In the Midst of Hardship by Latiff Mohidin

1. Which word tell us when they got home? A. torn B. soak C. dawn D. returned 2. Why were their clothes soaky? A. They had been out for a swim B. They had been in the flood C. They had been working hard D. They were anxious about a lost possession 3. What was missing? A. Their son B. Some trees C. An albino buffalo D. Bloated carcasses 4. Why was there no sign of despair on their faces? A. They were unaffected by their experience B. They were unaware of their injuries C. They had learnt to be tough D. They were too tired 5. In the first stanza, the calmness on their faces is contrasted with A. The wounds and scratches on their bodies B. The despair in their hearts C. Their desperation D. Their hope 6. How long had they been out? A. The whole day B. Half a day C. 12 hours D. 24 hours 7. How do they cope with life’s difficulties and disappointments? A. They share jokes and smoke B. They sigh about life’s problems C. They complain about their hardship D. They gather in the kitchen for a meal 8. The line They were born amidst hardship implies they A. had experienced hardship B. were fated to be poor C. had to face hardship D. were in difficulty 9. The bloated carcasses (line 11) are symbols of A. their son’s loss B. disappointment C. dead animals D. death 10. From the title of the poem we can predict that it is about the A. people that gave up completely B. discovery of inner strength

He Had Such Quiet Eyes by Bibsy Soenharjo C. struggle to find meaning D. ways to become cynical

1. In stanza 1, we know that the boy has A. beautiful eyes and a kind smile B. captivated the girl with his eyes C. scolded the girl with his eyes D. ice in his eyes 2. What look does he give her? A. Innocent B. Ignorant C. Sweet D. Silly 3. The phrase two pools of lies means A. there was betrayal B. there were deceptions C. he was lying and stealing D. he cheated and lied to her 4. From stanza 1, we can conclude that the persona A. is feeling happy B. has fallen in love C. has enchanting eyes D. is pleading with her boyfriend 5. The persona wishes that she had been wise because she has A. not compromised B. followed her heart C. listened to advice D. loved the boy 6. Line 13 She’d be free from “the hows and whys” implies that the persona A. is full of regret B. is a curious person C. is uncertain of her future D. is asking too many questions 7. Which of these words describe the persona in the second stanza? A. Soft B. Naive C. Trustworthy D. Happy-go-lucky 8. The word dice in stanza 3 suggests A. a chance or risk that one takes in a situation B. a type of game for two people in a contest C. taking advantage of another person D. playing a losing game 9. What is the persona trying to say in stanza 3? A. Be nice to everyone B. Do not fall in love C. Do not lose in a game D. Be careful in a relationship

10. At the end of the story, we can conclude that Lucy is after all A. sweet and nice B. smart and helpful C. brave and intelligent D. fierce and demanding

10. The overall purpose of the poem is to advise the readers not to A. trust anyone B. go out with boys C. listen to advice D. be tempted by good looks

QWERTYUIOP by Vivien Alcock 1.

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QWEWRTYUIOP is about Lucy and Miss Broome who A. are working at Ross and Bannister’s B. work as secretaries at Ross and Bannister’s C. fight each other to stay at Ross and Bannister’s D. want to prove that they are excellent and efficient secretaries The following are Lucy’s characteristics except A. lacking in confidence B. low self-esteem C. ignorant D. timid The first person Lucy meets when she reports for work is A. Mr Ross B. Uncle Bert C. Harry Darke D. Miss Broome What frightens Lucy when she starts typing? A. The office B. The volume of work C. Miss Broome’s appearance D. The typewriter moves by itself What does Lucy think when she first sees the mistakes on the paper? A. There is something wrong with the typewriter B. Her skill as a typist is a disappointment C. She has been very careless D. She has gone mad Who was Miss Broome? A. A new secretary B. A friendly ghost C. Lucy’s best friend D. The late Bannister’s secretary Uncle Bert is hurt with Lucy’s harsh words and he says that she is A. understanding B. judgmental C. selfish D. timid Miss Broome is nasty and angry because A. Ross and Bannister did not appreciate her long service B. Ross and Bannister asked her to leave when Lucy came C. Lucy is younger and prettier D. she is getting old Lucy manages to persuade Miss Broome to leave by A. applying lots of liquid paper each time she typed B. getting Harry to tell her about her past C. telling her that Mr Bannister needs her D. fighting with her in the office

The Fruitcake Special by Frank Bennan 1.

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Anna is A. a designer B. attractive and creative C. confident of her abilities D. a chemist in a cosmetics factory What did Anna discover? A. The fruitcake special B. The perfume Intrigue C. An amazing fruitcake recipe D. Her feelings for David Amos Anna’s boss preferred to be with A. beautiful women B. ordinary-looking girls C. the chemists at his factory D. his friends at the golf club David Amos invited Anna out for the evening because A. he was attracted to her B. she was an attractive woman C. she had worked hard for the company and he wanted to reward her D. he had been affected by the smell of the perfume she was wearing When David Amos came to pick up Anna for the dinner date, he was A. under the effect of the perfume B. quiet and withdrawn C. extremely loving D. nice and friendly A perfume that caused men to go mad with love would A. not sell well B. have a short life span C. bring in lots of money D. incur a lot of expense and loss Which trait best describes Aunt Mimi? A. Selfish B. Curious C. Concerned D. A busy body Anna visited Aunt Mimi to A. learn how to make fruitcake B. find out more about the fruitcake she had given them C. learn more about the perfect boy Aunt Mimi had found for her D. tell her what had happened on her dinner date with David Amos the night before When Anna returned to work, David Amos wanted to see her to A. explain why he had behaved in a strange way B. offer her money as compensation C. tell her he was in love with Sabina

D. discuss the evening date 10. Anna finally A. returned to her job at the factory B. went to work for another company C. married David Amos D. made fruitcake In the Midst of Hardship by Latiff Mohidin Practice 1 Explain the meaning of the following lines from the poem. 1

but on their brows there was no sign of despair

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they had to brave the horrendous flood

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They were born amidst hardship

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and grew up without a sigh or a complaint

Practice 2 Read the stanza below and answer the questions that follow. At dawn they returned home their soaky clothes torn and approached the stove their limbs marked by scratches their legs full of wounds but on their brows there was not a sign of despair

a. b. c. d.

Why did they return only at dawn? Why were their clothes soaky? What caused the scratches and wounds on their limbs? What attitude is shown by the couple?

He Had Such Quiet Eyes by Bibsy Soenharjo

Practice 1 Explain the meaning of the following lines from the poem. 1

They were two pools of lies Layered with thinnest ice

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Never to compromise With pleasure-seeking guys

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She’d be free from “the hows and whys”

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Be sure that nice really means nice Then you’ll never be losing at dice

Practice 2 Read the stanza below and answer the questions that follow. He had such quiet eyes She did not realise They were two pools of ice Layered with thinnest ice To her, those quiet eyes Were breathing desolate sighs Imploring her to be nice And to render him paradise

a. b. c. d.

Why does the lady not realise she has been deceived? What did the man do to deceive the lady? What imagery is used to describe the man’s eyes? What is the attitude of the man towards the lady in the first stanza? QWERTYUIOP by Vivien Alcock

Read the extract below and answer the questions that follow. Practice 1 “I don’t make mistakes,” Lucy said; then honesty compelled her to add, ”well, not very many. I’ve been trained. I’ve got a diploma.” “Yes. Yes, my dear, so they all had,” he said sadly, and left.

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Who is Lucy speaking to? Where was Lucy trained? What kind of diploma does Lucy have? Why is Lucy so defensive? What is the tone of the speaker in the last sentence of the extract?

Practice 2 “Did you have trouble with the machine, Miss Beck?” he asked. “Yes, sir.” (She was afraid to say what trouble in case he thought she was mad.)

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Who is speaking to Miss Beck? What does the machine refer to? Why does the speaker think there was trouble with the machine? What is preventing Miss Beck from telling the speaker the truth? What kind of trouble does Miss Beck have with the machine?

The Fruitcake Special by Frank Bennan Read the extract below and answer the questions that follow. Practice 1 She decided to say what she thought at once – as she always did. “So when are you going to bring a nice boy home?” she asked, looking me right in the eye. “There was that boy Armstrong you saw two years ago. He was nice,” said Momma, trying to help me.

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How many people are involved in the conversation above? Why is Aunt Mimi so concerned about Anna bringing a nice boy home? “She decided to say what she thought at once – as she always did.” What does the above sentence tells us about Aunt Mimi’s character? Who is Armstrong? Why is Anna not interested in Armstrong?

Practice 2 “Look Anna...” he began. I knew it. He’d changed his mind and was trying to think of some excuses to get out of our evening together. “...about today, at the factory,” he continued. “I don’t know why I behaved like that.”

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Where are Anna and Mr Amos? What happened earlier in the factory? Why did Mr Amos behave in such a strange manner? What are Mr Amos’s feelings towards Anna now? What has happened to make Mr Amos change his mind?