MINISTRY USE ONLY

MINISTRY USE ONLY

Place Personal Education Number (PEN) here.

Place Personal Education Number (PEN) here.

MINISTRY USE ONLY

English 12 APRIL 2004

2004 Ministry of Education

Course Code = EN

Student Instructions
1. Place the stickers with your Personal Education Number (PEN) in the allotted spaces above. Under no circumstance is your name or identification, other than your Personal Education Number, to appear on this booklet. 2. Ensure that in addition to this examination booklet, you have a Readings Booklet and an Examination Response Form . Follow the directions on the front of the Response Form. 3. Disqualification from the examination will result if you bring books, paper, notes or unauthorized electronic devices into the examination room. 4. When instructed to open this booklet, check the numbering of the pages to ensure that they are numbered in sequence from page one to the last page, which is identified by

*END OF EXAMINATION* .
5. At the end of the examination, place your Response Form inside the front cover of this booklet and return the booklet and your Response Form to the supervisor. 6. Before you respond to the question on page 11, circle the number corresponding to the topic you have chosen:

2a or 2b.

Question 1 Poetry

Marker 1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 NR

Marker 2 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 NR

Question 2a Prose

Marker 1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 NR

Marker 2 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 NR

Question 2b Prose

Marker 1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 NR

Marker 2 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 NR

Question 3 Essay

Marker 1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 NR

Marker 2 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 NR

66726388

ENGLISH 12
APRIL 2004
COURSE CODE = EN

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS
1. Electronic devices, including dictionaries and pagers, are not permitted in the examination room.

2. All multiple-choice answers must be entered on the Response Form using an HB pencil. Multiple-choice answers entered in this examination booklet will not be marked.

3. For each of the written-response questions, write your answer in ink in the space provided in this booklet. Adequate writing space has been provided for average-sized writing. Do not attempt to determine the length of your answers by the amount of writing space available. You may not need to use all the allotted space for your answers.

4. Ensure that you use language and content appropriate to the purpose and audience of this examination. Failure to comply may result in your paper being awarded a zero.

5. This examination is designed to be completed in two hours. Students may, however, take up to 30 minutes of additional time to finish.

ENGLISH 12 PROVINCIAL EXAMINATION

Suggested Time 10 25 45 40 120 minutes

Value 1. This examination consists of four parts: PART A: Editing and Proofreading Skills PART B: Interpretation of Literature: Poetry PART C: Interpretation of Literature: Prose PART D: Original Composition Total: 10 20 33 24 87 marks

2. The Readings Booklet contains the prose and poetry passages you will need to answer certain questions on this examination.

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PART A: EDITING AND PROOFREADING SKILLS Total Value: 10 marks Suggested Time: 10 minutes

INSTRUCTIONS: The following passage has been divided into numbered sentences which may contain problems in grammar, usage, word choice, spelling, or punctuation. One or more sentences may be correct. No sentence contains more than one error. If you find an error, select the underlined part that must be changed in order to make the sentence correct and record your choice on the Response Form provided. Using an HB pencil, completely fill in the circle that corresponds to your answer. If there is no error, completely fill in circle D (no error).

Northern Signposts 1. Inuksuit are stone structures that can communicate knowledge essential for survival to ( A) an Arctic traveller, they can be used to act in place of human messengers. (C ) (B) (D) no error

2.

One of these stone structures is known as an inukshuk, two are referred to as inutsuuk, and ( A) (B) three or more is called inuksuit. (C ) (D) no error

3. The structures are very important helpers: they can show direction, tell about a rich ( A) area, indicate a good resting place, or acting as a message centre. (C ) (B) (D) no error

4. The Inuit people are taught to be appreciative and respectful of these constructions. There being (B) ( A) a traditional law, which persists today, that forbids damaging or destroying inuksuit. (C ) (D) no error

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5.

New inuksuit can be built to mark the presence of modern Inuit, but the old ones ( A) (B) should never be touched; tradition says that people who do not respect this rule may (C ) have their lives shortened. (D) no error

6. In the past, most inuksuit were constructed by stacking rocks in a particular way, but ( A) (B) they are not usually designed in the shape of a human. (C ) (D) no error

7. However, Sydney Cairn, noted anthropologist, observes, many modern inuksuit look like (B) ( A) figures, with a head, body, arms and legs made of stone. (D) no error (C )

8. Some Inuit believe that this type of stone figure was first produced about one ( A) (B) hundred years ago after the arrival of European whalers. (C ) (D) no error

9. Today, as more Canadians are becoming aware of their heritage, even non-Inuit occasionally ( A) use inuksuit to mark its presence, both in the Arctic and in their travels. (B) (C ) (D) no error

10.

Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan, for example, which erected a simple inukshuk, ( A) (B) consider it a tribute to their tour of duty and native land. (C) (D) no error

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PART B: POETRY Total Value: 20 marks Suggested Time: 25 minutes

INSTRUCTIONS: Read the poem Basement Stairs on page 1 in the Readings Booklet. Select the best answer for each question and record your choice on the Response Form provided.

11. In the context of the poem, my father would raise the bottom tread (line 1) implies that he is A. B. C. D. demolishing the stairs. going to repair the stairs. going to repair the shoes. fetching the shoe shining equipment.

12. In line 3, my mother humming a Mozart sonata upstairs suggests that the mother A. B. C. D. is growing impatient. enjoys the Sunday ritual. sings in the church choir. is waiting for the children to leave.

13. Which sound device is used in but I liked the brushes best, the baffling sense? (line 8) A. B. C. D. repetition alliteration onomatopoeia internal rhyme

14. Which literary device is used in as though / my shoes were feeling? (lines 9 and 10) A. B. C. D. simile paradox hyperbole personification

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15. Lines 13 to 18 suggest that the speaker is A. B. C. D. bored. excited. imaginative. disappointed.

16. In line 18, its-time-now refers to A. B. C. D. a sound. an idiom. a clich. a conversation.

17. What is the overall tone of the poem? A. B. C. D. critical nostalgic pessimistic humorous

18. This poem is written in which of the following forms? A. B. C. D. ballad sonnet free verse blank verse

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Basement Stairs (page 1 in the Readings Booklet) INSTRUCTIONS: In paragraph form and in approximately 125 to 150 words, answer question 1 in the space provided. Write in ink. The mark for your answer will be based on the appropriateness of the example(s) you use as well as the adequacy of your explanation and the quality of your written expression.

1. In paragraph form and with reference to this poem, discuss how the speaker feels about her Sunday mornings as a child. (12 marks)

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Organization and Planning

1st 2nd

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PART C: PROSE Total Value: 33 marks Suggested Time: 45 minutes

INSTRUCTIONS: Read the story entitled Thirty Acres on pages 2 to 3 in the Readings Booklet. Select the best answer for each question and record your choice on the Response Form provided.

19. What does paragraph 1 state about the farmers in Quebec? A. B. C. D. They are gaining political power. They are wealthier than European farmers. They are making a profit because of the war. They are becoming better farmers as a result of the war.

20. According to paragraph 2, It was hardly worthwhile storing the crops because the farmers A. B. C. D. had barns that were overfull. were afraid of the possibility of fire. were making so much money on the crops. knew that the crops would lose their quality over time.

21. Which of the following best defines the word acumen? (paragraph 3) A. B. C. D. insight strength patience integrity

22. In paragraph 3, why were people looking at Euchariste enviously? A. B. C. D. He had better crops than they had. The prices for the crops continued to rise. His neighbours were more hesitant than he. He was the best in the village at storing crops.

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23. Paragraph 6 suggests that Euchariste and Etienne A. B. C. D. lack assurance. are keeping secrets. have vivid imaginations. are competing with each other.

24. In paragraph 11, a purring roar like that of a contented animal can best be described as an example of A. B. C. D. irony. suspense. flashback. foreshadowing.

25. Paragraph 12 contains examples of A. B. C. D. imagery. allusion. parallel structure. sentence fragments.

26. Which of the following statements best illustrates the change in attitude that takes place in Euchariste in the passage? A. B. C. D. interest to boredom anxiety to confidence control to helplessness stubbornness to flexibility

27. Which point of view is used in this story? A. B. C. D. objective omniscient first person limited omniscient

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Organization and Planning

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Thirty Acres (pages 2 and 3 in the Readings Booklet) INSTRUCTIONS: Choose one of the following two topics and write a multi-paragraph (3 or more paragraphs) essay of approximately 300 words. Write in ink. The mark for your answer will be based on the appropriateness of the example(s) you use as well as the adequacy of your explanation and the quality of your written expression.

2a. In multi-paragraph essay form and with reference to Thirty Acres, discuss the character of the father. OR 2b. In multi-paragraph essay form and with reference to Thirty Acres, discuss the symbolism of fire in this story. Before you begin, go to the front cover of this booklet and circle the number corresponding to your chosen topic Instruction 6. (24 marks) I have selected topic _______. FINISHED WORK

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FINISHED WORK

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FINISHED WORK

1st 2nd OVER - 13 -

Organization and Planning

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PART D: ORIGINAL COMPOSITION Value: 24 marks Suggested Time: 40 minutes

INSTRUCTIONS: Using standard English, write a coherent, unified, multi-paragraph (3 or more paragraphs) composition of approximately 300 words on the topic below. In your composition, you may apply any effective and appropriate method of development which includes any combination of exposition, persuasion, description, and narration. Use the page headed Organization and Planning for your rough work. Write your composition in ink on the pages headed Finished Work.

3. Write a multi-paragraph composition on the topic below. In addressing the topic, consider all possibilities. You may draw support from the experiences of others or from any aspect of your life: your reading and your experiences. Remember, you do not have to accept the basic premise of the statement.

Topic: Experiences shape relationships.

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FINISHED WORK Topic: Experiences shape relationships.

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FINISHED WORK

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FINISHED WORK

END OF EXAMINATION

1st 2nd

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ENGLISH 12
READINGS BOOKLET
APRIL 2004

2004 Ministry of Education

THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY BLANK

PART B: POETRY INSTRUCTIONS: Read the following passage and answer the questions on pages 4 to 7 of the written-response booklet. Basement Stairs by Susan Gillis
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Sunday mornings my father would raise the bottom tread1 like the lid of a piano, my mother humming a Mozart sonata upstairs, wetting my brothers cowlick, my sisters and I in our dresses lined up on the stairs, our father on his knees with shoe polish tins. When he buffed my toe my whole leg shook. I liked the cloth but I liked the brushes best, the baffling sense of being not quite touched, as though my shoes were feeling for me, the echo of feeling. Then he would grip my toe. I thought God lived in that stair, and leaked out whenever my father lifted the tread, I thought He followed our car to church and waited mute and holy, while my father parked, and hurried with us across the Grand Parade, the bells ringing its-time-now, their falling arpeggio2. After Id scuff my toes in gravel, or dry leaves, or grass, according to the season, without thinking. Come to that, Im not sure now he didnt have a little bench hed perch on.

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tread: the flat part of a stair which sometimes had a storage space below arpeggio: a rapid progression of musical notes OVER -1-

PART C: PROSE INSTRUCTIONS: Read the following selection and answer the questions on pages 8 to 13 of the written-response booklet.
adapted from Thirty

Acres by Dr. Philippe Panneton

Agriculture did not suffer from the war. In Europe the bodies of two generations of men had enriched the fields. In Quebec farmers sowed, harvested and marketed their produce to feed other farmers across the sea, who had been busy fighting. This course of events made the people who raised crops and livestock something more than mere cogs in the economic machine; as never before, the man who fed the nation was king. It was hardly worthwhile storing the crops in the barns; lots of people sold them before they were harvested, though they might regret it later on as prices continued to rise. Euchariste [Moisan] was almost the only one who hadnt sold his crops yet. One after another his neighbours hesitated and then accepted the offers made by the buyers. Moisans barn was full to the rafters and, confident in his business acumen, he waited and waited. People looked at him enviously nowadays. Three times a day, in the morning, at noon and at night, Euchariste went out to the barn to take a look at all this wealth of his. Often, instead of coming from the stable straight into the farm-yard, he would find an excuse to go through the storeroom to enjoy the sight of his riches and especially to congratulate himself on his cunning. He was careful to see that the children were not allowed to jump about in his precious hay; animals wont eat hay that has been trampled. And the last thing he did at night, when the stock had been looked after, was to make another trip to the barn to gaze at the huge mass of fodder, and its acrid perfume went to his head a little. The light from his lantern only lit up the broad base of the column, whose tangled summit was lost up there among the rafters, where the birds had their nests. Sometimes at night he would wake up out of the light sleep of the agingfor he was getting on in yearsand think he saw a glow or smelt something burning. The fear of fire, which is such a nightmare for people in the country, would bring him out of bed to the window, where he could see that the only flames visible were the shimmering blue streamers of the northern lights. At other times he would rush downstairs and find that someone had put some damp wood in the stove and that it was smoking. His obstinacy in holding out for higher prices gave him a sense of triumph, particularly where Etienne was concerned. His son was timid and lacked assurance when it came to matters of this kind and was always imagining that prices were just about to drop. But each time they got a better offer Etienne was proved to be wrong. Moisan felt he had got his own back from this son of his with whom he had been having more and more frequent disagreements. Secretly and in an underhanded way, he seemed to be out for nothing less than to supplant his father as boss of the farm. Spring had come, according to the calendar, and it was quickly followed by the real spring. It burst upon them early, heralded by all the usual signs there is no mistaking. It was still too soon for the first crows, but someone saw a bear and everybody knows that bears come out on the twenty-fifth of March and dont go in again if they see their shadow. Its a sign of a warm short spring. -2-

Euchariste dreamed one night that he was living in the village and that a fire had broken out. Suddenly he found that he was sitting bolt upright in bed, choking and covered with sweat. His own frantic shouts woke him abruptly out of his dream. There was no smoke in the room and a red dawn was just breaking. He was wide awake now and jumped out of bed. A flood of crimson light streamed in through the window and was reflected redly on the polished edges of the furniture. The whole barn was blazing away in the darkness. It made a purring roar like that of a contented animal and this was punctuated by sharp reports that sounded like exploding firecrackers. From time to time sparks shot up into the black sky, where the stars were blotted out by the smoke, whirled about in the wind and fell sizzling into the damp snow and expired. The blaze was already surrounded by a wide area where the snow had melted away. Here people were running about, sharply lit up by the fire, though at times they just stood, outlined against the flames, with their arms dangling and their heads bowed, as if hypnotized by this tragic midnight sun. At a stable nearby a devoted group of neighbours was trying to save the animals, whose shrieks could be heard high above the roar of the blaze. But they reared and kicked and refused to be rescued. From the stable door, which was already breathing out little puffs of smoke, two figures burst: a man struggling with a frantic horse. Just then Etienne rushed up to his father. He was dressed any old way and wore a pair of trousers and a tattered sweater. His shoes were undone, his hair, eyebrows and moustache singed, and his face and arms covered with smudges where sparks had fallen. Even his voice was unrecognizable; it was so choked by the anguish of his despair. We hardly saved a thing, Pa! We hardly saved a thing! He had been repeating the same words over and over again for an hour as he went from one silent knot of spectators to another. He was so overwhelmed by the disaster that he could neither think nor speak nor act. How did it happen, Etienne? Perhaps, one of the family suggested, perhaps it was when Pa went to the barn last night to have a look round. He had his pipe with him. Yeah, I guess thats what it was. But we hardly saved a thing, hardly a thing. And then Etienne turned and faced his father and, though he said nothing more, his eyes blazed angrily in the light of the dying fire. That hard glowing spark was for Euchariste Moisan, whose negligence had consumed the wealth they had worked and scrimped and saved for throughout a whole year. Like a flock of sheep bewildered by peals of thunder and the violence of a storm, the children huddled close round Euchariste. Etienne turned on his heel suddenly and went off towards the hen-house, where there still seemed to be work to do.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Gillis, Susan. Basement Stairs. The Fiddlehead Poetry. Summer 2002. No. 212. Ed. Ross Leckie. Fredericton, N.B.: University of New Brunswick Press. Ringuet (Panneton, Dr. Philippe). Excerpt from Thirty Acres. Ed. Malcolm Ross. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, Ltd. (New Canadian Library #12), 1970.