ENGLISH FIRST ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE
GRADE 9
TASK 5
(SCHOOL NAME)
2 HOURS
70 MARKS
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. This paper consists of 4 sections:
SECTION A: COMPREHENSION
SECTION B: SUMMARY
SECTION C: VISUAL TEXT
SECTION D: LANGUAGE
2. Answer all the questions in all four sections.
3. Answer ALL the questions on the paper provided (no answers will be marked on the
question paper).
4. Read the texts carefully before attempting to answer the questions.
5. Write in BLUE ink only.
6. Write neatly and legibly.
7. Good luck!
____________________________________________________________________________
SECTION A: COMPREHENSION
QUESTION 1
Read the passage below (TEXT A) and answer the questions that follow.
TEXT A
Bucket lists: are they a good idea?
1. Skydiving and swimming with dolphins are two popular items on the lists of things people want to do
before it's too late. Are they facing up to death – or merely in denial?
1
, 2. When John Goddard was 15, he made a list of everything he wanted to achieve. There were 127 goals,
which included: visiting every country in the world and even to visit the Moon. There is a tick beside
109 of those goals. Since then he has set himself hundreds more, writing them down as a form of
commitment.
3. Goddard's "Life List” is one of the inspirations for what is now known as bucket lists. The phrase derives
from the saying "kick the bucket". It was popularised by the 2007 film The Bucket List.
4. As in the film people start these lists when diagnosed with incurable illnesses, and then the goals often
have a personal flavour. The trend goes much wider. Bill Clinton and Cameron Diaz have spoken of
having a list. Last week, a man who had camped overnight for an iPhone 5 admitted that he included
that specific experience as part of his bucket list.
5. Are bucket lists really a good idea? It can be useful to have defined goals but the lists seem to
encourage individualized behaviour. Everyone is racing, alone, towards similar goals.
6. The psychotherapist Philippa Perry suggests that bucket lists might actually have been started "as an
advertising stunt by somebody who was selling swimming with dolphins". There's a consumerist vibe
to many of the lists, like the writing of a shopping list, says Perry. Instead of building on what you
already have, "to make a good life," she continues, "it's really an attempt to fill a void".
7. It's no surprise that they have risen in popularity in an age when we all treat our Facebook pages as a
shop window for our achievements. Psychologist Linda Blair, who is writing a book called The Key to
Calm, to help people deal with anxiety, says chasing big experiences is worthwhile if you enjoy the
whole process. "Saving up the money, planning it with friends, and then the moment as well." she says.
"If you're constantly living in the future, ignoring what's going on right now because you're shooting for
goals, you're not really living."
8. Could they be a useful way of dealing with the certainty of death? Blair doesn't think so. "It's a way of
denying the idea of death. People usually do this to ensure that there are things to look forward to. My
experience warns me that it's probably done in order to prevent thinking about death."
9. "What we should be doing in our bucket lists," Perry says, "is learning how to be open with our own
vulnerabilities so that we can form connections with other human beings. We don't all like swimming
with dolphins but we are all made to connect to each other. That's the really fun thing to do before you
die."
Adapted from The Guardian 26 September2012
Questions:
1.1 Identify two common entries mentioned in the passage that most people include on
their bucket lists. (2)
2
GRADE 9
TASK 5
(SCHOOL NAME)
2 HOURS
70 MARKS
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. This paper consists of 4 sections:
SECTION A: COMPREHENSION
SECTION B: SUMMARY
SECTION C: VISUAL TEXT
SECTION D: LANGUAGE
2. Answer all the questions in all four sections.
3. Answer ALL the questions on the paper provided (no answers will be marked on the
question paper).
4. Read the texts carefully before attempting to answer the questions.
5. Write in BLUE ink only.
6. Write neatly and legibly.
7. Good luck!
____________________________________________________________________________
SECTION A: COMPREHENSION
QUESTION 1
Read the passage below (TEXT A) and answer the questions that follow.
TEXT A
Bucket lists: are they a good idea?
1. Skydiving and swimming with dolphins are two popular items on the lists of things people want to do
before it's too late. Are they facing up to death – or merely in denial?
1
, 2. When John Goddard was 15, he made a list of everything he wanted to achieve. There were 127 goals,
which included: visiting every country in the world and even to visit the Moon. There is a tick beside
109 of those goals. Since then he has set himself hundreds more, writing them down as a form of
commitment.
3. Goddard's "Life List” is one of the inspirations for what is now known as bucket lists. The phrase derives
from the saying "kick the bucket". It was popularised by the 2007 film The Bucket List.
4. As in the film people start these lists when diagnosed with incurable illnesses, and then the goals often
have a personal flavour. The trend goes much wider. Bill Clinton and Cameron Diaz have spoken of
having a list. Last week, a man who had camped overnight for an iPhone 5 admitted that he included
that specific experience as part of his bucket list.
5. Are bucket lists really a good idea? It can be useful to have defined goals but the lists seem to
encourage individualized behaviour. Everyone is racing, alone, towards similar goals.
6. The psychotherapist Philippa Perry suggests that bucket lists might actually have been started "as an
advertising stunt by somebody who was selling swimming with dolphins". There's a consumerist vibe
to many of the lists, like the writing of a shopping list, says Perry. Instead of building on what you
already have, "to make a good life," she continues, "it's really an attempt to fill a void".
7. It's no surprise that they have risen in popularity in an age when we all treat our Facebook pages as a
shop window for our achievements. Psychologist Linda Blair, who is writing a book called The Key to
Calm, to help people deal with anxiety, says chasing big experiences is worthwhile if you enjoy the
whole process. "Saving up the money, planning it with friends, and then the moment as well." she says.
"If you're constantly living in the future, ignoring what's going on right now because you're shooting for
goals, you're not really living."
8. Could they be a useful way of dealing with the certainty of death? Blair doesn't think so. "It's a way of
denying the idea of death. People usually do this to ensure that there are things to look forward to. My
experience warns me that it's probably done in order to prevent thinking about death."
9. "What we should be doing in our bucket lists," Perry says, "is learning how to be open with our own
vulnerabilities so that we can form connections with other human beings. We don't all like swimming
with dolphins but we are all made to connect to each other. That's the really fun thing to do before you
die."
Adapted from The Guardian 26 September2012
Questions:
1.1 Identify two common entries mentioned in the passage that most people include on
their bucket lists. (2)
2
