ZIMSEC O Level English Language Paper 2 November 2004

Read the following

Please Die, Old Friend

(In the passage an old school photograph helps Don Makatile mourn for his once active school friend, whose life is now slowly wasting away from AIDS.)\

1. The picture in the photo album; makes me cry in a way I have never wanted to cry about anything before. It shows three school boys, as happy and carefree as life in the 1980 Form 2 class could allow. The faces are clean and healthy, untouched even by the teenage scourge of acne.

2. The school uniform in the picture shows the elegant dress of the time: grey trousers worn together with sky – blue long – sleeved shirts. The shoes were the fashionable Pathfinder, black, that revealed a modest glimpse of the famed nylon socks. The scholar in the middle, wearing a navy – blue blazer, is someone I have known almost all my life – and right now he is slowly wasting away – succumbing to the ravages of AIDS.

3. He lies in bed waiting for the proverbial call fro Heaven. We have all been waiting with him, for eight long painful months. Once or twice I have thought about the wisdom of the Dutch government in legalizing euthanasia or mercy killing. There is no denying that my dear friend would be better off dead. Just the other day I witnessed his sister, another good friend of mine, trying to feed him a bowl of soft porridge. It was futile exercise. His mouth made movement s that had nothing to do with eating. The white stuff dribbled out of his mouth and some of it came back a nauseating yellow colour.

4. This is the same companion who used to feast on greasy potato chips – junk food. I remember he particularly liked avocado squashed inside a half – loaf of bread. He was the type who spoke with food in his mouth. This picture of him I particularly find difficult to erase form my memory.

5. Now, because of the ruthless affliction, he cannot chew a meager bowl of maize-meal soft porridge. I tried to bath him the other day. It was a scary experience. Each time I put the damp cloth anywhere on his frail body, an animal – like sound escaped his mouth. Do I call it a mouth? There is no word to describe it, for his mouth has become a place for the gathering of every type of blister. It is pitiful.

6. This is the friend we went to the golf course with to make a few extra cents. He is the athlete we swam with in the stream formed by the murky water flowing after a heavy rainfall. We almost always incurred the wrath of our parents. He is the fellow who, with the rest of us, forked out ten cents to bribe an unscrupulous cheap thug who would not admit us through an opening in the perimeter fence made of corrugated iron, at Orlando Stadium. I recall once we went to Parkie with him for the first time in our young lives and were taken aback by the magnificence of the roofing. Other railway stations had no such luxury.

7. I walked the length and breath of downtown Johannesburg with him, especially Market Street, in search of cheaper stores. I went to Fords burg with him to the movies. We played amateur soccer together long before the advent of international soccer in South Africa. We were always top of the noise – makers list at school.

8. He is the same person, Lord. How so we reminisce when all he does is grunt? How do I tell him I love him, so he can take that with him wherever he is headed? Like the rest of the careless city boys, he had a multiple of casual relationships, especially in the so-called safe days, when the worst that could happen to anybody was venereal disease. Yes, there is nothing for me to hide any more. His were more of freelance relationships. An educated man, he later heard about HIV / AIDS and the folly of casual relationships. I vividly remember the time we had Education for Living lessons. Every aspect of life was genuinely treated in these lessons – HIV / AIDS included. Now AIDS is killing my friend. Could there be some strange and obscure way he could have contracted the deadly disease? All I want now, and desperately, is that he should die. I do not think that makes me a bad person. He should depart so that merciless gossip can go with him. He should die so the picture l am left with should be the one in my treasured photo album, and leave me memories of how good a soccer player he once was.

9. Everyday of my life something within me dies when I visit him. I see how cruel AIDS can be. My heart bleeds for the youngsters who still think parties and casual relationships are the best things to have happened this century, when the reality is that people are dying alone in back rooms, in terrible pain and humiliation. I have slept in his bedroom a few times before and it did not always smell this foul. I have seen him naked an few times and though he was naturally slender, he has not always been this skeletal.

10. I have devoured almost every newspaper article I have found on HIV / AIDS and I am tired. I long to read something ads light as a love story, preferably one before the days of AIDS. Nothing heavy. Is it a sin to want a funeral this badly? I hope God understands.

11. I keep the photo of my friend in a special album. Even my wedding album, bought just after the big day in April 1998, already has a few dog – eared pages – not this one! Someone told me that one day when a museum is built in Kagiso, the growing township on the West Rand where I come from, this album should be among the items on display. He observed that it was full of dead people. I do not keep it for this reason, though it is true that the bulk of the faces that smile at me as I page through are dead. I keep it immortalize the cherished years of my youth. Sometimes I use it to remind my troublesome nephew I have not always been thirty-six. I was streetwise once and, like him, I deluded myself into thinking I had answers to most of the world's problems. I think it is good for him to know I did not have the answers, just as today's young folk do not have the answers either. No one has nay easy answers to the challenge of HIV / AIDS.

12. But what the young folk need to know is that while the road to AIDS starts at the wild funky parties and leads all too easily to quick senseless, casual relationships, it ends where my friend is now; in darkness, pain and ugliness. The photo is now wet with my tears. If fascinated my son to see him macho dad also has a weak side. Has he already intimated to his friends his newly discovered interesting story, I wonder? No matter – with one thousand six hundred new HIV infections everyday, mine are far from being the last tears that will be shed on the subject.

Adapted from: 'Please die, old friend'; an article by Don Makatile in Drum, 11 January, 2001.

Question 101

[1 marks]Comprehension

Form Paragraph 1

How does the picture affect the author?

AIt reminds him of how smart the school uniform once was
BIt fills him with pride in the boys the three of them were
CIt makes him angry with the friend who is now dying
DIt moves him to tears as nothing has ever done before

Question 102

[1 marks]Comprehension

From Paragraph 2

'the scholar in the middle…' (line 8) To what does the word 'middle' refer?

AThe middle years of the friendship the two of them shared
BThe position of the boy standing between the other two in the photograph
CThe centre of the group of friends who went to the golf course
DThe middle of the three rows in which the class was arranged for the photograph

Question 103

[2 marks]Comprehension

From Paragraph 2

Explain in your own words the meaning of 'succumbing to the ravages of AIDS.' (lines 9 – 10)

AHe is suffering from an illness that the doctors are still able to cure
BHe is ashamed of the way the disease was allowed to spread among them
CHe is fighting bravely against an illness that is not yet serious
DHe is giving way to the destruction the disease is working on his body

Question 104

[1 marks]Comprehension

From Paragraph 3

'… waiting for the proverbial call from Heaven.' (line 11) What is he waiting for?

AHe is waiting to die
BHe is waiting to be healed
CHe is waiting to be taken to hospital
DHe is waiting for his sister to feed him

Question 105

[1 marks]Comprehension

From Paragraph 3

What does expression 'futile exercise' (line 16) tell you about the attempt to feed the author's friend?

AIt was tiring, because his sister had to repeat it many times a day
BIt was dangerous, because the porridge could have choked him at any moment
CIt was useless, because the food simply ran out of his mouth again
DIt was painful, because his blistered mouth could not bear the spoon

Question 106

[1 marks]Comprehension

From Paragraph 4

Why does the author find it difficult to erase from his memory, the picture of his friend speaking and eating at the same time?

AIt reminds him of the bad table manners he once tried to correct
BIt stands in cruel contrast to a man who can no longer chew soft porridge
CIt is the picture he keeps of his friend in the special photo album
DIt was the last time he saw his friend eating a proper meal in health

Question 201

[2 marks]Comprehension

From Paragraph 10

'Is it a sin to want a funeral this badly?' (line 65) Which pair gives the two reasons that the author advances earlier on in the passage for wishing his friend dead?

A(i) so that the merciless gossip about him will depart with him; (ii) so that the writer is left with the photograph and the memory of the sportsman he was
B(i) so that the young people of the township may be warned by the way he died; (ii) so that his many casual relationships may be forgotten by the rest of his family
C(i) so that his own suffering may be ended by a mercy killing; (ii) so that the law on euthanasia may be applied in his country
D(i) so that his sister need no longer feed and wash him; (ii) so that the family may afford to bury him properly

Question 202

[2 marks]Comprehension

From Paragraph 11

Explain in your own words the major reason given by the author for keeping the photo album.

AHe keeps it because most of the faces smiling out of it are now dead
BHe keeps it to show his nephew what the school uniform once looked like
CHe keeps it so that a museum in Kagiso may one day put it on display
DHe keeps it to preserve for ever the happy years of his own youth

Question 203

[1 marks]Comprehension

From Paragraph 11

Find the other reason why the author keeps the album.

ATo show his troublesome nephew that he too was once young
BTo keep a record of all the friends of his who have died
CTo remind himself of the dangers of casual relationships
DTo give the township museum something worth displaying

Question 204

[1 marks]Comprehension

From Paragraph 11

What similarity does the author draw between himself in his youth and his nephew?

ABoth were troublesome boys at school and both were at the top of the noise makers list
BBoth were streetwise and both believed they had the answers to the world's problems
CBoth grew up in Kagiso and both left the township as soon as they were able
DBoth admired the same soccer players and both played the game well

Question 205

[2 marks]Comprehension

From Paragraph 12

The passage ends on a despairing note. Which pair gives two reasons for the despair?

A(i) no cure for the disease has yet been found by the doctors; (ii) his friend will be buried without a proper funeral
B(i) the museum planned for Kagiso will be filled with pictures of the dead; (ii) he can no longer bear to read another newspaper article about the disease
C(i) the road the young take ends in darkness, pain and ugliness; (ii) sixteen hundred new infections a day mean many more will weep as he does
D(i) his son has seen him crying and may tell his friends about it; (ii) the photograph has been spoilt by the tears that fell on it

Question 206

[5 marks]Vocabulary in context

From The Whole Passage

Which set gives the meaning that each of its words or phrases has in the passage?

1. scourge (line 4)
2. elegant (line 5)
3. particularly (line 20)
4. scary (line 24)
5. taken aback (line 34 - 35)
6. advent (line 39)
7. bulk (line 72)
8. intimated (line 83)

Ascourge: whip; elegant: smart and stylish; taken aback: pushed back; advent: coming; bulk: weight
Bscourge: affliction; elegant: smart and stylish; taken aback: surprised; advent: coming; bulk: greater part
Cscourge: cure; elegant: smart and stylish; taken aback: delighted; advent: coming; bulk: small number
Dscourge: affliction; elegant: expensive; taken aback: surprised; advent: end; bulk: greater part

Question 301

[20 marks]Summary

The passage describes the writer's anguish over his friend, whom he has known for almost all his life, now dying from AIDS.

Write a summary to clearly bring out the contrasting situations between the present sad condition in which his friend is, and the good times they had together.

Use only material from paragraph 5 up to the end of paragraph 9.

Your summary, which should be in continuous writing (not note form), must not be longer than 160 words including the 10 words given below.

Begin your answer as follows:

My friend's present ruthless affliction does not allow him to…

Awalk to the golf course or swim in the muddy stream after the rain, though he still eats the greasy potato chips and the squashed avocado in a half loaf that he loved, still talks with food in his mouth, still follows the soccer he once played at Orlando Stadium and still enjoys the Fordsburg movies with the friends who call on him
Bspeak above a grunt or feed himself, so the writer bathes him every day, reads him love stories to pass the time and reminds him of the wedding of April 1998, of the museum planned for Kagiso and of the friends in the album who have died before him
Cleave his bed or know the friends who walked downtown Johannesburg with him, so his sister has taken him to hospital, where the doctors are treating the blisters in his mouth and hope that good food will build up a body that was always naturally slender
Dchew soft porridge or bear a damp cloth on his frail body, and a blistered mouth, a foul room and a skeletal frame are all that is left of the boy who caddied for extra cents, swam the muddy stream, paid to slip into Orlando Stadium, walked Market Street for cheap stores and played amateur soccer

Question 401

[2 marks]Situational language

You are a class monitor in charge of a Form 4 class. When a fire suddenly breaks out on the roof of your classroom, you say:

(i) "Oh no! we are all going to perish in this fire. There is nothing that can be done."
(ii) "Please remain seated. Do not run. Leave in an orderly manner through the fire escape, beginning with Memory in the front row."

Which pair gives the feelings each of your statements is likely to generate among the students?

A(i) amusement at the monitor's dramatic words; (ii) resentment at being ordered about by a classmate
B(i) panic and hopelessness among the students; (ii) calm and confidence that they will get out safely
C(i) sympathy for the monitor's own fear; (ii) impatience with the slow way out through the fire escape
D(i) anger at the monitor for shouting at the class; (ii) doubt about whether there is really a fire at all

Question 402

[2 marks]Situational language

You ask your cousin if you can borrow his new jersey. Your cousin replies:

(i) "Anytime! When do you want it?"

(ii) "I do not share clothes with anybody."

Which pair describes what each statement reveals about your cousin's character?

A(i) He is careless about his own property; (ii) he is careful and neat about his clothes
B(i) He is eager to be praised by the family; (ii) he is shy about lending to a relative
C(i) He is teasing and does not really mean it; (ii) he is afraid the jersey will be spoilt
D(i) He is generous and willing to share; (ii) he is selfish and keeps things to himself

Question 403

[2 marks]Situational language

Your father is very keen to spend a sum of money on a new car. Your mother says:

(i) "A car is a good idea, but don't you think we should not spend so much money at this stage?"

(ii) "This is long overdue. We can hardly wait to see the make."

Which pair gives the purpose of each of your mother's statements?

A(i) to refuse him permission to buy the car at all; (ii) to tease him about how long he has waited
B(i) to accuse him of wasting the family's money on himself; (ii) to warn him that the car he wants may be the wrong make
C(i) to hold him back gently from spending so much now; (ii) to encourage him and show that she shares his eagerness
D(i) to ask him how much the new car is going to cost; (ii) to remind him that the old car still runs well

Question 404

[2 marks]Situational language

After repairing a bicycle that his friends could not fix, a boy stands with his hands on his hips and declares:

"What would you fellows do without me?"

Which pair gives two different interpretations that his friends could make of this statement?

A(i) he is boasting that they cannot manage without him; (ii) he is joking with them and fishing for thanks
B(i) he is asking them to teach him other repairs; (ii) he is complaining that they seldom help him
C(i) he is warning them that he is about to leave them; (ii) he is blaming them for breaking the bicycle
D(i) he is apologising for taking so long over the job; (ii) he is asking to be paid for the work

Question 405

[2 marks]Situational language

Match the following utterances in A below against the appropriate intentions in B. Write down the number only of each of the utterances and against that number, write out the intention appropriate to it.

(i) "Of course, I expected to win, I don't play to lose. I am the best."

(ii) "There is no one who can bake biscuits like you! Please, let me have some. Pretty please!"

(iii) "Go on! Give it a try! You can do it! Go on!"

(iv) "Give us money; otherwise we will break your leg!"

(a) Intimidating
(b) Reassuring
(c) Warning
(d) Bragging
(e) Wheedling
(f) Showing spirit
(g) Begging
(h) Encouraging

A(i) bragging, (ii) begging, (iii) encouraging, (iv) warning
B(i) showing spirit, (ii) wheedling, (iii) reassuring, (iv) intimidating
C(i) bragging, (ii) wheedling, (iii) encouraging, (iv) intimidating
D(i) showing spirit, (ii) begging, (iii) reassuring, (iv) warning

English Language Paper 2 November 2004

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The questions

Question 101

Question 102

Question 103

Question 104

Question 105

Question 106

Question 201

Question 202

Question 203

Question 204

Question 205

Question 206

Question 301

Question 401

Question 402

Question 403

Question 404

Question 405

More sittings of this paper

The answers, and why they are the answers

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