing down the corrected words. (2)
2.3 Refer to Text 2B. Calvin is lecturing Hobbes about academic writing and claims that the aim is to
make your writing as hard to understand as you possibly can if you want to succeed.
2.3.1 Describe Calvin’s attitude in frame 2 by referring to the visual clues. (2)
2.3.2 Describe how Hobbe’s attitude is different from Calvin’s in frame 2 by referring to his facial
expression. (2)
2.3.3 Explain the humour in the final frame by referring to the cartoon as a whole. (2)
[15]
QUESTION 3: POETRY
3.1 Consider the poem’s structure. What is the impact of the lack of punctuation? (2)
3.2 In stanza 2, which word tells us that he has not yet had a child? (1)
3.4 Refer to stanza 4. Quote the line or phrase that indicates how indulgent his love will be for her. (1)
3.5 Refer to stanza 5. Identify and explain the paradox contained in this stanza. (2)
3.6 Name the type of poem and substantiate your answer by referring to its structure. (2)
3.8 Like Shabbir Banoobhai, John Keats’ poem is exploring fear, but for Keats, his fear is that he
will die before his time. Identify one of the two things he is afraid he will not have time to do and
quote from the poem to substantiate your choice. (2)
[15]
4.1 “Now, as she sat in the wagon that was taking her west, Honor
began to feel a presence, as if she were not alone. Of course
Thomas was with her, but it was more than that: there was almost
a buzz in the air, a knowledge that she was being accompanied on
her journey into the depths of Ohio. Honor had never felt this so
tangibly before, and for the first time in a lifetime of Meetings, she
was moved to speak.” (Page 22)
and/or
4.2 “For someone whose life was so ordered and without surprise, a great deal has happened
to me in a short time. I suspect America will continue to surprise me.” (Page 58)
Consider what you have read about Honor’s journey so far. Write a paragraph in which
you explore how America has surprised Honor, and how these surprises have helped her
to grow. (5)
and/or
4.3 “‘When the mind is clear one turns inward and sinks into a deep stillness. There is peace
there, and a strong sense of being held by what we call the Inner Spirit, or the Inner Light.’
She paused. ‘I have not yet felt that in America.’” (Page 64)
Write a paragraph which explores Honor’s faith and why she has not been able to find the
peace that she refers to in America. (5)
and/or
4.4 “As a child she had been taught that everyone has a measure of the Light in them, and
though the amount can vary, all must try to live up to their measure. It seemed to her now
that Abigail’s measure was small, and she was not living up to it.” (Page 82)
Honor’s description of Abigail might be viewed as slightly ironic considering how unkind it is.
Write a paragraph in which you detail Honor’s imperfections and offer a reason why the
writer has created a slightly flawed character. (5)
[15]
Tracy Chevalier: why I travelled the world to see every Vermeer painting
[edited]
Tracy Chevalier www.theguardian.com
1 When I was 20, I set myself a goal: I decided to see in the flesh all
of the paintings by the 17th-century Dutch painter Johannes
Vermeer. In the autumn of the previous year, 1981, I first saw a
poster of Vermeer’s Girl With a Pearl Earring at my sister’s
apartment. Smitten by the lovely girl with her blue and yellow
turban, her wide eyes and her enigmatic expression, I bought
myself a copy. While knowing nothing about Vermeer, I decided
to seek out more of his work. They are beautifully lit and have a
calm, transcendent quality that makes us want to climb inside to
experience that feeling too.
2 At first I didn’t make special trips, but made sure to seek out Vermeer when I was visiting a
city. Dublin, tick. Edinburgh, tick. Paris, tick. In 1996 I was able to cross off six more – including,
fatefully for me, Girl With a Pearl Earring. I had no idea that 20 months later I would be lying in
bed looking at my poster and would suddenly wonder, “What did Vermeer do to her to make
her look at him like that?” So began the creation of the story that became one of my novels. I
based the plot on the few details we know about the painting: that Vermeer had a large
household that he had different women wear his wife’s clothes in various works that he
painted slowly. A pretty girl wearing a borrowed earring, modelling for months in a studio
away from the family, with that look on her face? The drama practically wrote itself.
3 Why see his paintings in the flesh, though? Now you can find all of them online – just a couple
of clicks, for example, will transport you to the excellent website essentialvermeer.com. For
one thing, screens are backlit and display a souped-up version of the work that is not true to
life. Screens are also in places surrounded by lots of distractions – in offices, on trains, in cafes.
It’s hard to focus on a painting with so much going on around it. Looking at an artwork in a
gallery is rather like watching a film in a cinema: you are experiencing it in a space designed for
this purpose. It gives you the physical and mental freedom to concentrate on the work. You can
also move back and forth, in and out of a physical space, taking in the painting from different
angles in a way that the “zooming” button on a screen doesn’t allow.
4 The three-dimensional aspect of a room also creates an atmosphere: the air around you, the
soundscape, the light, even the smell – all of this contributes to how you experience a painting.
With a screen, you look at Girl With a Pearl Earring, and then you click on a cat video or your
email, and you wreck the atmosphere. Of course, gallery atmosphere can be wrecked too by the
arrival of a tour group or people taking selfies. But you are more likely to be able to focus, and
slow down, and take in Girl in a considered way when you are in the room with her. There is
the added bonus of knowing that Vermeer himself touched the canvas and spent time with it.
Standing in his place, I feel closer to this artist I will never meet. I only ever experience the
magic of that moment with a real painting.
5 When I stood in front of that last painting, I felt a sense of satisfaction at completing my list, but
also at a loss at having reached my goal. What would I do now? Should I “collect” another
artist? Which one? I don’t have the same attachment to other artists that I have to Vermeer.
TEXT 2A
TEXT 2B
TEXT 3: SEEN POEM