IGCSE First Language English [0990]: OCT/NOV 2020 Paper 1
TEXT A
Read Text
A, and then answer Questions
1(a)–(e) on the question paper.
Text A:
How cutting down trees can help the environment
Some forest
conservationists believe that you need to reduce a dominant species of tree in
order to protect other species.
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It’s frequently suggested that culling is an appropriate method for
maintaining populations |
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of animals and controlling numbers of invasive species. For example,
such measures |
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have been taken to control the grey squirrel, which has stolen habitat
and food from |
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the red squirrel. Large numbers of deer can also cause destruction of
natural habitats. |
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In these situations selective culling is a method of maintaining a
manageable level. |
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The same argument can be applied to trees in forests. |
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This type of conservation is judged by some as a misguided attempt to
save what is |
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seen as the most important, pretty or useful of the species, with
little regard for the |
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natural progression of wildlife and the environment. |
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However, we must consider how this method attempts to restore balance
within the |
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environment, not just allowing the survival of the fittest and fastest
to adapt, but of a |
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well-rounded spread of species that all rely on each other for
survival, including us! |
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The natural balancing of our woodlands was successfully maintained by
various |
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mammals in the forests. Many of these mammals no longer exist or lack
the freedom |
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they once had. Years ago, larger animals would naturally bring down
trees and eat |
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specific varieties of tree and vegetation. These mammals helped to
keep habitats varied |
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and dynamic because they roamed freely. However, since the
intervention of humans, |
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specific native and non-native species either dominate woodlands or
are restricted in |
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their movements. |
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As a result, conservation groups have started to remove areas of dense
woodland, |
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replacing it with wildflowers, heather and other different species.
This strategy has had |
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a positive impact on woodland ecosystems. |
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It can seem incredibly destructive to cut down a 2-year-old oak or
birch, but leaving |
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them to flourish would result in fewer habitats for wildlife. The
silver birch self-seeds |
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very efficiently which causes overcrowding. Dense woodland then
prevents sunlight |
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hitting the woodland floor, which reduces the variety of vegetation
that can survive. It |
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is this vegetation that allows a habitat for insects and subsequently
birds to thrive. Blue |
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tits and nightingales are commonly found around thickets that have few
trees, as these |
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birds have easier access to their food sources, insects and berries. |
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Read Text A,How cutting down trees can help the environment, in the insert
and then answer Questions 1(a)–(e) on
this question paper.
Question 1
(a)
Give two examples of animals that have been
culled, according to the text.
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• ......................................................................................................................................... |
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•
......................................................................................................................................... |
[1] |
(b)
Using your own words, explain what the text means by:
(i)
‘appropriate
method’ (line 1):
................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................ [2]
(ii)
‘Large
numbers’ (line 4):
................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................ [2]
(c)
Re-read paragraph 3, (‘This type of conservation and the environment.’).
Give two reasons why people might be
against cutting down trees.
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•
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[2] |
(d)
Re-read
paragraphs 4 and 5, (‘However, we must in their movements.’).
(i)
Identify two reasons why cutting down trees is
important.
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•
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[2] |
(ii)
Explain
how mammals once helped to maintain the natural balance in the woodlands.
................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................ [3]
(e)
Re-read
paragraph 7, (‘It can seem insects and berries.’).
Using your
own words,
explain why birds like blue tits and nightingales are not usually found in
dense woodland areas.
...........................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................... [3]
Answers:
1 a).
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deer |
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grey squirrel |
1 bi) Suitable procedure
1 bii) vast amount
1 c) i. It is judged by some as a misguided attempt to save what is seen as the most important, pretty or useful of the species.
ii. It has little regard for natural progression of wildlife and the environment.
1 di).
i. It restores balance within the ecosystem.1 e).
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Read Text
B, and then answer Question 1(f)
on the question paper.
Text B:
Japanese cherry blossom season
The season in
which Japanese cherry blossom trees blossom is a time much enjoyed and celebrated
by many people.
Once I
experienced cherry blossom season in Japan and shared in an immense rush of
carefree happiness. When the first branch with five blossoms unfolded in
Okinawa, in Japan’s southernmost tip, the nation erupted in glee. Party season
was officially on!
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Along with the excited Japanese, I swooned over explosions of soft
pink flowers. |
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Flower-viewing picnics flooded parks and religious sites, while
companies dispatched |
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junior staff at dawn to save prime spots for office parties.
Traditional Japanese rice balls |
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were staple festival food. Squid skewers sizzled on grills, as
laughter grew louder into |
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the night. Paper lanterns illuminated trees, glowing like incandescent
bonfires. |
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Celebrations could get out of hand and I have read about city councils
enforcing curfews, |
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but I witnessed how little this abated enthusiasm. Even the shops were
infatuated. |
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Consumerism in Japan is astonishing. Shelves were flushed pink with
soft drinks, cakes, |
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biscuits, ice-cream, textiles, clothing, stationery and homewares. One
fast-food outlet |
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produced a hamburger on a pink cherry-scented bun with pink
mayonnaise. |
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The Japanese have celebrated cherry blossom season for over a thousand
years and |
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it inspires art, music and poetry to this day. A traditional blossom
song is still taught in |
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schools, while ‘5 centimeters per second’, a 2007 anime film, takes
its title from the |
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gentle movement with which blossom falls. It is a bittersweet tale of
a young man and |
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woman who meet in spring, then become separated over the years. |
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For the Japanese, cherry blossom season is a cyclical marker of time.
They can reflect |
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on the revolving carousel of family, friends, lovers and colleagues
over a lifetime of |
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basking under powdery canopies. As I discovered, these delicate blooms
emit an |
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innocent blush while wielding a mighty nostalgic punch. |
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Japan’s recent industrial growth has delivered dazzling technology and
prosperity, but |
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also environmental degradation that continues today. About three-quarters
of Japan is |
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mountainous and uninhabitable. Most people live in crowded cities in
flat, coastal |
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regions. Once a year though, Nature declares its sovereignty in the
cities and bestows |
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its gift of the year’s biggest social and cultural event. |
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The jubilation lasts only one to two weeks. Warm weather coaxes buds
out of hibernation, |
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then ushers in rainstorms that knock the petals off. When the last
petals drop in the |
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most northern part of Japan the show is over. |
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Read Text B, Japanese cherry blossom season, in the insert and then answer Question 1(f) on this question paper.
You must use continuous writing (not note form) and use your own words as far as possible
Your summary should not be more than 120 words.
Up to 10 marks are available for the content of your answer and up to 5 marks for the quality of your writing.
1
joyous
occasion for the nation / time of national happiness / all the Japanese people
come together
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opportunity
to party / celebrations
3
abundance
of flowers / explosion of blossom
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attractive
blossom / soft pink flowers
5
break from
work / get out of the office
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festival
food / eating outdoors / picnics
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decorations
/ lanterns / lights
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pink
things to buy / sell cherry-blossom-themed things
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long
tradition / have celebrated it for over 1000 years
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arts
inspired by blossom – songs, music, art, poetry, film(s)
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marker of
time passing / reflect (on family, friends) / reminisce
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antidote to industrial growth / brightens dull cities / distracts from
environmental concerns
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brief /
only last 2 weeks / once a year
Read Text
C, and then answer Questions
2(a)–(d) and Question 3 on the
question paper.
Text C: Walking in the jungle
The narrator
is one of a party going on an organised trip through the jungle in the company
of their guide, Maria.
The trail we’re
taking is twisting, quiet and remote. We pass simple wood-plank homes and racks
of peas drying in the sun. On one curve, we slow down for a small
brown-and-black anteater which crosses before us, then stands on its hind legs,
front legs outstretched at its sides, to look back at us.
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Then we get to the waterfall. |
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We hear the roar before we reach it, then are rewarded with a wide,
bright blue-green |
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pool fed by a cascade. Towering above are mud and rock formations that
look like |
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hidden elephants. ‘This is such an adventure!’ one of us says. We
follow a trail heading |
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up through the jungle to the right, and look down on the pool. |
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‘It’s perfect, but how do we get into it?’ |
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‘You have to jump,’ our guide Maria says, holding out her arms in a
circle the size of a |
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manhole cover. Then she laughs impishly at our surprised faces and
agrees to an |
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alternative: climbing down the eight-metre steep bank of brittle
shrubs and loose dirt. |
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Then we swim upstream, over fallen logs, to reach the pool below the
crash of falls. |
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We are cradled in frothy, azure luxury – the best swimming hole I’ve
ever been in. |
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A couple of hours later we are on a boat trip where we eat vegetable
tacos as Maria |
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constantly spins round, showing us crocodiles on the banks. Howler
monkeys groan |
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from treetops on either side of the river. We also pass a temple with
dark tunnels where |
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fruit bats huddle and squeak above us, and eventually reach a wide
shaded area where |
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30-metre-tall trees share space with temples well over a thousand
years old. |
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Once off the boat, Maria, who learned to hunt by bow and arrow as a
child in the 1970s, |
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leads us through the jungle, over root-laced trails – and occasionally
off them. We pass |
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over a series of log bridges, and ford one river by foot. I quickly
see how over-packed |
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I am. Some of our party are gamely walking barefoot with just one
small bottle of water |
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each. My bag, meanwhile, is filled with four water bottles, some
chocolate cookies, |
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hard-boiled eggs, some electrolyte powder, and a waterproof jacket I
was never going |
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to need. Then, in the first 15 minutes, my strap breaks. |
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But it’s a fun walk. After two hours, at Maria’s brisk pace, we reach
a camp at a shady |
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crest above a reed-filled lagoon just as dusk approaches. Crocodiles
are out of sight |
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on the muddy beach below. Nearby is the start to a new home Maria is
building with |
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materials she hauls in on foot. |
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Maria has built a fire and mentions that a TV crew came to shoot a
‘how to survive the |
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jungle’ show once, but a few of the participants quit after getting
infected by some ivy. |
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‘But it’s easy to survive here,’ she insists. To demonstrate, she
chops off an arm-size |
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branch of a native tree, letting us sip the sweet, running sap. She
whittles the bark and |
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boils fragrant shavings of the branch, soon producing a bubbling gold
broth. ‘Jungle |
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coffee,’ she says. I have two cups’ worth. It’s delicious. The darkness is all-encompassing now. Above, stars flicker gently through the shadowy outline of treetops. I wonder when we’ll be starting back, and what sort of lurking life will come out at night, but Maria is distracted. She catches and hands over a sudden 40 visitor – a beetle with fluorescent yellow-green lights that glow from its eyes like a penlight. Its head sharply clicks between three positions. And then she starts leading us back in the dark. Read Text C, Walking in the jungle, in the insert and then answer Questions 2(a)–(d) on this question
paper.
Question 2
(a)
Identify a word or phrase
from the text which
suggests the same idea as the words underlined:
(i)
The very
loud noise of the waterfall.
................................................................................................................................ [1]
(ii)
Maria keeps
turning around very quickly to point out crocodiles.
................................................................................................................................ [1]
(iii)
Some of
the group bravely and willingly cross the river without footwear.
................................................................................................................................ [1]
(iv)
Maria
walks at a quick pace.
................................................................................................................................ [1]
(b)
Using your own words, explain what the writer means by each of the words underlined:
Howler monkeys groan
from treetops on either side of the river. We also pass a temple with dark
tunnels where fruit bats huddle and squeak above us, and eventually
reach a wide shaded area where 30-metre-tall trees share space with
temples well over a thousand years old.
(c) Use one example from the text below to explain how the writer suggests what the jungle coffee was like. Use your own words in your explanation. To demonstrate, she chops off an arm-size branch of a native tree, letting us sip the sweet, running sap. She whittles the bark and boils fragrant shavings of the branch, soon producing a bubbling gold broth. ‘Jungle coffee,’ she says. I have two cups’ worth. It’s delicious. Answers: 2 a i). roar 2 a ii). constantly spins 2 a iii). gamely 2 a iv). brisk (pace) 2 bi). make deep slow sounds 2 b ii). crowd together 2b iii). protected from the sun 2c). • arm-size branch of a native tree: huge section of tree required to produce coffee, natural, local produce • sip the sweet running sap: small mouthfuls, savouring its sugary, pleasing taste; like bees tasting nectar; natural and freely available liquid • (boils) fragrant shavings: suggests the pleasant, sweet scent; aromatic, delicate and thinly sliced; care taken in its preparation, comparison to preparing coffee • bubbling gold (broth): rare, expensive, exotic, beautiful, exciting, potent magical mixture, elixir, potion; frothy, hot / comforting, nutritious soup
• ‘Jungle coffee,’ she says. I have two cups’ worth: not really ‘coffee’ but use of the term suggests it is a common drink there / what locals do; indulges • (It’s) delicious: very tasty, unexpectedly; simple statement of amazement and delight Writer's Effects (d)
Re-read
paragraphs 5 and 10. • Paragraph 5 begins ‘“You have to jump” ’ and is about how the party decide to reach the pool and their experience in it. • Paragraph 10 begins ‘The darkness is all-encompassing ’ and is about the final moments in darkness at the camp. Explain how the writer uses language to convey meaning and to create effect in these paragraphs. Choose three examples of words or phrases from each paragraph to support your answer. Your choices should include the use of imagery. Write about 200 to 300 words. Up to 15 marks are available for the content of your answer. |
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Suggested responses:
Overview: Maria’s ability to entertain the group
and the sheer pleasure of the pool after the challenge of getting to it.
o
‘You have to jump’: presented as no choice,
stark, confrontational and dramatic
ultimatum
o
arms in a circle the size of
a manhole cover (image): small size,
emphasizes going downwards into the unknown
o
(laughs) impishly (image): playfully, mischievously,
like an elfin
character; suggests Maria’s personality as
fun-loving, her enjoyment of teasing her clients
o
an eight-metre steep bank: precise / exaggerated
measurement, emphasises potentially
just as difficult / not much of an alternative,
treacherous
o
brittle shrubs: crisp, dry small plants /
vegetation; sharp / painful / easy
to break / dry
o
loose dirt: detached grains of soil,
slippery ground, dryness of the
bank, potential to fall away beneath them
o
crash of falls: loud smashing noise of the
waterfall, powerful impact, violent
o
cradled: held closely and safely
(like a baby); feelings of comfort, safety
and warmth
o
frothy azure luxury: foaming, bubbling,
blue/blue-green, spa; indulgence,
beauty, sheer pleasure
Overview: the mystery and/or magic of the night time jungle.
o
(the darkness is) all-encompassing: covering and dominating
everything, pervasive, inescapable,
potentially terrifying, overwhelming
o
(stars) flicker gently
(through the shadowy outline of tree tops): intermittent
light, twinkle weakly, uncertain, blurry shapes of trees;
calm and peaceful, dreamlike
o
(what sort of) lurking life: hiding creatures, identity
unknown, sinister, eerie, waiting,
deliberate concealment, sneaking, secretive, strange, dangerous.
o
sudden visitor: unforeseen arrival,
unexpected guest, (un)welcome appearance
o
(beetle with fluorescent
yellow-green lights that glow from its eyes) like a penlight. (Its head sharply
clicks between three positions): lighting the way like a torch / tiny, weak
light emphasising darkness;
practicality of using natural resources; alien, mechanical, other worldly
Extended Response
Re-read Text C, Walking in the jungle, in the insert and then answer Question 3 on this question paper.
Question 3
You are Maria. You are
interviewed for a television programme about people with interesting jobs. The
interviewer asks you the following three
questions only:
• What skills and qualities make you a good guide?
• How do you advise your clients to prepare for the challenges of the jungle?
Write the words of the interview.
Base your interview on what you have read in Text C, but be careful to use your own words. Address each of the three bullet points.
Write about 250 to 350 words.
Up to 15 marks are available for the content of your answer and up to 10
marks for the quality of your writing.
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A1: what the clients
particularly enjoy about the jungle trip |
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• walking the trail (det. twisting, quiet and remote, amongst very tall trees, mud and rock formations ) [dev. contrast with city / not used to walking barefoot]
• interesting architecture (det. temple, wood-plank homes) [dev. contrast to simplicity of homes, faded grandeur of temple, escape modern world]
•
different animals (det. anteater, howler monkeys,
crocodiles, beetle) [dev.
educational, thrill of (potential) close encounter(s)]
•
variety of water features (det. waterfall, boat trip,
fording river, lagoon, blue green
pool) [dev. relaxing / impressive / beautiful]
•
adventure (det. camping in wild / spending
time in the jungle) [dev. risk is
real, contrast to their usual lives/location; challenge, exotic]
•
food and drink (det. vegetable tacos, jungle coffee) [dev. different from their usual food, (more) natural]
A2: the skills and qualities that make for a good guide
•
communication (det. leading the group) [dev. responsibility for clients’ safety / adaptable]
•
sense of humour (det. anecdotes, circle to
jump through) [dev. entertain /
loves the job]
•
knowledge of the area (det. avoids crocodile beach
) [dev. chooses a safe area to camp]
• knowledge of fauna and flora (det. ‘coffee’ tree, where bats can be found, how to catch a beetle) [dev. deliberately planned route to showcase / fascinated by jungle creatures]
• survival skills / experience living in jungle (det. learned bow and arrow, can make jungle coffee, building own new home ) [dev. respects / loves jungle, resourceful, grew up there]
•
physical fitness / staying
power (det.
long days, long distances) [dev. role
model]
A3: how clients should prepare for a jungle trip
•
appropriate clothing for that context (det. swimming costume, not a waterproof jacket) [dev. light enough
to swim in / dry off quickly]
•
pack only essentials / travel
light (det.
just water bottle needed as food is
provided) [dev. excess, cumbersome to carry]
•
medical supplies (det. infection possible
(from ivy), electrolyte) [dev. supplies
not needed / sensible if any special requirements]
•
build stamina / train (det. 8 m slopes, need to
walk briskly) [dev. in readiness for
mixed terrain and swimming]
•
open mind mental approach /
willingness to try new things / willingness to learn (det. walking barefoot,
realisation: ‘was never going to’)
[dev. will change you]
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