THE TEXT

1- At age 17, the prime of her youth, Rhea Guntalilib, a 2nd –year nursing student from Nueva
Viscaya, lost her eyesight and her dreams.
“ I used to be a happy-go-lucky person back then,” Rhea recalls, “ I had the ‘ puede na’
mentality and I figured, I had my future well planned.” Until Rhea was hit by typhoid fever in
January 2006 that slowly blurred her vision with black spots and eventually blurred her future.
The black spots grew bigger and bigger in just a matter of months. Rhea’s family consulted
one ophthalmologist to another up to 13 in all, but with the same verdict – Rhea will become
blind, it was only a matter of time…within one and a half years, the doctors’ prediction came
true. Rhea became totally blind in both eyes.

2- Rhea went through the stages – denial, anger, mourning … “ I came to a point where I
don’t want to see or talk to anyone. I just wanted to hide,” she recounts. Rhea’s parents,
nonetheless, did not give up on her situation. They started looking for ways for Rhea to go on
with living. An article in the newspaper about Carol Catacutan, ATRIEV’s Training and
Employment Director, brought the Guntalilibs to ATRIEV.

3- In 2008, Rhea decided that she cannot go on brooding. Her family brought her to Manila
and she enrolled in ATRIEV’s basic PC operations course.
“ Initially, all I wanted to learn at ATRIEV is how to use computers and only that,” she
confesses. Interacting with her fellow blind persons taught Rhea much more than the
technology. “ But ATRIEV taught me more, much more than using the computer,” Rhea
begins, “ ATRIEV gave me back my self confidence.”

4- From a happy-go-lucky person, Rhea now values every single opportunity that comes her
way. After completing two modules in ATRIEV, she is now, a recipient of a two-year
scholarship at Informatics College, Diliman. Rhea is also doing a volunteer tutorial work at the
special education unit of Nueva Vescaya while waiting for the start of the school year.
Rhea reflects, “ I believe that my blindness is just God’s way of putting me in the right path
so that I will be the best person that I can be.”
.

ATRIEV – Success Stories

I / READING COMPREHENSION: (12 marks)
1) Complete the following table with information from paragraph 1. (4 marks)

Name Age country illness Handicap

Rhea Guntalilib .................... ........................... …………………. ……………….

2) Find in the text details to justify the following statements. (3 marks)

a/ Because of her illness, Rhea’s vision was increasingly damaged.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………….
b/ During her difficult times, Rhea’s parents supported her a lot.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………….
c/ When she became handicapped, Rhea had an extremely negative reaction.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………….

3) Answer the following questions. (2 marks)

a/ What are the positive effects of ATRIEV’s basic PC operations course on Rhea ?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
b/ How does Rhea feel about her handicap, now ?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………

4) What do the underlined words in the text refer to? (2 marks)

a/ “ that” (paragraph 1) refers to …………………………

b/ “ they” (paragraph 2) refers to …………………………

5) Tick ( √ ) the alternative that best explain the underlined expression. (1 mark)

“ It is just God’s way of putting me in the right path.”

(….) punishing me.

(….) guiding me.
(….) rewarding me.