Online Current English
SP Worksheet 1 | Grade 9 | 3 February 2021
SP WORKSHEET 1 (Suggested level: Grade 9)
In this worksheet, the focus is on reading for comprehension (answering questions; drawing conclusions; inferring
meanings and expressing opinions) and on developing critical language awareness; vocabulary development; figures of
speech and sound devices; abbreviations; prefixes; direct speech; attitude; euphemisms; interpreting cartoons. CAPS
Reading and Viewing; Language Structures – Grade 9: aspects of weeks 1–4, Term 1.
Refer to Text 1:
1. The term silver linings, in the headline and the subtitle, is based on the idiomatic expression
“every cloud has a silver lining”. What does this expression mean?
(1)
2. Refer to paragraph 1:
a. Biodiversity refers to the variety of plant and animal life in the world. Explain how we can work
this out from an understanding of the different parts of the word: bio + diversity.
(1)
b. Provide equivalent expressions for infamous and dubbed. (Hint: work out from the context
what these words might mean and then replace them with equivalent expressions). (2)
3. Explain what you think is meant by the term green energy (paragraph 2). Give an example of this
type of energy to illustrate your answer.
(2)
4. EV (paragraph 3) is an abbreviation for electric vehicles. Find two abbreviations elsewhere in the
text (not the abbreviation SA) and write them out in full.
(2)
5. Refer to paragraph 4 and 5:
a. What does the word gift show about the writer’s attitude to the change in political power in
America? Explain your answer.
(2)
b. Identify the prefixes in uncommon and cooperation.
(1)
c. Give two different words (not in the text) that also use these prefixes.
(1)
d. Now discuss how these prefixes help to form the meanings of the words you have chosen OR
the meanings of the words in (b).
(2)
6. Suggest why people who volunteered to participate in vaccine trials are described as having acted
unselfishly (paragraph 6).
(2)
7. Refer to paragraphs 7 and 8:
a. Briefly describe what the writer feels about South Africa’s manufacturing capacity when it
comes to vaccines and quote to support your answer.
(2)
b. In which two vaccine initiatives could the country soon be involved?
(2)
8. Refer to paragraphs 9 and 10:
a. Why would the content of paragraph 10 be described as something “on a lighter note”? In
your answer compare the types of issues covered in the text before this with those described
in paragraph 10.
(3)
b. Would you agree that the “biggest positive...is that we humans are capable of collective
action”? Explain your opinion.
(2)
Refer to Text 2:
9.
a. Use quotation marks to put Eve’s and Gwen’s words (Come on everybody! Push!!) into direct
speech. Begin with Gwen and Eve shouted... Punctuate your sentence correctly.
(2)
b. Name the sound device in Crash!! (frame 2).
(1)
c. Describe Gwen’s body language and facial expression in frame 3 and account for these
(give an explanation for them). Note: Gwen is the woman on the left of frame 3.
(3)
d. Do you think the writer of Text 1 would agree with the message of Text 2? Explain. (2)
Refer to Text 3:
10.
a. Choose TWO of the images in this cartoon. Describe these and explain how they might show
that the virus stole Xmas and the rest of 2020.
(2X2=4)
b. What figure of speech is the virus stole?
(1)
c. What is the effect of this figure of speech?
(1)
d. A euphemism is a mild way of expressing something that is blunt or harsh. How would you
rewrite the virus stole so that the word replacing stole is a euphemism?
(1)
[40 marks]
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Online Current English
SP Worksheet 1 | Grade 9 | 3 February 2021
Memorandum:
1. Every cloud has a silver lining: there is something comforting or hopeful in every difficult or sad
situation.
(1)
2.
a. Bio refers to life and diversity refers to different varieties or a range of different things. From
the meanings of these different parts, we can see how the whole meaning is the variety of
(animal and plant) life.
(1)
b. Infamous: well-known for something bad; notorious. Dubbed: called or named.
(2)
3. Green energy is energy that is produced in an environmentally responsible way, such as solar
energy that is harvested from the sun.
(2)
4. UK: United Kingdom; US: United States.
(2)
5.
a. Describing the change as a gift shows that she was happy about the change. She felt it was a
blessing and something positive. The word gift has positive associations.
(2)
b. Uncommon and cooperation.
(1)
c. Examples: unbroken; co-worker.
(1)
d. Un- means not, so in uncommon, the meaning is not common. Co- means with/together, so in
cooperation, the meaning is working together with (one another).
(2)
6. They might have been putting themselves at risk in that they might have had an adverse reaction
to the vaccine. They were putting the needs of others above their own interests.
(2)
7.
a. The writer feels admiring of our capacity to produce vaccines (“this is a doff of the cap to local
manufacturing capacity”).
(2)
b. The six-in-one vaccine to protect children against various illnesses like polio, tetanus and
hepatitis B; and three of the four Covid-19 vaccines.
(2)
8.
a. Before the “lighter note”, the issues that are covered are all serious – they have to do with
steps to regulate wildlife markets, climate change, green energy and vaccine development. In
contrast, those on the “lighter note” involve music, dancing, cooking, gardening and chatting
to friends on online platforms: forms of celebration that are more light-hearted.
(3)
b. Students may give their own answers, but they should back up their opinions.
(2)
9.
a. They shouted, “Come on everybody! Push!!”
(2)
b. Crash!!: onomatopoeia.
(1)
c. Gwen has her hands on her hips and she has an angry facial expression, with her mouth
downturned and her eyes glaring. This is because she has angrily shoved “2020” out of the
door and told it “good riddance”. She has been upset about the year that has passed and
does not want to see it again.
(3)
d. The writer might not agree with the message of Text 2: “good riddance” to 2020, a bad year.
There have been some good things – “silver linings” in 2020. Accept other answers. (2)
10.
a. Students may choose any two images. Some of these are: The bag on the sleigh is filled with
images relating to lockdown or to the experience of COVID-19 instead of presents. These
include toilet paper (people stockpiled); gravestones with RIP (people dying); oxygen masks
or ventilators (people in hospital needing oxygen). These show how “Xmas” was stolen: they
are the sad experiences of many during this time. Instead of festivities, people have had to
cope with illness and death. Other images show people with posters saying “no jobs”; a sign
with “no partying, dancing or fun”; various buildings “closed”; hospital beds and graves,
marked with RIP. These all show how we were robbed of “normality” in 2020.
(4)
b. Personification.
(1)
c. This creates the effect of making the virus seem like a “baddie” (a thief or robber) – illegally
depriving us of what should be part of our normal routines.
(1)
d. The virus took away/suspended/removed. Accept other answers.
(1)
[40 marks]
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Online Current English
SP Worksheet 1 | Grade 9 | 3 February 2021
Below you will find suggested cognitive levels that could be associated with the different questions. (The
cognitive levels are listed and described on page 76 of the English HL FET CAPS document.)
Suggested cognitive levels:
Question number Mark allocation
Cognitive level
1
2a
2b
3
4
5a
5b
5c
5d
6
7a
7b
8a
8b
9a
9b
9c
9d
10a
10b
10c
10d
1
2
2
3
2
4
2
2
3
3
3
1
3
5
2
1
3
5
3
1
3
3
1
1
2
2
2
2
1
1
2
2
2
2
3
2
2
1
3
2
4
1
1
1
Summary:
Levels 1 and 2 (Literal and Reorganisation): 14 marks
Level 3 (Inference):
20 marks
Levels 4 and 5 (Evaluation and Appreciation): 6 marks
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