MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND HUMAN RESOURCES,

TERTIARY EDUCATION AND SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH

MAURITIUS EXAMINATIONS SYNDICATE

NATIONAL ASSESSMENT AT FORM III

NAME

SCHOOL NAME

CLASS/SECTION

ENGLISH
October 2015
1 hour 45 mins

Students answer on the Question Paper.

READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST

Write your name, the name of your school and your class/section in the spaces provided above.

Write in dark blue or black ink.

Do not use correction fluid.

There are 9 questions in this paper.

Check that this document consists of 13 printed pages and 3 blank pages.
Any discrepancy in the document must be immediately notified to the responsible officer in your
school.

Answer all questions in both Section A and Section B.

All answers must be written in the spaces provided.

The number of marks is given in brackets [ ] at the end of each question or part question.
The total of the marks for this paper is 100.

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 SECTION A: READING (40 Marks)
1. Read the following text.
On May 29, 1953, two men, Edmund Hillary, a 33 year old beekeeper from New Zealand and
his 39 year old Nepalese guide, the Sherpa* Tenzing Norgay, stood on the summit of Mount
Everest, the tallest mountain in the world, for the very first time in human history. The
following passage describes how they achieved this feat.

1 In the 20th century, climbing the Everest was considered one of the greatest adventures for
mankind. Different expeditions had tried to climb the mountain, but had all failed. The first
expedition had been carried out by the Royal Geographic Society and the Alpine Club in
1921. This was followed by six more unsuccessful tries until the outbreak of World War II
5
put a halt to the attempts.

2 The expedition which attempted the climb in 1953 was essentially a British group and was
funded by the Royal Geographical Society. They had brought 362 porters, 20 sherpas and
500 kgs of luggage from Nepal. Their first task was to establish a route to the mountain and
to ferry men and equipment up for the attempt at reaching the top. This took several days,
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but by May 21, 1953, they were ready.

3 Five days later, the first team, made up of Tom Bourdillon and Charles Evans, set off for the
peak. Using bottled oxygen, they almost managed to reach the top of Everest. But with only
100 metres to go, when they were higher than any man had been before, their oxygen
started to fail. With a heavy snowstorm coming in, they had to give up on their dream of
reaching the top. Evans and Bourdillon spent the night describing the route to the top to the 15
rest of the party - including the second team of Hillary and Tenzing.

4 On May 28, at 8.45 a.m, Hillary and Tenzing set off to try to reach the summit of Everest.
They were each carrying 20 kgs of equipment and trudged with difficulty up the icy mountain.
By nightfall, exhausted, they stopped for a rest and to get some sleep. While Tenzing made
soup, Hillary checked the oxygen. They would have to survive with only three litres a minute 20
instead of the planned four. With fierce gusts of wind whistling around the mountain, they
only managed to get four hours‟ sleep.

5 At 6.30 a.m the next morning, they were ready for the final push to the summit. Although it
was still bitterly cold (around minus 25º Celsius), the conditions had improved a little. The
winds had eased and visibility was much better. They took a last tin of sardines and biscuits, 25
took a few deep breaths and began their final assault.

6 Hillary constantly performed mental arithmetic to gauge how much oxygen they had left. The
higher they climbed, the more precarious their situation became. They were fast running out
of oxygen and the snow conditions were tricky. Nevertheless, they chose to keep going –
they were too close to their dream to stop. 30

7 By 9 a.m, they could see the mountain top in front of them. There was still a final hurdle to
overcome – a 15 metre cliff. The two men, although considerably weakened, dug in their
crampons and lifted themselves upwards. It was painful and exhausting, but they made it
over this final obstacle. They finally stood on top - Everest was conquered…

* Sherpas are people living in the most mountainous region of Nepal, high in the Himalayas.
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Answer the following questions.

(a) Say whether the following statements are True or False and pick out the extract from the
passage which justifies your answer. [4]

(i) Edmund Hillary was British.

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(ii) The expedition of 1953 was the first attempt at climbing Everest.

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(b) Indicate on which date the following events happened. [4]

 Bourdillon and Evans narrowly fail to reach the summit.

 Hillary and Tenzing reach the top of Everest

 Hillary and Tenzing start their attempt at reaching the summit.

 The expedition establishes a route to the mountain.

(c) What could be an appropriate title for this passage? Tick (  ) the right box. [1]

 The Alpine Club Expedition

 The Hard Life of Sherpas

 Reaching the Top of the World

 The climb of Boudillon and Evans

(d) In the 20th century, why did attempts at climbing Everest stop for a while? [1]

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(e) The expedition recruited many sherpas. Suggest a reason why they needed sherpas in the
group. [1]

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(f) Despite their disappointment, Evans and Bourdillon described the route to the top to Hillary and
Tenzing (line 15). What aspect of their character does this reveal? [1]

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(g) At the very beginning of their attempt to reach the summit of Everest (paragraph 4), what two
difficulties did Hillary and Tenzing face? [2]

(i) _____________________________________________________________________

(ii) _____________________________________________________________________

(h) „They were ready for the final push to the summit.‟ (line 23). What two improvements in the
weather made this „final push‟ possible? [2]

(i) _____________________________________________________________________

(ii) _____________________________________________________________________

(i) The further they climbed, the less safe they were. Which word from Paragraph 6 shows that
their situation was unsafe? [1]

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(j) „Hillary constantly performed mental arithmetic to gauge how much oxygen they had left.‟
(line 27). Why was he so concerned about running out of oxygen? [1]

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(k) Climbing the Everest is considered a major achievement for mankind. Do you agree with this
view? Why? [2]

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2. Read the following text.

1 People came to Dr Raman only as a last resort. He often burst out - “Why couldn‟t you
come a day earlier?” The reason was obvious - an exorbitant visiting fee, but more than
that, people were scared of what he would say. The patient‟s life often hung on his words. If
he said they would survive they did. If he said they would die, they did as well.

2 Today, standing over a bed, the doctor felt that he himself needed someone to tell him 5
soothing lies. On the bed lay his dearest friend in the world: Gopal. They had known each
other for forty years now, starting with their kindergarten days. They could not, of course,
meet as much as they wanted, each being wrapped in his own family and profession.
Occasionally, they would dine together, see a movie and talk of each other‟s life and
activities. It was a classic friendship, which endured untouched by changing times, 10
circumstances and activities.

3 He had been informed that Gopal was ill by the latter‟s son. He rushed to his house and saw
Gopal lying in bed, in a comatose state. The doctor asked Gopal‟s wife, “How long has he
been in bed?”
“A month and a half, Doctor.” 15
“Why, why couldn‟t you have sent me word earlier?”
“We thought you‟d be busy and did not wish to trouble you unnecessarily.”

4 There was hardly any time to be lost. He took off his coat and opened his bag.
“I have to perform an operation urgently.”
“Why, why? Why?” Gopal‟s wife asked faintly. 20
“I will tell you all that soon. Please leave your son here to help me and go to the next house
and stay there till I call you.”
She felt giddy and sank down on the floor, unable to bear the strain. Her son helped her and
led her out.

5 A few hours after the operation, Gopal opened his eyes and stirred slightly in bed. His 25
heartbeat was still weak but he showed signs of improvement. He smiled at his friend and
was able to take in a little food. He was still worried though. “Am I going to die? Don‟t hide
it from me.” Dr Raman made an indistinct noise and sat back in his chair. He had never
faced a situation like this. It was not in his nature to lie.

6 He thought long and hard about it and then made a decision. He said to himself, “ If my word 30
can save his life, he shall not die.” He said, “Gopal, listen.” This was the first time he was
going to do a piece of acting before a patient, simulate a feeling and conceal his judgment.
“You are going to live. Your heart is absolutely sound.” Gopal smiled and replied. “Do you
say so? If it comes from your lips it must be true …”

7 The next morning, Dr Raman rushed to Gopal‟s bedside. The patient was awake and looked 35
very well. He put his stethoscope to his heart, listened for a while and then told the sick
man‟s wife, “Don‟t look so unhappy, lady. Your husband will live to be ninety. How he has
survived this attack will be a puzzle to me all my life …”

[Adapted from ‘The Doctor’s Word’ by R K Narayan]

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Answer the following questions.

(a) „People came to Dr Raman only as a last resort‟ (line 1). Give two reasons why. [2]

(i) _________________________________________________________________________

(ii) _________________________________________________________________________

(b) Explain why Dr Raman felt that he needed someone to lie to him (line 5). [1]

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(c) What was special about the friendship between Dr Raman and Gopal? [1]

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(d) How do we know that Gopal was seriously ill? [2]

(i) _________________________________________________________________________

(ii) _________________________________________________________________________

(e) Give two reasons why Gopal‟s family hadn‟t informed Dr Raman of Gopal‟s illness. [2]

(i) _____________________________________________________________________

(ii) _________________________________________________________________________

(f) What two pieces of evidence do we have that Gopal‟s wife was very affected by her
husband‟s illness? [2]

(i) _________________________________________________________________________

(ii) _________________________________________________________________________

(g) Gopal showed „signs of improvement‟ (line 26). Which two signs showed that his health was
improving? [2]

(i) _____________________________________________________________________

(ii) _________________________________________________________________________

(h) Dr Raman „made an indistinct noise …‟ (line 28). Why did he refuse to give a clear answer
to Gopal? [1]

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(i) Dr Raman „thought long and hard about it and then made a decision‟ (line 30). What
decision did he make? [1]

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(j) The doctor „rushed to Gopal‟s bedside‟ (line 35). What was he expecting to have happened
to Gopal? [1]

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(k) Explain the meaning of five of the following words as they have been used in the passage. [5]

(i) soothing (line 6): ______________________________________________________

(ii) occasionally (line 9): ___________________________________________________

(iii) faintly (line 20): _______________________________________________________

(iv) strain (line 23): ________________________________________________________

(v) simulate (line 32): _____________________________________________________

(vi) sound (line 33): _______________________________________________________

(vii) puzzle (line 38): _______________________________________________________

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 SECTION B: GRAMMAR AND WRITING (60 Marks)

3. Read the following text.

“He opened his bag and removed his belongings. He had brought many

useful things in it.”

Now rewrite this text, starting with “They open their bags ..… ” [5]

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4. Punctuate the following. The first punctuation sign is already given. [5]

“what are you doing next weekend jane asked

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5. Your younger brother has written the following composition, but it is full of mistakes.

A. In this part, the mistakes have been underlined for you. Correct them. [5]

It was a monday morning. I was walking home from school. I saw a box in the

Monday
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pavement. I decided to opened it. I found a electrical car inside. I took him and went

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home. I decide to keep it in my house.

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B. In this part, the mistakes have not been underlined. Find them and correct
them. [5]

At three o‟clok, I returned home. I looked for the car but it was nowhere to be find. I was

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very dissapointed. I called my dad but he was not their. I tried to look for it myself but I did

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not saw it.

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6. Read the following text and transform the direct speech into reported conversation.
The first one has been done for you. [5]

“The paintings are great,” the boy said.

“Be careful when you take them off,” the shopkeeper told him.

“Can I take them downstairs?” the boy asked.

“Is your mother there?” the shopkeeper inquired.

“She is,” the boy said.

“Then perhaps it‟s best if she comes here,” the shopkeeper said.

[Adapted from ‘Secrets’ by Bernard McLaverty]

The boy said that the paintings were great.

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[Adapted from ……………………………..]

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7. Write the correct form of the words in brackets. The first one has been done for you. [5]

emerged
Poor diet has __________________ (emerge) as the biggest contributor to early

_________________ (die) around the world, according to an _________________

(analyse) from the leading authorities on the disease. Smoking cigarettes still carries the

_________________ (high) risk factor in the UK, followed by high blood pressure and

_________________ (obese). However, _________________ (global), high-blood

pressure remains the main cause of early fatalities.

[Adapted from ‘The Guardian’, August 2015]

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8. You have just joined a new school. In about 100 words, write about the experience. The
following ideas may help you:
[10]

- Where is your new school?

- Why did you move to this school?

- How are you making new friends?

- How do you find your new teachers?

- What are your feelings about being in this new school?

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9. Write an essay of around 200 - 250 words on one of the following: [20]

Either

(i) Imagine you are the Prime Minister of your country. What would you do to make it a
better place for everybody?

Or

(ii) Some people think that it would be better if boys and girls studied together in the
same school. Do you agree?

Or

(iii) Write a story which includes the following line:

“I felt very nervous that morning ...”

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